Part 1
Why her?
Raven had asked herself that question a million times. Why did she have to get that accursed book? Why did she have to meet Malchior?
Why did his betrayel hurt her as much as it did? Why?
Raven sat on her bed, asking herself these questions while she stared at the trunk that housed the book that had started her grief. She should destroy it. Then she would no longer have to worry about the pain it caused her!
The paper rose sitting on her nightstand told her otherwise. Malchior had given it to her the day they met, and she had never been able to get rid of it.
Oh there were countless things she could do to it.
She could burn it, tear it up, cut it up, have it melt in water, or even make Beast Boy eat it.
So why didn't she? In the back of her mind, she knew the answer to her question.
But she could never admit it. It would be too painful...like rubbing salt in the wound that had never truely healed.
Oh the memorys of him! How they taunted her. His laugh, his kind eyes, the way he made her name sound like a song or a poem. The way it felt to have his arms around her...
Raven shook her head. No. No. No.
She couldn't think about that. It was late, she should be asleep, not thinking of that tratior! Raven laid down with her back to the trunk and squeezed her eyes shut.
That did little to stop the tears from leaking out.
They fell, wetting her pillow until she fell into a troubled sleep.
It didn't help that her father decided to pay a visit.
Raven found herself in an all too familiar place. The stereotypical Hell. Complete with fire, brimstone, and the devil himself--Trigon.
Although he had been reimprisoned by his daughter, Trigon still seemed to belive she would release him one day. Fat chance as far as Raven was concerned.
She stood on his hand while he raised her so she was level with his four eyes.
"You've been thinking a lot about that boy...haven't you?" He said, his voice calm and curious.
"What boy?" Raven played dumb.
"Malchior of Nor. You love him."
"I do not!"
"You do. You have fantasies of him. You want him...."
"I DO NOT!" Raven screamed.
Trigon chuckled, 'Of course you don't. Of course, my dear daughter."
"Don't call me that." Raven muttered, looking away.
"Why not?"
Raven didn't answer.
"Because it bothers you? Makes you angry." He chuckled. "Keep in mind I prefer you angry."
Raven glared and flew off his hand, "Then how do you like this!" A blast of powerful black energy shot at Trigon.
He barely even blinked, and within the moment he had Raven in his grasp.
"Cocky, aren't we?" He asked in amusement as she struggled. "How we get along as father and daughter isn't why I brought you here. I want to be free, Raven."
"Too bad!"
"You say that now. I have been thinking a lot, and I think I've found the perfect way to improve my chances."
"Oh, yeah? Enlighten me." Raven sneered.
"I am going to awaken your demon side."
Raven's eyes widened and she shrunk back a little, "You wouldn't....you can't!"
"I would, and can." He replied calmly.
"Please..."
"Too late. I have thought long and hard about how your demon side should look, and have finally decided the perfect appearance."
Red hot pain lanced through Raven as Trigon let go of her, she shrieked as she fell, but landing came sooner...and hurt less...as she expected.
Raven pushed herself up and tried to get on two feet...but discovered she couldn't. The reason why horrified her.
Raven had become a dragon.
She was a massive, but slender beast. She was jet black with a dark blue underbelly similar to the color of her cape. Her wing membranes also had this blue, and her eyes were still violet.
"No!" She whimpered, looking herself over. She looked almost exactly like Malchior, only smaller with diffrent coloring. Her father had made her what she hated most.
Trigon gently petted her head with the back of his hand, despite her new size it still seemed to dwarf her and chuckled. "Better wake up now, my dear. Your friends aren't too happy."
Raven's change had extend to the waking world. She was curled tightly on her bed, which had broken from her weight and although her room was more wide enough to accommodate her, it was not tall enough.
"Raven!" Came Robins voice. A few second later, her door was open and all the Titans inside.
"It is the Malchior!" Starfire gasped, seeing Raven.
"What have you done with Raven?" snarled Beast Boy, glaring.
Raven looked at them, eyes wide and scared. She tried to stand but her head quickly hit the ceiling and she ducked down, "I'm not Malchior! I'm Raven! Trigon did this to me..."
The titans froze, confused. Then Cyborg took a closer look, "Well...the colors are diffrent."
"But we still don't know its Raven! What if Malchior got a bunch of tattoos and colored contacts, and--"
"Shut up Beast Boy." Raven growled.
The Titans blinked, then Cyborg said, "Its Raven all right....so Trigon did this?"
Raven nodded a little, "He said this was my demon side..."
"He picked a dragon on purpose." Robins voice was thick with anger.
Raven nodded a little.
"Erm....could you change back I don't think the floor could hold you." Beast Boy frowned.
"I don't know how." Raven admitted, then after a pause added, "But someone does..." She looked at the trunk.
Robin followed her gaze,"No."
"Just to talk...I don't need to let him out."
"No."
"He's a dragon! He must know these things..."
"No."
Raven growled, "He's in my book, in my trunk, in my room. I say yes."
For a moment, they glared at each other. Then Robin sighed.
"The key's under my pillow." Raven said simply.
Robin nodded to Starfire, who got the key and opened the chest. She lifted the beautful white book out of its place and placed it on Raven's book stand, opening it to the page where two black eyes looked out."
"Well, I didn't expect to see anything other then the inside of that chest again." Malchior remarked calmly, his voice a song to Raven's ears. "And Raven, you look epically lovely."
Raven growled and looked away.
"Cut the small talk, Malchior." Robin hissed. "We just want to know how to change her back."
"She doesn't know?" Malchior enquired.
"No. Trigon didn't tell me." Growled Raven.
"Ahhh, so dear old daddy did this?"
Raven growled, "Just tell me how to change back."
"Of course, my sweet Raven. But only on one condition."
"I'm not letting you out."
Malchior chuckled, "I am not dumb enough to ask for that. No, I simply want you to talk to me afterwards. Send your friends out and we can chat a little, only for tonight."
"Done." Raven said before the others could object.
"Splendid! Now, to change back simply visualize your human self, then wish it to you."
"That's it?" Raven asked.
"That's it." Malchior confirmed.
Raven closed her eyes and did as instructed. A moment later, she was on her bed in her leotard and cape rather then a dressing of scales.
"Now for your side of the bargain."
Raven nodded a little, "Out, all of you. And I am putting a force field around my room so no one can listen, or sneak in." She looked at at Beast Boy
Robin hesitated, "I don't like this Raven..."
"Go."
After a moment, the team left and Raven put up the force field, encasing her room in black energy.
"What did you want to talk about?" Raven asked.
"Oh, in particular, my sweet. I simply missed your voice. Tell me about anything."
Raven felt herself blush, crap, why did he have to sound so damn perfect?
So they talked. They spoke of the villains that had attacked the city as of late, and of what had happened after Raven had resealed Malchior.
He listened, commenting once and awhile.
Raven yawned a little, they had been talking for awhile now.
"Oh my! I have kept you up much to late. Do to bed, you need your rest."
Raven nodded a little and laid down, not bothering to close the book. She didn't want to.
"Goodnight, my sweet Raven." Malchior said as she settled down.
"Goodnight." Raven's voice was almost a whisper.
With Malchior watching over her, Raven slept soundly for the first time in a long time.
Malchior watched Raven quietly, wishing he could go to her. He had made a mistake all those years back. He knew he had, and now he was suffering for it.
Then the vision came.
Malchior was in Trigon's lair, but not in the form of a book or dragon, instead in the form of a man.
He was tall, with ashen gray skin and long white hair and black eyes that stood out.
His clothing was as bold as his looks, a iron cheastplate embrodered with a large black M and a pair of black pants that, although fairly loose, provided good mobility. A black scarf was wraped around his face, covering his mouth and nose.
"Hello, Malchior of Nor." Trigon said calmly, looking down on him.
Malchior blinked calmly, "And I presume you are Trigon?"
"Yes."
"What do you want? No offence but your daughter is a much prettier sight then you are."
Trigon chuckled, "No offence taken, and that is partly why I called you here. Would you like to escape your book for good? To be with Raven?"
Malchior blinked, hope shining briefly in his eyes, but then it faded. "And the catch is?"
"Train her in the way of the dragon, and I let you out and destroy your book."
"And if she refuses to let me teach her?"
Trigon shrugged, "Then teleport away with her. I'll send you somewhere when she won't have much of a choice."
Malchior sighed and closed his eyes, "And this is the only way?"
"Its the only way."
He was silent for a long time, not sure what to say. Then, finaly he looked up, "Alright."
A smile streached across Trigon's face and Malchior knew this was only stage one of the plan.
Malchior was released form the book. He stood in the darkness of Raven's room, looking at her calmly. Behind him, the Mark of Scath appeared briefly on the book before it disappeared.
Trigon had kept his promise, not Malchior was bound to his.
He walked across the room to Raven's bed and looked down on her. Pulling back his scarf and leaning over, he gently kissed her cheek. "Sleep well, my sweet Raven." He whispered. "I will greet you in the morning."
Raven moved a little in her sleep, but didn't wake up.
When Raven first woke up, she believed she was dreaming. She saw Malchior standing next to her bookstand, looking at her. She got slowly out of her bed, unable to belive he had entered her dreams this way.
"Good morning, my dear." His voice more lovely then any morning birds call.
She shook her head and closed her eyes, "You aren't real. I'll wake up soon. I have to wake up..."
Malchior walked over to her and put his hands on he shoulders, "You aren't dreaming."
"I am...I have to be..." She said firmly, but she knew from the feel of his hands and the sound of his voice Malchior was there.
She grabbed her communicator off her bed and jabbed the emergency button, and an alarm went off in the tower.
Malchior sighed, why couldn't it ever be easy?
Beast Boy and Cyborg arrived first, followed by Starfire and Robin. They froze in shock when they saw Raven and Malchior.
In one swift motion, Malchior wrapped one arm around Raven's neck and on around her waist, pulling her towards him so her back was pressed to his chest like a human sheild.
Raven struggled and hissed, "Let go! Azarath Mentreon Zenthos!"
Nothing happened.
"Your powers are useless at the moment, part of the advantages of being a more powerful wizard."
"Let her go!" snarled Robin, getting ready to throw a disk bomb.
"Your going to attack while she's so close?" Malchior taunted, pulling Raven tighter.
Oh the irony. She was finaly in his arms, just as she had wanted, and her life was in danger. Go figure.
"I don't want to hurt her, just to talk. I'll let go if you promise to hear me out." Malchior's voice was calm. "Otherwise, I will teleport both of us away."
Robin growled, "Fine, but let her go first."
Malchior released his grip and Raven almost fell on her face, but caught herself and stumbled over to the other Titans who quickly formed a protective line in front of her.
"Alright. Talk." Robin said after telling Cyborg to check Raven over and getting a clean bill of health from Cyborg's scanners.
"I am out of the book because Trigon let me out and destroyed the book...He wants me to train Raven in the ways of the dragon. I am not permitted to take no for an answer."
"Well too bad because..." Robin started.
"No, Robin wait." Raven said, pushing past her teammates. "He's not kidding...I think it would be smarter for you to let him teach me...There's no one else for me to learn , my dragon form may be useful."
She had no idea why she had agreed, but she did.
Malchior smiled, with his scarf pulled away Raven could see his way to appealing mouth.
"Fine, but he sleeps on the couch, and all the training will be supervised." Robin growled.
"Works for me." Malchior replied, sounding content. "We start tomorrow!"
At that moment, Raven wondered what she had gotten into.