Alone in the Shadows
by Blue Ten
Summary:
Robin has been alone all his life, even in the presence of his mentor he felt isolated. The Titans take a break from crime fighting to go camping in a beautiful forest and Robin is not too thrilled by the prospect of leaving his city behind. When a bizarre turn of events finds Robin and Starfire lost deep in the woods, can they save themselves from a strange new enemy? RobinxStarfire
Disclaimer:
I do not own Teen Titans.
Chapter 6: Losing You
The sky had become clouded over, gloomy and saddening. The towering trees of the ominous forest surrounded a young child like predators about to strike. She staggered cautiously through the trees, wary of her environment which seemed to continue endlessly. The icy wind caused her to tremble, her silver hair blowing wildly as she clutched her arms together for warmth. As she continued, day gradually came to a close, darkening the already cloudy skies. Constant flashes of lightning provided terrifying illumination; far from comforting. Unable to progress any further, the girl fell to her knees, scraping them on the harsh forest floor. Thinking about the woeful events that brought her to this place, she buried her face in her hands, releasing her sorrow and regret through tears. Her sobbing could hardly be heard through the angry weather's cacophony. Suddenly, she stopped, feeling a hand gently grasp her shoulder.
"They do not understand you, this is why they drove you away. People fear what they do not understand," a deep voice spoke which the girl found to be kind and comforting amidst the many frightening sounds of the forest.
"Who are you?" she asked through a grieving voice, tears streaming from her face.
"People have called me the Shadow King. You need not be alone any longer."
"You are the one who..."
"Yes, but that is a time long since passed. I can help you understand yourself. One should never fear their own abilities, Cross."
"Thank you..."
- - - - - -
Robin looked around at the lake that he remembered as being beautiful; this place was the perfect opposite, empty and void of life. He watched as Cross stepped out onto the lake, starting to walk across to the island. Remaining on the shore, he decided it was time to stop playing along. Cross had lied enough and Robin couldn't stand for it any longer.
"Sorry, I've got other plans. I'm not leaving here without Starfire," he said.
Cross turned around, looking beyond Robin with a solemn look on her face. Backing away from the shore, she nodded and closed her eyes. Robin thought this was strange, wondering why she had reacted that way to his statement. Sensing a presence behind him, Robin's expression became serious as he slowly reached for his bo staff. Weapon in hand, he extended it, quickly turned around, and swung it through the air. With the sound of disturbed air, his strike passed right through something that Robin saw as a cloud of black smoke. Backing away, he attempted to examine his foe. The previously dispersed smoke began to condense, forming a towering figure. It revealed itself to be the silhouette of a man. Standing tall, he had no features, in every sense of the word, a shadow. The man began to stagger toward Robin; startled, he backed farther away, stepping on to the frozen water.
"You, the one with the blackened heart," the man spoke, increasing his pace. His frightening form swayed from one side to the other as he moved forward in a surrealistic fashion.
"What is this?" Robin questioned Cross, quickly turning to look at her. Her expression remained unchanged. The man made no audible sounds as he continued to advance on Robin, increasing his speed with every step. Turning back around, Robin looked fiercely at the monster. With a growl, he continuously swiped his staff through the air, trying to attack, but to no avail. The shadow simply reformed each time Robin struck him. Seeing the silhouette suddenly leap toward him, Robin braced himself for a hit. Surprisingly, the man came to a swift stop in front of Robin, his tall figure staring down.
"My vessel," he spoke once more. Robin looked up into what appeared to be the face of the man, finding himself frozen and paralyzed, shaking as he struggled to move his limbs. The shadow lifted an arm and, with one quick movement, slammed it into Robin's chest. The sickening sounds of cracking bone and shredding flesh could be heard as the claw dug further. Robin felt a tremendous surge of pain, staring in horror at the arm that passed through his body. Forcing himself to look further down, he expected to see a gaping wound... yet, despite the pain he felt, there was nothing to show for it. With a sweeping of black smoke, the man lifted his other arm and swiftly stabbed it in. Robin's vision began to blur as the pain became overwhelming.
"Star...fire."
- - - - - -
"Robin!" Raven abruptly broke out of her trance. About to fall backward, Beast Boy and Cyborg quickly swept in and caught her. Setting her down, they looked at her worriedly. Raven rested her hands on the ground, clutching the grass, her eyes wide and terrified; she shivered immensely as she focused her gaze on nothing.
"Raven! What happened? Are you okay?" Beast Boy asked. Raven didn't answer, simply staring at the ground, breathing hard. She looked up at the others, sheer terror painted across her face.
"Raven, what did you see?" Cyborg asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Raven shook her head, "I... can't..." she replied shakily.
Looking her directly in the eyes, Beast Boy put his hands on her shoulders attempting to calm her trembling. "Whatever it is, you can tell us," he said.
Raven looked at Beast Boy for a moment, finding it pointless to keep such information from her friends. "It's Robin. He's... dead," she looked away, staring back at the ground.
"No," Beast Boy and Cyborg spoke simultaneously in horrified disbelief.
"Are you sure--Are you absolutely sure?" Cyborg asked, his mind obviously unable to accept what he had heard.
"People... don't live through something like that."
- - - - - -
Cross looked at the island in the center of the lake as she walked across the frozen surface, following closely behind Shadow. Before she had gotten lost, this place had been her refuge from the world, the sanctuary she found when life seemed so cruel. Sitting among the cherry blossoms brought her happiness, an emotion she had almost forgotten. It helped her to forget about the cold stares she received from the people she thought were her friends and family. But in this world, the lake was dead; it held no happiness in it, no sparkle on the surface. But she was glad that she had been accepted by someone. She had found another sanctuary.
Cross and Shadow stepped on to the shore of the island; as they continued toward the center, she saw a sparkling object hidden from sight within the trees. Seeing it in full view, she realized why the rest of the lake seemed so lifeless; all the beauty, all the radiance, must have been contained within that magnificent shining gem. The jewel floated above the ground, radiating its spectacular white light across a circle of trees. Cross turned to Shadow inquisitively as they came to a stop.
"Cross, do you know what this is?" Shadow asked, turning to face his young protégé.
"It is... the way out."
"Yes. Since you can come and go from this world as you wish, you need not use it. But, someone like me, one who has been trapped in this place for countless years, it is useless. I had aimlessly wandered the forest so long that by the time I found this place, it was too late, I had become nothing more than a shadow, doomed to an eternal life," Shadow explained, his gaze now focused on the gem. "If I wished to leave this place, I would require something... more. That is why you give me hope Cross. With your help, I may be able to join you on the outside one day."
- - - - - -
Opening her eyes, Starfire studied the environment. She recognized that it was the same lake they had all gone to, but there was something much different about it. The water didn't reflect anything, there were no waves, and the cherry blossoms were dull and gray. The lake had a look about it that Starfire could only describe as 'dead.' Far off on the other side of the lake were three figures standing together, one she immediately recognized one as Robin. Lifting herself into the air, Starfire began to fly across the lake.
"Robin!" she called.
Turning her attention away from the figures, Starfire looked at the lifeless lake below her as she flew. The surface was murky and her reflection was not visible. The sky was cloudless and deep blue. The sun shone brightly, but this did nothing to bring life to the water. The forest around the lake was black and distorted; unmoving in the wind, the trees resembled corpses that remained stationary long after their deaths. The scene was static, like a moment frozen in time... a sorrowful moment. Looking up, Starfire saw that one of the figures had disappeared; however, Robin remained, so she was not worried. As she got closer, Robin turned to face her. Starfire's face lit up as she slowed down, opening her arms to embrace him. Very little distance remained between them.
Without warning, Robin harshly slapped Starfire across the face, sending her falling to the ground where she slid across the icy surface of the water. Starfire sat up, placing a hand on her face, her eyes beginning to water. The pain of the strike was nothing compared to the true pain she felt. She looked at Robin who had a cold and distant expression on his face, his hand still extended from his attack.
"Robin, why would you--" began Starfire.
"I have always hated you Starfire," said Robin, walking over to her. His voice was strange, like two people talking at once. Cross blinked as she watched these events take place.
"You are not Robin... What have you done to him!" becoming enraged, Starfire stood up and charged starbolts in both hands, eyes glowing bright green with fury.
"Would you really destroy him? His thoughts tell me otherwise," stated Robin as he walked closer. Starfire found her hands shaking as she attempted to raise them for an attack. Coming to a stop, Robin stood directly in front of Starfire; grabbing both of her arms at the wrists, he shoved forward, knocking her back to the ground. Starfire fell beside Cross who looked down at her, then back to Robin.
- - - - - -
It had been a long time since Cross first stumbled upon Shadow's world. Over the years, she discovered that she did not age. Upon returning to her dimension, Cross decided to venture beyond the forest to see how the world had changed. She wondered if perhaps it had become more accepting of people with 'gifts.' Traversing the woods, she followed her memories, trying to find a way back to her village. However, as she reached the outer edge of the forest, Cross found that she could not progress beyond the trees as though she was blocked by an invisible wall. Panicking, she ran back to the lake, deciding to confront Shadow with her terrifying discovery.
Cross sat down by the lake and concentrated her mind on finding Shadow. She opened her eyes to the gray and lifeless lake she had come to call home. "Shadow! I cannot leave the forest in my world!" she called out.
"I was afraid of this..." said Shadow, appearing from within the circle of trees. "You have traveled between worlds so many times that you now exist in both at once. This place was created as a prison for me. It has taken you prisoner as well."
"Shadow, what must I do?"
"Do not worry, Cross. Once I am free, I will return the favor by helping you escape as well. Then, I will destroy this wretched prison once and for all. No one will ever be trapped here again. I promise."
Author's Note: Okay, this is getting really close to the end. Expect chapter eight or nine to be the finale. I hope I managed to get people to sympathize with Cross a little in this chapter. Her story will be fully revealed next time, as well as the Shadow King's origin. Oh, and don't hate Robin, he's not exactly himself right now.
(Edited on 5/23/06)
Nothing major this time, other than some simple additions for clarification. I think a lot of what I added this time made certain things much easier to understand. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was really vague with a lot of things XD.
Next Chapter Preview: Cross seems to be conflicted by the actions Shadow is taking. Starfire tries to reach Robin, but can she do it before the Shadow King uses him to kill her? Next, Chapter 7: You Are Not Alone.