Dark Titans – Arc 6 – Wed by Dawn

Chapter 8

I know it's been a while since I've spoken up, but we're coming up to the towards the end of the arc, so I just wanted to take a moment to thank the illustrious Claymade for his continuous and enlightening help with this.

Also, a little forewarning. Coming up to the climax here, and it's come to my attention that this chapter might be a bit more divisive than I anticipated. But what the heck, let the cards fall where the may, and let's see if chapter works, or if I've let you all down for the final time!

Just a quick thanks to all of you that have continued to read this story after such an unjustifiably long time.

I don't own Ranma or Teen Titans.

Enjoy if you Will, Tolerate if you won't.

Robin's fist slammed into the chest of the guard like a lightning bolt.

Said guard simply looked down at him, an incredulous, almost insulted look on his face.

"Did you believe that a single punch from a feeble human could harm me?"

The caped crusader shrugged. "How about fifty?"

"Fift-" The guards confused interrogative was cut off as he collapsed to the ground in a gurgling mess.

Robin shook his hand out furiously. Punching a Tamaranean was like hitting a steel plate, and doing it fifty times in the blink of an eye did not make it hurt any less. Time to start investing in brass knuckles or armored gloves if things were gonna keep going this way.

Another of the guards went hurtling past him to slam into a distant wall. Raven floated to a stop beside him a moment later, eyebrows raised in interest.

"You actually hit him fifty times there? It looked like a single strike."

Trying to hide his proud grin, Robin shrugged. "According to Ryouga, Ranma could throw hundreds of punches when he first learned the technique, so I've got a long way to go with it."

"Wow, that was almost humility," Raven replied with a grin, "I'll have to let Ranma know what it sounds like."

He rolled his eyes. Raven was the last one to get to talk about lapses in humility.

"Alright, just one more level and we'll be there."

His dark companion nodded, forming a platform for him to stand on before they both soared up through the air. The gaudily decorated walls quickly gave away to another landing, a long hallway leading to a massive set of double doors. Their target, the throne room.

The swells of music could be heard even through the closed doors, and he didn't want to take any risks that it was just some alien pre-warm up practice for the actual wedding. Leaping off the dissolving disc of blackness, he prepared to charge the doors, only for Raven's outstretched arm to stop him.

"We aren't alone," she intoned, her voice deadly serious. He was about to question her when he caught a hint of motion from further down the corridor.

The sight of wizened old Cologne slowly shuffling from behind one of the many fluted columns, tightly gripping her walking staff, caused a cold lump of leaden doubt to drop into Robin's stomach. This had been part of the plan, after all, and he'd come a long way since his first meeting with the old woman. But there was still an abyssal gulf between planning on this meeting, and then actually experiencing it.

"Ready, Raven?" he asked, keeping any nervousness from his voice. All she had to do was portal them past Cologne and into the throne room, and they could then deal with Blackfire.

Instead of the expected nod, Raven shook her head, a frightening little smirk growing on her lips.

"If we skip past her, she'll just follow us, then we'll have a fight on two fronts." She gestured to the far door. "You go on ahead. I'll deal with Cologne here, and you just focus on Starfire."

They both heard Cologne's amused bark of laughter as she now stood steadfast in the center of the corridor, blocking their path forward.

"You'll deal with her?" Robin asked a bit dubiously.

"I owe her one for that cheap shot earlier," she replied, grin growing. She then lifted her hand, and a flat plane of darkness rose from the floor, cutting the hallway nearly in half lengthwise, giving Robin cover to move past Cologne. "Now move!"

Robin hesitated for a moment. Raven was the strongest Titan, and he trusted her with his life, but Cologne was a serious threat, who they had never seen pressed to her utmost limits. On the other hand, Starfire was at the end of that hallway, and about to get married to a disgusting potluck dessert.

His feet were already moving before he even realized he'd made the decision.

Raven watched Robin sprint past Cologne at full speed; the old woman didn't even glance in his direction as he did, keeping her attention fully on Raven.

"So, feel that you have something to prove, do you?" Cologne asked, shaking her head. "I think you've been spending too much around a certain martial artist."

The cloaked Titan rose several feet higher from the ground crossing her arms across her chest.

"Don't think that you'll catch me by surprise a second time. I'm stronger than you know, Old Ghoul."

Cologne gave a raspy chuckle. "Such confidence! I think, perhaps, you have been speaking more with my Son-In-Law than with your Lost Boy."

For some reason she wasn't sure of herself, Raven looked to the side, feeling her cheeks start to burn. "N-no I haven't." She gave her head a good shake before turning her attention back on the old woman. Clenching her fists, a dark aura formed around her, surging, and growing with each breath.

"I think it's time one of you martial artists got a demonstration of true power," quoth the Raven.

Rather than flinch, or cower or flee, Cologne stared straight back at her, bark-like skin curling up into a gruesome smile.

"Perhaps you are correct, young one. A true display of power is required."

Cologne's long snowy hair was suddenly buffeted upwards in a violet tempest. Raven felt a sudden weight press down on her soul a moment before a gleaming silver aura suddenly exploded out from the ancient woman's body, writhing hungrily like a bonfire.

Raven swallowed loudly, her throat suddenly feeling very dry.

I think I may have erred.

"What did you drag me out here for again?"

Granted, being the mayor of a sleepy little resort town out in the middle of the ocean didn't necessarily entail the busiest of schedules but being asked to trek halfway up Mt. Monokoa wasn't exactly the most relaxing way to spend one's day; wonderful scenery or not.

"Sorry, Mr. Mayor, but I've been getting some unusual readings from the test site. I think you need to have a look," replied the young man walking next to him. He was a newcomer to the island, taking over for Frank who had been representing the Bureau of Meteorology for the past decade or so. What was his name again… Justin, or something like that?

"Please, none of that Mr. Mayor stuff. Call me Lars." They continued up the well-tended path that wound through the lush vegetation that grew up from the rich volcanic soils that covered the island. The testing site was further up, past the tree line of the mountain. "Now, what exactly do you mean by unusual readings?"

Obviously too excited to get all the way to the site, Justin pulled out a tablet and started scrolling through some files as they walked.

"Well, we've been detecting very faint seismic readings from Mt. Monokoa," Justin looked up from his tablet for a moment, "But they have been increasing steadily for the past few days."

The Mayor shook his head. "That shouldn't even be possible. We just had an eruption a few decades ago. It was three hundred years between eruptions before that."

"That's why it's so unusual. This island hasn't shown anything beyond background seismic activity for decades, and now this sudden spike." The scientist locked gazes with him. "It is a matter of some concern."

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Mayor Lars leaned back against a nearby tree. "How much of a concern?"

Checking his notes further, the expert responded in a deadly serious tone. "If things keep proceeding at this pace? We might be facing the potential of another eruption in a matter of months, not years."

Months? Well, that gave them plenty of time to plan a proper evacuation. Perhaps even try the same plan from last time. He'd always wanted to order a few tons of explosives.

His daydream of mountains of dynamite was cut short as the ground beneath his feet chose that moment to start shaking wildly, nearly sending him tumbling back down the path. He managed to catch himself on a branch as another, even heavier, quake set the entire island to shuddering.

As one, they both looked up in apprehension as ominous black smoke began to pour out from the mouth of the supposedly dormant volcano. Red glowing cracks began to open around the higher reaches of the peak.

Lars fired a heated glare at his supposed 'expert'.

"Months, was it?"

"Did I say months?" Justin replied, sweating bullets as he watched the volcanic smoke begin to darken the skies. A moment later, the scientist turned back to him.

"I meant minutes. We should probably run now."

Already gasping for breath from walking halfway up the damn mountain, the Mayor cursed every hurried step as he prepared to run all the way back down. As he started running, he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and started dialing frantically.

God damned surprise volcanoes?

This looked like a job for Superman!

Ryouga continued to whisper sweet nothings into the ear of the lovely young woman draped across his lap. His cheeks burned like fire as Jinx giggled and swatted his chest affectionately, but he felt surprisingly in control; ironic since they'd both had more than a few drinks since rejoining the party.

He was enjoying the fact that the two of them had the entire couch to themselves, as everyone else was too busy watching the 'arm wrestling tournament'. It made it easy for them to ignore the rest of the world, caught in their own little bubble of tranquility-

"Ha! I win again! Anyone else?"

The pair of secluded sweethearts shared a grimace as they tried to ignore the rest of the world. Shaking his head, the Lost Boy grinned as he trailed a finger along Jinx's elegant jaw, drawing her teasingly closer. The look in her eyes was electric, her smile intoxicating.

"Oh, come on! There has to be someone that isn't too chicken to take me on!"

Jinx's lips pursed in adorable frustration as she glanced over his shoulder. She let out a quick huff before locking her eyes on him once more. Cheshire smile growing once more, she began to lean in, aiming for his exposed neck.

"Ryouga! You gotta get- Gah!" The shocked gasp of Terra was enough to finally pry the directionally challenged martial artist back into the here and now. Doing his best to contain the glare that wanted to spill out, he turned around to see his cherished pupil cringing and peeking at him through the slits between her fingers as she clasped her hands over her face.

"Oh, geez, Ryouga! Get a room will you!"

He looked back to Jinx and shrugged. "It's not the worst idea I've heard."

"Okay, but we'll need to find a room without a demolished door."

"Hey! I didn't actually mean for you to go get a room!" Terra barked, waving her arms frantically. "You gotta teach Supergirl a lesson! She's beaten like everyone!"

Ryouga looked at her incredulously. "And what do you want me to do about it? If she beat Mammoth, then she's out of my league."

"Can't you use some fancy martial arts trick to win?" inquired the burgeoning warrior.

This time, Jinx butted in. "Excuse us, but if you hadn't noticed, Ryouga kinda has his hands full at the moment?"

"Snrk! No handfuls anywhere close to Ryouga's hands," came a snarky reply, followed by Shampoo strolling up next to Terra.

Jinx hissed and held up a hand, tiny pink flames surging from the tips of her fingers. "Am I gonna have to cut a bitch?"

Ryouga couldn't help but chuckle, even as Shampoo grinned smugly at the threat. Jinx definitely had first dibs on this catfight. "Alright, ladies, let's all calm down."

Reluctantly, he shifted Jinx off his lap far enough so that he could twist around and get an arm over a couch and see what was going on. Supergirl was floating over the reinforced bench that Cyborg used for weight training that had been brought up from the gym for the competition. They had moved all the food tables and the keg right up against the windows and had set up the competition near the center of the room.

The line of failed contenders, all rubbing sore arms and shoulders, included the likes of the Wonder Girls, no surprise there, they seemed to be in about the same level as Starfire, so in his ballpark. Mammoth and Wildebeest, both in the Cyborg plus range, which put them in the same league as Lime. Then the unknowns, like the luchador lady, Miss Martian, and Argent, who he assumed used her off brand Raven powers to compete.

He also noted a few more people approaching their position.

"Hibiki," Mousse called out, "I've created a monster, you need to help us out."

"You're also the only guy from Nerima that even hits the minimum requirements to call it super strength," Nabiki added with a smirk. "Someone from Japan needs to represent!"

Ryouga rolled his eyes, even as the girl in his arms snickered loudly in his ear.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He waved his hand dismissively. "Besides, I have no interest in such childish competitions. I don't have anything to prove."

Jinx giggled louder. "Oh please. If Ranma was here, you'd be the first in line!"

At that, he was forced to scratch his chin bashfully. "Well… that's different. And Ranma isn't here, so what fun is that for me?"

He glared ruefully at the gathering group of enablers. "Besides, I'm actually enjoying my evening. Why would I want to spend the rest of it getting humiliated in front of all my friends? That'd just be depressing."

He wasn't sure what he said, or when all the Nerima girls suddenly developed telepathy, but Nabiki just shot Shampoo a look, and Shampoo responded with an entirely different look, both of which sent cold shivers down the lost boy's spine. Even Mousse was nodding along, grinning that evil grin of his.

Nabiki stood straight, crossing her arms over her chest before suddenly declaring, in Japanese for some reason:

"Everyone… I have a plan."

Supergirl watched with interest as the small group descended on Jinx's bandanna wearing boyfriend, beseeching him to end her winning streak. It was an easy conversation to follow, and Ryouga didn't seem particularly excited at his odds. It would be interesting to see if his friends could convince him to get into the game, and just where he might stack up.

She noticed she was distracting herself and tuned back in, only to hear the gang by the couch was all suddenly speaking a different language. A frown tugged at her lips as Nabiki started to gesture frantically this way and that, as everyone else nodded, or chuckled, or made gestures of their own.

Well, everyone besides the young blonde girl that was complaining that she couldn't understand what they were saying. Kara could sympathize with her.

I mean… it's arm wrestling, what's to even talk about?

She raised an eyebrow as Ryouga finally shrugged his shoulders in defeat and leapt over the couch with Jinx still in his arms, before depositing the young woman at his side. Immediately after, Shampoo and Jinx started to argue back and forth, still in… she wanted to say Japanese, despite neither of them being such… before they both nodded in agreement. Ryouga was shaking his head, clearly not in agreement with their agreement, but a simple nod from Nabiki overruled any objections.

Then, severely lacking in any kind of context, Shampoo and Jinx grabbed Ryouga's dark T-Shirt by the collar… and ripped the poor guy's shirt completely off!

Instantly, Kara felt her cheeks start to heat up and she glanced away a bit. She wasn't used to hanging out with half naked cute guys, and this guy was cut and chiseled. That shirt had really not been doing him justice.

A moment later, Shampoo reached for Ryouga's pants, and Kara's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, until Jinx squawked something loudly and angrily before swatting the lavender haired Amazon's hands away frantically.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, she couldn't help but nibble on her lower lip as Ryouga glared at both girls, before he started stretching and limbering up. It looked like he was planning on having an actual go at her, but just damn!

She sat silently, hands on her knees as she waited. Mousse patted Ryouga heavily on his bare shoulder. "Way to take one for the team, Hibiki!"

The fanged martial artist shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Can't believe I agreed to this."

Immediately, Jinx draped herself against him, wrapping an arm around his neck. She matched his gaze, an odd amount of concern there. She didn't think Kara was gonna hurt him, did she? "Are you sure you wanna do this? Even for you, this is pretty crazy."

The fanged martial artist paused for a moment, then shrugged and grinned. "Knowing I'm gonna lose has never stopped me before; no point in being sensible now. Besides, Ranma would never let me live it down if he heard I'd walked away from a challenge like this." His face fell a bit as he looked back at her. "Just make sure you don't hold back."

The young pinkette replied with a huffy pout, before bouncing up and kissing his cheek. "You asked for it! I promise I'll make it up to you… later."

Ryouga immediately began to blush and stutter at the husky tone Jinx's voice suddenly took, but shook it off a moment later. Focusing his attention back Kara's way, he stalked towards her.

The entire exchange left Kara more confused than when they had been speaking a foreign language. She could only watch as Ryouga's friends tittered and laughed as he moved to join her.

Stopping on the far side of the bench, he looked down at her, a dangerous looking smirk on his face. Being the polite one, she gestured for him to take the seat across from her.

Looking to her left, she saw Speedy, Megan and most of the familiar heroes she recognized in a half circle between them and the massive bay windows. Looking to her right, she saw Nabiki and all the people that had begun gravitating towards her over the night, standing in a similar formation between them and the kitchen. Right next to the table, acting as their ref, stood their gracious hostess, Kasumi.

"I commend your courage," Kara said with a grin as he sat down. "Too bad you don't stand a chance."

One of Ryouga's eyebrows rose as he regarded her.

"You say I don't have a chance to win?"

Leaning forward, he slammed his elbow to the bench, holding out his hand as the corded muscles in his arms went taut.

"Who decided that?"

The display of bravado, the unadulterated confidence, was enough to set her back in her seat for a moment. She gave her head a quick shake before leaning forward herself. He wasn't the first cocky guy to sit across from her this night, and it didn't matter how arrogant he wanted to be, it wasn't going to end any differently.

Setting her own elbow on the table, she reached forward and grasped the martial artist's hand, noticing the many calluses. Most girls she knew weren't fans of rough hands, but spending time on the farm in Kansas had, just maybe, swayed her own opinion on the subject.

Taking a step forward, Kasumi placed her hand over both of theirs, before nodding.

"Let's have a nice clean match, and make sure to have fun!"

With that, the gentle older woman stepped back, and Ryouga's grip tightened instantly.

Supergirl raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit let down. The guy was kinda strong, she guessed. Honestly, probably the weakest person to try his luck for the night. Oddly enough, he didn't seem too put off but the absolute lack of progress his effort was producing.

"This… isn't it, is it?" she asked.

"Sorry, it takes me a minute to really get warmed up." He grinned teasingly. "Humor me?"

Well, there were worse things she could think to be doing for a minute; her eyes lazily drifted down his straining pecs to his chiseled abs. The view wasn't exactly bad either. It was something to pass the tedium, at least.

"Hey, who am I to say no to a little foreplay?"

On the left, heroes cheered on the all-but-unknown martial artist. Speedy hooted his own encouragement, as did Bushido and Stargirl. At least Ryouga didn't have to be worried about being embarrassed in front of his friends, everyone knew this was a foregone conclusion anyway-

"You can't do it, Ryouga!"

"You're going to lose, Hibiki!"

"Cabbage Head not even half as manly as Ranma!"

Kara swiveled her head to the right, staring in disbelief as all the people that had just begged Ryouga to challenge her were suddenly verbally slamming their chosen champion. She fired a glare at Shampoo, but the lavender haired heroine just responded with a mysterious grin before firing another barb at her supposed friend. Mousse and Nabiki followed right on her heels with more nasty insults.

Before her, Ryouga's head dipped, his shaggy black bangs covering his eyes and bathing his face in shadow.

A second later, the pressure on her hand increased, the veins in his arms and neck starting to bulge out.

What the? Were they trying to shame him into trying harder? Man, talk about a harsh approach.

"You're cooking is average at best!"

Both Kara and Ryouga's gazes snapped up and to the side to see Kasumi standing next to Nabiki, waving her hands like she was cheering, in blatant opposition to what she was saying.

"Ouch, Kasumi," the fanged martial artist muttered under his breath before turning his attention back her way. His grip continued to tighten.

Nabiki nudged Jinx suddenly, even as Mousse pulled an increasingly irate Terra off to the side. Jinx looked back at Nabiki, conflict etched on her face, before finally taking a deep breath.

"Getting lost all the time is super lame!"

Ryouga's eyes snapped open, almost like she'd shot the poor guy instead of yelling at him.

And then something weird happened. Her opponent's hair started to float upwards, caught in some unseen wind, even as an unusual weight settled across her body, like a heavy blanket. The pressure on her hand spiked suddenly, and she used her off hand to set herself properly. It wasn't like he was even at the level of the big guys yet, but she didn't understand what was going on.

On her other side, Megan was holding her head and quickly backing up through the crowd for some reason.

This time, Shampoo jabbed Jinx in the shoulder. Back behind them, Mousse was showing Terra something he'd written, but was using his robes to block her from seeing. She never could see through his robes… not that she'd tried, or anything… what was that guy up to?

The pink haired witch looked to the side, a pained look on her face, before she turned to Ryouga again. She clutched her hands to her chest before suddenly yelling.

"I hate that I might never meet your parents!"

Kasumi gasped at that one, holding a hand over her mouth in shock. Shampoo and Nabiki shared an impressed look between them.

Ryouga, let out a sound like a strangled animal and clenched his eyes shut, droplets of water dripping to the table. And then he started to glow.

It wasn't like Supergirl, heroine extraordinaire, had never seen anyone glow before. Green Lantern did it every day, but wasn't this guy just supposed to be a martial artist? This was starting to get into anime levels of weird.

The weight pressing down on her was increasing exponentially. The closest few spectators started to stumble back as well, on the outer edges of the effect.

Everyone was staring expectantly at Jinx at this point, the match itself almost forgotten as even Supergirl was trying to imagine what heart wrenching thing she could possibly say next.

"I - I kissed Ranma!"

"What?"

Murmurs of 'Oh shit', were punctuated with Shampoo reaching for her weapon, Kasumi gasping 'Oh my!' and Gizmo running for the nearest exit.

Ryouga's greenish aura suddenly exploded into red flame, his eyes glowing the same unholy color. Arcs of energy started to dance up and down his arm as his strength surged again.

"Crap, Jinx!" Nabiki swore, pulling the slight sorceress back while waving off the murderous looking Shampoo, "We want to make him depressed, not homicidal!"

Wait, was that what they were trying to do? She looked at the raging martial artist across from her. Was this weird power of his fueled by his emotions? It wouldn't be the absolute weirdest thing she'd heard of… but why did they want him sad? Angry seemed to be working damn well.

It was starting to get a bit warm, eliciting the audience to back up yet again, but it wasn't any concern for herself. As visually stunning as the display was, sadly, he still wasn't in any danger of winning here. She held her hand upright with minimal effort… though she had to admit he was no longer at the bottom of the rankings anymore.

"I don't wanna do that!"

Supergirl picked up the hushed voice of the slim blonde girl talking to Mousse.

"It has to be you, Terra. He'll never expect it from you," came the weapon master's enigmatic response.

A moment later, Nabiki fell back to join them, working to convince Terra to do whatever it was that Mousse wanted her to do. Honestly, what could she possibly say that Jinx, the guy's girlfriend couldn't top?

Looking exceedingly reluctant, Terra moved towards them. Rather than stop at the event horizon of the strange heavy aura projected by Ryouga, the slight girl stepped into it. Seeing her approaching, Ryouga's aura suddenly stopped its burning glow, shifting back to sickly green. The young man watched Terra move towards them, a look of dread growing on his face.

"Nothing is ever so bad," the Lost Boy muttered coldly, "That it can't get worse."

Terra stood over them, the crushing aura absent as the pregnant silence hung over them, tense with anticipation. The girl dipped her head towards Ryouga, her long blonde hair falling to cover her right eye.

Leaning forward, resting a hand on his shoulder, she whispered directly in his ear, something meant only for him.

"No matter how hard you try… you'll never be able to save me."

Before Kara could even hope to puzzle out what that meant, Terra spun and ran back into the crowd, moisture already building in her sapphire eyes.

Ryouga's grip on her hand lessened, though he didn't let off the pressure completely. He stared forward blankly, looking right through her, at something she couldn't even imagine.

She felt a weight settle over her again, but it wasn't a crushing one this time, rather, it felt like it was squeezing her heart directly. She heard Megan give a strangled cry before vanishing through the floor.

"Beyond hope…"

Ryouga muttered the words to himself, still not registering her. Then, a small sphere of pale azure light appeared, floating lazily in the air behind their clasped hands. Her fingers, wrapped around his hand, felt the icy chill of the globe leaching into her bones.

"Beyond care…"

Oh god, what were they even doing here? It was just a stupid game! Why was this guy torturing himself over something he never even had a hope of winning? It was pathetic, and senseless, and just looking at the guy, it - it made her want to cry.

Gingerly, she reached up to dash the moisture from her eyes-

"Now, Ryouga! Everyone down!"

Kara turned around in confusion as she watched Nabiki and everyone else around her throw themselves behind Argent, who was starting to form a vast wall of translucent crimson light.

What were they-

The front of the Titan's Tower was rocked as an explosion of ghostly azure light erupted from the front of the building. Hundreds of pounds of reinforced ballistic glass scattered to the winds in a shower of glittering starlight.

A single silver object was ejected from the gaping opening, tumbling gracefully, end over end as it reached the peak of its apogee.

Then, following the old adage, what went up succumbed once more to the remorseless clutches of gravity, and the keg plunged into the darkness of the sea; precious cargo and security deposit lost to the briny depths.

One final step brought her in line with her husband to be. The vile floating tray of alien biomass seemed excited for the ceremony, bouncing, and bubbling like a soufflé boiling over. Holding in her beleaguered sigh - a bit of a trick as holding her breath was crucial in such proximity to the living compost heap - Starfire held her gaze straight forward, to the officiator of this auspicious gathering.

Blackfire sneered back at her, still wearing her standard armored outfit, as well as her crown and cape. Typical of her sister, even for a wedding, she could not be bothered to dress appropriately.

"Are you ready for the happiest day of your life, Starfire?"

Rather than reply right away, Starfire turned her attention to glance around the room, ignoring the fury building on her sister's face.

"I do not see my friends," she replied in an even tone.

Fury gave way to a gloating superiority. "I'm afraid that your friends have proven to be poor guests. Unfortunately, they will be spending your wedding in the dungeon before we dump them on the next garbage freighter heading back to earth."

Despite her sister's words, Starfire could not help but smile. It would be just like her friends to cause issues on her behalf, futile as they may be. And the fact that her sister just told her that they would be sent back to earth, pleasantly or not, lifted a great weight from her heart.

"I just cannot take them anywhere," she admitted with a giggle, eliciting another frown from Blackfire.

A distant tremor tickled the soles of her feet. That was the fourth such rumble since she had begun the procession, and this one closer than the last. Perhaps her friends were not as contained as Blackfire insisted?

"Well, let's not delay any further," Blackfire stated coldly. She then held up her hands, addressing the gathered masses here to witness her 'wedding'.

"Greetings, my loyal subjects," the Empress proclaimed, "We gather here at Moonset to bind my sister before the eyes of X'hal. By the ancient concords of our people, her life shall be joined to this noble and handsome Schlurch."

There were quiet murmurs throughout the crowd, but no cheers of celebration as Blackfire had no doubt been craving. Starfire saw several familiar faces in the crowd, many years removed at this point, and none of them pleased at the current arrangement.

The Grand Ruler swallowed her frustration and turned her attention back on her sister.

"So beloved you are, Starfire… But it doesn't matter anymore," Blackfire spat out the words, "Tell me, Sister Dear, for the greater good of Tamaran, and for the honor and survival of your people, do you willingly, and without reservation, agree to bind your life to that of Glgrdsklechhh?"

The moment of truth.

Did she possess the strength to go through with this travesty? To give herself, body, and soul, to a disgusting sack of jelly to safeguard the lives of her people?

She smiled broadly, it was not really a choice at all, now was it?

"I, Koriand'r, crown princess of Tamaran-" she felt gratification at the look of outrage on Blackfire's face as she reiterated that point. "-Do hereby promise-"

A thunderous crash drew everyone's attention to the back of the room. The massive double doors were blasted open, swinging around to slam heavily into the walls, as a single, diminutive figure burst into the room.

"Starfire!"

Said Tamaranean felt her heart flutter in a manner that had nothing at all to do with her husband to be. Even though he was interrupting this sacred ceremony, and endangering the entirety of her people, Starfire could not help but suck in her breath at the sight of Robin storming up the aisle.

"The wedding is a lie!" Robin yelled out for all to hear. "The treaty that protects your people is already signed! This is just a sick joke by Blackfire!"

Slowly, Starfire turned to stare daggers at the Grand Ruler. The only surprise was that there was even the tiniest trace of surprise existing that her sister would pull such a despicable deception.

"Is this true, Blackfire?" she asked in a low tone.

For her part, Blackfire was rubbing her temples. "Is there a reason that no one is arresting that human?"

Immediately, guards from all around the room took up their weapons and began to converge on Robin. Panic constricted her chest, however, before she could move, her friend charged the closest guard, moving faster than she had ever seen of him.

He ducked a reckless swing of a pike, only to lean further to the side, his leg lifting in a wide arc. Even with her own training, she could scarcely see the strikes as he lashed out rapidly into the guard's thighs, abdomen, chest, and face. To everyone else, it might have looked like he'd just kicked once, and missed.

Even the nameless guard seemed confused for a moment, before stumbling back, clutching their nose, now streaming green blood. Rather than charge to engage the other half a dozen guards encircling him, Robin instead reached into his belt. In another blindingly fast movement, his arm flashed out, and suddenly small packets of what looked like dust burst in the face of each warrior.

Everyone paused for a moment, confusion growing by the moment as Robin stood, arms crossed and looked sinfully pleased with himself.

And then the first guard sneezed. It was a loud sneeze, the kind that wracked the entire body. And, minus an emerald hued explosion, it was a familiar sneeze to the Tamaranean princess.

Metallic Chromium?

In short order, the gathered soldiers began sneezing and coughing and hacking violently, their eyes and noses running messily as aggressive allergic reactions kicked in. It was not a lethal attack, but it was very mean! Starfire was not certain how she felt about this tactic of his and had to wonder just how long he had been hoarding this secret weapon.

"Furthermore," Robin added, raising his voice to be heard over the unfortunate guards, "Blackfire brought the fleet. The aliens are working for her."

Starfire's shocked gasp was only one of many from the gathered throngs of her people. She turned back to her sister, fury building within her chest.

"You betrayed Tamaran, again?" she asked in dark disbelief.

"Your friend isn't exactly explaining things properly," Blackfire admitted casually, "But it hardly matters at this point. In case you had forgotten, I am the Grand Ruler of Tamaran! Unless your boyfriend has a small asteroid of Metallic Chromium hidden in his pants, then he has done nothing more than provide an amusing side show in honor of your wedding." Blackfire smiled grimly. "Unless you want me to declare your friends to be terrorists to be shot on sight, rather than the kid gloves we've been using so far."

Starfire looked down at her feet, adorned in admittedly fashionable white shoes. Her sister was not wrong, if her friends were declared enemies, rather than just unruly guests, it would not be restrained guards wielding ornamental weapons that responded, but rather soldiers wielding military hardware. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Not… not as long as Blackfire was Grand Ruler at any rate.

"I-"

The entire room quaked, then again, nearly throwing people from their feet before the gathered Tamaraneans simply floated off the floor. Everyone looked around in confusion, as another calamitous crash shook the hall. Starfire glanced at her sister, but the Empress looked just as confused as herself.

The answer was made evident in spectacular fashion, as the floor near the center of the great hall suddenly exploded in an eruption of fire and stone. A familiar pair was ejected from the blast site, tumbling furiously through the air before bouncing and skidding for several meters.

Starfire could only stare, eyes threatening to fall out of her skull, as Galfore, bruised, battered, and looking to be on the well-done side, staggered to his feet. Across from him, Perfume, looking no better herself, also levered herself to her feet. The smiles on both old warrior's faces were at great odds with the savage beatings it appeared they had laced on each other.

Had it been them that had been battling through the palace this entire time?

Just a second before the titanic Tamaranean and the athletic Amazon were about to bodily throw themselves at one another once more, both warriors paused, finally taking in their surroundings. Starfire was merely one of dozens that stared blankly at the battered duo, even her wicked sister seemed to be at a loss for words.

Even the sight of Raven standing in the doorway, holding Cologne at her side in a wreath of dark power scarcely even registered.

Both Galfore, and Perfume glanced about them, taking in the stunned silence of their unexpected audience, then back to each other, their rugged breathing starting to slow as they were obviously trying to sort out what exactly was going on and how to proceed.

It seemed Perfume came to a decision a moment quicker.

"Oh… curse my feeble human weakness!"

Only for the honored Elder to awkwardly collapse, supposedly, from her wounds. It was a good thing that Perfume was a master of the martial arts, because she had very little future as an actress.

Even as Galfore scratched his beard in obvious confusion to the sudden conclusion of his pitched battle, Starfire had to stop herself from slapping a hand to her face. Raven, Robin, and Cologne mirrored her opinion with gratuitous eye rolls.

Still looking unsure, perhaps wary of a false surrender, Galfore slowly turned to Blackfire before bowing.

"I apologize for my interruption, Empress. This human had proven… a surprising challenge to subdue."

It probably would have helped if Perfume did not look so smugly satisfied with herself at Galfore's admission. Still, Blackfire, not having any cultural background to understand what was going on, simply shrugged.

"It's fine, Galfore. Unlike every other guard around, you actually managed to best one of these nuisances." She then waved dismissively in Robin's direction. "Now, be a dear and deal with that one as well, so that we can get back to my sister's big day."

Slamming a fist to his chest, Galfore nodded, shooting Perfume one last uncertain glance before turning towards her colorfully attired friend. Looking decidedly nervous now, Robin slowly lifted his fists.

"Galfore, stop!"

Starfire's shout rang out across the hall, and all eyes turned her way. Defiantly, she turned to face her sister once more. Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin proudly, she floated higher into the air.

"You dare countermand my order?" Blackfire asked imperiously, rising into the air to match her.

She nodded, striving to project more confidence that she was actually feeling.

"The words of a tyrant hold no power over me, sister. Once again, you bring shame to all of Tamaran!"

Her words hit home harder than even she expected, Blackfire visibly recoiled, clutching a hand to her chest as her face contorted violently.

"I - I am bringing shame to Tamaran?" Blackfire's words threatened to boil the air itself. "To the world that has done nothing but shame me my entire life?"

The Empress surged forward, and Starfire fell back in turn. It appeared she had hit a nerve.

"The world that you abandoned to play make believe with your idiotic humans?" Blackfire swung her hand to the side, trailing violet energy from her fingertips. "What have you ever actually done for Tamaran, sister? Besides smile and wave like a vapid idiot?"

Starfire continued to float backwards. She tried to compose any kind of retort, but Blackfire refused to let her get a word in edgewise.

"Unlike you, I came back!" Blackfire sped forward, driving a burning finger to her chest with a painful thud. "I am the only one on this entire stinking planet that is actually doing something to make things better, and you call me a tyrant?"

Righteous anger burned in her chest, and Starfire pushed forward, nearly nose to nose with her sister now.

"Tamaran fell because of you! You led the Citadel! Our parents are dead because of you!"

So close that she could smell the Zorka berries on her sister's breath, Starfire saw a tumult of emotions careen through Blackfire's unnatural violet eyes. It looked, for a moment, like she wanted to argue, to justify herself, to explain… only for her eyes to go dark.

"Your parents died in the invasion," she replied with a callous chill, "I lost my parents the moment I proved too weak to serve their purpose."

Starfire could feel energy building within her sister, her dark cloak and hair billowing violently on the currents of power. The violet color of her aura faded, leaching away even as her power surged.

"You stole my parents!" Blackfire spat with heated intensity. "Stole my K'norfka. Stole my station. Stole my world."

Blackfire's back arched and her aura exploded and vanished at the same time, sending Starfire hurtling backwards.

"You stole my life!"

The crown princess of Tamaran felt her eyes burning with tears she refused to shed. She could feel the pain, raw and jagged, in Blackfire's aura. She clutched a hand to her chest and matched her sister's gaze.

"You stole my sister from me," Starfire replied evenly, "And I do not know if I can ever forgive you for that."

Blackfire, dark empress of Tamaran, stared back at her incredulous and confused for a moment. The hateful intensity of her unseen aura faltered… only to flare up to new heights of power. The floor several yards beneath her feet began to fracture and collapse, even as the ceiling far above began to discolor and glow from the heat.

Where was this power coming from? Was Blackfire's hatred truly this vast and terrible?

There was only one option left to her.

"Blackfire, I challenge you for the crown." The words felt like ashes in her mouth.

The words pierced her sister's rage, snapping her back to lucidity. For the moment at least, the terrifying and seemingly endless growth of her power halted. But the way Blackfire's eyes lanced right through her sent a shiver down the princess' spine.

"Thank you, Starfire." Blackfire gave a mocking laugh, delicately covering her mouth with her hand. "I had fooled myself that simply marrying you off and shipping you across the universe would have been enough. So, I thank you, for reminding me that there was only one way this could ever end."

Her smile grew cold, like a shark without the rows of teeth.

"And thank you for giving me the justification, the right to finally end this."

Then, against all reason, Blackfire's aura of power began to increase further! Beyond all sense!

"My hatred for you burns with the fury of a thousand suns, Sister Dear! There won't even be ashes left to remember your last act of treason!"

Blackfire's words sparked a small sun in Starfire's mind, and it was impossible for her to hide the utterly vindictive smile that began to spread across her lips. In this one case, she finally agreed with her sister. This did need to end here… and now.

"A thousand suns you say?"

Galfore stared in silent awe at the seemingly limitless power that Blackfire commanded. The very palace was being forced to supplicate itself to her raw fury.

Blackfire's pained words echoed in his own heart. It cleaved his soul to see his two bumgorfs clash like this. It seemed fate itself had conspired against the very notion of them being true family to one another.

But this was the way of their people. Stiffening his back, he spoke softly for Starfire's companions.

"No matter what comes, you must not interfere with the challenge. If you do, she will forfeit."

He reached out to drop a hand on the masked boy's shoulder to reassure him-

His hand passed through nothing but air. Glancing down, he noticed that the boy, Robin, was no longer standing by his side. It took a moment of searching to find the boy.

Starfire's steadfast friend, whom she had spoken of with sincere admiration for his bravery and skills in combat… was currently sprinting out of the door, his darkly clad companion soaring through the air at his side as they careened down the corridor.

Scratching his head, he turned to his other side, to ask the esteemed Perfume where they were going-

He caught a flash of brilliant aqua hair as the dauntless warrior leapt out of one of the highest windows in the palace, literally a thousand meters above the ground. He just managed to catch her gaze as she looked over her shoulder one last time before dropping out of sight.

The expression of… of delighted terror on her face told him more than a thousand words might, all in that single glance.

He took one last look back at the confrontation between two Icons for the very heart of Tamaran. Blackfire hung in the nimbus of a dark star, rictus of rage on her face, embodying the warrior spirit of their people, and the fierce passions which drove them. Starfire floated serenely before her, shoulders squared and back unbowed in the face of unparalleled might. Truly, she represented the joy and the hope that allowed Tamaran to carry on despite so many senseless tragedies.

Perfume's face flashed through his mind again, and immediately he raised his weary arms.

"Everyone, please evacuate the Throne room in an orderly manner!"

The imperial palace of Tamaran, named by many the Spear of X'hal, had weathered attacks and invasions for over a thousand years, perched atop the towering mountain spire. The rays of the rising sun cast long fingers of orange light crawling across the land beneath the dark amethyst sky which still bathed the palace in nocturnal darkness.

A flash of light lit the sky, spilling out from the western side of the very tip of the highest tower, striving to pierce the clouds. It was followed a moment later by another flash on the east side of the tower. Then the north, then the south, then another, and another, faster and tighter with every revolution, until the entire tower was lit up by this strange strobing light show.

It all culminated in a single blinding flash of cerulean light which dispelled the night for an instant.

The light was merely the herald for the unearthly howl that followed. The walls of the tower trembled, then bowed out obscenely.

And then the tower exploded, giving birth to a towering cyclone of glowingly blue winds that rose hungrily into the upper reaches of Tamaran's atmosphere. The living tornado swelled, outwards and downwards, furiously chewing up more of the spire that once held the Throne Room before scattering it across the city far below.

Somewhere, removed from the chaos, an ancient warrior smiled with pride… and with anticipation.

The odd boy looked very out of place on the beach. For one, the jet-black suit he wore while he lounged in the beach chair didn't fit the local aesthetic, or the coconut with an umbrella in it clutched in his hand. For two, the young man's chair was turned around, facing towards the heart of the island, rather than the sparkling white sands and sapphire sea.

The dark-haired lad hummed a jolly tune, gesturing excitedly with his free hand, much like a conductor before an orchestra.

In the distance, the sky was growing dark as black clouds of smog and ash continued to billow forth from the angrily glowing mouth of the no longer dormant Mt. Monokoa.

All around the youth, people ran frantically towards the harbor, their screams of panic only accentuating his jaunty humming and adding a little flair to his gestures. The sand trembled beneath his chair to the beat of his off-tempo gestures and the distant mountain shook ominously.

A few moments later, his wordless song reached its crescendo, and he threw his hand up into the air.

Mt. Monokoa, dormant for over thirty years after being robbed of its rightful prey by the interfering hands of men and alien, celebrated in grand style as it erupted with the force of a bomb. Flaming and molten rock was sent hurtling through the air, even as long rivers of incandescent lava began to flow down the mountain.

One such burning rock arrowed right into that rearranged chair on the beach, but it was long since empty before it was smashed and lit aflame by the igneous artillery.