Dischord Nostra

Part Two

ºShe wouldn't answer her, so all Raven could do was play the moment over in front of her purple eyes like some terrible movie constantly on repeat. It scared her more than any horror she had ever seen, and the girl had seen terrible things.

Beat, Beat Heartbeat

And like before, when her terror was locked up, because she refused to let someone else see it, it crippled her. It was more than the collar locked around her neck, more than the consent pulse of Washu's energy that stung and struck at her in random, painful intervals. She couldn't calm the feeling in her chest.

Beat, Beat Heartbeat

Things were no longer such a blur in her head, Terra's constant verbal violence had told Raven a lot, mostly about the depth of Terra's compassion. Raven had never faced an enemy with such absolute recklessness… Terra was playing an entirely new game and Raven, for the moment, was some sort of abusable piece, just like Sakura, just like Robin…

Even though it was impossible, Raven hoped to believe that somehow she could make contact with Robin, with Sakura, with someone, with anyone to know something, anything about what had happened.

Raven knew that Robin shouldn't have been able to communicate telepathically with her just because she had been in his mind... she hadn't implanted any such power and seeing as he wasn't born with any... it just shouldn't have happened. She simply chalked it up to the Boy Wonder constantly defying the impossibles of the world and showing what the strength of will could do.

She had seen Robin do an infinite amount of impossibles, but what she saw, whatever it was that happened to Robin, just felt like, in the pit of her stomach, something that made recovery seem beyond his wonder.

It hurt her heart to think of it, it took all her energy to stop crying. But she couldn't keep the fear from her voice. "Robin." She whispered. "Please be okay."

Terra rolled her eyes, crossing her arms again over her small chest. She had been sitting still for nearly two hours hearing Raven go between pitiful sobs and the maximum of her rage. It was fun to watch that despair toss her around, but the last twenty minutes had been the same show, there had to be something more entertaining.

Terra found that she liked Raven's anger more than her sadness, though her helplessness gave her a satisfaction that could not be measured.

"Your loving worry really makes me sick."

"Kill yourself." Raven spat out, doing her best not to bite her tongue. She tried to remain calm, but Terra could bring out the absolute worst in her. Sometimes her heart was too heavy to control her thoughts, let alone her tongue.

"Get over yourself." Terra replied. Terra flickered a strand of hair behind her ear. "I bet you didn't mean a quarter to Robin what he means to you… if he means anything. I recall someone between us saying that her emotions were too dangerous to be indulged in… but there you were, so lovely-dovey like two love birds."

"You're an idiot."

"And you're deluding yourself. You could make kissy faces and hold hands all you want to, but it doesn't change the fact that you can't feel like real people and if someone could feel for you, it wouldn't be Boy Blunder. When did Robin notice you, anyway? When your hair grew long like Starfire's? When you batted your eyes and colored your lips just like she did? Or was it when Slade pursued you: when you were something Slade hunted for… I wonder if Robin ever cared about you… or just the idea of you. Slade plus Starfire equals all that matters to Robin. I bet that when you trembled under his kiss, when his hands squeezed your arms… he didn't see you for a minute. How could he stand the sight of a monster?"

Terra could drop venom with the best of them. But Raven was the best of them.

"Isn't that a question to be saved for Beast Boy?"

Terra raised a hand to strike her. Raven didn't look intimidated. Terra dropped her arm but Raven kept that insolent look. Terra took two shuddering breaths, clenching and flexing her fingers, the sound of joints popping occurred in two successive waves.

"You know Raven, I never told you this when we were Titans---"

"You were never a Titan!" Raven screamed.

"Details, details. But regardless of semantics, I did live amongst you idiots; I noticed something about you and its high time someone called you on it."

"Keep your treacherous accusations to yourself."

"You're in no position to tell me what to do. I'm going to talk and you're going to listen because no matter what you'd like to think, I'm in control here."

"You don't control anything, you never have and you never will." Raven replied. Her purple eyes followed Terra's movement as the narrow hipped villainess moved to the other side of her. Raven didn't turn her head, but kept her in her sights. Terra wasn't above blindsiding. She had seen all the dirty tricks Terra was willing to pull.¹

"You make the same mistakes every time Raven. Every single time. You think you know, but you never know. You don't know me. And as long as you think you do you sink deeper and deeper into your deluded little world where you think you're the good guy and everything is going to work in your favor. You're not good, you're evil and you aren't the high and mighty Raven that you want everyone to think you are. You make mistakes and they all caught up with you didn't they? Your perfect image crashed into the real world and you saw the truth… The reality of it is going to eat you alive."

"I won't be destroyed by my own mistakes." Raven bit back.

Terra shifted her hips. "Right, you'll be destroyed by me."

Raven shook her head in the negative. "You're one of my mistakes."º

…

Nightwing couldn't find the strength in his body to move a muscle. If the world were to implode beneath his feet at that very moment, he would have been lost in a measureless void. His masked eyes were wide in horror, taking in every trace of Dischord… his daughter…

Her face carried traces of Nightwing's birthright. There was a subtle slant to her eyes, to match the color that she had inherited from him. Her chin and mouth were his, but the rest was distinctly Terra's influence. The shape of her brow, the roundness in her cheeks, her wiry frame. Her hair was so blonde it was white.

That hair moved as Dischord's body shifted, waving her slender hand and hurling the wind. The gust attack struck in great gales, twisting and furrowing to become a spiraling tornado. The force of the wind, added to their horror and stupor, allowed the current to charge against their bodies and hurl them into the air. Nightwing let out a surprised yell as the land became distant from his feet. Raven and Akane were twisted before using their gift of flight to reorient their bodies. Starfire caught Nightwing, securing him at a distance away from Raven and her daughter, but all of their eyes: Raven, Akane, Nightwing, Starfire, Beast King, Jinx, Cyborg, Blackfire, D'ucel, Tempest and Bumble Bee, they all stared at the two women before them. The wind cooled and Terra's smirk iced.

"Are you surprised, Nightwing? Are you horrified, Raven? Has the perfect little life you were hoping for become ripped to shreds by my little addition? Don't worry about it. Dischord is my daughter and you don't need to be concerned with her… except to the extent that she's going to help me destroy every last one of you… starting with Akane… well, after Trigon's done with her… But then again, by the time Trigon finishes, Dischord will be much too busy to help me play."

Raven's sneer ran through every vein in her body, every muscle, ever echo of her heart beat. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be what she was seeing. What she was hearing… it couldn't be. She couldn't let this be.

"You idiot!" Raven's dark power shot from her finger tips and it took every ounce of control not to lose herself in the disgust that bubbled in her stomach. She didn't know; there was no way she could have known, that the depth of Terra's sickness and cruelty could be this low. She made a daughter, something so precious as a child, and made it into a weapon. She made Dischord to undue the beautiful thing Raven had done in Akane and the only thing that could make it worse was that she had used Nightwing to do it.

That worry she had felt, for those months when she was trapped in Washu's den, it had been over his life, but she feared the wrong thing: the soul-shaving hadn't damaged his life… it would damage his heart. From those eyes to the shape of her mouth, to the slant of her face, those were his features, there was no lie there. Dischord was the product of Nightwing's energy and Terra's virgin body, and like all Transients, the girl was powerful and like all Transients Raven knew, she was created to serve Trigon's will.

"What did Trigon promise you to take away the last of your humanity? Whatever it is, you won't get it!" Raven yelled.

Terra rolled her eyes and Dischord furrowed the wind to block Raven's shot. "Why should I believe anything you say when it's obvious you never know what you're talking about? Trigon will keep Dischord beside him as the queen to the scourge of the universe."

Nightwing let Starfire set him on the ground. The brave Tameranian kept her place behind him, he looked at the moment as a stiff wind would knock him over… and from what they had seen, that was what they were up against. Starfire had seen Dischord's face, saw it as clearly as the rest of them, she had often pondered the eyes of her best friend, and now she knew. The beautiful Dischord had them, that was how Nightwing had known, it was how Raven had known and now they all knew. But what they couldn't see in Dischord was the pure heart they knew in their leader. They all knew it had to be in there, they just didn't know how to get to it.

Beast King morphed to his human form and stared side by side with Bumble Bee who fluttered a few feet off the ground. "Dude, if that's Nightwing's daughter, how do we fight her now?"

Bumble Bee shook her head. "We don't." Bumble Bee pointed past Terra and Dischord's shoulders. "We fight them."

The flame warriors seeped from the ground, rising in waves of dozens upon dozens. Their distribution surrounded them in a nearly perfect ellipse with the Titans, Dischord and Terra Nostra in the center giving the pupil in the eye of the upcoming battle.

"Still think Trigon won't come through?"

It was Akane who moved, dashing forward. Both Terra and Dischord moved to block her path, but both of them defended the wrong target. Dischord barely grunted when Akane tackled her and when Terra turned her head in shock, Raven came forward and matched the shot. Akane knocked Dischord to the ground, quickly pinning her. Dischord didn't seem to struggle and gave Akane a clear study of her face. The thin, gold crown that wrapped around her forehead couldn't take away from the highlight of gold in her brown eyes. Akane's own gold power seemed a shimmering copy of the color she found there, she had felt it the moment her eyes met Dischord's, her power had reacted in her body; there was a connection there, but she didn't know what.

Dischord's legs caught Akane by surprise, the aeromorph rocked her hips to swing her ankles to wrap around Akane's chest. The tight squeeze robbed Akane of her breath and Dischord wrenched back, pulling Akane off her stomach. The flip switched their positions with Akane's back against the ground, Akane reached a hand out to push at Dischord's chest.

"We should not be fighting, that we should not!" There was no reaction to her words in Dischord's eyes or her face. Akane frowned and shot a blast of her energy from the hand pressed into Dischord's chest, the same one baring the infinite mark of Trigon. The shot hurled the blond fighter some feet away. Akane got to her feet and Dischord retaliated with a wind gust. Akane shielded her face and when Dischord shot forward, the front kick connected with her stomach and knocked Akane to the floor. The purple eyed girl groaned but got to her feet.

I must show her the error of her judgment, that I must… Akane ducked and put up a barrier as Dischord's hands and feet hammered at her. But first I must stop her…

Raven's backhand made a sharp connection against Terra's jaw. "You're a fool to think Trigon keeps loyalty! Once Trigon is done with her, he'll destroy her! That's how he operates and Dischord will be no different!"

Terra rammed her shoulder into Raven's chest, off balancing both women and tripping them to the floor. Raven pinned Terra's arms to the ground beside her head. The glare of hatred was equally matched between the mystic and the geomorph. Terra's sneer took her entire face. "Only the weak are discarded! My daughter is too strong to ever be beaten by Trigon or anyone else. And anyone who tries to hurt her will answer to me!" Terra's eyes took their yellow glow and two columns erupted under her arms and crossed over her chest becoming one pillar that smashed into Raven's breast throwing her off of Terra.

The soldiers stayed out of the path of the Transient Daughters and their mothers, moving around them to the Titans to lock battle with them. Energy beams were thrown forward and friends were rescued. Starfire could see that even though Nightwing fought the warriors that challenged him, his eyes were locked on a battle far away from his body, but incredibly close to his heart. The team's eye was often drawn to the separate battle between those tied closely to the end of the world: two who were trying to stop it and one who's crippling, self-serving insanity was trying to accelerate it. It had taken all of Starfire's good will not to give up on Terra, but she had seen years ago that it was much too late for her… She had created things that could not be undone, she had hurt, abused and plotted the destruction of everything that mattered to Starfire… and with the creation of Dischord, Terra had created something that could destroy again… they all knew, in the exact same moment, when Nightwing had whispered Dischord's name, that this wasn't the same kind of fight they had with Terra those years ago. This was a fight with all of their hearts and minds.

A flame solider caught Starfire, wrapping its extending limb around her middle. A roar erupted under her and she could see Beast King's most powerful identity rescue her by slashing the solider in one shot. The green eyed Tameranian saw the way Beast King's chest expanded and retracted and she knew it had nothing to do with the exhaustion of battle. She knew that somehow in all the years where Beast King felt regret, he hadn't forgotten pity and through that small avenue of his good heart, Terra still mattered to him. She did not know, if when this battle ended, no matter what the outcome, if that small part of him, that could hold love in some degree, would die or flourish.

A Fox shot smashed into a warrior not inches from Starfire's back and the trained fighter turned around in surprise. Foxfire's eyes were alight in blue and with a quick nod he returned to battle. Starfire's eyes regained their light and she concentrated on the battle.

Cyborg's body was thrown into Tempest, leveling both fighters leaving Jinx to clear out the mess. Her purple shots crashed through the fighters, but more came to replace them and even more came after that. Jinx jumped and pivoted, her body acting in fluid art to cut and dash through her opponents to get closer to the important battle that was waging not feet away, but the warriors kept coming.

Jinx had seen it, when she had managed to get close enough, she had seen it and she was angry. Washu had acted again, moved his powers into play to create a resistance that Jinx couldn't fight. She didn't know how much of this was this girl's, this Terra's, creation, but she knew in part that this plot was Washu's execution. Washu could do this for an infinite amount of years if something didn't stop him, if she didn't stop him… and there was only one way to show Washu that he had been mistaken to create the beginnings of dark armies through Raven, Schala, Terra and Dischord… she had to destroy one of them and given the importance of Raven and Schala and the expendability of Terra, she had to destroy the second Transient girl.

Raven caught Terra's boot, grabbing the thin limb and pulling forward before sweeping Terra's other leg from under her. Terra dropped to the earth like a sack of bricks, her eyes wide open as Raven's hammering heel descended to smash into her chest. She crossed her arms over her chest to absorb the blow. Raven's eyes were white, Terra's a blazing yellow and their teeth were bared in their struggle. Terra pushed Raven's leg away and pushed herself to her feet. She found herself back on the ground as Raven executed an Aiki Nage², wrenching Terra's arm behind her back and unbalancing her, leaving her open to grapple, Raven's hand palming her chin and throwing Terra backward, until she slammed into the ground.

"You've made an unforgivable mistake."

"You're not righteous and you're not better than me!" Terra's blue eyes danced with amusement. "And it looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Raven turned her head to look and saw Akane. Terra capitalized and sweep kicked her, taking her legs from under her.

The wind came swiftly, striking Akane and off balancing her. Dischord dashed forward, her elbow rebounding off of Akane's barrier. The gold influence came again as Dischord's energy reflected from hers and again Akane's eyes were drawn from the gold in the aeromorph's eyes to the gold around her forehead. In their fight, when their bodies clashed against each other, and even before that when Dischord's truths were revealed, the second Transient daughter had shown no emotion: not hatred, not regret, not amusement, not even disregard… No person was born so lifeless. Akane had to believe, no matter the circumstances of her birth, Dischord was a person and all persons felt emotions… unless they were taken away.

She is not in control of herself. Dischord delivered a crippling side arm chop to Akane's midsection. The black haired girl stumbled back and ducked under a high toe kick. Akane did not want to hurt her, but until she could see and defeat what was in control of her, she would have no choice but to fight back. Her gold energy charged around her balled fist.

"Forgive me."

The force of the blast hurled Dischord thirty feet away where she slammed into the ground, stunned if not unconscious. Akane stood up and looked to the blond girl and saw that she was moving, perhaps making an attempt to pull herself to her feet. Akane's study of the blond fighter was interrupted when a whirling side arm was aimed at her head by another blonde fighter. Akane ducked under Terra's attack. She could see the rage in those yellow haloed eyes. She tumbled smoothly out of the way of Terra's kick. Before Terra could attack again, Akane pushed out a barrier, but the blow she was defending against didn't come. From behind Terra's back a black flash of energy shot forward and wrapped around the blonde menace.

Akane saw too late that Dischord had gotten to her feet and was dashing forward to take Raven out. Her eyes widened in shock as the aeromorph was tackled from the side, keeping her from striking down Raven as Terra struggled to break free.

Nightwing had moved, had seen Dischord come to aid Terra and through instinct he moved forward to stop it. He caught Dischord around her waist; his momentum should have brought her to the ground, but she had battle senses that were keen and with a quick twist of her body, it was Nightwing who absorbed the blow when they hit the floor. The surprise of the impact gave Dischord the momentum to plant her feet in Nightwing's chest and rebound, turning a front flip and landing on her feet. As Nightwing got to his feet, Dischord stared through him. It was haunting to see his eyes in her face.

Dischord dashed forward, pushing the wind in her movements, capitalizing on Nightwing's lack of guard. Her hands lashed out in sharp succession, Nightwing's dodges and parries made every attack a miss. He caught her right hand when it struck out to paralyze his throat, his masked eyes wide as he realized her fighting style was a dangerous bone akido, a style that could easily disassemble an opponent if the wielder was careless or efficient.

How could this have happened? This isn't right! She shouldn't have ever learned this! We shouldn't be fighting!

"Dischord!" He yelled, catching her other hand by the wrist. The blond opponent struggled in his grasp, still showing no emotion, not even frustration. "Dischord! Please stop!" But she didn't listen. He couldn't tell if she could even hear him. Not a single word had escaped her, not so much as a gasp or a groan. He looked in her eyes, hoping to see something, some emotion that her face wasn't betraying. Those brown eyes were sharp, they were his and they showed nothing.

There's no recognition… but why would there be? Whoever made her… they kept her from me and now that she sees me… It means nothing… She's running on programming… Slade, Washu, Terra… they did this to her, they took away everything before I could stop it. No, I won't let this happen again!

"Dischord! You have to fight it! Whatever control they have on you, you have to resist!"

Dischord continued to twist and bend to find a weakness in Nightwing's hold.

She can't hear me… she's running on automatic.

Dischord raised both her boots and planted them into Nightwing's chest, somersaulting backwards as Nightwing was thrown to the floor. His masked eyes followed her as she back flipped away from him to return to Terra's side, throwing a tornado to keep Raven at bay. Akane dropped down beside Nightwing and helped him to stand. Both of their eyes focused on Terra. No, he realized, the controls were just somewhere else…

Jinx slid in, engaging Terra, catching the blonde Transient mother off guard. Terra staggered back but countered with a flying boulder that smashed into the pink haired woman's chest.

Terra looked over Dischord's shoulder to see Raven put up a barrier and attempt to block the wind. Terra smirked as she watched Raven make the same mistake she had made when she fought Terra those years ago. The impartial barrier only protected her front. So when Terra sunk through the earth and rose behind her, she could do nothing to stop the sharp drop kick from connecting with her upper back.

The wind stopped as Nightwing and Akane in the same moment turned to attack Terra. The spin kick from Akane was to take out her feet, Nightwing's jump spin was targeted for her head. A neat back flip cleared her out of harm's way. Terra lifted a mass of the land and threw it at her attackers. Nightwing's widened as Akane jumped in front of him.

"Azarath Faeridos Rex!" The shimmering gold light wrapped around the boulder. Akane's black hair waved as she spun her body to throw the stone right back at Terra.

The geomorph laughed out loud and raised a hand to stop the charge. Akane groaned as she tried to overcome Terra's control. Terra tsked sharply. "Girl, you don't know who you're messing with." Her eyes became alight and she exercised her will of the land. "Laaa!" Akane fell backwards as her energy was cast off by Terra's.

The sound of it whizzed through the air too fast for anyone to turn around and see it before it made its mark. The bolt crashed into the boulder, splintering it. The yellow disappeared from Terra's eyes as she watched the strike explode the earth formation. She turned to see where the shot came from, but instead she saw two blue sonic shots come and in her surprise one blow struck her and knocked her to the ground. The other sailed over her head and caught Dischord, throwing her several feet back.

Both Nightwing and Akane moved, dashing over to the fallen Dischord. Nightwing knelt on her right side, Akane on her left, both hoping the girl wasn't hurt. She wasn't. A wind tunnel struck them both, hurling them behind her head as Dischord leapt to her feet and dashed to the side of Terra.

Terra stared up with Dischord standing ready to fight. The shot had burned, she hadn't seen it coming. She got to her elbows, shaking the cobwebs from her head before she looked to where Dischord was looking, to where the attack had come from.

"I think it's you who doesn't know what she's up against."

Nightwing knew that voice, Akane didn't, but they both turned their heads to see him standing there. Shoulder's square, legs spread apart, fingers trained to release another bolt, there he was standing side by side with the Firefly wielding Celine: Arsenal, the agile archer.

He strung another bolt and Celine charged another shot. Terra got to her feet and dusted herself off as if her chest weren't on fire. "Look what the cat dragged in. I was hoping you'd show up Speedy. Finally I get something to look at." Arsenal tightened his grip on his bow, his bolt strung tight and furious. Terra's smile was wicked and her eyes were full of venom when she took in the sight of Celine. She pouted. "Is that you Celine? I barely recognized you. Isn't it a shame? Your beauty got harmed… so sorry." Celine's finger smoothed along the trigger of her version two Firefly. The scar on her face made her want to pull, but the brain in her head made her wait. "So, that's how I touched your life?" Terra continued. "At least with your looks gone, you can fall back on your smarts… but then again, for the world's smartest woman you sure are…"

"Yamero!"

And the rest of the world seemed to stop. Nightwing's eyes widened, everyone's eyes widened as they watched it. The shot cut through the air, fanning out in a wave of silver-white energy. Terra's eyes opened wide as the blast cut cross the ground and smashed into Dischord. Terra's turned her head as her daughter smashed into a rock swell, her body rebounding with an audible thud. Unlike before, she didn't get up immediately.

"Choris!" Terra screamed in freight. But before she could run to check on the girl another assault came and this one was aimed for her. It hammered through the air, slicing across is like a razor across a wire. Everything seemed to stop in that moment, every open eye watched it. The blow struck head on, the massive weapon spun and tore down the geomorph before it took its return path, back to the hand that had thrown it.

And Nightwing saw it, turned to see it first before anyone else could get over the surprise. But Nightwing was surprised, as surprised as any of them.

One sharp flick of her wrist and an expert throw hurled her boomerang through the air at lightning fast speed. It turned and pivoted, flying at the enemy with deadly accuracy. The huge weapon returned to that expert hand, the excess energy wrenching the arm back, the weapon releasing an echo clap as it smashed into the ground.

In a line they stood and all the others turned their eyes to watch, forgetting their immediate battles, forgetting everything they had seen. Her eyes were open, brown and fierce as her fingers wrapped around her hiraikotsu. She stood between Arsenal and Celine, all three of their weapons ready, all three of them ready to fight.

"Sakura!" Nightwing yelled.

"Dear Brother, daijoubu?"³ Sakura asked, keeping her eye trained on Terra as the villainess struggled to pull herself up.

Nightwing nodded. "You're… you're…"

"I'm going to get my revenge." Sakura replied, her thin eyebrow ticking as Terra finally got to her elbows.

Terra's breath was a sharp hiss as she finally managed to see over her stomach. There she was, after five years, there she was. The enemy that was second highest on her list, the enemy that should have been dealt with then. Washu owes me two favors. Terra reached behind her back, pulling free her black comm.-link.

"Slade. A complication has arisen." She choked out.

The voice of the cycloptic menace came over the intercom loud and clear. "Handle it. Just bring back the girl… preferably undamaged. But if things need to get messy… don't concern yourself with the presentation."

Terra snipped off the communicator. "Got it." She got up smoothly, her hand wrapping around her middle as she became increasingly aware of the numbers game. Her eyes wandered past everything else behind her, Akane had moved to check on the de-habilitated Dischord. Terra would have to deal with her later. The sting in Sakura's eyes told her she had a fight now.

"Sakura. Can't you stay broken?" She took a step forward, only she was surprised that she wobbled just a little.

Sakura's grip flexed and tightened around the handle of her weapon. "You and I have unfinished business." Sakura ground out between her teeth.

"I'm not in the business of dealing with lowlifes that can't stay in their miserable place." Terra bit back.

Sakura shook her head in disagreement. "I beg to differ."

Terra's eyes became a light with her fury. "You will beg."

End of Part Two

A/N

¹Apparentely, no she hadn't.

²Asuka Kazama's Aiki Nage, a lot cooler than I made it sound.

³Diajoubu means "Are you okay."

Oh, it's on now.