Raven covered her head from the debris falling around her. Her father stood where the west wall once stood. Now, it was shattered, and Trigon towered, powerful and strong in his own dimension, looking down at his daughter.
She met his gaze evenly and then glanced back at the bowl. She rushed to it, picked it up, and smashed it into the floor. It bust into a million tiny pieces. 'Now they can't come back,' she thought as she turned back to her father.
He was laughing. A low, loud, menacing chuckle that shook the castle again. She struggled to keep her footing, but did not allow herself to fall.
"So," Trigon's voice burst through the air like a fog horn, loud and dominating, "Daddy's little girl has finally returned home, where she belongs."
The title of "daddy's little girl" infuriated Raven and she wished, for a split second, she had her full powers so that she could attack him. She took a deep breath to calm herself and continued to watch him.
He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. "So, you did give your powers away to that fool of a creature. Why, my dear?"
The pet name did not sound at all pleasant. More like an insult. She glared at him. "So that I would not be able to serve you."
"Ah, but you have a little left in you. I can feel it. And now, you will be mine."
"I will try, for as long as I can, to fight your control over me," she said.
He smiled wickedly. "I expected as much. Do what you will. We have plenty of time."
He laid his hand down, palm up, and she reluctantly climbed onto it, submissively. Though Raven hated her father, she knew she would always feel docile around him. He was her father, and she was his daughter. Besides, he was much more powerful than her now.
Trigon lifted his hand so that Raven was even with his face. "Once you have turned, we will find that little squeal, retrieve your powers, and you will stand by my side and help me conquer the world you so foolishly stopped me from taking long ago. Won't you now? You always were Daddy's little girl."
Raven hung her head, knowing that all he said was true. She accepted her fate. She only hoped she could get some kind of message to her friends before she turned. But, how could she send the message?
"Your siblings will be happy to see their sister has returned," Trigon said, interrupting her thoughts.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Somehow, I doubt that."
He chuckled evilly and lowered his arm again. She stepped off and her father turned and began to walk away.
"You will sit with me once every day," he said without turning around, "and we will talk."
Raven did not respond. She stared at her reflection in the marble floor and could almost see the evil wrapping around her.
"And Raven."
She looked up at Trigon, who had stopped and looked back at her over his shoulder. "Do not think you have any hope of fighting for long. I will be patient with you for a short time, but not for long. You will be mine."
Raven looked at the floor again. "Yes…Father."
He exited, leaving the girl shaking. Tears started to fill her eyes. Instinct made her hold them back at first, try to suppress the feelings, but then, she remembered that she did not contain her powers anymore. For the first time in her life, Raven let herself cry hard. She fell to her knees from the weight of each tear. It was exhausting, crying so hard. 'How do regular people do this so often?' she wondered. Even with her hands covering her face, she knew the moment her siblings entered the room.
Raven was the fourth and youngest half-demonic child of Trigon.
Bear was the oldest. He was large, taller and broader and stronger than Cyborg, Every inch of him was muscle. He had short, sheer black hair that stuck out everywhere, much like Robin's. His eyes were red, and his manner was strict. He was loyal to Trigon, and considered serving him a duty. And when it came to a fight, there was no one more sharp or tuned to his surroundings.
Vixen was next in line. She had long, straight, light orange hair, and orange eyes. She was tall, more than a few inches taller than Raven. Her behavior was haughty, superior, sultry, and slightly indignant when annoyed, which happened easily. She loved her father very much, and considered it an honor to be loyal to him. He was the only person she loved more than herself. She enjoyed the evil Trigon sent them to do. She was cunning and clever, and loved to outwit anyone who tried to oppose her.
Cobra came third. His hair was a dark navy color. It was shaggy and reached halfway down his neck. The color contrasted with the bright green of his eyes. He was the same height as Vixen, but he had a slight uninterested slouch in his posture that gave her a taller appearance. He was indifferent to everything. He served Trigon because he lived in his dimension. Cobra was the deceiving kind. He looked small and of little strength, but when he would strike, there was almost no one more deadly.
Raven stifled her tears, uncovered her face, and watched her three older siblings warily. All three had her ivory skin, and they all had the same nose. They all looked very much alike. Anyone could tell they were family.
Bear was standing in the front, erect and stiff as always, peering down at her with a disapproving glance. Vixen was standing to his left, hand on hip, and glaring at her. Cobra was on Bear's other side, farther back than the others, in his usual slouched stance, hands in his pockets. His look was not mean, more of an "I told you so" kind of look.
Raven felt their emotions hit her like a steamroller. She had not been around them in so long; she had forgotten what it felt like. Besides her meeting with Cobra a few nights past, she had not seen her siblings since they were children.
Bear's emotions reflected his disapproving demeanor. He felt this whole scene of crying was a disgrace. It showed weakness. It showed limitation. It was nothing like a proud child of Trigon should behave.
Vixen's hatred nearly burned her. Of course, it was nothing new to Raven. Vixen had always hated her. Raven was Trigon's favorite, and they all knew it. Vixen was jealous. She had always been loyal to her father, yet he called Raven "daddy's little girl". She hated Raven more than anything else.
Cobra did feel he had told Raven so, and he was not trying at all to hide it. Other emotions lingered as well. Abandonment. Neglect. Caution. These emotions from him hurt worse than those from her other siblings. She wanted so much to speak with him alone…
A cruel smile played on Vixen's devil red lips as she strode forward, hips swaying from side to side. "Why now," she said smoothly, "our Rae-Rae wouldn't be crying, would she?"
Raven glared up at her. Again, she wished she had her full powers. She could easily knock Vixen off of her high horse. The only reason she dared approach her in such a manner was because she knew her powers were gone. Yes, they could all feel it, or rather, feel the lack thereof.
The older girl knelt down next to her younger sister. "Oh dear, oh dear," she said, pretending to pout.
Bear took another step forward, frowning. "What have you done?" he demanded.
Raven looked at him, then at Cobra, who was giving her a side glance. "I gave up my powers."
"Willingly?" her oldest brother asked, as if the idea was inconceivable.
"Yes," she answered, turning her gaze back to him. "I do not wish to be a part of this…" She trailed off, unable to find a suitable word for the evil Trigon pursued.
Vixen rolled her eyes, standing again. "Why father keeps you around, I'll never know."
"Because I'm his little girl," Raven answered, knowing her response would infuriate her big sister.
It did. Vixen turned toward her, eyes glowing red, and a black orb of energy formed around Raven's throat, lifting her to the air. She struggled for breath and tried to fight her way out as Vixen approached her.
"You useless, stupid girl," she growled, growing closer and closer, lifting off from the ground so that she could hover only a few inches from Raven. "You can't be the favorite if you're dead."
"You…wouldn't," Raven gasped. "If I…had my…powers…you…"
"But," Vixen responded, smirking, "you don't."
Raven felt the last bit of air escaping her lungs when suddenly a large ball of black energy smashed Vixen into the ground. The younger girl was released, and fell to the floor, choking and gasping for air.
"Vixen," Cobra was saying, one hand taken out of his pocket long enough to stop her, "this isn't exactly the ideal family reunion."
"You idiot," she grunted, regaining her footing. She raised her arm to strike. "How dare you-"
"Enough!" Bear roared. He stepped between Cobra and Vixen, glaring back and forth at both of them. Then, he looked at Raven. "When you have turned, I will personally track down your powers, and after you have regained them, you will take your place on the right side of our father."
"Bear!" Vixen cried. "The right side is your place!"
"And I," he continued, "will step down to the left."
"But the left is my place!" she yelled.
Bear stepped toward her, towering over her. "You will step down."
Vixen's hands tightened into fists. Around her, black energy was forming. She tried to contain her emotions, but the orb kept growing, bigger and bigger. "She does not deserve to stand on the right side of father! She does not deserve to even be considered a child of Trigon!"
"It is not your place to decide what fate Raven deserves," Bear answered, holding her gaze for a moment. Then he turned back to Raven. "She has acted foolishly, and it is true, she has proven so far to be a disgrace."
"You sure know how to give a speech, don't you?" Cobra remarked.
"But," Bear continued, "she is home again. And once she has turned, she will see how foolish she has been."
Raven stared back at her older brother, feeling the small bit of love he had for her ebbing out.
Vixen gave a short cry of frustration, stomping her foot. The energy that had been forming around her smashed through the floor and about fifteen feet into the ground. She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.
Bear gave Raven a last glance, a curt nod, and then walked out as well.
Raven stared at the ground, unable to sort out her thoughts. For once, she didn't try to clear her mind. She had nothing to worry about now. For once, she could just let herself feel confused and conflicted. Somehow, it all felt…nice.
"Well," Cobra said, leaning back against the fountain, his hands still in his pockets, "I hate to say I told you so, but…"
"You hate to say it?" Raven asked without looking up.
"You're right; I don't hate to say it. In fact, I quite enjoy it."
"I'm happy for you," she replied, sarcastically.
They were silent for a minute, and then Cobra huffed. "Come on," he sighed. He held out a hand to help her up. She looked at it and then up at his face. He wasn't smiling, but he had no negative emotions, besides the one he always had: abandonment. She accepted it and stood shakily.
"I feel so weak," she commented.
"Yeah, I know," he answered shortly. He began walking, back toward the corridor, and Raven followed.
They traveled down the corridor and to the black tapestry that guarded the small door that lead to their room.
Their room.
Did he still consider it their room?
He opened it and left it open as he trudged inside, making no attempt to keep her out, so she walked in as well and shut the door behind her. Cobra threw himself flat on his back onto the soft, black couch, placing his hands behind his head.
"Whoever you sent," he started, closing his eyes, "to deliver that letter tried to sit on our couch. He found out the hard way that this is our room and our room alone, I guess." He was referring to the enchantment they had placed on the couch long ago. Anyone besides the two of them who tried to sit down was greeted with hard rock instead of soft fabric.
There it had been again, though. Our couch. Our room. Raven sat next to his head and looked down at him. His emotions had changed, and a slight smile was touching his lips. She could no longer feel the lonesomeness or abandonment. It had been filled. She suddenly had a flash of a memory of the two of them as children, in these exact positions. Cobra talking and Raven laughing, causing the couch to rise into the air from her unbridled emotions. It was ok for that kind of thing to happen here. Here, they were safe.
Raven smiled as she watched his peaceful face. Nothing had actually changed. He had been wary at first, but now he was fine. He wanted to act as if she had never left.
Cobra opened one eye and gazed at her. "You don't want to pretend like you never left?"
She almost laughed. It was a bit refreshing being around someone who knew exactly how she felt without having to tell them. She shook her head solemnly. "I will always regret the way I made you feel," she began, "but-"
"You're getting too emotional for me," he cut in, closing his eye again. Whatever trace of a smile he had worn was gone.
"But for once in my life, I can be emotional," she said. "I want to feel what other people feel. I want to feel what my friends feel."
Cobra sat up, keeping his back towards her. The abandonment had returned.
"Cobra…I never meant to hurt you."
"Hurt?" he asked, laughing and turning to face her. "Who said anything about being hurt?"
Raven gave him a look. They both knew she could feel it.
He frowned. "Why do you want to talk about it? Why can't we just pretend like you never left?"
"Because," she said firmly. "I am going to try my hardest to subdue father's piece of me as long as I can."
"What?" he demanded. "That's-"
"I don't care. I left because I decided if I was going to have to do something as evil as destroy a world, then I wanted to try my hardest to make up for it. I wanted to help people. I wanted to be good." She was breathing hard as she talked. Half of the emotions rising within her, she had never been aware that she felt. Only now was she realizing all of her reasons for all of her past decisions. "I asked you to come with me, and you said no. I didn't abandon you, Cobra. I hate that I left you here. I hate myself for letting you stay…but it wasn't my decision…it was yours."
Cobra turned away from her. "It was not my decision. I am a son of Trigon-"
Raven groaned, rolling her eyes. "Stop making excuses! You know as well as I do that doesn't matter to you!"
He didn't respond.
So, she spoke again. "You just don't care."
"You're right," he said, smiling. "I don't." He lay back again, this time resting his head in her lap. "So, stop worrying about it. You're back now. And you're going to stay back. So, there's nothing wrong anymore."
And just like that the lonesomeness was gone once again. Raven rolled her eyes and sighed, but then smiled down at him. His eyes were closed again.
"Yes," she said. "I guess I am going to stay here."
They sat for a while in silence, enjoying each other's presence, and the feeling of each other's emotions once again.
"You miss your friends," he commented at one point.
She looked away. "I do."
"Is that why you insist on trying to hold out as long as you can from turning? From loyalty to those goody-goody friends of yours?"
"I insist on trying to stay true to myself, and nothing more."
"But why?" he asked, sitting up and turning to her again. "You know in the end you're going to turn. Why put yourself through this torture?"
"Because that evil is not me," she answered. "My 'goody-goody' friends showed me that I am good. Before them, I was convinced that I was just a slave for father. That I was evil. That I was no good. They took me in and showed me that I am much more that just Trigon's daughter. I am me."
"The only thing you're going to get out of this is father's anger at your persistence and Vixen's satisfaction at your pain. You may enjoy making father angry, but I know you don't want to make Vixen happy."
"I'm not doing this for anyone but myself. Father's anger is a bonus."
"He's not exactly fun when he's angry, you know."
"He won't kill me."
"He'll get pretty close."
She shrugged. "Let him try his worst. It will only provide me with more opportunities to prove to myself that I am good."
Cobra sighed, shaking his head. "Whatever," he replied, lying back again. "Be prepared to hear 'I told you so' repeated many times in the near future."
Raven smiled.
*So, I hope everyone enjoyed my little additions to Raven's family. I thought of the characters awhile ago, and couldn't let them go, because I like them all so much. Please comment on them, because I would really like to know what other people think of them. If you guys like them, I will do more with them, if not, I'll drop them pretty soon. I like them, of course, because I made them up!lol Anyway, chapter 9 will be coming shortly!
