Pronunciation: 'nI-t&n-"gAl, -ting-
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, alteration of Old English nihtegale, from niht + galan to sing -- more at YELL
any of several Old World thrushes (genus Erithacus and especially E. megarhynchos) noted for the sweet usually nocturnal song of the male; also any of various other birds that sing at night. A secretive bird which likes nothing better than hiding in the middle of an impenetrable bush or thicket
Chapter 1:
Control.
The day she turned eighteen was the day she knew her life had changed forever, the prophecy that was held upon her head for years was wrong, and now she had friends, a life, even though it was spent fighting crime.
It wasn't because she had finally turned into an adult by mortal standards that made her feel this way. Of all the things to happen once again she had been sucked up into Nevermore, and this time, she was taught how to fight with her emotions, instead of fighting without them.
The one who taught her was a hologram of her mother at around the same age, she was one of the most studios people on Azarath, and in secret, learned how Raven could control her powers without ignoring her emotions.
However by the time she learned of this, her daughter had been sent away to earth and one whom she thought was faithful to her had divulged her secret to the elders.
The penalty was death and the last thing she did, in the cellar of an old prison, was send a hologram of her to her daughters mind.
It reached earth the same day she turned 18 and the gift was the only thing that made Raven realize how much her mother loved her even though she was part demon.
The time spent learning about feeling and not exploding items around her turned to be around a month, and when she finally woke up, she was surprised to find herself in the medical ward, lying on one of the beds wearing everything except her famous cloak.
It was odd, because usually her cloak was a comfort to her, she never took it off, and in moments when she thought her control would break, the hood would pop back on. This time however, her feelings didn't reach out for the blue cloak, but instead looked around for her friends.
Her short hair was long once again, but this time, she felt no need to cut it, because now it reminded her of her mother, smiling, while Raven tried to acknowledge Happiness like she did Fear with the help of her friends.
Arabella Roth wore this ridiculously long white cloak over a stunning purple dress, her long black hair was always tied up in a bun with a few stray hairs falling down on her face.
The training was grueling not only physically, since some emotions decided to whoop her ass in the process of her trying to acknowledge them, but also mentally, she could not remember ever feeling so comfortable in her own mind, without the usual chatter of her emotions.
Her control over herself was now gone, and it felt like the world had been lifted off her shoulders, as if she had been carrying it the day she was trained by the monks.
Her mother left her mind after she saw her daughter be free with all of her emotions, but she didn't disappear, instead she merged with an old mirror Raven had in her trunks that once belonged to her.
The day she woke up in the medical ward was a sunny day; the sun beams shone through the white curtains and fell over her figure gently as if they were happy to see her awake but scared that if they were too hot she might break.
It was true she hadn't been awake for a long time, and when she looked at herself she was surprised to see that her skin had gotten over its grayish tint and now had a healthy peach look, something the sun was probably the reason for.
Funnily she didn't feel annoyed because of this but rather a tinge of amusement crossed her face, making her smile.
Pulling off the sheets, she strode to the bathroom and took a shower before leafing through her drawers for something that wasn't made of spandex. It wasn't until now that Raven realized how disgusting spandex could be after a grueling training, it was like a glove that kept all the sweat in, making her body stink worse than if she wore normal clothing.
She pulled on a purple tang-top and a pair of woolen gray pants, before making her way around the tower, getting re-acquainted with it. She was surprised to see no one home, but once she looked out the giant window to see a giant puff of smoke come out of certain buildings like a mushroom, she realized where they might be.
Her resolve to go after them disappeared when she heard a thumb and a muffle angry shout.
Her eyes shrank in suspicion and she followed to where the voice had been, what she met was a young man in shadow taller than herself. Crouching low, she waited until he stepped a few feet in front of her before she jumped him.
Grabbing his left arm and twisting it behind his back she threw him roughly to the ground with the weight of her body.
Their fight immediately began when he was able to pull out of her hold and toss her off his back. They both landed in the shadows, huffing angrily at the intruder.
"It's pretty smart of you to plan an attack on our city and sneaking in here. What are you looking for anyways? Going to ransack Robin's evidence room?" she snapped at him and he growled.
"How would you know about his evidence room, and you should talk, aren't you here as well?" he snapped at her and her eyes blazed in fury.
"How dare you, I'm not an intruder," she hissed and stepped out of the shadow glaring daggers at the man.
"Raven?" he asked surprised and she rolled her eyes.
"Who else would be here?" she said and he stepped out of the shadows. "Well, well, well, boy wonder is here as well. Wait… Robin! Why are you here?"
"Well… since the day you went into a coma, we've all been taking turns watching you if there's an attack call. This was my week," he shrugged scratching the back of his head in embarrassment and he only averted his head away when her eyes shone with gratitude.
"I…I didn't know…I'm sorry, I've been so busy, I didn't realize I would be in a coma for so long," she said sadly and he looked up in surprise.
"Raven are you okay?" he asked and she smiled.
"I'm great," she answered truthfully and yet he still stared at her in surprise.
"Are you sure? I mean," he looked around the room, waiting for things to explode. "you're showing emotions."
"Yeah, I am, aren't I?" she said and smiled mischievously, evidently not going to give him straight answer.
"But…" he began but Raven cut him off.
"You've grown," she noted, her brows furrowing, stepping close, measuring herself and tapping Robins chin. "I reach you're chin! Whoa… I mean, you used to be so short, you're hair reached Cyborg's shoulder."
"Yeah, I've grown a lot, now BB is the shorter one," he said and Raven noticed the slight maturity in his voice and the slight change in his face.
"Puberty has finally hit you guys then," she joked with a smirk and he flushed.
"Friend Raven!" someone yelled and Raven was jumped upon by a woman with curling red hair and green eyes.
When Raven was finally able to wrap her arms around the crying girl, she was patted on the back a few times by Cyborg, and Beast boy had turned into a kitten and rubbed his back against her leg, purring.
Finally Starfire agreed to let Raven go and they all sat on the couch while Raven explained what had happened to her while she was in Nevermore.
The small smiles she gave while talking about her mother convinced them that she had indeed changed for the better.
"So dude, you're telling me that you still have your powers but now you can also show emotions?" Beast Boy asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"Yes," she said with a smile.
"Dude, that is freaky, I never thought I'd see Raven smile at me, unless… Raven, is that you or is it some brain eating soul stealing monster?" he asked, inching away from the girl.
With a quirk of her eyebrows she shot him a look that plainly told him she thought he was weird and ought to stop watching horror movies.
"Well, I'm just glad you're back Rae," Cyborg said and she nodded.
"Friend Raven, are you sure your powers do still work in this world?" Starfire asked. "I do not mean to make you angry, but how do you know that just because they worked in your world they world here?"
"I don't…"Raven answered with a shrug and turned around.
With a wave of her hand a black and white tape flew over to her, encased in a black orb. Tossing it over to BB, she noticed them all smiling again.
"What?" she demanded and they all pounced on her again, with a huge smile on their faces.
From all the raucous they were causing she could still spot Robin a few feet away watching this display with a slight smile.
A thought passed over her mind and an evil smirk crossed her face and the smile on Robins face faltered as he spotted it. She sighed dramatically and everyone looked up.
"What is it friend Raven?" Starfire asked and she sighed again.
"It seems I get hugs from all of you, but I got nothing from Robin…" she said sadly and sighed again.
"Ya! What's up dude?" BB shot at Robin who had tried to sneak away from the group.
"Come on Robin, give a little hug!" Cyborg said with a hug, pushing Robin towards Raven.
Robin slowly wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug, and when Raven wrapped her arms around his neck, her empathy took over and a memory crossed into her mind.
Robin stood in the shadows of the moon while watching Starfire sleep over an unconscious Raven breathed in and out. The machines around her with their needles prickling her skin, keeping her fed and hydrated.
A sudden feeling of self loathing filled Raven and sadness blurred the image.
When Raven opened up her eyes again a single tear fell down her cheeks, and she quickly whipped it off. The hug ended quickly even though it felt longer than a few seconds, Robin went talking to Cyborg but Raven stood there staring at his back.
She hadn't noticed it before but now she did, Starfire was no longer hanging over Robin nor was she following him with her green gaze.
Her only conclusion was that they had broken apart and yet she felt no animosity towards Robin except for gratitude.
'What happened in the month I was gone?' she wondered, but her thought were postponed when she felt a grumble in her stomach.
"Anyone else hungry?" she asked with a slight grin and Starfire jumped up.
"May I help you in the kitchen?" Starfire asked and Raven nodded.
"Um… girls, especially you, Raven. Don't you remember what happened last time you were in the kitchen?" Cyborg asked sweetly and Raven could distantly remember a destroyed oven because of her impatience.
"I've learned Cy," she snapped with a sweet smile and every one backed off.
The kitchen was the same as it had ever been and nothing was switched around so Raven could still find herself around easily.
Starfire's company was a source of information of what happened in the month she was gone. The girl loved to yap and so Raven let her yap away to her just this one time.
"And so, friend Cyborg and friend Bumble Bee have done the dating thing and are now boyfriend and girlfriend," Starfire happily said with a dreamy sigh.
"It's about time," Raven said and called over the red and green peppers from the fridge while she watched over the pan making the omelets. "So Starfire, why don't you tell me what's happening between you and Wonder boy?"
"Me and friend Robin are… we are friends, he is truly still one of my closest friends. However, we are no longer in courtship, we have done the breaking up and now I am seeing someone new…" Starfire said with unease.
Raven smirked, it seemed Starfire didn't like to talk about personal things but loved being talked to about them. Her smirk turned into a frown, and she wondered vaguely if the self loathing she felt from Robin was because of their break up.
"So who are you seeing now Starfire?" Raven asked, taking out one of the omelets and placing it on a plate before adding cut pieces of red and green pepper and ham and melted cheese.
"I am seeing Aqualad…"Starfire answered with a blush and Raven looked up in surprise.
"Him? But… he's so quiet and a total opposite of you!" Raven said and Starfire flushed again.
"It is said on earth that opposites attract," she said and Raven turned back to her cooking. "It was by chance that we met. I was fighting one of Brother Bloods machines when they pushed me into the water, Aqualad and Titans East had come to join in the taking down of Brother Blood. Aqualad is the one who saved me from drowning, and after that I spent much time trying to repay him for his kindness. After a while, I stopped thinking of Robin but Aqualad. I wanted to try to get him to talk to me, I wanted to see what he liked and after a while, I learned that I did like him more than a friend.'
"You don't have to tell me this Star," Raven said but Starfire shook her head.
"I have missed your company greatly friend Raven, I did not notice until you were gone that I shared things with you without knowing. Maybe we did not talk, but your comforting presence of self assuredness that you would win and your strength was the one that kept me in high spirits many times. I do not think you are one who likes this girl bonding thing, so I tried many times to talk to you in a different dialogue that would give me answers to the questions I had inside. You are very wise friend, sometimes, you remind me of Robin," Starfire said softly and Raven turned around.
"Thank you," she said with a hug and smiled at the slightly more matured woman.
"I realized after a while, that I thought of Robin as a younger brother, Aqualad was one of mystery, he was like a puzzle I was very fond of when I was younger. And I longed to figure him out, and first I thought it was just my obsession over him, and that I would get over him. However one day… Gizmo had made a machine that would echo the voice of one who was close to you so that it would lead you into a trap. He used Aqualads voice one… and I heard him for the first time begging. It is embarrassing to say this but, I wanted to hear him beg, the real Aqualad, and I wanted him to beg to me. It was something dark I had felt, but good, I did not sense any evil coming from those thoughts, and it was then that I realized that Robin was not the one," Starfire said and Raven gave her a shocked glance.
Who would have thought that miss innocent had dirty thoughts, especially ones of being a dominatrix?
"When me and friend Robin did the breaking up, we both realized that we had thought of each other as siblings and friend Robin had wanted to break up with me for a long time," Starfire said and Raven nodded.
"So how are you and Aqualad?" she asked and Starfire smiled.
"We are good, he is my mate after all, and if should not feel well I would feel it," she answered with a hug grin and Ravens spatula dropped.
"Mate… as in…you…?" Raven turned around with pleading eyes but Starfire smiled.
"Yes," she said and Raven picked up her spatula and turned back to her cooking.
Suddenly she felt a pang of regret enter the kitchen and she turned around to spot Robin averting his glance.
'Why does he stare at Starfire like that' she wondered.
When the food was done cooking everyone sat around the table and looked at the food expectantly, Beast Boy picked at his tofu omelet.
"What!" she snapped and they all flinched.
"This is good friend Raven, though it would be better with mustard sauce, now where did I put it…" the tamaraneon wondered, before getting up and wandering to the kitchen.
Raven ignored the boys and felt a surge of gratefulness towards her alien friend before taking a piece of her omelet.
Robin was the first of the guys to nibble his omelet and when he realized it wasn't poisoned nor was it disgusting, he started shoveling it down.
Raven secretly smiled warmly at him and decided upon something. Robin was sweet and always trusted her, he was there to fix anything she had broken and now, it was time she repaid the favor.
She would make him get over Starfire.
Authors Note: Ola! Well here's my first raven/robin ficcy, I've changed slight things from the characters, Raven might be ooc, but meh, if you don't like screw off. (no offense, laughs uneasily while looking around)
Mostly I've changed their appearance, this is what happens when you visit deviant art far too many times and see good fan arts for Teen Titans.
I would also like to note that Starfire is physically how she looks in the comic, minus the humongous boobs, but the hair (curly), stays, except it isn't that long. I've decided I like this fic too much to stop writing it because I don't get enough reviews.
I'll be writing this fic, reviews are appreciated, I would like to hear what you all think and what you like what you don't like, but I'm not going to stop.