Here it is, the final chapter of The Power Of The Sea ... Okay, I lied - I'll make an epilogue sort of chapter, but this is the main end of action. Thanks to all those who stuck with me; please continue to review! And I am considering a sequel, but it would take a while.
Disclaimer - I still don't own Teen Titans, or this would be the movie, not the horrible Trouble In Tokyo.
The Power Of The Sea -
The Power Of The Sea
"Raven!" Aqualad yelled, leaping towards the area where the mouth of the cave had formerly been. Desperately, he struggled to move the rocks, straining and heaving them aside. Trident, however, was not going to be ignored.
"You'll never reach her in time," he taunted, grabbing the Titan by the shoulder, "She's not of our race; she'll drown. Some hero you turned out to be."
Rage oozed through every pore of Aqualad's body. Swiftly, he rammed his elbow into his enemy's abdomen, then kicked out his legs with a sweeping motion. Trident, not expecting such a response, landed on the cave floor with a mighty thud. Before he could as much as sneer, Aqualad had the pointed half of the broken weapon pointed at his throat.
"Tell me," the young hero hissed, "Is there another exit to the cave?"
"No," Trident glared, "That was the only exit, and thanks to you and your friend, it's gone."
Aqualad glared to match him.
"Then it looks like we're going to have to dig ourselves out, and yes, you're going to be helping."
--
The coldness of the water made Raven gasp instinctively, a move she instantly regretted as the water forced its way into her mouth.
I'm going to die, she thought, panicky, The sea - It will steal the air from your body, engulf your senses – no, it has to be wrong!
The girl spun around, trying to get some semblance of where she was. She couldn't see the skies, though it wasn't black, so she knew there had to be the surface somewhere.
Up, her increasingly dizzy mind demanded, Go up!
Her legs gave a few weak kicks, but her mind was still invaded by the prophecy.
Still your resistance; The power of the sea will –
"NO!"
The word escaped like a bubble from her mouth, letting more water in. However, Raven didn't scream again. Instead, she focused her little remaining energy on one thing – Aqualad.
I – I can get him out, she thought stubbornly, ignoring the black spots that were overtaking her vision, With my powers, I can move the rocks from the entrance. Maybe – maybe it's not too late for him. For me.
Power flickered to her hands, and, forcing her eyes to stay open, she shot at the direction of the cave. The effort, however, was more than her body could take, and she slipped into unconsciousness, barely hearing the words echoing in her ears –
The power of the sea will consume you.
--
A thundering crack ripped apart the cave, sending both Aqualad and Trident flying. The villain hit the wall with a nasty crack, sliding limp to the ground. The Titan, however, managed to avoid a major collision, landing nimbly on his feet.
"What was – Raven!" Aqualad quickly realized, knowing she could have easily caused the blast that opened the cave and would soon turn it into an underwater grotto, "I have to find her!"
Recklessly, he dove through the new opening, looking for any trace of the girl. With every moment that passed, the boy became more afraid.
"RAVEN!" he called telepathically, receiving no response. But then, a faint wisp of violet caught his eye. Trying to hold back his dread, he raced toward it. It was Raven, eyes closed, looking faintly blue.
"No," he moaned, taking her in a rescue hold and going full speed to the surface. Every instant that passed he knew would lower her chances. But she couldn't die, she just couldn't!
As they broke the surface, Aqualad could feel the pulse of the rain and the thunder almost shaking his body, but he refused to listen to them. The only sound he wanted to hear was Raven's voice, her breathing, or at least her heartbeat. He thought he felt a faint pulse, but the crashing of the waves made it hard to tell. With an extra boost of power to the waves, the Atlantian managed to get the two of them to the shore of the Tower. Gently, he laid Raven against the pebbled beach, trying not to notice how pale and still she looked. His instincts took over, starting the necessary chest compressions needed for drowning rescues.
"I'm sorry," he murmured while mentally keeping track of the compressions, "I should have got to you faster. Raven, please be okay."
Her eyes remained closed, but this time, Aqualad was sure he felt a heartbeat. His own heart skipped, and he leaned in to see if she showed any signs of consciousness. Inches away from her face, he remembered the last time they were that close, and also knew that he needed to do rescue breaths to help her awaken. With a fleeting thought to how this wasn't the way he'd imagined first doing it, he leaned closer and pressed his lips against hers, his warm breath flowing into her cool mouth. Her lips warmed to his, and he noticed a slight twitch to them. Reluctantly, he moved back to do another set of chest compressions, noticing that she wasn't as pale as before.
Once more might do it, he hoped, finishing the set and once again breathing into her.
Her chest heaved on its own and lavender eyes snapped open wildly. Aqualad quickly moved to her side and held her steady as she returned the sea water she swallowed to where it rightfully belonged. A fit of coughing followed, and after a minute, the girl felt well enough to speak.
"You saved me," she whispered, looking up at the boy supporting her.
"No, it was you," he smiled, pushing wet tendrils of hair away from her face, "It was you who broke open the cave. We could both be dead if it wasn't for you. You beat the prophecy and changed your destiny."
"I almost didn't," her eyes clouded over, biting her lip slightly, "I was afraid – I couldn't find the light. But then, I knew that if I got you free, you'd save me."
Aqualad opened his mouth to reply, but she pressed a finger lightly against his lips.
"And then- I think I realized," she continued, haltingly, "That it wasn't the ocean in the prophecy. It was swallowing me, but I-I was still thinking – thinking of you."
She paused to gauge her fellow Titan's reaction, and seeing a mixture of concern, shock, and curiosity, pressed on.
"You see, it may have taken my breath and surrounded me, but the other things – stilling my resistance and engulfing my senses – it couldn't completely do. But when I'm around you, I sometimes forget to breathe. You're all I can see or think about. I – I don't want to be in love, but with you, I can't help it."
The girl stopped, turning a becoming shade of crimson and biting her lip again. She hadn't meant to say that much, and now was terribly worried about the outcome. A few windows cracked in the distance, showing the intensity that she didn't want to. If she could have fled, she would have, but her weakened state left her stranded against him.
"Raven," he murmured, causing her to look back up at him again, unshed tears in her eyes. Instead of rejection, or, even worse, pity, she saw an unfathomable warmth, mixed with something she had barely dared to dream of – love. Her eyes widened with the realization and her lips parted slightly in surprise. Aqualad resisted the urge to laugh at her adorable expression, instead leaning so that their faces were almost touching.
"You see," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the storm, "I couldn't help falling in love with you either."
If possible, her violet eyes opened further as Aqualad closed the gap between them, his warm lips joining to hers as if they had always belonged there. Slender arms made their way around his neck, tangling into his dark hair while her lashes tickled him as her eyes closed. At first, the kisses were soft and tasted of the sea, but the steady pounding of the rain washed away the saltiness, leaving a cooler, fresher sensation, one that the couple found addictive. They could have stayed that way forever, but an icy wave washed up against them, reminding them of their surroundings.
"So," Raven smiled, cheeks still tinged with pink, "I guess we should go inside now, as not all of us has amphibious qualities."
Aqualad nodded, and then, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, scooped her up, running across the beach with the protesting yet happy girl, taking her inside to the warmth and security of the Tower.