Raven's Story:

The Journey to Young Justice

Nightwing INSISTED that Superboy came home with me since he and Miss Martian were called on another team mission. It was awkward, showing someone that I just met where I lived. And he was supposed to look after me? Like I was some sort of child? If it wasn't Nightwing who said something, I would SO be rejecting this idea. It's not necessary! I am completely back to normal, I've had my mental/emotional meltdown for the year, and I promised him AGAIN that I wouldn't leave unless I told him.

At points, Nightwing is like a little brother...He is highly annoying and he aggravates me like crazy, but I still care about him. And then at other times he acts like an older brother and gets all protective over me. I don't know why he has always been so protective over me, though. Even the one time that I was inside his mind, I had no clues to why he was like that. Maybe it's just a trait that he has, I don't know. And knowing him the way I do, I'll find out when he feels it necessary.

Superboy did his best at small talk on the way back to my apartment building. He was very awkward and since he didn't know me very well, it was hard for him to find something neutral to talk about. I didn't know what to do and so I just let him come up the the conversation ideas since I was no better at it, myself.

"So what brought you to Gotham?" Conner asked me in a flat tone with a hint of real curiosity.

"Um...You know something...? I really have no idea. I just wanted a fresh start and this is where I ended up coming." I responded flatly.

"Fresh start? Why? It's not like you did anything horribly bad."

And then they flashed into my mind. I HAD done something bad. I actually destroyed the entire world, once. The world almost ended because of me. Because the sheer reason of me being born. Then the images came into my head. The destroyed buildings. The innocent people turned to stone and some of them dead. The endless seas of fire. The world with no bright, happy sun. No safety.

As all that was running through my mind time after time, I about completely lost it. I could feel myself going into breakdown mode all over again. I felt my magic flow through my body in waves of anger, screaming to come out. It took everything I had to keep it all down and in check. It was literally painful. I just wanted to scream out to the sky. I wanted it to stop...

"Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" Conner said with concern in his tone.

And then, just like that, it all stopped. All those thoughts, feelings, and images just vanished. As if they were never really there in the first place. I felt cool and calm. It was like the sound of his voice and the true concern that he had just made everything go away. I was HAPPY, all of a sudden. And it felt GOOD.

"No," I mumbled, still a little in a daze about my new found happiness. "No, you didn't say anything."

"No. I know I did," he said with an ashamed look on his face.

"No, Superboy, you're fine." I said, trying to reassure him.

"You can call me, Conner." He said with a slight smile.

"Okay. Conner."

"So where are we going?"

"My apartment building is right near the train station. Which why I have grown to know the daily schedule." I said with a laugh.

"So if I ever need a specific train..." he trailed off.

"I can tell you what day and what time it comes," I finished his thought.

We both couldn't help but laugh at that point. How can two people who have just met get along SO well? It was weird, different. But it was as easy as breathing. Being around Conner was simple. He didn't even care that I didn't give him an explanation for my "almost" outburst that was just a couple of minutes ago. It was like he had already forgotten about it. And it was kind of nice, being around someone who would let the bad things go and try to look at the bright side. Sometimes. Haha.

"So why did you choose to live all the way out here rather than in the actual city?" Conner asked, lightly.

"Obviously it's not for the peace and quiet..." I said with a light tone.

He just laughed and looked at me like I was some sort of amazing thing that he had never seen or heard of before. He kept looking at me like I was the prize and that he had just won. It was strange and all of a sudden, there was a feeling that I couldn't describe...

"So then, why?" He asked, finishing.

"Privacy," I said, simply. "It's not peaceful...but it does help to not have someone coming over to borrow a cup of sugar or beat down your door every day or so. I like being by myself a lot. Probably because it's safer that way. After all...Well, you saw..."

"When you were crying?" He asked, finishing my thought.

"Yeah. My powers are attached to my emotions. If I have a large emotional outburst or anything, my powers go rogue. It gets hard to control them and they do much more damage than what you might think." I said to him with a warning tone.

"Oh...That's different. I've never heard of anything like that before." He said, simply.

"Magic," I said to him.

"I know a few people with magical powers," he said. "I haven't seen that with them."

"Not all magic works that way," I said, explaining. "It seems like me and Witch-Boy...I mean, Klarion...have that in common. When he gets mad, he gets more power that he uses against me."

"Go ahead, call him what you want. I don't care, I think yours describes him better. Besides...It's about time someone bitch-slapped him. Or, at least, in some form. Magic seems to hit him harder, so keep it up."

"You seem kind of violent..." I said. "I can relate."

"I was made that way..." he said in a sad tone.

"Um. I'd ask you to explain," I said, honestly. "But I don't want to pry. That and it's none of my business."

"Well," he said. "I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot of each other now. Cause of both of us being friends with Nightwing and all...So you probably should know the truth."

"Don't tell anything that you don't mind me knowing. That's how I work, anyway."

"Well then I wish more people were like you. A lot of the new members to our team act like they have to know everything...So it's kind of annoying. Then again most of the newer members are young. About 16 or younger. There is a few that are about 17 or 18. All the original members are either 18 and older, moved up to the Justice League, or retired from the hero gig."

"How many of you were there at first?" I said, curious.

"Once an official team was established, there was 5. But then 2 more were added in and then another. And of course there was always the guy that was in and out of the group and going solo...To this day, no one knows if he is really on the team or not..."

"Sounds like a confusing guy...not to mention kind of full of himself." I said in a slightly snarky tone.

"Ha! Basically," Conner replied back.

By the end of this, we had just reached the front of my apartment building. We went up the stairs on the outside of the building and made our way to the third floor, which was completely mine. As we were approaching the door, I realized that I never grabbed my keys when I left, earlier. So when we reached the front I just used my powers to unlock the door, turned the knob, and then walked in with Conner.

I did have the place slightly decorated in my style. Dark, mysterious, and kind of creepy. I also had lots of books and stuff. I also had the things of a typical person living in the modern day world. I had a laptop, which sat upon an old, black gothic-looking desk. I also had a good sized tv, that I hardly ever watched sitting on a black stand across from a black leather couch. I even had a cell phone, even though I hardly ever touched the thing. I just thought it would be nice to have, just in case. I was sitting on the desk next to my laptop on it's charger.

All the walls in the apartment were painted white...and white just wasn't my color. So I had the entire place decorated with all kinds of dark furniture and curtains. I had the really thick, Victorian type curtains in every room. The kind that was made out of really heavy material and it was almost impossible for light to shine through. Depending on which room you were in, the varied in shades of black, dark blue, and slate gray.

Even all the carpet and tile in the apartment was white. I don't what type of person could live like this. If I wasn't okay with starting from scratch, I wouldn't know what to do with the place.

"Sorry that it's so dark in here," I said upon walking in. "It was nothing but pure white when I moved in and I just couldn't take it."

"It's fine," he said, plainly.

I think he was still taking in all the dark and strange decor that I had throughout the entire apartment. My apartment had 2 bathrooms and several bedrooms. Even though I didn't use most of the rooms, I still decorated them to make myself feel a little more comfortable with living there.

"I think I am just going to go in my room and lay down." I said to him. "Feel free to watch tv or whatever, there is cable."

"Okay, cool." He said.

I handed him the remote to the tv and just left him in the living room while he was browsing through the channels. Upon entering my room, I realized how tired and worn out I actually was. But I was also hungry. So I changed into some black jogging pants and a slate gray tank top. I took off my shoes and socks and put my cloak in the black wardrobe in the corner of my room.

I walked out of my room and shut the door then headed straight toward the kitchen. I didn't realize how hungry I actually was until my bare feet hit the cool tile floor. I walked over to the fridge and didn't find anything that I wanted, even though it was full. So I walked over the cupboards and pulled out some pasta and made some spaghetti.

While the pasta noodles were cooking in the water on the stove, I gathered the rest of the ingredients that I would need. As I was placing everything on the counter, I heard footsteps coming in my direction. I looked in the kitchen doorway and saw Conner leaning against one side, just watching me.

"Making spaghetti," I said, stating the obvious. "You want some?"

"Sure," he said, politely.

I smiled at him and went back to the stove to check on the noodles. I heard him start walking closer to me, but I continued to keep my attention on the food and made sure that I didn't burn the place down.

"Can I help?" Conner asked me.

"Do you want too?" I asked back.

"Sure, I'd love too." He said with a smile.

"Okay," I said smiling back at him. "Go ahead and take care of the sauce."

He walked over to the counter and proceeded with the sauce for our pasta. Conner was really nice. And I can't believe how great he is. The more I thought about what a nice guy that Conner was, the more I started to smile. And I guess he noticed. Cause when we sat down at the table to eat he looked at me with a look that I couldn't describe...

"What makes you so smiley?" He asked with a smile of his own.

Then I thought about it. I don't remembered the last time that I smiled this much...I had been smiling almost ever since I met Conner earlier today. Being around him, I just couldn't help it. For some reason, I just felt safe. I felt safe enough to show some real emotion around him. It was like how I was with Nightwing after getting to know him. Except in this case, I didn't really know Conner. I just knew that he was a friend of Nightwing's. Hmm...Maybe that was enough. Nightwing obviously trusts him, so why shouldn't I? But there is just this feeling. This feeling of certainty when talking to Conner. It was so easy to talk to him, I could probably sit up for the next 24 hours and tell him my whole life's story if he would let me. But what was I going to tell him, now?

"Um..." I said, wrinkling my brow. "I'm not really sure."

"Okay," he said, not forcing me for a real answer.

Okay, now I am even better with him. He knows there is something that I am not telling him, you can see it on his face. But he still isn't forcing me to tell him anything. Did Nightwing tell him not to pry? No. I specifically remember him telling Conner to come home with me and just keep an eye on me for a bit. Hmm...

"So how long do you think you will have to play babysitter?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I have no idea, to be honest." He said, truthfully. "But knowing Nightwing, well, I'd start getting used to me if I were you."

I couldn't help but giggle at his comment. He's right. Nightwing worries about everything and has to plan out every detail of everything even though he knows it wont turn out EXACTLY the way that he planned. It still has to be planned. That's just his way.

"Ha! Why do you say that?" I asked, already knowing the answer. Or so I thought...

"He takes the people important to him very seriously. And it's easy to tell that you are very important to him. I guess I should be honored. After all, he is trusting me to look after you."

"You are his friend, that is plain to see. Meaning that you are important to him, too." I said to him.

"I know. But he sees me just about every day. And how long has it been since he has really seen you more than 3 to 5 minutes?"

"Several years..." I said, in a depressing voice.

I didn't realize my tone until I looked up and saw the expression on Conner's face. I couldn't read it. I didn't know what he was thinking. Normally, I could read people pretty well and pretty easily. But this, this was a challenge.

"You sound depressed about that..." He said in a curious tone.

"A little bit, yeah." I admitted. "Let's just say that none of us ended on a good note."

He raised his brow in question. Nightwing obviously hasn't told any of his new friends/teammates that he had an old group. A group that he was leader of for a while.

"We all decided to go our separate ways and that was it. He is the first person I have seen, since."

I just kept hoping and praying that he didn't ask me anything else. I really didn't want to dig any more into the past tonight. I was too tired and too mentally/emotionally drained for a trip down memory lane. And I didn't know how much Nightwing wanted his friends/teammates to know about the past...if he wanted them to know anything at all...