Flickering Shadows

By: Pakkrat

Chapter 11: What did you think would happen?

Note: Action, some romance, mainly climactic conclusion dribble. Get ready, more to come! Oh, I am going to do a second Slade/Raven fic with only romance no end-of-the-world angle. Yeah, I like them too but now, I feel wanting in the Slade/Raven stuff, weird, I like that couple a lot more than I thought I would!

…Titans…

Slade sat with the sword; he holds it with his hands looking on each marking. "Love, honor, soul. Those are virtues of warriors." Slade glares on this blade, "Virtues I held some time ago." Slade shakes his head as he looks on the sky, the moon has gone red. "Wintergreen, Grant, Jericho, Addie, and now Raven. What the hell did I think would happen? I'm cursed to fail everyone I care about."

Akaige sighs, "Shut up or I'm turning this rock around!" Slade glares as Akaige has the giant stone floating them all to the place, "You're no use to me all mope and sad Wilson! I need your skills for this plan to work!"

Slade seems even more aggressive now, but could you really blame the guy? Raven was kidnapped, along with his ex. Then his son and best friend, gah! Slade slams his fist onto the stone next to his hip, "This is just…"

Akaige growls lowly "Get over it! Things are only going to get worse!" at that Slade gives a distasteful look, "What do you mean?"

Slade is interrupted as Akaige looks down, "Ah! We're here!" Akaige plows his palm down, the stone makes towards the land below. Robin has been sitting in wait slightly as annoyed as Slade, "Um, you might want to slow down."

Akaige glares his fangs, "Hold on!" the titans and others look up before slamming claws, hands, and blades to the stone as it barrels through the ground deep to the fiery underneath. Beast Boy stands first with drool and stars, "Dude, whay did hwo do that?"

Akaige steps off the stone pointing to the church, "They are several steps ahead of us! The more time wasted the more time they have!" Slade makes forward before the claw slaps on his chest, "Out of my way!" Akaige raises his claw smirking, "Just wanted to warn you. The blood of the immortal opens the door remember? Since they didn't have you, they used a tainted blood. Not much immortal, so they needed more of it."

Slade raises his brow, "What are you…" he looks to the church wide-eyed, "Addie?"

The heroes and Slade ran for the church. Akaige grins through Terra, she asks "What's happening?"
Akaige chuckles, "You'll see girl." Akaige walks into the church as Terra seems to be getting antsy, "You'd best stop wandering my mind, you might not like what you…" a surge of pain and Akaige/Terra fall on their knees, Terra's blue eyes look horrified ahead, "You…"

Akaige snaps, "Crap! Guess now is as good as any to separate!" Terra's shadow seems to start lifting up from the ground, Terra looks back behind herself before a large hand clasps her face and drops her into the ground so fast the stone breaks under her skull. Terra whimpers before her shoulders slink lamely. Akaige has ripped through Terra's shadow holding her unconscious form, "Terra," Akaige's voice is rasping to the girl, "If you tell anyone what you know, Beast Boy will know a new definition of misery." Akaige flings Terra over his shoulder to take her into the church. Entering he finds Slade has fallen on his knees to the figure expended from the cross. Blood trailing down the cross to the steps and doors opened, Slade looks up to Akaige asking "Why?"

Akaige drops Terra, "Bonds," Akaige motions the claw to Slade, "Don't you feel a little more energetic, powerful, and venturous? That's not just love you and Raven have a bond from your emotions. That bond was nothing compared to the one Trigon gave you to her. That bond has been rekindled and you and she now share strength and forces."

Slade turns screaming "What the hell does our bond have to do with this?" he points up to the bleeding Addie, "What?"

Akaige screams "Your pain is her pain!" Slade stops his rage and gives disgust, "Oh, just struck you did it? Yes! The plan is her pain, is your pain!"

Slade looks at the steps, "The pain I'm feeling she's feeling?"

"That and much more for she feels pain for your pain. Like a layer of extra misery to spicing up the first splotch of torture!" Akaige laughs, to that Slade snarls and runs out in an attack. Akaige latches his claw around the stretching fist to twirl Slade past himself, "Watch yourself Wilson! I still need you," Akaige lets off the fist, "So don't make me kill you."

Slade rubs his wrist, "She never hurt you. Why did you do this?"

Akaige rolls his hooded eyes, "First, Pakku is the one who did this, not me! Second, I have my reasons for helping Trigon too."

Robin looks over the newcomer, then Terra, "Terra, what happened?"

Akaige looks up a smirk before he hides his face in the hood. "I separated from her being. She… could not take the separation." Beast Boy stomps over cradling her, "Do not worry green-child! She's alive. I suggest we leave someone here for her, those three will do!" Frylock, Shake, and Meatwad look at each other confused, Akaige walks past them adding, "They're the most worthless here so shall we go?"

The Aqua Teen mumble as Akaige turns to Slade, "Wilson!" Slade looks up as Akaige steps down the hole, "It's time we show them what HELL is all about!"

Robin runs next to Slade, "He's only worried about you! Why doesn't he even say our names?" Slade looks over and then the hole, "He knows I'm ready to do anything to save Raven. He's counting on it."

…The Chamber…

Pakkurath has shackled Raven to a wheel with an S on it, the Scath symbol on its wheel. Raven looks up to Pakkurath, "I hate you…"

Pakku grins, "Not the first time a Raven told me such sweet things." Pakku whips his trench in a turn, "It will take some time for this ritual to take place. In the mean time we can watch your friends suffer and…" Raven pulls at the bindings, "They are unbreakable bindings, for the record! Fused with powerful magi and psycho kinesis, the sheer material is compressed to a density no force aside from the power of a true master psychic, or demon, could break them!"

Raven glares on the cocky Pakkurath, "Why are you doing this?"

"I have my reasons."

"You don't know what it's like!" Raven yells, "All my life I wanted this, to be happy! I finally have that and you're taking that away from me!"

Pakku seems to slink his shoulders, Raven snaps "Do you know what it's like to even be loved?"

"WITCH!" Pakku swings around and clamps his flesh hand on her mouth, a vision hits Raven's mind in his blind rage. The vision was blood, his body broken at the feet of a black shadow. A woman lays at the side, body and flesh bare, but alive? "No one," speaks the voice of the figure standing, "Leaves my side without reparations, boy."

Pakkurath lets go, fluttering away from Raven he grabs his mouth and seems to heave forward, then away some more Pakku flips over to his stomach and vomits. Raven looks somewhat surprised, "He… skinned her?"

Pakku wipes his mouth, and turns with a stare of his brows, "Skinned her is a calmer word for tortured. Skinning kills a person eventually, but his powers kept her soul trapped to her flesh." Pakku turns up his nose, "He said if I wanted her to pass on… I must be the one to…"

Raven cringes to the side, Pakku raises up to clasp the metal arm, "If I do this and offer you to Trigon. He promises to give her back to me, alive, and free of the pain." Pakku screams "I don't care about you or your precious lover! I'm going to have my happiness back! After all the years as a Kagejin I at least deserve that!"

Pakku was going to float off as Raven asks "Do you think Trigon will keep his word?"

"Raven." Pakkurath turns his tusks asking "If it was Slade you lost, would you not try it still?"

A moment of silence and both make separate paths. Raven sighs deeply, a tear escapes her right eye as she asks "Slade…?"

…The Early Passage…

Akaige looks up to Slade, "A little farther Wilson, and we may have a slight…" The passage opens up into a large rounded chamber with many figures rustling about. Akaige sighs with his claw on his hips, "Problem…"

Beast Boy gasps wide-jawwed, "Dude, what are they?"

Cyborg blinks, "My guess, zombies?"

What seemed to be tons of reanimated corpses stood in their way? Akaige looks around the mindless fodder, seeming a collection of undead warriors and soldiers they varied with armor, feather garbs, or clothed robes. Robin smirks saying, "We can take them," he grabs his staff twirling it, "Titans, g…" the claw arm raises up as Akaige screams "Ever hear the phrase DISTRACTION? That's what they want you to do…" Akaige chuckles, "Actually, that's what I wanted you to do."

Starfire floats over asking, "If that is the case, than what are we to do?"

Akaige looks up to a spear being tossed at them, Akaige flips up his claw and twirls the spear in mid flight to his side arm, "There's going to be one way, mine. Take it, or leave it!"

Akaige runs with the spear swinging it back and forth between the zombies. The spear makes a swaying like path as one side would be barred of zombies than the other side. The titans and Slade followed behind quickly until Beast Boy trips. They reached the other end without noticing, Robin turns back to the storming rhino, "Beast Boy! I'm going to get him!"

Akaige growls "Leave him! He's not that strong anyway!"

Robin looks over screaming "We're not leaving him!"

Akaige looks over and snaps, "Fine, stay here!" Akaige clacks the Spear down like a vaulting pole to leap into the air and at the roof. Akaige then kicks off the stone formation of the roof with slight red energy sparking his right arm, "Mortals," Akaige points the spear down screaming, "And their idiot loyalties!"

The Zombies had a green gorilla on the ground when a spear point breaks on the dirt. The staff splinters with the force and sends splinters of wood every which way like bullets, tearing into the zombies making them fall back. Beast Boy stands up grinning, "Thanks, I wa…" Akaige grabs Beast Boy by the scruff and tosses him to the tunnel, "Thank them brat!"

Beast Boy skids to the tunnel and his friends, the zombies were rushing to the tunnel when a claw stretches to the tunnel entrance and collapses it. Akaige calls back his claw to the middle of the room to have the zombies looking on him. One rushes with a sword to his back but a fast roundhouse kick back takes the zombie from the midsection. Akaige clenches his claw, "Eh, I hated all that walking anyway. The only boring thing," Akaige flings up his claw slashing apart the next zombie, "You guys don't bleed barely enough!"

…The Chamber Entrance…

Pakkurath watches the events with a small black orb, "Damn, he's going to ruin everything."

Blood floats in smirking, "I sent those kids and Wade to meet the titans and Slade. That should take care of that."

Pakku grabs his chin, "I don't… what would he be planning?" Pakku floats away asking Blood, "Will you keep an eye on Raven?"

Blood nods, "Certainly, I need to ready her for the ritual anyhow."

Pakkurath looks back, "This… preparation…" he shifts a little "It's not as bad as Trigon says it is, is it?"

Blood mentions slowly, "Ask me, it's not bad enough!"

…The Chamber, Raven…

Raven shifts her wrists under the chains, "Ah… I had to get caught?" she hears movement; Raven looks over to see to her shock, Slade! "Slade! You're here already?"

Slade runs over and sighs, "Raven, I'm sorry for letting you get caught." He grabs her chin; Raven raises a brow because something didn't feel right. "Raven you have to do something for me, for all of us." Slade holds up a dagger, "You have to end this silly game, you have to take your life to save ours."

Raven looks scared, "What, can't you get me out?"

Slade shakes his head no, "I can't these bonds are too strong. Besides you'll be doing us all a favor if you just end this. Only when you're gone will Trigon stop trying to enter our world. Think about us, not yourself."

Raven was really stunned, "Slade…"

"Oh come on!" Slade grabs his hips, "Let's face it, this won't work out! I'm too old; you're too young, let's just say our goodbyes and move on, kay?"

Raven glares at Slade before smirking, "You having fun in my mind," her eyes flickered fast tossing the figure of Slade back, "Now I'm going to play in yours!"

Slade turns to Blood; he stands up grabbing his head, "Ow that actually hurt!" Blood walks back over chuckling, "I was just wondering how much you love him, and you know curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat Blood!" Raven feels a metal hand on her forehead, "Yes, but a cat can eat a Raven whole, Raven."

Raven gives a cocky smirk, "Try it."

"You certainly are a…" Blood walks to the side where there seems to be a book, "Well, no reason to wait anymore! Let's get the show on the road as it were!" Blood grins a side grin and glare while taking a knife, "Or, the end of the world in our case!"

…Separating Tunnels…

Robin takes a step before hearing Beast Boy, "Man, he seems a bit grouchy."

Pakka who was being silent now grumbles, "He's not grumpy, he's annoyed. He doesn't help the good guys like this."

Cyborg looks over asking "Why not? He's pretty strong."

"He's a demon." Pakka sighs adding, "He destroys the good not help it."

Starfire floats using her hands to illuminate the dark walls, "Perhaps he is trying to assist us in repentance for evil deeds?"

Pakka laughs, "You don't know him like I do! Akaige is here for something else, a personal matter. Something he felt so important he couldn't chance you kids ruining it."

Slade was to the back listening, he didn't like the events either. Akaige showed pretty strong back there. Still, he wasn't so powerful to be worried about. "Pakkarath," Pakkarath turns back to listen, "He said that the blood of the immortal opened the door, and it closes it. What does that mean?"

"Hm, could be anything. Maybe your blood is important to stopping this mess." Pakka leaps on top of Cyborg, "A matter of fact that would explain why Akaige keeps talking to you on a name basis. We might have a chance to stop this."

"What is this thing anyway?" Cyborg looks at the head on his scalp, "I remember you said Pakku made this whole plan because of his dad, so what's the deal?"

Pakka sighs, "Well, Akaige found one of these old rituals from the "Church Of Blood" and tried to use it in a deal with Trigon. He looked into the elements of it elements to ritual rely on many things; people, places, that and sometimes special actions that cause imbalances. Akaige seemed to be on the breakthrough when suddenly he lost his nerve and dispersed with the plan. Pakku found the notes on this plan and took them for himself, making a new deal with Trigon. Why Akaige stopped his plotting or Pakku's involvement I don't know."

Slade shrugs, "I'm not worried about that," well he was, but he has other things like Raven to deal with first, "What I want to know is just what Akaige planned for me."

Pakka chuckles, "A connection between you and Raven makes her feel your pain, and yours hers. Even now you must feel it." Slade looks to his side, fear, rage, something like that plays in his chest, "That connection is deadly and I think you're going to be used as the pushing stone for the last part. Whatever it is you have to fall for the plan to work."

The group enters into another group of chambers with whom else but the HIVE kids inside and Blackfire. Robin gulps before being plowed by Jinx through a wall, the other kids do like before. Slade hears steps, turning he sees Wade, "You!"

Wade shrugs, "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"My son, wife, friend!" Slade storms up the steps after Wade, "Come here!"

Wade yells "The hell I'm coming over there! You'll kill me!"

"That's the point!"

The two make their way to a chamber with a giant statue, Slade glares on this stone figure of a four eyed, antler headed demon, "Trigon?"

Wade nods, "Yeah, must be a real treat seeing the old big-bad again!" Trigon's eyes seem to flare up, "He's been waiting to even the score bro, check this out!"

Six bits of rubble start to up heave, and figures break free. Slade looks around; the figures stand sluggishly "It can't just be you and me Wade?"

Wade grins, "What can I say? I have something of 'Let others do the dirty work' problem!"

Slade chuckles deeply, "Okay, I'll just tear these things apart and then you!" Slade runs at the closest figure to stop, Wintergreen? "What?"

The dead apparition of Wintergreen strikes Slade with a punch to the stomach, Slade falters back and is grabbed by the legs to be tripped, Slade looks as Jericho and Grant, his sons now took his feet from under him. Next his hands are grabbed and pulled up, Raven and Addie? What's going on?

"Something wrong…" Slade looks up to the one eyed specter, his face bone and with one dead red eye Slade recognizes it as himself, as a ghoulish warrior for Trigon. "My, so this is me… or the human that was me." This other Slade grabs the real Slade by the jaw, "Hm, interesting… yet so weak. A failure really."

Slade snaps at the fake "I'm not a failure!"

Addie's bloody form asks, "Are you now? I remember a failure husband, father, and man! You failed all the promises you made me!"

Grant and Jericho walk over, Grant speaks in dual tones for both, "What about us dad? We needed someone in our lives but the mercenary life was so much better! Why couldn't you be a real man and do what you had to, not what you wanted to!"

Wintergreen huskily speaks, "What of me, master? What was that blade in my chest? My gift for years of service?" Slade looks shyly away, "You failed me; it was always a matter of time till you failed me like all the rest."

The next one of Raven kneels at Slade's face, "You're failing me right now. Being so weak, playing against me with this weakness. Just give up for my sake and leave me alone!"

Slade screams as this was starting to get maddening, Raven was doing the same in the chamber as Blood has a small bowl. "Calm down little lady!" Blood muses playfully, "I bet now you wish you didn't fall in love!" Blood writes the markings of Scath on her body the best he could, mainly one her face and back. He uses some of the blood from Addie which was part of the ritual. "A little longer Raven and it will all be over." Blood smiles cruelly, "Yes, every last bit of this world will be over with."

Slade feels the grasp of his other, costumed self tossing him up over the others. Slade stands up slowly to then have his eye lay lamely on a fireball to his ribs, Slade falls in on this injury looking back up to his other self. "You're pathetic. Look at yourself! When you held only yourself in regard you had everything." The other Slade lists off his fingers, "Wealth, power, respect, minions."

Slade screams, "Then why wasn't I ever happy? Why did everything I have from that time seem like nothing while I had her?"

The outfitted Slade storms over and releases a running kick to the real Slade's ribs, "Her? What about her? Some girl, a kid that you fell for because she's your "savior"? What has she given you? What really has Raven shown you but pain! Look, she brought you here, to this hell! You're being tortured for a girl who doesn't even really know you!"

Slade looks up to the figures of his loved ones, "That's not true…"

Wintergreen murmurs, "It was a mistake bringing her there."

Slade looks at Wintergreen, his eye looks shakily, "What did you say?" Wintergreen repeats and Slade lowers his head. His shoulders are bobbing up and down but Slade surprises the figures with laughter. Slade stands up and wipes a tear away, "To think I was actually starting to believe you were them." Slade shakes his head, "I'm an idiot sometimes I really am."

The other Slade shifts uneasily, "What are you trying to say!"

"You're fakes." Slade smirks on the bewildered Wintergreen, "Especially you. My real friend always felt Raven was the best thing to happen to me. So if that was the case, you're just a fake." Slade steps over to Wintergreen asking "What was it you said to me before you died?"

"That… it was only a matter of time! A matter of time before you killed me, and failed me like all the others in your life!"

Slade nods, a smile he says "You know all the time I was with Wintergreen I think he knew what he was doing. He was trying to save the man that saved him. After Addie left me he was the only one willing to be at my side salvaging the little bit of me that was still human." Slade chuckles, "He was a resilient old man. With Raven, he saw me progressing back to a real person." Slade glares a hate on this fake Wintergreen, "You know what I think! I think what Wintergreen was saying was it was only a matter of time, till I had to make the choice."

"What choice?" asks Addie and to that Slade smiles, "The choice," he feels himself standing up seeing Wade totally astonished, the nightmares he was seeing had vanished and the statue cracks into pieces slowly, "The choice to stop letting my memories hold me back, and make something of a future." Slade snarls in a right handed fist, "To make my future with her!"

"What the hell happened?" Wade looks on fearfully, "This, this wasn't what I thought was…"

"What did you think was going to happen?" Slade glares a heated stare, "That I was going to fall on my knees, be beaten by those things of Trigon? I'm not that easy to beat brother you of all people should know that!"

Wade grabs for his side, he raises the gun but his face is struck in the fierce punch. Slade releases more punches, faster and stronger, more hellish in power! Then, his fists burn in blue flame, Wade screams as his face becomes burnt and horridly bruised. Finally Slade lets a final punch launch Wade off onto a wall, Wade bounces off then rolls on the ground to the edge of a chasm that he barely grabs onto. Slade runs over, he looks down on Wade who sees in fear his brother. Slade glares hate, that "brother" caused his family to leave him, his brother caused his only friend to die in his arms, and then his two sons, and the woman he first love. Worst yet, the one person that ever truly meant all he had, Raven, now is in this place because of him… but still… "Here, give me your hand!" Slade reaches down. The old him would leave Wade to die, the one who sold his soul to a demon for personal gain. But right now, Wilson, the man that Raven wants to save life not end it was going to do what Raven wanted him to do.

Wade looks on the hand, his brother's face, and in a snarl Wade spits on Slade's offer, "Never, I'd rather die than owe you!"

Wade looses grip and falls into the dark abyss. Slade looks down with slight awe, "Why… couldn't he just…"

"He was in all aspects your darkest self Wilson." Slade looks back to Akaige who has a zombie's head in his claw, "Alas poor… whoever, I knew squat about thee!" Akaige tosses the head into the chasm, "Zombie goes down the hole… eh-he." Akaige notices the stare so he shrugs, "What can I say? I'm a demon; I have a twisted sense of pleasure! Now, you have things to take care of!" Akaige points ahead, "Your beloved awaits true love's first kiss! Gah, I hate that line, how about she's sitting on her butt for you to save her? Much more acceptable and realistic!"

Akaige motions to the passage Slade doesn't move but asks "What was that fire? How did I use that?"

Akaige chuckles a little, "That was your connection to Raven. Somehow the remnant of power Trigon gave you has been rekindled in your soul with her own. You're using a sort of… flicker of shadow energy Raven has to boost it." Slade motions to the passage; looking back he asks "Whose side are you on?"

"My side." The answer was quick and unattached, "As long as your side's goals are mine you won't have any trouble with me." Slade glares, "When our goals are not so close?"

Akaige chuckles again, but a hint of darker knowledge plays in the voice, "What do you think would happen? Slade, you have a girl to save."

Slade narrows his eyes before grabbing his sword and taking this passage. Akaige clicks his claw saying "Silly Wilson, My trix aren't until the end…" Akaige playfully motions himself to the edge hearing a grunting sound of someone climbing, "And oh, what tricks I have in store!"

Note: Tah-dah! Another fun little chapter! I wish this story had more romance don't you? I miss it so much… sniffle… I promise, lots of romance in the end! That, and my other story has true-nothing-but romance! No war of the worlds stuff, just love. Maybe a little action here and there, but a more romantic based theme than this one. Thanks to all the readers and reviewers big climax next chapter! That and all those questions will be answered, so if you have any questions you might want to make a note on it!