Raven sat on the edge of Titans Tower, looking out into the sunset. A lot had been happening in the past few weeks – Scarecrow's gas attack, the Tamaranean refugees, Robin and Starfire's wedding – all of it making the Titans more popular than ever before. She had never cared about popularity before, but with it being thrust on her now, she wasn't sure what to make of it.
She closed her eyes as she drank the last of her herbal tea, sensing the brain waves of another caped hero flying towards her. When she opened her eyes, Supergirl was right in front of her, the sun radiating from behind to make her look even more angelic as she stretched out her hand.
"Hello! I don't think we've properly met yet. I'm Kara."
"Raven," the half-demon replied, shaking her hand.
"Do you mind if I take a seat?"
"Go right ahead."
Kara sat down next to Raven and looked at the sunset with her.
"I'm sorry it took so long to finally meet your team. I make it a habit to meet with every new hero that comes around, but Robin never seemed to want me around."
"Yeah, he never liked talking about his exes."
"Well, I wouldn't say we were exes..."
"Lois Lane sent you, didn't she? To prep me for tomorrow's interview."
"Well, Miss Lane didn't send, but prepping you for tomorrow is part of why I'm here."
"What's the other part?"
"Well, Raven, I thought I should let you know that I wish I would have known about you when you first came to Earth."
"Sure, like all other young heroes."
"No, because you and I are an awful lot alike."
Raven smirked. "Well, it's good to know that you and Beast Boy attended the same humor classes."
"Yeah, we can't possibly be alike, can we? I'm bright and cheery and hopeful, while you're dark and moody and, uh … Gotham. Is that right?"
"Yes, and don't forget your habit of making love every new young hero that comes along."
"Hey, just to be clear, I let them make love to me, otherwise they'd all snap like twigs!"
"Yes, well, I could never indulge myself like that, unless I wanted to trade my virginity for blowing up the whole planet."
Supergirl leaned back and stretched. "Let me tell you a story. See if this sounds familiar.
"Once there was a girl that nobody wanted to be friends with. She tried her hardest to be good and nice and kind, but none of that mattered because nobody could look passed who her father was. Nevertheless, she still loved her family, and her home, and wanted to be the best person she could be.
"Then one day, her world comes to an end. To save her life, her parents force her away with barely any time to say goodbye. The next time she wakes up, she's lost her family, her home, her everything. She's now trapped in a strange place, with strange powers that she can barely control. Sure, she's lucky enough to have been adopted into a group who care for her, but deep down, she feels like they don't understand her one bit.
"She eats lunch by herself every day, and watches enviously at everyone else in their groups of friends. She wishes she could have the happiness that they have, but is too afraid of being rejected again once they find out what she really is, no matter how much good she does while dressed in a cape. The family that she is with knows something is wrong, but she pushes them aside, locks her herself in her room, and cries herself to sleep, wishing for someone, anyone, that she could relate to."
Supergirl's eyes started tearing as she reflected on her past self. Feeling a surprisingly strong mental connection, Raven reached out and held her hand in a comforting grasp.
"But one day, the least likely person tells her what she's always needed to hear," Raven continued. "That's she's creepy, way creepy, but that doesn't mean she needs to lock herself in her room. All this time she thought she was alone, but she never was. That's when she realizes that friends don't need to understand her in order to love her. And it's that love, that belief, that support from her friends that turns her into what she is now – a hero."
Raven and Supergirl now stared deeply into each other, realizing just how similar they truly were.
"I'm kissing or making love to you", snarked Raven, reading the dirty alien's thoughts.
"That's fine. I don't do it with anyone who's already found a soulmate."
Raven looked confused. "I don't have one."
"Oh? Cyborg said that you and Beast Boy have been going out an awful lot."
"Those are just friendly excursions when he needs a break from his Let's Plays. There's nothing serious between us."
"Really? Then how come your heart rate shot up the moment I mentioned his name?"
Raven then froze, started shivering, dropped her tea glass, and her entire face blushed deep red, all before quickly taking a lotus position while rapidly saying, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos".
"Feel better?" asked Kara.
"Yeah, I'm just gonna … deal with that later."
"Well, back on topic. Do you know why costumed heroes like us are so important? It's just about fighting the bad guys. It's because we are each the embodiment of an idea – hope, integrity, kindness, perseverance, and the other Fruit of the Spirit. And there are different heroes for different heroes to aspire to. A peace activist may be more inspired by my cousin than with Batman, and a soldier may find more inspiration in Wonder Woman than either one. But the thing about most superheroes is that we can't reveal our whole story to the public. If we did, we'd risk exposing our secret identities, putting our loved ones at risk.
"But you, Raven, you're an exception. You have never had a secret identity, so you are one of the few who does get to tell your whole story. You can be more than an inspiration; you can relate to those who have the same story as us. You can be the role model for the kids who still eat by themselves because they're ashamed of their freakiness. They need to realize that they, too, don't have to be alone, but they need a friend for that. They need a hero."
Raven sat stunned for a few seconds, and then smiled back. "Thanks, Kara. I know exactly what to say tomorrow."
"Always happy to help. Well, I gotta go!"
The two shook hands and Supergirl began flying off before looking back.
"Oh, and one more thing – you and Gar-Gar really do make a cute couple!"
As she continued flying away, Raven angrily yelled back, "Hey, only I get to call him … wait..."