Yu Yu Hakusho/Teen Titans:

"Darkness Returns"

Chapter 1: "Breakout"

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho and Teen Titans are not mine by any means. They belong to Yoshihiro Togashi and DC Comics, respectively.

Author's note: This is the sequel to my first TT/YYH crossover, "Titanic Spirits." However, this time, the story will focus more on the Spirit Detectives, which is the reason for the reverse order of the shows in question.

Timeline: A few years after the last episode of Yu Yu Hakusho. As for the Teen Titans, a few years into the future for them.

Reikai prison

An alarm blared, crimson lights flashing throughout the prison.

"Warning," an automated female voice said. "Prisoner SW-292 has escaped from his cell. Repeat, Prisoner SW-292 has escaped from his cell."

The prisoner in question raced down the halls of the prison, headed for the exit. However, his path was interrupted by a pack of ogres.

"Stop right there, Rando," the leader said.

"And who's going to make me?" Rando asked defiantly. "You?"

"If I must," the ogre replied.

"Go ahead," Rando said. "Do your worst."

The ogres attacked, obviously planning to overwhelm him by sheer force of numbers. However, numbers meant nothing to Rando, as they were all weaklings.

"Pathetic," Rando said, beating them all off with ridiculous ease. "But don't worry; I'll end your suffering. Circles of Inferno!" He threw crimson fireballs at several ogres, reducing them to ash. Then he fired a blast of black/green/purple/blue energy out of his palm, annihilating the ogres in his way. "Now that that's over with . . ."

He resumed his run toward the exit gate. However, once he got out of the prison building, he ran afoul of more ogre guards.

"If you fools truly think you can stop me," Rando sneered, "then perhaps a look at what's left of your friends will convince you otherwise."

"Halt, Rando," the lead ogre commanded.

"Your friend told me something similar," Rando retorted. "Guess what happened to him." He chuckled sinisterly. "Now unless you feel like dying, you should get out of my way." He stalked toward the guards, murder in his dark ochre eyes.

"Fire!" the guard ordered, and the ogres pulled out their Reikai-issued energy rifles, firing at Rando. However, Rando just deflected the blasts with an energy field around his body.

"You are all such pathetic fools," he said. Then, a sudden inspiration struck him. One of the psychics he had killed had the power to absorb energy and use that energy to power her attacks. He smirked. That might come in handy.

He let the guards fire at him some more, and once he figured he'd pulled in enough energy, he gave it back --- in destructive bursts that left the guards dead or far too incapacitated to do anything about him.

"That should take care of you," Rando said. With one more energy blast, he blew open the gate between himself and freedom and departed.

Koenma's temple

"Koenma-sama!" Jorge (blue-skinned ogre) exclaimed, rushing in.

"What is it?" Koenma asked.

"Rando's escaped," Jorge replied.

"Rando's escaped?" Koenma echoed, shocked. "What do you mean, he escaped?"

"What I just said, sir," Jorge replied. "Rando escaped and murdered or incapacitated all the guards who tried to stop him."

"Oh, no," Koenma said. "He'll go down to Earth to finish what he started." Then an even more horrifying thought entered his mind. "Or get sidetracked by another psychic and go after her."

"Do you mean Raven?" Jorge asked.

"Yes," Koenma said. "Botan!"

"Yes, Koenma-sama?" Botan asked.

"Get Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara," Koenma ordered. "Tell them to meet Hiei at Titans Tower. If you like, get some others to help out, too. Just don't waste any time!"

"I won't fail you, Koenma-sama," Botan said. Sitting on her trusty oar, she flew out of Koenma's castle.

Titans Tower

The Teen Titans had grown up since their adventures with the Reikai Tantei four years ago. Specifically, they'd grown older. With the exception of a now-eighteen-year-old Beast Boy, the Titans were in their early twenties. In fact, they had forgone calling themselves the Teen Titans and now simply called themselves the Titans.

Two of its members had outgrown the names they'd used as the Teen Titans and thus taken new names. Beast Boy now called himself Changeling. Robin had gotten himself a growth spurt and now called himself Raptor. He now wore a sleek black costume with a red bird emblazoned on the front that allowed him to hold his tools in the cuffs of his gloves and boots.

Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg had changed as well. After a nasty confrontation with one of Trigon's other children, an evil half-demon by the name of Shazarn, the evil within Raven had been exorcised. As a symbol of her liberation, Raven wore a white cloak and leotard.

Starfire hadn't changed that much, aside from a sleeker version of her original costume. The neck guard was out, revealing that the midriff-baring purple top had its own collar. Also, she had discarded the wrist guards, now wearing long arm-covers that ended between her index and middle fingers. Personality-wise, she was very much unchanged.

Cyborg's robot parts had been modified, ridding him of his former clunky appearance in favor of a more streamlined figure.

Presently, the Titans were relaxing. Cyborg and Changeling were playing a racing game on the Playstation 2. Raven and Starfire were meditating together. Raptor was sparring with . . . Hiei.

Yes, Hiei. During the time the Spirit Detectives had spent with the Titans, Hiei and Raven had come to love each other dearly. It had gotten to the point where after Trigon had been defeated, Hiei had chosen to stay with her. Raptor's (then Robin) response had been to make him an unofficial member of the Titans. Hiei wasn't around some of the time, as he also worked for a demon named Mukuro, who was like Cyborg in the sense that she also had cybernetic parts replacing her organic ones. Still, he spent a lot of his time outside Makai at Titans Tower.

As of the moment, Raptor was honing his spirit powers in his sparring with Hiei.

"You're very good, Raptor," Hiei said.

"So are you, Hiei," Raptor replied.

Hiei was currently darting from place to place at super-speed. "Concentrate, Raptor. I may be faster, but you can use your spiritual senses to track me. Just focus on them." A pause. "Well? Can you find me?"

Raptor closed his eyes under his mask, concentrating.

"Can you find me?" Hiei repeated in a taunting tone.

Raptor smirked. Then he leaped into the air and kicked Hiei, who back-flipped and landed agilely on the ground. He withdrew his sword and slashed at Raptor, who brought out his staff and blocked the sword slashes with it.

Suddenly, Raptor stopped. Hiei was about to go in for the kill when he stopped as well.

"There is someone here," Hiei said.

Rando silently prowled through the Tower. He had been on his way to finish the job he'd started with that hag Genkai, but the strong psychic presence he'd sensed had diverted him.

The power he sensed was beautiful. If it could be tasted, he would compare it to ambrosia, the food of the gods.

So close now, he thought. He felt other powers within the Tower, including one next to the psychic presence and two approaching powers, but they did not concern him. They were nothing compared to the power he felt.

Rando licked his lips and smiled. That power would be his! Oh, the destruction he could cause with such a power. That would make a hundred psychics he had taken power from.

He chuckled. Then I'll find that old hag Genkai. Even she won't be able to stand up to the power I'll possess.

His musings were interrupted by a dark, cold voice. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Rando looked to the source of the voice and saw two black-clad figures standing in front of him. One was dressed in a sleeveless shirt and baggy pants with bindings around his forearms and a white headband, and the other was in a black costume with a red bird design on the front and a black mask covering his eyes. The first figure was small and lithe, and wielded a katana. The other was lithe but taller and carried a staff.

"You must be Hiei," Rando said. "How nice to meet you at last."

"I know who you are," Hiei said. "You're an assassin who steals psychics' powers to make yourself stronger. I know what you're here for, and I can assure you that you will not take her power."

"And what makes you think you can stop me?" Rando asked.

"You obviously underestimate my capabilities," Hiei sneered.

"And you obviously overestimate your capabilities," Rando retorted. He turned to the staff wielder. "Got a name, bird boy?"

"It's Raptor."

"Nice name," Rando said. "Mine's Rando. Learn it well, for it is the name of your death."

Raptor just shook his head in silent derision. "Do you have any idea how many villains have said that to me?"

"I'll be the last one," Rando said, "because I'm the last one you'll ever fight. Circles of Inferno!" A crimson fireball appeared in each hand and he threw them both, one at Hiei and the other at Raptor.

Hiei leaped aside in a blur of speed, and a force shield blocked the fireball aimed at Raptor, visible only as a ripple in the air.

"Nice trick, Raptor," Rando said.

"Yours, too," Raptor retorted. "Wanna see mine?" He shot a force blast at Rando, blasting him into a wall.

"Nice," Rando said, rising to his feet. "Go ahead. Try again."

"As you wish," Raptor said. He shot more force projectiles at Rando, who let them impact against him.

"Raptor, are you blind?" Hiei asked sharply. "He's letting you hit him!"

"Letting me?" Raptor asked.

"Yes, I was letting you hit me, Raptor," Rando confessed. He smiled evilly, waves of dark energy emanating from him. "I needed to amass a good amount of energy before I could do this!" He fired a concussive burst of energy at Raptor.

Hiei leaped in front of him and cleaved the blast with his sword.

"Thanks," Raptor said.

"Don't make the same error twice," Hiei snapped. "Or next time, I may not be able to save you."

"Ready to go again?" Rando asked.

"Bring it on!" Raptor replied.

Rando exhaled, releasing threads from his mouth.

"Threads?" Raptor asked. "What's he going to do, sew us a pillow?"

"These are no ordinary threads," Rando replied. "It's Spirit Thread, and it will trap you and never let go."

The threads floated and wrapped around Raptor and Hiei, weaving themselves into a tangled web in which neither could move. They strained against the spiritual threads with all their might, but they couldn't budge at all. In fact, if they'd been able to move even a millimeter, that would have been excellent progress.

"See? You're trapped," Rando said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go find that psychic you tried so hard to protect." He started to walk away.

"No . . . Raven . . ." Hiei murmured.

Suddenly, a bolt of purple-and-dark blue lightning struck Rando. Then, a green golem brought its massive fists down to crush him. However, Rando was able to dodge, but barely as the golem's fists made a dent in the floor.

"I don't know who you are, gruesome," Cyborg said, "but you're not gonna be staying very long."

"Do you two really think you can stop me?" Rando asked.

"They might not be able to," Hiei sneered, "but they bought me enough time to do this!" The threads directly binding him ignited with black flame, a black flame that spread through the entire web and burned it to nothing. He and Raptor landed from their formerly suspended positions in midair in agile crouches, then straightened up to their full heights.

"Wanna go again?" Raptor asked.

Just as the three Titans and Hiei were about to resume hostilities with Rando, a shadow emerged from the wall and shaped itself into a black bird. Then the shadow bird dissipated to reveal Raven and Starfire.

"Enough," Raven said, floating down to the floor. "It's me you want, isn't it?"

"Ah, there you are," Rando said, smiling evilly.

"You have disrupted our meditation session," Starfire said. "You will apologize at once, and then you will depart and never trouble us again!"

"Oh, I'll do all that," Rando said. "After I get her power."

"You will never get your hands on my power, you fiend," Raven said. "However, if it is my power, you want, then prepare to taste it. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A blast of shadow-kinetic power struck Rando dead in his chest and knocked him back.

"Ohhhh . . . such a wondrous power," he said, getting up. "Wielding it will be so sublime."

"You shall not take Raven's power and use it for your evil goals!" Starfire vowed. She fired a barrage of starbolts and Rando was jumping around dodging each one.

"Nice powers," Rando said. "I like your technique. In fact . . ." He smiled wickedly. "I like it so much I think I'll see what I can do with it."

"Oh, no," Hiei said.

"Crimson Nova!" Rando shouted. He held both hands out, one cupped over the other, and a ball of red energy surrounded them. Then, a barrage of crimson starbolts came out of the ball.

The Titans and Hiei dodged the bolts. "What's going on here?" Changeling asked.

"Yeah!" Cyborg agreed. "I thought only Tamaranians could use starbolts!"

Raptor created a force shield to protect them. "Apparently, no one told him that!"

"That's Rando's skill," Hiei stated. "After seeing a person perform a rei-ki technique, he can learn it and use his own version."

"Let's see how he likes my technique," Raptor said, turning the force shield into a blast that knocked Rando down, stopping the barrage of crimson starbolts.

Rando got up, snarling in rage. "You actually hurt me. I will not tolerate that."

"And your presence will not be tolerated," Raven said. "Leave. Now."

"Fine, then," Rando conceded. "I will leave. But I will return for you. And I will not be alone."

Faster than almost anyone else in the Tower could react, Rando leaped through the glass wall of the Tower, plummeting into the darkness.

"Aw, man," Changeling said. "Now we're gonna have to pay another repair bill!"

"Who cares?" Hiei sneered. "We have worse things to worry about."

"Who was that loathsome man who attacked us?" Starfire asked.

"As you already know, his name is Rando," Hiei replied. "He's got a thing for psychics. Specifically, a thing for stealing their techniques to make himself stronger and then killing them. He killed 99 psychics and took their powers. Genkai was to be the 100th, but Yusuke defeated him."

"That explains why he's after me," Raven said.

"Rando is a very strong and very tricky demon," Hiei continued. "Until Yusuke defeated him, no one saw his true face. No one who lived long enough to brag about it, anyway."

" 'No one saw his true face'?" Raptor asked.

"Rando's M.O., as the human detectives call it, is to assume another face," Hiei replied. "He disguises himself in order to get close to his targets and once he is ready, he attacks."

"Speaking of Yusuke, we could use some reinforcements," Cyborg said. "If a guy like Rando's after Raven, then we're going to need serious help. Reikai Tantei help."

"Except the Reikai Tantei are finished," Hiei replied. "We all went our separate ways after the Makai Tournament. Yusuke is overseeing his father's lands in the Makai, Kurama is working for Yomi, Kuwabara and Yukina have established a relationship, and I'm here with you."

"When you're not with Mukuro," Changeling added.

Just then, the computer monitor blinked on with Botan's image.

"Hiei, Titans, it's good to see you again," she said.

"Hey, Botan," Raptor said. "How've you been?"

"Just fine," Botan replied cheerfully. Then she looked at him. "Robin! You've grown into such a handsome young man!"

Raptor smirked slightly. "As if I wasn't already handsome when you first met me. And it's Raptor now."

"Oh," Botan replied. "Nice name. And all I meant is that you've . . ."

"Yeah, I know," Raptor said, smiling. "Don't worry, Botan."

"Enough with the pleasantries," Hiei snapped. "My mate was nearly killed by Rando tonight. How did you fools in Spirit World let him escape?"

"I see your time with the Titans hasn't mellowed you any," Botan said sarcastically. "But never mind. We didn't let Rando escape. He used his powers of disguise to trick a guard into letting him out. Then he killed the guard and killed or incapacitated anyone else who barred him from escaping. He must still be up to his old tricks."

"He said he'd come back with friends," Changeling added.

"Speaking of that, the other former Spirit Detectives will not be able to come to you. You'll have to come to them."

"You mean we're going to go to Japan?" Changeling asked. "Sweet!"

"Yeah!" Cyborg said. "I'm dying to taste some sushi!"

Hiei grumbled. "All they think about is food."

"We shall be there soon," Starfire said.

"All right, then," Botan said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Then the monitor blinked off.

"So does this mean what I think it means?" Cyborg asked, smiling in anticipation.

"Yeah, we get to use the T-Bird," Raptor replied.

"Booya!" Cyborg shouted.

"It's just a jet," Hiei grumbled.

"It's not just a jet, half-pint!" Cyborg shouted. "It is the fastest jet known to man! It can move at Mach 10 velocity! It can turn on a dime! It's got the sweetest stealth mode and the most wicked weaponry known to man!"

"So what?" Hiei replied with a deadly slowness.

Before Cyborg could start shaking Hiei, Raptor stepped in between them. "Let's just go instead of standing here trying to sell Hiei on the T-Bird."

[Titans Hangar]

This was where the Titans' vehicles were located. A submarine, the T-Car, a sleek motorcycle driven by Raptor and known as the R-Cycle, and in the center -- the T-Bird, a sleek, graceful fighter jet with all the amazing features Cyborg had just described to Hiei.

Of course, it was impossible for Hiei to care less about it than he already did.

The Titans and Hiei took their seats in the six-person jet: Raptor and Cyborg at the front, Starfire and Raven in the second row, and Changeling and Hiei in the back seats.

Raptor and Cyborg began flicking buttons, activating all the systems of the T-Bird. "All systems go," Raptor said.

"Let's fly," Cyborg said.

The T-Bird moved forward on its wheels and as it approached the hangar door reserved for it, those wheels began to retract into the jet. Cyborg activated the thrusters and the T-Bird soared out of the hangar and into the sky.

As Cyborg flew, he was severely tempted to turn the T-Bird upside down just to make that arrogant punk Hiei puke his guts out. However, giving in to one's more spiteful impulses on a mission was never a good idea. Besides, he doubted Hiei's constitution was that weak; he was a demon, after all.

Sarayashiki, Japan

Yusuke Urameshi, Kazuma Kuwabara, Kurama/Shuichi Minamino, Toya, Jin, Yukina, and Shishiwakamaru were in Genkai's temple, waiting for the Titans and Hiei.

"I wonder how onii-san and Raven have been," Yukina said.

"I just wanna know if they're gonna show up," Yusuke snarled. "I had plans with Keiko tonight."

"Slacker," Genkai said. "Your plans will have to wait until this case is resolved. You only managed to beat Rando on a fluke. I doubt such accidents will occur again."

"Shut up," Yusuke mumbled.

"I heard that, dimwit," Genkai said.

"I wonder what those blokes are like," Jin said. "From what Urameshi told me, they're pretty strong fighters."

"Yeah, and the girls are real hot, too," Yusuke said.

"Be grateful Hiei is not yet here," Kurama said. "He is very jealous when it comes to Raven, so I'm sure you would find yourself shortly disemboweled."

"I'm a lot tougher now than I was when we first tangoed," Yusuke said. "He won't have it so easy now."

Toya and Shishi hadn't said anything the whole time.

"Aren't you curious to meet the Titans, Toya?" Jin asked merrily.

"I'll judge their actual worth when I see them fight," Toya replied. "And when I get to fight them myself."

"You might get your chance soon," Shishi said. "I sense them approaching. Six of them, from the air."

"They must be in some sort of plane," Kurama said.

"No duh, Sherlock," Kuwabara retorted.

"D'ya hear that sound?" Jin asked.

"The sound of jet engines?" Toya asked. "Is that the sound you're talking about?"

"Yeah!" Jin replied. "And it's coming right now!"

The three former Spirit Detectives, Yukina, the two former demon ninja, Shishi, and Genkai looked up. They saw a large, sleek black jet fly toward them. It landed fifty feet away from them.

"We should be really grateful that Genkai has a big backyard," Shishi said.

"That's them," Genkai said.

The underside hatch unfolded, forming a stairway to the ground. Five familiar and yet different people walked down the stairway, or just flew out through the hatch.

The first one was a tall, lithe young man dressed in a form-fitting black suit with a red bird on the front and a white-eyed black mask that concealed his eyes. The second was a lanky green-skinned young man in his late teens dressed in form-fitting black with a fuchsia stripe running down the front that split to cover the sides of the legs. The third was a tall, muscular African-American young man with cybernetic parts, though those parts were streamlined to look more like they were a part of him than some clumsy addition.

The two that flew were beautiful young women, one in a midriff-baring purple top, skirt, and thigh-high boots with long arm-covers that ended between the index and middle fingers and the other in a white leotard and cloak. The young woman in purple had long, flowing scarlet hair, sparkling emerald eyes, and golden-tan skin. The young woman in white was pale, with short purple hair, violet eyes, and a red gem in her forehead.

"Man, you've all changed," Yusuke said.

"You haven't," the young man with the bird motif said.

"That's the penalty of being a full-blooded demon," Yusuke replied.

" 'Full-blooded demon'?" the bird-styled young man echoed.

"Long story made short: My father was actually a demon who knocked my mother up and that's how I was born," Yusuke replied. "Then I got killed --- again --- and he brought me back as a full demon. What's it to ya, Robin?"

"It's Raptor now," the young man replied. "Thanks for recognizing me, though."

"Your energy stays the same no matter what costume you wear," Yusuke said.

"Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Yukina, Genkai, it is good to see you again!" Starfire exclaimed. She saw Toya, Jin, and Shishi. "Greetings, new friends! I am Starfire."

"Toya."

"Aw, come on, Toya, don't be so rude to the lass!" Jin advised cheerily. "I'm Jin!"

"And I am Shishiwakamaru," Shishi replied, taking her hand and kissing the fingertips. Starfire blushed, while Raptor eyed Shishi suspiciously.

"I see you're over your little infatuation with me," Genkai said, smirking.

"Ah, but it is you I love," Shishi replied. "She is quite the beauty, but it is your spirit that I adore above all else, sweet Genkai."

"Always the charmer," Genkai murmured.

"So when'd you guys meet up?" Changeling asked.

"At the Dark Tournament," Kuwabara replied. "Fighting competition for demons."

"And you became friends there," Cyborg concluded. "Sounds cool."

"The closest we ever got to 'friends' in that hellhole was me and Jin," Yusuke said. "I just happened to like him a lot, so I actually felt bad when I had to beat him." Then he saw Raven. "Since when was white your color?"

"Since I was freed from the evil I inherited from Trigon," Raven replied. "It's a long story that I don't really feel like telling right now."

"Fair enough," Yusuke said.

"I assume you know why you had to come here," Genkai said.

"Rando attacked my mate," Hiei stated icily. "When I see him again, he shall not live long enough to think of escaping."

"Half-pint!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "Where've you been hiding yourself?"

"Someplace where I can be free of your stupidity," Hiei replied.

"Onii-san . . ." Yukina said. Then she embraced him. "I missed you."

"I missed you as well, imouto-chan," Hiei replied, hugging her back.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Changeling said. "Warm fuzzies all around. But we've got a demon psychopath on the loose."

Slade's lair

Slade sat in his War Room, ruminating. It had been a few years since he'd first made his efforts to destroy the Titans. After his failed attempt to make Robin his apprentice, he had clashed with the Titans again and again. In the midst of their war, he had come up with a truly ingenious plot.

He had taken a young girl who could control the earth under his wing and taught her to control her power. Then he had used her to spy on the Titans, learning everything there was to learn before he had sprung his trap. It should have worked, but it didn't.

"Slade," a voice said, bringing him out of his reflection.

"Who are you and how did you get into my base of operations?" Slade asked, glaring into the shadows of the room.

"You're not afraid," the voice said. "That's good."

A man stepped out of the shadows, deathly pale with a yellowish-green tint to his skin. He had long flowing red hair, ochre eyes, and an intricate design tattooed on his face. His only clothing was a pair of black pants.

"My name is Rando," the man replied. "And I will help you crush the Titans."

End Notes: Oh, now isn't that interesting? Just as the Titans reunited with the Reikai Tantei, Rando's making an alliance with Slade. What will come of these partnerships? As always, please review.