Too Much Red: New Nemesis

By: Pakkrat

Chapter 1: The Clue

My name is Raven, or as I am now called Rachael Xavier. I have a husband, called Robert Xavier, who formerly was our worst enemy as Red X. Yes, I am Raven, of the Teen Titans. It all began in a nice little club, that's where I and Robert met. We really seemed to fit together; we both wanted something good in our lives. However, life often stacks the odds, makes things tougher than we want. We being together, that was just as bad. No, not because Robert was a criminal… well, that didn't help. It was the intervention of Robin's past, a villain named Heretic came. Not bad enough? How about with this magic wielding monster, came an explosives nut called Bata-Boom, a clown criminal from Robin's childhood called The Joker, and even Slade, the man we thought was dead resurrected. Terrible, right? However, fate had worse plans… it planned, a greater monster than all of them together…

We thought those others were monsters… they were just mindless players in a scheme beyond them. Trigon was my father; he had a prophecy to finish. However, this thing has no prophecy, no reason we know of hurting me and my friends. What I do know is he was evil, powerful, and he was more than willing to hurt others all in the sake of his sick pleasure. We fought long and hard, we lost friends to him but saved others. He was the lord of infinite shadow… he was...

Actually, he's still waiting. The fact we beat him means he will be back. He wants my children, something special is in them and he wants it. I don't know what, or why, but as I have grown, and loved my children I swear I won't give them up without a fight. We lied to the police, telling them that it was Bata-Boom who controlled the organization of criminals. Not only was Bata-Boom the most loyal of that monsters minions, he was almost as sick as him. My only clue is in you… please, just tell me what I want to know!

The stone face looks on Raven, he is called Cinderblock, his red eyes look on her with hate and no more. Raven glares, he was the only clue left. Slade died soon after she took away the connection to Trigon, his energy slowly dwindled away. Cinderblock was there with Slade till the end like a loyal dog, Cinderblock also knew something about the future, about this ordeal. Chained with special bonds Cinderblock sits in Jump City penitentiary without any chance of parole, he was a prisoner and never does anything but sits in one spot of the cell. Raven has her hood and leotard, no questions asked in the officers as she was no longer a teen titan, or any real hero. She hung up that outfit when she had kids, making a career for herself as a journalist. She likes the telling of story, and of course being Raven she has talents no other reporters have.

Cinderblock sees her pleading eyes, and he smirks his granite grin, Raven snarls readying to leave, "Soon…" Raven looks back, she sees his eyes, speaking telepathically in all these years he gives her a simple "Soon… it's going to be soon."

Raven looks her lavender eyes in horrid terror, soon, that's all she has? Raven sighs deeply before leaving the monster in his cell. Cinderblock simply sits there, his grin nice and wide he waits… soon… it was all… very soon.

Raven walks out of the prison in her outfit before flying up and off from this damn place. Too many criminals were looking at her, some in lust others hate. Raven was older, and greatly have men found her more alluring than the twiggy teen she was once. Raven looks up as she was flying seeing the clouds it means rain. Raven flies to her house, a nice place in a quite part of the city with a backyard with a high fence. You must know why the fence was so high. Raven steps into the house, looking around she sees no one is awake yet, she did leave pretty early this time. She has the day off, and no other obligations except seeing her kids off to school… oh, the hell with it they can get to school themselves. Raven heads upstairs and crawls into bed, trying to get some sleep but arms are tightly holding her waist. Her face looks up and smiles, "Robert, Robert honey?"

The man, age 35 moans, his hair long black strands falling back in a braided style he glares his silver eyes to his wife, "Oh man, not that time again…"

Raven, age 33, smirks her loving grin to the man she wed, her hair not so fitly held it is loose and frizzled, "Yeah, time to…" she yawns, "Take the kids to school." She shifts up and stretches, Robert grins as he wraps her abdomen and nuzzles her neck, "Oh, let them take that bloody bus. That, or fly."

Raven sighs, a smile on her lips still, "Robert, don't be silly you know the kids won't fly dur…" two shadows lift past the windows, "Shit!" she disappears leaving Robert to fly off the bed to the floor, Robert moans with his face faulted to the ground, Raven phases her head through a portal blushing, "Sorry, but they're flying during the day again."

Robert raises his hand, "Go… go… I'm okay." He lifts his head and huffs his loose bangs off his face, "Kids…"

Raven curses mentally, they are flying! Flying, during the day! Hell, she was going to kill them if she had the chance… well, maybe just so they behaved. The two teenagers fly quickly, any second they knew what would… and as they knew the field of blackness envelops the two and soon both are back home at the backyard. The boy sighs, looking up he shows his blackened hair slightly spiked as his father once had his hair, "Rasco Xavier! What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Rasco, hearing mom this upset, just sits down letting his blackened trench on the ground bellow him, he took it off to sit. His blue jeans with a hole in the left knee are slightly faded; his shirt was a black muscle shirt with a purple phoenix rolling above a blue flame. Rasco was looking up in a blank stare, his complexioned skin may make him seem like he was his father's image but his personality was his mother's. He was cool, calm, and collected. His mother and he liked to meditate together, and in his research with Pakka and Pakku, he excels as one adept student. His sister, well she was a little different.

(Roth Xavier, voiced by Melissa Charles (Gaz from Invader Zim)

Roth glares with a sort of aggression, "God mom, we were going to meet with the others! Their parents don't ride their asses like you do us!"

Raven looks heated in a glare, "First off don't curse in front of me… um, actually don't curse period. Secondly, they fly to school too?"

The two share looks, Roth a more heated one as Rasco simply shrugs, he was not totally the one at fault he only wanted to get there on time. Roth is in a black top with "Devil's Child" on the front, with a black jacket over this one. Her miniskirt is a short one, leather like the jacket, and she wears those black netting stockings with heavy boots on. The closest to plain punker-goth Roth was her father's attitude, rebellious and uncontrolled. She was dangerous without the control, her parents knew this but luckily her powers have never played out as deeply as her brothers. Raven smirks as she now raises her hands with a glaring grin, the two scream as their heads are being noogied from Raven's energy, "MOM!" they both scream, Raven shrugs before letting them go, "No flying, I mean it!"

The two begin walking off as Rasco gives a small smile.

(Rasco Xavier, voiced by Steven Jay Blum (Spike from Cowboy Bebop)

"You know… she didn't say we couldn't teleport."

The two siblings grin widely before disappearing; Raven turns to the streets and her eyes twitch "I forgot… teleporting…"

Raven enters the house and sits down, a sigh she looks to her clothing, "Oh… no…" she was wearing her freaking purple hood! "Gah! If the neighbors saw me!"

A knock is at the door; Raven tosses the robe and grabs her coat, a long trench, "Hello?"

Raven opens the door, her brow raises, "What the?" she looks down, seeing the newspaper she shrugs and picks it up. Raven takes the paper to the kitchen and hears Robert is already cooking, "A man that cooks, aren't we something special?"

Robert looks over, "Um… we might want to… uh…" Raven sweats to the burnt eggs and bacon, "Yeah…"

Raven giggles as she lays the paper down, "Scootch, I have this." She raises her hands and many pans move to her and the ones on the stove dive to the sink. Robert grins as he sits to the paper, "Truth is I just like watching you cook." He raises a brow as she has the trench on, "Of course, more interesting fashion statements were made."

Raven rolls her eyes as she ushers out food from the fridge, hearing Robert grab the paper she pulls out a coffee mug and fills it with coffee. Robert looks through the paper and as he sips his coffee he suddenly drops his drink. Raven looks over blinking, "Robert?"

Robert stands up, he looks on her without his playful looks, it is serious, concerned, "Raven, call Richard, and the others." He lays the paper flat, the headline reads, "Display Tomorrow, the "New Nemesis!" Holds from Heretic?"

Outside, in a long limousine a figure grins from his shadowy spot, flicking a nice cigar the figure brandishes the ring with the Red X figure, along with Scath over this X,

"Well, they know. Now what?"

The fat man, sitting with his green goggles glares with strong brows, "Oh, you'll see…" he motions his beady eyes to the door of the Xavier home, "They'll all see… Bata-Boom!"

(Bata-Boom, voiced by Jason Alexander (George Castanza from Seinfeld)

Oh so it begins, thank heaven my children were at school where they were safe… oh, crap… they were at school…

…Jump City High School…

Roth and Rasco have teleported to the center of the gym, smirking they walk off. Behind them is an elderly janitor with a mustache and overalls, "…I need to stop drinking on the job." He returns to his duties. Roth walks out the door first, Rasco follows soon after and the halls are buzzing with noise. Kids are chatting away before class really starts. It all seems so care free. Roth sees someone coming, "Oh no… it's that idiot again."

Rasco smirks, "It's uncle Beast Boy… er, Garfield's son, what do they call him?"

"Annoying…" Roth dryly says to her brother as the boy with a green T, jeans, and blue spiked hair jumps over to her swinging his arm on her waist.

(Jim Logan/Chimera, voiced by Keith Ferguson (Bloo from Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends)

"Hey guys! You wouldn't believe what just happened!" he swings his arms out to show where it began, "So I was minding my own business when all of a sudden this tall guy walks by right, so I ask, 'Hey buddy, how's the weather up there.' And he says…" Jim looks up grinning, " 'I'll let you know after school today, in the parking lot', boy, some people are stupid but having to wait all day to make a comeback! Ha!"

Rasco has no change in his expression except a raise of his right brow, "You do know he's planning on killing you… right?"

"…come again?"

Roth smirks, "He challenged you to a fight stupid. So how big was this guy?"

Jim gulps, a shadow looms from behind the two siblings on Jim who look up seeing a tall muscular pale skinned kid with black hair. His eyes are red, he wears black leather pants and a jacket the same. Rasco and Roth know him; he's a bully around these parts called Johnny Rancid, the son of that punk criminal from the old titan days this Johnny looks like his dad to a T.

"Oh yeah, I can't wait…" Rancid smacks his fists to his palms, "Till later today…"

Rancid leaves as Jim looks wide eyed, "Oh… my… I just insulted the scariest, vicious, most terrifying monster known in history and he wants to beat me into oblivion!"

Roth and Rasco smirk leaving Jim, Roth says slowly, "Good luck with that whole getting beat to a pulp thingy!"

Rasco shrugs, "Sorry about your luck."

"Wait!" Jimmy runs in front of the two, "Hold on, you have to help me out of this!"

The two glare to each other, "Why?"

"Because, we're friends!" Jimmy grins, "Remember that time I…" His eyes roll back, "um, how about when I… uh… so do you recall…" Jimmy falls on his knees, "He's going to pound me into oblivion!"

Rasco sighs, "You should have thought about that before making fun of him."

Jimmy glares, "Oh come on, it was funny! How's the weather up there?"

A shadow looms behind Jimmy; he looks up and scrambles away from Rancid, "Still making jokes funny man…"

…Raven…

Raven is on the phone with Richard Grayson, Aka, Robin. Robin smiles as she talks about meeting tonight at the Red Xtreme, that club her husband owns. They have a special seat in the back to meet with all the gang. Robin hangs the phone up, older and more built Robin's hair is straight, wearing a tight blue T he grabs a pair of shades running to the car, not mush time really to worry about all else, he'd make the other calls in his car. Robin adjusts the mirror; his eyes catch the picture of Starfire… "… damn." He takes the picture off the window and puts it back in his pocket. He was wondering when to tell the gang… not tonight, there's more important stuff to worry about.

…The School…

Lunch comes sort of quick today, it's a half-day, now that was a surprise. Seems that today was the birthday of some senator, maybe a mayor, none of the kids knew what it was but a half day is a half day! Roth sits with Rasco; soon they are surrounded by the "others" of their group. First is Vince Stone, the son of Cyborg, er… Victor Stone. Like his dad he's relatively big in build, black, and has no hair because he shaves. He's pretty much a look alike, just not as big as his dad was, slightly more broad but not wide. Vince was a cool guy. He didn't do much in out-of-the-way stuff, he was a worrier and sports nut, but he loves technology. Even now he was using his watch with internet connection to look up the latest in robotics from his dads company, Stone Enterprises, whose moto is, "It's in Stone, the best deals come from Stone Enterprises with robotics!" A little weird but likeable.

Also with them was Jimmy, hiding in a paper bag he believes it will keep him from being discovered… sadly it has his name on the forehead upside down. The last to join is the lovely, enchanting, Nova Grayson. The daughter of Robin and Starfire she has the dark tan complexion of a human but slightly with a rust orange. Nova also has her mother's hair in beauty but color was black. Green eyes, the innocent giggle she often greets with causes Rasco to prop his head up. He takes in her outfit, a purple shirt and skirt she was something of a known popular girl. Sitting down she smiles to her friends,

(Nova Grayson/Novafire voiced by Lara Jill Miller, Juniper Lee from Life and Times of Juniper Lee)

"Good morning, and salutations my dearest of friends! How has the latest cycle of the solar entity greeted you?"

Roth sighs, "Yeah… it's um… good."

Rasco with a sandwich in his mouth mumbles "Wood…"

Nova raises a brow, "Wood? Is that a wood sandwich?" she garbs her chin in thought, "It would be high in fiber, yet the splinters would…"

Rasco swallows, and with a slight grumble he says, "Good Nova, it's good."

Jimmy faults in his seat, "It could be better…" he now scrambles his arms around, "If the meanest, ugliest bully in the world didn't want to pulverize me!"

(Vince Stone/Hexadecimal voiced by Phil LaMarr (Wilt from Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends)

Vince looks up from his watch "Um… he's right there man."

Jimmy turns pale… looking up he sees the twitching eye of Rancid, "Oh… hi…" Rancid grabs Jimmy by the scruff, "You and me twerp! After School! Be there, or… don't… be…" he drops Jimmy, "Just be there!"

Jimmy watches Rancid leave; he removes his bag asking "How did he recognize me?"

Rasco raises a brow from his blank face, "The bag says your name."

"Yeah…" Jimmy sighs into his hand, "But who knew he could read?"

…Red Xtreme…

Robin sits at one side of the table, Raven and Robert both also are there. The last editions are the large well dressed bald black man, Cyborg has a nice blue suit and red tie, he left directly from work. He's used a holographic skin-cover much like the one he gave to Beast Boy and his son, both have irregularly colored skin. Cyborg covers his machinery so no one knows he was actually the Ex-Titan. With him is the pink haired, eyed, and pale skinned Jinx, yes she was his wife and was wearing a long black dress with long gloves. She sees Raven and strolls over admiring the dress she wore was almost the same except Raven's was open at the crest of her chest and held up to the shoulders and neck. Jinx had bare shoulders to the top of her crest below her arms. Robin wore a simple clothing of his shirt and pants, so did Robert. They hate to admit it but they act a lot a like.

Next to enter, tall and slim is Beast Boy, or Garth as they come to call him. Garth wears a brown jacket to look more formal with a tie but he has black jeans… not matching well at all. His wife enters with her black and yellow dress, Bumble Bee or as she was really called Karen Logan after she was married. Karen was a nurse now, working at the hospital as Garth tries his hand at Zootology and occasionally he's known to go on air with news people on the endangered animals.

The groups sit down and begin talking about things; it has been a while since they all got together like this. Robin looks to Raven, she asks, "Where's Starfire?"

"… uh…" Robin fakes a grin, "She had work Rae, something on… er, back home with the family."

That's understandable; Star was usually off doing things to keep the peace on Tameran. Jinx looks back over to the door as she hears the steps of loud feet, "Mammoth!" The large muscular man in a red suit with a red tie walks in tugging at his cuffs, "Ergh… I hate this monkey suit."

Jinx looks around, "Where's Giz, did he come with you and your wife?"

Mammoth shakes his head no, "Sorry but Giz was doing something at that lab of his for Victor." Jinx glares to Victor who hides behind a napkin; Mammoth whispers "I think Victor's got him working on a secret project… for the kids."

Jinx shrugs before asking, "Hey, what happened with your wife?"

Mammoth would have answered if the screaming voice didn't ring through the walls. From the dance floor a blonde haired girl in pink storms through the backing crowd, "She's coming…"

Kitten, the wife of Mammoth comes storming in with a kick of the door, she has a designer pink outfit as she was one of the most recognized fashion moguls in the world… and any who say otherwise ran for the hills. Mammoth was actually Baran Flinders, and Kitten now was called Kitty Flinders. Their daughter was at school, and yes she was another meta-human with super skills like the other kids. That's why they were here, the talk was on what to do, how to do it, and maybe… when it needs to be done. With the last family here for the time being Robin asks, "What should we start on?"

Raven looks to the entire group, "Well, I think the first thing is why this meeting was called."

Robin grabs his head, "Whoa! Wait a second!" he grabs something from his pockets and puts it on the table. Turning on a small compact television the group finds an orange skinned woman with red hair, "Greetings friends! What is it you need?"

Beast Boy grabs the television in hug mode, "Aw girl! I missed you!" Star giggles, "Friend Beast Boy! How glorious to see you once more!"

The titans sit back down, Starfire next to Robin on the screen she smiles up to him, he looks back to the others making Star look at her side before listening.

Raven sits up, "I saw Cinderblock again, and this time he actually said something." The group begins murmuring, she waits for them to calm down, "I know… its worse he actually said that soon it was going to happen."

Robert now pulls up the paper putting it down so everyone can see, "Worse yet the museum is having an exhibit on the whole mess s couple nights from now. How much you want to bet this is where it all goes to hell and back?"

A commotion begins with everyone asking questions and screaming things until Beast Boy yells "Hold it! We all met up here for the first time in nearly forever, why don't we just chill out and have a nice meal?"

Raven was almost as surprised as the others to his intelligent idea, "Beast Boy?"

Bumble Bee sighs as she hugs his arm, "Beast Boy's not as simple minded as he used to be. I thought you all heard he has a job as a zoologist!"

Beast Boy grins, "Yeah, I'm a regular smart-guy now!"

Robert grabs a small phone, "Hey, Tommy? Could you come up with some food?"

A little later Tommy Xavier came into the room with some platters. Tommy laid them on the table with his tight black T and jeans, his hair in a braided blonde tail his boots clack on the floor. Robin asks "So Robert, are you and Tommy still the owners of this club?"

Robert looks up shrugging, "Well, I sold it over to Tommy a while back, but I still have a share of the profits." Tommy nods with his grin seeing Starfire, "Tommy has made some changes to the place, and even kids are welcome in this club nowadays."

Tommy after showing some smirks to a blushing Starfire gets up and leaves. Robin glares on Tommy as he leaves. The group starts eating and talking idle talk, not noticing a black cat that sits out the window viewing them; his one right front paw is deformed with three extremely larger claws.

…School, Outside and after…

Jimmy sits with a paper, "To… my friend, Vincent, I offer my collection of videogames…" Jimmy glares up with the pen in his chin, "Actually, I might want to take those with me to the next world."

Roth and Rasco see him sitting at the curb, they wander over and Roth asks "What's that?"

"My will." Jimmy hands it up to Roth, "What do you think?"

Roth shrugs, "There's a bunch of scribbles, nothing else really."

Jimmy stands screaming "Okay, that does it! I can't run away from that overgrown lummox, I'm going to show him just who he's dealing with!"

Rasco looks over to Rancid, "Hey, companies here!"

Jimmy screams as he runs with a trail of dust, Rancid follows yelling, "This will only hurt for a second!"

Rasco and Roth watch smirking. Vincent and Nova soon follow over to see what happens. Nova with her hands cupped together asks "Friends, should we not assist?"

Roth glares at Nova, "Oh come on he asked for it!"

Vincent looks as Rancid punches a basketball post missing Jimmy. The pole buckles as Jimmy screams in a faster run. "I'm sorry but that is totally not okay, Jimmy could get seriously injured!"

Rasco sighs, "You know, I think you're right." He looks over as they pass near the tennis court, "…Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"

The tennis net pricks off the ground from one pole swinging over and wrapping Rancid, Rancid is confused when the tennis net flings him to a tether ball, "What the?"

Roth grins as she channels the tether ball to bonk on Rancid's face several times before he's unconscious. Jimmy is still running scared when Roth and Rasco drop Rancid on the ground. Jimmy trips over Rancid to sit up and look down, "What?"

Roth speaks slyly, "Gee Jimmy, I didn't know you had it in you!" Rasco nearly smiles as Vincent was trying to hold his laughter.

Jimmy looks down and grins, "Hey, I beat him! Wow, so cool!"

Nova asks, "However, if it was you who…" Roth and Rasco clamp her mouth, Vincent slaps Jimmy on the back saying "You know Jim, I think it's time we all headed home. No reason to overexert a warrior like you!"

The group starts to walk off. Jimmy runs back and kicks Rancid in the ribs, "Boo-yah!" then returns to the others to leave.

…Red Xtreme…

The adult heroes were relaxing after their meal to hear some meowing. Starfire asks "Friend Beast Boy, have you eaten too much of the salads?"

Beast Boy blinks, "Sorry, that's not me."

Mammoth stands up to see a cat outside the window, "Huh, wonder whose cat?"

That cat now pushes through the window leaping to the floor and strutting over at the side of the table. Jinx pets the cat as it was next to her, "Oh, I love black cats!"

The cat hisses after scratching her hand, Jinx jumps up holding her hand as the cat jumps to the center of the table. Cyborg grabs Jinx's hand noticing the marks, "Three scratches?" he looks on the cat now sitting and staring at Raven with its tail swaying "That's no normal cat!"

The cat's eyes are a purple mist, a hiss shows the three rows of fangs, "Hello Raven, how long has it been?"

Raven jumps straight up seeing that kind of stare, the right paw with three claws, "Akaige?"

Robin screams "How! He's been beaten; he can't be back like this!"

The cat speaks again in Akaige's voice, "Don't be so foolish. Possession is a common demonic ability. Hell, even this feline was not able to deny that why do you?" Akaige hisses and laughs with the cat, Raven clenches her fists asking, "What do you want?"

"Oh I just wanted to let you know," Akaige raises his paw to click the claws, "Soon children, I will return in my true form very soon."

The cat leaps off the table and hops back to the windowsill. Turning back with its tail wagging, "Oh, Raven!" Raven glares, "Tell those kids of yours I said hi!"

The cat's eyes, mouth, and paws suddenly become normal in some black mist that disappears. Raven falters onto the table as Robert grabs her shoulders, "Raven, we need to tell the kids." He looks at the window hatefully, "This battle was going to come, but it is time for the next Teen Titans."

Note: It was taking forever and a day to get this done because of some other stories I was working on. I also was helping some friends with their own writing, please all you whom read the original I hope you enjoy the sequel. I'll try to work on it more regularly now that my schedule is back to normal-ish-ness. Hope this first chapter is enough to tide the more waiting fans till some real good stuff.