(Holy cow, chapter ten! I never thought I would make it this far! As things go, thanks for all your suport, reveiws and complements. Truly Shadow of the Past has been made better thanks to you all. Just to brief, now you'll see what Shadow is up to... As always don't own the TTs, but the story for which this is...mine...Enjoy!)
CH10
Flashes of lightning, the boom of thunder and sheets of rain made Shadow feel like he was watching a war in heaven. He loved the rain, of course, loved to watch the heavens cry and snap as a massive battle across the city. He was watching the storm from the darkened living room of the tower when he saw a pair of lights head towards the tower, then Shadow realized their back.
Shadow waited patiently for the Titans to come in the room to see the unexpected guess. But they didn't come sooner than he wanted… "Patient Shadow, you'll get what you want from your allies." He told himself, hearing the foot steps of the Titans move around the living room. "Soon or later…"
Soon came later, the Titans came waltzing in. From the darken figures of the abyss around the room, Shadow could barley make out the Titan who turned on all the lights, but from all the look on the Titans faces when the turned them on to see Shadow right there made the jump with horror, but none was more priceless than Beast Boy… if Shadow recalled, he never actually met the poor fool.
"Beautiful day isn't it Titans?" Shadow said.
"Damn it Shadow how you get in?" Robin asked, getting his nerve to say. By the look on Robin's face, he would have rather send a fist into Shadow's face, than let alone talk to him. "And what do you want from us now?"
"Just answers boy." Shadow responded, turning his attention away from the leader of the Titans to the green boy bandaged up… "So, this Beast Boy, huh? He is nothing much to look at." By the way Beast Boy glared at Shadow, he didn't like the comment.
"Guys who's this freak?" Beast Boy asked.
Before any of the others could answer, "Shadow," Shadow replied. "And you are the boy you managed to save Rachel's life huh? And got hurt in the process I see, but not by much." Shadow turned to the others glaring at them individually as he looked about the room. "Where's the blonde? Terra?" he asked.
The Titans glanced at each other seeing if each other have an answer Shadow would not be suspicious of. "She's at the mall of shopping." Starfire answered nervousness in her voice.
Hidden from the Titans view under Shadow's Stalheim helmet, his eye brow raised questionably. "Mall of shopping? You Terra is at the shopping mall?" When Starfire nodded to the answer, Shadow chuckled as he approached her. Only inches from her face, the Tareranian quivered with fear. "You are lying, my dear. I saw Terra live with you when that freak" Shadow pointed to Beast Boy "brought back Rachel. Where is she?" Shadow's voice, the whispery kind, made Star shiver.
"Why do you want to know?" Beast Boy asked.
"Because she's with my indeed target. And I want to know where she is, so I can pay my… contributions to the fallen maiden." Shadow said, turning away from Star and headed back to Beast Boy. Beast Boy never met Shadow so he couldn't anticipate what he was think but he had a feeling it wasn't pleasant… "Where is the hospital for which Rachel Roth is in, boy?" Shadow asked Beast Boy.
Beast Boy didn't reply.
Shadow gave a smile respectful to a brave enemy. "Your stubbornness gives you credit. But not much. If you don't give me my request I'll send you to the hospital in pieces and follow you…"
"Why not ask them " Beast Boy answered.
"Because I don't need too." Shadow said when he reached for his sword quickly before anybody anticipated and held his katana near Beast Boy's face. "Not when I can get from the weakling." The Titans gasped at the sight. "Besides I need them to know the point, I give. Now the Rachel is found, my deal was that we cooperate to a single cause. To them Rachel is found, so they need not to ally with me."
"Ally?" Beast Boy asked to the titans, "You allied with him?"
When the Titans nodded a forced nod, that's when Beast Boy got it…
"Just tell me where she is, that is all I want then you or the Titans won't see me for a while." Shadow said pulling his sword away from the Titan.
Robin sighed, "She's at the Jump City General, the big hospital near the center of town, room 215, seventh floor." Robin's fist tightened when Shadow slide the sword into its sheath and turned to the door. "How will I know you'll keep your promise Shadow?"
"You don't." Shadow replied nearing the door, when he stopped one last time. "Oh, by the way… don't warn Terra of my coming. If she attacks me, all of you, including Raven will regret it. And you can't afford a massacre…not yet." Then the door closed. Robin then rushed to the door quick as he can…he opened the door to see darkness!
"What the hell?" he said.
"Who was that guy?" Beast Boy asked.
"A new threat." Robin answered.
"We must warn Terra!" Beast Boy said, getting up when Robin waved his hand to discourage it.
"No, right now Shadow is a massive threat. More than the Eternals right now. If Shadow had beaten us quick, I don't want to imagine what he'll do at a hospital."
"So we sit here and do nothing?"
"Yep."
If the Titans heard a more distasteful answer in their entire career as heroes, "yep." Had to be the worst answer of all.
Terra waited outside of room 215 in the hospital while a doctor ran tests on Raven. Sitting on a chair outside the door while she read a book, "FALL BACK" by Peter Niesewand (good book by the way) she happened to buy from a book store. She never let on how much she enjoys reading; let alone how smart she let on. Heck, she can probably outsmart Robin with her knowledge she keeps hidden well.
Soon, the doctor came out; Terra set her book mark in the book and put her attention to the doctor. "How is she?"
"Fine, gave her morphine to ease the pain. She'll be alright for her first night." The doctor said then turned down the hallway.
Terra got out of the seat to check on Raven, just in case. She entered a very spacious room, with a recliner, a TV set, a bathroom in one corner and a bed. The bed was occupied with Raven. Terra neared the side of the bed and took a long look at her.
For one, she looked better than she did a few hours ago. Raven had stitches on her forehead, band aids on little cuts; her face was paler than what it should be, with fist size black and blue bruise covering her cheek and parts near her eye socket. Raven was dressed in the conventional patient attire, only the sleeve didn't cover her entire arm. There were minor bruising on each arm, but Raven's right hand was in a cast. With tubes and wire plugged into Raven's arm, she looked Frankenstein.
Terra reached over and gently grabbed Raven broken hand. Even though Raven was supposed to be a sleep, Terra felt her shack. "I am sorry this had to happen to you. I never wished for this on anyone even you. I hope you'll get better, I hope for the team's sake, my own, and Beast Boy's especially." Terra said, she felt tears going down her face. With her other hand she whipped it away, but when she did, her eye got something in one of the darkened corners of the room.
When Terra realized it, she quickly moved away from Raven, she reached for her communicator…
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The figure said, he slowly moved from the dark area and into the light…Shadow!
"Why not?" Terra asked, her voice showed her fear.
"Because if there is trouble with me, not only you will suffer, also the staff here and your friends." Shadow said moving closer to the bed.
"You mean…?" Terra squealed out.
"Doesn't matter, I am not to hurt you." Shadow said. "Never wanted too. Besides I like you, Terra, smart and good looking. Why waste such a gift?"
"Save your flatteries for the next whore you meet." Terra said, anger and insult in her voice.
"Oh, you mean you are not one?" Shadow said, snapping his fingers, "Damn it."
Terra faced glowed red with embarrassment. "You do you think you are?"
"A messenger."
"Yeah, right." Terra scoffed. "If you were a messenger, why I haven't I heard it?"
Shadow moved closer to Terra, she stepped back. Shadow moved to Raven's side of the bed. He took a minute to look her over. Seeing the bruises on her face and arm, her left hand in a cast and the tubes and wires poking out through Raven's body… Shadow shivered, he had to look away. He couldn't stand the mere thought of how she got here… After seeing men been blown to pieces by artillery like a kid ripping tissue paper in the civil war and watching them die before his eyes as they disappear in a ball of flame and earth and turned into grinded meat was hard… But seeing Raven, beaten and vulnerable made him realize those men didn't know what hit them, but Raven had to experience every ounce of pain, and the only one who could tell besides Raven what it felt to see this action was Beast Boy and Shadow hated him.
Closing his hand into a fist, Shadow muttered a few curses at the Eternals… Closer Shadow came to Raven he gently brushed Raven's bruised cheek with his hand, feeling her warm, smooth cheek, then he moved his hand to Raven's forehead and to her hair and combed her hair. Shadow kept gazing at Raven, forgetting Terra and the world around him… So close to his objective, so close to reveal what he was meant to reveal to her, only now she is unconscious and close to dead.
"What happened to her?" Shadow asked finally. He then glanced up to terra. "How did this happen?" Anger was swelling in his chest, never had been so pained by a mere sight of a girl that all he wanted to do was hurt the Eternals.
Terra then explained Beast Boy's story he told, and then went to explain the damage Raven received. Shadow looked over to Raven again, he felt he wanted to cry or scream… he waited so long to come to Earth and give this message, only to come and see that Raven has been beaten and raped! Oh, how he felt he had failed, but was making sure that everyone will receive his pain in return.
When Shadow didn't reply, Terra felt a little sorry for him. She thought all the Titans were bummed out by this but Shadow seemed to be taking it harder. "Why?" Terra asked herself. "Shadow? You okay?" She thought that was strange. The man who defeated the Titans and threatened them now a Titan was actually asking what is wrong… What is this world coming too?
"I'll be fine. Thanks for asking Terra." Shadow replied.
"Do you have a relationship with Raven?" Terra asked.
"Yes and no."
"If you known Raven, why haven't you said something before?"
"It is my business." Shadow replied.
"Business?" Terra said. "What does this message have anything to do with her?"
Shadow didn't respond.
"Answer me!"
"The message has to do with Rachel's past. A message from the one person she ever cared about… To answer the missing piece from her heart, before the end." Shadow replied. That didn't make any sense to Terra, but it has given her an clue to what Shadow probably was saying.
"What? A past lover?"
Shadow chuckled. "Close but no cigar. Not from a lover, but she does love him. Only be lead that it all ended almost three years ago in Azarath." He responded. He then turned a way and was walking close to the shadow of the room where it appeared from.
"Wait!" Terra cried out. "IF this message is from her home, why not give to me and I'll give it to Raven." Shadow glared at her, but he knew that he couldn't risk if he didn't for her to seek her own conclusion.
"I can not give this message. But since I like you, I'll be nice enough to make up for it."
"What'd you mean?"
"I'll give you something that the Titans will crave."
"What is it?"
"I'll let you get to know me."
Terra was shocked by the answer. She never thought that this stranger would be dumb enough to talk about himself when he has a message to deliver. Why tell the receiver who the deliver is when he doesn't want to be revealed?
"Why?"
"Think of it has a bond we can make. Your friends don't care about the good deeds you did, only the betrayal. Me, I defeated them, so they don't trust me for one act. Me and you can get along, in friendship by you getting to trust me and me to you, Terra."
"I'm not going to betray my friends again."
"I am not asking you to swear an oath to me. No, all I want is your friendship…for now." Shadow then turned to the shadow, before glancing back at Terra. "This may come out of the blue and may seem complicated at first but you will see once I give the message to Raven it'll all make sense. Oh, by the way, don't mention this talk to either Raven or the Titans, pretend I wasn't here. Can I trust you Terra?"
Terra thought about it. But she knew she could benefit from this… even make a friend… "Alright, Shadow. But tell me one thing about you first…"
"I am complicated." Shadow replied, smiling before he disappeared into the darkness…
Terra was stunned. Of all the answer she could get, that one made it all more complicated, literally. "That doesn't help me much." She said while exiting the room.
Then she realized, it did help, but not by much…
(Ch 11 coming soon... What has Shadow got for Terra besides friendship? What is to happen to the Titans? So many questions so little time to tell... Review and see!)