(A/N. Okay, here it is. The second chapter of When emotions break free. Originally a one-shot, now a chapter story. Oh, and if anyone's interested I would love someone who likes this particular pairing (Aqua/Rae) for a Beta. I don't have too much of a problem with grammar or spelling but I think I need someone who can tell me whether my chapters make sense or not. Of course, that is what reviewers are for…..)
The next day
Raven was meditating quietly when she heard a loud knock on her door. She sighed inwardly and got up to go and open the door. She wasn't expecting anyone to annoy her today, or any day for that matter. Even though Aqualad had said that he would come everyday, she never expected him to fulfill that promise. It wasn't because she thought that he was untrustworthy or anything, it was just that she couldn't see why anyone would possibly make the effort for her. It was an issue of low self-esteem, but with good reason. She hesitated, her hand hovering near the door. Her visitor must have gotten impatient because in the next second she heard him call her name.
"Raven?" asked Aqualad "Hello?"
Raven's face brightened for a few seconds, he had come! She quickly regained her blank face and opened the door.
"So you are here" remarked Aqualad
"It would appear so" replied Raven
He nodded "So, are you ready?"
She nodded hesitantly, unsure of whether she really wanted to go through with this.
Aqualad noticed and gave her a friendly squeeze "Don't worry" he said cheerfully "This'll all work out fine"
'I hope so' thought Raven apprehensively as she followed the Atlantean down the hall.
5 minutes later
"Where are we going?" she asked, confused
Aqualad turned around and winked at her "You'll see"
Raven sighed and dutifully followed him down another flight of staircases. A few minutes later they arrived at their destination. Aqualad stopped in front of the door and looked back at Raven, a mischievous look on his face. She walked up and stood beside him suspiciously glancing from his face to the dark room. Aqualad refrained from laughing and opened the door beckoning for her to step inside first.
"Ladies first…"
She nodded before cautiously stepping into the room. At first it was dark but when Aqualad stepped in and shut the door it was pitch black. Raven nervously gripped the sides of her cloak; she didn't especially like absolute darkness. It was something about the inability to visually sense what was happening. She had to rely mostly on her hearing, which was better then most considering her demon heritage. After several more minutes of complete silence and darkness Raven began to get annoyed.
"Are you going to turn the light on anytime soon?"
"If you want me to" stated Aqualad simply
"What is the point of all this?" snapped Raven
"Now" said Aqualad calmly "Why are you getting annoyed?"
"Because I'm standing here in a pitch black room with a silent companion who doesn't feel inclined to turn the light on or tell me why we're even here" she said angrily
He nodded (though she couldn't see it) "Now you're getting angry" he stated
She sighed exasperatedly
"One of your problems is that you have a short fuse and a very low tolerance." He continued despite her gasps of protest. "Most of this problem is caused by conflicting emotions but some of it is general intolerance for basic stupidity or lack of knowledge. You don't know why you're standing in this room and you aren't comfortable with that. So you get annoyed and angry at whoever happens to be around you at the time, even if it's only yourself. Now, your tolerance was slightly higher before Slade began messing with your emotions, after you finally lost control and destroyed Slade your emotions didn't go back to normal. The barrier that you had constructed to restrain them was shattered. I think that if you can consciously re-erect that barrier you should be able to regain control over your emotions, in fact, you should generally have more control then you used to have. This barrier will then prevent your emotions from overly influencing your actions but it won't stop your natural intolerance for ignorance and stupidity. In other words, you will have complete control over your emotions at all times but you as a whole will still have a low tolerance level. Luckily, with a small amount of therapy you can generally raise these particular tolerance levels."
"Right" Raven looked suspiciously in is general direction, or at least where his voice was coming from, "How exactly do you know all of this?"
"I, ummm, did a bit of reading" he said sheepishly
"Ahhh" she said "So, what now?"
"Well" he said "Now, we work on building up that barrier"
"Okay" said Raven "In the dark?"
"Nope" he smiled "I'll turn the light on"
She rolled her eyes in his general direction as he reached for the switch. When he flicked she gasped in surprise, the room was populated by pillows. Black, blue and purple pillows graced every corner of the room, stacked up against the walls. The walls themselves were lined with a soft blue material and floor was covered with lavender carpet. Other then the pillows, the room was unoccupied.
Aqualad chuckled at her obvious surprise and walked into the middle of the room motioning for Raven to follow him. She followed, seemingly in a trance. When she reached the middle of the room she stood directly in front of Aqualad.
"What is all this for?" she asked curiously
"It's so that you can safely release your emotions while we create that barrier. There is nothing in this room that you can throw and actually hurt me with so you can focus on creating the barrier without worrying about hurting me. The walls, floor and ceiling are lined with a material that repels most magic so your magic shouldn't be able to leave the room either. The pillows are here for you to chuck when you feel like it and for general comfort." He shrugged "Robin told me that blue, black and purple were your favorite colours."
Raven was overcome with a fierce emotion, not only had he offered to help her with her conflicting emotions but he had gone to great lengths to prepare a comfortable room for her. In her current emotional state she was barely able to keep back the tears of joy that glittered in her eyes. She could not believe that someone would go to such measures for her. Words simply could not express the gratitude she felt towards the man standing before her, nothing she said would be able to convey the emotions that were racing through her. She looked up at him with pure joy and happiness shining on her face, something that she hadn't expressed for years and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, smiling. He heard her whisper a question to herself and sighed. He knew that almost nothing that he could say would ever convince her that she was worth the effort. She would never believe that anyone would willingly put themselves out in order to make her happy. But he would. He loved to see her smile, to see her happy. He treasured all the moments when she laughed or showed any type of positive emotion. He would do almost anything to make her happy; she had so much sadness and grief in her life. He frowned as he thought about how the Titans had treated her lately. Sure, she had snapped at them but they made a point of ignoring her. Sighing, he put those thoughts to the back of his mind as she ended the hug and prepared to help her with her emotional barrier. He motioned for her to stay where she was and walked over to the left-hand corner of the room and fetched to pillows. He dragged them back to the centre of the room and positioned them so that they were facing each other. He then sat down on his cushion; legs crossed and motioned for her to do the same.
2 hours later
After many pillows had frantically soared round the perimeter of the room Raven had finally managed to root the foundations of an emotional barrier. It was hard work and Raven found that she was sweating slightly. She got up stiffly and groaned as her back clinked as she stretched.
"That should be enough for today" said Aqualad cheerfully
"Great" sighed Raven as she made her way to the rooms only exit. Aqualad smiled at her back as she walked out the door and into the elevator. When the elevator reached the chosen floor they both walked out and into the living room where Starfire and Robin were laughing as Cyborg and Beast Boy fought on the game station. The doors made a whooshing sound as they opened and closed behind them and the room fell dead silent as all eyes turned to Raven. Cyborg and Beast Boy dropped their controls and didn't move a muscle when the TV flashed with the message 'game over'. The Titans looked frozen in time; none of them were moving or making any noise. Raven looked sadly over at them and walked into the kitchen. Aqualad gave them a stern, disappointed look and followed her. The Titans released breaths they hadn't realized that they were holding after Raven had left the room. It was then that Beast Boy noticed the TV's message; it read 'GAME OVER, CYBORG WINS'.
"NO" he screeched before Cyborg's hand smashed into his mouth as he frantically tried to prevent Beast Boy's ear-piercing shriek from reaching Raven. It was a failed attempt however. Raven stuck her head around the kitchen door and glared at Beast Boy before retracting it and continuing about her business.
"Man, that was close" breathed Cyborg
The other Titans nodded, all to shocked to speak.
A few hours later
Aqualad was exiting the tower when Robin called him from the hall.
Aqualad gracefully turned around and quizzically glanced at the Titans leader.
"Yes?" he enquired
Robin walked towards him, speaking as he went. "I've noticed the dramatic change in Raven" he began "Even after one session. Yesterday she would have quite literally ripped BB's head off for that shriek."
"She's just not emotionally stable right now" said Aqualad firmly "She isn't a madwoman."
"I know" said Robin, rubbing the back of his neck, "Are you coming every day?"
"Yes" replied Aqualad "Until Raven has complete control over her emotions"
"Ahh" said Robin thoughtfully "Then how about you stay here until you're done?"
"That would be good" Aqualad mused thoughtfully "It would save traveling to and from Titans East"
"So I'll have a guest room set up then?"
"Thanks" Aqualad smiled warmly
"No problem"
"I'll just go back to Titans East and grab a few things" said Aqualad "and warn them that I'm staying here for awhile"
Robin nodded and began to walk off before remembering something else he wanted to say.
"Oh, and tell Bumblebee that if she wants a temporary replacement I'll send Cyborg"
"Okay" Aqualad nodded and set off for the Titans East tower.
