This piece of fanfiction is ©copyright 2005 by Saint Raven. All characters in this story are owned by Cartoon Network, Disney, Rareware, Bandai, and whoever else owns Teen Titans. This work cannot be reproduced for profit or anything else without the written consent of the author, Saint Raven.

This story is dedicated to fellow fanfiction author Gohan Strife from and Gohan, you rock!

Teen Titans: Shadows Inside Us

Part 5: Take These Broken Wings

By Saint Raven

Standing at the edge of the cave-in, Robin The Boy Wonder sighed as he took in the site of the excavators pulling up yet another pile of rocks.

"At this rate, we'll never find her." He muttered to himself. The team had been forced to stand around and wait for the construction workers to slowly pull up the large amounts of rock and debris that had plugged up the hole when Mammoth destroyed the street.

A low beeping sound averted his attention to his belt. Pulling out his communicator, the Boy Wonder smiled to see the face of his friend Roy on the device's small screen. "Speedy?"

"Hey Rich," the young archer replied. "Found her yet?"

"Negative, we're still looking."

Speedy sighed. "Don't worry, man, she's still alive, I'm sure of it."

Robin smirked. "Yeah, I know. It'll take a lot more than a fall to kill Raven. Anyway, what's your ETA?"

"About ten minutes or less." The archer replied.

"You know, you guys didn't need to come all the way from Steel City to assist us."

Speedy's image was shoved to the side as Bumblebee's filled the screen. "Aw, don't worry about it, Rob, we should hang out together more often anyway."

Bumblebee was shoved next to Speedy as the twins yelled "SI!" into the speaker.

Raven's head snapped forward as her consciousness returned to her mortal shell. The dark mage gasped in a breath of air as her regained her bearings. She and Jinx were still stuck in the underground cavern, only now their bodies were pressed together. Apparently, they had hugged each other while still in their trances.

Raven glanced down to see Jinx's cotton-candy pink eyes slowly open to the world around her. Dark amethyst met the aforementioned pink for only a brief moment. Regretfully, Jinx pulled away from the dark mage.

"Sorry…" the witch muttered, wrapping her arms around her torso.

"For what?"

"Holding you like that," Jinx replied. "I know you don't like to be touched."

Raven paused. "It's alright, really."

"Thank you," Jinx said. "for everything."

"Don't worry about it," Raven replied, placing a smooth hand on the bad luck charm's shoulder. "No one should have to go through that. No one."

Jinx glanced at the hand before nodding. "After awhile, it just seemed to be natural, you know? Like that was the way things were supposed to be."

Raven shook her head. "Jinx, no matter what the circumstances, what Brother Blood did to you is inexcusable."

The pink-haired witch sighed, looking around the cavern. "So, what happens now?"

"After we get out of this place?" Raven asked. "I…I'm not sure."

Jinx smirked. "Gonna take me to prison?"

"I-" Raven began, "I have to, Jinx. I have to uphold the law."

"Yeah, I know." Jinx agreed, catching Raven off guard. "I wouldn't expect anything less of you."

The dark mage blushed slightly. "But, with good behavior, after a few months, maybe I can get you out on probation. Help you get on your feet."

The witch stared thoughtfully into space before asking; "Do you think…that, 'I', could be a Titan?"

"It's a definitely possibility." Raven replied. "But you'd have to work really hard to win the team's trust."

Jinx nodded, glancing at the floor.

"If it helps," Raven heard herself say, "you already have a head start."

Jinx stared at the mage in shock. "Really!"

Raven nodded slowly. "Yes. I know what it's like to be under someone else's control, not able to make your own decisions, your own choices…"

"Are you quite sure, comrade Starfire?" a deep male Russian voice inquired through the communicator's speaker grill. "I could be in San Francisco in only a few hours to assist in any capacity."

The Tamaranian princess giggled to herself as she through another boulder out of the pile with one hand. "Again I truly appreciate your offer, friend Red Star, but I am sure that we will breach friend Raven's position very soon. We have been clearing rubble for several hours already."

On the screen, the muscular Russian teen smiled, his fully green eyes sparkling in the lights send from the North Pole. "Alright, comrade Starfire. Please keep me informed; I am anxious to see how comrade Raven fared."

"With the greatest pleasure, friend Red Star." Starfire replied, smiled at her friend. "Starfire, over and the out!"

Red Star laughed as the screen faded to black. Starfire replaced the communicator in her hip pouch and bent over to pick up a particularly large boulder with both of her hands.

"Hey Star!" Cyborg called from the opposite side of the site. "Any luck yet?"

"None thus far, friend Cyborg!" the Tamaranian replied, picking the enormous rock up. "But fear not, for I am sure that we will find our friend very so-AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!"

As Starfire lifted the huge boulder, the entire floor of rocks gave out and collapsed into the cavern below. Starfire shrieked, using her powers at the last second to catch herself before she plummeted into the abyss.

Cyborg and Beast Boy, in gorilla form, were not so lucky, and they fell into the cavern. Beast Boy was able to morph into a hawk at the last possible second, but Cyborg crashed head-first on the cavern floor.

As the half-android picked himself up, he heard a small giggle at his expense. "He should have stuck with calling himself 'Stone'", Jinx said, "'cause he falls like one!"

Raven smirked. "I don't know, 'Tin Man' would work perfectly well."

"Aw ladies, please," Cyborg joked as Beast Boy and Starfire landed in the cavern. "You know the Cy-man's always able to take the heat!"

Suddenly remembering why he was in the cavern in the first place, Cyborg straightened up and glared at Jinx. "You okay, Rae?" he asked the mage.

Rolling her eyes, Raven stepped in between the two and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine Cyborg."

Noticing Beast Boy and Starfire's expressions, she quickly added, "Calm down, Jinx is gonna come quietly." The mage informed them.

Jinx nodded quietly and stuck out her hands, which Cyborg quickly cuffed.

Having used her powers to levitate herself and Jinx to the edge of the crater, Raven led the witch to the squad car that would take her to the local penitentiary.

"Remember," the mage said to the bad luck charm, "just act polite and calm, don't do anything stupid, and you'll be fine."

Jinx nodded, raising her head to meet Raven's gaze. "How can I repay you for what you've done for me today?"

"Be good," Raven replied seriously, "and get out of there are soon as possible. "Legally", that is."

The pink-haired witch giggled. "You say that as if you expect me to be bad."

"Don't do anything stupid," the mage repeated. "Also, can I have permission to talk about certain things with Robin? As leader, he'll have to be on your side if you want to come anywhere close to being a Titan."

Jinx looked uneasily at the ground. "Don't worry," Raven told her, "I won't tell Robin "everything", just what he needs to know. He's a real good judge of character; if he thinks that there's a chance of you turning over a new leaf, then things will be much easier."

The witch nodded, raising her head again. "I'll be good, I promise."

Raven nodded back at her as a uniformed cop approached them. "It's time to go now." He said.

Both girls nodded, Jinx turning to the cop, signaling that she would go quietly.

As she was loaded into the patty wagon, Jinx turned her head to Raven and smiled. The mage grinned back; only slightly, but it was still there. Jinx's smile grew even larger, and remain on her face even when the door to the cop car was closed and the vehicle had sped off into the deepening night.

The mage turned to the Boy Wonder, who had wandered up behind her. "I need to talk to you tomorrow."

Robin nodded, turning towards the rest of the Titans, who were animatedly chatting with Titans East, who had just arrived. "Tomorrow sounds good. I doubt some of us will be getting any sleep tonight."

The dark mage smirked again as the duo walked back towards their friends. "Don't worry, I doubt anything else exciting will happen tonight."

On the other side of the city, a single lonely cat dug through a trash can, searching for leftover food to fill it's stomach with. The cat was primed to bolt if it sensed danger, so when the wind began to pick up, the feline raised it's head, looking for a possible predator. When it saw nothing, the animal dug it's head back into the garbage.

The wind, however, began to blow even harder. Blue surges of electricity exploded from mid air, forming a large sphere in the air. Out of the sphere fell two male teenaged figures. Both were battle-worn and haggard, with deep scars coving their exposed flesh.

As he landed, one of the teens landed on his bare feet, snatching up his fallen katana in one swift motion. His opponent landed on his knees and watched helplessly as his scythe slid across the cracked pavement. He raised his head as the arm teen, his long scarlet cloak/cape combo fluttered behind him.

"Stand, you bastard, stand!" he shouted at his opponent, spitting on the kneeling male. "Stand and meet Death like a warrior!"

The kneeling boy spat back, slewing a sling of curses at his opponent, before the armed teen decapitated his opponent with one vicious strike of the katana.

The cat shrieked down the alleyway as the slain boy's head bounced into the garbage can. The feline sped off down the alley, wanting to put as much distance between itself and the madman as it could.

The surviving teen breathed deeply, sucking in as much air as he could, panting with exertion. He holstered his blade and turned to proceed down the alley in the opposite direction of the cat. He took seven steps before crying out in agony, as something burned itself on his back. The teen pulled back the cloak, revealing the large tattoo he had of a black bird had started burning brightly on his back.

"Incredible!" the boy gasped. "My vengeance and my search end in the same place! Oh my sweet Queen, your benevolence smiles down upon me! See we shall be reunited, and existence will be yours!"

Struggling to his feet, the boy began turning in a circle, coming to a complete stop as the burning faded.

Looking up through the maze of buildings, he could just barely make out a tall building shaped like a large letter 'T' resting on an island in the city harbor.

Smiling to himself, the teen began walking back down the alley, heading for the harbor.

Destiny was about to be fulfilled!

The End

To Be Continued…

COMING SOON!

"What do you want with us!" Robin screamed at the violet-haired madman.

The Master Of Puppets raised his blade, cackling psychotically at the Boy Wonder. "The Ascension of the Great Queen, that and nothing more!"

-----------------

"I care about you, Raven." Nathan replied to his long-time friend. "I will not rest with some psychopath threatening your life!"

The dark mage snarled at her friend. "I don't need your protection, I can handle everything myself."

-----------------

"Follow your heart," Jinx gasped as Raven's lips pressed against her own, causing the witch to mean in sheer bliss. "Do what you think is right. Either way, I won't stop you!"

-----------------

Tears streamed down Raven's face as she cradled her pink-haired witch's head in her lap. "Why? Why you?"

Then she spotted him; the madman, the monster, the murderer.

"YOU! I HATE YOU!" Raven screamed at him, her eyes flaring bright crimson. "IN THE NAME OF AZAR, YOUR BLOOD WILL BE MINE!"

-----------------

(from the author of "The Legend Of Zelda: The Ballad Of Fallen Angels")

"She had to die…"

(and the author of "Canto I: I Shall Kill Them")

"I had to use your love for her…"

(comes a terrifying and horrific adventure)

"To unlock the evil…"

(not for the weak of heart.)

"That resides in your heart!"

SAINT RAVEN

"Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done."

PROUDLY

"On Earth,

As it is…"

PRESENTS

"…In Heaven…"

"Teen Titans: Symphony Of The Darkness"

Book I: The Silence Breaks

Coming November 2005