Fan Fiction ❯ Rearing Your Shadow ❯ The Calm ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8

The Calm

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Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, or anyone else who appears in the television show. Everyone else is mine, so don't steal them.

 

Note: I thank my friend Ashraf for the title he gave me.

 

Hello, and I'm sorry for my absence and lack of writing chapters. I've been occupied with the cancellation of Teen Titans and schoolwork, and some other crap like that. Anywho, I'm back, and I WILL finish this fic, and the whole “Crow Series” and then follow them by other fics. Thank you, the few of you who have awaited my addition, for it is here.

 

And now, the (possibly) [highly] anticipated Chapter 8.

~GxJxR

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The other Titans run to the area where Crow and Raven stand, the ruins of the left half of the top of the tower, looking at the sky, as if it is the calm before the storm…

 

“What happened here?” Beast Boy says, breaking the silence.

 

“Uh,” Crow starts, looking at him. “I really don't know. I killed that guy, but he seemed…”

 

“Human.” Raven walks in front of him, she reminds herself not to open her cloak and reveal her barely clothed body. “Well, at least for a little while. Then he got the same eyes as the beast that took over Beast Boy had a month ago.”

 

“Those eyes…” Beast Boy says, cringing at the words. “Crow, we promised to take him down together.”

 

“I didn't forget, man,” says Crow, stepping forward and giving him a noogie.

 

“Yo, man, what is Shade?” Cyborg asks him, slapping him on the back.

 

Crow looks at him, and there is an awkward silence. “Uh… the shadow of stuff?”

 

Robin walks toward him. “No, the things… we heard the word `Shade' when they all died…”

 

Crow's eyes widen in intrigue. “Shade… shade shade shade… I dunno…” he says, pacing, and finally planting a kiss on Raven's cheek. “I wonder if it's him…” Crow says, walking back to the main part of the tower.

“Who?” Raven asks him, hovering low to the ground.

 

“Raven, I recall you asking me about a book when Beast Boy was attacking me…”

 

“Uh… It's in my room…” Raven says, innocently, “Wanna' come with me to get it?”

 

“Not now, babe. Tonight.” He says, kissing her.

 

“Aww, okay,” she smiles, kissing him back.

 

 

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“What is the shade?” Starfire asks, sitting on the couch as crow sets up a projector on the TV. He shuffles through some photocopies of the pages of the book, and places them on the projector.

 

“I'm not certain,” Crow says, placing one sheet onto the projector. It is written in a very unusual language.

 

“Uh, what's that say?” Cyborg asks.

 

“Crow, this is nonsense!” Robin says angrily.

 

“No, I can speak this language. It's a language of the ancients. I had a lot of time to study it in hell. With the person depicted in this page.”

 

“Who is it?” Raven asks, and suddenly realizes.

 

“The man is named Darke. He was my cellmate in hell. I'll tell you the story…”

 

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It all began the day I had killed myself over Raven.

 

I was sent directly to hell for my plan, which God had found out about. Heavily armed guards dragged me into the depths of hell. I attempted to free myself from their clutches, however all of my powers had been zapped by the aura of the underworld.

 

I finally came to my containment, a dark, damp jail cell, in which I was to await rigorous torture and many other unpleasant things. I was thrown in on my ass, and crawled to the corner. On the other side of the room, I saw the silhouette of a man.

 

“Hey,” he said to me in a hazy and dark, yet civilized voice, “Welcome to hell.”

He stood up, and revealed a long, slender body. He was pale, and had jet black hair, parted which came to his shoulders. He wore all black, but the clothing had holes and he was bloody and cut all over. He had many scars from his life (you cannot scar in the underworld) and an inverted cross shape on his right cheek going up his eye. He gave me his hand, and he pulled me up.

 

“My name's Crow.” I said to him. He looked at me in disgust.

 

“I hadn't asked.” He said, sitting down on his bed. “Well, so long as we're introducing ourselves, my name is Darke.”

 

“Nice to meet you.” I said, rolling over onto my side. “Why are you here?”

 

“Ah, a fine question. I am here because the opinions of god are not that of my own. I believe the only forgiveness is given in death. You may only receive sanctification for sins when you are killed for them. I had attained ultimate power, and devoted it to saving humanity…until a priest locked me away, and sent my soul to god while my body was left to rot on a cross of light… God didn't agree with my methods, and I attempted to kill him.”

 

“You tried to kill God?” I asked.

 

“Yes. And I had almost done so. I had him pinned down, and was about to finish him off when he called his army of angelic warriors on me. Normally, an angel is nothing to me; however, I was weak from taking him on. I was captured, and sent here. My powers were disabled. Yours must be too, had you had any.” He said it so seriously that it scared me. He scared me. “Why are you here?”

 

“I killed myself for getting the woman I love to run away by reading her diary as a child. I saved my town twice afterward, but the anguish was too much to handle. I killed myself, and scarred her name into my chest.” I said, telling him of my history.

 

“Ah, women,” he said, standing up, “I remember one. Her name was Maria. I met her over a million years ago. I was the original evil in earth. I alone kept the balance. I met her one day, and well, I loved her. She was my weakness. I left her after one night, but apparently she bore my children. They became demons. So, I'm pretty much an Adam, and she was an Eve. I heard that she was murdered for having such demonic demons, and she rose above, yet I sank below.”

 

“Wow,” I said in awe, “What then?”

 

“I slaughtered them. All of them. Damn humans.”

 

A year past, and we told everything about each other between torture sessions. I told him of my plan, and he told me of his.

 

One day, he and I devised an escape plan. I was supposed to distract the guards, and let him escape, so he would let me out of hell, and together we would complete both our plans. He assured me he kept every promise he ever made, and that his powers would save us both.

 

I didn't trust him.

 

I started a distraction, but he was caught. He began to scream “Crow! Crow! Help me! I'll help you when I go!”

 

I looked at him, and I ran. I escaped to a pathway, and traveled through a labyrinth for two years.

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“Then there begins the story of my resurrection,” Crow finishes, and all the titans look at him.

 

“And that has to do with the shade, how?” Starfire asks, and they all agree.

 

“Well, that's what came to mind when you said Shade.” Crow points to the book, “And I recall reading one word of this book saying the word, but it appears to be Darke. A simple translation error.”

 

“That was fun.” Raven says, and everyone looks at her. “Hey, I like Crow's stories!”

 

“Well, what could shade be?” Robin asks, and they all shrug.

 

“It's midnight…” Beast Boy says, pointing to the clock.

 

Crow yawns. “We should get to bed.” He gets up, and turns the projector off.

 

“Right.” Robin says, slamming his fist into his palm. Titans, let's sleep on it.”

 

They all exit the living room, and shut the lights, heading for bed.

 

A silhouette appears to sit on the couch. He has the beast's eyes, and he sits on the couch, one leg crossing the other.

 

“Lets begin the game soon…”