The dread dragon felt a sudden weight sink down into his deep, dark heart. As if compelled, he stared up into the bright blue sky that seemed close enough to touch from his relaxed position on top of the mountain.

He continued to stare up as if he was looking for something, but, as the seconds past, he took notice of how quiet it had become.

"Did I say you could stop playing, worm?" Malchior hissed as he turned his scaly head to the young man who sat cross legged on a rock nearby.

The boy stared back at him with those bright green eyes, his fingers still hanging in the air, having just moved themselves away from the strings of the lute he had been playing. 

The dread dragon breathed out an irritated puff of smoke as the silence continued. He glared down at the little human with his big red eyes. "I shall devour you here and now if you do not cease your staring and continue the entertainment. Do not test my patience on this."

The boy threatened to continue staring for about half a second before suddenly flashing the dragon a bright smile and, shrugging, he brought his fingers back to the strings of the lute.

Malchior glared at the boy who now kept his eyes closed as he continued plucking the strings. With another smoky sigh, the dragon brought his gaze back up to the sky.

The human really was a nuisance. He should have eaten him as soon as he arrived at this mountain days ago. He would have made a good snack to wash down all those cows.

But...

He didn't run when the dragon arrived. The boy didn't even flinch when he blew fire in his direction. He only extended his hand as if expecting a handshake from the great scaly beast, a big smile on his face.

That smile...

That same smile that one human had. Malchior could not remember the human's name, but he did remember his smile. That genuine joy that he had only felt from his mate, all those years ago.

The dread dragon finally let his head fall as his mind compelled him to sleep. Soothed by the music and the thoughts of that smile, Malchior allowed himself to rest.

...

Time froze. No, no, there was no time anymore. No time for saving, no time for caring, or loving, or wanting, or joy, or happiness, or pleasure, or warmth, or comfort. There was only time to watch as Number 26 crushed See-More's eye and face. Only time to watch a brilliant display of red sparks and electricity explode from the device under her grip. Only time to watch my best friend fall back silently to the ground as she released her grip on the face that was no longer a face.

And then time truly stopped. Or, maybe it was just me. I knew that beating in my chest stopped. I knew that part of my brain stopped. I knew every part of me stopped except the only part that mattered anymore.

A twitch.

That was all it took, a twitch and a calm, dark order placed inside the depths of my mind. I felt the cold, wet blood drip down from my eyes.

Kill.

I screamed. I no longer cared if it would never be heard. I screamed into that dark corner of the world where only I could see. I screamed until I knew that dark corner stretched out into every part of the world around us, until I knew everyone could hear me.

It was so simple to rip the arm that attempted to keep me in the air. Of course, he would never suspect I would have the sudden strength to use my lesser arm to use my cape as a rope to pull myself upwards. Of course, he wouldn't suspect my greater arm to be able to tear through the metal and bone like it was nothing but thick air.

The guard screamed as he released me. It was certainly loud enough to catch the attention of those below us. They looked up to see me descend upon them like a great bat, though the rain of fresh blood behind me would have to greet them first.

It was convenient to have the cape finally act on its own. To have it comfort me as it wrapped itself around my falling form. Its whispers of kindness were not lost upon my ears as I transported through the wonderful cold and dark. I reappeared back into the lesser world. Lesser world, greater purpose.

Purpose had a nice feel to it. It was warm and wet. And the blood it dripped appeared like an endless river. I removed my claw from the purpose as the alien fell back. Removing his grip on the young girl's arms so he could more closely examine the new hole I gave him in his chest. He looked back up at me and I would like to say I saw a glimmer of fear in that one eye before he fell over.

I heard a mangled scream. I turned to see that the other one had dropped his prey and was attempting to flee. The one without the face. I had only just begun with him; I could not let it end like this.

I followed him through that sweet cold and dark. I caught him in the horrible warm and bright. It was unfortunate he did not have enough mouth to scream as I dug my claws into his face. Though, I did make sure to leave that one little eye of his alone. If only to see that final glimmer of fear before it faded away.

I stopped to admire the scene. Such a fresh redness would not last long. It needed more, just a little bit more.

I found the new supply trying to keep itself upright against the wall. It appeared to be having trouble balancing with only one arm. I appeared from my cold and dark to help make him even again. He almost screamed louder than before when the second arm came off. The blood was wonderful, covering the ground around us with that beautiful shade. Unfortunately, my supply collapsed then. It appeared that shade of orange had grown very pale indeed. Such a waste.

But wait. There was one more, wasn't there?

"Stay back!" Blackfire shouted at Kyd Wykkyd.

But he didn't stay back. He approached her with slow and playful steps. There was a peace on that face covered in blood. That face Blackfire had not seen in years. That face with a smile she had always wanted to see but, now that it was finally there, it only increased that deepening well of fear inside her.

"I'll kill them!" she cried, raising her arm with the device, a finger from her other arm threatening to press the only button on the mechanism. Her eyes darted frantically between Kyd Wykkyd and the two Titans that still had the collars around their neck. "I swear, I will end their miserable lives right here if you advance any further!"

But Kyd Wykkyd did not stop. In fact, his pace only seemed to quicken, if only slightly. He still approached her as if he had all the time in the world.

How had it gotten so bad?

The thought flashed through her mind suddenly. But Blackfire knew better than anyone that it was too late to go back. Even if she had wanted to.

"Very well, Kyd Wykkyd, their blood is on your hands now!" she shouted as she pressed down on the button on her wrist.

Then, silence. No screams of pain, no electricity, no reaction whatsoever. Blackfire stared down dumbfounded at her device.

It was impossible. How could it break? There was no way--

The device suddenly began to glow a dull red color. It wasn't supposed to do that. There was no way it could have-

It has been a pleasure working with you, Blackfire.

A voice spoke in her head. So familiar and so monotone. Blackfire couldn't help but close her eyes. All fear, all anger, all everything leaving her body.

And, an instant later, electricity exploded from the device. It covered Blackfire's body and she screamed in a pain worse than anything she had ever felt before.

Kyd Wykkyd reacted instantly. His casual walk turned into a sprint as he charged at Blackfire's convulsing body. Then he was on top of her. The electricity had vanished almost as soon as they made contact and fell back into the ground.

I still remember...

Blackfire looked up into Kyd Wykkyd's face. That serene smile was still there as he looked back down on her.

I still remember the first time we met.

Number 36 had always been so nervous. He always looked uncomfortable and out of place. Blackfire remembered being drawn to him. Even though she had only joined the stupid cult of assassins for kicks, somehow, she sympathized with the little kid who looked so alone and lost in the world. But, no matter how close they got, no matter how hard she tried, she never saw him smile. Not until 72 came into the picture.

Tears finally began to roll down Blackfire's face as she and Kyd Wykkyd continued to stare into one another's eyes.

Number 72 was even worse off than 36. He was so naturally untalented at stealth and fighting that it would have been a miracle if he lasted longer than a week. Blackfire befriended him as a joke and a competition for herself, thinking it would be amusing to see how long she could keep him in the cult. But, when she suddenly found herself becoming friends with 36, 72 suddenly became something more as well.

Without her even asking him to, 36 began helping 72 train. His natural ability was even better than hers and, in a matter of weeks, 72 was easily five times as good as he used to be. It wasn't long before she learned that both of them had a thing for her. While she thought it was cute, it was nothing she overly concerned herself with, not even bothering to let them know that she knew. But, as time wore on, this love rivalry between the two began to drive a wedge into their friendship. They even began declaring fights for her affection. But, even though 36 won every fight, he never tried to approach her afterwards about his feelings.

It wasn't until the last fight between the two that she finally understood. It was in the cafeteria, in front of everyone, even her. 36 declared this fight to be their last for her heart. She could remember looking away, said heart acting weird, as he looked at her after saying this. She wrestled with what she would do or say when 36 won and finally confessed himself to her. And that's when she began to finally acknowledge that she did indeed have feelings for him.

That's why it was such a surprise when 36 lost. Though, not lost. It was painfully obvious to at least her that he threw the fight intentionally, allowing 72 to beat him. She couldn't keep her eyes off of 36 as he stood back up from the ground and bowed his head in defeat to his opponent. She was forced to look away when 72 was suddenly before her, declaring his love for her and asking for her response.

She remembered looking around the room. At all the would be assassins and thieves, seeing confusion and apprehension in what was taking place. But her gaze finally rested on 36. He was looking at the two of them with a peaceful, serene smile on his face. It was the happiest she had ever seen him, and it pissed her off.

So she said yes to Number 72, even though she held no feelings for him. She lied and pretended to love him. She did all this to spite the boy who appeared happier that it was not him that had her affections.

And, as she and 72 were destined to grow closer, 36 only moved further and further away. In only a few short months, they had become nothing more but passing acquaintances. There was no longer the lonely and shy boy she had first met and fell in love with but who did not love her, there was only her and the other boy that she could not love but who loved her.

She could not take the feelings that had built up inside her. She had joined the stupid cult for kicks, not to fall in love and have her heart broken. So, she rejected it all, the love, the cult, and her old friends. She left it all behind and forced herself to move on. And it had worked. Leaving that warehouse was like shedding off a new life. She could start anew and never have to relive anything from that horrible past.

So, why did she think she saw Number 72 in that night club when she attempted to replace her sister? Why did Kyd Wykkyd turn out to be none other than Number 36 hiding behind a mask? Why was this past so much harder to escape from than all the others she had left behind? She had known the answer almost immediately.

It was not a past she could leave behind because it was a past that had become a part of her. And, right now, in this moment, it was a past she realized that she had gotten all wrong.

That same smile was on Number 36's face as he knelt on top of her. That smile she saw when he trained 72, that smile he had when 72 finally confessed his love to her. That smile was now just for her.

It was a smile of love. The way he had loved 72. A love that made him sacrifice his time and body to help train. A love that sacrificed his mind and feelings to stand aside and let his friend be with the girl he loves. It was that smile that now became all Blackfire could see.

Eyes still full of tears, Blackfire reached up with a shaky hand and gently rested it against the side of Kyd Wykkyd's face. His smile appeared to widen slightly at her touch. A smile finally found its way on the Tameranian princess's crying face as the grip around her heart began to tighten.

If I could have one wish...

Blackfire felt the air leave her lungs and heart stop at the same time.

I would wish that this moment would last for just one more second.

The claw inside her chest clenched completely around her heart, the small muscle beating its last as it burst inside her. The smile never left her face as the life in her eyes slowly faded away.

...

I slowly pulled the claw from her chest. It was such a bright red. I watched as the blood dripped down on her body, drip dropping on that face so peaceful and happy.

That was the face of the Number 26 I knew.

I couldn't stop the bile that came up this time. I stumbled a few feet away and threw up whatever contents I had left in my stomach. It wasn't much. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten anything, and I felt empty inside when it was over.

I didn't want to look around even though I knew I had to. I just stared at the ground covered in blood for what seemed like an eternity. I didn't move until there were footsteps behind me, but when I turned my head it was someone I did not expect.

Raven stood there. Small body without the cape. Dark sunken eyes without the hood. She looked more like a lost little girl than a half-demon who could kill me on the spot. I slowly turned my body, doing my best to keep my eyes on the ground so I couldn't see the horrible things that lay around us.

"Please look at me," her soft voice whispered. My ragged breathing caught in my throat somewhat as I hesitated to look up from the ground. 

When I finally did, Raven was looking straight at me and, while there was no softness in her eyes or smile on her face, I didn't feel threatened from her stare.

"I remember everything from when you entered my head, you know," she said in her monotone voice, though I may have caught a hint of scolding. I fought the urge to hang my head in embarrassment. I should have guessed the true Raven would be aware of what happened in her head, even if she had been unconscious for most of it.

"Do you remember the promise you made me? The one I asked right before you left?"

Of course I remembered. She didn't want me to hurt her friends. I had lied to her at the time because I could not tell Happiness that I wanted to kill Robin and that I wanted to make the Titans pay for what happened to my friend. I couldn't tell the truth to that forever smiling face.

My heart seemed to leap in my throat when the Raven before me suddenly smiled. That same smile that Happiness had right before I left.

"I want to thank you, Kyd Wykkyd. I know how you felt about my friends, but instead of attacking them you decided to help them. And, while I also know it probably wasn't because you wanted to keep your promise, I still have to thank you for..."

Raven's eyes dropped for a second before looking over to the altar and the shining black tomb that rested on top of it.

"I want to thank you for being stronger than I could be."

She then turned around and stepped beside a floating black disk that both Robin and Beastboy were resting upon. I had to guess without looking around that she handled the guards that had the green Titan prisoner, unless I had scared them off before hand. I shuddered at the thought.

"We are leaving now," Raven announced as she stepped up on the black platform, breaking me from my train of thought. I looked back at her to see that she was looking down at me, that small smile still on her face. "There should be ships just outside the castle gates. I suggest you find your friends and escape while you can as well."

I nodded without really thinking about it. A low grunt of pain brought our eyes to Robin. Still lying down, he reached up with one frayed glove, gripping Raven's ankle.

"Raven...We can't...Starfire..."

Raven's smile vanished completely as she looked down at her leader. "There's nothing we can do for Starfire." Her voice cracked as she said this and she forced her face away from looking at Robin, the bangs now effectively hiding her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Robin."

The Titan's leader only looked back at Raven. His pained face was hard to pinpoint just what feeling he was trying to express. Whatever it was quickly vanished as Robin's hand and head fell back against the black disk, obviously unconscious.

Raven remained where she stood, head bowed, for several more seconds before finally letting out a deep sigh and turned towards me. I held in a silent gasp at the tears rolling down from those deep purple eyes.

"Goodbye, Kyd Wykkyd." 

The three Titans sank down into the black disk like quicksand. All of them disappeared from sight right before the disk seemed to collapse in on itself, vanishing as well.

And, just like that, they were gone.

I kept my gaze on the ground as I turned to look back at Blackfire. Red-X was hunched over her now, appearing to fiddle with something at her wrist. I didn't want to try and find Jinx in case my eyes saw something I would very much regret seeing along the way. So, instead, I looked in the direction for my last remaining friend.

He was very easy to find, not having had moved much in the last half hour or so. I kept my gaze on the ground as I walked over to him. The blood was everywhere, but I guess I could say it was lucky that I hadn't run into any bodies yet.

My mind froze when my gaze found a hand, only to quickly realize that it was the hand belonging to my friend. It did little to settle down my insides.

We were so close now. Everything looked so much worse from this distance. His body was beaten and bruised; his arm looked like it might have broken judging by the odd angle it had created. But his face. God, his face.

A disgusting black smear completely covered the top part of it, right above the nose. If there had been any eyes, they were there no longer. I collapsed to my knees just as the weakness hit my entire body. I reached out with my good hand and placed it on his chest. Was it me, or could I not feel that beating in his chest? Was it just me, or was his chest not moving at all?

The tears returned before I could stop them. Those damn tears that smelt, tasted, and looked like blood. What was the point in them? They couldn't save him. They couldn't make me strong enough to do anything.

That only made the blood come out stronger. I silently gagged on silent sobs that shook me. I thought I was going to suffocate. My lungs wouldn't work right, my throat tightened, that thing in my chest wouldn't stop beating. I rested my forehead against his unmoving chest as I kept crying.

I didn't know what else to do. I didn't know. I...

"Kyd?"

It was such a hesitant voice, such a quiet one. I was almost sure it was some trick of the wind. But there was no wind in this dark room. There was just me, him, and...

I looked up from his chest to see Jinx standing there, hands firmly grasping each other at her chest. Her pink eyes were wet with heavy tears as she looked down on See-More. I looked up at her, our eyes met, and I was forced to look away again.

Look away and look down on that face of my friend. The only friend I had left. I looked down into that blackened face and the useless tears just continued, his bare chest now dripping with the blood of my crying. A heavy sound of Jinx collapsing across from me resounded softly in the chamber. I didn't need to look up to know that she was kneeling much the same way I was beside See-More. As I continued to look down at my friend, I watched as a small, pale hand reached its way out and place itself on my own hand as it still rested on See-More's body.

She was looking straight at me as we knelt beside him. Those bright pink eyes were even brighter when wet.

We didn't say anything as we knelt there. Even if I could speak, and even if she had anything to say, there was nothing that could be said.

I knew she was sorry. And she knew I forgave her.

"Oh, See-More," she broke and, all at once, she knelt over and buried her head into his chest, sobbing louder and fiercer than I had ever heard anyone cry before.

I could only look down at her. My hand was in the air from when she collapsed into him. It hung there doing nothing as she continued to sob heavily. I wasn't sure what I should do with it, but I knew what I wanted to do with it.

With careful precision, I placed it on top of Jinx's bright pink head as she cried. It was the only thing I wanted to do at this moment.

We knelt there for forever. I kept my hand on her head until her crying had subsided, slightly. When she finally looked up, her face was stained with tears and blood.

"What...What should we do?" she asked me in that quiet voice, her eyes still on See-More.

I didn't know. I couldn't know. Was there even a point in doing anything any longer?

"We can still free all those guys that are still frozen in that warehouse," a voice spoke up. Jinx and I turned our heads to see Red-X standing there watching us, something clenched in one of his hands. He turned his masked head to look at me. "That was your initial plan, right?"

Jinx looked from Red-X to me, eyes still dripping and mouth slightly open. I kept my own gaze on Red-X, nodding ever so slightly.

Of course that's what I wanted, but everything was gone now. I had failed in doing anything I wanted to do. There was no point if there wasn't even hope.

"Now what's with the long face?" Red-X teased as he walked over to us. Before I knew it, he was kneeling in front of me, holding out something held between two fingers. I looked, but all I could see was a simple, red computer chip. "This thing holds the blueprints for building that heat ray that Blackfire's little droid used to free you. Our little princess was kind enough to keep it on her person while Fixit is still handy enough to show me where to look."

I felt my own eyes widen at that. Red-X seemed to nod as if he read my mind just then, standing up and moving around until he knelt right beside Jinx, looking down at the unmoving figure.

"Yup, that metal-head is a real fighter. And, as he tells me, he isn't the only one."

Red-X said this as he reached for his belt, the same belt that held all of the vials of Zinothium. With one hand, he pulled out a vial, while the other that held the computer chip reached down behind his back, quickly returning with an empty needle.

"I didn't really get the chance to sanitize this thing, but I promise I'm clean," Red-X said as he carefully placed the vial of bright red liquid into the needle as though he had done this hundreds of times before.

Jinx and I only watched as Red-X, full needle now in his hand, moved our own hands away from See-More's body. He carefully placed one hand on See-More's chest, as if judging where to stab the needle that his other hand was holding in the air.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Jinx shouted, her hands moving up as if to stop him.

"Bringing our little buddy back to life," Red-X replied in an uncharacteristically serious voice. My body froze at those words. Jinx's seemed to as well as her arms stopped their attempts at subduing him.

"And...you've done this before?" Jinx asked hesitantly as she looked from Red-X back down to See-More.

"Nope," Red-X said before shoving the needle down into See-More's chest and pressing the contents down into his blood stream all in the span of a second.

Jinx did not have the time to stop him, but she did cry out in surprise. I only flinched at the violent action, but my eyes remained on See-More's face. I expected a sudden reaction like when Robin injected his teammate, but See-More remained still and unmoving, even after Red-X carefully removed the needle from his chest.

"Why would you do that?!" Jinx shouted then, slamming her fists against Red-X's arm. The thief didn't look at her, his mask focused intently on See-More. Jinx continued to smack him as her tears started to return. "He's dead! Why would you do something like that to him? He's dead. so why-!"

"Pinky, would you shut-up for a second and look down." 

We both looked down. He still did not move. I was about to look back up in defeat, I knew Jinx was about to go back to hitting and screaming at him, but we both stopped when something unexpected happened. See-More's chest filled with air.

We watched in silent awe as his little chest began to slowly rise and fall. I didn't know what to think, but I had to know for sure.

I reached out with a careful hand and placed it on his moving chest. Almost as soon as I did, I felt that familiar feeling. The steady beating of something deep inside his moving and breathing chest. While the blood threatened to spill from my eyes again, I had enough control to hold them back this time, though I did not removed my hand from his chest.

"See-More," Jinx whispered. I glanced up to see that she had much less control, eyes already dripping wet again as she stared down at him.

"He won't be waking up for awhile, and he's going to need a daily shot like this to stick around, but, for now, he's gonna be alright," Red-X answered as he slipped the injection needle back behind his cape. He then gently pushed Jinx aside so he could kneel where she was, Jinx standing while looking quite confused. With a smooth motion, Red-X slipped both hands under See-More's body before suddenly lifting him up bridal style. I stood up quickly at the sudden motion, Jinx letting out a gasp.

"Wait! Are you sure it's a good idea to be moving him?!" S\she shot as we both moved to stand beside Red-X and See-More. Thankfully, the little thief just appeared to have fallen asleep in his arms, though the lack of eyes didn't really help in settling my worries.

"Probably not, but we don't exactly have time to wait around anymore." Red-X did a scan around the room, something that I still refused to do. "Blackfire and those guards of hers might be dead, but we still got a second pissed princess and an army of aliens to deal with if we don't get out of here soon."

"You mean Starfire? She didn't leave with Robin and the others?" Jinx asked, looking around as well, though I could tell she was actively trying not to look at any of the bodies.

"Doesn't look like it. I think they may have had a falling out, of sorts."

Jinx let out a sigh as she ran a hand through her pink hair. "Great, the one time it would be inconvenient to me if they split up and they decide to split up."

"Well, you aren't the Bossy Bitch of Bad Luck for nothing, right?"

"...What did you just call me?"

"Er, that sounded a lot better in my head."

The dungeon then started to shake. Like an earthquake had suddenly struck from underneath us, we all suddenly had to fight to keep our balance. All around, more loose bits of stone began collapsing from the roof.

"Is this place caving in?!" Jinx shouted over the noise of the rumbling.

"Looks like it," Red-X answered as he struggled to keep both him and See-More from falling as he looked around the room. "And it looks like our only exit is blocked off from when you decided to crash the party with a space ship. I might be able to get us outta here, but we need some way off this planet. Either of you two know where a ship or something might be?"

Jinx shook her head, looking very much defeated, but when Red-X looked to me, I couldn't help but feel a margin of pride as I nodded, Jinx and Red-X both looking immediately interested.

"You do?" they both asked in unison. I nodded again, remembering what Raven told me. We just had to get to the front gates and, after spending all those hours combing the entire palace with See-More, I could easily pinpoint right where they would be.

"Alright, I'll get us out of here then we'll follow you!" Red-X shouted as more and more debris continued to rain down around us, echoing loudly throughout the dungeon. He then held out See-More's unconscious body to me. "Think you can carry him for a second?"

I immediately nodded, ignoring the excited twitch of my bad hand. Claw or no claw, I was going to make sure that we got out of this. I extended both my arms and, while Red-X hesitated upon seeing the black claw, he quickly but carefully placed See-More into my arms. I felt the fingers twitch as they securely gripped his shoulder, but I forced my will upon them to be gentle. Jinx looked on  for a moment but when I safely had him in my arms, an expression of relief quickly washed away her face.

"Alright, time to go!" Red-X shouted just as a rather large hunk of ceiling came crashing down near us. The master thief took off, running through the newly kicked up dust. Jinx motioned for me to go on first, quickly bringing up the rear as I ran.

My head was now throbbing worse than ever now that the emotional stress had passed, for the most part, but I kept my focus on the two black feet that ran ahead of me. Trying to ignore the carnage, the collapsing ceiling and walls, and everything else around me. Just focusing on putting one foot down after another and keeping my best friend secure and safe in my arms.

"We're almost there!" Red-X shouted as the world seemed to collapse around us.

I looked back to see Jinx following closely behind, her eyes locked with mine for a brief second before focusing ahead of both of us. When I followed her gaze, I could see that Red-X was leading us to the rather large pile of rubble that had completely sealed us from the exit door.

"Just keep running, no matter what happens next!" Red-X continued to shout. His hand was raised and pulled back behind him as he continued to lead us to the rubble. I immediately noted the faint red glow that began somewhere on his palm, growing brighter by the second. "We're gonna run up the stairs and then it's on you, Kyd!"

Red-X looked back at us and, I swear, if I that mask wasn't there, I could almost say for certain that he was smiling.

"I'd just like to say, Number 36, it's been a real honor working with you."

That voice. It was a different voice than what I was used to hearing from that mask. But, at the same time, it was also so familiar.

But, before I could even think of what to do, Red-X had already turned back, the rubble now less than a few seconds away from us. With a great cry of triumph, the master thief threw his palm against one of the stones in the pile and, for a brief moment, a large X extended itself across the entirety of the pile of rubble. Everything then disappeared in a bright, red flash of light.