Chapter 1
She loved the rain.
There was something so euphoric about watching the droplets fall from the point of view of the Earth; they were like thin slithers of crystals and silver shining down onto the ground. She blinked a few times when the water fell into her eyes, and, as silly as she felt doing it, stuck her tongue out to catch a few drops of water.
Abruptly, the rain began to downpour and shrouded her body with a coat of sleek opalescent liquid. Her skin glistened in the glow of rainfall, and the sensation excited her deep inside. You will never be perfect.
The sky began to loom over her, changing colors and turning into a deep shade of red. It began to churn and the Earth began to rock, slowly but surely. The rain was no longer exhilarating; it had begun to boil. Her skin had taken a scarlet color and she sat up, tears streaming down her face. A pair of eyes came before her, devilish and malevolent.
My love, I will follow you forever…
Raven sank deeper into the bathtub, hugging herself close as the fantasy held tight to the edges of her mind. She was starting to feel the dregs of reality pulling her out of her state of suspension between consciousness and her dream state. They were becoming increasingly horrifying, and were no longer an enjoyable escape from life.
She opened her eyes and began to ground herself as she breathed slowly, her heart rate slowed, and her stomach had calmed it's unease.
She rolled over onto her belly and her damp violet locks fell over in her face, bringing about the urge to tug a strand into her mouth with her lips.
Is it wrong to feel so incomplete after sending my father into oblivion?
Raven pushed herself up onto her feet and stepped out of the bathtub, grabbing her soft onyx towel and wrapping it around her small body. As she was preparing to walk out of the bathroom, she heard the door's auto-lock being opened on the other side.
"Um…do you mind?" The fidgeting of the door stopped and she heard a muffled apologetic voice.
"Ooh, I'm-Uhh…Sorry, I just-"
"You know what, it's fine. I was just leaving." She opened the door to glare angrily at a blushing Robin. He stepped back as she walked out of the bathroom, staring at him.
"When is my bathroom going to be finished? This is literally the third time someone has interrupted my privacy. I cannot continue to deal with using this hallway's bathroom." He seemed a bit star struck for a few seconds before replying to her question. "Erm..third?"
She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Yes, third. Just ask Beast Boy how it feels to get tossed into the ninth dimension."
He scratched the back of his head nervously, stepping back. "Um, well, it was pretty much an accident on my part. But ask Cy, I think he's just about done…actually, I think he's in there now, I hear his construction." Raven's eyes widened. "Shit! I forgot to get my clothes! I didn't think he'd start on it so early today."
She flew to her room across the hall, phasing inside and after a few moments, Cyborg was being shoved out of her doorway with an electronic screw driver in tow. "Geez, you said it would be cool if I started early!"
"Well, I have to get dressed!" With that, the door slammed shut.
Cyborg looked over at Robin, who simply shrugged. "I'm just as confused as you, bro."
"Well, make sure she's out by ten, because I'm on a time constraint. I've gotta start working on the pool next."
Robin waited for twenty minutes before checking back with Raven, and wondered if she was actually dressed. Was it really that difficult to slip on such a tiny suit? Although she had begun to wear a new solid black catsuit that appeared to be a second skin rather than clothes, there were times were she opted to wear her leotard on warm days.
He knocked and a much calmer toned woman now faced him. She looked more relaxed, as if she had taken some time to meditate before entrenching herself in the daily nonsenses of Titan's Tower.
"Can I help you?"
"Come with me to get some coffee." She raised an eyebrow. "Okay, in your case, some tea. I know a spot not too far from the bay that isn't terrible. It'll give Cyborg some time to finish your bathroom."
She crossed her arms, holding an unreadable facial expression that eventually softened. She had no reason to be angry at him; he was only trying to keep the peace. "Right. Let's go, then."
"You always like yours black, right?"
Raven sat down across from Robin in a small café in the city after bringing their orders to the table. She was mostly motivated to accompany him on this outing because the hectic morning shifters had already come for their breakfasts and the busy lunch crowd had yet to come.
"As always, Rae." The pair enjoyed the fair silence that was stifled traffic noises and inaudible conversations of other dining civilians. Robin looked up at the woman before him, and suddenly felt streams of nostalgia invade his senses. He had watched his team grow and blossom into adults, and now that the worst of their troubles had somewhat settled down, he was finally able to admire their evolution.
Because of her healing powers, Raven had aged gracefully without the weathering qualities of battle scars. Her high cheekbones had earned more definition and her amethyst eyes emanated great wisdom that surpassed her youth. She was no longer an awkward, introverted teen. She had become a stunningly gracious woman.
"You look…different." She turned her head from her firm gaze at the active city outside the window. She cocked her head to the side in interest. "Different, how?"
"You act different, too. Since the…end of the world, thing. I've just noticed you've changed." Raven adjusted herself in the seat to sit upright. "But that was a few years ago…if you've been noticing a change in me for that long, why didn't you say something earlier?"
Robin shrugged. "It's not every day that we go out for coffee, just you and I." She chuckled softly and sipped her cooled tea. "You still could've said something Robin." She grew quiet for a moment before he realized that her small smile had faded.
"Actually, I noticed it too…" Her fingers tapped nimbly against her cup. "I…I thought that…since I was freed from the restraints of my father's control, my life would be a lot different. I thought I'd have the freedom to feel…emotion…without the repercussions of my powers taking control of me. I do have somewhat of a newfound freedom but something…something hasn't felt right since I had become the portal. I feel…slightly empty. It's just gotten worse, the feeling." She turned her head away from his captivated stare.
"Could it be Trigon?" She shook her head, her face frowning with scrutiny. "No, I don't sense him anymore. I would've known if it was him. No…but whatever it is, I can't escape it. I feel it in my sleep, when I project my soul self, and especially when I meditate."
Robin grabbed her hand and forced her to face his strong eyes. They were powerful even under the mask. "Whatever it is, we'll stop it. You're not alone, Raven. Always remember that." She blushed and looked away, bashfully nodding in agreement.
"Dude, this is the thirteenth time you've won in a row! I'm sick of getting my butt kicked, can we please call it a night?" Beast Boy wined as the game system announced Cyborg to be the winner once again. He cackled in enjoyment and stood up to power down the noisy video game.
"Alright , BB, I'll let you live this one time. You know if it was you beating me, you would've wanted to play another round, but I won't prolong your suffering." Starfire giggled softly. She was always there to watch and be entertained by their bantering.
"It is most amusing to see you two exaggerate your efforts to humiliate each other in an unrealistic virtual world. However, I must agree with Beast Boy, for I, too, wish to retire to my room. Raven shut her book and stood up, obviously preparing to leave with the other Titans.
Starfire peered over Robin's shoulder, who was engrossed in his laptop and typing away. "Will you go to bed with us, Robin?" He shook his head, keeping his eyes glued to the screen.
"Can't. Have to finish this report. I'm almost done, though."
"Depends on what he means by almost," Cyborg mumbled to Beast Boy. Robin stopped typing and turned his head, staring at his teammates.
"Don't worry about me guys; I'll be sure to sleep tonight."
The team left through the hallway doors and headed to the elevators, but Raven turned around to see Robin back to working intently. "Don't stay up all night, Robin."
He quietly snickered, but held fast to his laptop. "I promise I won't."
After she left, it seemed like hours before he heard a sound in the common room. The air conditioner automatically shut on, making a loud whirring noise. Robin sat his computer to the side and stretched and arched his back. He peeled his mask off and rubbed his eyes and neck, realizing that he did in fact need some rest.
He stood up and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the night life of the city glow with bright lights. He sighed heavily, feeling his aging pull on his stamina. He reminisced on the early days with the Titans, and those times when he would go weeks without a full night's sleep. Those were the glory days… but it seemed as if his angsty teen years of insomnia were catching up to him in his twenties.
Sssstay…
Robin shook his head. What the hell was that? Now, he was hearing voices, which clearly meant he was long overdue for a turn in dreamland. He laid his hand and forehead on the window, allowing his skin to absorb the coolness from the glass. It must have been after three in the morning…
Suddenly, the glass grew warm, and quickly became hot to the touch. He jumped back, his eyes dashing in all different directions. Clearly, that was not an illusion. He felt that.
…You…
He snatched his bow staff from his utility belt and stepped into a defensive stance. "Who's there?" He felt a cold, venomous sensation that made the hairs on his skin raise. He wondered if it was only the air conditioning, until he noticed a pair of glowing eyes glaring at him in the dark.
"Who are you?" Robin shrieked, noticing a second pair of eyes appearing above the first. His eyes gaped wide as a realization hit him like a brick wall. "Raven?"
The eyes narrowed, and a shadowy, nearly formless being stepped out of the dark and into the moonlight glow. Close, but no.
He lowered his bow staff slightly, staring in awe and a bit of confusion. "Then…?"
You are just as handsome as I anticipated.
Robin blushed, stepping closer to the creature. "Who are you?" The being's form began to manifest clearer and became less wispy. The shape was more curvilinear and mysterious, yet somehow, familiar.
I am closer to you than you think, in every sense. We shall meet again, Robin… The being's hand waved forward, and a rush of warmth filled him inside. With that, it was gone.
Robin's eyes locked intently on the spot where the entity had just disappeared. This must have been a joke…or perhaps not. All he knew was that only one person could possibly have any logical answers for him.
"RAVEN!" Robin banged his fist on her door, aware of the impending demonic reaction he was bound to face from his blatant disregard for her sleep. He could feel her anger emanating from beneath the metal exterior, and her dark powers encapsulated the door as it slid open.
She glared at him, fire spitting out of her eyes. In a masochistic sort of way, she was a bit enticing, with her flushed skin and messy hair—not to mention the fact that she was standing before him in no more than a dark tee-shirt. Okay, wrong time to be thinking about that. Robin quickly shook the lusty emotions from his mind before Raven could sense them.
"What…the fuck could you possibly want?" She narrowed her eyes, as if smelling his arousal.
"I saw an apparition that looked like you, in the common room." Raven's lethargic anger dissipated as growing fear replaced it, and her fingers grazed over her gaping mouth. "How do you…I was in my room the whole time."
"That's what I figured," Robin whispered, his eyes narrowing into slits. "It must have been a hologram by-"
"No, I don't think it was a hologram." Raven's fear was thickening his senses now, as if immense worry had overcome her. She looked down the hallway, staring at the darkness looming like a thick blanket as if it was slowly reaching out towards the two Titans.
Her eyes widened, gripping the door pane as she motioned Robin into her room and she promptly she shut the door, attempting to close out the malevolent energy.
As she felt around for her lamp, her nervous voice gave Robin chills and he wondered if she had subconsciously created this ghost-like creature, just like she had manifested her fear into reality years ago. "I thought I was the only one feeling as if I was being haunted," She muttered, clicking on the light switch on the lamp on her nightstand. "I guess I was wrong. I've felt like this for a few years, but now, it seems as if it's getting worse."
She sat down on her bed, silently inviting Robin to have a seat beside her. She stared at the wall facing her, watching the shadows creeping between the bookshelves of ancient texts and the gothic art, mocking her menacingly. "It's not my father. I'm sure of it."
Robin shifted his eyes to the demoness. Her eyebrows were knitted together, indicating a solemn mood. "How can you be so sure? Do you know what this thing really is?" She shrugged her shoulders, looking away as if she was ashamed.
"I just know. My father has a strong aura; it's able to be sensed from dimensions away, especially since I am his offspring. A part of him was in me, and I don't feel it anymore. I don't have that weight on my shoulders, or that…fear. I almost feel…as if I'm missing something. But I can't possibly feel this way because he's gone, there's got to be something else…something more."
But there is more.
Robin's head shot towards the voice's direction, and Raven rose to her feet, her fingers sparking with power.
"Show yourself!" She exclaimed.
Out of the shadows stepped the apparition, shapely and distinguishable. Two pairs of red glowing orbs glared in the duo's direction. A ragged, yet recognizable voice slipped from her lips, and a cold draft replaced the calm air of the room.
"There is me…or rather, you." Suddenly, the entity surged forward in Raven's direction and the light flickered off, leaving them in darkness and shrouded in dread.
I have a feeling this is going to be long and good. I'm excited! I will continue to progress in this story as I draw The Grass Is Greener to a close. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from everyone!
