A/N: This week, you'll get this one-shot, and THREE updates of my stories. How amazing is that present? By the way, Terra is alive in this story. Not much mention of her, but thought you should know.
Raven walked into the main room and was met with Valentine's Day decorations. Raven glared around the room, searching for the rest of the Titans bit found herself alone. She grabbed a handful of streamers from the ceiling and pulled them down. She walked into the kitchen and was met with even more decorations. She let her powers loose for a couple seconds, which destroyed at least half of the decorations. Her ears were temporarily filled with the sounds of balloons popping, paper tearing, and small confetti explosions before they stopped.
Raven moved around the kitchen silently, and took out her tea pot. She slowly filled it up with water, and she put it on the heating oven. Raven took the time to finally look around at the damage she caused, and saw the remains of the decorations. She sighed, and walked over to the small refrigerator to take out the milk for her tea. On the door, she found a note, written by Robin, stating where each of them were:
Raven-
BB and Terra went out somewhere, Cyborg is at the Titans East Tower with Bumblebee, and Star and I are out. See you later tonight.
Raven moved to crumple up the paper, but the hiss of her tea kettle stopped her. She ripped it up and moved back over to the oven. She poured the tea in a random mug and walked back to her room. She opened the door, and Raven sat down in the middle of her bed. The purple haired teen drank her tea slowly, savoring the flavor. She closed her eyes and placed the mug beside her on the side table, and began to meditate. Raven was drawn into her mind, and was greeted by the faces of three emotions.
"Where is everyone?" The black-cloaked figure shrugged. The figure in a grey cloak spoke up.
"They're gone. Everyone else left after a while." Raven raised an eyebrow at the grey figure. "And you are?"
"Loneliness."
"I'm not lonely." The three figures glanced at each other. "Of course you aren't."
Raven sighed. "Why don't you all just introduce yourselves? I've never seen you around."
"Loneliness."
"Depression."
"Love." Raven stared at the emotion, and could only stare at her cloak. She finally realized that Love's cloak was a deep purple, almost black.
"Shouldn't you be wearing pink?"
Love gave her a small smile. "I was. We've gotten darker." Raven raised an eyebrow. "You had all your emotions after you defeated Trigon. But then… You fell in love."
"I don't love."
"But you did. You fell in love with Robin. He's been your best friend for a while now, and he went to Hell to save you. And then Tokyo happened. Starfire and Robin got together, and then everyone else just seemed to pair off. It's not like you had anyone. Being alone and seeing all of your friends happy with each other really took a toll on you. Having to see Robin and Starfire together every day, all the time, that's probably the thing that affected you the most. Over time, you grew Sad, which is why she's still here now."
"That's Depression. Sad looks… different."
"She once was Sad. But then it continued so harshly over time, and she got darker. Sad became Depression."
"What happened to the other emotions?"
"They disappeared. You would lose so many emotions from Depression. There was a time when Anger had been the dominant emotion. She took over for a while and started to get rid of the other emotions. If Happiness had survived the Sad time, she would've been the first to go. Rude was instead. There were a few that survived, and managed to hide from her. By the time that Depression took over from Anger, the other emotions were beginning to die off again. Right now, only Depression, Loneliness, and I survive, mostly because we're the emotions you were constantly feeling. There might still be a few out there, but we're not sure anymore."
"What happens when you disappear?" Love gave Raven another sad smile.
"You'll always have me. I can't say for sure about Loneliness, since you can't be lonely for the rest of your life."
"But what if I am?"
"You won't be. I'm 100% sure of it. Depression… I'm not sure exactly about how long she'll be here. Depression will be here probably until Loneliness goes away."
"So you can predict the future now?" Love gave Raven a tired glance.
"I can't. These are my assumptions. It's not like they're set in stone." Raven turned to the other two emotions.
"Do you have anything to say about this?" Both cloaked figures shook their heads vigorously.
"Good luck." Raven found her way out of her mind like usual. She lowered herself onto her bed and proceeded to walk to her closet. The Azarathian was stopped by a light knock on her door. "Raven?"
Raven looked at the door, and felt something inside of her shift. All of a sudden, she was falling back into her mind, as if she was watching the scene in front of her as a bystander. Raven watched herself open the door and smile at Robin.
"Hey, just wanted to let you know that we're back now." Raven nodded and Robin cocked his head. "You okay?"
"Yeah, Why?"
"You're… smiling. It's kind of creepy." Raven felt herself wince at his blunt statement. She saw Love drop the smile. What the hell was she doing?
"Can I talk to you?" Robin nodded, seeing the more serious Raven coming out. Raven-Love stepped aside, allowing Robin to enter. Robin stood there awkwardly before Raven-Love gestured for him to sit down on the chair for her desk.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Raven-Love sighed. Raven watched, almost afraid of what Raven-Love had to tell Robin.
"Well, it's not really something to talk about. More of something I just needed to tell you, rather than discuss." Robin nodded at her statement. Raven had to give Raven-Love some credit, since she was doing a fairly decent job at imitating herself.
"So… I just wanted to get this out on the table." Raven-Love paused, and looked up from her place on the ground. Raven-Love stared directly into Robin's eyes, and seriously stated, "I'm in love with you."
Raven swore her heart stopped at that very moment. She waited for Robin's reaction, who was sitting there, shocked to his very core. "You're…. in love with me?"
Raven-Love nodded, and gave him an awkward-looking smile. Robin abruptly stood up. "I'm sorry, Raven. I…" Raven-Love held up one hand. The emotion could feel the control of Raven's physical body losing. She had to wrap this up quickly, before Raven had the chance to yell at her. "It's fine. I don't mind." Raven-Love pushed Robin out her door, and closed it quickly. At the same moment, she was dragged back into Raven's mind, and Raven's physical body fell forward onto the ground.
Love landed gracefully onto the hard ground in Raven's mind. "What the hell were you thinking when you did that?" Raven had pushed Love up against a wall, and was trying to keep her composure. Love was definitely grateful for that, since they managed to get rid of Anger the first time, and they didn't need a second one to be created.
"I was doing what you didn't have the guts to do."
"I don't need your help. Stay away from Robin, stay away from anyone else I have feelings for, and just stay in my mind."
"And what will you do now? I know you were watching Robin and my conversation, and heard what he said after I told him of our feelings."
"I'm just going to go back up there, and-"
"And do what? You can't find him and explain how one of your emotions took over. You would be admitting to your feelings, and how you lost control of them. That would bring up a whole truckload of questions, and you wouldn't be able to truthfully answer any of them." Raven glared at her purple emotion.
"Then what do you suggest I do?" Love shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?"
Raven was about to scream when she heard an awkward sounding knock from her door. She gave Love one final glare before returning to her body. She looked at the door, and could faintly sense Robin was back again. She walked over and opened the door to him standing a good five feet farther from the door than he usually would.
"What?"'
"Listen, Raven… We need to talk again."
"Unfortunately, there's nothing to actually talk about."
"But there is. You just said that," Robin looked around the hallway before lowering his voice into a whisper, "you were in love with me."
"And?"
"We need to talk about this."
"Like I said, there's nothing to talk about." Raven shut the door in his face, and walked back into her room. She sat on her bed, and took a few deep breaths. All of a sudden, she felt something wet hit her face, and brushed it off. She realized that it was a tear. She rubbed her temple before gracefully falling backwards onto the bed.
"What am I supposed to do now?" Raven suddenly got an idea. She was thinking of how she could kill Love and lose whatever feelings she had acquired for Robin. It might hurt her, but it would have to work. Raven went over to her bookshelf and searched for the book she was looking for. She grabbed it off the shelf and returned to the middle of her bed. She opened it to the correct page. Killing Off Emotions. Raven sighed. She skimmed over the ancient text and glared.
Basically, the book said that if she were to kill one of her emotions, she would have a great chance of losing all her powers. Raven's headache grew with every passing moment, and was contemplating the risks. She could kill off her feelings for Robin and everyone else possible, but would simultaneously be getting rid of her powers. Raven would not be able to be a Teen Titan anymore, since she depended mostly upon her powers for safety and assistance.
Raven sighed, and grabbed her mirror. She would have to risk the loss, which could turn out for the better. If she left the Titans, she wouldn't have to deal with Robin or anyone else for that matter. She knew how to get rid of anything they could use to track her, so she could become a regular citizen. A regular, depressed, lonely citizen.
Raven dropped down into her mind for the third time today. Everything seemed too quiet, and Raven could almost imagine Beast Boy saying, "It's quiet in here. Too quiet." She would've slapped him silly if he had actually said that. She looked around, and she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, trying not to show the fear on her face, and was met by Loneliness. "Pretty soon, I'm going to disappear if you keep coming down here." Raven stared at her. "Did you just make a joke?"
Loneliness's eyes widened. "I guess I did." Raven shook herself out of the shock, and asked Loneliness where Love was. Loneliness pointed to a far rock, where Raven spotted Love, but she looked much darker than she had before. "Love?"
The emotion turned at the sound of her name, and looked at Raven. "You were right."
"I always am. But what was I right about this time?"
"Robin…You together… Everything."
Raven nodded. "Why are you getting so dark? You're almost the same color as depression."
Love scoffed. "I know. It's hideous too. I hate this all. You might actually end up lonely forever. Robin can't love you because he had Starfire."
"I realized that a long time ago."
"Well, I was hoping for another chance. Hope and I… We're the same emotion. I've just progressed farther than she had." Raven nodded again.
"I'm sorry, Love."
"It's fine. You came here to kill em though, right? So you could get rid of Robin for good? And whoever else might try and worm their way into your heart?"
Raven blushed, embarrassed that Love had known about her plans. Raven nodded again, and revealed the dagger in her hands. She had been using it before now to cut herself, but not in any visible places. She only did it a couple times a week, and only when she felt really down. She hated the knife, and had tried to stop her cutting to prevent herself from showing any weakness. Raven kept the dagger to stop herself from ever doing it again, but she still did it, but seldom.
"Can I have it?" Raven was taken back by the question, and Raven held it closer.
"I'm not going to stab you with it. Then we'd be stuck without a body, and everyone would be very upset with me." Raven cautiously handed Love the dagger, and watched the emotion trace her fingers over the hilt. She suddenly gripped it and pushed the dagger towards her chest. Raven's eyes widened and attempted to stop her, but was too late. The dagger stuck out of her chest, and Raven moved to pull it out as quickly as possible. Raven held the dagger in her hands, eyes wide, and watched the depressed emotion fade. Raven felt another part of her leave, and she shot out of the portal that was her mind.
Raven was in shock, not sure how to take this event. Raven crawled over to her mirror, and tried to get back in, but it wouldn't allow her. She was stuck in her small bedroom, and Raven stared at the mirror. She tried everything she could, but nothing would happen. Even though it had been Love who killed herself instead of Raven, she had still lost her powers. Raven wouldn't be able to stay anymore. Raven lay down in her bed, and shut her eyes tightly. She could only feel pain, and there was nothing else there. She didn't particularly like the feeling, but she would have to live with it. Raven took a deep breath before sitting up and getting out of her bed. She looked around her room, touching everything, as if she was trying to imprint it into her brain.
Raven didn't want to stay here much longer, and wanted to leave as soon as possible. She had been planning for this when she went in to kill Love, but now that it was finished, she didn't really want to leave. But Raven knew she couldn't stay.
Raven gathered all of the most crucial things in a little backpack that Starfire had gotten her last Christmas. Raven made sure that she packed a picture of the Titans, as if to remember them forever. She smiled at the picture, and sat in her room, reading the books on her bookshelf. Raven tried her powers several more times before it was definite that she didn't have her powers anymore. Raven waited until it was near the middle of the night before changing into some casual clothes: black skinny jeans, a tight Evanescence concert tee, and a leather jacket. Raven walked through the main room, and didn't spot anyone awake. She jotted down a quick note, explaining that she was sorry and had to leave, and then left the Tower for good.
***Six Years Later***
Rachel Roth sat at a little table in the corner of the diner that she worked at. She sighed, and checked around the small eatery. There were only two tables being used currently, not including her own. Rachel got up to check on the two tables. The doors to the small diner opened, and her boyfriend, Dain, walked in. Rachel desperately wanted to break up with him, but she couldn't. Dain had been abusing her their entire relationship, and although she had tried several times to do something about it, he always managed to get her back.
He walked over to her, stopping her from checking on the tables. "Hey, babe." He kissed her on the cheek, and she gave him a fake smile. "Hey." Rachel walked around him to go to the tables, but he grabbed her wrist harshly. "Don't turn away from me."
"I have to go do my job."
"Do it later."
"I have to do it now, Dain." Dain grunted and released her wrist, and she quickly walked over to the tables.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, everything's perfect. If we could just get the check…" Both tables gave the same response, making it easier on Rachel. She walked over to the cash register, and printed off the checks. The door chimed again, and Rachel looked up. She saw a tall man with blue eyes walk in. Even without her powers, Rachel knew this was him. Who he became. She quickly glared in his direction when he sat down at one of the tables. Rachel gave the checks to the two tables and walked over to him. She was suddenly glad that her boyfriend made her dye her hair black.
Dain had wanted to impress his parents with his new girlfriend, and forced Rachel to dye her hair black. He had hit her repeatedly that night, harming her so badly that she had broken a few ribs. Dain had been satisfied when he picked her up later that night with black hair. She just never changed it back to purple, and kept the black. Rachel liked how it helped hide her identity, especially since Robin had begun working in the same town she had run away to. But now, he was Nightwing.
"Can I get you anything?" Robin looked up at her, and Rachel tried to avert her eyes so that he wouldn't notice the amethyst. Unfortunately, he did. "Raven?"
"Rachel." Rachel pointed to her nametag to make a point, and was desperately trying to convince him that she was a different person. Rachel didn't want to be anywhere near him, and it really didn't help that Dain's eyes were burning a hole into her back.
"Yeah, right. How many people in the world have purple eyes?"
"My family."
"I meant Earth, not Azarath."
Rachel lowered her voice and leaned onto the table to get into his face. "Shut up. I don't want to talk to you. Tell me what you want to order, eat it, and then get out. I don't have time for your stupid little games."
"I want to talk to you. Why don't you sit down?" Rachel looked around, and saw that the two tables she had been serving already left. She caught Dain's eye, and he glared at her. He mouthed the words 'Come here' and she shook her head. Rachel quickly sat down in the booth across from Robin, and he leaned forward. "What happened to you?"
"I left."
"I know that. I mean… You didn't tell anyone. You just left."
"I lost my powers because something happened to my emotions. I wouldn't be allowed to stay if I didn't have powers, so I just left."
"What do you mean you wouldn't be allowed to stay? You were our friend, Raven, a former Titan. We would've helped you out in any way we could've."
"Well, that's too bad." Robin leaned back. He sighed, and looked down at the menu.
"My name's Rachel. Not Raven." Robin nodded. "Well, my name's Richard. Or Dick. Or Nightwing. Not really Robin anymore, not since the Titans broke up a few years back."
"I'll call you Dick then." Dick smirked at her. "You would."
Rachel rolled her eyes, and looked around the diner. She caught Dain's eye again, and he gestured her over. "I'll be right back."
Rachel took a deep breath on her way over to her boyfriend, ready for the explosion that was going to occur soon.
"Why the hell are you flirting with that douche?"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "He's not a douche. At least, not anymore."
"Anymore?" Dain had managed to keep his composure this long, Rachel decided to risk pushing the final little button that would make him explode. She had two witnesses: the cook and Dick.
"I used to be friends with him a while ago. I had feelings for him." Dain's face tightened impossibly, and Rachel quickly got up. Luckily, the cook was leaving the kitchen at the same time, and Rachel went over to talk to him.
"Okay, Rae. I'm going to leave now, you think you can lock up for the night?" Rachel nodded. "Alright. See you tomorrow then."
"Bye, Muffin." Rachel smiled after the elder man, and watched him walk to the bus stop. Muffin was one of Rachel's best friends, even though he was almost 70 years old. No one called him by his real name anymore, just Muffin. He was a sweet old man with a couple of kids, and he loved to make muffins, hence the name.
Rachel walked back over to Dick's table, and took his order. Luckily, he had only ordered a cup of black coffee and a slice of the apple pie that Muffin had made earlier, so she only had to see him for a couple more minutes. She gathered his order together, and gently placed it down in front of him. She walked back over to Dain, who was glaring at the little exchange.
"What the hell do you mean you had feelings for him?"
"Exactly that." Dain's eyes flashed and Rachel flinched away. Dain grabbed her wrist roughly, and Rachel tried to pull it away. He grasped it harder, but then released her when Dick called her back over.
"Thanks. Tell your cook that it's really good pie." Dick stood up from the table and left a couple dollars on the table, enough to pay for the small meal. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime?"
"Probably not." Dick nodded solemnly, and walked out of the establishment. Rachel watched him walk away, and then felt Dain's heavy breathing on the back of her neck. She turned around and he slapped her hard. She fell onto the ground, but glared back up at him. He knew most of the time not to hit her on the face, because then she got questioned about them. He only hit her in visible places when he was really angry. And right now, he was furious.
"You stupid slut! You spread your legs for anyone who walks by, don't you?" Dain kicked Rachel in the stomach, and she spit up some blood. She felt around for broken ribs, and determined that she definitely had at least three. Rachel grimaced, and tried to crawl away. Dain kicked her again, causing her to fall face forward onto the ground. He slapped her again, and continued his rampage of punches, kicks, and slaps.
Rachel could feel herself quickly losing consciousness, but then all the hitting stopped. She heard a loud crash come from her right, and she looked in the direction. She saw Dick there. But it was Nightwing. Rachel reached up onto the table, trying her best to stay conscious. Rachel tripped over something, she didn't know what, and was back on the ground again.
She saw Nightwing beating up Dain, and he suddenly stopped. Rachel could distantly hear the sirens and saw the flashes of red and blue outside. He picked up Dain by the collar of his shirt and dragged him outside. Nightwing went back inside, and saw a bloodied Rachel in the corner. She had fallen unconscious, and he picked her up carefully. He handed her off to the EMTs, and followed behind on the rooftops.
Nightwing changed back into his Dick persona, and had been staying in Rachel's room for a couple days now. She hadn't woken up, and Dick wanted so badly to tell her how Dain was in prison now. Or was going to be. He should be sentenced today. Dick had, at some point, fallen asleep in his chair, but woke up when he heard a groan coming from beside him. He rubbed a hand over his face, and saw two amethyst eyes looking back at him. "Rachel."
"Where am I?" Her voice came out raspy, but he still understood her.
"The hospital. Your asshole of a boyfriend put you in here. A broken wrist, a dislocated shoulder, four broken ribs, and some internal bleeding. And a minor concussion."
Rachel winced at all the injuries she was suffering from.
"What day is it?"
"Valentine's Day." Rachel winced again, but from the emotional memories. She hated the day more than anything.
"It's okay." Rachel looked up at Dick, and he smiled at her. He leaned closer, and their lips lightly touched. Dick pulled back slightly, and smiled at Rachel. He grabbed her hand, and squeezed.
"I'll protect you."
.
.
.
A/N: Happy Valentine's Day!
Thank you Dain, for letting me use your name! I still love you! And RIP Muffin. We all miss you so much! (:
~klrob