Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Slade: Beginnings

People in this town never could fathom the fact that people in their neighborhoods could be in extreme danger. Or that the inhabitants of the houses that surround theirs could hold those who create the jeopardy that others feel in their hearts. But they discerned, somewhere deep within themselves, even though they tried desperately to deny it, that the city wasn't perfect at all.

Clouds covered the night sky, eliminating any light that could shine through by the stars or moon. Outside was calm, but inside a single house, evil was surfacing once again.

Houses shook, lives shattered. Roars could be heard throughout this land, and evil's temper began once more. The boy had disappointed him, his boy, just like last time, but the result would not be a burlesque. He would make sure that his boy suffered for failing him. No one defied him! Nobody would make a fool out of the all mighty Odysseus!

"Get everyone you can to search for Slade. Make certain that he can't escape my wrath. This time Slade won't be as fortunate. No…I want you to make sure that he will never even imagine challenging my rule." Odysseus's face was reddened in fury. Everything he touched was immediately annihilated, but his assistant, Madam Liannaka, didn't even flinch.

Madam Liannaka sat down at the table. With the most tranquil face she gazed at him. After a long moment of not blinking while Odysseus glowered at her, she spoke. Her speech was broken, as if she was trying to battle her own voice, but finally her voice won.

"Yes, mighty Odysseus. It shall be done."

Odysseus leaned back and smiled. It was a corrupt smile, one that most would fear, but Liannaka's state did not alter at all, she just sat there. Odysseus turned around and went into another room. Madam Liannaka followed him. He waved her to a shelf, and she went to it. Lying on top of it was a map of the city of Kurou. It showed the surrounding mountains, its lakes and rivers, and all of its major landmarks. Liannaka picked it up slowly and brought it over to Odysseus. All of her movements were slightly robotic. Snatching up the map right out of the lady's hands, he unfolded the map.

Odysseus got out a pen and began drawing lines around the city, showing all feasible routes he could take to flee the large city. He circled some of the important places that Slade could rest, and after analyzing it prudently returned it to the madam.

"Send out search parties to find him. There will be no petty excuses if he escapes. Understood?" said Odysseus. "Use your powers if you need to. Just don't let him escape!"

"I understand. I will not displease you." There was hesitation in her voice yet again.

The "mighty" and huge Odysseus shooed his assistant away. She had to get straight to work if Slade was to be found. Slade may have been only twelve, but he definitely wasn't stupid. He had wandered those lonely streets many times before, and knew how to get around. Though with some kids the chase to find them in the city of Kurou would be very simple, it was not the case with Slade. But Odysseus was positive that Madam Liannaka, his slave, would get the child back. Even if she had to do it by force.

Madam Liannaka turned around and began walking towards the door to exit the grand house. As she was doing so something caught her eye. She turned around and instead of going out the door, looked out the front window. On the other side of the street, the street that housed those in denial about their "wonderful" city, was a shadow. A shadow that moved hastily in the night, only being seen under the towering street lights. And when that silhouette came clearly into view, it was learned by her that it was none other than Slade himself.

And a tear rolled down her cheek.

Slade, her son, was alive and right across the street, yet now it was her task to retrieve him, and, if necessary, kill him.

Faster, faster, faster. Slade ran and ran down the street tempted to look just to his right. Just take a glance at the place he was ashamed to call home, but he couldn't. It would slow him down. The sooner Slade would get out of this evil town the better. He knew it was wrong, that people could get hurt if he fled, but his own fright consumed him.

His plan was very simple: Go up over the mountains surrounding Kurou and continue on gradually. But that was much easier said than done. It would take a long time just to reach the mountains surrounding this vast city. Then he'd have to go over the looming mountains, which was barely done by adults! Most of the adults who travel up or down the mountains use a car anyway. To some climbing the steep mountains of Kurou would be almost impossible, but Slade had to. Even if it would take an extensive amount of time and patience.

Now, while listening to only the sound of his footsteps, he asked himself a question. Is my life precious enough to me that I will concur everything that is thrown at me?

But now something makes him look back at the place that haunts his thoughts. He thinks he sees something, but it could be is mind playing tricks on him. Slade was very stressed. How many kids must flee from their parents? It wasn't only him traveling down that supposedly calm and quiet street. There was another, a lady.

Someone was following him.

Alarmed, Slade began to sprint. They couldn't have found him already. No, his father wasn't that agile. Maybe it was someone else, just an insomniac going for a jog. Anxiety overcame him. He turned streets, rounded corners, rushing through neighborhoods unknown to him. Where was he going? He didn't really care…Just away from whoever had been following him.

Finally he reached the middle of the town. There was only a minor change in the amount of people out in about, but somehow he felt safer. He couldn't recognize anyone around him, which, in this case, was good. Although he thought the person following him was gone, he continued to sprint. What if they caught up somehow? He couldn't chance it. Odysseus would have his life and others as well.

Every now and then Slade thought he saw something out of the peripheral of his eye. It was like a dark figure that blended into the darkness that was. Then it just disappeared and Slade went on, trying to calculate how far off he was from his original escape route. His path veered off to the right, while in the chase he got off course and went to the left. Now he'd have to travel right a little bit.

A dark figure once again presented itself behind Slade. The figure looked a lot like a shadow, only I a 3-D form that took a more explicit shape. Slade sensed that something was behind him…He could tell. He spun around cautiously, but there was nothing. Was his mind so tired as to him imagining that things were there when they really weren't?

Little did Slade know, the person was still there, watching. Curious about the boy who ran from the museum. Slade just shrugged and continued down his route to Kurou's enclosing mountains.

Just behind him the shadow followed unseen but there just the same. Every now and then the figure would appear from a different something's obscuration. Then, as long as it felt it safe, it stayed and strolled behind the boy. Sometimes it would be only a few steps behind, and sometimes it would be as far as one street behind him. Just as long as the boy didn't know they were there. But it didn't quite stay that way for as long as it wanted to.

The cycle went on and on for hours. Form from a shadow, looks over shoulder, form is gone, continues on unseen, repeated. They both did this all the way until they reached the base of the mountain, where many hiking trails began. The sun was rising, and finally Slade caught his pursuer red-handed.

"Who are you?" He screamed and lunged out in frustration.

The dark figure winced and began to back away slowly. Finally, the veil of darkness that had surrounded the person disappeared and all of the person's features could be seen with much better clarity. It was a girl, about the same age as he. She looked very frightened, so Slade tried to look less irritated.

"I'm sorry. You came from the museum looking so scared I just got curious but I didn't want you to see me so I tried to conceal myself." The girl turned around and looked like she was going to go back into the city. More cars and people were starting to form outside.

"It's okay, but who are you? How did you do that," Slade pointed to a shadow on the ground, "whatever it was you did?"

The girl looked back at Slade and stared at him. Her face had a worried expression, and her grey eyes were misty. Slade could tell that the girl hadn't wanted him to find out she followed him. But why hadn't she just asked him instead of toyed with him all the way to the grounds of the mountains. She definitely seemed enigmatic and dark, but was she dangerous?

"You won't tell anyone, will you? People would hate me if they knew. They always fear those different from them. It's in their nature," she said. "My name is Psyche Crow. I'm not sure exactly what I can do, but Dad says it isn't normal. I think he hates me."

Crow. Slade knew that name. Psyche must be the officer's daughter. It would make sense though. She must have been there to see her dad and saw me leave the museum.

Slade tried to make her feel better, "What is normal, anyway?"

The girl looked around and pointed her hand at Slade's shadow. All of a sudden his shadow came to life. It was the same size and shape as Slade, but it was the same color as the night. Then the shadow, on Psyche's command, fell back into its original space.

"Not that." She said.

Slade was amazed at the girl's power. Not only could she bring shadows to life, but she could also become a shadow and travel through the shadows as a hideaway. But Slade sensed immediately that the girl did not wish to be able to do any of those things.

Psyche inched closer to Slade; "I don't know when things happen. I sometimes can control it and then there are other times when nothing will happen. Once the shadows didn't obey me and almost destroyed my dad. He got really mad at me and said that it was all my fault." She started to cry. Slade felt much sympathy for the girl. Odysseus wasn't the nicest person in the world either.

"Sorry," Slade told her.

Slade took a seat on a rock near him. Psyche took the other one. They both sat there in silence for a long while, and then Psyche spoke again.

"I don't even want to stay here. Kurou is so big; you never have space to breathe except at night. Even then there are some people out and about." She looked over at Slade. "So…What's your story?"

Slade was leery. He wasn't sure if he could trust her. What if Odysseus made her to go after him? He knew that Odysseus would do anything to find him, even if he pulled innocent people into the mix.

Psyche sighed. "Come on…Spill it!" But Slade still wasn't exactly sure. After a moment of thinking, Slade finally came to a decision.

"I'm running away from my father. It is as simple as that. You know how some parents can be…Hurtful, mean." He was tempted to say "destructive", but kept that thought to himself. Psyche seemed honest and nice, but in this lubricous and distasteful city no one could be dependable.

"Why were you in the museum though?"

Psyche was very inquisitive. Could this mean that she wasn't to be trusted, or just really cared about him? Either way, he was in too deep to stop answering questions. He's have to tell her everything. Well, almost everything. Some things were better left unsaid.

"My dad…wanted me to," he paused for a moment, as if only now digesting the intensity of the situation, "steal something. I had to thieve a piece of art that was supposedly very valuable. It was valuable to Odysseus anyway."

"That place is huge. How did you even find it? Did he have a map of the whole place? Even I don't know my way around that place!"

"I didn't…I kind of collapsed before I got to it." Slade said.

"Oh. Did they turn you in? Shouldn't you be in jail right now?" Psyche was definitely interested now.

Slade got up and started walking up the trail. Psyche followed him, but hesitated before doing so. She had never been out of Kurou before, even with her parents! Of course she wanted to see other places around the world, but to go without even telling her parents?

And she finally made her decision.

"I'm going with you." Psyche announced, but Slade kept walking up the mountain path.

"Okay," he said. He knew that Psyche felt the same way he did, and thought that she could be help in any situation that would occur while traveling up the mountain.

Then they kept hiking up the towering mountains that formed around Kurou nonchalantly. They were just flecks on a tremendous green mountain, as though they both didn't matter in the big picture that was the world. But that wasn't true in the tiniest bit.

Much farther down the mountain though, someone knew that those flecks were none other than Slade and Psyche, and even though it pained her deeply to do so, had to report it to Odysseus. "Sorry," she muttered under her breath.

She flicked open her communicator. Down on the screen was Odysseus's terrible face glaring up at her. His jet-black hair and emerald green eyes were both looking extra cold, yet she wasn't intimidated in the least bit.

"Sir, they are escaping up the mountain. They are moving very quickly, probably on account of the girl's amazing powers. What is my command?"

"Follow them, but make sure that they are unaware of your presence. I want to see where they are going. Report back to me once you find anything new out." His voice was rough and dominant.

"And you sir? What are you going to do?"

Odysseus never responded her. The screen went blank abruptly. Liannaka sighed and put the communicator away and looked up the tremendous mountain. It would be a long way up, but she knew she must follow them silently. She must be camouflaged into the background; she must be unseen, unheard, and definitely be subtle while taking notes of their activity. It was a large task, and a grueling one, but she must do it, even if it troubled her to do so.

And so, Liannaka, red hair blowing in contrast with the trees and bushes of the mighty mountains, began the climb up the mountain. Succeeding two children full of energy with both having extreme power would definitely not be easy.