Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
Warning: Slight carnage and language.
...let me turn to find you... is a line break.
Chapter Three: Breaking Point
"Aaaaaa-" Thump.
"Ow…" The dark shape lifted a hand to wipe bits of sod out of his eyes. Sounds of shuffling feet reached his ears and he froze, listening to inhuman howls and grunts. Daring to move, the boy rolled swiftly under a shallow overhang, pausing once he was out of sight. After a few more tense minutes, there came a rush of leathery wings taking flight, accompanied by infuriated guttural cries
Keol let out a sigh of relief, dragging himself out of the darkness. When the copper haired boy sat up, one arm hung limply at his side as deep gashes started bleeding again on his leg.
"I know they can't see me, but they're pretty good at finding me," he complained tiredly, rubbing his good hand on the numb forearm. Then his eyes glazed over and he rose, turning towards the denser part of the woods. As suddenly as it happened, the brightness snapped back into the metallic irises.
"It's getting stronger." Keol sighed, still massaging his arm. A jolt of pain came from his touch and he bit his lip, weary tears springing to his eyes.
"Ow…" He started to sit again, but his ankle snapped to the side and Keol stopped, lower lip trembling.
"Why me!" The far off screech of a demon answered him. Before the boy could react, his eyesight dimmed and the connection jerked him forward, directly through the brush and trees. Keol gave over to the silent force, hoping desperately that it would not kill him before he found the Heart. Tears at the pain filled his eyes and he gasped for breath, running onwards.
...let me turn to find you...
What would the Heart be? The exhausted part of his brain supplied an image: a flowerpot. What might have been a hysterical giggle escaped his bleeding lips as the driven child ran onwards, feeling as though he couldn't breathe.
How would a flowerpot help him against the Lord of Hell, his grandfather? Another mental picture, this one of him smashing the terracotta creation on Trigon's head. A laugh that was choked as he struggled to draw breathe made Keol realize just how tired he was, and forcefully erase the picture from his mind.
Then the trees thinned and a blessed clearing opened up before him. Once he reached the center, the magnetic like pull stopped. With a gulp of air the boy dropped to his hands and knees, eyes staring without comprehension at the barren ground under his fingers.
Nothing grew in this spot. No weeds, no grass, just dry dust that looked faintly red. Then he blinked, sitting back on his heels to touch the ground gently with his good hand. The only thing that could do that was… Demon blood. Long ago, someone had spilled either traces of demon blood or that of a half breed. Full blooded demons produced charred black areas, not dry spaces like this. And the only other half blood who might have been around here was-
"Keol-" A voice as clear as though the speaker stood right next to him, though weak and strained.
"Raven?" This could not be good. They were only to contact him in an emergency, in case Blood had a psychic.
"Mirror, I need more-" The contact magnified and sharpened. When he next heard a voice, it was Armory.
"Keol, something's come up. Brother Blood-"
"The under handed bastard-" snarled someone in the background- Mirror.
"Has taken our collective Titan teams captive. Titans East and South aren't responding, and we think Blood is jamming the signals somehow." Armory continued. Though Keol couldn't see her, she was standing in the city, hidden in the shadows of an alley as Mirror, Raven and Arella fought viciously outside. Raven, for her husband in Blood's clutches. Arella, for her daughter and hatred of those who had led to her rape by Trigon. Mirror, for Sel and the hope of the future they could share. Soon enough Armory would go out, to fight for her friends and comrades, but now she was sending the message to her brother. Even as the mental words flowed, she was taken back, far back, back to a time when Raven had fought alone for them…
"Hand over the girl." A cold, iron, chained voice. Raven stood in front of them, fists clenched at her side as black auras swirled around her.
"Go to Hell, Slade. I'm sure my Father would be glad to have you in his collection." And then no more words, but the rustle of cloth as the darkness around them moved. Scum off the streets, promised money if they succeeded, rushed eagerly toward the strange woman. The sight of two infants behind her didn't make a difference; these were the lowest of the low, and nothing was beyond them
She didn't know how, but Armory remembered seeing Raven fight. It was a memory only brought back once she had joined the Titans after Slade's defeat, but more than anything else it emphasized the power of a person protecting those they cared about- a mother fighting for her children.
Anger fueled the half demoness, and her reactions were near simultaneous. There was no ground to give here: it was either hand over Hailey and live, or fight and kick the badasses- or die. A silent snarl, much like one that her lover could have voiced, ripped from Raven's throat and her hands blurred.
The black fire didn't care who or what it cut. All it cared about was destroying the enemy, and that was all that mattered. Heads, severed from the thugs, flew into the forest around the road. Other men stumbled backwards, clutching arms or legs or opened bellies. Or not moving back at all. And yet the flow of them was endless.
It was frightened, innocent eyes that looked upon the scene, knowing only the intense flood of mental energy Raven unconsciously exerted. It wasn't until gloved hands snatched away one of the children that sanity snapped back into her eyes and Raven spun, seeing only Emily.
"No!" The scum- those who had lived- vanished into the forest. Raven started to lash out, but a wail – Hailey's – stopped her. Pain twisted in her face, visible conflict tearing it apart, until with a scream of rage and sorrow Raven scooped up her remaining child and turned, fleeing before Slade could try to finish the job. The last thing in that particular memory that Armory could see was her mother's tears, falling on the grass long after the half demoness was gone.
And soon that would be how she would fight, as Raven was now. Fighting for her friends and teammates trapped in that goddamn place…
Keol could hear fighting going on behind them. "We're attempting to free them, but you must find the Heart. Right now it's our only chance." The tone of her voice changed abruptly. "You have two days. Titan. Take care- look out Raven!" A pained cry and then- nothing. Stunned, Keol groped blindly for the reassuring contact, and found that they were gone.
The last vestiges of courage disappeared and he began to cry again. Stumbling to his feet, he tried to walk away, only to find the mysterious connection pulled him back to the lifeless patch of ground.
"But there's nothing there!" His wailed protest was met with no mercy from the controlling pull. Falling back to his knees, the young child wondered if the demons would find and kill him. He had failed.
Light flared up, blinding him as a startled cry was lost in the sudden wind. There was a feeling of hands, a girl's hands, taking gentle hold of his own, and then with a roar of sound, he vanished.
Author's Note: This took me forever to write. Curse you, writer's block! shake fist
Thanks to all who reviewed! Because responses are now outlawed, your e-mailed ones will be sent soon.