Wow. I can't believe how long it's taken me to get this chapter up, and I apologize for that. Anyway, I've tortured you all long enough, so don't let me keep you.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. Sue me.
A strange sensation spread through Ravens body as she felt consciousness begin to return to her. Every square inch of her being hurt and she longed for the bliss of unconsciousness to envelop her again. She groaned as she slowly opened her amethyst eyes, allowing them to adjust to the dim light. The pain in her side was almost as intense as it had been before she blacked out. She sat up slowly, discovering that she was in a strange bed low to the ground. Where am I? What happened after… Memories from the fight that day flooded her thoughts. What had happened after she blacked out? At present, she was too groggy to care about details.
Moonlight washed in through the only window in the small room, bathing everything in a soft white and causing Ravens smooth, pale skin to glow. Although it was dark, the illuminating moonlight caught at her surroundings, making most of the space visible.
With its thin, paper-like walls and one sliding door that disguised itself as part of the structure, Raven thought it somewhat resembled a Japanese hut.
That's funny…I'm not in Japan…the disoriented titan thought to herself.
The floor was made of finished wood as well as the thin beams supporting the frail-looking structure.
Her injured arm was throbbing, reminding her of the bad burn she had received. She cringed and grabbed her arm, feeling something smooth between it and the palm of her hand. As she glanced downward, squinting in the dim light, she noticed that the injury had been carefully bound with gauze. Baffled, she brushed her fingertips past her side, noticing that it, too, had been treated in the same way.
Delicate crimson blossoms bloomed on the surface of the gauze, indicating that blood had still been flowing from the injuries even after she had been rescued.
Rescued… But by whom? Surely no one lived in the dense forest she had been searching. There had been no civilization for miles. Then again, if no one had lived out here, how could one report a monster sighting as Robin had said?
Since it was a relatively warm night, the empath had not noticed until now that her cloak as well as her shoes had been removed. As she used her hand to feel in the dark for the articles of clothing on the floor by the side of the bed, her fingertips gingerly brushed past something, the soft touch of fabric warmly greeting her fingers.
Is that it? But as she continued, graceful fingers gently twisting through the fabric, she began to realize it that indeed was not.
That's odd…thought the bewildered sorceress. Then it occurred to her that this was someone's house, and apparently someone was still residing there, and thought perhaps not.
As she began to pull her hand away, something reached up and grabbed her wrist, pulling her downward. Using her free hand, she slapped it across her mouth, suppressing a surprised yelp. She was leaning awkwardly over the edge of the bed, being dragged down by the unknown force, her side screaming in protest as the thing kept hold of her wrist. She attempted to squirm out of its grasp, but to no avail.
Her struggles were weak, but they were enough to make the thing slouched at the side of the bed stir. In the dim moonlight, she could only make out the outline of a dark figure. Suddenly, the grip on her wrist weakened. The thing sat upright and yawned, and as it gazed down to see the empaths hand in its own, it let out a cry of surprise and jumped up, releasing her entirely. Raven too let out a yelp, jumping painfully to her feet to defend herself.
Moonlight washed over the dark figure, illuminating its facial features, telling the dark girl that it had been a young man sleeping at her side. He was certainly asian, no doubt about it, with short, jet black hair. He was dressed simply; a sleeveless white tee shirt and tan shorts that fell to his knees, a sash tied around his waist. He took a step backwards so as to avoid anything the empath might dish out.
Raven was poised to defend herself, for that was how she had been trained: to trust no one. She glared at the young man.
Even though the dark girl's intimidating glare bore into him, his face softened as he took a step forward holding up his hands signaling that he was unarmed.
"I wish you no harm. It's alright." His voice was smooth, and carried an accent. He took another step forward.
"How do I know you're not lying?" the empath asked slowly without taking her icy amethyst gaze off the young man, her voice hoarse from sleep. She took half a step back.
The young man chuckled. "What, you cannot just trust a friendly stranger?"
"Believe it or not, no, I can't," she replied coldly.
"Well, maybe you should make an exception just this once."
For reasons unknown to her, she dropped her guard and let him advance until the two were eye to eye.
The empath sized up the stranger for a brief moment before her voice broke the silence.
"…Who are you?"
This was a really short chapter, I know, but now that I'm going back and forth between Raven and the rest of the Titans, they're just going to be a little shorter. And please. Review! I have a oneshot that has almost as many reviews as this one. Kisses!
-MissyE.
