Rise of the Beast
A Teen Titans Fanfic by Quill N. Inque
I do not own Teen Titans.
Chapter 7: Revelations
Raven barely remembered stumbling down the hall to her room. She didn't even realize where she was until the metal door closed behind her with a pneumatic hiss. Raven paid no attention to the noise; her brain was too busy reeling from what she had accidentally overheard while bringing her friend a fresh pair of bandages.
Raven's first and most automatic conclusion was that Beast Boy's more primal side was growing more powerful every day, to the point where Beast Boy had quite literally begun talking to himself. If the Beast could manifest itself to its host like that, then the situation was grave indeed. Raven mentally kicked herself for not realizing this sooner; surely the psychic backlash she had felt when Beast Boy had been carried back to the Tower on a gurney should have tipped her off to his distressed mental state. The creature had begun to squirm and chafe from its box inside Beast Boy's head, and Raven had no doubt that its first taste of freedom had left it lusting for more, the same way a smoker wanted more after his first cigarette. The Beast wanted out, wanted to assume full and permanent control of Beast Boy's body.
And if that happened, then God help them all.
It wasn't that the Beast was evil, per se, Raven reflected. It was more like a force of nature, an utterly primal being that cared little for the petty everyday concerns of humans. Raven sensed that the Beast was ruled by instinct, not conscience, acted by impulse, not thought. If it wanted to kill or mate or mark its territory (ew), then it would, and that was that. Added to this was the undisputable fact that if the Beast did indeed achieve totally mastery of its host, then the Beast Boy she knew would utterly cease to exist. The very thought of life without her smiling friend made Raven's heart wrench.
That, in turn, brought Raven to her second, far more personal conclusion: Beast Boy was in love with her. He had admitted it himself, though Raven was sure that he wouldn't have done so if he'd known she was right outside the door. The thought was flattering, exciting, and utterly terrifying all at the same time, especially to someone as emotionally repressed as Raven.
For as long as she could remember, Raven had always found it necessary to keep a tight rein on her emotions, so as to avoid collateral damage to anything in a ten –foot radius. She had never allowed herself to feel anger or frustration or happiness.
The sad fact was, she had never felt love before.
Affection? Certainly. Friendship? Of course.
But never had Raven known love.
But, now that her demon father had been sent back to Hell, Raven was under no such restrictions. Though she had initially been elated at dear old Dad's demise, Raven had all too soon slipped once again behind her monotonous façade for no other reason than force of habit. Repressing her feelings was the only way Raven knew how to live, and the thought of expressing joy and anger terrified her. She wasn't even sure how to go about doing such things.
But still, despite her fear and apprehension, the prospect of a relationship with Beast Boy was not altogether unappetizing.
Her friend had grown up, plain and simple. Leading the remaining Titans against the Brain had matured him in leaps and bounds, not just emotionally but physically as well. Beast Boy had grown more than three inches so far, and his once-scrawny form was almost completely replaced with muscle that was not unpleasing to the eye.
She may have been Trigon's daughter, but Raven was still human. And, being human, she had begun to notice things about Beast Boy that had escaped her before, like how the fang sticking out of his mouth made him look adorable, or the way his eyes danced when he thought of a new prank.
There was no point in denying it further. Raven had a huge crush on Beast Boy. He sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach, her skin tingled with electricity at his touch, and he sent thoughts and emotions coursing through her that no one else had.
The only problem was going about telling him all this. Raven had absolutely no experience in matters of romantic nature; she didn't even know where to begin, even though her heart had soared for a brief instant when Raven had discovered her feelings were, in fact, mutual. How does one go about these sorts of things? Raven wondered. Maybe Starfire could help. Or should I talk to Beast Boy first? This stuff is so confusing…
She sighed out loud and sank into her favorite chair. What was she to do? Once again, Raven considered asking Starfire for advice, but the point would be moot: Robin had been the one to initiate that particular relationship, so Star would probably be as lost as she was. The Tamaranian princess had been spared the confusion Raven was now experiencing.
She scowled. "Someone should write a guide book for this stuff," Raven grumbled. "Why are these things never clear?"
Then inspiration hit her, and Raven's violet pupils widened. "Maybe I don't know what to do, but my other selves might."
On reaching this conclusion, Raven sat cross-legged on the floor, taking a deep cleansing breath as she began her meditation. The process was as familiar as blinking by now; Raven had long since mastered the ability to go into a trance whenever the situation required it. With an ease borne of years of practice, the young hero felt herself slip into the dark recesses of her mind. The world seemed farther and farther away…
Raven opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by all-too-familiar scenery. Jagged boulders of varying sizes hung in the air around her, and the sky was a swirling, sifting reddish color. Her boots crunched softly on the tiny rocks underfoot, but Raven's footsteps halted as her own voice sounded in her ears.
"Hello again, Raven."
She turned around, and Raven found her path blocked by over a dozen differently colored versions of herself, each with a different countenance or expression on her features. Several she recognized: Knowledge was absorbed in a heavy volume, and didn't even notice when Playful slapped a "Kick Me" sign on the back of her dusty brown cloak.
Raven summoned up her courage. "I've come for advice," she said.
"About Beast Boy?" Playful asked. "Finally! We were all beginning to think you'd NEVER get around to it!"
Another emotion, this one clad in soft lavender, blinked demurely at her. When she spoke, her voice was a silky purr, not unlike a cat's. "Yes, he is a rather fine piece of merchandise, isn't he, girls? Did you see those muscles? Yum!"
"Stop it, Lust!" Knowledge snapped as Raven's face turned crimson. "There is no reason to bring *that* into this discussion!"
"Spoilsport," Lust pouted.
"So you like him," Knowledge continued. "And you came to us, specifically me, for guidance, right? You don't know what to do with these feelings, now that Trigon has been vanquished."
Raven felt suddenly self-conscious. "Yes."
"I hate to tell you this, but you came to the wrong place," Knowledge said. "My expertise is in the scholarly arts, in matters relating to the mind. But this is a query that no amount of analysis and research can solve, Raven. All the books in the world could not definitively describe what you are feeling. This is a matter of the heart, and it is there you will find the answers you seek. Think with your heart, Raven, and not with your brain."
"Yeah!" Playful said. "And while you're at it, stop being so darn logical all the time. Live a little, girl! Sniff the roses, pet a puppy, but no matter what, just try to enjoy yourself!" She shoved Raven roughly-
And the confused hero opened her eyes, finding herself surrounded once more by the familiar Gothic décor of her room.
Raven scowled. "A fat lot of help they were," she grumbled, but further complaining was cut off when Starfire rapped sharply on Raven's door.
The metal surface slid aside only slightly, and Raven's purple eyes met Starfire's green ones.
"What is it?" Raven asked tiredly.
"Forgive the disturbance," Starfire replied. "But Beast Boy wishes to see you."
Raven's heart instantly plummeted, and a nervous film of sweat covered her palms.
Oh, shit.
A/N: Hey, everyone! I know it's a short chapter, but I needed to get this out of the way before I could post the next one. Will the Beast take over our hero's body once more? What does Beast Boy want with Raven? And will she ever tell him how she feels? All this and more in coming chapters!
Your humble servant,
-Quill N. Inque
(P.S. To all those BB/Rae fans out there: Yes, Beast Boy and Raven WILL admit their feelings, but when and where is for me to know and you to find out! XD)