(This is an old story that I am re-uploading for archival purposes. It was originally published 10/12/09.)
Never Alone
Kole collected the firewood in her arms, humming a soft tune to herself that Jericho taught her during her time together with him after defeating the Brotherhood of Evil. Gnaark had fallen asleep in their shared home, and the stars glimmered over her head. Sparks of light fell from overhead amidst the trees, but she was used to the pale lightning of the night. Watching the sky gave her a sense of calmness, washing over her fear even though she could be attacked at any moment. Gnaark warned her about venturing off by herself, but she knew so many secret passages throughout the forest that could guide her back home.
Kole placed the wood into a small pouch made of thick leaves. She brushed her pink hair back, listening to the hushed voice of the wind. A sigh escaped her lips, closing her eyes as the frail breeze gently whipped her face gently. Her bright blue eyes seemed out of place amongst the forest, and most people would call her insane to leave a technological city for such a backwards forest. Kole laughed when Argent had asked her why she left her home, but she simply replied that she did not want to be controlled like a doll anymore. Argent decided to drop the subject almost immediately after that was said.
She began her way back to her small hut shared with Gnaark, a small grin on her jubilant face. However, a sudden cracking noise jolted her attention, and fright instantly took over. She remained, crouching low as her ears continued to pick up an odd, high-pitched shrieking. A roar was soon accompanied by the crackling, and Kole recognized the scream as one of the pterodactyls that lived nearby.
"Why in the clouds does this happen to me?" a voice cried.
Kole cringed at the voice, deciding to creep along. She edged herself closer to a patch of shrubbery, concealing herself as sparks of yellow blasted off randomly into the air. There she saw a disdainful pterodactyl swoop low at her prey, screeching loudly. The boy she was fighting was easily leaping away, ducking her bites and sending charges of electricity at her. Kole gasped in recognition, covering her hands with her mouth before leaping out of the shrubs.
"Hey! You!" she cried, waving her arm at him. "Come here! You'll be safer!"
Lightning immediately considered her, staring at her curiously. Before he could speak, a wing of the pterodactyl smashed him in the side of the face. Grunting, he fell along the ground until his back crashed into a tree. Holding his shoulder painfully, he glanced up wearily to find the screaming beast looming over him hungrily, and his pupils dilated.
Rolling to the side as the pterodactyl launched its large, sharp fangs at his head, the creature was soon caught in the bark of the trees, reeling to try to budge free. Lightning gasped, sitting upright before slowly getting to his feet. Staggering towards Kole, he looked down at her with interest, attempting to remember where he saw the young girl before.
"You're Lightning, right? I remember you from when we helped defeat the Brotherhood of Evil," Kole stated, grinning slightly.
"Ah, yes, they were a troublesome bunch of fiends," Lightning replied, shaking her hand. "You are…" He trailed off, trying desperately to remember her name. "It starts with a K correct?"
"Kole," she deadpanned, her eyes lowering agitatedly.
"My apologies, Kole. I'm terrible at recalling names." Giving her a quirky grin, he was instantly cut off by the shriek of the pterodactyl.
"What did you do to her?" Kole asked, watching the struggling creature.
Lightning crossed his arms, lowering his head in mild embarrassment. "My brother Thunder and I were searching the Artic for detected traces of the fallen Brotherhood of Evil. We were the closest Titans in the area besides you and Gnaark. Apparently, remnants of a base were still active when we investigated. I…" Lightning trailed off, a blush beginning to creep across his cheeks. "…I hit a button on one of the machines, thus activating the security and systems. Thunder and I were separated, and I was chased out into the snow where I was knocked over the head by some sort of machine, falling through a crevice. As I fell, I attempted to regain my stability by winding up my electricity to fly when I hit the beast."
"So you winded up here because of a mistake?" Kole summarized with a grin.
"Don't taunt me." Narrowing his eyes at her, Lightning retrieved his Titans communicator from his chest plate, flipping it on. "We sent you a signal. You didn't come."
Kole blinked, staring at him in confusion. Lightning handed his to her, pointing to a messaging system that requested her and Gnaark's help. Gasping lightly, she reached down to her pocket where she thought her communicator was, only to find a collected air. Smiling sheepishly, she giggled softly as Lightning narrowed his eyes down at her angrily.
"Seems that I'm not the only one who made a mistake," he jeered, smirking.
"At least I don't fall on pterodactyls," she shot back.
Flares of enmity flared up between them, glaring at each other darkly. Neither one backed down until Kole stuck her tongue out at him. Perplexed at her childish actions, Lightning wanted nothing more than to give the girl what for or a dose of his "fun". Instead of winding her down with his namesake, Lightning copied her motion. Crossing his arms, Lightning huffed and began to walk away until Kole snatched his wrist.
"Are you stupid?" she asked, pointing to his shoulder. "You're hurt."
Lightning blinked, staring over to her gesture. A large bruise had formed small red dots around the base of the large purple patch of pain. Wincing as he brushed the backside of his hand over it, he cringed and attempted feebly to conceal his hurt. Stating that the wound was not such a concern, he waved her goodbye and began to stalk off.
Scowling deeply, she leaped off and snatched his headband straight off his head. Lightning gasped, holding the barren shadow of his cheeks and watched as she dangled his prized headband. She swiftly placed it over her forehead as Lightning made a wild grab with his injured arm. A popping sound divided them, and Lightning gripped his shoulder, falling to his knees.
"I told you, you aren't alright!" Kole cried, dragging him to his feet. "Please, let me help you."
Sighing, he conceded to her help and let himself be pulled unwillingly. His shoulder panged uncontrollably as if a million insects were biting at him. Lightning shivered as a breeze swept above them, noticing that Kole hardly seemed affected at the freezing blast. The question stirred around in his mind, but he ignored it once the cry of the pterodactyl filled the air.
They turned around nervously, finding the dinosaur wrenched free of her tree prison, surging to the skies. Out of instinct, Kole snatched Lightning's hand and ran off. In this situation, fighting would only aggravate her. Ignoring his protests, Kole threw him into a nearby bush, hiding with him as the pterodactyl flew over their heads. Shooting her a dirty glance once she was out of sight, Lightning snarled and crossed his arms.
"Magnificent, now the pterodactyl will only search until she captures or destroys us," he growled sardonically.
"I know you like to fight, but you're injured and Gnaark isn't here," Kole reasoned with a shrug.
"Still, I could have fought," he argued before holding his shoulder. "That's quite a contradiction. Seems I am in no condition to battle."
"Finally, you're being reasonable," she snickered, earning a grunt in response.
Looking up at the trees, Kole watched quietly as the wind pressed on. A few leaves were blown off, landing around them melodically as the whistling winds blew by them. Disbelieving giggling as Lightning rubbed his arms from the cold, Kole walked off with him following.
Lightning looked over his shoulder, wondering worriedly where his brother was. He and Thunder were hardly ever separated unless battle required them for different missions, which was one time. Thunder was his conscience, giving him advice even though he usually fought with him over his "helpful hints". One time, they nearly destroyed Jump City over their arguments on Lightning's behavior. Yet, they were extremely close no matter what anyone said. Lightning noticed that Kole was on her own as she dragged him to her home, and he cocked his head at her.
"Come on in. Gnaark is probably asleep. He sleeps like a log," Kole stated, opening the wooden door.
Lightning peered inside the quaint abode, eyes widened in curiosity. Her home could not have been anymore simpler. Everything was crafted from wood from the chairs to the table and even the shelves. Lightning heard an audible snoring from a few rooms over, perking his interest until Kole stated that Gnaark did not like to be awoken. A certain incident with Cyborg nearly ended up with him having almost all of his circuitry ripped off. Cringing at the thought, Lightning sat down in one of the chairs as Kole left the room.
Kole rummaged through the cabinet, humming to herself. Lightning watched her through a crack in the door, curiously wondering why she was even concerned about him. He sighed, rubbing through his hair and felt a strange nakedness to his forehead and cheeks. Realizing she still held onto his treasured headband, he sighed and slumped his head on the table.
Kole slapped a large set of bandages and scissors on the table, jolting the yellow elementalist up. Staring at the scissors with accusing fear, Lightning glanced over to her as she unwrapped the bandages. Ordering him to hold out his arm, she was glad to find that he obeyed and began to wrap the bandages over his shoulder. Hissing at the contact, Lightning bit his lip to hold back a yelp.
"You know, you're pretty strong," Kole complimented, grinning as she gently continued to wrap. "Standing up to a pterodactyl and living is a feat, especially when you're on your own."
"Nothing is as quick or as strong as Lightning!" he jeered, laughing condescendingly until she slapped his wounded shoulder. "Ow! Why'd you hit me?"
"Give a compliment, and he makes it seem like he's the king of the galaxy." Sighing, Kole snatched the scissors and snipped the bandage off. Tightening and smoothing the rest out, she grinned. "There, it'll get better soon, but just keep the movement to a minimum. You'll be better within a matter of days."
Flexing his arm weakly, Lightning grimaced and nodded. "Thunder is definitely not going to be pleased that I got injured."
"Is he an overprotective brother?"
Lightning nodded. "When we were young children, on the day we discovered our powers in South Vietnam, I had fallen off a cliff. That's how I discovered that I could transmute the lower half of my body to electricity. Truly amusing, I must add, that my brother soon learned that he could ride on a cloud when he jumped down to save me. Due to our…different ways, we were chased out of our village and were forced to live in the sky." His head lowered slightly, staring holes at the floor. "We never got to see our mother after the incident. She probably would not even recognize us due to our skin changing."
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you sad." She lowered her head, ashamed of herself. "I ran away here because I didn't want to be controlled by my parents anymore for money." At Lightning's inquisitive stare, she smirked somberly. "My father used me as a byproduct of one of his experiments, and I gained the power to turn into crystal. When my parents wanted to use me to make money, I ran away."
"You weren't scared?"
"I was terrified. I didn't want to leave, but if it meant being free, I would." Kole collected the scissors and clutter of bandages, walking away towards the cabinet. "I am free to do as I want. I'm happy here, Lightning."
"Then, you do not miss your parents?"
The question caught her off guard, jolting her. Kole pursed her lips, glancing away shyly. Her gaze lowered to the floor, sighing quietly. She heard Lightning's footsteps come to her, and she stared at the almost hidden shadow he left from the glimmering moon above. She felt his hand on her shoulder, prompting her to catch eyes with him.
"Honestly, there are times when I do. Sometimes I miss them so much that I can't stand it. If I go back, it will just be the same anyway." She lowered her head, her shoulders heaving up before slumping. "However, I know I'm needed here. Gnaark is like the brother I always wanted, and this hut that people call primitive is where I belong. If the Titans need me, they know where to find Gnaark and I."
"For such a young girl, you are wise beyond your years." Lightning shook his head admirably, closing his eyes almost disbelievingly. "I suppose the predicament is like that for my brother and I. We live alone in the clouds, but his company is enough to keep him at peace."
Kole and Lightning exchanged amused grins before she quietly looked in the direction of Gnaark's room. His boisterous snoring had suddenly ceased, surprising them both as a sudden shriek filtered the air. Kole dropped everything, darting out the front door with Lightning following. His shoulder staggered as he ran, sending soft pangs throughout his arm. She threw the door open, gasping in shock.
"You," she hissed malevolently.
Dr. Light grinned down at her, standing on a flying contraption that was much like a massive snowboard. His body armor gleamed in the darkness, matching his grayish white teeth. "Those meddling Teen Titans aren't here to rescue you, my dear. This time, you're mine! The world will be covered in my rule in light!"
"You are not harming her!" Lightning vowed and threw out his uninjured arm as a wave of his namesake shot out.
The villain sneered, raising his arm that held a strange white plate. Lightning's attack was redirected into a tree, sending it up in a spark of flames before disintegrating. Gasping, Lightning glared back up to the nefarious doctor as he leaned forward on his board. In a rapidness that surprised the elementalist, Dr. Light raised his other hand and a small consolidation of light energy and blasted it. Snatching Kole just in time, Lightning flew off into the massive forest and the cunning doctor followed in rage.
"Hand her over! You will not get away!" he shouted, throwing beams of light in his direction.
Wriggling in his grasp, Kole squirmed so that she was just above Lightning's injured shoulder. "Where's Gnaark? What did you do to him?"
"Oh, I simply had some of my dear robots take care of the Neanderthal! Also, a strange blue fellow was there with him, a Thunder or something! I believe that is your brother, right?" Dr. Light taunted.
"My brother?" Lightning repeated to himself, fearfully. Stopping in mid-air, he jerked Kole back into his grasp and glowered at his enemy. "If you harm them, you will answer strictly to me!"
"What good can a lightning rod do against me? My light is pure while yours is concentrated electricity, and my technology deflects such attacks!"
Dr. Light threw out his hand, tossing another light beam from his suit. Grinning wickedly as Lightning ducked, he blasted forward on his board and crashed into him. Thankfully, he managed to throw Kole onto a tree branch before colliding with a tree. Grunting, Lightning's shoulder cracked, and he winced. Anger bestowed him as he lunged himself at the doctor and tackled him off his board. Dr. Light grunted as Lightning socked him straight across the face, falling to the ground as the Honorary Titan flipped around and landed perfectly on his feet.
"What have you done to Thunder?" he demanded harshly, feeling the blood in his veins boil to their hottest.
"Oh, I simply sent him on a little trip with the caveman. I'm sure they have been decapitated by now," Dr. Light cruelly snickered. Leaping to his feet, he snatched his board and threw it at Lightning who skillfully dodged, but a beam of light blinded him. Sending a wrenching punch to his face, he guffawed as Lightning skidded backwards, stumbling and falling.
Suddenly, a large fruit dropped over his head. The pink contents of the strange watermelon-like fruit exploded like a bomb as Dr. Light was soon soaked with the tanginess. Licking his pinkened face, he grinned lightly, muttering that it was sweet. Observing the tree where the fruit had fallen, he snarled at Kole who childishly stuck her tongue out. Swinging down from a vine, she barely avoided the light beam aimed at her as she slid slyly from the vine.
Using Kole's distraction to his advantage, Lightning charged at him, aiming a kick to his face. Dr. Light cried out, falling flat on his back. Lightning hovered over him, charging his hands up and aimed at his face. Sneering at his startled face, he looked over to Kole who was walking over to him.
"Do you concede?" Lightning taunted.
"No," Dr. Light sneered, throwing out his hand.
A beam of light ejected, curling around Kole. The young girl cried out, particles of light stabbing into her body before she finally turned her body into crystal to keep the pain away. In desperation to save her, Lightning blasted at the beam, cancelling out the beam of light. However, the cunning light user scrambled to his feet and snatched Kole's crystallized form and darted off on his board. Stupefied, Lightning watched in horror as he dashed off with Kole suddenly crying out in human form. Taking charge, Lightning transmuted the lower half of his body into electricity and took off.
Kole punched Dr. Light's in a feeble attempt to free herself. At times like these, she wished Gnaark was there. That way, the fear in her heart would diminish, and she wouldn't be alone. Alone…that word startled her dearly. If she didn't have Gnaark, she would probably lose herself to insanity or die from one of the dinosaurs devouring her when she didn't have her body encased in crystal. Kole glanced over Dr. Light's shoulder, finding a spark of yellow in the distance. Lightning was coming, which immediately soothed her until the paranoia arose in her throat.
"Where are you taking me?" she demanded.
"Just to have my way with that crystal power of yours. Remember last time? Second time is the charm!" he cheered, flying above the trees. "As for you friend Gnaark, I set him on a little mission."
"M-mission?"
Scaring her soul with his devious smirk, he sniggered lowly. "I left him a little something that should keep both him and Thunder busy. Those robots from the remains of the Brotherhood of Evil really do come in handy with the right programming."
Gasping, her cobalt eyes widened in absolute fear. Struggling in his grasp, she groaned for release and began kicking him violently. Cringing, Dr. Light swerved on his board as he attempted to control the stubborn girl, almost knocking himself into a few large tree branches. As their turbulent scuffle heightened, Dr. Light was finally shoved over the edge when Kole slammed her foot in his, well, private area. Eyes welling up with tears, he muffled his moan in a high-pitched whine as Kole beamed in her sneer.
"You impudent little girl," Dr. Light seethed, raising his hand to strike her. "You will pay!"
Punching her over the skull, he suddenly cradled his fist in pain when he realized she had crystallized herself. Her sudden change in weight shocked him, and he released her, gasping as he did so. Kole panicked, reaching out for anything as her hand grappled with a branch. Unfortunately, the friction impacted her hard, and she continued to slide down the branch at an alarmingly fast right. Her hands burned as she yelped, subconsciously releasing and didn't even get a chance to scream.
Moments before she hit the ground, Lightning barreled through, catching her when she was at least a foot away from impact. He stumbled in the air, falling to the ground and rolling, but with her securely in his arms. Wincing when he finally stopped, Lightning immediately rolled off her, finding the girl wide-eyed and blank-faced.
"K-Kole?' he stammered, shaking her shoulder.
Emitting a groan, she blinked and regained control of body movements. The paralyzing fall had startled her into submission, freezing her entirely. Kole shook her head, rubbing it as she finally noticed Lightning boring down on her intently. Smiling weakly, she thanked him for saving her life.
"We're Titans, we look out for each other," Lightning replied in a serious tone that seemed odd in his chords. Ruffling her hair, he smirked and added, "Just because one little girl is by herself most of the time does not mean she is alone."
"Little!" she spat, glaring at him, fuming internally. "I'll have you know, Lightning, that I can handle myself."
Lightning sneered until she slapped his wounded shoulder. A momentary flicker of pain washed over his face until he chocked down a yelp and grunted. Rubbing his shoulder, he narrowed his eyes at her until Dr. Light's board came into view. Noticing Dr. Light's fury, Lightning decided that a little provoking would prove most helpful.
"You are so easily annoyed like a monkey," Lightning jabbed.
"Better yet, he looks like one," Kole chimed in, crossing her arms arrogantly.
All the blood shot up to his face, and Dr. Light hissed before charging in absolute rage. Blindly striking, he missed Lightning by a whole yard until his target bashed him straight across the face. Lightning jumped over him, slamming his heel into the bridge of his nose. Dr. Light stumbled backwards, his eyes watering and rolling before plopping to the ground. Groaning, his head jostled before slumping out cold.
"He's out cold?" Kole asked aloud, bending down next to him. Pressing a finger to his temple, she sighed. "You did it."
"I had help from a friend," Lightning stated, smiling shyly.
Kole and Lightning laughed quietly with the latter snatching Dr. Light by the scruff of his suit. Just as peace was restored between the new friends, a shrill cry echoed throughout the forest. Charging him left hand with electricity, Lightning faced the noise as Kole snatched the unconscious villain. They waited patiently as the noises grew louder, but were unable to decipher where the shouts and crashes were coming from. Suddenly, a rock was thrown over Lightning's head, ducking just in time and blasted the rock apart.
"Gnaark, hold on! Look!"
Kole instantly perked up at the Neanderthal's name, crying, "Gnaark, is that you?"
From the brush, Gnaark came running out and screamed his name frantically. Catching sight of her, he instantly brightened and wrapped his massive arms around her in a bone-breaking embrace. Lightning blinked, distinctively remembering the brute when he destroyed Ding Dong Daddy's hot rod, swinging a crystallized Kole around like a sword.
A hand clasped over Lightning's injured shoulder, and the former shrieked in agony. Thunder flinched as his brother rubbed wound disdainfully, finally seeing the bandage in the darkness. Lightning mumbled inaudibly before catching eyes with Thunder. Instantly, he perked up before frowning and pointed at his shoulder.
"The Green Ones says that I'm the one with no conscience," Lightning growled, smacking his twin's shoulder. "Though, I am glad to see that you are well, brother."
"Lightning, I was concerned of your welfare. W-what happened to your shoulder?" Thunder asked, eyes widening in fear.
"It is but a scratch, honest. Thunder, this is my new friend, Kole."
Kole stared up at the gentle giant and smiled. "I remember you! You took care of Trident!"
"Thank you for taking care of my brother. I hope he did not cause too much trouble." Thunder bowed respectfully as Lightning rolled his eyes.
Gnaark began to repeat his name, pointing at Thunder with interest. Kole stared at her friend while the brothers blinked simultaneously. Exchanging confused stares, both shrugged until Kole giggled lightly.
"Gnaark said that Thunder helped him defeat those rogue robots from the Brotherhood of Evil and wants to thank him for his help," she translated, grinning immensely.
"Oh, thank you, Gnaark," Thunder stated, returning the large grin the behemoth wore that covered a quarter of his face.
"Gnaark!" the caveman jeered, shaking the blue brother's hand.
"We will visit, Kole," Lightning promised, shaking her hand. "That way, I will not forget you."
Kole grinned, gripping his hand tightly. "Because if you don't, I'll be the one to find you."
Upon their handshake, Lightning rustled her pink hair once more. Kole pouted as the yellow elementalist pulled away, smirking. Calling forth a cloud, Thunder stepped on and Lightning followed, deciding to annoy his brother. Leaping onto Thunder's back, he waved Kole and Gnaark off as Thunder complained that he was an immature child. Kole beamed up at him, waving him off as Lightning returned the grin. Gnaark placed her atop his shoulder, imitating Thunder.
As they were high above the clouds and back to their home in the white fluff, Thunder gave his brother a querulous glance. "Lightning, did you have fun?"
"Fun?" Lightning repeated, surprised. He looked back down at the Artic through a small patch in the clouds, watching the snow collect from wind whipping by below. A grin stretched slowly across his face, nodding quietly. "I believe I did, brother, I believe I did."