Beyond the Night: Beyond the Team (Young Justice/Teen Titans fanfic)

Annoying Bird

Beyond the Night: Beyond the Team
Annoying Bird

Zatanna set her duffle bag down onto the old bed in the small, rundown apartment in Gotham. The young woman's nose wrinkled up at the dust which gathered upon all of the furnishings, only to find herself sneezing violently. She lifted her hand up to wipe her nose with her thin finger, her bright blue eyes watching the rain pelt the window, washing away some of the grime of the city.

"When am I going to get my own student tati." Letting a sigh, Zatanna flopped down onto the bed next to her bag, hearing the old antiquated piece of furniture creak under her weight. Despite already finding herself on the fast track regarding her magical training, Zatanna found herself pushed by events four-years-ago yet constantly found her father pushing back as she reached each stage. "That's the next stage of my training. And I'm already been a member of the Justice League since I turned eighteen half-a-year ago."

"I told you figlia, earn a bachelor's degree and we'll talk."

"Why are you so insistent about that? I already graduated a year early from high-school, but also managed to earn an associate degree. Even before I joined the league, I've been doing missions on my own – a part of my magical training."

"Bruce Wayne is paying, but you should be grateful for the gift and kindness."

"Or you're taking advantage of his generosity to prevent me from moving onto the next stage of my training as long as possible." That hadn't been a question. "You were expecting me not to have my bachelor's degree until I was at least twenty-two."

Zatanna let out a sigh, covering both bright blue eyes with her thin fingered hands. "Curtailing my training tati doesn't stop tragedy from coming my way." Letting out a sigh, she sat up, looking at the window and the rain which continued to drip down the windows. Her bright blue eyes narrowed, noting that tragedy was part of Gotham, and not something people could escape from.

Letting out a sigh, Zatanna pushed a lock of black hair from her face, remembering when her father showed up at her graduation. There was a proud twinkle in his eyes, and yet there was this feeling of dread that he would deny her chance of having her own student. "Remember Tati, you promised. I even took a year off from superhero duties and concentrated on my studies, both magical and academic for this."

"Yes, yes. Meet me at the Watch Tower in a couple of days."

Zatanna sighed, before heading to the door wishing the rain would stop. She locked her possessions behind the door to her apartment before heading for the nearby zeta-beam tech. A light went off in the abandoned photo booth, making her pull in a deep breath. Who was coming through – it honestly mystified her.

When the light stopped, a small figure stepped out of the abandoned phone booth crashing into her. The size of the person prevented her from catching a good look before the collision, but what she did see was a gloved arm lifted, covering the person's eyes, yet she also saw gritted teeth. Zatanna felt the small body which crashed into her own tensed up. "I am so not feeling whelmed right now."

Instinctively, her hand reached out to grab the person's ear, only for said person to backflip away from her. The boy – for that's what he was - landed in a puddle, quickly going into a crouch as his hand reached for a yellow utility belt. Zatanna's eyes also took in the bright yellow of the cape along with the yellow R etched on his chest. His eyes narrowed behind the mask on his face, yet his mouth twisted into a rather annoying smirk.

"That's why I'm allowed to go out. I'm a big boy, but not a big-big boy like Jojo yet."

The flicker of the buried memory made Zatanna frown. "A life cut short."

"Who are you?" The boy's voice cracked. "What are you doing in Gotham?"

"Who am I? I'm wondering who you are, but also why you came out of the Justice League's transportation device."

The person in question blinked, his dark locks plastering down in front of his face making him seem like some defenseless animal. "Oh..." His eyes darted up and down, making Zatanna draw her breath in upon seeing his gaze. "Your outfit looks like Zatara's. Does that mean he's your mentor?"

"That's not any of your business. Again, who are..."

The boy held up his arms, but his dense stance melted. "I'm Robin. Batman is my mentor."

Zatanna took a deep breath, finding the cheeky grin a tad annoying. It didn't help she remembered another cheeky grin which a gentle smile of another person wasn't around anymore, but also. "Batman?" The young magician took a deep breath. "Why aren't you taking the entrance from his lair?"

"Uh..." The corner of the boy's mouth twisted slightly. "I'm completely concerted and not crying. Completely, absolutely feeling the aster right now." The boy pulled out a grappling hook with a swift movement which pulled him up into the air, disappearing. Taking a deep breath, Zatanna stepped into the booth, not at all sure what her encounter was all about. The light flashed, taking her to the Watch Tower.

~B~

"I'm scared."

Cyborg took a deep breath in his mindscape. The voice in question was Robin, yet he'd never, ever heard Robin speak in such manner. The young man was, after all, the strict leader of the Teen Titans despite his young age, very much the image of pure confidence, cockiness and everything Beast Boy wanted to be.

He wondered if there was any time he'd ever seen Robin terrified. He kept thinking, yet nothing seemed to come to mind. After all, Robin worked with Batman, the person everyone feared, and Robin wasn't afraid of Batman at all.