Break Shadow: Chapter 2
Disclaimer: DC COMICS owns "Teen Titans." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.
Raven stared out at the bay, watching the sunrise. Starfire had long since fallen asleep on her bed, weary after the long day and hearing the tales of her teammate's past. Repeating the stories created a swell of confusion and fear in Raven. She wondered how Chaos was supposed to "unlock" her powers, whatever that meant exactly.
She looked back towards Starfire with a faint smile. The taller girl had wrapped herself in the sheets, her head at one side of the bed and her feet dangling off the other. Raven gestured, and Starfire lifted slightly off the bed. She turned in the air to a more traditional position, her head over the pillows, and lowered gently down. Almost in defiance, Starfire rolled in her sleep to resume her previous position.
Laughing quietly, Raven shook her head. Unable to do much else, she lifted one hand and a book flew into it. She rose up into the air, crossed her legs, and opened the book.
Thirty minutes later, the alarms went off.
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The girl looked up quickly at the jingle of the bells on the door. It was her fourth day at the city's pizza restaurant, and she was beginning to adjust to the night shift. It was only six-thirty, but she was awake and ready to take any orders.
"Welcome to the Pizza Place!" she said cheerfully. "What can I get you?" It was fortunate that she had finished her required speech before actually looking towards the door. Chaos had just walked through the door, yawning and scratching the back of her neck. The girl standing behind the counter paled and went stiff, trying to summon courage enough to move her pinkies.
"Let me see," Chaos said after yawning widely. Her red eyes carefully read over the menu behind the counter. After a minute or so, she smiled and looked back to the girl, who stepped behind the register.
"A large cheese and a pitcher of water," she said, yawning once again. "I just came from watching the sunrise and I'm hungry."
"Oh, from your home?" the young woman asked steadily, her business persona taking over. She typed in the order on the register.
"No, from the mountains," Chaos replied. The girl smiled and nodded, her hands surprisingly steady.
"That'll be fifteen thirty-five," she said with another smile, "and it'll be about twenty minutes." Chaos fished in her pocket for a moment, retrieving a small wad of bills. She rifled through the wad, eventually pulling out a twenty and handing it to the girl. The girl quickly counted out the change and held out her hand. Chaos waved it away.
"Keep it," she said with her own smile. "And would you mind serving it to me up on your roof? It's going to be a nice day out."
"Of course," the girl replied. Chaos waved and walked up the stairs to the roof café. Once she had vanished, the girl walked into the kitchen, relaying the order to the cooks. As one of the cooks started to make the pizza, she slumped against a wall, a cold sweat rolling down her face.
Twenty-two minutes later, she steadied herself with the platter and the pitcher of water and walked up the stairs. Chaos sat at a table in the center of the slice-shaped roof, looking out at the sun. She grinned as the girl set down the food and drink.
"Here," she said, placing two bills in the girl's hand. "Thanks." The girl nodded, smiling, and walked away. When she was safely down the stairs, she looked at the bills in her hand. A pair of hundred dollar bills stared up at her. The girl looked back towards the stairs, briefly wondering if she should go back up and refuse to take the massive tip. Common sense won out, and she put the money in her pocket with a confused but happy smile.
Chaos rubbed her clawed hands together, licking her lips with an eager tongue. It had been months since she had been in a city, and just as long since she even thought to have pizza. She picked up a slice and took a bite.
"Yum," she murmured after a moment. It was certainly a pleasure to eat a finely made pizza. After the first slice, Chaos made a note in her mind to give the girl downstairs a few more hundreds and not to kill her and take all the money in the restaurant. After ten minutes, she had finished five of sixteen slices, and was about to start in on her sixth.
She paused, however, when a sound rudely hit her pointed ears. It was a scream, and it was growing louder. Abruptly, a small green blur fell from the sky and slammed into the table, smashing the table and the pizza as it dug a gouge in the floor. An exceedingly short figure stood up from the wreckage, muttering furiously and slapping his hands at the sauce and cheese on his green jumpsuit.
"Stupid pus-eating nose-pickers!" the tiny boy whined. "I'll show those stupid Titans a thing or two!" He gasped when Chaos's hand grabbed the front of his jumpsuit.
"Lemme go, ya butt-breathed, snot-brained moron!" he snapped, kicking his legs. His bravado, obviously bigger than his brain, kept him snarling and glaring at Chaos. She glared back at him, her fangs glinting as her lips pulled in a sneer.
"I was eating that," she growled, pointing a claw at the stains on his suit.
"What do I care?" he shouted. "I'm Gizmo, and you're in my way, ya stupid pimple-head!" He shouted again as Chaos's hand fell on his head. Gizmo continued to shout threats and insults until Chaos's hand started to close.
On the street below, the Titans stood their ground against Jinx and Mammoth. Robin slid back along the street, Mammoth having punched him moments earlier. The boy wonder stood back up, his Bo staff held tightly in both hands.
"Titans, get ready!" he commanded, his body tensing. Before the Titans could move, a voice called out.
"This must belong to you, then!" Chaos shouted, flinging something at Jinx. The force behind the projectile slammed Jinx into the ground, cracking the concrete beneath her. She sat up slowly, groaning and shaking her pink-haired head. A snarl started to make its way out of her throat, but it died just behind her tongue when she looked at the thing in her lap.
What was left of Gizmo lay crumpled upon her. His head was gone, replaced by a few bloody fibers holding onto shards of skull dangling from the neck. The teen villains and heroes all looked up at Chaos, staring at her bloody right hand. Unpleasant chunks slipped off her fingers and fell to the pavement with a wet splat.
Jinx screamed and Mammoth roared. The muscle-bound teen leapt up, giant hands reaching for Chaos. Chaos's grin grew wider. She stepped off the ledge of the building, Mammoth's hands grabbing for her too late. Her hand grabbed his ankle as she went by, jerking him down into her grasp. They both fell, Chaos pulling Mammoth over her knee. She hit the ground first, kneeling on one knee. Mammoth slammed into her knee, back first, and gave a shout of pain. Chaos's eyes lit up as she lifted her arms. She brought them down fast, her forearms striking Mammoth's neck and stomach.
A loud, wet crack rang out, and Mammoth bent further over Chaos's knee. He slid to the ground, eyes blank and staring. Jinx continued to scream, her shrieks intensifying as Chaos drew closer. Chaos crouched down, her blood-covered hand closing over the witch's mouth. She snapped Jinx's neck with a quick jerk of her wrist. A chuckle left her lips as she stood and let Jinx's body fall to the ground.
"You're insane," Robin said simply, eyes wide and skin pale. All of the heroes stood in shock and disgust; all but Raven. She stood with a defiant frown, glaring at her erstwhile teacher.
"What, didn't Raven tell you about me?" Chaos asked, flicking her hand mostly clean of the blood. She grinned at Raven, who looked away. Chaos closed her eyes, shook her head, and laughed.
"I suppose she doesn't trust you enough," she chuckled. "Not enough to tell you about me, anyway." Her eyes opened again, sweeping over the Titans. A grin pulled her lips again, her eyes lighting up.
"Well, maybe she trusts one of you enough," she murmured tauntingly. "The green-eyed one, I would think." Raven's eyes snapped open, shining brightly. She lifted both hands, her magic taking hold of a car parked on the street. With a furious gesture, she flung the SUV at Chaos. Chaos laid her hand on the hilt of the sword at her side and drew it, laughing heartily. Metal screamed as it was cut through, and the SUV fell in two pieces on either side of Chaos.
Raven ripped up a chunk of the street and lifted another car, throwing them at Chaos simultaneously. The pureblood demon laughed again, slicing both the car and the hunk of asphalt in half. With a rage-filled shout, Raven lifted the ground under Chaos into the air. She clapped her hands together, the stone curling into a sphere. Not content with this, she clasped her hands tight. The stone crunched, becoming a solid boulder.
Streaks of sparks erupted over the boulder, and it exploded. Chaos dropped to the ground, lifting the one-sided sword and resting it on her shoulder. The grin on her face was both triumphant and mocking, and it drove Raven further towards the edge. Her eyes began to darken, turning blood red. Beast Boy and Cyborg let out terrified squeals as the ground rumbled under their feet.
"Raven, don't get all crazy on us!" Beast Boy squeaked. Raven refused to hear the green-furred boy, her attention focused entirely on attacking Chaos. Her hands closed into tight fists, the rumbling growing stronger with Raven's fury. Chaos's expression abruptly calmed, her manic grin fading. She watched Raven grow angrier, her own brows furrowing.
The opportunity was too great to ignore. Starfire took advantage of Chaos's distraction and let loose a massive blast of energy. A wall of black flames erupted before Chaos, blocking the energy and hiding the demon. When the flames vanished, there was no sign of Chaos. Raven's ragged breath abruptly caught just behind her tongue, and her eyes cleared.
"Raven?" Starfire asked. "Are you all right?" Raven shot into the air, flying fast towards Titan's Tower. Starfire leapt up, following the young woman just as quickly the other moved.
"Raven, please wait!" Starfire called, doubling her efforts to catch up to the half-demon. She managed to just beat Raven's speed, taking hold of Raven's wrist when she was able to. Raven stopped, but did not look at Starfire.
"Raven, what is wrong?" the red-haired alien asked gently. "Please, I am trustworthy. I just wish to help." After a moment and a low sigh, Raven nodded slightly and pointed towards the Tower.
"Let's just land there first," she murmured. Starfire did not question her friend, and the two slowly descended onto the roof of the Tower. Raven took a few quick steps away from Starfire, crossing her arms and refusing to look the other in the face.
"Please, Raven, tell me what troubles you so," Starfire said gently. It took a long moment before Raven answered.
"My powers are tied to emotion, remember?" she said in a strained voice. "When I get angry, I can't control my powers. You've seen what happens—what just happened."
"And therein lies my problem." Raven and Starfire whirled to find Chaos sitting on the small shack that housed the stairwell into the building. She sat in the classic thinker's pose, staring thoughtfully at Raven.
"You can't control it," she muttered. "After eight solid years of my training, I thought you'd be able to wield your power more effectively than this." She hopped down from the small building, walking towards the two young heroines. Starfire stepped away as Chaos drew closer, but Raven defiantly stood her ground.
"I'm supposed to help you unlock your powers, but no matter what I do, you're completely unaffected," Chaos growled. Raven's defiant stance faltered. The growing rage in Chaos's voice seemed to echo.
"What is it that I need to do?" Chaos demanded, red eyes blazing. "What will make you gain control?"
"Starfire, run," Raven said quickly, pushing back at the other heroine blindly. "Just run. Get away. Now!" Before Starfire could react, Chaos suddenly calmed, grinning broadly.
"Why didn't I think of it before?" she asked with a laugh, turning and walking a few paces away. "It's so easy! So simple!" Starfire screamed. Raven spun about, eyes widening at the sight before her. A serpent made entirely of ice slithered around Starfire's feet, and the massive black hound made of fire snapped at Starfire as she came near.
"Leave her alone!" Raven shouted. "I'm the one you're after!" Chaos chuckled, ignoring Starfire's scream of shock when the serpent struck her foot and encased it in thick, heavy ice.
"No, Raven," Chaos said in a singsong voice. "I'm not 'after' you. I'm making sure you can use all the power you've been given. This is the best way to do it."
"Don't hurt her!" Raven said desperately. "Please!" Chaos only gave her a malicious grin. Raven turned to look at Starfire again, eyes staring as the black hound tackled Starfire.
"You know what I want, little blackbird," Chaos murmured. "If you want me to stop, then admit that you feel. Admit your rage! Admit that you care for her!" When Raven made no move, Chaos scowled. "Do it before it's too late." Raven's eyes widened once more, meeting Starfire's terrified green eyes.
"I—can't," Raven whispered. Chaos sighed and snapped her clawed fingers. Starfire let out a shriek of horror as the hound swirled into a massive column of black fire around her. The scream reached a peak, and then stopped. The flames dissipated, and Starfire was gone. Raven's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She ran to where Starfire had been, dropping to her knees and patting the ground as if hunting for a sign that Starfire was still there.
"You didn't," Raven murmured. Her hands began to slap at the ground. "You couldn't have." Her hands tightened, fists pounding the reinforced cement hard enough to crack it. She began to shake with rage, her eyes lighting with pure white. She spun and stood, her fists swallowed by blackness. Had she been anyone else, Chaos's grin would have slid off her face at the sight of Raven so enraged. Instead, she stood straight, crossing her arms and smiling slightly.
"You—BITCH!" Raven shouted, casting her arms down and closing her eyes tight. "How could you? How dare you! I'll kill you!" A swell of shadows appeared, the shape of a dark bird rising up and towering over Chaos. It rushed at the demon, slamming into the grinning woman with the speed and power of a skyscraper dropped from thirty stories.
Chaos was flung from the roof, hitting the water and skipping across it like a well-tossed rock. The splash that erupted when she lost enough speed was massive, and she soon crashed into the shoreline. The shore, however, was still not enough to stop her completely. Chaos gouged a massive path with her body through the street she had hit, cars bouncing and popping their tires from the shockwave. She sat up slowly, shaking her head to dislodge the pebbles from her hair and letting out a laugh.
"That's a start," she muttered, spitting out a gob of black blood. With another laugh, she vanished in a cyclone of black flames. By then, the remaining Titans had crossed the bay riding on a whale Beast Boy. The sight of the giant dark bird confused and frightened them, and they ran as fast as they could to the roof. They found Raven sitting at the edge of the building, her hood up and her shoulders shaking.
"Where's Starfire?" Beast Boy asked. No one replied, as they all knew the answer. The day was turning out to be beautiful.
—to be continued—