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//********************************************************\\
Perched atop a rooftop in Coast City, Raiden observed the sunset as his mind wandered through thoughts and ideas.
"It's beautiful," a voice spoke behind him.
"What? The sunset? I guess so," Raiden replied, turning his eyes to the person who spoke. His gaze locked with hers as he smiled.
"It's good to see you again, Raven," Raiden spoke.
Raven sat beside Raiden, saying, "Someone had to check up on you. Guess I had to do it as the newbie."
"Did you have to do it as the newbie or because you were genuinely worried about me?" asked Raiden.
"Hmmm, maybe both?" spoke Raven.
Raiden smiled, saying, "So... two missions already, huh? You're becoming an integral part of the team."
"Yeah, it has been... fun," said Raven.
"Not as fun without me, huh?" joked Raiden.
"Yeah..."
Not expecting Raven to say that, Raiden was taken aback. He looked up and said, "I... I am sorry. I should have been more considerate of you. I forced you into this team but didn't spend time with you as I should. Instead, I did something reckless and almost got myself kicked out of the league. Even worse, I could have been killed."
"I don't blame you, though. I think what you did was the right thing, Raiden. You saved that little girl's life. I still don't know what a hero really is, but I know one thing for sure: it's that I trust you and your judgment. I believe in you, Raiden. You saved my life and freed me from a prison that I put myself in. I owe my life to you."
Hearing her words, Raiden's heart tightened, and he couldn't resist himself any longer. Raiden immediately closed the distance between their faces, locking lips with her. The kiss was tame, average at best, but its emotional significance was important for both of them.
"That was... my first kiss," said Raven.
"Me too," replied Raiden.
Both of them smiled as Raiden said, "You didn't hate it."
"No, not really. Still, though, very unexpected..."
Raiden smiled again as he stared at the last bits of the sun going down. He turned to Raven and said, "Hey, would you come with me? If I decided to go far away, leave the league, the team, everyone, and go somewhere that is different, away from this life, would you come with me, Raven?"
Raven considered his words carefully as he spoke them, but she didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed his hand and placed it on her cheek.
She took a few seconds before she finally answered, saying, "I don't know what this feeling truly is, but I know one thing to be true: it's the fact that I want to be with you, no matter the where, when, or how."
Raiden smiled and said, "Thank you. I have no plans for now, but I truly want to leave—the league, the team. I want to journey somewhere far away, discover myself, who I am, what I should do, what my place in this world is, what my power means. All those questions, I believe I will answer them if I leave."
Raven turned to the sky as well, saying, "Me too. I want to find my inner self, and as I said before, I believe I can do that with you."
"Good, that's good. Thanks, Raven, for being here with me."
...
Over the following couple of weeks, Raiden's sessions with Dinah increased, along with his training. Since he had free time, he managed to connect with many other Servants. His skills in martial arts improved, his knowledge of magic increased, and his plan to leave started to solidify.
...
Two Months Later
...
Raiden and Raven were enjoying a pleasant dinner at an upscale restaurant.
"This is a bit challenging, isn't it?" Raiden remarked as he attempted to cut his steak with a knife and fork.
"You're embarrassing us," Raven teased, gracefully placing a bite of steak in her mouth.
"I can sense traces of magic in that fork. It seems you're not familiar with dining in such a fancy place either," Raiden playfully exposed Raven. She blushed a bit but pretended as if he had said nothing.
"Robin's recommendations are always a bit extravagant. Anyway, about the mission tomorrow, I hear it's a tough one," Raiden expressed his concern for his girlfriend Raven. Though their relationship had progressed slowly with only two kisses exchanged, he felt comfortable calling her his girlfriend.
"Yeah, somewhat. I'm not sure how difficult it is, but according to Kaldur, we're infiltrating a genetic testing site, likely owned by the Light," Raven explained. Mentioning a genetic testing site triggered memories of Raiden's old location, but he shook them off.
"This might be your last mission with the team. Make sure to stay safe. After this, we leave," Raiden advised.
Hearing this, Raven nodded, saying, "I'm ready."
...
"Access, Raiden B-10."
"Access, Raven B-11."
The couple entered the headquarters together, finding their friends waiting for them. Raiden's relationship with the team remained unchanged after his suspension, but there were noticeable cracks between him and Kaldur and, to some extent, Robin.
"Here come the love birds!" Zatanna exclaimed.
"You two fit well together!" Megan added.
"Looks like you finally found a girl worthy of you, Raiden. Or perhaps you're the worthy one here," Artemis teased.
"Haha, okay, whatever, guys. Very funny," Raiden responded in annoyance.
Raven blushed, saying, "We're still not a thing... yet."
"Keyword 'yet,' dear Raven. Pretty soon, you'll be as inseparable as Connor and Megan," Rocket observed.
"Of course, all of this is credited to my love advice. Isn't that right, Raiden?" Wally chimed in.
"Had I followed your advice, I would have found myself on some registry somewhere. I don't even know how you got Artemis to like you. Maybe she's a creep like you," Raiden retorted.
"What! Hey! No, I'm different!" Artemis protested in shock.
"So, two weeks left, huh? Soon, you'll be back on the team," Robin mentioned.
"Yeah," Raiden replied dismissively.
"Guys, I want to thank you for welcoming me as a member of this team. I don't think I had the chance to say this. I learned a lot from all of you, and I'm proud to call myself your friend," Raiden dropped a bombshell of a confession to his friends, his way of saying goodbye without revealing his plans to leave.
"Where is that coming from? You know we're happy to have you with us, Raiden," Connor assured.
"Yeah! You're a great friend to have, and you've saved us many times. We should be thanking you," Megan added.
"We have differences, but beneath all that, I see you as a friend, Raiden. And I'm happy to have you on our team," Kaldur spoke, the leader of the team.
...
"So, another session today, huh?" Dinah inquired.
"Yeah, looks like it," Raiden replied.
"I want you to know that I'm happy. You're showing great progress," Dinah acknowledged. Raiden had decided to stop aggravating her and engaging in debates about his opinions. Once he decided to leave, he chose to go with the flow until his departure.
"Miss Dinah, I want you to know that I'm happy you're going through so much to help me, train me, and be here. As a hero, this must be time-consuming for you. So, I thank you for that," Raiden expressed his gratitude.
"Don't worry about it. I take it as part of my job here. Besides, Raiden, you interest me greatly. Talking to you is always fun."
...
"System, show me my Bond List."
{Bond List
Heracles: Bond Level 3
Ushiwakamaru: Bond Level 1
Robin Hood: Bond Level 2
Mata Hari: Bond Level 1
Hundred Faces Hassan: Bond Level 2
Paracelsus von Hohenheim: Bond Level 3
Medea: Bond Level 4
Merlin: Bond Level 5
Scáthach: Bond Level 3
Mordred: Bond Level 2
Rama: Bond Level 2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Bond Level 1
Arash: Bond Level 3
}
"The list is getting bigger. If I can acquire more skills through these bonds, I'll be able to transform for far longer."
"Well, it matters not now. I'll have to prepare for tomorrow."
With his goodbyes in order, all Raiden had to do now was await the completion of the team's mission and then pick up Raven to leave.
//********************************************************\\
If you wish to read more or simply support me just because ? than check out my patréon at
"https://www.patréon.com/Riadooo"
Don't forget to change "é" to "e"