Okay, so this is my first fan fiction (or at least, the first fanfiction I've shown anybody), so keep that in mind. It was inspired by Teen Titans #42.
Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own any of the DC Comics characters or any of the Teen Titans or Neron.
---
Another show, another day, and another disappointment. Zatara sighed and put down his top hat, sitting wearily into his chair. He had told them that he regretted ever being on their team. The Titans. He yelled at Eddie, Kid Devil, one of his only friends.
Maybe he overreacted. Maybe he was still a little hurt about her. He had hoped he hadn't estranged Eddie forever, and he felt so relieved when he came looking for his help. If only it wasn't that. Why did he have to go after Blue Devil?
Eddie had come looking for directions to a certain bar which might have known where Blue Devil was. Zatara knew that Blue Devil was the only one Eddie trusted, and he knew himself too well to expect Eddie to trust him, but still, Zatara had doubts. What if what Neron said was true?
Zatara hated being kept in the dark like that, and just wished Eddie would tell him what had happened. If Blue Devil had broken Eddie's trust, Zatara wasn't sure what he would do. He wouldn't ever go back to the Titans, that was for sure, but he wouldn't want Kid Devil to spend the rest of his years with people who didn't know he would be gone.
"Ssalg fo retaw!" said Zatara, making a glass of water appear in his hand, which he drank to clear his head.
He had to stop thinking like that. For one thing, Eddie wouldn't be dead; he'd just be Neron's protégé. For another thing, he was the greatest teenaged magician in the world; he didn't need Eddie or anybody else. But he kept on thinking that he should be able to do something, if only he knew how.
There were voices outside his door. Zatara hoped that it wasn't one of those weirdo fans— but he recognized the voices. His assistant Bunny was talking to… was talking to Kid Devil. Zatara opened the door, and sure enough, Kid Devil was there, something odd in his demeanor, but otherwise just the same red-skinned demon he was before.
"Eddie?" asked Zatara, "Are you going to debate with Bunny forever? Bunny, you can go."
Bunny hurried off, worried down to the tips of her fishnet stockings. Kid Devil hesitantly came in, his face turned away and looking about the dressing room.
"Um, hey Zat," said Kid Devil, "I… I know you don't want to see me, but I thought I might apologize for barging in like before. I just… I just wanted to find Blue Devil."
"It wasn't very considerate of you," said Zatara, putting on an aloof face to hide his worry, "But I guess I'm not mad at you anymore."
"Oh," said Kid Devil, "…Thanks, Zat."
"Will you tell me what's wrong?" asked Zatara, before covering up his question with, "You seem less irritating than usual."
"I saw Blue Devil…"
Zatara sat down in his chair in what he hoped hid the fact his legs didn't seem to be working properly. He didn't talk, just waited for Kid Devil to continue.
"Neron… Neron was –right-."
It was true then. That the one person Eddie ever looked up to, the one person he trusted, was the cause of the death of his only family.
"Eddie…. I'm s-- … I- I told you not to accept the deal," he managed to say.
"I know, Zat," said Kid Devil, meeting Zatara's eyes at last, "But still. I like my powers, and without them I wouldn't be a Teen Titan. I wouldn't be able to do all these amazing things."
Zatara wanted to say that powers weren't necessarily as amazing as he thought, after all, Zatara's own powers could do amazing things sometimes, but they couldn't get him friends, or keep the loneliness from creeping up on him.
"So, what are you going to do now?" asked Zatara, picking up his top hat and absentmindedly making rabbits come out of it.
"What can I do?" said Kid Devil, "I'll stay with the Teen Titans, and when I turn twenty, I'll become Neron's protégé. Since Blue Devil will never have my trust again."
There was a slight bitterness in his voice that Zatara had rarely heard. Zatara found himself getting a little angry. Kid Devil didn't have to stay with the Titans. If they worked together, than they could find a way to get him out of Neron's claws. But Zatara knew that even if he didn't like the Teen Titans, Eddie wanted to be a member of the Teen Titans. He belonged there.
The silence stretched on, until Zatara got up and said, "I have to get ready for the next show."
"I guess I'll go back to the Titan's tower now," said Eddie, turning to go.
"Eddie?" said Zatara, "Th- Thanks for telling me."
Kid Devil looked around, surprised, with one hand on the door. He smiled for the first time that visit.
"Thanks for listening, Zat," he said, and was gone with the swish of his tail around the door.
Zatara watched the space where he had been. If only he could do something.
---
"You listening, Eddie?" asked Ravager impatiently.
"Huh?" said Kid Devil, looking up and the silver-haired Titan who was standing beside him.
"I wondered if you could give me a light again," she said, holding out a cigarette.
Kid Devil felt his heart jump as he remember the last instance, after he had been waiting for Blue Devil to appear. Blue Devil had never turned up, but he still trusted him. Not anymore. He lit the cigarette, hiding his feelings with a quick grin.
"Sorry, I was thinking," he said.
"You think?" retorted Ravager, puffing away.
"Hahaha, very funny," said Kid Devil dryly.
"So where did you go the other night?" said Ravager, "He said you left the tower."
"Who?" said Kid Devil, wondering who knew he left when he went looking for Blue Devil.
"You know, the guy who knows everything, Robin," explained Ravager, rolling her eye, "You're really out of it. You went off again just now, didn't you?"
"Oh, Robin, yeah," he muttered, "Right now I just went off to visit… a friend."
"Who?" asked Ravager, "Not that jerk Zatara?"
"Zatara's not a jerk, he just seems a bit snobby, that's all," said Kid Devil, feeling like the conversation had already happened.
"Whatever you say," she said, "Good night, Eddie."
---
Meanwhile, Zatara was in a quaint little shop with all sorts of strange goods hanging from the ceiling and off the walls. He peered at some of the stuff in the shelves before finding them. The demon sticks. The manager of the store drifted closer, his face hidden by shadows.
"Demon sticks," he said, "You want to be careful with those."
"I know," said Zatara, "I'm looking for one of Neron's."
There was a slight intake of breath, and the man said, "You won't find one of those in a shop. Neron only gives them to people he was interested in… Though I did hear of a lady having one that she hasn't used…"
"I know," said Zatara, "I spoke to her. She said she sold it to one of the shops."
"Well, it's not here," said the man.
Soon afterward, Zatara had left the shop, his search coming to another dead end. He wasn't sure what he expected to achieve, but he wouldn't led Eddie become a protégé of that monster. He thought that since Neron liked deals, maybe he could swing one in their favor. He thought he would at least spend more time thinking about the deal than Eddie had, at least.
He rounded the corner in the dark street to an empty alleyway. There was a person there, with a hood. His unseen face looked towards Zatara.
"Zachary Zatara?" he asked, "We hear you are looking for a way to get to Neron."
"Yes, that's true," said Zatara hesitantly, feeling a rush of hope as he recognized the person from Eddie's story, the person who gave him the candle.
The person held out a long thin box, and Zatara accepted it, knowing what it was. As the person disappeared, he opened it, and smiled as the light reached the Demon Stick inside. He had found one.
"Rethgil!" said Zatara, causing a lighter to appear in his empty hand.
He hesitated before lighting it. Was this really the only way? Well, the only way he could think of, anyway. He lit it.
---
There was a gasp of green smoke, and suddenly Zatara found himself in front of Neron. He shivered, all of a sudden not so brave or sure anymore. He always supposed Kid Devil just wasn't smart enough to realize when he was in danger, but he was starting to think that perhaps it was more to do with his cowardice. He straightened up, determined not to show weakness. Neron gazed down at him and chuckled, his voice echoing in the creepy place.
"Ah, the friend of Edward," said Neron, "Zachary Zatara. Now, what is it that you want?"
There were skulls everywhere. He couldn't understand how Eddie had made the deal in the first place, when Neron was so obviously evil.
"You made a deal with Edd—Edward," Zatara said, "You promised to make him into a real Kid Devil, but if he ever lost his trust in Blue Devil, when he turned twenty, he would become your protégé."
"That is true," said Neron, a twinge of amusement in his horrible voice, "What do you want? You want me to take away his powers, and forget the deal ever happened?"
Zatara hesitated. It was what he wanted, it was true. But he couldn't just take away Kid Devil's powers. He couldn't do that to his friend. No, there had to be another solution.
"If I find a protégé, a willing protégé for you before he becomes yours," said Zatara slowly, "Than you have to let him go…"
Neron laughed and said, "But I like Edward. He still has hope that I can crush."
Zatara had the odd feeling of being in one of those movies where the bad guys not only had the corniest lines, but admitted to being evil.
"Surely there's another reason for wanting Kid Devil," said Zatara, "But if you want, I'll make a deal to ensure that he doesn't come into your hands."
Neron stroked the globe in his hands and said, "One week. You have one week to find another protégé for me. Mark the exact minute you get back to your world, and one week from then, Kid Devil will have no second chances. Unless…."
"Unless?"
"Unless after the week," said Neron, "And you cannot find a protégé, and you still don't want Kid Devil to become mine, than you could always volunteer yourself."
That was it then. One week. If he didn't find somebody willing to become Neron's protégé after one week (which seemed a little far off), than either Kid Devil would become Neron's protégé or he would.
"It's a deal," said Zatara firmly.
There was a puff of green fire accompanied by a horrific laugh, and Zatara found himself in the alleyway.
"Hctaw!"
It was 12:01. He would have until midnight a week from then to get a protégé. He wasn't sure if he was willing to resign himself to taking Kid Devil's place, but if it came to that… He brushed dust off his cloak and headed off into the night. It would be a very long week.
---
Kid Devil watched Ravager and Wondergirl practice. Wondergirl threw her lasso, but Ravager caught it with her sword, and with a tight tug, pulled it away, causing Wondergirl to loose her balance. But when Ravager moved forward with her other sword, Wondergirl used the caught lasso to pull herself straight, and then dodged the swing. They carried on like this for a while, until they took a break.
"Hey, Eddie," said Wondergirl, "Have you been watching the entire time?"
"No," said Kid Devil, "Just for a bit."
"It's been kind of quiet lately, hasn't it?" she asked.
"Yeah," said Kid Devil, smiling and leaning back, "A well needed break…"
He tried to stuff his depression deep inside and enjoy himself. But he couldn't help feeling that something had happened, and he didn't know what it was. He looked out the window, and saw smoke.
"Fire!"
---
It had been two days. Zatara had gone all over the place. Meeting with people who lived in the shadows, meetings with would-be superheroes and desperate people. Talking to people who might be interested. The reactions differed, but the answer was always the same. No. He was tired of the weird looks. He had promised Kid Devil to keep his predicament a secret, so he couldn't say why he was looking for a protégé for Neron. Those who had heard of Neron asked if he was insane, or told him to pay his own debt, and those who didn't know of Neron asked awkward questions. He was getting tired and irritated, and he no longer understood exactly why he was doing it.
He found himself in San Francisco, meeting with somebody who expressed interest. But when the woman he was meeting was more interested in him than Neron, he left, finding himself on the street again. He walked down the road, heading to the nearest bus station, when he rounded the corner and came up to a burning building. Some guy with flames coming out of his hands was trashing the neighborhood. But that was less important than the people fighting him.
The Teen Titans. There they were, spread out and trying to stop the destruction. Zatara hesitated, but then a fireball missed him by inches, and he decided to lend a hand.
"Zat!" cried Kid Devil, "What are you doing here?"
"I had some things to attend to," said Zatara, fighting the flames by shouting "retaw" a lot.
"Just happened to be in the neighborhood?" asked Kid Devil.
"Yeah, I did, actually," said Zatara.
"I thought you didn't want anything to do with us," said Ravager, as she swung at the guy with flames shooting out of his hands.
"I don't!" said Zatara.
"Don't be that way," said Kid Devil, "The least you could do is keep in touch, even if you aren't a Titan."
Jericho had managed to get eye contact with the guy, and surrendered himself to them before leaving the guy's body. As they pulled him off, Kid Devil came over to Zatara, as the rest of the titans watched them with the corners of their eyes.
"Actually, I have something to tell you," whispered Zatara, "About what we were talking about last time."
Kid Devil looked at him oddly, and purposely lagged behind the group.
"What is it?" he asked.
Zatara took a deep breath, his heart thumping wildly for some odd reason and said, "About two days ago I thought of something we could do, and met with Neron."
"You what?!?" hissed Kid Devil.
"He gave me, us, a week to find a replacement protégé," said Zatara, "Somebody to go in your place."
"Really?" asked Kid Devil, hope coming into his voice, "How did you spin that?"
"It doesn't matter," said Zatara, "But I haven't been successful, and the person I was just meeting with said no. Like everybody else. Plus, it's your problem, you should deal with it."
"You're the one who made the deal!"
"Yeah, which means that I will look for the potential protégé," said Zatara, "But you could help too."
"I'd hug you, except you'd probably get burnt."
"Better not then."
---
"I have not had any sleep… for four days…" gasped Zatara, patting the fire out of his cloak, "And I didn't know this would be so dangerous."
"It's not my fault she tried to blow us up," cried Kid Devil, "Apparently she didn't like the idea at all."
"Kid Devil, Zatara."
Zatara and Kid Devil snapped their necks up. It was dark on the streets of Gotham, and from the shadows loomed two figures. Both Zatara and Kid Devil recognized the shadows instantly.
"Batman!" said Zatara, backing away.
"Robin!" cried Kid Devil, "What are you doing here?"
"I was just going to ask you the same thing," said Robin, scowling, "At least we live here."
"We're looking for someone," said Kid Devil, embarrassed at being caught.
"I'll meet you later, Robin," said Batman, "It seems you have some issues to deal with."
And he was gone. Zatara gave a sigh of relief. Batman did not appreciate people on his territory, nor did he like magic.
"What's up with you, Eddie?" asked Robin, "You've been looking all over the place for this 'protégé' for Neron!"
"You know about that?" asked Kid Devil, then after a look from Robin, he said, "Of course you do."
"We all have secrets, Eddie," said Robin, "But I looked up this 'Neron'. What kind of deal did Zatara make with him? And why did you get involved?"
"Why would you assume I made the deal?" asked Zatara, frowning at Robin.
"From what I hear, you started searching first, on your own," said Robin, and Zatara winced.
"It's my fault, Robin," said Kid Devil, "I didn't realize what had happened, but now we're trying to fix it. I guess… I guess I'll tell you everything."
Robin took them up on to a roof, and listened to Kid Devil's story, with interludes and explanations from Zatara. The clouds blew over ahead, covering and uncovering the moon, sending the city of Gotham into bouts of darkness and light. A breeze drifted through the corrupted streets, and finally Kid Devil finished.
"You can't just expect someone to take your place," said Robin finally, "What are you going to do if you can't find someone? Would you stay, knowing that you may be used against us?"
Kid Devil was silent, but Zatara had winced and looked away. He hadn't told Eddie the other clause, that if he was still unwilling to let Kid Devil go, then he, Zatara, would become the protégé. Robin noticed his flinch, and started to calculate.
"I guess everybody has their problems," said Tim Drake, an odd tone in his voice as he stood up, "I have to go meet Batman."
Robin disappeared into the night, leaving Kid Devil and Zatara behind.
"You can't leave Batman waiting," muttered Kid Devil.
"Come on, Eddie, we only have one day left," said Zatara, standing up as well.
---
"Sorry, I go my own way."
"I don't want to die again."
"Get lost, Bub."
"Sorry mates, I like being good. Besides, the squirrels wouldn't be able to live there."
"You ain't that smart, are ya?"
They were starting to get desperate. The answers were clear; nobody wanted to become Neron's protégé. Zatara saw Kid Devil start to droop, as the little hope he had left was being taken away.
"Eddie, it's not over yet," said Zatara, "There's… another way."
Kid Devil looked up sharply.
"What?"
"There's another option, but I doubt you will like it," whispered Zatara.
Kid Devil reached out and pulled Zatara around by his shoulder, and whispered, "What is it?"
"Neron said that if I… if we couldn't find a protégé by the end of the week, then there is one person that can take your place," said Zatara.
"Who?" asked Kid Devil, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
The teen magician wouldn't meet his eyes. The precious seconds ticked away, until the answer dawned on him.
"Not… you?"
Zatara pulled his top hat on and threw his chin up in the air, "That's right. But don't expect me to do it."
"You won't, will you?" pushed his friend, "I mean, you have no reason to."
"Weeeeelll, Neron does have a lot of power," joked Zatara, then added, "Let's go, we don't have much time left."
"Zat, you can't be serious," said Kid Devil.
"Of course I'm not serious," said Zatara as he started to walk, doubt in his eyes.
---
They searched on, and seconds turned into minutes, which turned into hours, and soon, exhausted, Kid Devil and Zatara sat against a wall in Keystone city. They had traveled all over the country, but to no avail.
"I'm sorry Eddie," said Zatara quietly, "I guess I gave you hope for nothing."
"No," said Kid Devil, his voice full of despair, "I'm sorry. I should have taken what I made a deal for, rather than expect someone else to take my place."
Silence stretched out. Zatara looked at his watch. It was 11:56, in five minutes it would be over. Zatara looked over at his friend, who looked like he would cry if he could, and then down at the ground. He had wanted to do something, but it had all come to naught. He had failed them both. He had failed his friend, and he had failed himself. Neron would win, and Kid Devil would be in his clutches the minute he turned twenty.
Suddenly, he realized what he had known all along, but was denying it. He knew how this would go, and he felt a little regret, but there was no turning back now. Most viewed him as a selfish brat, a teen with powers who gloated about them, and sometimes even he believed it. But all of a sudden he realized that there was more to him than that.
"It's twelve o'clock," he said.
"Zatara, do you think that it was wrong to do this?" asked Kid Devil.
"No, we had to try something."
Kid Devil paused, then said, "Why did you get involved, anyway? You didn't have to."
Zatara took a deep breath as his heart thumped against his chest.
"Because…"
Green smoke was curling around their legs.
"I…"
He never got to finish his sentence. The clock struck 12:01, and they were there in front of Neron, back again, like before.
---
"Well, you seemed to have told Edward about our deal," said Neron, the shrewd grin playing across his face.
"Yes," said Zatara, shivering in knowledge of what was to come.
"And have you found a protégé for me?" asked Neron.
"…Yes," said Zatara.
Kid Devil gasped and cried, "What?!?"
"I… will take Eddie's place," said Zatara.
"Zatara, what are you doing?" cried Kid Devil.
Neron laughed, his voice causing shivers down their spines, and he said, "Very well. On Edward's twentieth birthday, instead of him coming to be my protégé, you will, Zachary Zatara."
And they were back where they were, before either of them could say another word. Kid Devil shook with anger, his body temperature heating up. Zatara stared at the ground stubbornly.
"I thought you weren't going to do it."
"That's what I thought too," said Zatara.
"So you did it on impulse?"
"No, that wasn't why I did it."
The punch was strong, and Kid Devil's heat burned Zatara's skin on contact. He stumbled back, touching the hurt area gingerly with a gloved hand. Kid Devil put himself into a fighting stance. Zatara stood his ground, as the places were switched, and Zatara avoided Kid Devil's eyes.
"Why did you do it, Zat?" asked Kid Devil, throwing another punch that knocked Zatara's hat off.
"Because…"
"I was the one who made the deal with Neron in the first place, I was the one who should have gone to Neron in the end, if we didn't find a willing placement!"
"I did it because…"
The punch landed this time, in the stomach, and Zatara wheezed as the breath was shoved out of him.
"Will you just let me explain?" he shouted, exasperated.
Kid Devil stopped mid-punch, and Zatara saw his arm shake. He fell forward onto his knees, his head bowed and his face hidden by his grey hair.
"You didn't have to do it," he whispered, "I had resigned myself to it."
"Eddie, listen to me," said Zatara, "You and I both know that while you have the Titans, I don't have anybody. More people would miss you than would miss me. I could disappear and become Neron's protégé, but everybody would notice if you were missing."
"You have…"
"Nobody but you."
There was a pause.
"Ekahsklim."
A strawberry milkshake appeared in Zatara's hand and he pressed it into Kid Devil's hand.
"You know what this means don't you?" said Zatara, "You totally owe me. You can't avoid me anymore. You owe me at least one show per week, and you have to call me 'O, great Zatara, teen among teens'."
"Will we go to amusement parks?" asked Kid Devil, sipping on his rapidly melting milkshake.
"You bet we will," said Zatara.
"Hot damn."
The End… for now.