Teen Titans © DC Comics

Gan and Tavis

Muffled voices entered his mind. His entire body ached as if he was just torn apart and sewn crudely back together. Thunder groaned, eyes squeezing tightly shut as he started to come to. Finding hidden strength, he managed to weakly open his eyes and gasp slightly as a small pale emerald kitten suddenly leaped onto his chest. Yelping in surprise, Thunder sat up before hissing in pain and flopping back down.

"Dude!"

Thunder froze, staring at the kitten, asking, "D-did you just…?"

"Naw, man, that was me."

Glancing to the left, Thunder located Cyborg and Bumblebee smiling warmly at him. His attention returned to the cat with gem-like orbs purring at him. Pointing to the oddly colored feline, Thunder found the words misplaced in his throat.

"That's BB," Cyborg stated, "in his kitten form. He uses it to get what he wants from Star."

"And sometimes you," Bumblebee taunted as Cyborg gave her a sideways glare.

The kitten leaped off Thunder's chest, morphing back into Beast Boy. The shape shifter smiled mirthfully at his friend, leaning in. Noting the incredulity in Thunder's stare, he quickly waved his hand in front of his face and snapped his fingers to snap Thunder out of his stupor.

Shaking his head, Thunder asked, "Wh-where am I?'

"A hospital. You and Argent really got bent outta shape," Cyborg informed.

"And what has happened to Argent?"

Cyborg gestured to Thunder's right, and the later looked in the direction. A small gasp emitted from him as he finally noticed Argent. She was lying on her back with her eyes closed and a massive bandage that covered her entire forehead, wrapping around to the back of her head. Her breathing was steady with her chest heaving up and down slowly. Silver skin had paled, making her appear to be like a slumbering ghost.

"She'll be fine," Cyborg stated as he noticed the shock in Thunder's eyes.

"Hey, Robin sent me up here to check on you since he hadn't heard from Cyborg," Beast Boy explained, sitting by the blue elemental's side. "I didn't expect for you guys to be all banged up like this."

Thunder sighed, glancing down. "They still have my brother and the one referred to as 'Kole'." He looked back up with a question in his eyes. "What of the caveman?"

"Oh…yeah…Cy?" Beast Boy trailed off uneasily, rubbing his arm sheepishly. "Gnaark sorta…kinda…"

Cyborg leaned in, narrowing his eyes on the changeling suspiciously.

"He bashed your CD collection in half, like, sheered them all with his bare hands."

The proper way to describe Cyborg's expression was that he resembled a man that was just kicked in his no-no spot. Trembling, he snatched Beast Boy by his arm and dragged him out of the room, demanding to see Gnaark. Beast Boy yelped, waving the other Titans off as he was whisked away.

Bumblebee rolled her eyes, smoothing down her hair puffs. Glancing back over to Thunder, she placed a hand on his shoulder, asking, "You gonna be okay?"

"I do not know," Thunder admitted, downtrodden. "I have never been so far away from my brother before. It is…"

"Different, right?"

Thunder nodded solemnly. "We were always together, right by each other's side. This is most troubling for me."

Bumblebee took the spot where Beast Boy once sat and sighed. "Listen, Thunder, you and Lightning remind me of Mas and Menos." At his inquiring glance, she smirked softly and continued. "Both flip out when the other is far away. Mas went all out trying to rescue his brother when he was captured by the Brotherhood of Evil."

"They are twins, correct?" Thunder asked. "Identical twins?"

"Yep, from Guatemala."

Oddly enough, Bumblebee noticed that a somber grin slowly graced Thunder's near colorless complexion. At his soft chuckle, she thought that he was beginning to lose his mind. Asking if he was alright, she clasped her hands together and sat straight up as he began to speak.

"This may seem hard to believe, but my brother and I…we were identical twins," he explained, smiling. "Only the village elders and our mother could tell us apart."

"Heh, the only way for Speedy, Aqualad and I to identify the twins is that one is missing a tooth while the other has all of his teeth," Bumblebee recalled.

"The only way to decipher me from my brother was that my hair was straight and long and that his was jutting upwards," Thunder jeered, grin spreading wider across his cheeks.

Bumblebee suddenly became confused, knowing that the elemental twins were easy to discern. After all, one was blue while the other was yellow. It could not have been hard to distinguish them from normal twins. Deciding to place that question on the backburner, Bumblebee stood up and stated that she was going to check in with Aqualad, leaving Thunder to his thoughts as she sauntered out of the room.

Once she left, a somber frown drifted onto Thunder's face. Lying back down onto the bed, Thunder sighed morbidly. For a moment, he expected thin arms to lazily drag themselves across his shoulders and wrap around his neck, asking if he was deliberately sighing to gain his attention. Lightning should have been there with him. Subconsciously, he grasped the slightly rusted locket that was hidden underneath his armguard. Flipping it open, Thunder stared inside and remained silent.

His lower lip suddenly trembled, and he slapped the locket shut. Thunder heaved a quick sigh, clenching his eyes shut and gripped at the snow white sheets that covered him. Thunder resisted the urge to punch the wall with every fiber of his being. Muscles flexed furiously, and he growled. The hate within him swelled and grew in his chest, rising up, and his self-pity churned into the malice.

Suddenly, Thunder forced himself to sit up, grunting in effort. Groaning, he held his chest and wondered exactly what she had done. He noticed that he was still wearing his armor, and felt an acute nakedness on his head. Rubbing his head, he felt his helmet gone, replaced with his natural short ebony hair. A wooden tan desk was next to his bed, keeping his helmet safe. Quickly snatching it, his chest suddenly panged, and he dropped his helmet. It clattered to the ground, filling the room with rocketing noise. Thunder gripped his chest, panting heavily and lied back down swiftly.

Why? Why? Why could I have not saved him? I promised to protect him, Thunder thought, fists clenching. Snarling, he slammed his fist into the wall, and he shouted, "I swore I would protect him forever!"

"Ow, my ears are ringing."

Thunder blinked, looking over to find Argent narrowing crimson eyes at him. "You…I will it take you…"

"Heard the start of your rant? Of course. When you dropped your helmet, I woke up," Argent explained. "It was kind of hard to fall back asleep with you banging the wall and yelling."

"I am sorry for awakening you," Thunder murmured.

"No worries. I would've woken up anyway. It's not like I'm dead," she scoffed, yawning. She suddenly winced, rubbing her forehead. "That old hang! She really did a number on me."

"But you are…fine?"

At his concerned tone, Argent hummed in agreement. Sighing, the British heroine asked, "Well, what about you? Are you fine?" She noticed that his head hung down by his chest, and he kept his gaze hidden. "Guess not. Tavis, I mean, Lightning must mean so much to you."

"He is the only one I have left," Thunder murmured. "He is my only family. If I were to lose him…" Trailing off, Thunder gripped the sheets and trembled. "…If I were to lose him…"

"Believe me, I'd hate the feeling, too," she interjected, swiftly ending Thunder's painful statement. "I don't even fight for justice or freedom. I fight for my mum."

Thunder incredulously stared at her, reiterating her sentence. "Why?"

"The same reason you're fighting so hard to get your brother back. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let anything happen to her." Argent's face softened considerably as she spoke. Closing her eyes, she sighed gently and looked back at his somewhat balking expression. "Your brother's gonna be fine. He's a Titan, after all. Don't worry, Thunder, we'll get your brother back. A bond between brothers can never be broken, right?"

Thunder stared at the girl for a few moments before looking down at his exposed locket. Argent noticed it, but kept herself distant in case he did not want to reveal its contents. The elemental reached down and quietly grasped his helmet, placing it soundlessly over his head. Cringing, he forced himself out of bed while Argent snapped at him to lie back down.

"Your words," Thunder stated, cutting off her demands, "have touched me, Argent. I did not think there was another person out there who would inspire me."

"Wait, you can't seriously be going out so recklessly to try and save Lightning?" Argent sputtered. "You're crazy! You'll get killed in your condition!"

"'A bond'," Thunder repeated slowly. "I can use the bond between my brother and I as power, and it is your kind words that fueled it. Thank you."

Argent's mouth was an acute gaping black hole. Shaking her head, she disbelievingly smirked and made an attempt to respond. However, she knew the rest of her words would be unshakable to change his adamant mind. Frowning, she crossed her arms and warned him not to get killed.

Thunder smiled. "I will be back shortly."

"Uh, and where do you think you're goin'?"

He turned to find Cyborg standing at the door with an annoyed expression. Thunder hesitated, stammering slightly as the half-human shoved him back onto his bed. The elemental openly pouted, trying to reason with Cyborg as Argent snickered into her palm. Cyborg narrowed his opposing eyes at him as Thunder meekly complied. Snatching Thunder's helmet, he placed it back on the table and ordered them both to get sleep.

"Due to your injuries, I can't take either of you back on this mission," Cyborg reported. "Talked it over with Robin, and he said that your casualties would only hinder the mission. Sorry."

"I will go!" Thunder snapped harshly, surprising Cyborg slightly as he raised his one eyebrow. "My brother is the one trapped in that horrible place! Nothing you can say will change my mind!"

Cyborg passively shook his head. "Thunder, sorry, man, but you'll only get in the way."

Misery swept over him like a tsunami's wave. Thunder's shoulders slumped as he reluctantly obeyed Cyborg. The cybernetic Titan apologized again, but this time for his insult before shutting the door.

"…You know, you can just go off when everyone's asleep. It's not like anyone's going to notice," Argent suggested bluntly as Cyborg's footsteps faded.

Thunder straightened, brightening immensely as he quickly stared at her. "At night?"

"Well, that's when people sleep." Argent smirked, crossing her arms. "It'd be better not to risk getting caught, right? Better when you go at night. That way, Traffic Light Boy, also known as Robin, won't get all holier-than-thou on ya."

Thunder remained silent and blankly thought her proposal over. Suddenly, a wide smile came to his face, scaring the New Zealand native when Thunder thanked her profusely. Shaking her hand as if to wave off his exaggerated compliments, she urged him to get some rest which he obliged.

"After all, blue boy, you got a big night ahead of ya," Argent sneered as Thunder drifted off to sleep.

---

Tavis' initial reaction to his mother's disappearance was delusional shock. Unlike his brother, he ran forward into the array of their belongings and screamed for Cara. He kept urging himself that he was locked in a nightmare, that Cara would pop out and embrace him. The young Vietnamese child suddenly gasped when he heard Gan intake a sharp gasp.

"This cannot be. No, no, this is a lie, a folly," Gan mumbled to himself. He suddenly grasped his hair, dropping to his knees. He appeared like an insane person, ready to retch. "M-Mother is safe. She must be. Wh-when I wake up, she will be there. She is always there. She embraced me before-"

"Gan!" Tavis shrieked, gripping his shoulders as Gan gasped. "Enough babbling! Mother is not here!" Tavis looked over his shoulders to their bags and strewn clothing and personal items. "Somebody has taken her! It is obvious!"

"B-but who? Why would anyone take our mother?" Gan meekly cried, shaking in Tavis' grip.

"I do not know, but we cannot stay here," Tavis stated somberly.

"What?" Gan broke free from his brother's grasp, getting to his feet with a noticeable tremble. "Mother may come back! She is supposed to be waiting for us!"

"Well, do you see her?" Tavis gestured around vehemently. "She is not here!"

"Then we should look for her!" Gan barged past him, heading for the edge of the hill when Tavis snatched his uniform.

"Are you mentally ill, fool? We cannot stay here!"

"I refuse to let our mother suffer!"

"And I refuse to speak with you any longer on this matter! Mother is gone! Why can you not understand that, Gan! She is never coming back!"

Both brothers stopped, freezing completely. Neither spoke as their eyes widened. They surveyed the area as the horrible thoughts of whatever fate could have bestowed their mother suddenly dawned on them. Gan and Tavis faltered in their anger as raw fear and sadness clutched at their hearts. Tavis suddenly began whimpering, and Gan pulled him into a hug, performing the same feelings.

"M-Mother is…gone?" Tavis uncertainly mused. "She is gone. Mother is gone."

"She is…she is no where in sight, my brother," Gan whispered.

Tavis suddenly burst into tears, shocking Gan. The newly made, young elemental suddenly bashed his weak fists into Gan's chest, screaming, "Why? Mother has done nothing wrong to displease anyone! It is not fair! Who could have done this to her?"

Gan wrapped his arms around Tavis, burying his head against his neck and cried just as loudly. The words were lodged in his throat, but his sobs wracked the once silent hill. The brothers cried for what seemed like hours as the sun wavered in the sky. Morbid gray clouds suddenly crossed the yellow marvel, casting black shadows across their dim world.

"It is…it is only us now, Tavis," Gan whimpered.

"Only us…" Tavis reiterated slowly. Wiping his eyes, he sniffled and asked, "Then will you promise me this, brother?"

"Anything," Gan murmured.

"Please, do not leave me. I do not want to be alone. I always had you by my side, and I do not want you to leave me," the younger brother begged quietly, gripping his uniform. "I cannot be without you because you are the only one I have left. You are my only family, my only brother."

Gan stared in electrified surprise at his brother's request, gazing into his pleading yellow orbs. The blue brother's eyes softened, and he suddenly brought Tavis into a back-breaking hug. Tavis gagged abruptly as Gan smiled into his spiky blond hair. Momentarily, Tavis was stunned speechless, bones freezing completely before staggering into the embrace.

"That is a promise I will honor with my life. There is nothing that will ever tear me away from you or you from me," Gan stated cooingly, breaking away with a bright, broad smile.

Tavis returned the grin sheepishly before snapping, "You have such a silly grin, brother. It looks like a clown's."

Frowning, Gan shoved Tavis backwards, and the yellow boy tripped over his feet, flopping onto his back. Gan quickly snatched his arm before he could roll down the hill. Tavis cursed at him while Gan chortled tauntingly. He suddenly tackled Gan to the ground, and they started play wrestling. The older sibling calmly put his arm down on Tavis' back, keeping him pressed against the ground. Tavis screamed defiantly, wriggling about before the electricity crackled along his body subconsciously. The yellow sparks traveled onto Gan, electrocuting him into twitching off. Tavis blinked, staring at the energy spiraling along his arms and grinned mirthfully.

"My, what a power I have," Tavis chuckled as Gan trembled along the ground. "…Are you dead?"

"No, but I am rather close to seeing the light," his brother moaned, glaring up at him.

Uncertain of what his brother was referring, Tavis sneered as he dragged Gan to stand. Gan frowned, crossing his arms as Tavis began to collect their belongings. They wrapped the clothing up in torn shreds of cloth bags, tying them together and resorted to carrying them.

Gan noticed an old, slightly torn photograph of their mother and their father during younger times when she was pregnant with the originally conjoined twins. The older boy sighed, placing it in a side of the bag. He noticed two train tickets, finding a third shredded in half. Ignoring the torn one, he retrieved the unaltered ones and pocketed them.

Meanwhile, Tavis suddenly gasped and started leaping around joyously. "Brother! Brother! Come over here and look!"

"What is it, brother?" Gan questioned, hurrying over.

Tavis threw another photograph to Gan, and he fumbled to catch it. Bringing it down to his face, Gan blinked in surprise. It was a recent picture of Gan and Tavis when they were normal, without powers of different skin tones. Cara had her arms around them as they stood together for a family photo. They appeared like a triangle with their mother at the top point and the twins, the same age as right now, stood at the ends with her arms on their shoulders.

"Where did you find this?" Gan asked as Tavis gestured to the hill.

"With the rest of our belongings. It seems as though Mother decided to bring it. Say…" Tavis trailed off, rubbing his arm. "…if Mother were to see us now, would she even recognize us?"

"Our appearances have changed, but our hearts have not," Gan stated boldly. "If she were present, Mother would know who we are."

"Yes, you are right." Tavis sighed gently. He placed the photograph back into one of his cloth bags, smiling. "It will serve as a reminder for the life we once had."

Gan nodded, smiling somberly. He wondered if more tears would be shed from Tavis, hoping the photograph would not harm his psyche. They both turned away from the vast forest's direction and started towards the train station in Suing.

"Brother, look," Tavis ordered in sudden surprise, hurrying down the hill.

"What is wrong?" Gan inquired hurriedly as Tavis suddenly halted at the end of the hill.

Tavis pointed to an elderly Chinese man with wrinkles around his pale face with snow white hair and a long, scruffy beard. His dark azure robes were torn, and his walking staff had been cleaved in half. The man's sandals lost substance, making them to the point of them being useless. Bruises covered his face and arms, and his bald head was the worst of the black and blue marks.

"I believe he is dead," Tavis bluntly stated.

---

"Are you dead?"

Lightning glared over to the bubblegum haired girl sitting adjacent to him. "At the moment, I wish I was."

When Lightning awoke a few minutes prior, he realized he had been thrown back into a cell. Childhood memories of isolation screamed back into his thoughts, but he shoved them back when he found an unconscious Kole next to him. He waited for her to awaken, and the first words out of her mouth was if he was dead.

Kole groggily sat up, shaking her head. Taking in her surroundings, she gasped and straightened. "No way!"

"Yes, way," Lightning hissed. "We are trapped once more."

They both gazed at the front of the cell. Instead of electrified bars, what guarded them was a massive, impenetrable steel door. Lightning casually shot a wave of electricity at it, seeing what effect it would have. The energy seared at the door, but left no mark. It was suddenly redirected back at them, and they both ducked as the electricity faded above their heads.

"Where are the others?" Kole suddenly questioned. "What about the other Titans?"

"I fought the witch, and she brought some unsettling memories back that struck a nerve within me," Lightning explained dourly. "I was then defeated, and when I awoke, this cell greeted me."

Kole noticed the venom in his voice when he pronounced 'cell'. Averting her eyes from his disgustedly furious stare, she remained silent and recollected what occurred to her. She remembered losing in her battle with the Hive. However, she could not place how she ended up stranded in a room with Lightning once more. She could recall that Lightning was still trapped in the barrier that kept him locked into the laser, meaning he must have broken out when she was unconscious. Looking down to his wrist, she suddenly gasped.

"What is wrong?" Lightning quickly asked, charging up his hands.

"Can't believe I almost forgot to return this to you!" Kole cried, digging into her skirt pocket. Extending her hand, she revealed his golden locket and chain. "It fell off your wrist when that crazy lady was carrying you. I kept it safe."

Dispelling his energy with a crack, Lightning's eyes widened fearfully as he snatched it out of her hands. He removed his orange armguard, chucking it beside him and gently slid the chain back on. He adjusted it to be tighter, but stopped. Turning the locket towards him, he gently jiggled it open and stared lovingly inside. A somber smile traced along his lips as he sighed, closing it. Placing his armguard back on over it, he thanked Kole quietly.

"What's in there anyway?" Kole asked conversationally, waving off his grace.

"Something very important to me. Something I cannot bare to lose," Lightning replied, averting her eyes. "Thank you for looking after it. I would not have been…able to continue if I had lost this."

"Why?" she asked.

"You ask several questions, Kole, but I will answer. See, I was given this by my father, but I do not know or care if he is alive or not. He was a horrible man, leaving my mother, but she did cry. Mother was always stronger than my brother and I. She always told Thunder and I to keep each other in our hearts, and we took that quite literally." Lightning smirked, leaning over to her. "Would you like to see what is inside?"

"If you want me to, sure!" Kole copied his movements as he raised out his arm. "Can I open it?"

Lightning nodded. "There is a promise you must make to me. Swear you will never tell a soul about this."

Kole was taken aback, cobalt orbs blinking in surprise. She opened her mouth to reply, but silenced herself at his fierce gaze. The locket must have been extremely dear to Lightning if he wanted it to be secret. His reaction was enough to let her know that it was special and precious to him. Smiling warmly, she nodded in compliance.

Lightning pulled his arm, taking off his armguard and quietly opened the locket. He slid the chain off and held it out for her to see. Kole grasped it gently as if it would break at any moment. She brought it up to her face and froze. A shock crossed her expression, remaining there as she gazed. Slowly, the crystal girl closed the locket and handed if back to Lightning.

"What did you think?" he asked almost silently, putting everything back in place.

"I'm sorry," she murmured sorrowfully.

Lightning glanced over to her in confusion, surprised at her response. He expected something along the lines of awe, but sadness was not what he figured would occur. Kole swiftly brought her the back of her hand to her eyes, sniggling slightly before smiling over to him.

"Was that the past before you became Lightning?" she questioned as he nodded.

"I have never shown that to anyone other than my brother," Lightning admitted. "I did not plan to, but I felt that you were genuine. You would not betray me by taunting me or belittling me." He looked over to her, clenching his fists. "That is why I must find my brother and tell him something very important. That is he the reason why I continue. Without him, there is no reason to move forward." He smirked, looking up at the ceiling and chuckled nervously. "I begged him that day to never leave me, and look at where I am. Back in an accursed cell."

Kole stared wide-eyed at Lightning's sudden monologue. He shivered as though splashed with freezing water. Sweaty fists opened and closed at different paces. Lightning kept his gaze on the roof even though it clouded over in remembrance of the past when he was locked in Bao's prison quarters. He could almost imagine the voices of Minh, Quan and Phuong taunting him in his brother's voice, tricking him into coming out like a lost boy.

Lightning suddenly let a tear fall from his eye, but nothing else followed. The salty droplet traveled along his face and onto the lightning bolt he donned on his armor. Placing a hand on his chest, Lightning sighed.

"Lightning?" Kole scooted closer, staring at him. Her gaze was not of pity, but of concern.

"My brother is not dead," Lightning stated bluntly. "If he was dead, I would know. He will come and rescue us." He smirked and crossed his arms, looking back to Kole. "Just as though your friend Gnaark would try to save you. He is like your older brother, yes?"

"He sure is! Gnaark's my best friend, and we'd do anything to protect each other! Just like you and your brother!" Kole proclaimed.

The two smiled at each other in spite of their situation. Lightning brought his legs up to his chest, and Kole did the same. Asking if she was imitating him, Kole retorted that she would never do something like that because he was hot-blooded idiot. Frowning at the insult, he snapped back that she was "a mere crystal witch". She responded by flaring her eyes at him and punching him across the face. Lightning stumbled backwards, surprised at her strength as she smirked and stuck her tongue out.

"And that's why you don't mess with me," Kole snickered.

"I can see why," he grumbled, rubbing his cheek.

"Besides, if you're gonna call me that, I may as well stick with my original nickname for you." She wiggled her eyebrows in anxious anticipation. "Zap!"

"No!" Lightning surged upwards, glaring daggers at her. "My name is not 'Zap'! Lightning is who I am!"

"…Nope, you're Zap to me." She snapped her fingers before giving him a thumbs-up.

Fuming, he snarled viciously and shrieked, "Lightning is not Zap!" Crossing his arms, he huffed and growled, "The sooner my brother rescues us the better."

Kole giggled as Lightning found the steel door to be the latest source of his frustration. He continued to mutter to himself and throw lackadaisical shots of energy at it in a vain attempt to destroy it. Apparently, it was made of a special alloy that deflected his power for it continued to quickly come back at them, but faded once it was above their heads.

"I wonder…when we are going back out to Adeline," he mused.

"We will be saved long before that," Kole confidently jeered. "After all, the Teen Titans are gonna come again. They never give up. If they mess up once, they'll just keep at it until they get it right!"

"You are very optimistic." Lightning shook his head almost disbelievingly, but smiled nevertheless. "Then I will nap, I suppose, until someone comes to save us." Leaning back, he rested his head against the cold steel with his hands slowly dropping to his sides and allowed his body to succumb to rest.

---

OKAY I LIED.

This story surpassed ten chapters, but it will definitely be twenty or less. I guess I just got really into this story. So, with that said, please review.