Part 49: A New Day

Am I dead? I asked myself. I was in a dark void of nothingness and could barely see or feel anything. I felt like I was floating.

"You very well should be," said a voice, identical to my own, yet distorted at the same time. I opened my eyes and before me stood myself, except with 7 red on black eyes, jet black and spiky hair as well as fangs protruding under the upper lip. The skin on the upper half of his face was blood red. He was clad in obsidian black armor. On his back was a pair of demonic black bat wings.

"Who are you?" I asked. He laughed maniacally.

"Can't you tell?"

"You're me," I said, realizing the truth.

The other me shrugged. "In a way, boy. I'm actually your vampire side, your dark side. Call me Akuma. You never tapped into me until lately, of course. You did it to protect your friends."

"Which was a noble deed indeed," added another voice, which was gentle. The other person to appear was clad in white robes, golden armor and had long silver hair and blue eyes. On his back were angel wings. "And before you ask, yes, I am your angel side, your good side. You may call me Amakusa"

"Your friends are waiting for you," they both said. "Wake up."

"Wake up?"

"Hey guys! He's up!" yelled Beast Boy excitedly.

I was in the infirmary and lying on one of the beds. The Titans were assembled around me, with worried and anxious expressions on their faces.

"You had us worried there, Shadow," said Cyborg.

"I'd say," agreed Terra.

"Friend! It is most joyous that you have awakened." Starfire hugged me tight, I allowed her to.

"You saved us. You're a hero!" chimed Draco.

I shook my head, "Not a hero. Just a person who needed to save his friends." I ran my hand through my hair and realized something. I telekinetically brought a mirror to myself and looked. My hair had turned as white as snow. "Where's Raven?" I asked. The Titans gestured to a bed Raven was resting on.

Pluto explained, "When we all woke up, you were barely alive. Raven used her powers to heal you as much as possible. We've never seen her so panicked. She exhausted herself."

I got up, even when the Titans protested and walked to Raven. I leaned down and kissed her on the temple, brushing my lips over the red gem. "Wake up, little blackbird," I whispered.

Raven's eyes slowly opened up then shot wide open when she saw me. She swung her arms around my neck and hugged me tight. I returned the embrace.

"You're alive!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks to you," I said.

Various objects were glowing black and flying around. The computers also blew up.

"Not the med-computer!" Cyborg yelled before he was slammed in the head by a bed.

Beast Boy was changing into various animal forms to avoid the chaos while the others ran out of the room.

Raven looked at me and smiled. I placed my hand in hers. "I love you, Raven," I said, kissing her tenderly.

Later the Titans explained what they experienced when the monster consumed them. I made a conclusion.

"It seems the creature is able to give us what we most desire, in the form of dreams," I concluded.

"So what did you dream about?" Beast Boy asked.

I looked away, my eyes showing a sad expression. "A lost love." Raven realized what I had meant and frowned slightly. I walked up the stairs to the roof, intending to meditate.

Raven met me up there and sat down next to me.

"Misha, right?" she guessed.

I nodded. "I was happy to see her, even though it was only an illusion. However, it only made the pain worse."

"So what snapped you out of it even though you were happy?" she asked.

"You."

Raven blushed. "What?"

"Every time I looked at Misha, I saw you. I may have loved Misha, but that was a lifetime ago. Now my heart belongs to you, Raven." I leaned closer.

"As mine belongs to you, Shadow," she kissed me. I returned the kiss as well. She then asked, "What about your hair?" she asked as she ran her hand through my snow white locks.

I shrugged, "No problem, really. It'll take awhile for it to return to its original color, but before you know it, it will be blue again."

The sun rose as I rested my arm around Raven's shoulders, wrapping my cloak around the two of us.

"The sun rise really looks beautiful, doesn't it, Raven?" I asked.

"Not really sure. I wasn't really the one to watch the sun rise. I see it every day," she said.

"You see, but do you watch?"

She watched as the sun rose, the colors a bright and dark orange. "It's beautiful," she admitted. She leaned closer against me. I sighed, contently, as we basked in the morning light.

To Be Continued…