"You sure you want to do this?" Shadowcobra asked.

"Hai, I do," Draco nodded.

Both Knights were in the Smart Brain Special Ops room. They were sitting facing one another. Before Draco had come in, Shadow had been using the equipment to do some work when the Dragon Knight decided to enter. He had appeared troubled.

Taking Draco's example, Shadow had changed his uniform again. It was a black jacket with a thin purple stripe in the centre where the zipper was. He wore a pair of matching baggy pants for comfort and maneuverability as oppose to the tight ones of his old uniform. Over his shoulders was a black cloak with a clasp shaped like a demonic skull with sharp fangs. The only parts of his old uniform he decided to keep were his gloves, boots and belt. To add more fear into the criminals they fought, the sclera of Shadow's eyes were now completely black and his irises were blood red. His pupils were thin slits that looked like they belonged to a snake.

Shadow stopped working and Draco sat before him and began telling him what was troubling him. At first Shadow had been shocked but as Draco finished telling his story, Shadow nodded in understanding.

"You want me to call Libra, Draco. That is not so easy," Shadow told his young friend.

"I know that, demo (but)…I just need to know why Libra decided to help me," Draco told him with immense curiosity.

"I do too. It would seem strange for him to do something like this for no apparent reason other than to save your life." Shadow spoke honestly. 'But I don't see why not,' he thought to himself.

Draco had obviously told Shadow about the experience of when they encountered his darker evil future self. It reminded Shadow of what had happened to Danny Phantom, one of his friends.

"So, is there anything you can do, Ichijyo?" Draco asked hopefully.

Shadow apologized, "Sorry, but contacting Libra isn't so easy. You don't call him, he calls you."

"So, the only other time I'll be able to speak to him is if he contacts me?"

"I'm afraid so."

Draco sighed. "Well, gomenasai for wasting your time, Shadow. I'll leave you to your work. Oyasumi."

"Good night, Draco."

Draco left the room.

Shadow was working at the console in front of the large computer screen located in the Knights' Smart Brain Special Ops room. Robin decided to check up on him as he entered through the door.

"Couldn't sleep?" Shadow asked without turning around.

"Yeah," Robin answered. "You?"

"I don't need much sleep. I'm a half vampire so sleep isn't something I necessarily need as much as normal humans." Robin winced. Usually Shadow had a problem talking about the whole vampangel thing but now he was more open. But still…

"All the villains we froze had been unfrozen and escaped. Now we're back to square one," Robin said to Shadow as he sat down next to the Snake Knight. He watched as the Knight of Invisibility's finger flew over the keyboard, fingers tapping on the keys at a rapid rate while Shadow's eyes were locked on the screen. Robin couldn't help but be impressed. He knew there was a reason he had chosen Shadow to lead the rest of the Titans in his and the others' absence.

"Not only that, Mallah and The Brain are dead. General Immortus, however, is in catatonic state. As Beast Boy would say: 'The lights are on but nobody's home'." Robin chuckled a bit at Shadow's joke but then turned serious. Shadow asked, "Did the League or Doom Patrol tell you anything else? We know that Madame Rouge wasn't found, dead or alive, and she was one of the most dangerous members of the Brotherhood of Evil."

"Officially, not much on the reports," Robin said.

"And unofficially?" Shadow inquired.

"There was some suspicious activity up north."

Shadow sighed. "We need to warn everyone, Tim. Those villains won't just come back here. They'll be going after the others."

Robin knew what Shadow meant. He was talking about all the honorary Titans around the world. "I know."

"The problem is, Tim, is that we all need to get organized."

"Like the League?"

"Not exactly but I'm glad you see my point. All the other honoraries either work alone or in small groups of two," Shadow was talking about Thunder and Lightning as well as Kole and Gnark. "We need to band together. I think we can call everyone for a meeting sometime in this month."

"Good idea. I already reset up the network with the communicators," Robin reminded.

"Yes, that a good start but it's still not enough." Shadow then said. "Robin, do you mind if I had Smart Brain help out as support?"

Robin shrugged. "Why not? Smart Brain has been helping us out a lot. From the funding to the new equipment and upgrades to the Tower. So, why not this?"

Shadow smiled. He had asked permission from his father to act as an official liaison between the Titans and Smart Brain Corporation. While he was here with his duties as a Titan, a shadow clone he had created was working in his place back at Smart Brain Tokyo. That way Shadow could be in two places at once. The clone had a direct link to Shadow and vice versa. In other words the clone was an extension of Shadow's own soul.

"I'll send some of my special operatives to track down and talk to the honoraries. This is for our safety as well as theirs."

Robin then asked, "Does Draco know?"

Shadow sighed and replied, "He does. There was enough footage to see that his sister was involved with this. He's still in disbelief that she's even capable of murder. He has to learn sometimes that reality is just too cruel."

"I still can't believe Copycat is his sister, not to mention his twin. I mean, how did she end up so evil?"

"She wasn't like that before," Shadow told Robin. "We were pretty good friends before she became the Cat Knight and dedicated herself to our destruction. She's only with Slade right now because he serves a purpose to her plans."

"She's using him?" Robin quirked an eyebrow.

"They're using each other, or at least they think they are. I wouldn't put it past her to be manipulating Slade and pulling his strings without him even realizing it. She could just be using him as a puppet that she can control to reach her own goals. God knows she's done it before."

"Alright, so Copycat's probably calling the shots. Boy, and I thought she was bad when we thought she was just an apprentice." Robin leaned back and rubbed his temples.

"I think she's gone beyond being just an apprentice, Robin. I think Slade sees her as an equal now. The only thing is that her temper is what makes her both very dangerous and volatile."

"I know. She forgot that one little weakness about her Zodiac Power. If she didn't get PO'ed and overloaded herself we would've been goners." Robin was still watching as Shadow was working. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Type without looking at the keyboard."

"You do it too."

"But I occasionally look at the keys too to make sure I'm not pressing the wrong ones. Your eyes have been on the screen the whole time and you were talking to me. Your fingers were still typing the whole time."

"I learnt how to multi-task, Robin. It comes in handy when I'm running Smart Brain Tokyo as well as being Commander of the Deathtron Secret Police. That, and the fact that I already have a finely attuned 6th sense that increased my senses and awareness. I can even see behind my head and see through walls." Robin gave him a look. "I don't use it to peep at the girls. I have way too much honor to be doing something like that."

"You better," Robin warned. "Shadow, why didn't you ever tell us much about yourself when we first met?"

"Easy, I didn't trust you back then," Shadow answered calmly. Robin nodded, understanding. "Besides, Tim, we all have our secrets. Some of those secrets we keep so that other people don't get hurt. However, keeping secrets can hurt people too, especially the ones we're close too."

Robin agreed, "I know what you mean." He then said, "You know, it's been almost a year since you three came into our lives."

"Is it? I haven't really noticed. Been too busy fighting evil. When did Draco arrive?"

"Sometime in the end of May. It's coming up soon. We should hold an anniversary party and invite everyone over, every Titan I mean and maybe some of the other guys you know that came to Raven's birthday."

"You sure about that, Tim?" Shadow said as he stopped typing, a serious look on his face. "Remember why Draco left and came here in the first place?"

Robin nodded, remembering how Draco told them about Tazuka, his best friend. "We know all about Tazuka from what Draco told us but what did you think of him?"

"He was an idealist. He, like Draco, wanted to stop the war between the Knights and help fight off the monsters if the Mirror Dimension. He, as Draco said, was like a big brother to him." Shadow bowed his head in remembrance and sadness. "He was a good man and had a good heart. He had this annoying habit of telling our futures thought and they had a habit of coming true as well. I accepted his death; it was honorable and it was just how things were meant to be."

Robin then said, remembering something, "You guys fight the monsters. Have you ever not been able to save anyone?"

"Sometimes we arrive too late to save someone before they became monster food. We were able to defeat the monster later for them. It took a while before Draco was able to handle that. We can't save everyone but we can still try to save those that we can."

Robin nodded, understanding perfectly well that in this line of work there would be casualties. They did their best though and the ones they saved were grateful. Something, however, was itching in the back of his mind. It was a question Robin had been meaning to ask, "Shadow, back when we fought the Gamemasters and were captured, were you really serious about..."

"Killing Draco and Pluto?" Shadow knew what Robin was talking about. "To be honest, Tim, I was. It wasn't just because of the Titans it was because that, as Zodiac Knights, we were destined to fight one another. It's our destiny and what had been done for the last thousands of years. You have to understand that we must fight in order to survive and that in the end there can be only one."

"It just seems so unreal," Robin voiced out. "You guys are friends now."

"We are, but when the tournament comes we must bury those feelings and regard each other as enemies. We each have something at stake here. Pluto wants to save his mother's life, which something I can't do with my powers, and Draco wants to regain his humanity."

"What about you? What's your wish?" Robin asked.

Shadow thought for awhile. He then replied, "Freedom." He elaborated, "Freedom from my burden of being the Vampangel. I know I have these powers and I use them for good but it just gets too hard to contain and control sometimes." Shadow sighed. "I hate to have to crush Pluto and Draco's dreams to get what I want and need but it's the only thing that drives us right now. There's nothing much we can do but wait and then face each other when the time comes."

Robin asked, "After the tournament, are you going to still stay with us as Titans?"

Shadow replied, "Let me remind you that, if I even do survive, that I lose my Zodiac Powers but I will still have my own powers. Just because I'm no longer a Knight doesn't mean I am going to resign as a Titan. That is, if I even do survive. There's going to be a lot of competition and even after all that we will have to face Libra and he's the strongest opponent we may face in the tournament."

"How strong is he?" Robin asked and dreading the answer.

"He's a god, Tim. How strong do you think he is?" Shadow asked rhetorically.

"Christ…"

Shadow looked up at the screen and saved the data. "I'm done here for tonight. I better turn in."

"I thought you didn't need sleep," Robin asked with a smirk.

"Just because I don't sleep much does it mean that I don't sleep at all. I need my rest once in awhile to keep myself alert. Despite all my powers and my bloodline I'm still pretty much mortal." Shadow got up and walked towards the door.

Robin paused and looked thoughtful. "Ichijyo?" That was the first time Robin had used Shadow's real name in tonight's conversation.

"Yes, Tim?" Shadow replied.

"I'm glad we met you, all of you," Robin said. "You've been a big help with protecting the city and I'm proud to call you my friend."

"You should thank Ryuki for leading us here in the first place. Come to think of it, our lives have changed a lot since we met him, wouldn't you say?"

"True. It's like Draco has a bigger role in all of this that he doesn't even know about," Robin spoke sagely.

Shadow smirked and cocked an eyebrow at the Boy Wonder. "Since when were you so full of wisdom?"

Robin crossed his arms and spoke cockily, "I've always been a little wise."

"Like when you suspected Draco was a criminal?" Robin faltered.

"I'm only human, Ichijyo. I was thinking about my team," Robin retorted firmly.

"You always put your team first, Robin and that's why you have both my respect and friendship. And if you were planning to come and talk to me you should've put something to mask Kori's scent." Robin blushed.

"W-what?" Robin stammered.

"You came here from Starfire's room," Shadow said with a smirk. "I'm half vampire, Tim, my sense of smell is as sharp as my hearing and sight. That's why you weren't sleeping."

"I plead the fifth," Robin said, looking away. Shadow chuckled. And then Robin retorted. "Like you don't spend your nights with Raven."

"True, but I'm giving her space for a few days."

"Periods?"

Shadow shuddered, remembering how his sister was like during her cycles. "Yes. She's 3 times as irritable. Her hormones are so imbalanced that they're effecting her emotions. Just today she flung me off the roof of the Tower when I gave her a playful pat on the back."

"How low was your hand?" Robin was aware that since Shadow was half vampire that some of his vampiric impulses came up once and a while. These impulses came off as being perverted gestures. Raven would only let him touch her if she hinted it but how could he resist touching her when that leotard showed off her beautiful, curvy and shapely hourglass figure. He was still a full red-blooded male.

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "I don't wish to talk about it." He blushed a bit. The pat had been a little too low for her comfort before she chanted and flung him off the roof. He was lucky to survive.

"How do you do it, Tim?" Shadow asked.

"Huh, what?" Robin retorted. He had been thinking too hard and missed the question.

Shadow repeated, "How do you do it, Tim? How are you able to still lead us and keep us together? There had been times when I, Pluto and Draco were close to having a falling out. How are you able to still have the Titans remain together for so long?"

"It isn't so easy, Shadow," Robin said. "I just try my hardest and hope for the best."

Shadow nodded, accepting the answer. He then said, jokingly, "Don't forget that I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to me and Starfire."

Robin knew what he was talking about, "Come on! That was months ago."

"I know. It was funny seeing Starfire ignore you, giving you the silent treatment while you were pleading your case. I wasn't really mad at you for not trusting me since Starfire is your girlfriend."

Robin nodded. That had to be the worst week of his life.

Shadow said, "Goodnight, Tim," and then slipped into the shadows. Robin blinked.

"I still haven't gotten used to that."