Hi guys. Here it is, the Sequel to Raven's Return. I have a lot plans for how this story is going. Honestly I had no direction in this first chapter and this is mostly a draft but I have no passion or desire to change it. This chapter had been on my computer since last year and I hadn't touched it until now. I hope I didn't offend anyone. That was not my intention, well it might have been but just keep reading. Please stick with me as this story will start out slow.
+Epilogue+
"No, please!" The man begged shortly before a clawed hand collided with his temple.
Blood, bits of bone and brain matter splattered the walls and floor. The man as his head landed on the floor in a bloody heap, his body twitching. He was dead before he hit the ground.
"Fuckin' useless ass prick" the murderer groaned.
"Quit whining" another man yawned. "We could have used him."
"What? These lousy demon hunters are like bugs. Besides, he didn't look like he knew shit."
"Never mind that" a third man said. "Have we found Pride yet?"
"Not yet."
"Look faster, we're stronger with Pride and I'm getting impatient" said the first man.
"Yeah, yeah" the second man waved his hand.
"Time to cause some trouble" said one as he stretched and followed both men out the door into the night.
A pair of green eyes snapped open and a green man sat up from his bed. He rubbed his face as the dream faded from his memory. He could remember bits and pieces, but not the whole dream. The man felt that it was an important one and he hated that he was forgetting it.
'Oh well…'
He looked over to his window to the shore below before heading to his closet and changed. After that he headed down towards the shoreline.
The sound of waves lapped at a rocky shore. The air smelled and tasted salty. The day was nice and clear which gave a clear view of the city.
A young woman stood by the shoreline and admired the beautiful day. Her long dark hair cascaded down to her waist. She tucked some of it behind her ear and her black cloak matched the obsidian rocks beneath her feet. Had it not been for her pale skin, she might have blended in with the environment.
Amethyst eyes stared down at an embossed plaque with gold lettering. She reached down and touched the smooth cold plaque, marveling at the detail. It was gray marble adorned with little ravens in the bottom right corner. The plaque said:
"Raven
The hero from another world that saved our world
A true friend and a Teen Titan
She will be dearly missed by her friends
Forever in Our Hearts"
Raven felt a small smile cross her face. Without a doubt, it was their fearless leader that decided the wording. It was straight and to the point, very much like their leader. She rose up, looking shamefully at her feet.
'Had I really been that heartless?'
"Hey!"
The woman in question looked at the voice's owner. His green skin, eyes, and hair looked completely foreign in this rocky environment. He wore a red and white fitted long-sleeve shirt and matching red pants with a white stripe along the legs. He wore black boots too. To say that he stuck out like a sore thumb was an understatement.
"Checking out your memorial again?"
She simply nodded and looked back at he landmark. It shocked her when she first found the memorial; it was a reminder of how much she had hurt the people that she considered friends. Seeing her own tombstone floored her, so she still didn't know how to feel with it around.
"Should we remove it?" Raven asked.
"Yeah, it is a little weird having that around now that you're actually here. We can put in away somewhere."
"Why? Saving it for later?" Raven smirked.
"If you wanna think of it that way" Beast Boy said, not caring for the dark humor.
He motioned over them to head back inside their T-shaped tower.
"Besides, you need to finish moving in."
"Move in with what? I didn't exactly bring a whole lot" she said as she caught up with him.
"Point taken. You might need some new clothes though. I don't think you'll want to be wearing that all the time."
Raven made a small groan. She disliked shopping but he was right; her dress and cloak was the only thing she wore. Some casual clothes wouldn't hurt and it would give her time to bond with Starfire.
"What? Are you saying you want to come?" Raven said jokingly.
"Pass" he chuckled.
They walked in silence, enjoying the clear day. Unfortunately, the path was uneven and Raven tripped over a rock. The green man caught her arm and stopped her.
"Oh shit! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, thanks."
The enchantress straightened up and followed her teammate.
"So, you decide on a name, yet?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah I guess. I was thinking on Changeling."
"Why Changeling?"
"Well, I was called that because a couple months ago before you came back again. I went to visit the Doom Patrol and we ended up getting a distress call. Guy was called Arsenal and he kept mocking the name 'Beast Boy', and ruined it...So I thought that I should change it..."
Beast Boy, or rather Changeling, looked to the side, annoyed at the memory.
Raven kept on her gaze on her green comrade for a second before turning her gaze back at the T-shaped tower.
"I see."
"Or maybe I should call myself Beast Man?" He grinned proudly as he struck a pose.
The Stoic unamusedly looked at him, pressed the button and opened the door to the tower. The two entered the tower in a comfortable silence down a hall until they reached the elevator.
"Should I start calling you Changeling then?"
"I'd like it if you did."
"Alright then."
Raven pressed the button for the elevator and they waited for it to descend. Changeling looked over at his teammate. She wouldn't admit but he knew that she felt bad. Things were changing so fast for her and she barely had a chance to transition back into their lives. It had only been a couple of months since Raven had moved back in and even though she was very slowly opening up to them, she felt as though she no longer had a place in their lives. She was sure they had moved on after they thought she died after her first battle with Trigon.
The empath would have left with little explanation but thankfully, the group had managed to change her mind and made her stay.
Changeling didn't know where she went after defeating Trigon the second time and gone for 10 months, but it must have been extremely important if she had to leave immediately after their battle.
So it should not have surprised her that things were changing. Robin finally ditched his Boy Wonder status and found his own identity as the hero, Nightwing. Of course, this didn't just happen over night or the last 10 months. He had been thinking of going solo for years. Cyborg made a few changes himself; the 6'6 Titan added a few new features and finally a solar-powered jet pack, so the damn man could finally have some semblance of flight.
Starfire stayed relatively the same in personality and she hadn't changed in the much when Raven went missing but that was to be expected.
It was nice for her to try to get acquainted with them again.
She made no attempt 10 months ago as she had no desire, but the fact that she was making a conscious effort to be an active part of her teammate's lives was progressive, for someone like her.
He must have been looking at her for a while because he caught the Azarathian's gaze upon him and her brows knit.
"What?"
"Oh uh...nothin."
They heard the familiar DING!
Before Raven stepped onto the platform, Changeling spoke up.
"Hey Rae, if you uh...ever wanna talk about something that's bothering you...um, you can talk to us about it, y'know?"
Raven looked over her shoulder back at the green man, slightly surprised. She allowed herself to let out a small grateful smile.
"I...Thank you, Garfield. I will."
"Now, c'mon let's go!" he said dragging her by the hand into the elevator.
The two Titans drifted up towards the top floor.
"What time is it?"
Changeling checked his communicator, which had gotten an upgrade thanks to Cyborg. It looked more like a pocket-watch; small and round with a gold-polished top and an black embossed T on the center. When you opened it up, it was sleek and completely black but shiny and reflective like a mirror. The green man touched his thumb to the surface and it read 10:53 in green.
They exited the elevator and made their way down the hallway.
"10:53. Why? You got a date?" He joked.
Raven was unfazed at his little quip.
"No, I merely wanted to know because-"
"Good morning Friends!" Starfire said cheerily.
"Mornin' Star."
"Good morning, Starfire."
"Raven, shall we go to the mall?"
The enchantress tried her best not to frown; it was not that she did not want to hang out with Starfire or get acquainted. Raven, being the introvert, wanted to avoid going out and people were exhausting. Not only that, but many of the citizens of Jump City would probably still held grudges against the heroes. However, the Tameranian's cheerful face swayed the demoness and she sighed.
"Alright, let's go. I can't keep borrowing your clothes. I'll be in the common room until you're ready."
Starfire chirped happily and flew off to her room to collect her purse while the two entered the common room.
The view from the city filled the large glass windows and the warm sunlight filtered inside. The large television monitor was retracted into the wall that gave the room a spacious feel. Blue, green orange and yellow lights dimly flashed on the wall panels. The large red circular couch facing the windows.
Cyborg was seated at the table, tinkering on a drone. A few wrenches, screwdrivers and screws littered across the table. He was focused on the thing.
"Morning guys" the cybernetic man said.
"Morning tin can."
"Morning Cyborg. What is that?"
"Drone. I'm trying to see how I can upgrade it, maybe have it shoot lasers and maybe ice blasts or even have a net launcher!" The African tech nerd smirked.
"Calm down there, Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg."
"Who?"
"It's a dude from a movie."
"It'll be really useful, just you wait, BB."
"I told you, it's Changeling!"
"Funny! You're still Salad-head to me!"
"Cram it, tin man!" the therianthropist mock-growled.
Raven watched unamused at the two males and pulled off her black cloak before neatly folding the black material.
The doors whooshed open, revealing the red-headed alien. She flew over to her friend with a smile.
"Let's go!"
Raven simply nodded, raised her arms and purple energy surrounded them before they disappeared.
The two heroes appeared in the mall parking lot and Raven looked at herself from a car's reflection.
She didn't look that bad; her hair that she cut which had been little past shoulder length several months ago had grown past her waist, so it looked like she had never gotten one in the first place. Her pale skin contrasting against her dark hair and purple eyes made her look ethereal. Her cobalt blue slit dress complemented her skin. Although she was on the leaner side, years of physical training and countless missions made her fit.
The empath had been raised among pacifist monks so she preferred not to wear anything too revealing. Of course, some of her perspective had changed after meeting a tribe of people.
Raven had never thought of herself as beautiful. The people in Azarath would give her shunning looks or avert their gaze and would not comment on her appearance, however Raven could feel their contempt and disgust.
Even if Raven did have admirers, she most certainly didn't know about any of them. The only one that told her she was beautiful was a lying 500-year-old dragon trying to escape a book. The enchantress looked over at her friend. She remembered how the alien princess had admirers. Raven felt no jealousy of her friend's beauty, but simply had low self-esteem. The enchantress simply pushed that feeling aside and followed her friend.
They stopped at a shop, Starfire eyeing several pieces of clothing that would match Raven's personality and style. She even asked a worker for her opinion, Raven tried her best not to seem embarrassed.
Some of the other shoppers stopped to look at the two heroines, muttering. Most were excited while some were indifferent and others were not happy. While Starfire seemed to be having a fun time, Raven was beginning to get rather self-conscious.
Raven simply chose a few simple V-neck shirts in dark blue, purple, and stripes and a few pairs of black skinny jeans.
"Can we go now?" Raven asked, trying not to look at some of the people.
"Of course! The next store then!"
Raven made an internal groan. The two women paid the cashier before heading out to another store, avoiding some fans when Starfire stopped by a store eyeing an outfit.
"Oh! How about that one?"
"The white one? I don't know…"
"Oh, come now. I-"
Their thoughts were interrupted when they heard two men arguing. They couldn't quite make out what the men were saying so they decided to approach them.
"What's your fucking problem?!"
"You damn libratards think those monsters stand for you! HAH!"
"Go back to the south and fuck your cousin, you redneck!"
The two heroines rounded a corner as a crowd of people watched. Some telling the men to stop, while others were siding with the men.
"Fucking nigg-" was all the man said before he got a punch to the jaw.
The crowd backed up allowing the two women to watch the men scrap.
"Hey! Stop!"
Raven encircled both men in a black bubble and separated them. Both men shouted at each other as well as Raven. Meanwhile, Starfire tried to calm the crowd. Not too far from the crowd, a man watched coldly at the two Titans.
End Chapter.