Fan Fiction ❯ Yin Yang ❯ Rock Out ( Chapter 2 )

Rock Out

The Titans were filling in the couch, the largest bowl of popcorn in the known world was being carried into the living room by the sugar-loving Starfire, and Beast Boy was prepping the television for the premier of `Wicked-Scary 2: No Safe Place'. This time, hopefully, Raven's powers wouldn't bring the movie to life on them. Thirty minutes later the bowl was empty, and everybody was curled up on the couch. Cyborg had an odd dazed look on his face, frightened by the movie. Starfire was curled up in Robin's arms, pressing her face into his side and causing him a slight pain. Beast Boy was trying the same with Raven, but to no avail.

"Try it again, and I blast you out the window." She states, flinging him off the back of the couch with her powers. Finally, they were reaching the scariest part of the movie. The main character was turning the corner, Wicked Scary somewhere in the house. Everyone began to lean forward in their seats. The man turned the corner into the kitchen, the lights off. She reached for the light switch when…

The doorbell chimed, making everybody scream and jump in their seats. Beast Boy was currently a cat, clinging to the ceiling, his hair on end. Cyborg was in a dizzy daze on the floor, Robin had his head stuck in the couch from when Starfire's arms flung out, and Raven was currently floating, albeit dizzily, towards the door.

"Who would be ringing the bell when the best part is coming forward?" Starfire asked nobody as Raven opened the door while Cyborg hit the stop button. "Good evening ma'am, is Beast Boy… ah." A young man, almost as tall as Raven, with brown hair down to his eyelids and blue eyes, started. "Judging from the destruction, I'd say a movie. Wicked Scary?" Beast Boy came running up from behind Raven. "Marcus, long time no see! How ya been?" He asked, stretching his arms out. "Just fine, my green furry friend." Marcus responded, giving Beast Boy a friendly hug.

"Watch the guitar, man." Marcus said, pushing Beast Boy away and pulling the guitar off of its strap on his back. "Beast Boy, you know this guy?" Raven asked, crossing her arms over her chest. The others were walking towards them now. "Yeah, him and his… say, where is your brother anyways?" He said, looking all over behind Marcus.

"Now, now, Greenie, you know you'll never see me if I don't want you to." Another voice said, and a much taller man stepped from behind the entire group. He was tall, spiky black hair reaching four inches straight up off of his head, gangly features, a blue shirt, black pants, and a silver overcoat with a dragon holding the yin and yang in it's claws across the back. Finally, a sword hung off of his side. Robin and Cyborg, being at the back of the group, turned around quickly, Cyborg's arm a laser cannon, Robin with bo staff at the ready. The newcomer spread his hands before him, waving them at chest height. "Calm yourselves. No harm meant." He stated, grin on his face and eyes closed.

"How did you enter with none of us noticing? The window seems to be in place…" Starfire inquired, hopping around searching for holes in the floor and such. "Better question. Who are you?" Raven asked, turning towards him. He took a bow, "Name's Shade, and as you know, my brother there is Marcus. We've stopped in to visit our old friend after we saw him and all of you on the news and such." "Right. That doesn't explain how you entered, while your brother used the door." Robin stated, not dropping his weapon or his guard.

"Well, you seemed to have all the lights off, so I entered using them." Receiving naught but blank stares, Shade turned to Beast Boy. "What, you haven't told them about us?" Beast Boy began scratching the back of his head. "Well, hey, I've had a lot of stuff going on recently!" "We saw." Marcus said, holding up a newspaper showing Beast Boy after his encounter with Adonis. Beast Boy chuckled, and Cyborg cleared his throat.

"What do you mean `using them'?" He asked pointedly. Shade shrugged and held his palms up. "I'm not one with words, so I guess I'd have to show you." And with that he lunged at Raven, right hand moving to sword hilt. Without thinking of it, she threw up a shield of darkness and watched as he collided… and disappeared! "Like that." He stated from behind his brother. "Using the darkness, shadows and such, he can do some pretty odd stuff." Marcus explained nonchalantly. "Now, may we please come in? It's been a long ride."

Several minutes later everybody was sitting in various places all across the living room, excluding Beast Boy, who had gone to the kitchen to make some snacks. Marcus sat on the floor next to the couch, cross-legged and his guitar on his lap, tuning it intently. Next to him, on the couch, sat Shade, having a mostly one-sided conversation with Raven, whom was using her adept skills to ignore him in every way possible. Starfire, Cyborg and Robin sat at the kitchen table, Starfire observing as Robin deftly beat Cyborg at poker. "Come on, I said I'm sorry, really! Please acknowledge my existence in any way!" Shade was still attempting to get Raven to speak to him when Cyborg interrupted. "Don't worry about it. She does that to everybody that comes to visit." "Who's up for some snacks!" Beast Boy called, carrying a cookie sheet.

"Isn't tofu, is it? You know I can't stand the stuff." Cyborg stated, not looking up from his cards. "If you would prefer, I could make the `Return of and old friend and new acquaintance' dessert!" Starfire chirped happily. "… I'll stick to the tofu, thanks." Cyborg said cautiously, causing her to frown slightly. "I'll try some, if you wouldn't mind." Marcus piped, looking up to gauge her reaction. She perked right back up, needless to say. "I shall return shortly!" She said, quickly flying into the kitchen, sending Beast Boy into a spin.

"Blink once if you forgive me, twice if not." Shade said, still trying for a reaction from Raven. In response, she didn't blink at all for a good minute. "Spiteful, aren't you?" he huffed, turning to face forward. "Fine, I forgive you." She muttered, stood up, and left for what everybody presumed was her room. "The snack food is ready!" Starfire cheered, flying towards Marcus with a large bowl in hand. "Thank you." He said, setting aside his guitar and taking the bowl. "Good luck with that stuff." Cyborg whispered into his ear.

To everybody's surprise, excluding Starfire's, he began to eat heartily. "Brave man." Robin muttered, playing a flush to Cyborg's straight. When half the bowl was gone, Beast Boy gasped. "There is no way he can still be alive. He must be like… a zombie or something…" Shade reached down and snatched the bowl from Marcus. "Let me try some of that." He dipped in a finger, drew it out, sucked off the remains, waited a second, and ran towards the bathroom, as green as Beast Boy. "Have you had Tamaranian food before?" Starfire asked, and got a laugh from Cyborg. "Star, I've eaten Tamaranian, and I'm not used to it. I literally have an iron stomach!"

Robin was quick to change the subject. "So, Marcus, can you actually play that thing?" He asked, pointing to the guitar that had taken back it's place on his lap. "Play it? The kid has that thing down pat." Shade said, entering the room and wiping his mouth. "Marcus, what say you give us a tune? Chili Peppers or something." Marcus smiled. "I know what you like. `And Justice for All'." Shade shrugged. "Metallica works too, but how about `Nothing Else Matters', or something not so hard. My head feels like I were already standing next to the speakers at a bad bass-oriented concert." Marcus smiled again, and began to strum out the melody, drawing everybody's attention to himself.

When it finished, he received a wide round of applause. "Go ahead, ask him for any tune in the rock genre. He can do it, I can guarantee it." So another hour or so was spent listening to uncannily perfect renditions of various melodies. "What about you, miss Raven? Any requests?" Shade suddenly asked, not looking up from the soft drink in his hands. She suddenly fully phased in from the ceiling where she had been watching, thinking she had not been caught. "Can you do `Scar Tissue', from the Chili Peppers?" She asked, not meeting anybody's eyes. "Good taste in music, this one has." Shade said, making a rolling gesture with his hand to signal `continue on'. But before he could strum the first note, a piercing noise hit them like a ton of bricks as a red light flashed, signaling an attack on the town. Robin was the first to move. "Titans, let's go!"

When the Titans made it to the scene of destruction, they were nearly too late. A man in full samurai warrior armor was using a katana and was somehow using it to destroy vehicles, streetlights, and a pillar that had been supporting a building, which now lay in ruins. Immediately, without a word being said, Robin threw several concussive bombs, hoping for a quick knock out. That would not be happening, and was soon apparent by the fact that the samurai used the blunt side of his sword to hit the bombs back, nearly hitting Robin himself.

"Your foolish tools will not hit I, Bushido Dan!" He called, and with that charged the Titans. He made not three steps before being blasted at by Starfire. But instead of being hit, the blasts seemed not to touch him as he ran. Raven threw a shield up around Robin just as Dan reached him, successfully blocking off the swing. Another thought and the shield blew up in a ring, sending Dan flying. Dan was on his feet soon, however, and was running at them again… to be intercepted by Shade!

"This one's mine!" he called calmly, his sword, still in its scabbard, easily staying Dan's blade. Dan just grinned. "A fellow swordsman! Draw your piece, that we may have an honor battle!" Shade stood stoic as ever, arm wavering not a bit against the strain of Dan's force. "I will draw, when you prove yourself worthy." And with that, the swordsmen released their lock to stand a distance away. As one they held their weapons horizontally before them and bowed deeply, eyes never leaving contact. And as one, they dashed.

Nobody could draw their eyes from the scene before them, not believing the speed at which the two combatants fought. Dan would swing, Shade would parry, swing and be parried. It was like a standstill, the only difference being Dan would face concussion when hit, Shade would face almost certain death. Finally, one of Dan's swings found no purchase on the smooth metal-wood that made up the scabbard of Shade's instrument of death, and neatly cut into Shade's hand, leaving a shallow gash. At once Dan retreated, as did Shade, both standing out of reach of the other. "Hah, you're sword hand is wounded! You have no chance against me now, so surrender or die!" he called, pointing his sword at Shade. Shade merely looked up from his hand.

"Now you have the honor," He began, slowly pulling away the sword's scabbard, "of meeting my blade." And with a metallic sliding noise, and a collective gasp, the sword was drawn. Everybody, save two people, expected a steel colored blade to match that of Dan's, not counting the red of blood. Instead, it was a piercing blackness on one side, with a warped and jagged design, while the other side was pure opaque white with smooth beautiful design, and at the top of the blade, running from hilt to half-mark of the katana, was a dragon, claws forming the hilts at both sides, as though holding the colors.

Angered and discouraged, that a wounded opponent would hold such an odd weapon in a barely usable hand, Dan rushed again, blade drawn back with the intent of slicing his opponent directly across the waist, the death slice, and Shade stood still, holding the sword vertically so the point was facing the floor, and faster than human sight could perceive, twirled it in a tight circle once, taking off Dan's sword at the hilt. Suddenly the blade was against Dan's throat. "You are under arrest, dishonored one, and have the right to remain silent." He then withdrew and sheathed his blade.

Dan gave no resistance as Robin cuffed him, dropping the hilt of the useless metal to the floor. Shade silently bent down and retrieved the broken blade and forgotten hilt, though nobody but he knew why. "That was… incredible, to say the least." Raven finally said. He turned to her and looked as though sizing her up. "You know magic, yes?" He asked, smiling slightly. "Um, yes, kind of." "Then I'll need your help later, if it's okay with you." He said, looking down into her eyes. "Sure, ok." She said immediately, not quite comprehending what was happening.

End chapter one, tell me what you think!