I do not claim Teen Titans, or The Messengers.
The lyrics are by Senses Fail and are called Bite To Break Skin from the Underworld Evolution Soundtrack.
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Summary: Raven mysteriously dies and her murderer escapes justice. But in the tower, everything is different. Raven's spirit haunts them all. Can the Titans evade Raven's restless spirit, keep themselves alive and allow their minds to remain sane? Can they find Raven's murderer and bring him to justice?
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A/N: Okay guys, if you can guess correctly who killed Raven, then you will get to choose the next story I make-plot, main characters, et cetra.
This story was named after the song by Senses Fail from the awesome movie, Underworld Evolution.
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Bite To Break Skin
Rain fell from heavy rain clouds overhead. Lightning forked across the sky and thunder boomed loudly. The streetlights and the lights inside the houses of Jump City flickered before they completely shut off. On an island in the middle of the ocean rested a large T-shaped tower, in which still had lights on.
The back-up generator was working perfectly in the hero's home. That is, until something caused it to die completely. The television hosting a racing game between two teens shut off, followed by all the lights. The tower fell into darkness; the only light being that from the lightning-it was the night of the new moon, so she no longer shed her light.
"Aw, man! I just fixed that generator!" a male voice cried out in the tower.
"And I was so totally kicking Cy's butt!" whined another voice.
"Man, you so were not. I was kicking your butt!" the first male-obviously Cyborg-complained.
"Was so," the second voice countered.
"Was not."
"Was so."
"Nope."
"Yep."
"Since when do you beat me in video games, BB?" Cyborg snapped, crossing his arms in the darkness before a flashlight appeared on his shoulder.
"I wish that you would not fight," a very girly voice complained before she raised an arm.
Her hand was covered in a green light that provided light, mingling with the half-man's built-in flashlight. Her green eyes flickered over to a spiky, raven-haired male leaning against a counter. His mask covered his eyes and behind him was a CD player-obviously used to block out the two other male's immature and constant bickering.
His gloved hands were buried between his arms as they crossed; he had grown tired of their arguing, thus resulting in his current position.
The girl's eyes scanned the entire room, moving from the spiky-haired leader-who's 'four feet tall and smells like cheap hair gel,' as Cyborg had once put it-to the large mechanical man, to the smaller green boy seated beside him, pouting as he held a controller in his gloved hands to the mysterious dark girl hidden by her blue cloak. Her hood was up and she sat down near the end of the couch-most likely to get away from Beast Boy, who constantly bombarded her with horrid puns and jokes.
Her grey hands held a large book-in which the other girl was certain was not in English.
"Should we not be going to bed; it is already late. What if we need to wake up early? How will friend Beast Boy manage to awaken?" she inquired innocently, glancing at the clock on the wall which had become still when the power went out.
Cyborg looked up at the wall where the girl's eyes were focused and agreed with her.
"Yeah, BB, how're ya gonna wake up early to Robin's heavy duty training?" he teased the green boy beside him.
Beast Boy's emerald eyes flashed up to him and he pouted more before glaring at him. He looked away, pouting some more, causing Cyborg to chuckle.
"Well, I'll be hittin' the sack," the mechanical man decided, walking out of the room, stretching and yawning.
The door swished open and slid closed behind him-he had designed the tower's doors to be automatic. The girl looked at the door before turning to the leader known as Robin.
"Friend Robin, what does friend Cyborg mean to 'hit the sack?' Is he going to get a stick and hit a sack of potatoes?" she questioned.
Robin looked up at her smiling, innocent face and couldn't help himself from smiling. Starfire-the girl before him-was an alien from a planet called Tamaran and was still learning English, so some Earth terms were unknown to her. That's what he loved best about her, not to mention her beauty and innocence.
"No, Star," he answered calmly, his grin never faltering. "'Hitting the sack' is just another term to say 'going to bed.'"
"Oh, then I guess I too shall be doing the 'hitting of the sack,'" she decided before floating towards the door.
She disappeared through it, leaving Robin to shake his head. As soon as the door closed, the three other Titans plunged into darkness.
"Great, now we're in darkness again!" complained Beast Boy, jerking his head around madly like he was blind.
"Shut up, Beast Boy," said a cold, monotone voice. "You can still find your way around."
Idiot, the Goth girl thought as she shook her head in mock disgust.
"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed, shooting a glance and a smirk in the direction he thought Raven was in. "Well, g'night."
With that, he dropped the controller lazily, walked forward, then crashed into the table and fell over it. Robin and Raven both fixed their attention on where the noise had come from.
"Oops," said a muffled reply.
Robin stifled a chuckle while Raven merely shook her head, rolling her eyes. Beast Boy rose up and walked forward again before he tripped on the Gamestation.
"Need some help?" Raven inquired, rising as she closed her book.
"Uh, no thanks, I think I got it," the boy answered, rising again only to fall. "Uh, on second thought, yes please."
The girl grinned before she levitated off the ground, moving to where she heard Beast Boy moving around. She offered him her hand, which he had trouble finding-he groped for a while before he finally found it because Raven had to lightly tap his shoulder with it-but greatly accepted happily before she led him out of the common room.
"Amazing at how Beast Boy has animal senses, yet he can't see well in the dark," Robin muttered to himself before he left to go to his room.
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Raven jolted erect in her bed suddenly, her hands clutching her sheets. Her amethyst eyes were wide and she was breathing heavy as she glanced warily around the room. Seeing nothing, she lay down on her side slowly, closing her eyes.
So let me take this
medicine
To quench my love for violent things
My swan song
will
Be like a bullet laced in anger
As the razor cuts a soft
spot
On your heel
Almost as soon as her head touched the pillow, she sensed something. She bolted upright, looking around again before she was pushed out of her bed against the wall hard. Her attacker's hand was wrapped around her throat, tightening every so slightly, making it harder to breath.
"Well, well, is the little birdie uncomfortable?" a mocking, taunting voice said, coming from the person hidden in darkness.
Raven narrowed her eyes, glowering at the person. She could sense their power deep inside of them and just by the voice; she could tell immediately who it was-especially when lightning lit up the room and rain flew in through the open window.
She opened her mouth to say the person's name, but her mouth clamped shut when she felt something cold press against her temple.
(Each
breath) is getting slower
(This war) is getting harder
To
fight by myself
(Sick waves) of bitter fashion
(Ripped down)
the shield that I have
Tears rain from above
"Oh, no no no," the cool, calm voice murmured. "You talk when I ask you to; you say what I tell you to."
Her attacker smirked cruelly.
"You're an evil bitch, you know that, don't you-" the empath hissed with a voice barely above a whisper from lack of oxygen.
"Did I say you could speak?" growled the second person, gripping her throat tighter, making the girl gag and cough.
Her hands grasped her attacker's hands before she summoned her powers. Much to her dismay though, nothing happened and her attacker continued to grin.
Do you see?
The
life I lead?
"Serum specifically created to stop your powers from working for a few hours," the voice explained calmly.
Her attacker released Raven's throat and let her drop to the floor, panting as she looked at her left forearm. There-just as she thought-was a needle mark.
So
follow me into the sun
And I will bleed the poisons dry
"Now, as you know, I could kill you right now, but then your 'little buddies' would come and try to save you and I wouldn't want that, now would I? No-this is between you and me."
The person standing before her leaned down close to Raven's face. Acting upon impulse she turned around sharply and smacked the person's face from the chin up. Her attacker dropped, cursing under their breath before they pulled out a dagger.
The Goth backed up, unsure of what to do now. She reached to push the emergency button on her communicator, but the dagger cut right through her hand, pinning it to the wall. She opened her mouth to cry out in pain, tears appearing in the corners of her mouth, but a hand clamped it before she could make a noise.
These bayonet scars
never cease
To blind the light shed from the beast
And all we
do is hate
So she did the best thing she could do now; she bit the hand hard. The hand recoiled sharply, the other following and ripping the dagger from her hand. Raven could feel tears rolling down her cheeks now in sheer pain, the person cursing before the dagger met her shoulder hard.
The person slammed her against the wall again, their hand instinctively covering her jaws, in which she bit down again, harder this time. But this did not make her attacker release their grip.
If anything, it intensified. The dagger turned in her shoulder and she bit down at the hand again. She felt blood squirt in her mouth and she bit harder to break the person's skin. Again the grip slackened and the dagger retracted, only to jab hard into her abdominal.
She gasped when she saw visions of her father destroying the world, of her friend's murder. The green changeling's emerald eyes had lost their spark and his hand was reaching out slowly before it became limp, blood pouring from various wounds in his body.
Cyborg's body had been disabled and electrical sparks ran through it. Starfire's uniform was torn and shredded, with slashes running down her arms and down her cheeks. Robin was no better; his mask was ripped and lying on the ground before him. His lifeless, ice blue eyes gazed out silently, filled with his last pain.
The only one missing was her, which she assumed she had already died in a different place. She wanted these horrid visions to stop, but they intensified, growing more gruesome.
(Eyes shot) from
constant visions
(Angels) are rendered useless
Good has lost
its heart
Finally the visions stopped and she returned back to reality, trying to recall her sanity back. No use fighting a foe when you're completely blind and oblivious to them, your mind insane, not helping you in any way possible. When you're forced to fight a battle alone, with nothing left and nothing can save you at all. She cleared her throat.
"How did you ever manage to break into the tower-armed and dangerous-without setting off any alarms?" Raven managed to spit out.
Her chin was tilted up by a hand and she was forced to look into those cruel, merciful less eyes.
"You're oblivious to everything, Raven," the voice murmured sweetly. "But the security system really isn't that hard to break. But now I think it's time to say: 'Bye bye birdie.'"
That cruel smirk glimmered on the person's face as they let Raven drop again. Lightning illuminated the room, showing the blood stain on the wall. She felt the dagger's blade run smoothly along both wrists before it retracted again.
The girl gasped in pain as the dagger was shoved hard into her chest. Using the other hand, her attacker waved, admiring the suffering girl.
"Bye bye birdie."
The cruel voice was so far away, so distant, so… quiet. In fact, her soon-to-be-murder's entire form was fading away into darkness. She could feel her head dipping as her blood poured out of her wound, running around the cold dagger.
Finally the metal retracted harshly from her chest after spinning in there for a bit. The hand that coated her jaws left to gently caress her hair. The blade was coated in blood all the way to the handle and it dripped onto her floor.
This night-Raven knew-would only be remembered by the only living person alive to witness it. Her murderer.
Everything was fading away and her world was slipping to darkness. She could barely even feel the gentle hand running across her hand lightly. Her amethyst eyes had gone distant, no longer able to see true and pure light.
Her powers told her soothingly that she was still alive, that the person was leaving through her window, but she didn't need them to tell her she was in pain and slowly dying. Her body sagged against the wall, which was the only thing supporting her numb and slowly limping body.
Do you see?
The
life I lead?
She moaned softly in pain, fighting hard to stay alive and keep her eyes open, just for her friends. She couldn't leave them, at least not now. They'd probably just think she had committed suicide or something like that.
At least, some of them would. Those who would know that she'd never consider suicide and that she thought it to be the easy way out of this cruel, wretched life. A way showing your intimidating cowardice that had grown so large from its never-ending hunger that one had never ceased to end feeding it.
Last words, she recalled ever so slightly. Even if-if-no one ever hears them…
Without waiting any longer, she parted her lips. She mustered as much strength as she could to speak, wanting so dearly to say good last words instead of leaving them as a stupid, unthought-of sentence. Then it reached out to her like a welcoming hand, a hand that would protect her for all eternity.
She knew that now that she was about to die, she wouldn't be accepted into heaven and would instead be banished to Hell for all eternity, but she hoped so dearly that something could stop it.
So
follow me into the sun
And I will bleed the poisons dry
"This is real, I'm afraid; this time there is no hiding," she whispered.
To her, these words meant everything. That death is real and that being sent to Hell for all eternity was real, that she was afraid of this and that she can't escape and hide from death and Trigon forever. It was going to happen sooner or later.
And then she died.
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In the room next to where the murder had taken place, a green male slept soundly, drooling on his pillow. He hugged it, curled under his covers that were actually on top of him. Three quarters of his body were missing sheets, but he didn't care, or notice, for that matter. In fact, his dream had him in such a trance that even the thunder didn't make his elfish ears twitch.
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"Do you trust me?" a gentle voice questioned softly.
For you
For you
(For
you!)
(For you!)
(For you!)
A girl stood on a rock, her hand extended to Beast Boy, who stood excited in his room, his window open. She hovered just outside of it, her face serious. His room-as always-was messy and he eagerly accepted the offer and the duo disappeared into the night. But the vision changed sharply to a schoolgirl laughing with her friends.
She was identical to the first girl that had been seen on the rock, but the vision flickered fast.
"Things change, Beast Boy," Terra murmured softly.
Even if she wouldn't admit she was Terra, Raven had known since Beast Boy had shown them her that she was the girl that betrayed them. In fact, the next vision was one of Raven standing before him.
"I fear we are all in grave danger," her gravelly voice cautioned softly as she looked up at him-he had finally had a late growth spurt and was now taller than Robin. "And this time, there's no escape."
She looked down, biting her quivering bottom lip before Beast Boy embraced her.
"Hey, Rae, there's nothing to worry about," he soothed. "Nothing's going to happen. I promise."
Her amethyst eyes met his and stayed there as he hugged her. Surprised, but comforted by his mere presence, she hugged him back, accepting his shoulder which she buried her face in. He rubbed her back gently, feeling wetness seep through his uniform onto his shoulder.
"Shh, it's gonna be all right," he murmured, his voice calm, gentle and comforting, his body welcoming.
He kissed the top of her head gently, causing her to pull away slowly. Her grey cheeks couldn't hide the fact that she had been crying, but her puzzled eyes told otherwise. The changeling couldn't help the blush that crept onto his cheeks and he thought he saw the dark girl blush as well, but her hood-which was sharply pulled up-hid her features.
"Thanks, Beast Boy," she murmured softly, looking down now.
"Err, no prob, Rae," he said uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his head.
As he looked at the girl's face, he thought he saw a hint of a smile, but her head remained down slightly.
"Don't call me Rae," she finally answered, brushing past him before she disappeared into the hallway.
The next vision he saw shocked him greatly. Raven had tears running down her face and she was bleeding in numerous places. What hurt the most though was the large hole in her chest and the blood that poured freely from it.
She looked up warily, her bottom lip quivering. Her eyes were silent, dead and lifeless. He could see how much it pained her just to breathe, how her chest shuddered with each breath and how shallow each one was. Her smooth lips parted and she whispered eleven words that he barely made out, since they almost weren't audible.
"This is real, I'm afraid; this time there is no hiding."
And that was when her eyes died and she took in her last, final, shuddering breath. Her limbs went limp and her chin gently bumped her chest.
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He awoke with a start, breathing heavy, his eyes wide in fear. He had just seen Raven die-it had to be a dream. How could he have a vision of the girl's death and her last words? It just wasn't possible.
Bite
to break skin
Don't give the secret
My stoic face
Beaten
with passion
The phoenix will die
Inside the fire storm
I am
the son
So follow my footsteps
But he had to check.
He jumped off the top bunk and exited his room, still in his boxers. He had been too lazy to put anything else on and too worried to not leave as soon as he could.
Without even bothering to knock-he knew he'd get killed for entering her room while she was asleep-he opened her door and peered inside-he asked himself how he had found the way to her room in the dark, but didn't question it. His instincts probably just told him anyways. He looked at her bed and noticed that the sheets were rumpled, but he just supposed she had left to go to the bathroom or something.
That was, until he saw the curtains blowing from the open window, the rain that blew in through the gap and the blood stains on the floor. His eyes widened and he did a double-take.
Blood stains on Raven's floor? Something wasn't right.
"R-Rae?" he inquired, voice trembling as he stepped into her room.
He was alert as he could be, afraid of seeing something horrible. It was then that his worst nightmares came alive.
"Oh God!" he cried, rushing to the girl.
She was slumped against the wall with blood dripping from her hand, shoulder, abdominal, wrists and her chest. Her open mouth had blood falling from it as well and her teeth were tainted crimson.
He knelt beside her, shaking her shoulders worriedly. He could feel tears running down his face. She didn't respond and he felt as though his heart had died along with her. He couldn't even muster up the courage to tell her how he felt truly and now he'd never get the chance, since Raven was dead forever.
"Fuck!" he screamed, the tears falling faster now.
He slammed his head against the wall, not caring if he woke anyone. In fact-with rivers falling from his eyes as he cried his heart and soul out-he reached out for Raven's communicator and pressed the emergency button.
The room flashed red and he heard the alarm blaring. He guessed the power was back and for that, he was thankful.
But as he looked at the girl lying limp in his arms as he cradled her against him, her head pressed lightly against his chest, he felt like dying with her.
"Oh Rae, why? Fuck, God, why?" he whimpered, his shoulders shaking.
It was then that the boy wonder chose to enter the room upon seeing the door left carelessly open. Robin strode in, confused at why Raven's door was still open, since normally she was the first to wake and never left her door open.
"Raven, what's th-oh fucking God!" he yelped, looking at Beast Boy holding the limp girl in his arms.
His eyes wandered to the blood on the floor, to the blood on the wall, then finally to the trace of it all, cradled in the changeling's arms. He to had blood on him, but Robin knew instantly he wasn't harmed.
He rushed to them, kneeling down beside them. He reached out to Raven's slit wrist, only to have the male's voice interrupt him.
"Sh-she's d-dead, Rob," he murmured, the tears still running down his face. "A-and it's all my f-fault. I sh-should've listened… but…"
He looked away, unable to say more. Together they cried, heads bowed sorrowfully as their shoulders trembled and Beast Boy held the girl against him. The team had lost more than just a teammate, but a friend, a family member, a little sister and a loved one. Not to mention the one that held them all together.
The changeling barely felt Robin's comforting arms in an embrace around him as he tried to help ease his pain, but nothing could mend Beast Boy now. Nothing at all. He was left to break alone.
Bite
to break skin
Don't give the secret
My stoic face
Beaten
with passion
The phoenix will die
Inside the fire storm
I am
the son
So follow my footsteps
