It's been a while. Well . . .yeah. What can I say? I've been busy and tired and plagued by writers' block. But I'm back now, and hopefully this chapter isn't too disappointing. I'm not expecting this to last much longer – maybe three chapters – but you never know. It all depends on how I decide to make one little thing go . . . hmmm. Anyway, here ya go:

To my reviewers: BBfan4evah - I'm glad that this is at least somewhat mysterious.
Sasori Katana - well, as you can see, the truth isn't out, yet, so I can't tell you whether you (or BBfan43vah, for that matter) is right. lol You'll just have to wait!

Disclaimer: I don't own it, blah, blah, blah. I'm really not in the mood for this.

Chapter 5: In The Cloud

Eagle, taking his avian form, flew up to join Starfire and Raven. Cyborg and Robin ran down the street below. Up ahead, dark clouds blanketed the city, far too low to be natural. Slowly, lightning built up inside it, crackled along the sides, and lit up the shadowy street below. As the Titans approached the cloud, they slowed. Eagle and Raven edged into the turbulent darkness, followed closely by Starfire. Robin and Cyborg entered from opposite sides of the street.

The thick black clouds swirled around them, hiding everything more than three feet away. Every so often lightning flickered, illuminating the area. Soon the vapor swirled around, dragged along by a wind. The wind gathered speed and intensity the farther they went. Shadows, too, built up, and soon each Titan was completely isolated. But a sixth silhouette flitted around. It studied each in turn, choosing its first target carefully.

snatitneet>

Starfire.

"Who is there?" Starfire asked nervously. There was no reply. A shadow in the cloud circled her at a distance. She gasped and sent a starbolt at it, but the green energy cut a path through the cloud, meeting no resistance. "Show yourself!" She was angry now.

"I prefer not to."

Something slammed into Starfire from above, driving her to the ground. It took her a moment to recover. When, with a groan, she pushed herself up off the ground, she saw no one. Standing up, Starfire listened for anything out of the ordinary. She heard a sound, somewhere between a hiss and a whoosh, coming from behind her. Just in time, she dodged to the right, turning to throw a starbolt as she moved.

This time her attack met its target, and she saw someone collapse to the ground. He quickly rolled farther into the cloud, once again disappearing from view. Starfire flew up slightly off the ground. She kept glancing over her shoulder, waiting for the next attack.

Lightning flashed, almost blinding her, and the thunder was louder than she had ever heard before. For an instant she was overcome by the sheer intensity of it. The shadow came again, once more taking her by surprise. As he attacked, she brought her arm around, starbolt ready, and half shoved, half blasted him away. He came back almost immediately with more ferocity. She blocked every blow and landed some of her own, but he did not relent. Soon she lost all sense of how long she had been battling him, but it must have been a long time, since she was beginning to tire. He was, too, or appeared to be – he was breathing hard and his attacks were coming slower and slower. With a grunt, Starfire hurled him away from herself. She heard him slam into something (a wall, maybe?) with a loud thud, and then silence closed in around her.

Still wary, she did not relax until the cloud began to thin. The wind died down, and the sun, though weak, could be seen. Starfire lowered to the ground, hardly daring to believe it had been so easy. He must have hit the wall as hard as it had sounded and gotten knocked out. O one – she was sure it was him – had no doubt created this cloud, and as long as he was able he wouldn't have let it dissipate. That had to mean that he was unconscious.

She walked a few steps, smiling and relaxed. Then she froze. Something wasn't right.

Before she could think about it anymore, O one attacked with everything he had, including the weather. He moved so quickly she did not have time to do anything. The last thing she saw clearly was a flash as light as he ran into her.

Alright, yeah. That chapter was really short, and I really don't like the ending, but it's just something to hold you over till I have time to write again. I don't know how much homework I'll have tomorrow, but I'll probably be busy, and I have stuff (by "stuff" I mean marching band. WHOO! We're going to the state championship!) all day Friday and Saturday. I might have time Sunday, and probably Monday, so I'll hopefully get something up early next week. But if I don't, it'll be at least Friday, probably later, before I get more time.

Anyway, the next chapter will be longer, I promise, and will have more action. As always, read and review!