Understanding One Another

'Another target down…Poor guy. What a horrible way to go. Even if he was an asshole.' Sora thought.

Knowing you were a clone. Dying after only a few years of life, just to come back as a zombie. It wasn't as if the young Lockhart was heartless. Such was the reason he killed Conner a bit faster than usual.

The sleepy man scanned for the Puppet Master and began walking across the battlefield. There was no movement from the villain. It seemed as if he was frozen in shock.

He remained that way until Sora had already reached him. Darkstar towered over the skinny bald man, casting a shadow all the while. It was only then that the villain came back to reality.

Chains of darklight wrapped around his wrist and feet, cuffing them together. It was unknown how he turned people into puppets so it was best to be careful. A powerful gut punch brought the villain to his knees. Saliva spilled from his mouth as he crumpled to the floor.

"Who killed Superboy? Who turned him into a zombie?"

"......Pfffft…."

The man could only vomit his insides as a response. Sora couldn't help but click his tongue. This fucker better answer the question. He wasn't in a good mood. Starfire and Raven almost died, and it was unknown if Beast Boy and Cyborg being plushies meant death.

BAM

A causal punt sent the man rolling across the dirt. The back of his head smacked against some debris, causing everything to go white. Darkstar strolled after him.

"Wait…" He croaked. The villain had finally regained his breath.

"...Oh? Do you have an answer?"

"I'll tell you! Just stop hitting me…" He gasped.

Sora grabbed the weak man's shirt and lifted him into the air. His actions paused as he waited for an answer to his questions. The Puppet Master took a few breaths before speaking.

"I don't know who killed Superboy. As for who turned him into a zombie…" The villain's face contorted into a smirk. "...I don't know either. Ptui!" A wad of spit flew toward Darkstar's face.

Tilting his head to the side, he avoided the spit. A sick smile adorned Sora's face as he realized that this was a fun one. This guy wanted to play!

"You wanna play, huh? Hehe. Alright. Let's play." Darkstar exclaimed.

The villain frowned at those words. It sounded…off. Isn't this guy a hero? Sora slammed another fist into his gut before releasing him. The bald man keeled over once more, vomiting his stomach juices.

Sora grabbed the back of his head and shoved it into the vomit. The man was barfing on himself. Taking it a step further, he stomped on the Puppet Master's knee, shattering it.

CRACK

A high pitched whine could be heard from the villain's throat. Since he was still vomiting, he couldn't scream out in pain. His body could only convulse as if having a seizure.

Sora had already decided to figure out who was turning heroes into the undead with the help of his intelligence team. That would give him the answer soon enough. Now, the young Lockhart only wanted to keep playing with this villain.

"Can Beast Boy and Cyborg return to normal? Are they dead?" He asked slowly.

"I can change them back! Don't torture me. Please!" The Puppet Master begged. Sora raised an eyebrow.

"...Is that the only way? Do your powers still work after death? What if I kill you right now? Will they turn back?"

The sleepy man raised his hand, preparing to cut off a limb. This action meant something entirely different to the villain. He thought his life was about to end. Not too far from the truth.

"WAIT! DON'T KILL ME! I'LL TURN THEM BACK!" He screamed.

"...Then do it already."

Sora smiled, preparing to slash off one limb at a time. The guy would be dead by the end of it. He needed the Puppet Master to truly understand that a trick like that wouldn't work again.

"Don't kill him." A calm voice called out from beside him.

It was Raven. She looked at him with an exhausted gaze. Her tone made it seem like an order. Darkstar turned to Raven with a raised eyebrow.

"...I wasn't going to kill him." He lied.

The gloomy girl grabbed the scruff of his shirt, bringing each other to eye level. She glared into his eyes. Many things went through their minds as they stared at each other. Intentions, feelings, emotions, familiarity, and more. The two of them were communicating without a single word.

"You don't think I know what you're planning?"

"...What would you know?" He mocked.

"I felt it. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

There was a moment of silence. After a few more seconds, he finally released the man. Puppet Master fell to the ground without strength. The guy was a normal human, and those supernatural blows had scrambled his innards. He wouldn't be surprised if he shit blood for the next few days.

"Take him then." Sora relented.

Raven grabbed onto the chains keeping the villain restricted. Immediately, the darklight chains turned into pure darkness. The construct was the same but the element had shifted. At the same time, the plushies fell from his hip and reverted to normal.

Beast Boy and Cyborg were unconscious but alive. Ignoring the destruction of a third of Manhattan, the two brought the heroes to the recovery room in the Titans Tower. Raven took the Puppet Master to the authorities while Sora retrieved the unconscious Starfire. Only then did she return.

Sora and Raven could now be seen on the roof of the T shaped building. The two were gazing at the moon. They weren't too close nor too far from each other. After a while, she finally spoke.

"What did you do to me?"

Darkness swam through her body as she circulated her energy. It was as if his answer decided whether she attacked him or not. Darkstar rolled his eyes.

"I should be asking you that question."

"You're not the one who woke up to this. What did you do while I was unconscious? What was that light that I saw in my head? Why aren't your eyes golden? Who are you? Where did you come from?"

A constant stream of questions spewed from her mouth. He couldn't help but smile at her burning curiosity. Fortunately, the mask hid his expression. She'd definitely get mad if he laughed at her.

"...So many questions. One at a time, please."

"Are you making fun of me? I'm being serious here." She frowned.

"You can call me Darkst-"

"I don't want your damn alias." She interrupted. Sora raised an eyebrow.

"All I tried to do was soothe the pain in your head. I didn't expect this to happen as a result. Our opposite elements…it pulled me to you like a magnet. As soon as I first noticed you." He continued.

"So it was an accident." She remarked with sarcasm.

"Cut me some slack…"

It felt as if they were kin, which made her too comfortable around him. Even when knowing that he would kill people without a second thought. Such was the strength of the yin and yang bond.

"Are you going to tell me who you are? What are you? How did you get so powerful?" She continued.

"...Unfortunately, I won't be answering that." With those words, he turned away.

"Where are you going?!" Her voice was laced with anxiety and anger.

A soft hand grabbed his own before he could flash away. As soon as their skin made contact, everything went weird. The two froze.

WOOSH

The pure light in Sora's body jumped around, breaking through his divine coating and taking priority. His disguise vanished while his white hair and golden eyes appeared in a beautiful display of light. Both of their eyes went wide in shock.

"I knew it…" She muttered.

Still, the sensation of his hand left her speechless. She couldn't help but look at his hand then back at his eyes. Those golden orbs were like magnets. The two were resonating, his light and her darkness. It felt…good. Too good.

"Raven…" He started.

"Your mask. Take it off." She said.

"I-"

"Just do it! Please. I want to feel it."

"It would be dangerous if my identity-"

Before he could finish his words, her darkness wrapped around his mask and ripped it off. The lower half of his face was revealed. Without even waiting for a second, her hand raised toward his face.

Her delicate fingers landed on his cheek. Both of them immediately closed their eyes at the feeling. It was incredible. Their emotions and sensations became one. It felt as if their souls had merged. Information was shared between them. After a full minute, she opened her eyes.

"So this is your true nature." She muttered. Her expression turned into a glare.

"...Rachel. Don't say anymore." He responded.

"It's disgusting, Sora. The dominion you wish to have over me and…others. You're sick."

"Aww man. I'm exposed…Maybe I should just kill you and go on about my day. Can't have people knowing about me." The young Lockhart answered with an eerie smile.

The connection was a bit too open. She couldn't sift through his memories, nor could he do that to her. But she COULD feel his desires and interests. They were dark. Raven's glare turned into a slight smile. Her thumb caressed his cheek.

"I've seen worse. Believe me. My father would slaughter every man, woman, and child. Then he would go on to conquer worlds and leave only the women. The worlds that he doesn't like…only destruction awaits." She explained. Sora raised an eyebrow.

"That demon in your head…Trigon."

"Mmhhmmm." She hummed.

A sigh escaped his lips as he pulled away from her touch. Things were getting out of his control. Even though he could kill without blinking, there were just some people that he'd rather not kill. He didn't want to.

The sleepy man slowly backed away toward the edge of the roof. Raven followed him, matching his steps. She could tell that he was about to leave.

"Wait!" She demanded. Even though she said one word, the feelings that she conveyed were clear as day.

'Why are you leaving?'

It was the first time Raven could open up to someone. This new connection allowed the gloomy girl to feel like she wasn't alone. She didn't want to lose this chain that bound them together. He'd even helped her force Trigon away. Sora was the only person she knew that had the strength to stop her father.

"...I must go." He spoke.

"Where?"

"Don't you know my general direction?" A playful smile adorned his lips.

"I can't just leave to find you. The Teen Titans need me."

Sora looked down at her with a knowing look. Wasn't she supposed to be a girl that always had a smart ass reply? Where were the sarcastic remarks and hateful words? He couldn't help but pat her head.

"I'm sure a girl like you goes on social media." He commented.

The message was clear. If she wanted to see him for longer, just look at his face on the gram. Then she could look at him all day.

And just like that, he was gone. It was as if he'd popped out of existence. Like a ghost. Raven couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. She looked in his direction before returning to her room. Barely any time had passed before she grabbed her phone. She wanted to know more about him.