(Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.)
"Shadow," Moonlight screamed, fighting against the chains, "let me go!"
"Forgive me later," he told her as he turned away.
"How cold, Shadow," a soft voice murmured from beside Moonlight.
A chill ran down Shadow's spine. He knew that voice, knew it all too well. "What do you want, Chaldor?" Shadow heard Chaldor move next to Moonlight, heard her gasp as Chaldor's cold fingers wrapped around her throat. Still, Shadow did not turn around.
"This girl, she plays an important role in a pet prophecy of mine," Chaldor said quietly. "I don't need her alive, and she's been trouble for both of us."
"You know this isn't about a prophecy," Shadow snapped. He could hear Moonlight struggling for breath, fighting against the darkness that was gathering on the edges of her vision. His hands curled into fists, but he remained with his back to the pair.
"You're right." Chaldor released Moonlight, and she coughed weakly. Chaldor's smile filled his voice as he said, "You're absolutely right. You want to save her. Fine." The chains broke open. Chaldor waited until their rattling died down. "You may move her somewhere …safe, but be quick about it. While you are off playing hero, I'll be playing with that masked friend of yours. Catch." Chaldor shoved Moonlight toward him.
Shadow turned just enough to steady Moonlight, realizing he was far from ready to face that man. He took Moonlight's arm and ignored her glare as he somewhat forcibly led her away from the room and the brawl in the hall.
"I want to fight, Shadow," Moonlight growled hoarsely.
Shadow looked down at her out of the corner of his black eyes. She had done many things, many unlawful and despicable things, but she was still an innocent bystander caught up in Chaldor's game. Fresh anger warred against his fear. "You were weak before Chaldor started choking you," he replied quietly. "You'll just get killed. I won't let you."
"Raven! You are awake!"
Raven groaned. The world was fuzzy and spinning uncontrollably. Starfire's joyous exclamation still rang in her ears and made her head throb. Beast Boy was in the form of a gorilla, carrying Raven as if she was a baby. "Where…are we?"
"In – Shadow, where's Robin?" Cyborg stepped toward the approaching dark boy. "What's wrong with Moonlight?"
"Robin's fighting Chaldor," Shadow answered shortly. "Take her. Get them somewhere safe and away." Shadow let Moonlight pull away. She moved to Beast Boy and Raven. As soon as her back was to him, Shadow knocked Moonlight out. All four Titans exclaimed with outrage and confusion, but Shadow shushed them. "She's too weak to fight and too stubborn to sit on the side," he said flatly. "Get them somewhere safe." And with that, he was running back the way he came. The darkness seemed to swallow him a little too soon. The darkness wasn't satisfied with just Shadow; it rapidly closed in on Raven as she joined her cousin in unconsciousness.
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Moonlight descended the stairs lightly. She could hear the voices below. Robin was talking to Cyborg.
"I don't want Shadow in the Tower."
"Man, I know you don't trust him. I don't either, but he took the worst beating of us all. And he saved our lives doing it. Don't you think we owe him a place to heal?"
"He didn't do it for us," Robin retorted. Moonlight entered the room quietly, but Robin saw her almost immediately through his blackened, left eye. "You know Shadow better than anyone here. What do you think his motive was, Moonlight?"
Moonlight remembered the conversation she had with Shadow in Raven's room. "Some sort of personal score to settle, I think," she answered quietly. She had watched the dawn paint the sky that morning, and with the sun had come the realization that she and Shadow were completely out of place in the Titan's Tower. The two of them were enemies, but they were united by belonging in a world far different from the Titans'.
"Head in the clouds, Lucine?" Moonlight whirled around to face Shadow. Her retort died on her lips as she looked at him. He had definitely been in a rough fight, but his condescending smirk was unaffected. "Even I'm not good enough to face Chaldor and walk away unscathed."
The bruises on Moonlight's neck seemed like nothing when compared to Robin's broken collarbone and busted shoulder, but Robin's injuries were nearly unnoticeable compared to Shadow's. His right arm was broken, as were several of his ribs. He sported a bruise on his left cheek and a healing gash above his left eye. He limped on his right foot slightly, as if it had almost healed after being broken. "You're a self-centered, self-serving jerk. You deserve everything you got and then some," she spat.
As Moonlight shoved past him roughly, Shadow murmured, "You think so, Aysel?"
Moonlight froze; then she swung at him. Cyborg caught her arm and pulled her away from Shadow. "Hold it! Chill out, man. Around here, you don't hit 'em when they're down, Moonlight."
"Not every blow is physical," Robin said flatly, regarding Shadow with narrowed eyes. Shadow said Aysel was the name Moonlight's demon father gave her. She couldn't be very fond of it.
Shadow's eyes were slightly narrowed with thought as he replied, "It's not the name. I didn't do anything this time."
"C'mon, Moonlight," Cyborg urged. "Let's go blow off some of your steam in the training room."
"I want to talk with Shadow," she retorted very much like a child.
"When you're mad, you know one language: slice and dice," Cyborg replied. "Can't you see he's banged up enough?"
Moonlight turned her silver eyes to the Boy Wonder. "Please, Robin," she pleaded.
Robin's mind whirled for a moment, and his vision blurred. When it cleared, something about Moonlight had changed. She looked the same, but she seemed completely harmless. Suspicion warred against infatuation for only half a second. "No."
The girl's silver eyes narrowed, and the illusion was gone. She jerked out of Cyborg's grasp and stormed out of the room, Cyborg following quickly.
"Tactful, Boy Wonder," Shadow drawled.
"Shut up."
Shadow smirked. "As I understand it, this country of yours has a little thing called freedom of speech." His smirk faded into a scowl. "You shouldn't have told her 'no'."
"Why not? This is my home. You two are just visiting, so I'll tell you what I want to tell you," Robin snapped.
Shadow's black eyes glimmered. "She'll be back. At least, I hope she will be. I think whatever that was was important."
"You're not to have any contact with her. If you do, I'll kick you out, and I don't care how beat up you are!"
Shadow shrugged. "Not like it matters, Boy Wonder," he said the name with extra disdain. "Our alliance is over, and she knows it. She won't stick around much longer." I hope.