*Theme song: Dare, by Stan Bush*

Tara: I think it's a fairly reasonable question.

Reuisu: It's an embarrassing question and I don't understand why you need to know.

Tara: Well, apparently we're all a family, which means we should know quite a bit about each other. I think it's a perfectly valid question.

Michelle: Yes, Reuisu, please enlighten us with this information.

Reuisu: You people want to know whether I wear boxers of briefs? I really, REALLY do not see the need for this.

Tara: Because I want to know.

The Titans, excluding Miya, Anna, and Lucy, Miya being in her coma, Anna being at school and Lucy was somewhere else, were all within the coffee shop at their usual booth. It had been one week since Tara Silvers had joined the Titans, and the window that always seemed to get destroyed was replaced once again.

Reuisu: All right, if you must know, it's- hey, there's Lucy!

True to his word, Lucy Yubiwa walked through the main doors. She was wearing sunglasses and had a long dress and love sleeve blouse on. She was smiling, as usual, as she approached the Titans.

Lucy: Hiya, guys.

Chris: Lucy, is it just me, or is that the same dress you wore yesterday?

This sparked the interest of all the Titans, all turning to her. Lucy grinned and replied.

Lucy: All right, I admit it: I was with a guy all night.

Immediately, there was cheering and clapping for her, but she told them to settle down.

Lucy: We didn't have sex, all right? We were both tired and we just both fell asleep at his place.

Christine: Still, congratulations are in order, Lucy! You've finally gotten a boyfriend!

Lucy: Yes, yes I have. Unfortunately, I have a coffee shop to run, so I won't celebrate with you guys just yet.

Lucy walked off to her office in the back of the shop. Reuisu smile faded away.

Reuisu: Something's wrong.

Michelle: Why do you say that?

Reuisu: I've known you people, except for Tara, for a very long time. Especially Lucy. I know every detail about her personality in most situations. She doesn't wear long sleeve shirts on sunny days. Also, she doesn't wear sunglasses. And then there was the fact that she had makeup on her face.

Tara: So she changes a few habits around. That doesn't warrant a full-scale alertness factor.

Reuisu: And there was one last thing: every day that I've seen Lucy, her smile has been exactly the same; every detail has never changed for 1,000 years despite time and situation. But somehow, her smile was just... off today.

Christine: I think you're overreacting, Reuisu.

Reuisu smiled.

Reuisu: Yeah, you're probably right.

It was 9:00 PM. Lucy sat in her apartment. She gritted her teeth a little, looking at the scratch and bruise marks on her arms. She breathed deeply and shed a tear. All of a sudden, the door to her apartment opened quickly, revealing a man with sturdy muscles wearing a tight black shirt and jeans, rage obviously on his face. He walked into the apartment and slammed the door behind him. Lucy's pupils dilated, her breathing intensifying. The guy stomped over to her, and she opened her mouth to say something, but the guy quickly slapped her across the face hard, sending her down to the floor with a thud.

Man: You bitch! I told you to stay at my place!

Lucy: I- I had to go into work...

Man: To hell with your work! You don't go anywhere unless I say you go somewhere! And in fact, I'm going to show you what I do to little bitches that don't know where their place is!

The man got on top of her stomach ignoring the fact that it briefly made her loose her breath, and tried to push him off, but the guy held one arm against her neck and the other ripped open her shirt, leaving her topless. The man reached down and pulled at her skirt and rubbed his hand around where it didn't belong. And then he began unzipping his pants.

And as the scene backed away from the apartment, thunder cracked through the dark evening as it began to rain. And a sound was muffled through the rain so no one could hear it.

The sound of a woman screaming.

Reuisu: Bloody hell, stores are still open during a storm like this?

Christine: Yep. Well, Reuisu, I've got to head home for tonight.

Reuisu: Yes, I assume I'll be doing that soon enough, as well. However, I'll be quite lonely. Astra's flight home has been delayed from the weather down in Africa.

Christine: Well, tell me when she gets back. Good night, Reuisu.

Reuisu: Night, Christine.

Christine put up an umbrella over her and walked off home. Reuisu sat at the counter of the mini-bar of the coffee shop, which served exotic tea and coffee at higher prices. He drank a simple cup of tea as he looked through a magazine. He had dimmed the lights of the coffee shop, but it was good enough for him to see the magazine. Reuisu put his head up when he heard the coffee shop door opening. He turned around on the stool to see who had entered, and gasped when he saw whom it was.

It was Lucy, her eyes wide and her eyes red and bloodshot from tears. She was shaking, wearing tattered clothes that clung to her body from the rain. Her hair was wet and she walked in. Reuisu ran over to her as her legs wobbled like jello, and he helped her down into a seat. She was barely breathing as she gaped and laid her head down onto the table.

Reuisu: Good God, Lucy, what happened?!

Lucy's breathing was erratic, and her voice was soft and mumbled, but nevertheless, Reuisu heard was she said.

Lucy: It's... It's my boyfriend. I have a confession, Reuisu: He's a horrible person. I met him yesterday, and we seemed to hit it off. It was fun at first, but when we got back to his place, he changed completely. He was violent, and beat me up and scratched up my arms. This morning, he left and told me to stay at his apartment, but I didn't want you guys to worry about me so I went back to my place and made it look like nothing had happened. And then... Only an hour ago... He came to my apartment. He beat me some more for leaving, and then he... He... He RAPED me, Reuisu...

Reuisu's eyes were wide with shock, and he looked up and out the window.

Lucy: And after he was done, he told me not to tell anyone, or he'd kill me or someone I cared about. My God, Reuisu, what am I going to do?! What am I going to do?!

Reuisu said nothing and did nothing to comfort her as she exploded into tears. However, his eyes changed. They changed from the look of shock and disbelief to eyes full of rage.

He gritted his teeth and balled up his fists, his fingernails digging into his skin. He stormed into the back room of the coffee shop, and activated the Void. He ran over to the console and slammed his hand down on the handprint on the main console.

Reuisu: Authorization Reuisu Omega 16 Charlie 2. Password: Erika.

A cabinet attached to the console slid open, and Reuisu walked over to it. There was a metallic box inside, and he pulled it out. It was a tote box, designed to carry a large number of items. He opened it and examined the contents. He walked out of the void with the box in hands and into the main room, where Lucy was still crying. He put the box down and pulled a scanning device from his pocket. He pointed it at Lucy and scanned around her waist. He smiled as he got results from the scan, and put the device in his pocket and pulled the box out of the void and into his car out front. He quickly pulled out of the parking spot and down into the road. The thunder cracked as the rain poured down onto Crystal Tokyo.

Kenia Hashimaru examined himself in the mirror and grinned at his 'manly' appearance. He was in his apartment on the lower side of city.

Kenia: Yeah, that'll teach her who's the-

The door to his apartment flew off its hinges and five feet inwards from when Reuisu's foot had connected with it. Kenia turned around, raising a gun and aiming it at Reuisu, who calmly walked in with the box. He dropped it onto the ground and glared at Kenia. Kenia promptly shot the gun into Reuisu's stomach, and he backed up into the wall in pain. Reuisu gritted his teeth and held the wound in his hand as his eyelids clenched together. When his eyes opened again, they were glowing a bright red, and the wound was as well. He took his hand off of the wound, it having healed. Kenia gaped and Reuisu roared, ran over to him, and decked him with one blow. Reuisu grabbed the gun from Kenia's hand and quickly crushed it.

Kenia: Please don't kill me!

Reuisu: I'm not going to kill you.

Kenia: Oh, thank-

Reuisu: I am going to make you wish you were dead.

Michelle: Oh my God, Lucy...

The other Titans were assembled in the coffee shop, where Lucy had just confessed what had happened to them.

Chris: This is horrible. I'll get the police, I'll ask the DA to let me personally give this man life without parole.

Tara snapped her fingers and raised her head up.

Tara: Wait a second; you said you told Reuisu about this first?

Lucy: Yes... He was the only one here...

Tara: What did he do when you told him?

Lucy: He... He just walked into the back room and pulled out a box. Then he got into his car and drove off.

Tara's eyes widened.

Tara: We have to get over to that guy's place fast!

Christine: Besides having to kick his ass from here to Kingdom Come, why else?

Tara: The Titans are like a family, right?

Michelle: Yeah, what about it?

Tara: What would you do if your sister just got raped?!

Kenia stared at Reuisu. He was tied up, being suspended from the ceiling by very strong ropes. His legs were being held down to the ground by weights. Reuisu unpacked the box onto Kenia's bed. Included in his unpacking were several blades and knives, cattle prods, ice picks, tasers, other sharp objects, chemicals in test tubes, and a small lead box that was glowing a green color.

Reuisu: I bet you're wondering how I found you. Well, it seems that after you raped Lucy, you still had some semen in her. It was enough for a DNA scan to register and I tracked it to this apartment.

Kenia: Why are you doing this?!

Reuisu: You raped my 'sister.'

Kenia: What?! That's it?! If that bitch had just acted like a girl and done what I said, there never would've been a problem!

Reuisu's rage intensified at those words, and he picked up an ice pick and looked over at Kenia's shirtless torso. He quickly rammed the ice pick into a small side section, and Kenia screamed in pain from it. Only a little blood came out of it.

Reuisu: I know every part of human biology. I know where every blood vessel and capillary lies, I know exactly where to strike where you will only bleed the littlest amounts. Now then, let me bring you through the order of events for the evening.

Kenia gritted his teeth together from the pain, listening to Reuisu.

Reuisu: First of all, I'll begin with cutting up and stabbing your torso with the many happy objects I have at my disposal. Then, using the taser and cattle prod, I will implement staggering amounts of pain to certain... unmentionable areas of your body. Then, I will use the acids right there to burn half your legs off. I will slice off each of your fingers slowly, and then cut out your tongue. Then, your eyes will be scooped out of your face. And finally, if there's time at the end, I'll give you a nice dose of radiation poisoning from the nice little materials I have in that lead box over there. After that, I will call a hospital so they can tend to you, but I know medical science. You will be unable to tell anyone what happened. However, the one thing that shall remain are your ears. Yes, that's right, I shall leave you ears in good condition, and I'll tell you why. So every child that shrieks when you come by you shall hear. Every babe that weeps at your appearance, and their mothers screaming, 'Dear God, what is that thing?!' shall echo in your perfect ears.

Kenia felt sick from what Reuisu had explained to him.

Reuisu: Now, let's get started.

Voice: Wait!

Reuisu turned to see who had entered. Lucy stood in the doorway with some new clothes on, but her hair was still wet, her face still bloodshot.

Reuisu: Hello, Lucy.

Lucy: Don't do this, Reuisu.

Reuisu: He deserves every moment of the punishment I am about to inflict upon him.

Lucy: Reuisu, you're not like this!

Reuisu: This monster must pay for his crimes!

Lucy: Then let it be done within the system, Reuisu!

Reuisu: THE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK!

Lucy: Reuisu, remember 1,000 years ago? Remember when you betrayed us so you could be with the girl you loved?

Reuisu stared at her, the memories returning to him immediately.

Lucy: Well, you love me now. It's not the same love you had for Rei, but it's love nonetheless. Please, Reuisu, don't betray your humanity again for someone you love.

Reuisu blinked, and then closed his eyes. He walked over and hugged Lucy tightly. After their embrace ended, Lucy glared at Kenia, and walked over to him and high-kicked him in his crotch. He screamed in utter pain from it, not being to do anything to comfort the injury he had just felt. Reuisu just blinked.

Reuisu: Well, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Lucy: Oh, shut up. You know, this is exactly why I've never dated anyone.

To Be Continued...