Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Crow: Armageddon ❯ The Suffering of Split Souls ( Chapter 5 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: The Wolf Demon 
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Horror / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.14.2007 | Pages: 9 | Words: 7.5K | Visits: 161 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Horror / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.14.2007 | Pages: 9 | Words: 7.5K | Visits: 161 | Status: Completed
The Crow: Armageddon By The Wolf God and Kokuryu
Disclaimer: The Crow, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Teen Titans are properties of James O'Barr, Kazuki Takahashi, Shonen Jump, 4Kids Prod., Warner Bros., DC comics, and Cartoon Network.
Author's note: The Crow has descended into madness and is ready to wreak havok on Gotham. Will this lead to a fight to the death between The Crow and The Black Robin? Will Raven save her older bro from his insanity or will the Titans take him down for keeps? One of Yugi's friends will feel the rage and fury of The Crow. And If ya're wonderin'bout the title of this chapter, I got it from Midway and Surreal Software's hit survival horror game, "The Suffering". Now folks, let the "Suffering" begin!
"There's no reason, there's no compromise
Change in seasons, living the high life
I don't know you so don't freak on me
I can't control you, you're not my destiny
Straight out of line
I can't find a reason why I should justify my ways
Straight out of line
I don't need a reason, you don't need to lie to me
I'll confess this: you're my tragedy
I laid you to rest just as fast as you turned on me
Gone forever, banished the memories
Displays of pleasure are masked by your misery
Straight out of line
I can't find a reason why I should justify my ways
Straight out of line
I don't need a reason, you don't need to lie to me
Lie to me
Straight out of line
I can't find a reason why I should justify my ways
Straight out of line
I don't need a reason, you don't need to
Don't need to lie to me
Lie to me
Lie to me
Lie to me"
Godsmack- "Straight out of Line"
Chapter 5:
The Suffering of Split Souls
(Yugi and Raven's apartment)
Yugi's friends and the Titans went to the Mutos' apartment after the chaos at the park. All but Joey were still shocked about The Crow going Norman Bates on them and storming off into the blue-black darkness of the city. Joey was absolutely fuming over what his best friend did to Serenity and himself.
"That fuckin' faggot!" Joey shouted. "I oughta kick his ass for scaring my sis and spitting me in the face!"
"That 'fucking faggot' as you so refer to him, happens to be your best friend," Raven stated as calmly as she could. "Granted, your best friend who is acutely insane right now but still your best friend."
"Ya maybe his sister and shit, Rave," Joey said. "But I've known Yuge helluva longer than you."
"So then you should know that he wouldn't be acting like this unless there was something horribly wrong with him," Raven replied.
"I don't give a rat's pussy 'bout dis shit, goth girl," Joey snarled. "Yugi is lucky he stormed off otherwise I woulda kicked his ass all over da god damn park."
"Sure you would have," Raven drawled. "In his current state, he'd be likely to kill you."
"She's right, Joey," Tristen said. "Yugi would've torn your fucking balls off and shove 'em right up your shit-shoot."
"Who cares?" Joey asked. "I'm still not going to let him get away with that!"
"Either way, we must find him before he hurts himself or anyone," Robin replied.
"Robin's right. Sitting here jaw-jacking won't do us any good," Tristen said.
"So what do we do?" Cyborg asked. "I mean unless we killed his crow, there'd be no way for any of us to take him down."
"We have to get Yugi back to his senses," Raven stated. "Killing him is not an option."
It was then Yugi's crow flew into the apartment. The bird cawed as Raven turned her gaze to it. She looked into the crow's golden brown eyes and for some reason, she started have a flashback. In the flashback, she saw Yugi roaming the shadows of Gotham City like a wild animal, stalking his prey: the murderers, the drug dealers, the rapists. As the flashback ended, Raven suddenly went ballistic then stopped.
"What the shit happened?" Mai asked. "It looked like you were going mental for a moment."
"I saw Yugi," Raven replied.
"What do you mean you saw Yugi?" Superboy asked.
"I saw him prowling the city like some horrid beast of the night," Raven replied.
"Ya gotta be dragonshittin', Rave," Joey remarked.
"I'm not," Raven stated simply.
"Ok, team! We're going out there and searching for Yugi," Robin ordered.
"What bout us?" Tristen asked.
"I want you all back at the hotel," Robin replied. "I don't want to see any of you getting hurt."
"Screw that idea, birdy," Joey remarked. "Tristen and I are comin' with ya."
"We are?" Tristen asked.
"Yeah, we are," Joey replied. "Yugi's our friend and we're gonna get him to come to his senses one way or another."
"All right, the both of you can join us but stay out of our way, got it?" Robin asked.
"Ya got it," Joey said.
"Let's get moving, gang," Superboy said. "We gotta a friend to save."
As Joey, Tristen and the Titans were about to leave, Mai and Serenity stepped forth.
"Are you sure about this, Tristen?" Serenity asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Tristen replied. "Yugi's been there for us and we're gonna be there for him."
"Don't worry about a thing, sis," Joey reassured. "By the time this night's over and shit, Yugi will be back to his ol'self."
"We'll meet you both back at the hotel," Mai said.
"C'mon dudes!" Beast Boy declared. "Time's a wastin'!"
"Ok, BB," Joey replied. "We'll see ya ladies soon."
Joey and Tristen followed the Titans out the door and onto the streets and began their search for Yami Yugi Muto a.k.a. The Crow.
(Arkham Asylum)
Marik was relaxing on the couch while watching television. He was disappointed about his late servant Seeker failing his mission in capturing Starfire but Odion came into the room with some good news.
"Master Marik, the Joker and his party pals returned," Odion said.
"Good, did they bring that Tamaranian slut?" Marik asked.
"As a matter of fact, they did," Odion replied.
"Bring them in here," Marik ordered.
"As you wish, my master," Odion said and left the room.
A few moments later, Joker, Harley, Sid, and Zygore came into the TV room with Starfire in tow.
"We're back, Marik," Joker announced. "And we have something for you."
The Joker and Harley moved out of the way so Marik would see Starfire being held by Sid and Zygore. Starfire woke up to see Marik looking down at her.
"Where...where am I?" Starfire asked groggily.
"You're in Arkham, my dear Starfire," Marik said.
"Who are you?" Starfire asked. "What do you want with me?"
"The name is Marik," the leader of the Ghouls replied. "As for what I want with you . . . let's just say you're going to have a front-row seat for the making of history."
"I know what your evil plan is!" Starfire shouted. "My friends will stop you!"
"Indeed, they will," Marik said sarcastically.
"You are nothing more than...a Regdonfrark!" Starfire shouted.
Marik growled in anger and slapped Starfire in the face. "I don't know what the fuck you said but I'll take that as an insult!"
Odion resisted the urge to cringe. He knew his master was evil but that didn't mean he approved of the things he did . . . and he certainly didn't approve of him slapping a woman.
"Master, shouldn't we lock her up in cellblock?" Odion asked.
"Good idea, Odion," Marik replied. "Sid, Zygore, get her out of my sight."
"Right, mate," Sid said.
"Before you take her down to my old cell," Joker said as he got out some gloves and a black visor. "Gotta take some precautions, you know."
The chalky-faced madman slipped the gloves on Starfire's hands and placed the visor over her eyes. The Joker pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and cuffed the innocent alien's hands behind her back.
"Ok, Sid and Zygore, now be good boys and take her down to the cell," Joker said merrily.
"Sure thing, boss," Zygore replied.
As Sid and Zygore carried Starfire down to the cellblock, Marik turned his attention to the Joker as he gave his teacher a huge grin.
"It seems congratulations are in order, my dear mentor," Marik said. "You'll be rewarded handsomely for capturing that undead songbird's main squeeze."
"Really," the Joker remarked. "See, I was thinking a good reward would be control over all of Gotham City. I don't want the world; just that city."
"And you will have the city, my mentor," Marik replied. "You will go from Clown Prince of Crime to the Crown Prince of Gotham once I rule this pathetic planet. Plus, I'll grant you and your henchmen immunity from my empire of darkness."
Sid and Zygore walked down the hallway toward the cellblock and stopped at the Joker's old cell where two robed guards were standing.
"Yo, guard! Open up that cell door," Zygore said.
One of the guards nodded and unlocked the cell door. As the guard opened the cell, Sid and Zygore dragged Stafire into the cell and dropped her near Tea, who was sitting in the corner.
"Hey there, beautiful," Sid greeted. "We got a new playmate for ya!"
The two bad men looked at the two girls and gave them perverted grins.
"We'd love to stay and watch you two do some Hot Lesbian Action and all," Zygore said. "But ya know da boss and shit, always got woik for us. See ya gals later."
Sid and Zygore walked out of the cell as one of the guards closed the door and locked it. Despite her drugged haze, Starfire gathered some strength she had and knee-walked toward Tea. She sat herself down next to Tea as the beautiful brunette asked, "Starfire? What are you doing here?"
"A madman known as the Joker kidnapped me and brought me here," Starfire replied.
"Same here," Tea said. "What brings you to Gotham?"
"Robin's former mentor Batman called me and the other Titans to come here to help him against Marik and his organization," Starfire replied.
"Did you see Yugi? Did he come here to save me?" Tea asked as if she was expecting him.
"That was his intention . . . but something is very wrong with him," Starfire replied. "As if something is trying to consume whatever light remains in his soul and replace it with pure darkness."
Tea gasped upon hearing what Starfire said. "What are you talking about, Starfire?"
"He is . . . splitting," Starfire explained. "Into two beings, one composed of everything that is good and true about him and the other composed of nothing but the worst of his personality."
"Splitting? I don't know what you're talking about but I'm getting the feeling something bad will happen to Yugi," Tea said sadly.
"Yes," Starfire agreed just as sadly. "Let us hope our friends will help him find his way."
(Gotham Armory)
At the abandoned Gotham Armory, two warring street gangs, the Wolf Dragons and the Death Tigers, were getting ready for a major and obviously bloody showdown. The two gangs were armed with various objects like pipes, baseball bats, and knives. The leaders of the gangs stepped forth and were ready to do battle.
"It's time for ya fuckin' Death Tigers to pay!" shouted The leader of the Wolf Dragons. "Nobody and I do mean nobody messes with my crew!"
"Fuck you, shithead!" the leader of the Death Tigers retorted. "Your punk-ass bitches should have stayed the fuck off our territory!"
"That's it, it's slamdown time!" The Wolf Dragon leader yelled.
"Fuck that!" the Death Tiger leader shouted. Then to his gang, "Ghost these motherfuckers!"
Just before the "festivities" could commence, a deep, smooth voice interrupted. "Gentlemen, may I put an end to this altercation?"
"Who the fuck are you?" One of the Wolf Dragon members asked.
"He must be one of those faggot goth kids," One of the Death Tigers replied.
The Crow smiled evilly at the two gangs.
"What the hell you smilin' about?" The Death Tiger Leader asked.
"Nothing," The Crow replied menacingly. "Just the fact that you're all going to die tonight."
"Oh really? Think we're scared of ya, ya Marilyn Manson wanna-be?" The Wolf Dragon leader asked.
The Crow's response was to take out a shiv.
"All right, Wolf Dragons. Ghost that motherfucker!" The Wolf Dragon leader shouted.
"Death Tigers, frag 'im!" The Death Tiger leader ordered.
Both gangs opened fire on The Crow, endlessly perforating him with bullets.
When The Crow collapsed, the Wolf Dragons and Death Tigers looked at his "corpse."
"We got that shithead good!" one of the Wolf Dragons shouted.
"Yeah, now we can get back to the task at hand," another Wolf Dragon added. "Ripping up these paper tigers right here."
"Did you really think that would kill me?" a familiar and malevolent voice asked.
"Oh, hell no!" a Death Tiger exclaimed in horror.
"What the fuck is he, man?" another Death Tiger asked.
"Death," The Crow replied. "That's what I am." He charged at a Death Tiger with his shiv and stabbed him in the throat. Blood gushed out of his neck when The Crow ripped the shiv out through the other end.
"Oh fuck! Let's get the hell outta here, dudes!" A Wolf Dragon screamed.
"None of you are leaving this place alive," The Crow growled.
As the gangs scattered, The Crow saw a Wolf Dragon running for the exit of the Armory. He leaped at the Wolf Dragon member and tackled him. The Crow raised his shiv and stabbed him. One Death Tiger tried to climb the fence to escape but The Crow grabbed him by the shirt and shorts and threw him to the ground. The Crow proceeded to stab the Death Tiger in the eye. One Wolf Dragon tried to attack The Crow from behind but he quickly grabbed the Wolf Dragon's arm and tore it off from its socket. The Crow took the torn arm which held a knife and threw at a Death Tiger, killing him. The Crow licked the blood from the gang bangers off his fingers and went back on the attack.
Meanwhile, Joey, Tristen, and the Titans were searching for Yami. They searched the seedy alley ways of Gotham but didn't find him or a clue to where he had been. As Raven searched one part of the street, pain suddenly shot through her body as if she was being hit by bullets. Tristen and Joey ran toward the half-demon girl as she let out a howl of pain.
"Raven, are you ok?" Tristen asked.
"She don't look it," Joey replied.
Raven turned her head to Joey. Joey noticed Raven's eyes turned crimson and her teeth turned into canine fangs as she grabbed his wrist and gave him a painful squeeze.
"Appearances aren't everythin'," Joey said through his pain as he knelt down.
"Sorry about that," Raven said as she released Joey's wrist.
"No sweat, Rave," Joey replied.
Raven suddenly felt another flashback coming but this time, the latest flashback would be graphic and gruesome. In her mind's eye, Raven saw dead bodies, severed limbs, and blood all over the armory grounds. In the center of the bloodbath, Raven saw a huge crow painted in blood. The flashback ended when Raven started to shake in fear.
"What's the matter, Raven?" Tristen asked. "Are you cold?"
"No . . ." Raven replied.
"Then what just happened, Rave?" Joey asked with concern.
"I saw blood . . . dead bodies everywhere . . ." Raven replied. "And a giant crow painted in the center of it all."
The "dead bodies everywhere" line reminded Beast Boy of a song he'd once heard but he wasn't going to make any jokes about that. Even he understood that there was nothing to joke about.
"Where are we going next?" Beast Boy asked.
"We'll know when we get there," Robin replied.
The Crow wandered through an alley as the bums looked at him with suspecion. They noticed blood on his hands and his face. Yugi stopped and gave the bums a demonic glare. The hobos took a step back as Yami Yugi continued to walk the alley. The Crow sat down and sighed. As Yugi thought about the deaths of the Wolf Dragons and the Death Tigers, he heared a voice inside his head.
"Yugi," a dark voice said in The Crow's head.
"Who's there?" The Crow asked.
"Just me . . . Marik," the voice replied.
"What the fuck you want, you perverted little psychopath?" The Crow snarled.
"Nothing much," Marik replied. "Just for you to kill your precious friends."
"Why the fuck should I do that?" The Crow asked. "I'm gonna take great pleasure in making you suffer for taking Tea!"
"Indeed, you will," Marik replied. "If you can catch up to me, that is."
"Give me one good reason why I should kill the Titans and my friends!" The Crow demanded.
"Because they're in your way," Marik answered. "You'd catch up to me a lot faster without them."
"You're right," The Crow said. "They did nothing but hold me back. My former friends and Titans will die for holding me back."
"Good," Marik whispered. "Now go forth and kill them!"
The Crow stood up and stormed out of the alley, ready to hunt down the Titans and his friends. Back at Arkham, Marik smiled as he stared at his Millenium Rod.
'Everything is going according to plan,' Marik said mentally. 'Soon the Pharaoh will destroy those fucking Titans and his pathetic little friends. When he shows up, I will be ready for him!'
"And no one will stop me from taking over the universe!" Marik yelled out loud and cackled.
Joey, Tristen, and the Titans were still searching for The Crow. They still had no such luck in finding their friend.
"Hey, did you guys find anything?" Tristen asked.
"No," Cyborg replied.
"We still haven't found one tiny clue to where Yugi had been recently," Beast Boy said.
"Might as well call it a night," Robin said sadly. "We'll continue our search for Yugi in the morning."
As everyone were about to go their separate ways, they heard a caw from out of nowhere. It was Yugi's crow. The ebony bird landed on a parking meter and stared at Raven. Raven felt as somehow the bird was communicating with her.
'If you want to find your brother,' The bird said in Raven's head. 'You and your friends must follow me.'
"What's goin' on, Rave?" Joey asked.
"Yugi's crow," Raven replied. "It came to me, told me it knew how to find Yugi."
"Where shall we start then?" Tristen asked.
"We follow the crow," Raven replied.
"Wherever it leads us, we'll be sure to find Yugi," Cyborg said.
"Be careful," Robin advised. "Right now, he's completely out of control and liable to kill any one of us if we get in his way."
"Tell me something I don't know," Superboy remarked.
"Conner . . ." Wonder Girl said through gritted teeth, wondering not for the first time why her boyfriend had the tendency to be an insensitive jackass.
Everyone got into their vehicles as the bird cawed and flew off. They followed the bird as a thunderstorm cloud cover the sea of stars was being covered by dark clouds. A half hour later, they stopped at a cemetery as the bird landed on the iron fence. Joey, Tristen, and the Titans exited the T-car and Yugi's GTO as Joey asked, "A cemetery? Da bird took us to a fuckin' cemetery?"
"What's the matter? Afraid of the corpses?" Robin asked.
"Just the walking ones," Joey replied.
"Let's just go in there and find Yugi already," Tristen said. "This fucking place is giving me the creeps and shit."
"Beast Boy, sniff him out," Superboy ordered.
Beast Boy shifted into a bloodhound and started sniffing.
Everyone followed Beast Boy into the graveyard. Beast Boy sniffed around the place but couldn't find The Crow. He did hear sounds of metal slicing against each other. He reverted back to his human form as he heard the sound again.
"Did you dudes hear anything?" Beast Boy asked.
"Something like metal scraping against metal," Wonder Girl murmured.
"Where's the sound coming from?" Robin asked.
"There," Joey replied, pointing out the far end of the graveyard.
Joey, Tristen, and the Titans walked to the otherside of the cemetary. As they searched the far end of the cemetery, Beast Boy stopped in front of a praying woman statue and saw a sight that almost made him piss himself.
"What is it, BB?" Cyborg asked.
"T-take...a look behind you," Beast Boy said as he shook in fear.
Everyone looked behind them . . . and saw their worst nightmare embodied.
"Welcome to your final resting place," The Crow said as his blood red eyes glowed within the darkness.
"Yugi . . ." Raven uttered, shocked by the bloodlust in her brother's eyes.
"Yuge, what the fuck is goin' on here?" Joey asked.
"Not much," The Crow replied. "Except you're all in my way. For that, you have to die."
"That's not true, Yugi!" Wonder Girl shouted. "We're trying to help you find Marik!"
"No, you've done nothing but hold me back," The Crow said. "So I'm gonna give you one chance: stay out of my fight against Marik. He's my enemy and my enemy alone."
"That isn't true," Robin stated. "He had Starfire kidnapped, so he's the Titans' enemy as well!"
"If you're not gonna listen," The Crow said as he pulled out some combat knives. "Then my blades will make you listen! Prepare to die!"
"I see you won't listen to reason," Robin murmured before the X's on the backs of his hands grew into large spinning blades. "Titans, Go!"
The Crow and the Titans except Raven charged at each other. Yugi's combat knives and Robin's spinning blades clanged against each other but didn't make a cut on either The Crow or the Black Robin. The Crow turned his head and saw Beast Boy coming at him in the form of a gorilla. Yami tossed his knives in the air and grabbed Beast Boy's arm.
He flipped the young shape-shifter over his shoulder and dropped him to the ground. Beast Boy shifted back to his human form and got up. He morphed himself into a tiger and ran at Yugi. The knives landed into The Crow's hands and dodged Beast Boy's incoming tackle. He sliced Beast Boy in the lower back as he morphed back into his human form. Beast Boy put his hand on his wound as he groaned. Yugi grabbed Beast Boy and bashed him in the chin, knocking the shape-shifter out cold. The Crow laughed as Wonder Girl flew and nailed Yugi across the graveyard.
The Crow crashed onto a tombstone as he snarled, "You're gonna wish you hadn't done that, princess."
"Honestly, I wish I didn't have to do that, Yugi," Wonder Girl replied. "It's for your own good, though."
"That's what you think!" The Crow screamed as he zoomed toward Cassie and delivered a right cross to her face, giving her a nosebleed.
Yami Yugi gave Wonder Girl a volley of punches and kicks then he clamped his hands together and bashed her in the jaw. Cassie flew several yards across the cemetery and crash-landed on a tombstone.
"Now, who's next?" The Crow asked.
Superboy flew at The Crow, intending to beat the shit out of him for what he did to Wonder Girl. Unfortunately, he wouldn't get that opportunity. Yugi dodged Superboy's incoming jab and smashed his head into a nearby tombstone which busted Superboy's head wide open. Yugi threw the bloodied Superman clone to the spot where Wonder Girl lay unconscious. The Crow turned his gaze at Cyborg as the metal man said, "C'mon Yuge, it doesn't have to be this way."
"Sorry," The Crow replied. "That's just the way it is."
Before Yugi went after Cyborg, Tristen appeared from behind and grabbed his psychotic friend. The Crow struggled in Tristen's arms as Tristen said, "Stop this at once, Yugi."
"Get off me or I will pull out your eyes just far enough so that I can turn them toward your mewling, mutilated face!" The Crow snarled viciously.
"Not until you calm the fuck down!" Tristen yelled back.
Yugi viciously struggled in Tristan's arms and as hard as Tristan fought to hold him, his human strength was all too insufficient to the power of The Crow. As The Crow broke free from Tristen's grasp, he pulled out one of his knives and stabbed his friend in the kidney.
"TRISTEN!" Joey screamed, horrified by what he'd just seen Yugi do to their mutual friend.
"Yugi...why?" Tristen groaned before The Crow slashed him in the throat.
"Bye-bye, 'friend,'" Yugi sneered.
Tristen collasped to the ground as everyone gasped in horror. The Crow cackled insanely as he said, "That felt good."
"Why, Yugi? Why did you do this?" Raven asked herself sadly as she started to cry.
"Tristen, don't ya fuckin' dare die on me!" Joey screamed as he ran to his dying friend's side.
"We better get him to a hospital!" Cyborg exclaimed.
"No! If we take Tristen to the hospital, it'll be too late," Robin replied as he pulled out his kodachi.
"What are you doing?" Cyborg asked.
"It's the only way Tristan will survive," Robin replied as he sliced the vein that was exposed when he pulled off his glove and wrist-bracelet and pulled up the sleeve of his costume.
Robin pulled Tristen's shirt up and poured his life's blood into the wounds on the young man's chest and throat. The blood seeped into the wounds on Tristen's body then the wounds sealed themselves. After a short while of silence, Robin looked at Yami with anger and fury.
"How could you?" he snarled. "He was your friend!"
"He was in my way," Yami replied unrepentantly.
That did it for Robin. He rolled his sleeve back down and put his glove and wrist-bracelet back on before summoning his energy swords.
"I told you before to stay out of my fight against Marik," Yugi said coldly as he cracked his knuckles and neck. "He's my enemy and my enemy alone but now I'm gonna beat that fact into your face."
The energy swords glowed with the heat of Robin's rage. "Bring it on."
"It's battle time," The Crow growled as he summoned energy swords that looked similar to Robin's but only black.
The Crow and The Black Robin stared at each other as thunder clapped the sky. Rain pelted down the cemetery as the undead warriors did battle. Robin tried to slice at Yugi but he dodged the incoming energy sword and slashed him in the hip. Robin struck back by impaling Yugi in the shoulder. Their energy swords collided as lightning flashed. As they locked swords, The Crow and The Black Robin struggled for control of the battle. The Crow won the struggle and back-handed Black Robin in the face. He delivered a few more punches to the undead Boy Wonder then kicked him in the jaw.
As Robin crashed onto to the ground, Yugi grabbed him by his hair and shouted, "Get up!" Robin used the opportunity to punch Yugi in the face. Even though he disliked resorting to crude violence, as he believed that martial arts taught a person how to fight with grace, Batman had taught him to use whatever he had to take down an enemy. And right now, Yugi was an enemy.
Yugi stumbled backward as Robin delivered another punch to the face. Yugi screamed with primal rage and tackled Robin. The undead Boy Wonder crashed real hard into the gravestone of Thomas and Martha Wayne as the blood-crazed Pharaoh bashed him with an uppercut. The Crow wrapped his hand around The Black Robin's throat and lifted him off the ground.
"Any last words before you die?" The Crow asked as he tightened his grip round The Black Robin's neck.
"Just one..." Robin replied before he blind-sided Yugi with zinothium in its gas form.
The stunt that Robin pulled off forced Yugi to release him from his vice-like grip. The Crow placed his hands on his eyes while stumbling about. By the time he regained his vision, a gloved hand made its mark on Yugi's face. Yami twist and fell onto the grass.
Robin rubbed his fist as he said, "That was for Tristen."
The Crow laughed evilly as he said, "You think you can defeat me that easily? You're dead wrong."
Yugi lunged forth and slugged Robin in the stomach which made the undead Boy Wonder fall to his knees.
"Vae Victus!" The Crow shouted in triumph.
"You just ripped off Legacy of Kain," Robin grumbled. "My favorite game . . . desecrated. DIE!" He charged at Yugi, intending to spill his blood all over the graveyard.
Yugi dodged Robin's incoming attack then chopped him in the back of the neck. As Robin fell to the ground, Yugi pulled out a .44 magnum from his boot and aimed it at Robin's head. Before The Crow could pull the trigger, a voice shouted, "Yugi!"
The Crow turned his head to see Raven with her hands lighted up with dark magic. The Crow positioned his magnum at Raven's head as they stood there for what it seemed like an eternity.
"Come on, brother," Raven said sadly. "Shoot me. Put me out of my misery."
For a moment, Yugi's mad crimson eyes turned back to their normal violet color.
"Raven..." Yugi said as tears streamed down his white-painted face.
"Yugi?" Raven asked.
Yugi dropped his magnum handgun and broke down. "Raven...I'm so...sorry."
Raven went to Yugi and hugged him. The Muto Siblings embraced each other tightly as thunder clapped and lightning flashed through the sky. Yugi wept in Raven's arms as she held him.
"I didn't mean to hurt everyone, especially you," The Crow said through his tears.
"Don't worry," Raven whispered. "We'll get you help."
Raven stroked Yugi's hair as she started to cry herself. Raven suddenly sensed Yugi's mind was struggling again. She quickly moved back as Yugi's eyes changed back to crimson and let out a scream loud enough to break the sound barrier. Raven, Joey, and Cyborg stared at the menacing red eyes of The Crow. The Crow cackled evilly as he transformed himself into a flock of crows and left the cemetery. By the time Tristen, Robin, and the Titans regained consciousness, Yugi was gone.
"Jesus fucking Christ, what the fuck happened?" Tristen asked as he got up. "Wasn't I just stabbed earlier?"
"You were," Robin replied. "I used my blood to heal you."
"Where the shit is Yugi?" Superboy asked.
"He regained his sanity for a moment and then went crazy again and ran off," Robin replied.
"Actually, he turned into a friggin' flock of friggin' crows and friggin' flew off," Joey corrected.
"Yugi..." Raven said as she broke down and fell to her knees.
"Don't cry, Rave," Joey said as he bent down and hugged Raven.
Raven hugged Joey back, letting the messy-haired young man offer her this measure of comfort. In almost any other case, Mai would have been jealous. In this case, she wasn't. Raven was seriously hurting and she needed a friend right now.
"Don't worry, Rave, Yugi will come back to his senses," Joey said softly.
"You think so?" Raven asked, trying to keep her composure.
"Of course," Joey replied."Didn't you sense Yugi's mind strugglin'?"
"Yeah," Raven admitted.
"So that means that he's fighting to return to himself, to the Yugi we all know and love," Joey said.
"I will not give up on my brother just yet," Raven said. "Right now, I want to go home."
"So we go home, then," Robin said. "Besides, we need to come up with a plan."
As Joey, a recovered Tristen, Robin, and the Titans left the graveyard, three biker thugs were sitting on their parked hogs across the street.
"So that's the Pharaoh's friends," the thug in the center, the tallest and most muscular of the three, said. "They don't look so tough."
"Appearances are deceiving, mate," another thug, this one with messy spiky brown hair, remarked with an Australian accent.
"Don't care," the third thug, this one a feminine-looking redhead, said. "They're all going down."
"Do you think we should call the boss?" the Australian thug said.
"If we need to," the muscular thug replied. "For now, we keep observing them like the boss says."
"Now let's get the fuck out of here," the feminine-looking thug said.
The biker boys started up their motorcycles and zoomed down the road. From the rooftops, Nightwing had watched the brutal fight in the cemetery. He removed the binoculars from his eyes and pulled out his com to contact his former mentor, Batman.
"Nightwing here," he said.
"What is it, Nightwing?" Batman's voice asked from the com.
"The Crow totaled Robin and the Titans," Nightwing replied. "However, Raven was the only one he wouldn't attack. He seemed to snap out of it for a while but then he went crazy again."
"Hmm...," Batman said over the com. "It seems she might be linked to our vigilante killer in some way."
"You have any idea who he is?" Nightwing asked.
"I already know," Batman replied. "Yugi Muto."
"But that kid's been dead for years!" Nightwing uttered.
"That's the prerequisite," Batman explained. "Only when a person has died due to a great injustice can he or she return to this world as an avatar of the crow."
"What do you want me to do?" Nightwing asked.
"Keep watching them," Batman replied. "I'll meet up with you and then we'll rendezvous with Robin and the Titans."
"Got it. Nightwing out," Nightwing said before he switched off his com and jumped from the rooftop.
To Be Continued...
"Come on, come on!
Come on, come on!
I am overground and outselling IT
Since God thinks I don't exist
The beatings happen Per Minute
This is not blue-collar-white-corrective politics
I'm on a HATE AMERICAN STYLE kick
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(Come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
I'm on a campaign for pain
And when I get elected
I'll wipe the white off your house
The smile off your face
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(Come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want to be like anyone else
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want to even be myself
I said no, this isn't your song
We can't all get along
It's too hard to hold hands when your hand's a fist
My hate-pop won't ever stop
I'm fucking glad we're different
This is my HATE AMERICAN STYLE.
Hit
Don't bring it
Don't sing it
Use your fist and not your mouth
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(Come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(Come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want to be like anyone else
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want even be myself"
Marylin Manson-"Use your fist and not your Mouth"
End notes: It seems the good and the evil within The Crow is now struggling for control. Who is this biker gang and what do they want with Yugi? In the next chapter, Batman makes his move and searches for Yami Yugi. Will the Dark Knight stop The Crow before he kills another? And will The Crow regain his sanity? Expect lots of sorrow in the next chapter, fellow wolves and Crow-ites but until then, happy readin'!
May the wolf spirit guide thee...
Disclaimer: The Crow, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Teen Titans are properties of James O'Barr, Kazuki Takahashi, Shonen Jump, 4Kids Prod., Warner Bros., DC comics, and Cartoon Network.
Author's note: The Crow has descended into madness and is ready to wreak havok on Gotham. Will this lead to a fight to the death between The Crow and The Black Robin? Will Raven save her older bro from his insanity or will the Titans take him down for keeps? One of Yugi's friends will feel the rage and fury of The Crow. And If ya're wonderin'bout the title of this chapter, I got it from Midway and Surreal Software's hit survival horror game, "The Suffering". Now folks, let the "Suffering" begin!
"There's no reason, there's no compromise
Change in seasons, living the high life
I don't know you so don't freak on me
I can't control you, you're not my destiny
Straight out of line
I can't find a reason why I should justify my ways
Straight out of line
I don't need a reason, you don't need to lie to me
I'll confess this: you're my tragedy
I laid you to rest just as fast as you turned on me
Gone forever, banished the memories
Displays of pleasure are masked by your misery
Straight out of line
I can't find a reason why I should justify my ways
Straight out of line
I don't need a reason, you don't need to lie to me
Lie to me
Straight out of line
I can't find a reason why I should justify my ways
Straight out of line
I don't need a reason, you don't need to
Don't need to lie to me
Lie to me
Lie to me
Lie to me"
Godsmack- "Straight out of Line"
Chapter 5:
The Suffering of Split Souls
(Yugi and Raven's apartment)
Yugi's friends and the Titans went to the Mutos' apartment after the chaos at the park. All but Joey were still shocked about The Crow going Norman Bates on them and storming off into the blue-black darkness of the city. Joey was absolutely fuming over what his best friend did to Serenity and himself.
"That fuckin' faggot!" Joey shouted. "I oughta kick his ass for scaring my sis and spitting me in the face!"
"That 'fucking faggot' as you so refer to him, happens to be your best friend," Raven stated as calmly as she could. "Granted, your best friend who is acutely insane right now but still your best friend."
"Ya maybe his sister and shit, Rave," Joey said. "But I've known Yuge helluva longer than you."
"So then you should know that he wouldn't be acting like this unless there was something horribly wrong with him," Raven replied.
"I don't give a rat's pussy 'bout dis shit, goth girl," Joey snarled. "Yugi is lucky he stormed off otherwise I woulda kicked his ass all over da god damn park."
"Sure you would have," Raven drawled. "In his current state, he'd be likely to kill you."
"She's right, Joey," Tristen said. "Yugi would've torn your fucking balls off and shove 'em right up your shit-shoot."
"Who cares?" Joey asked. "I'm still not going to let him get away with that!"
"Either way, we must find him before he hurts himself or anyone," Robin replied.
"Robin's right. Sitting here jaw-jacking won't do us any good," Tristen said.
"So what do we do?" Cyborg asked. "I mean unless we killed his crow, there'd be no way for any of us to take him down."
"We have to get Yugi back to his senses," Raven stated. "Killing him is not an option."
It was then Yugi's crow flew into the apartment. The bird cawed as Raven turned her gaze to it. She looked into the crow's golden brown eyes and for some reason, she started have a flashback. In the flashback, she saw Yugi roaming the shadows of Gotham City like a wild animal, stalking his prey: the murderers, the drug dealers, the rapists. As the flashback ended, Raven suddenly went ballistic then stopped.
"What the shit happened?" Mai asked. "It looked like you were going mental for a moment."
"I saw Yugi," Raven replied.
"What do you mean you saw Yugi?" Superboy asked.
"I saw him prowling the city like some horrid beast of the night," Raven replied.
"Ya gotta be dragonshittin', Rave," Joey remarked.
"I'm not," Raven stated simply.
"Ok, team! We're going out there and searching for Yugi," Robin ordered.
"What bout us?" Tristen asked.
"I want you all back at the hotel," Robin replied. "I don't want to see any of you getting hurt."
"Screw that idea, birdy," Joey remarked. "Tristen and I are comin' with ya."
"We are?" Tristen asked.
"Yeah, we are," Joey replied. "Yugi's our friend and we're gonna get him to come to his senses one way or another."
"All right, the both of you can join us but stay out of our way, got it?" Robin asked.
"Ya got it," Joey said.
"Let's get moving, gang," Superboy said. "We gotta a friend to save."
As Joey, Tristen and the Titans were about to leave, Mai and Serenity stepped forth.
"Are you sure about this, Tristen?" Serenity asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Tristen replied. "Yugi's been there for us and we're gonna be there for him."
"Don't worry about a thing, sis," Joey reassured. "By the time this night's over and shit, Yugi will be back to his ol'self."
"We'll meet you both back at the hotel," Mai said.
"C'mon dudes!" Beast Boy declared. "Time's a wastin'!"
"Ok, BB," Joey replied. "We'll see ya ladies soon."
Joey and Tristen followed the Titans out the door and onto the streets and began their search for Yami Yugi Muto a.k.a. The Crow.
(Arkham Asylum)
Marik was relaxing on the couch while watching television. He was disappointed about his late servant Seeker failing his mission in capturing Starfire but Odion came into the room with some good news.
"Master Marik, the Joker and his party pals returned," Odion said.
"Good, did they bring that Tamaranian slut?" Marik asked.
"As a matter of fact, they did," Odion replied.
"Bring them in here," Marik ordered.
"As you wish, my master," Odion said and left the room.
A few moments later, Joker, Harley, Sid, and Zygore came into the TV room with Starfire in tow.
"We're back, Marik," Joker announced. "And we have something for you."
The Joker and Harley moved out of the way so Marik would see Starfire being held by Sid and Zygore. Starfire woke up to see Marik looking down at her.
"Where...where am I?" Starfire asked groggily.
"You're in Arkham, my dear Starfire," Marik said.
"Who are you?" Starfire asked. "What do you want with me?"
"The name is Marik," the leader of the Ghouls replied. "As for what I want with you . . . let's just say you're going to have a front-row seat for the making of history."
"I know what your evil plan is!" Starfire shouted. "My friends will stop you!"
"Indeed, they will," Marik said sarcastically.
"You are nothing more than...a Regdonfrark!" Starfire shouted.
Marik growled in anger and slapped Starfire in the face. "I don't know what the fuck you said but I'll take that as an insult!"
Odion resisted the urge to cringe. He knew his master was evil but that didn't mean he approved of the things he did . . . and he certainly didn't approve of him slapping a woman.
"Master, shouldn't we lock her up in cellblock?" Odion asked.
"Good idea, Odion," Marik replied. "Sid, Zygore, get her out of my sight."
"Right, mate," Sid said.
"Before you take her down to my old cell," Joker said as he got out some gloves and a black visor. "Gotta take some precautions, you know."
The chalky-faced madman slipped the gloves on Starfire's hands and placed the visor over her eyes. The Joker pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and cuffed the innocent alien's hands behind her back.
"Ok, Sid and Zygore, now be good boys and take her down to the cell," Joker said merrily.
"Sure thing, boss," Zygore replied.
As Sid and Zygore carried Starfire down to the cellblock, Marik turned his attention to the Joker as he gave his teacher a huge grin.
"It seems congratulations are in order, my dear mentor," Marik said. "You'll be rewarded handsomely for capturing that undead songbird's main squeeze."
"Really," the Joker remarked. "See, I was thinking a good reward would be control over all of Gotham City. I don't want the world; just that city."
"And you will have the city, my mentor," Marik replied. "You will go from Clown Prince of Crime to the Crown Prince of Gotham once I rule this pathetic planet. Plus, I'll grant you and your henchmen immunity from my empire of darkness."
Sid and Zygore walked down the hallway toward the cellblock and stopped at the Joker's old cell where two robed guards were standing.
"Yo, guard! Open up that cell door," Zygore said.
One of the guards nodded and unlocked the cell door. As the guard opened the cell, Sid and Zygore dragged Stafire into the cell and dropped her near Tea, who was sitting in the corner.
"Hey there, beautiful," Sid greeted. "We got a new playmate for ya!"
The two bad men looked at the two girls and gave them perverted grins.
"We'd love to stay and watch you two do some Hot Lesbian Action and all," Zygore said. "But ya know da boss and shit, always got woik for us. See ya gals later."
Sid and Zygore walked out of the cell as one of the guards closed the door and locked it. Despite her drugged haze, Starfire gathered some strength she had and knee-walked toward Tea. She sat herself down next to Tea as the beautiful brunette asked, "Starfire? What are you doing here?"
"A madman known as the Joker kidnapped me and brought me here," Starfire replied.
"Same here," Tea said. "What brings you to Gotham?"
"Robin's former mentor Batman called me and the other Titans to come here to help him against Marik and his organization," Starfire replied.
"Did you see Yugi? Did he come here to save me?" Tea asked as if she was expecting him.
"That was his intention . . . but something is very wrong with him," Starfire replied. "As if something is trying to consume whatever light remains in his soul and replace it with pure darkness."
Tea gasped upon hearing what Starfire said. "What are you talking about, Starfire?"
"He is . . . splitting," Starfire explained. "Into two beings, one composed of everything that is good and true about him and the other composed of nothing but the worst of his personality."
"Splitting? I don't know what you're talking about but I'm getting the feeling something bad will happen to Yugi," Tea said sadly.
"Yes," Starfire agreed just as sadly. "Let us hope our friends will help him find his way."
(Gotham Armory)
At the abandoned Gotham Armory, two warring street gangs, the Wolf Dragons and the Death Tigers, were getting ready for a major and obviously bloody showdown. The two gangs were armed with various objects like pipes, baseball bats, and knives. The leaders of the gangs stepped forth and were ready to do battle.
"It's time for ya fuckin' Death Tigers to pay!" shouted The leader of the Wolf Dragons. "Nobody and I do mean nobody messes with my crew!"
"Fuck you, shithead!" the leader of the Death Tigers retorted. "Your punk-ass bitches should have stayed the fuck off our territory!"
"That's it, it's slamdown time!" The Wolf Dragon leader yelled.
"Fuck that!" the Death Tiger leader shouted. Then to his gang, "Ghost these motherfuckers!"
Just before the "festivities" could commence, a deep, smooth voice interrupted. "Gentlemen, may I put an end to this altercation?"
"Who the fuck are you?" One of the Wolf Dragon members asked.
"He must be one of those faggot goth kids," One of the Death Tigers replied.
The Crow smiled evilly at the two gangs.
"What the hell you smilin' about?" The Death Tiger Leader asked.
"Nothing," The Crow replied menacingly. "Just the fact that you're all going to die tonight."
"Oh really? Think we're scared of ya, ya Marilyn Manson wanna-be?" The Wolf Dragon leader asked.
The Crow's response was to take out a shiv.
"All right, Wolf Dragons. Ghost that motherfucker!" The Wolf Dragon leader shouted.
"Death Tigers, frag 'im!" The Death Tiger leader ordered.
Both gangs opened fire on The Crow, endlessly perforating him with bullets.
When The Crow collapsed, the Wolf Dragons and Death Tigers looked at his "corpse."
"We got that shithead good!" one of the Wolf Dragons shouted.
"Yeah, now we can get back to the task at hand," another Wolf Dragon added. "Ripping up these paper tigers right here."
"Did you really think that would kill me?" a familiar and malevolent voice asked.
"Oh, hell no!" a Death Tiger exclaimed in horror.
"What the fuck is he, man?" another Death Tiger asked.
"Death," The Crow replied. "That's what I am." He charged at a Death Tiger with his shiv and stabbed him in the throat. Blood gushed out of his neck when The Crow ripped the shiv out through the other end.
"Oh fuck! Let's get the hell outta here, dudes!" A Wolf Dragon screamed.
"None of you are leaving this place alive," The Crow growled.
As the gangs scattered, The Crow saw a Wolf Dragon running for the exit of the Armory. He leaped at the Wolf Dragon member and tackled him. The Crow raised his shiv and stabbed him. One Death Tiger tried to climb the fence to escape but The Crow grabbed him by the shirt and shorts and threw him to the ground. The Crow proceeded to stab the Death Tiger in the eye. One Wolf Dragon tried to attack The Crow from behind but he quickly grabbed the Wolf Dragon's arm and tore it off from its socket. The Crow took the torn arm which held a knife and threw at a Death Tiger, killing him. The Crow licked the blood from the gang bangers off his fingers and went back on the attack.
Meanwhile, Joey, Tristen, and the Titans were searching for Yami. They searched the seedy alley ways of Gotham but didn't find him or a clue to where he had been. As Raven searched one part of the street, pain suddenly shot through her body as if she was being hit by bullets. Tristen and Joey ran toward the half-demon girl as she let out a howl of pain.
"Raven, are you ok?" Tristen asked.
"She don't look it," Joey replied.
Raven turned her head to Joey. Joey noticed Raven's eyes turned crimson and her teeth turned into canine fangs as she grabbed his wrist and gave him a painful squeeze.
"Appearances aren't everythin'," Joey said through his pain as he knelt down.
"Sorry about that," Raven said as she released Joey's wrist.
"No sweat, Rave," Joey replied.
Raven suddenly felt another flashback coming but this time, the latest flashback would be graphic and gruesome. In her mind's eye, Raven saw dead bodies, severed limbs, and blood all over the armory grounds. In the center of the bloodbath, Raven saw a huge crow painted in blood. The flashback ended when Raven started to shake in fear.
"What's the matter, Raven?" Tristen asked. "Are you cold?"
"No . . ." Raven replied.
"Then what just happened, Rave?" Joey asked with concern.
"I saw blood . . . dead bodies everywhere . . ." Raven replied. "And a giant crow painted in the center of it all."
The "dead bodies everywhere" line reminded Beast Boy of a song he'd once heard but he wasn't going to make any jokes about that. Even he understood that there was nothing to joke about.
"Where are we going next?" Beast Boy asked.
"We'll know when we get there," Robin replied.
The Crow wandered through an alley as the bums looked at him with suspecion. They noticed blood on his hands and his face. Yugi stopped and gave the bums a demonic glare. The hobos took a step back as Yami Yugi continued to walk the alley. The Crow sat down and sighed. As Yugi thought about the deaths of the Wolf Dragons and the Death Tigers, he heared a voice inside his head.
"Yugi," a dark voice said in The Crow's head.
"Who's there?" The Crow asked.
"Just me . . . Marik," the voice replied.
"What the fuck you want, you perverted little psychopath?" The Crow snarled.
"Nothing much," Marik replied. "Just for you to kill your precious friends."
"Why the fuck should I do that?" The Crow asked. "I'm gonna take great pleasure in making you suffer for taking Tea!"
"Indeed, you will," Marik replied. "If you can catch up to me, that is."
"Give me one good reason why I should kill the Titans and my friends!" The Crow demanded.
"Because they're in your way," Marik answered. "You'd catch up to me a lot faster without them."
"You're right," The Crow said. "They did nothing but hold me back. My former friends and Titans will die for holding me back."
"Good," Marik whispered. "Now go forth and kill them!"
The Crow stood up and stormed out of the alley, ready to hunt down the Titans and his friends. Back at Arkham, Marik smiled as he stared at his Millenium Rod.
'Everything is going according to plan,' Marik said mentally. 'Soon the Pharaoh will destroy those fucking Titans and his pathetic little friends. When he shows up, I will be ready for him!'
"And no one will stop me from taking over the universe!" Marik yelled out loud and cackled.
Joey, Tristen, and the Titans were still searching for The Crow. They still had no such luck in finding their friend.
"Hey, did you guys find anything?" Tristen asked.
"No," Cyborg replied.
"We still haven't found one tiny clue to where Yugi had been recently," Beast Boy said.
"Might as well call it a night," Robin said sadly. "We'll continue our search for Yugi in the morning."
As everyone were about to go their separate ways, they heard a caw from out of nowhere. It was Yugi's crow. The ebony bird landed on a parking meter and stared at Raven. Raven felt as somehow the bird was communicating with her.
'If you want to find your brother,' The bird said in Raven's head. 'You and your friends must follow me.'
"What's goin' on, Rave?" Joey asked.
"Yugi's crow," Raven replied. "It came to me, told me it knew how to find Yugi."
"Where shall we start then?" Tristen asked.
"We follow the crow," Raven replied.
"Wherever it leads us, we'll be sure to find Yugi," Cyborg said.
"Be careful," Robin advised. "Right now, he's completely out of control and liable to kill any one of us if we get in his way."
"Tell me something I don't know," Superboy remarked.
"Conner . . ." Wonder Girl said through gritted teeth, wondering not for the first time why her boyfriend had the tendency to be an insensitive jackass.
Everyone got into their vehicles as the bird cawed and flew off. They followed the bird as a thunderstorm cloud cover the sea of stars was being covered by dark clouds. A half hour later, they stopped at a cemetery as the bird landed on the iron fence. Joey, Tristen, and the Titans exited the T-car and Yugi's GTO as Joey asked, "A cemetery? Da bird took us to a fuckin' cemetery?"
"What's the matter? Afraid of the corpses?" Robin asked.
"Just the walking ones," Joey replied.
"Let's just go in there and find Yugi already," Tristen said. "This fucking place is giving me the creeps and shit."
"Beast Boy, sniff him out," Superboy ordered.
Beast Boy shifted into a bloodhound and started sniffing.
Everyone followed Beast Boy into the graveyard. Beast Boy sniffed around the place but couldn't find The Crow. He did hear sounds of metal slicing against each other. He reverted back to his human form as he heard the sound again.
"Did you dudes hear anything?" Beast Boy asked.
"Something like metal scraping against metal," Wonder Girl murmured.
"Where's the sound coming from?" Robin asked.
"There," Joey replied, pointing out the far end of the graveyard.
Joey, Tristen, and the Titans walked to the otherside of the cemetary. As they searched the far end of the cemetery, Beast Boy stopped in front of a praying woman statue and saw a sight that almost made him piss himself.
"What is it, BB?" Cyborg asked.
"T-take...a look behind you," Beast Boy said as he shook in fear.
Everyone looked behind them . . . and saw their worst nightmare embodied.
"Welcome to your final resting place," The Crow said as his blood red eyes glowed within the darkness.
"Yugi . . ." Raven uttered, shocked by the bloodlust in her brother's eyes.
"Yuge, what the fuck is goin' on here?" Joey asked.
"Not much," The Crow replied. "Except you're all in my way. For that, you have to die."
"That's not true, Yugi!" Wonder Girl shouted. "We're trying to help you find Marik!"
"No, you've done nothing but hold me back," The Crow said. "So I'm gonna give you one chance: stay out of my fight against Marik. He's my enemy and my enemy alone."
"That isn't true," Robin stated. "He had Starfire kidnapped, so he's the Titans' enemy as well!"
"If you're not gonna listen," The Crow said as he pulled out some combat knives. "Then my blades will make you listen! Prepare to die!"
"I see you won't listen to reason," Robin murmured before the X's on the backs of his hands grew into large spinning blades. "Titans, Go!"
The Crow and the Titans except Raven charged at each other. Yugi's combat knives and Robin's spinning blades clanged against each other but didn't make a cut on either The Crow or the Black Robin. The Crow turned his head and saw Beast Boy coming at him in the form of a gorilla. Yami tossed his knives in the air and grabbed Beast Boy's arm.
He flipped the young shape-shifter over his shoulder and dropped him to the ground. Beast Boy shifted back to his human form and got up. He morphed himself into a tiger and ran at Yugi. The knives landed into The Crow's hands and dodged Beast Boy's incoming tackle. He sliced Beast Boy in the lower back as he morphed back into his human form. Beast Boy put his hand on his wound as he groaned. Yugi grabbed Beast Boy and bashed him in the chin, knocking the shape-shifter out cold. The Crow laughed as Wonder Girl flew and nailed Yugi across the graveyard.
The Crow crashed onto a tombstone as he snarled, "You're gonna wish you hadn't done that, princess."
"Honestly, I wish I didn't have to do that, Yugi," Wonder Girl replied. "It's for your own good, though."
"That's what you think!" The Crow screamed as he zoomed toward Cassie and delivered a right cross to her face, giving her a nosebleed.
Yami Yugi gave Wonder Girl a volley of punches and kicks then he clamped his hands together and bashed her in the jaw. Cassie flew several yards across the cemetery and crash-landed on a tombstone.
"Now, who's next?" The Crow asked.
Superboy flew at The Crow, intending to beat the shit out of him for what he did to Wonder Girl. Unfortunately, he wouldn't get that opportunity. Yugi dodged Superboy's incoming jab and smashed his head into a nearby tombstone which busted Superboy's head wide open. Yugi threw the bloodied Superman clone to the spot where Wonder Girl lay unconscious. The Crow turned his gaze at Cyborg as the metal man said, "C'mon Yuge, it doesn't have to be this way."
"Sorry," The Crow replied. "That's just the way it is."
Before Yugi went after Cyborg, Tristen appeared from behind and grabbed his psychotic friend. The Crow struggled in Tristen's arms as Tristen said, "Stop this at once, Yugi."
"Get off me or I will pull out your eyes just far enough so that I can turn them toward your mewling, mutilated face!" The Crow snarled viciously.
"Not until you calm the fuck down!" Tristen yelled back.
Yugi viciously struggled in Tristan's arms and as hard as Tristan fought to hold him, his human strength was all too insufficient to the power of The Crow. As The Crow broke free from Tristen's grasp, he pulled out one of his knives and stabbed his friend in the kidney.
"TRISTEN!" Joey screamed, horrified by what he'd just seen Yugi do to their mutual friend.
"Yugi...why?" Tristen groaned before The Crow slashed him in the throat.
"Bye-bye, 'friend,'" Yugi sneered.
Tristen collasped to the ground as everyone gasped in horror. The Crow cackled insanely as he said, "That felt good."
"Why, Yugi? Why did you do this?" Raven asked herself sadly as she started to cry.
"Tristen, don't ya fuckin' dare die on me!" Joey screamed as he ran to his dying friend's side.
"We better get him to a hospital!" Cyborg exclaimed.
"No! If we take Tristen to the hospital, it'll be too late," Robin replied as he pulled out his kodachi.
"What are you doing?" Cyborg asked.
"It's the only way Tristan will survive," Robin replied as he sliced the vein that was exposed when he pulled off his glove and wrist-bracelet and pulled up the sleeve of his costume.
Robin pulled Tristen's shirt up and poured his life's blood into the wounds on the young man's chest and throat. The blood seeped into the wounds on Tristen's body then the wounds sealed themselves. After a short while of silence, Robin looked at Yami with anger and fury.
"How could you?" he snarled. "He was your friend!"
"He was in my way," Yami replied unrepentantly.
That did it for Robin. He rolled his sleeve back down and put his glove and wrist-bracelet back on before summoning his energy swords.
"I told you before to stay out of my fight against Marik," Yugi said coldly as he cracked his knuckles and neck. "He's my enemy and my enemy alone but now I'm gonna beat that fact into your face."
The energy swords glowed with the heat of Robin's rage. "Bring it on."
"It's battle time," The Crow growled as he summoned energy swords that looked similar to Robin's but only black.
The Crow and The Black Robin stared at each other as thunder clapped the sky. Rain pelted down the cemetery as the undead warriors did battle. Robin tried to slice at Yugi but he dodged the incoming energy sword and slashed him in the hip. Robin struck back by impaling Yugi in the shoulder. Their energy swords collided as lightning flashed. As they locked swords, The Crow and The Black Robin struggled for control of the battle. The Crow won the struggle and back-handed Black Robin in the face. He delivered a few more punches to the undead Boy Wonder then kicked him in the jaw.
As Robin crashed onto to the ground, Yugi grabbed him by his hair and shouted, "Get up!" Robin used the opportunity to punch Yugi in the face. Even though he disliked resorting to crude violence, as he believed that martial arts taught a person how to fight with grace, Batman had taught him to use whatever he had to take down an enemy. And right now, Yugi was an enemy.
Yugi stumbled backward as Robin delivered another punch to the face. Yugi screamed with primal rage and tackled Robin. The undead Boy Wonder crashed real hard into the gravestone of Thomas and Martha Wayne as the blood-crazed Pharaoh bashed him with an uppercut. The Crow wrapped his hand around The Black Robin's throat and lifted him off the ground.
"Any last words before you die?" The Crow asked as he tightened his grip round The Black Robin's neck.
"Just one..." Robin replied before he blind-sided Yugi with zinothium in its gas form.
The stunt that Robin pulled off forced Yugi to release him from his vice-like grip. The Crow placed his hands on his eyes while stumbling about. By the time he regained his vision, a gloved hand made its mark on Yugi's face. Yami twist and fell onto the grass.
Robin rubbed his fist as he said, "That was for Tristen."
The Crow laughed evilly as he said, "You think you can defeat me that easily? You're dead wrong."
Yugi lunged forth and slugged Robin in the stomach which made the undead Boy Wonder fall to his knees.
"Vae Victus!" The Crow shouted in triumph.
"You just ripped off Legacy of Kain," Robin grumbled. "My favorite game . . . desecrated. DIE!" He charged at Yugi, intending to spill his blood all over the graveyard.
Yugi dodged Robin's incoming attack then chopped him in the back of the neck. As Robin fell to the ground, Yugi pulled out a .44 magnum from his boot and aimed it at Robin's head. Before The Crow could pull the trigger, a voice shouted, "Yugi!"
The Crow turned his head to see Raven with her hands lighted up with dark magic. The Crow positioned his magnum at Raven's head as they stood there for what it seemed like an eternity.
"Come on, brother," Raven said sadly. "Shoot me. Put me out of my misery."
For a moment, Yugi's mad crimson eyes turned back to their normal violet color.
"Raven..." Yugi said as tears streamed down his white-painted face.
"Yugi?" Raven asked.
Yugi dropped his magnum handgun and broke down. "Raven...I'm so...sorry."
Raven went to Yugi and hugged him. The Muto Siblings embraced each other tightly as thunder clapped and lightning flashed through the sky. Yugi wept in Raven's arms as she held him.
"I didn't mean to hurt everyone, especially you," The Crow said through his tears.
"Don't worry," Raven whispered. "We'll get you help."
Raven stroked Yugi's hair as she started to cry herself. Raven suddenly sensed Yugi's mind was struggling again. She quickly moved back as Yugi's eyes changed back to crimson and let out a scream loud enough to break the sound barrier. Raven, Joey, and Cyborg stared at the menacing red eyes of The Crow. The Crow cackled evilly as he transformed himself into a flock of crows and left the cemetery. By the time Tristen, Robin, and the Titans regained consciousness, Yugi was gone.
"Jesus fucking Christ, what the fuck happened?" Tristen asked as he got up. "Wasn't I just stabbed earlier?"
"You were," Robin replied. "I used my blood to heal you."
"Where the shit is Yugi?" Superboy asked.
"He regained his sanity for a moment and then went crazy again and ran off," Robin replied.
"Actually, he turned into a friggin' flock of friggin' crows and friggin' flew off," Joey corrected.
"Yugi..." Raven said as she broke down and fell to her knees.
"Don't cry, Rave," Joey said as he bent down and hugged Raven.
Raven hugged Joey back, letting the messy-haired young man offer her this measure of comfort. In almost any other case, Mai would have been jealous. In this case, she wasn't. Raven was seriously hurting and she needed a friend right now.
"Don't worry, Rave, Yugi will come back to his senses," Joey said softly.
"You think so?" Raven asked, trying to keep her composure.
"Of course," Joey replied."Didn't you sense Yugi's mind strugglin'?"
"Yeah," Raven admitted.
"So that means that he's fighting to return to himself, to the Yugi we all know and love," Joey said.
"I will not give up on my brother just yet," Raven said. "Right now, I want to go home."
"So we go home, then," Robin said. "Besides, we need to come up with a plan."
As Joey, a recovered Tristen, Robin, and the Titans left the graveyard, three biker thugs were sitting on their parked hogs across the street.
"So that's the Pharaoh's friends," the thug in the center, the tallest and most muscular of the three, said. "They don't look so tough."
"Appearances are deceiving, mate," another thug, this one with messy spiky brown hair, remarked with an Australian accent.
"Don't care," the third thug, this one a feminine-looking redhead, said. "They're all going down."
"Do you think we should call the boss?" the Australian thug said.
"If we need to," the muscular thug replied. "For now, we keep observing them like the boss says."
"Now let's get the fuck out of here," the feminine-looking thug said.
The biker boys started up their motorcycles and zoomed down the road. From the rooftops, Nightwing had watched the brutal fight in the cemetery. He removed the binoculars from his eyes and pulled out his com to contact his former mentor, Batman.
"Nightwing here," he said.
"What is it, Nightwing?" Batman's voice asked from the com.
"The Crow totaled Robin and the Titans," Nightwing replied. "However, Raven was the only one he wouldn't attack. He seemed to snap out of it for a while but then he went crazy again."
"Hmm...," Batman said over the com. "It seems she might be linked to our vigilante killer in some way."
"You have any idea who he is?" Nightwing asked.
"I already know," Batman replied. "Yugi Muto."
"But that kid's been dead for years!" Nightwing uttered.
"That's the prerequisite," Batman explained. "Only when a person has died due to a great injustice can he or she return to this world as an avatar of the crow."
"What do you want me to do?" Nightwing asked.
"Keep watching them," Batman replied. "I'll meet up with you and then we'll rendezvous with Robin and the Titans."
"Got it. Nightwing out," Nightwing said before he switched off his com and jumped from the rooftop.
To Be Continued...
"Come on, come on!
Come on, come on!
I am overground and outselling IT
Since God thinks I don't exist
The beatings happen Per Minute
This is not blue-collar-white-corrective politics
I'm on a HATE AMERICAN STYLE kick
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(Come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
I'm on a campaign for pain
And when I get elected
I'll wipe the white off your house
The smile off your face
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(Come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want to be like anyone else
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want to even be myself
I said no, this isn't your song
We can't all get along
It's too hard to hold hands when your hand's a fist
My hate-pop won't ever stop
I'm fucking glad we're different
This is my HATE AMERICAN STYLE.
Hit
Don't bring it
Don't sing it
Use your fist and not your mouth
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(Come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(Come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on! Come on, come on!)
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want to be like anyone else
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want even be myself"
Marylin Manson-"Use your fist and not your Mouth"
End notes: It seems the good and the evil within The Crow is now struggling for control. Who is this biker gang and what do they want with Yugi? In the next chapter, Batman makes his move and searches for Yami Yugi. Will the Dark Knight stop The Crow before he kills another? And will The Crow regain his sanity? Expect lots of sorrow in the next chapter, fellow wolves and Crow-ites but until then, happy readin'!
May the wolf spirit guide thee...