Chapter Three: Departing and Arrivals
The room blew up with the sun's rays and inviting heat. The couple slept in peace both in each other's arms. The purple hair girl turned her back to her boyfriend. The sunlight found its way to her head then to her eyes. Her healthy pale skin lit up and her lavender hair neatly on her cheek. It was perfect morning. Her eyes opened from the dream that she had and saw the sun. Instantly she flinched back in the shadows. The other person moved and brought her close to him. A smile grew slightly on his lips as he dreamed.
Raven sat up gently then slipped off the bed. Damien was sleeping peacefully. I need to move out… She made a mental note. There wasn't enough room for the both of them in her rom. Her room was big but it was not meant for two. She just had enough room to have all her books in book shelves and on the floor and still had enough room to walk. Ever since Damien started to sneak in her room she felt it was time for a changed.
Damien didn't like sneaking in the Titan's Tower and he also didn't like the fact that she was a Titan. That is the one thing that he did not like. He secretly hated the Titans and wants to get rid of them but the one person that stops him is Raven. He didn't know why he felt this way towards her. Damien opened his eyes and saw Raven getting dressed. He would never hurt Raven but that didn't mean he couldn't hurt her friends. Sure he did some robberies here and there but she never knew about them. The reason for that was because he didn't do it in their turf.
Red X wanted to tell his dark beauty that no matter how hard she tried on changing him for good she can't succeed. At times he wished that she could, that way they could be happy. Another obstacle was Robin, the Boy Wonder. The thought of Robin caused a chain reaction, X's hands balled up in fists, his body tighten, and his body became stiff. When Raven turned around he quickly stood up and put on his shirt.
"I didn't think you'd be awake." She whispered. "How did you sleep?"
"I slept better…" He mumbled, "Listen I hope you thought about moving in with me." Raven turned around putting on her cloak. Three weeks ago he asked her to move in with her but she refused because she did not like the idea on being split with her friends after what just happened with her father. "You can still communicate with them you know or better yet with him." He growled.
Raven sighed. Great it's going to be a long, long day. "Can we not fight over this please? You know why I don't want to leave and it's not because of him." She tried to comfort him but he stepped away from her touch. "Give me time Damien please. I've been through so much with them and I can't possibly leave and say that I'm leaving. I don't want to have them think that I…" She stopped herself from finishing her thought.
"Have them think what? That you are going to the 'dark' side. C'mon Rae, what have they been telling you?"
"They have told me nothing Damien. I want to be sure that they are okay with it first." Raven felt her heart being tugged back and forth.
"Bullshit. They've been telling you things haven't they? Robin and those good for nothing friends of yours are trying to separate us" X turned to Raven and grabbed her shoulders. "Why can't you see that?"
"What has gone into you? I've been trying to have a normal life but you and they are making it more difficult that it should be! I'm sorry that I'm close to my friends and I'm sorry that you don't like them and they don't like you. That is something you are going to have to deal with and I can't help you with that." She began to feel her emotions wanting to take control.
"I'm making things difficult? They are the ones with the problem-" He began but Raven interrupted.
"They don't trust you because you were a criminal! It's that simple X can't you see? Because of the life style that you chose they don't trust you. They think that you're going to change me and make me evil like my father almost did. They don't trust you around me and every day I have to fight them to make them see what I see in you. It's hard." She felt the tears blinding her vision. "Sometimes I wonder whether what we have is real. I want to believe that you changed but every time I am close to you there is something blocking me from getting close, I just to be happy for once in my miserable and cursed life." Raven fell on to her bed with tears streaming down her face.
X, Damien, felt the anger explode within him, "I am a criminal! For bloody sakes can't you see that? I've don't things I shouldn't have done and I admit that but I will never lie to you. I love you Raven. I'm just sorry that you don't see what I'm willing to do for you." He took a step towards the window, "You know what? I'm leaving. I can't stand on thinking that you don't trust me." He stepped out the window but before he left he laughed and said, "You are so gullible to think that I'd be willing to leave my crime life? I hate to break it to you hon but I still do crime whether you know it or not. That part of me hasn't changed and will not change. Not for anyone and not even for you." The words tore Raven in pieces.
"What…?" Raven felt just as used when the two face wizard or dragon used her just to get out of the book that Raven was reading years ago. "Get out," She said through her teeth. "I hate you."
"I know you do, well good bye Raven. It was fun while it lasted." X laughed coldly and left. What the hell just happen? Raven buried herself in the covers and cried her soul out. Never again will she let someone get close to her.
Red X stood on top of the tower and heard the soft cries that were from Raven. It tore at his heart but he had to. The little girl would have hurt her if he didn't. At that moment he didn't see the woman standing next to him. "You did well Red X." She said. X turned to her with hatred.
"I will kill you for making me hurt her." He vowed. The woman laughed madly. "I promise you bi-" The woman's hand slapped his face.
"You pathetic fool. You think you were right for my daughter?" She grinned, "My Raven will be with someone who is better than you. You humans are easy to break and look what you made my daughter. With your love and feelings made her think she's human. I'm glad that you were willing to do what I ask without hesitation. Do you hear that? Her cries are filled with sadness that you created." Lilith smiled. "Your service is done Red X."
X turned around. Lilith had her creepy smile. Her fingers snapped. A dark pool slipped from her fingers and touched the ground. "I'm sorry but you can't see my daughter again. Goodbye." Lilith had no emotion in her voice or face. A dark void opened up reveling nothing but strong swirls of darkness. Out of the void came dark demonic hands and it shot over at X. He fought back but the grip was strong. More and more hands shot out of the void and took X into the dark vortex. The cold laugh of Lilith was all that Red X could hear before he was gone with the creatures.
Months Later
The abandon warehouse burned and burned no sign it was going to stop. The titans rushed in and out of it rescuing the trapped workers that were left. Everyone fought their way back outside with the last of the workers. Beast Boy and Cyborg gave each other half fives, Starfire hugged Robin, and Raven hovered in the air with her features hidden. This scene was familiar to the Titans since not long ago they helped with several burning buildings.
Everyone watched Raven carefully ever since she and X had the fight she was never the same Raven. Robin and Starfire began going out over the month, Cyborg and Bumble Bee were going steady, and Beast Boy and Teara finally went to third base.
Everyone went back to the Tower and had a small celebration but Raven locked herself in her room. Few hours later Robin called out Raven through the intercom. Raven walked through the halls. She wanted to be alone. All hell was going to break loose. She specifically said to leave her alone can't they understand that? The doors slid open with her eyes hard as stone. The Titans had an uneasy smile. They huddled around the couch and a single person was sitting on the couch her back facing Raven. "What, what is it?" She demanded.
"Raven," The person stood up. She hand long purple hair like hers. The voice was sweet and innocent. Raven's eyes went wide open. She ran around the couch, she wanted to see the face before she lost control. When Raven locked eyes with the woman in front of her she knew she was not dreaming.
"Arella," Raven hugged her mother tight. "You're really here!" Mother and daughter embraced each other tightly. The atmosphere was clean and the anger that came from Raven melted away. Arella smiled at her child. "Mom what are you doing here?" She asked. "I thought you were…" Raven couldn't bring herself on finishing her sentence. The last time she saw her mother Azarath was destroyed. "How did you survive?"
"Raven, my daughter, there is some things that you must know." Arella's eyes went through the Titans. Raven began ask the Titans that they'd be in her room but the Azarath women shook her head. "They must hear this as well. They need to know the truth as well."
"What is she talking about Raven?" Robin walked forward. He was angry. You have more secrets Raven? He growled. Raven gave him an honest confused look. She didn't know what Arella was talking about or what was going on. Arella felt the tension that the other Titans felt towards their comrade.
"She does not know this. This goes back long ago. Please sit down all of you. I have a story that needs to be told." Arella sat back down. The Titans did what she asked but Raven stood up. What's going on? Raven had a heavy sinking feeling. "Please, sit Raven." The young quiet girl refused. Arella sighed. "First I want to thank you Teen Titans for keeping my Raven safe all these years. I'm sorry to say that when you defeated Trigon has brought another evil."
Raven looked straight at her mother. What was she talking about? The Titan's stared at one other, they all had the same expression. "This goes back before Raven was born. A woman came to Azarath seeking power that no one could give her. The woman was very beautiful but with that beauty she carried evil. No one had seen such a being. Every one fell down to their knees believing she was a goddess from another world. She said that she traveled a long distance and she knew that someone in Azarath had the power she sought." Arella kept her tone emotionless. Raven and the Titans listened to ever detail.
"The women found Trigon when he was young. At that time he had been looking for a wife to plant his seed…" Arella explained without hesitation or thought on how it made Raven feel. "He and this woman had the same ambition to rule everything and everyone. Soon they had a child the woman fearing that the child would kill her at birth she passed down the child to one of the purest person in Azarath. I remember that night as if it was yesterday…"
"I was young barely reaching women hood, as you humans call it, and I was going to be Azarath next Protector. I was alone the day that it happened. My parents were gone to some other planet for whatever reason. I remember walking around my room, it was late, and my mind was going over what was going to happen in a matter of weeks. I was excited that my emotions caused my powers to slip through my skin and cause several things to explode." Arella gave a small laugh as she remembered the day.
"My destiny was coming true. I went to sleep early that day and then it happened. I thought I was dreaming because the woman that appeared from the shadows was very beautiful that I envied her. She smiled down at me and sat next to me. Her hair was black as night, her eyes were soulless and dark, and her skin was pale as snow. Her touch was cold but soft. It was nothing like I have felt before." Arella stared at her hands as she paused for a while.
"Well go on…" Raven imagined the woman in her dream as her mother was telling them the story.
"She told me I was chosen by her to bare something wonderful. At that time I thought I had it all but her words made me wonder what I was missing. She leaned down to me her lips barely touching my forehead. She placed her hand over my stomach and said, 'You have been chosen by me to bare my child. My child would bring joy to your heart and peace to your people.' I thought she was an Angel or some sort of good but it was all a mask. Then I felt my body changing when I accepted her child into me. My body did not feel any different. The excitement caused me to lose conscious. When I woke up she was gone. I thought it was a dream." Arella's voice cracked with emotion.
"Months later I had a baby girl." Small gasps escaped from several of the Titans. All eyes went back and forth on Raven and Arella. "That baby girl was made by two evils. Her prophecy came true. The baby girl did bring peace to the people in Azarath and joy to my life. The monks though feared the child and wanted to know more about my 'dream'. I told them the story and they asked me to bring my child to their temple. When I did I found out the truth."
"What's her name?" Raven spoke. Her body shook with the news that her mother-Arella was giving the Titans.
"That doesn't matter-"
"Arella it matters to me! What is her name?" Raven demanded.
"The woman's name is Lilith." Arella gave up hoping that her daughter would understand. Robin stood up along with Starfire.
"Wait, wait, you're saying that Raven is not your daughter?" Robin's words made Raven wince with pain. He did not consider what effects that it would have given Raven. When Arella did not answer Raven stormed out. Arella and the other Titans went after Raven.
She lied to me. All my life is a lie! She cried in her mind. She heard her name being called out but she did not bother on listening. She pushed the door to the roof open. The sun was setting over the horizon. Her short purple hair danced in with the wind. "You lied to me!" Raven shouted, turning to Arella. "You said I was yours! You said that I was your daughter and Trigon!" Arella's eyes filled with tears. "How can you lie to me?"
"I had to tell you the truth. Lilith has come back for her child. She has come back for you! I would rather have me telling you than have that bitch Lilith telling you." Arella stepped closer to her daughter. "The truth is what matters my daughter. She gave me you and you were the best thing that happened in my life. She gave me you."
"But I'm not yours, I'm hers. I'm not your daughter and you didn't tell me!" Raven joined in with tears. "I thought that I had nothing to fear once the Titans and I took down my father but now I don't know what to think." Raven forced herself to stand her ground when Arella came closer.
"We can protect you Raven. Come back to Azarath. We can hide you from Lilith." Arella begged but Raven shook her head.
"No… I'm not going back there." Raven glared at everyone, "You can't hide me from her! You can't save me from her." Raven's purple eyes began to change to black. Trigon's marks appeared on her body and dark blue markings that weren't there before. "You lied to me!" She cried out.
"Raven… Has Lilith come into contact with you?" Arella asked. The Titans were prepared if anything happened. Raven went mad. She laughed but it was not Raven's laugh. It was someone else.
"Ah Arella, did you think that I'd let you take my daughter away?" Raven's voice changed. Robin remembered that voice. The Raven that stood before them was not the Raven they knew. "My, my, Arella you were too late. My sweet Raven has had contact with me. She is mine, not yours." Lilith spoke. "And now I will take my child and I will give her everything that is rightfully hers. She was meant for destruction. Trigon and I only created her out of our ambition to rule everyone. When my daughter awakes on the night of the blue moon she will summon Trigon and as a happy family we will rule this pathetic place and every other planet and every dimension known to man and beings." Raven's body fell to the ground but Lilith stood in front of all of them.
Arella stood up straight her body changed with anger. "She's my child." The Azarath woman shouted. Her white cloak swayed by her power. The Titans jumped behind Arella taking out their weapons or in some cases got their bodies ready to fight. Lilith laughed sinfully with the haunting smile that she was well known for.
"Titans attack!" Robin shouted and like a flash of lighting all Titans charged towards the single woman. Arella kept her distance. Lilith raised her hand and summoned her demons to her aid. Instead of an individual puddles, a wave of darkness burst through the floor and surrounded the teens. The ones who were able to fly dodged it. Starfire shot her bright lime green energy orbs at Lilith while Bumble Bee shot her thunderbolts. The Fallen Angel smirked. The attack caused a cloud of smoke which covered the whole room.
Robin and the others fought off the dark demonic creatures from the dome that Lilith created. Every time one would cut the creature in half, they would regenerate, and attack again. For several moments Cyborg and Robin were thinking that they wouldn't make it.
Starfire and Bee looked over head and saw that Lilith held a body. The body was from a man. They didn't know who he was. Starfire and Bumble Bee had a sinking feeling when the body fell to the ground without a wince or a groan. Did they kill him? Lilith giggled and picked up Raven. "My, look what you have done. You killed Raven's human… You just made it easier for me. Thank you Teen Titans." Lilith cradled Raven like a child. "We will see you very soon." She waved her hand and the dome that held the others disappeared. "I'll come back for you soon my boy." She pointed at Robin.
The exhausted Titans watched their new enemy melt away in a pool of darkness with their friend. Robin ran towards the dark hole. Starfire shouted at him to stop. "Sorry Starfire I can't let her take Raven!" Before the Tamaranean could stop him Robin had gone through the hole.
Everyone was speechless. Arella had her hand over her heart what was she going to do? Lilith had Raven, her daughter. Cyborg went where the black pool was at. His hands gently went over the area. "I'm sorry. I thought I would have enough time to save her…" Arella stood still dumbstruck.
"You have a few questions to answer Arella…" Cyborg said. His attention shifted the unmoving body of the man. "Starfire take him to the infirmary and fast. Beast Boy, you go with her. Arella start explaining. I want to know who we are dealing with and how did you survive." The half man and machine stood in front of the pale woman who was still in shock. "Arella!" The anger in his voice caused the woman to stir.
"I will tell you all that you need to know…"
I'm so sorry to everyone for being late. I had loads of stuff to do. . Once again I'm sorry!