Part 93: Moving Onwards

On a relatively peaceful morning, the Teen Titans, minus Kenzaki who was still off-world, and plus Arella who was still visiting her daughter, were sitting down for breakfast. After the normal argument between Changeling and Cyborg over meat and tofu, everything settled down, like it always did. Yep, everything was normal, including the portal forming itself in the Common Room. Everyone turned to see the familiar face of Warren Smith pop out of the portal. He walked out of the portal with a yawn. "Man, I really need a drink…" He looked over at the Titans and waved at them. "Morning Titans!" he said. He then noticed Arella and his face paled, all the color leaving his face.

"Warren-san, daijoubu?" asked Ryuki.

Warren then leapt backward and curled into the fetal position. "Don't shoot! I married Raven! I did the right thing!"

Arella stared. "Did he say he married Raven?" she asked, eyes on her daughter. "Did you marry another man without me knowing?"

"Mother!" Raven gasped.

"Warren's an interdimensional traveler who hails from an alternate dimension," Shadow explained. "He's a good friend of Draco's and loves to stop by. Also, he's married to an alternate version of Raven."

Arella blinked and said to Raven, "It's never a dull moment here, is it?"

"It never is," Raven replied.

"Warren-san, it's okay! Relax. This isn't the same Arella you know," Ryuki attempted to calm his friend down.

"It…isn't?" Warren spoke coherently. Draco nodded as he helped his friend up. "Woah, that's a relief."

"Don't shoot me?" Shadow repeated. "What is that supposed to mean or do I want to know?" Knowing Warren, it would be a funny story.

"Shadow, remember how you said it was a shotgun wedding…Arella used an actual shotgun for our wedding," answered Warren. "Where a pacifist got a shotgun, I don't know and frankly, I don't want to."

"So what brings you back here so soon?" Draco asked curiously.

Warren's expression was serious, meaning he had urgent news and news from Warren with that expression was never the good type.

"OK, since you're all here, I might as well get straight to business," said Warren. "Ryuki, I've been doing some research on my world, using some of my connections through the S-Loan office, Hellsing and the Soul Society, and I found that someone is on your world. Someone who shouldn't be."

"Who?" asked Robin.

"Damien is on your world."

Draco's eyes widened and so did Neko's. They both remembered Damien. "HE'S HERE!?" Neko and Draco shouted in shock.

"OK, who's Damien?" asked Jinx.

"Remember when I told you about Ryuga?" questioned Draco and Jinx nodded. "Let's just say Damien and he have a lot in common."

"How bad is this Damien dude anyway?" Beast Boy asked.

"He makes Trigon looks like a cupcake," Neko answered.

"You're kidding, right?" Raven asked. How could anyone be that powerful?

"If I was kidding, I would be telling a knock-knock joke right now. If Damien's here, it's not good," Neko said worriedly.

"How do you know so much about him?" Robin questioned suspiciously. Neko remained silent. She did not want to go into that. "Well?"

"Robin, please don't ask her that," Draco protested. "There are some things she doesn't want to talk about."

"But this is important," Robin said. "Isn't it?"

"I'll tell you guys then," Warren said. Neko looked horrified. Warren began his explanation about Damien, "Like my universe has a version of Raven, Damien's universe had a version of me… in fact, he is me." Everyone, with the exception of Neko and Ryuki, looked at Warren in stunned silence. "In fact, a part of Damien is still with me…" Warren tapped his head, "In here." He got a few looks from the Titans. "I suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder…"

"What's that?" asked Changeling.

"Multiple personalities," answered Warren. "Damien was the personality that was created through all the bad stuff that I went through in life. Child abuse, seeing my foster mother killed, being killed, anything you can think of. One day I snapped and killed Dr. Light. On that day, I could have gone in one of two directions. Damien went down the wrong path. He completely controls his universe. Not only that, but like Neko said, Trigon is nothing compared to him."

"So, what is he doing here then?" Raven asked. "Why is he here? From what you told us we would've noticed something."

"I don't know, but if I know myself I would be waiting for the right moment to strike," Warren finished.

Cyborg nodded and ordered, "T.I.T.A.N., initiate a DNA scan on Warren Smith."

A device resembling a camera came down from the ceiling and fired a beam that swept over Warren. The beam then receded into the ceiling.

Cyborg continued, "Run scan on DNA matches." He turned towards Warren, "If he's in the city, we'll find him."

"We strike now when they're out of the tower."

"We strike now when they're vulnerable."

"We strike now when they're so close."

While Raven and Starfire were in civvies (civilian clothes), Arella was earning a lot of stares due to her white robe. She hadn't brought any luggage along with her so now she had been coaxed into shopping by Starfire. Raven decided to tag along to make sure her mother didn't end up getting dressed up by Starfire. Starfire, despite being knowledgeable about fashion, could not comprehend that her taste in clothing did not match others.

They were in the mall, Cyborg having driven them there. Terra, Jinx and Renia could not come since it was time for their training. Cyborg would come to pick them up later.

"The mall is quite impressive, is it not?" Starfire asked Arella.

"Yes, it is," Arella admired. "It's been such a long time since I've set foot in a place like this. I used to be considered a shopaholic in the past and I used my dad's credit cards to buy whatever I wanted. My parents didn't like it when I did that but they never cared about me so why should I care what they thought."

Raven had never seen her mother so…open before. In fact, this was the first time she'd heard about her mother's life prior to Azarath and caught a glimpse of what her mother had been like as a teen.

"This was before…?" Raven began.

"Before I got into the wrong crowd," Arella admitted. By the wrong crowd, she meant the Order of Scath. "I didn't know any better back then, Raven, and I was afraid, but I never regretted having you."

Raven smiled. Despite their limited interaction in the past on Azarath, they were still mother and daughter. There was still a connection between them.

Arella had once in the past contemplated suicide after she'd been rescued from the cult. Having been raped by Trigon, she had conceived Raven that very night. If it hadn't been for Ichiro and Keiko taking care of her and bringing her to Azarath, well…Arella didn't know what would've happened.

"We're here!" Starfire announced, beaming, and Raven blanched. No wonder Terra, Renia and Jinx had declined. It was Starfire's favorite place to shop…

"Planet…Pink?" Raven said, feeling sickened by all the pink.

"Isn't it marvelous?" Starfire said happily, oblivious to her friend's discomfort. "This is where I've bought my favorite articles of clothing."

"You don't say," Raven said cynically. The place sold pink tops, bathing suits and even underwear. This wasn't a place Raven would be caught dead at. Happy Raven maybe but that was a very small part of her.

"Let us go," Starfire began, dragging Raven inside. Raven was powerless against Starfire's strength.

"Um, Miss Starfire," Arella began. "How about a different place?"

Starfire blinked, "A different place? But what about?"

"We've got some time. We can check this store out before we leave."

Starfire took a moment to think about it as Raven pulled her hand away from Starfire's grip. "I supposed that would be acceptable," Starfire answered.

Arella smiled and Raven whispered, "Thank you, mother."

"Well, you never truly loved pink as I recall," Arella replied.

"With good reason," Raven nodded.

"So, you know what to do?"

ARMS snorted, crossing his arms, "Yeah, yeah. You just pay me and I'll deliver."

"Don't damage the goods, alright?"

"It doesn't matter! As long as they're alive it doesn't matter!"

ARMS rolled his visor covered eyes. He was a mercenary so he couldn't be picky about the people who hired him. He just wished he didn't get the crazy ones for once.

"So the three stars in Orion's Belt aren't really stars but planets?" Robin questioned, trying to understand the bit of information he had just received from Shadow regarding a question he'd asked about the Deathtrons' planet.

"That's right," Shadow nodded, "But to more accurate they are artificial planets. Like giant space stations"

"And these artificial planets are the home to…"

"The Orions," Shadow finished. "Their original home world, Planet Orion, was the home to numerous alien species that lived in peace. There were three main governing bodies…"

"The Deathtrons, Sabretrons and Trikatrons, right?" Robin stated. Shadow nodded, pleased that Robin had paid attention up until now. Then again, he shouldn't be surprised. Robin was a detective and had to pay attention to even the minutest of details. It was his obsession that was trouble.

"While the Sabretrons wanted a peaceful co-existence with the rest of the galaxy, the more power hungry Deathtrons wished to conquer other world. The Trikatrons were merely content with living their lives the way they chose, not choosing sides. Then, the war began and eventually the planet became so uninhabitable that the three nations needed to evacuate. They built spherical evacuation ships and launched them into space, carrying everyone as the planet itself died. Over time the three ships evolved into space stations and finally became artificial worlds with their own atmosphere. They could stimulate day, night and weather. Their worlds were also light years apart but even so, they still formed Orion's Belt," Shadow explained. "They became the planets Death, Trika and Sabre."

"OK, I guess that makes sense," Robin nodded. "But, what about the war? It came to Earth, right?"

"It did, and it was on this planet that it ended," Shadow finished. He knew the full story, however. The Legendary Squadron Elemental Rangers, descendants and reincarnations of the Orions that had escaped to Earth, had defeated Vaiolangaizer. "So, if that's all, I think I should take my leave."

"Yeah, that does clear a lot of things up," Robin agreed. "So, why did you decide to finally tell me?"

Shadow sighed, "I guess because I sensed a lot of questions regarding what the Sabretrons and Deathtrons really are. Maybe I just wanted to satisfy your curiosity."

Robin nodded and commented, "You know, it's almost dark. Starfire, Raven and Arella should be back by now."

"Yes, and it worries me slightly," Shadow agreed. His Pactio card which depicted Raven had been giving him trouble. It was trying to tell him something, but what?

In an instant, Starfire's face showed up on the large computer/TV screen. She looked absolutely panicked. It was never a good sign.

"Starfire, what's wrong?"

Shadow fell silent when he heard her answer.

"Arella and Raven! I cannot find them! They have vanished!"

Shadow held the Pactio card in his hand. It was the one made between him and Raven. It was his link with her and he was going to use it to find her. He decided to do this alone. While the other Titans were out looking for her and Arella without success since Raven's communicator signal had gone cold. However, he would find her without trouble at all. She had her copy of their Pactio and with it he could find her using his master copy.

Starfire had told them they had ventured into a store called the 'Reject Shoppe', a warehouse outlet, and decided to try on some clothes. They'd entered the changing rooms together but only Starfire came out. When she'd gone to check on Raven and Arella, they had gone. The only way they could've vanished was because someone using the Mirror World had been involved and Shadow suspected a Knight was involved.

As he was walking along the dark street of the slums, he could see the homeless sitting in alleys, keeping warm at night with a fire they had made in old empty oil drums. Shadow frowned at their poverty but despite his wealth he couldn't really exterminate poverty. He could only help them, which resulted in the homeless shelter he'd opened up in the area a year ago once he began protecting the slums.

If he had walked in his usual cloak, he would've garnered attention. Instead, he was clad in a black turtleneck shirt, a black trench coat, matching black slack, black leather shoes and black gloves. His black hair was combed so that the bangs would cover his Mark of Sin and his eyes were completely black with blood red irises.

"Change?" one homeless man approached him, hands out, begging for money. Shadow reached into his coat and pulled out a wad of cash. He knew if he just handed the money to the man, the others would come crawling asking for more. With a single toss, he threw the money into the air and the sheets of paper came raining down. Many other homeless came out scurrying from their hiding places like rats and went to catch the money as it came falling. Shadow walked away. He didn't care if they were fighting amongst themselves or anything. Right now all he cared about was finding his wife and Arella.

He stopped in mid step and drew something from his coat, spinning around before aiming his Gunblade at an invisible target. He said, "It's useless to hide from me, Gar. I can still sense you, even in that form."

An Ectonurite slowly faded in. The homeless who saw him fled in fear at seeing the 'ghost'. The alien's appearance did hold the appearance of one, or at least one wearing a sheet to look like a ghost for Halloween. Its skin was grey with black tracks, it had thin arms with no muscle on them, four fingered hands, and in the place of legs was a tail that waved in the air. It had s single pink eye that stared back at Shadow eerily. The symbol of the DNA Morpher was on his chest.

"Dude, seriously, so not cool how you can sense me," Changeling replied in an eerie raspy voice. "And can you take that gun away."

"I can still smell you without trying. Your odor is not one I can ignore," Shadow replied as he withdrew his gun from the Ectonurite's head and slipped it into his coat. He asked, "Why did you follow me? I thought I asked to do this alone."

"Robin was worried and he had a hunch that you weren't totally honest about not knowing where Raven and her mom are," Changeling replied. No sense of lying to someone who could dig into your brain for the info. "You do know where they are."

"No, but I know how to find them," Shadow flashed Changeling the card.

"That Pactio thingy?" Changeling questioned. Shadow nodded. "But doesn't Starfire have one of those too?"

"A Pactio card links the Ministra Magi to their Magistra Magi and vice versa. It doesn't link between two Ministra Magi, despite being partnered with the same Magistra Magi," Shadow explained. "Now, go back to Robin and tell the others to stay out of this. This is personal."

"It's personal for us too!" Changeling snapped, the eye moving along the tracks. "Raven's our friend!"

"She's also my wife!" Shadow shot back, "And one of the Codes of the Akuma Clan is to always take care of family. I don't need you or the others, so just leave." He turned around to walk ahead.

"She's our family too so that applies to us as well, whether you like it or not," Changeling spoke seriously.

Shadow sighed. Initially, he saw Garfield as nothing more than an immature simpleton, but he'd seen him grow into a man and a man stuck by his friends no matter the odds. Shadow was pushing the ones who cared about him away, and it wasn't right…it just wasn't…

"Alright, you can help," Shadow said and Changeling smiled despite the fact you couldn't see a visible mouth on his Ectonurite form. "But you do what I say and when I say it, understand?" Changeling nodded. Shadow turned his eyes towards a nearby alley, "That applies to you too, Warren."

Warren stepped from the shadows. "Fine," said Warren. Even if it wasn't his world's Raven, it was still Raven and he'd do anything to protect her. The DNA Morpher timed out, revealing Changeling in his true form.

"Follow me," Shadow ordered and he led the Wraith and shape-shifter towards the destination the card was leading him to…Raven. Find Raven and they find Arella.

They stopped at a manhole. "Here," Shadow said, slipping the card into his coat and lifting up the manhole cover. He flung it aside and asked, "You two coming?"

"It's not like I haven't gotten myself dirty before," Warren shrugged. He rubbed his hands together. "Let's do this."

Shadow climbed down the ladder, followed by Warren. Changeling hesitated for a second before grumbling, "Fine!" He climbed in after them. "Ugh, this so stinks!"

"Soon, very soon, our master will return!"

"The two sacrifices have been prepared, I take it?"

"Yes, and we already paid that mercenary. He left us with a message."

"Which is?"

"'Good luck because you're going to need it'."

"Hah! Luck? We need no such things! We have faith in our power! Our power shall return the Master to his glory. Hail Trigon!"

"You're quite eager."

"I don't believe eager describes him well enough."

"Even so, we wait until the time is right, and then their blood shall return Trigon to this plane of existence."

Raven was slowly coming too. She was trying to move her arms but realized they had been tied together behind her. Her legs were also bound together at the ankles. Her eyes looked around. A gag had been tied around her mouth too. She had been tied to a pillar of some sort. To her side was her mother, Arella, also bound and gagged. Arella had been stripped down to her undergarments and so was she.

Raven remembered seeing a man in green armor grabbing her. ARMS! ARMS had grabbed her and he must've grabbed her mother too. But why? Was he acting under orders and if so, then whose?

She looked around the chamber. It looked like a temple made to serve as the base for a cult. Demonic statues lined the walls holding lit torches and there were support pillars with blood red occult runes on them. Raven looked down towards the floor and saw the Mark of Scath on it with various runes in a circle around it. The runes also decorated the walls. Whoever had done this had links with the Order of Scath and thus links with Trigon.

But Trigon was dead, right? So why all this?

She would get her answer soon enough as the door to the chamber opened.

The phrase 'dirty job but somebody has to do it' would apply to this situation as Shadow, Warren and Changeling walked along the sewers with the Snake Knight in the lead. Changeling had his nose covered since it was picking up the worst smell imaginable. What else would you expect to find in the sewers?

"It's not far," Shadow informed them.

"You sure?" Warren asked. "It's like we've been walking for ages."

"Wish the others were here," stated Changeling. Shadow gave him a glare. "I know, I know. You want to sneak inside and we can't pull it off with that many of us."

"At least you remember that," Shadow gave a curt nod before looking ahead.

"We're supposed to be looking for an entrance, right?" Warren asked.

"Something like that," Shadow replied. "If I know which Knight had done this I could just take the information away from him, but unfortunately the only ones I can think of are Copycat and ARMS."

"So, you think either of them kidnapped Raven?"

"I'm sure of it."

Several rats scurried away as they stepped ahead.

Suddenly, Shadow's danger senses reacted and the Snake Knight erected a dome of darkness around them before several shots were heard and the bullets bounced off the dome. Shadow dropped the dome and glared at the figure before them.

"Grant…Wilson…" Shadow hissed as his eyes were focused on the green armored Knight of Taurus.

"That's right," ARMS snorted as he had his submachine gun aimed at the trio. "And you're all going down."

"I should've suspected it was you who kidnapped Raven," Shadow spoke. "So, Slade and Copycat are planning something."

"Oh, it's not their plan," ARMS denied. "Just some guy who decided to hire me."

"Guy? What guy?" demanded Changeling. ARMS shrugged.

"Heh, just some loon from some dead cult called the Order of Scath," ARMS shrugged. Shadow, Changeling and Warren's eyes widened in shock at hearing the name Scath. Scath was a pseudonym for Trigon the Terrible!

"The bride and daughter of Trigon," the black robed and hooded figure began as he approached the two bound women. His face was covered by a yellow drama mask depicting happiness. Arella began to stir but couldn't speak due to her gag. "As much as I would love to hear your screams, the ceremony will begin soon. Of course, I need to wait and it's not time yet." He chuckled. "Oh, and don't bother with trying to use your magic. Yours is useless due to the runes in this room." He rolled up his sleeve to reveal the same runes had been tattooed to his skin, reminding Raven of the marks that'd appeared on her skin prior to Trigon's arrival, "While the runes grant me power." He waved his hand in front of his masked face and switched it with a blue mask depicting sorrow. "But, it bores me that you have nothing to say, so…" He snapped his fingers and the gags were torn off. "How's that?" He waved his hand in front of his mask, switching it with a red one depicting anger, "Can you talk now?"

"Who are you?" Raven demanded, struggling.

"We…" Angry Mask began before switching with Sorrowful Mask.

"…Are…" Sorrowful Mask paused before switching with Happy Mask.

"…The Triad!" Happy Mask finished.

Shadow took his deck out of his pocket, "The Triad?"

"Yep, and I guess you can say he can give Two-Face a run for his money," ARMS replied. "Well, the Triad paid to grab Raven and her mom and also paid me for extra security."

"What are they planning?" demanded Warren.

"Heck should I know and heck should I care. I get paid, end of story."

Shadow was ready to transform when Warren placed a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "I'll take care of this trigger-happy merc-bull. You go save Raven and her mom."

"No, we'll take care of him," Beast Boy added firmly. "Warren, I'll back you up."

Shadow gave a curt nod and ran ahead. ARMS aimed his gun at Shadow and shouted, "No way!"

There was a bright flash of light and then a fireball smashed into ARMS' chest.

"I don't think so," scoffed a humanoid made of red hot rock with glowing yellow veins that had molten lava running through them, and a skull-like flaming head. The emblem on his chest identified him as Changeling who'd DNA Morphed into a Pyronite. "Shadow, go get the girls!"

Shadow nodded and ran past ARMS quickly, following the Pactio and his gut instincts.

"Bring it on!" ARMS shouted as he opened fire on Changeling but the bullets seemed to melt as soon as they hit the intensely hot skin of the Pyronite. Even the water was starting to boil from the alien's body heat.

Warren got ready and muttered, "Good luck," before he shouted "SHATTER!!"

"The blood of the bride and daughter is required to revive our Lord," started Happy Mask.

Sorrowful Mask continued, drawing a ceremonial dagger out of his sleeve, "And that time is now."

Angry Mask finished, "This is what you're here for. Nothing more and nothing else. Consider it an honor that this will be your last service to Lord Trigon."

Raven spat, "It won't work!"

"Why do you even bother to deny the inevitable?" Sorrowful Mask questioned. "It's pointless."

"Because we have faith," Arella answered, "Faith that there'll be others to stop you."

Angry Mask scoffed, "Your faith is meaningless compares to OURS!"

"Is it?" Raven smirked before the door was kicked open. Zodiac Knight Shadowcobra ran into the room.

"WHAT!?" The Triad shouted in unison.

"Raven!" Shadowcobra shouted as he saw the bound women. He hissed hatefully, "You dare kidnap my wife and godmother?"

The Triad's eyes narrowed behind the Happy Mask, "So, you're the daughter's husband and the bride's god-son? A Zodiac Knight?"

"Correct, and you're finished!" Shadowcobra prepared to blast him with a shadow ball…but found that he couldn't. "What is this?"

Sorrowful Mask of the Triad explained, "The runes in this room neutralizes all mystical energy but mine and I see yours are mystical in nature."

Shadow hissed and shouted, "I don't need my powers to take you down!" He charged, drawing his Cobra Staff and letting out a war-cry. He swung his staff at the Triad's face but it met with an energy barrier. Shadowcobra was sent flying when the force of his attack was redirected back to him and sent him crashing into a pillar. Shadowcobra drew out his Gunblade and opened fire but his shots were absorbed into a red energy barrier around the Triad's body.

"Your weapons, power and strength are meaningless here and nothing compared to mine!" the Triad boasted. He chanted a spell and red lightning struck Shadowcobra from all direction, causing the Snake Knight to scream and drop his weapons in agony.

"Ichijyo!" Raven shouted. Arella turned her head away. Shadowcobra collapsed onto his knees, his entire body smoking.

"Heh, a weakling," snorted Angry Mask. He turned towards the two women, the ceremonial dagger in hand. It is time…

"No!" Shadowcobra got back to his feet and lunged forward. He struck but his attack got countered by the dagger and Shadowcobra was slashed across the chest, sending sparks flying. An open palm struck his chest and a beam of red demon magic sent him crashing into a pillar in the far back.

"Maybe I should just finish you off," Sorrowful Mask stated. "Once I take care of you, I can continue with our plan uninterrupted."

Shadowcobra turned invisible. It was a good thing the runes had no effect on Zodiac Magic. The Triad was undeterred and tried to seek Shadowcobra out based on his aura.

Shadowcobra hid behind one of the support pillars and pulled out a card in desperation. 'Please, give me something I can use,' he mentally pled. He held the card out in front of him and flipped it over, revealing a purple Deathtron emblem staring back at him. 'This card…the one father gave me.'

"Here is my Christmas present to you," Mr. Amakusa, Ichijyo's father, said as he handed the card over, facedown, to his son. Ichijyo took it and flipped it over. On the face of the card was the Deathtron emblem staring right back at him.

Ichijyo looked up at his father, confused, "Father, what is this?"

"Remember when you became a Deathtron all those years ago; what was the first thing you learnt?" his father questioned.

"Great power comes with a great cost," Ichijyo recited, "We must be willing to sacrifice something equally precious for it."

"The Deathtrons believe in power, and always will, willing to sacrifice anything for it. That card represents that," his father explained.

"But…why?" Ichijyo questioned.

"When the time comes, you must make a choice. Are you willing to give up your most prized possession for the sake of power? Make a wise decision because the power you receive must be used for the right reasons."

Ichijyo gazed down on the card before sliding it into his deck case. When the time comes…

Shadowcobra could hear the demonic Triad's footsteps approaching. At Shadowcobra's current power and with the runes neutralizing his abilities he stood no chance and using his true Vampangel form would probably make things worse. He closed his eyes and summoned his staff into his hand. He whispered, "Looks like it's time for me to make that choice." He then slowly slid the card into the slot before slamming it all the way through.

The demon Triad heard it and turned his head towards the pillar. "Found you!" he snarled before sending a powerful blast of unholy power at the pillar, destroying it in a powerful explosion that sent Shadowcobra, now visible, flying and slamming into the far wall. He then fell in a heap, totally unconscious.

Satisfied, the Triad turned back towards the altar where Raven and Arella were bound up. He continued the ceremony, "Oh, great Lord Trigon. I sacrifice to you the blood and flesh of your ungrateful spawn and mate. Please, accept your servant's offering." He should've have been paying attention to Shadowcobra.

Within his mind, Ichijyo was at peace. He felt like he was lying in a bed of clouds. Opening up his eyes, he could see that it was true. "Where am I?" he asked himself. A soft glow shone above him and he looked up while shielding his eyes. "Mother, is that you?" His mother had a bright aura around her so that was the only logical guess.

However, the person who landed and stood before him was NOT his mother. His eyes widened as the angel approached him.

"Misha?" he questioned.

"Hello, Ichijyo," Misha smiled, her dark hair falling down like curtains as she looked deeply into his eyes with her own. "It has been a long time."

He nearly felt like crying, "Is this…a dream."

"Maybe," she smiled serenely. To see her again, it brought something back.

"I've missed you," he said. "I've missed you so much."

"And I've missed you too," Misha reached over to cup his cheek. "But, you must forget me."

Shocked, Ichijyo asked, "Why? Why must I do that?"

"You must," she insisted.

"I can't!"

"Raven needs you."

Ichijyo fell silent. Raven and her mother; how could he'd have forgotten?

"This power you seek can only be used with a sacrifice. Sacrifice your wish to revive me so you may obtain it and save Raven and her mother," Misha continued. "Forget about me."

"But, if I do that, I won't have a reason to fight," Ichijyo replied. He declined, "I won't do it! I entered this war in order to bring you back!"

"You must move on. I love you but your feelings for Raven run deeper than they ever did for me."

"No," Ichijyo denied.

"It's true," Misha nodded.

"But I can't just forget you!"

"You won't. I will always be in your heart, but you must forget about your wish to revive me in order to save her. Sacrifice your desire for this power."

Could he just forget about his wish? He'd entered the Zodiac War for just that purpose. For 4 years he'd fought to revive Misha and he was supposed to forget about it. It didn't mean purging Misha's memory from him. He just needed to accept that he couldn't bring her back. For this power he needed to forget his wish to bring Misha back.

"Alright, I'll do it," Ichijyo nodded. "For you."

Misha smiled and said, "I love you, Ichijyo."

Ichijyo could now finally say it, "And I love you, Misha. Goodbye."

They both embraced one another and kissed...for the first and last time...

Shadowcobra's armor was going into a change. The shadows were creeping all over his armor, turning it obsidian black. Shadowcobra's head began to rise as the slits of his visor glowed red. He pushed himself back up and then stepped towards the altar and the Triad.

Raven's head snapped up and her eyes widened. The Triad followed where she was looking and turned around. "YOU!"

Shadowcobra was now back in action, and this time the Triad was going to pay. "You shouldn't have done that. That was a cheap shot." Shadowcobra's armor had now changed. Shadowcobra's new armor mostly resembled his original default one in terms of its base design. The colors had been changed and now the torso armor, gauntlet, helmet, and boots were black with deep violet trimmings. His faceplate and visor remained the consistent silver color but the slits that enabled him to see had turned to blood red and were glowing. His bodysuit had his Excel Streams decorating it along the sleeves and legs. Some new accessories had been added to the armor like the curved red spike attached to his right shoulder, the rhinoceros horn in the middle of his visor, the twin flaps of armor hanging from the sides of his belt and finally the artificial ponytail which resembled a stingray's tail that hung from the back of his helmet.

His Cobra Staff had also changed. The cobra head now had a silver covering over the top half of it with a golden horn and on the back were pink wings that resembled a stingray's fins.

The final change was his cobra emblem as it flaked away to reveal a golden Deathtron insignia in its place.

Shadowcobra Death Form had been born. He held up his staff and a black ball of shadow energy generated from the head.

"YOU SHALL NOT STOP ME!" the Triad roared as he sent energy blasts flying at Shadowcobra. The Vampangel Knight summoned forth a shield of darkness that blocked the blasts before he countered by swinging his staff, sending a black orb or energy flying at the Triad. The orb connected and the Triad was sent crashing into one of the pillars

"I doubt you can do anything about it you three-faced bastard," Shadowcobra hissed.

Angered at the Snake Knight's insolence, the Triad chanted a spell but when he tried to launch it at Shadowcobra…there was nothing. "What!?"

"I'm through playing with you," hissed Shadowcobra as he slid a card into his staff. "Add Vent!" Genocide roared as it materialized into existence. "Now, I'm going finish you off!"

"Now, hold on!" the Triad panicked. "M-maybe we can make a deal!"

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can take it with you to Hell! Over Soul!" Shadowcobra shouted. Genocide reared its head back and roared, turning into energy which then engulfed the Death Staff. The Death Staff morphed into the Geno-Blaster. The Geno-Blaster took on the physical attributes of Genocide. The barrel resembled the head and neck of the monster with the claws attached to the sides of the head. The handle of the weapon had the wings and hind legs attached to it, forming a chamber for Shadowcobra's cards. The tail became the hammer. The weapon glowed with a purple aura.

The Triad seethed and roared as he charged straight for Shadowcobra. Shadowcobra aimed his new weapon at the charging demon priest and opened fire. All the shots struck the priest but he wouldn't stop charging despite his wounds. As he got close enough, Shadowcobra spun around and slammed the weapon into the back of his head like a club. The Triad went reeling to the ground. "It's over," Shadowcobra sighed.

"NO!" the Triad roared, "IT SHALL NEVER BE OVER! LORD TRIGON'S POWER IS ABSOLUTE!" He chanted his most powerful spell, one which Shadowcobra was unable to counter with his power nullification ability, and launched a powerful dark magic spell into Shadowcobra's chest, sending him flying into the wall. Shadowcobra dropped his weapon in response as the Triad got back to his feet and shouted, "YOU SEE!? YOU ARE WEAK COMPARED TO-ARRRGGHHHH!!" The Triad began to gloat but was cut short when a blade of a scythe came sticking out of his chest, spilling his blood. He swiveled his head to see Raven, fully clothed, and gripping the Scythe of Light which she had used to attack him from behind. "YOU!"

"Nobody attacks me, my mother or my husband and gets away with it," Raven snarled as she withdrew her scythe. Shadowcobra dropped to the ground and collected his weapon. He drew his Final Vent card from his belt and slid it into a slot located on his Geno-Blaster.

"Final Vent!"

"Raven, get out of the way!" Shadowcobra commanded as a dark orb formed at the front of the barrel. Raven complied and jumped out of the way. Shadowcobra aimed the Geno-Blaster at the staggering Triad who looked on in horror at the growing Dark Orb that was absorbing the dark essence around them. Shadowcobra didn't hesitate. Shadowcobra didn't think. Shadowcobra only squeezed the trigger.

"DARK HOLE CRUSHER!!"

The orb was sent flying and the recoil pushed Shadowcobra backwards several feet. The orb hit the Triad in the chest and when it did, the Triad was being sucked into the miniature black hole. The Triad screamed as he felt his body being ripped into the hole and crushed as he was slowly becoming devoured. His head was the last thing seen sticking out before he was sucked right in…and then…silence.

The Triad was gone for good.

Shadowcobra armor and weapon shattered and vanished, leaving him in his civilian clothes.

"Raven, are you alright?" he asked, approaching his beloved wife.

"I'm fine," Raven said, shaking. "I…"

"We both did what we had to do," Shadow stated. For him killing only felt natural. I was what he'd been trained to do. Raven, however, was so unused to it. He asked, "What about godmother?" He felt a smack in the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Right here," Arella grumbled, fully clothed as well. "And I've told you to call me Arella."

"Sorry," Shadow apologized. Both Raven and her mother had something in common, namely slapping his head. "So, how did you both escape?"

"Oh, while you were busy fighting, a big red guy covered in flames burned our ropes," Raven answered as a green parrot landed on her shoulder.

"Hey, Shadow!" the parrot squawked.

"Changeling? What about Warren and ARMS?" Shadow asked.

"Oh, he was taking care of that trigger-happy psycho before telling me to go on ahead and help. Said you might need backup," Changeling replied once he leapt off Raven's shoulder and turned back to his human form.

"Of course, he didn't have to stare at us the whole time," Raven muttered.

"Hey, you were in your undies!" Changeling said in protest. "Any guy would stare!" He then realized what he'd said. "Uh-oh."

"Changeling, to say such a thing about my wife and her mother is disrespectful to me as well." He smirked. "But, we shall talk after we return home."

"Sweet, coz I'm pooped."

"Let's just get out of here," Raven shivered, "Place give me the creeps." The runes brought back unpleasant memories. However, the ground shook slightly as the wall exploded and ARMS sailed through the room. His flight continued until he slammed through the wall across the room and kept on flying.

"What was that?" asked Arella.

"That would be my work," said a voice as the others looked towards the doorway to see Wraith stepping out of the shadows in his armor. "I told him I was gonna knock him into the next state. Idiot called me on it."

The next morning, Arella stood on top of the Tower, smiling, "My visit here has been an unforgettable experience."

"Of course," Shadow agreed, clad in his uniform, "You were kidnapped. I doubt anybody could forget about that."

Arella laughed at the joke her son-in-law had told, "Oh, Ichijyo. You're as funny as I remember." Everyone stared at Shadow who blushed.

"Mother, do come visit again soon," Raven spoke.

"Only if you promise to come visit me as well," Arella replied. The mother and daughter shared a hug. Arella then gave the red jewel on Raven's forehead a kiss.

Arella let go as the magical circle took shape under her feet. "Goodbye, Titans. See you soon! Oh, and Ichijyo, please take care of Raven once she gets pregnant!"

"Mother!" Raven blushed but Shadow's blush was more pronounced against his pale skin. Arella laughed before she vanished in shimmering light, returning straight to Neo Azarath.

The Titans slowly began to leave the roof, one by one. Raven asked Shadow who was looking out at the ocean, "You coming?"

"I'll catch up," Shadow replied. Raven nodded and went back into the Tower. Shadow reached into his cloak and pulled out a photo of Misha. He gave it a final kiss and whispered, "Goodbye," before tossing it away into the air. He then turned around and went back into the Tower.

To Be Continued…

Thanks to Tanyeera for editing and Shadow Element 13 for letting me use Warren/Wraith.

BTW, Shadowcobra's Death Form is based on a picture of Kamen Rider Ouja's supposed Survive Mode.