So… I hope this makes up for the long wait. I know it may not… please forgive me. Read and Review. I do not own.
"Cut the crap Malchior. I need your help," I said jerking my hand away. He grinned at me, his smile that once made my heart ache.
"And what can I do for you my little bird? It must be pretty bad for you to actually admit to needing my head," he sneered sitting on the edge of my bed. His eyes suddenly flared to life. "What is that awful stench?" He explained obviously smelling the Clorox. I proceeded to give him a rundown of what happen. "I knew I felt something wrong," he whispered his eyes flicking to mine. "Are you…okay?" My eyes shot to him curiously.
"Since when do you care," I asked my eyes narrowing accusingly. He gave a half smile standing to slowly walk to me.
"Raven…" His voice made my heart tremble lightly in remembrance. "I still care. Yes I would love to use you for my own selfish purposes, but at the same time… I do love you Raven. I see, however, that you are quite taken," he mumbled looking down at the shining rock on my hand. Blushing lightly, I nervously twisted the ring. He grinned. "It's okay… I will help you however. So this spell you found… the one on taking a human's soul. It is indeed dark magic. It is on that fine line between good and bad. If you can successfully complete the spell without killing him, you are a stronger person spiritually than most that have tried. The darkness tempts you, and will most likely pull at the demonic blood in you, affect your emotions to tempt you with the dark side. The evilness will focus in on the hatred and damage you hold for Slade in your heart." I listened nervously unsure of what to say or think. Was I honestly strong enough to resist the evil?
"Is there any way to prevent… or to help me against the darkness?" He looked at the floor thoughtfully before sighing.
"Though I hate to say it, but Cyborg will. You have a mental link with Robin correct?" I nodded. "You need to create a stronger bond with Cyborg. That way while you are in the middle of the spell, he can speak to you in your mind." My eyes widened in excitement at the idea of being linked even closer to Cyborg.
"Show me!" I said reaching to grip his arm. He laughed lightly and one of my older texts floated over from the bookcase. As it floated, the pages began flying open, sifting through the heavy book until it landed in my hands. I read over the spell, biting my lip. "It says if one of us ceases to exist, so does the other. That's too dangerous…" I whisper biting my lip.
"Actually," he said reaching a finger to trace over the Latin line. "It says if one of the mates ceases to exist, the other with follow only if there is no one left in their care. Meaning if you two had… kids, one would live until they are taken care of. However, Raven… you are immortal. Does he know this," He questioned moving to read over my shoulder. I shook my head.
"None of the team knows this…" I bit my lip guiltily. "I will talk this over with Cyborg in the morning. Thank you Malchior." He smiled sadly and placed a kiss to the back of my head.
"Anytime my little bird." He then disappeared leaving me to my thoughts. After placing him back in the chest, I made my way down the halls of the tower back to the living room. Just as I entered, Robin was waking up. Giving him the thumbs up sign I laid down too mentally drained to think any further on immortality or love.
The next morning around the breakfast table, eating waffles, I told everyone I had an announcement.
"Well… I have told you all of the spell that will rid us of Slade. However, something has been itching at me about it. So last night I paid a visit to Malchior…" I drifted off looking to see Robin's stern look and Cyborg's angry. I quickly finished. "Well, he admitted that spell is... black magic." Aqualad interjected then.
"Raven… you can't control yourself in black magic can you? Robin told us a little of what happen…" He drifted off. I felt my face flush and looked down.
"While this is true, there is a way to ensure that I will not fall prey to it. A mind link… with Cyborg."
"You mean like what we have," Robin asked as the Titans East looked at us strangely. I quickly explained our bond to them.
"No, Robin not like ours. The bond with Cyborg would be… very different. If I were to die, so would Cyborg." I looked to see him watching me carefully. "Unless we had…children that still needed their parents." My cheek reddened as I felt Cyborg grab my hand.
"Raven, I am okay with that… of course that would cause problems with the team," he drifted off watching Robin's thoughtful look.
"Raven, you are hard to kill yes? I think that I have enough faith in both of your abilities to know you two could handle it," Robin said watching us. I bit my lip.
"There's something you all should know. I technically live… for a very long time. Long enough to be… Immortal," I whispered looking up to the shocked faces of my make-shift family. Beast Boy and Speedy were mumbling and sputtering much like the twins were in Spanish. "I don't know when I stop growing or how this works. I just know what I was told as a child. With this spell, Cyborg would become my soul mate, and we would be linked forever. Meaning he would inherit my life span…" I looked up to meet the wide eyes of Cyborg. I felt a fear run through me, knowing he would say no.
"Can Raven and I have some time alone," he asked the others keeping his eyes on me. Not waiting for an answer, he grabbed my hand tugging me out the door. I kept my eyes on the ground and nervously trying to keep emotions settled. I blinked as we walked past the living corridors to the highest level of the tower. The space was only used for storage. I almost questioned him until he came to a stop in front of a pair of actual opening doors. "Go ahead," he said quietly. Sending him a questioning look, I opened the door and immediately gasped. Inside the room was a beautifully intricate bed. The post were black iron swirling and glinting gold in the light. The bed was covered in a purple canopy, draping open to reveal the deep blue bed spread. Looking down at the floor, I noticed a beautiful hardwood finish. The walls were a deep blue and the furniture was black. The far wall, however, was a huge glass wall over-looking the ocean. I felt Cyborg walk behind me and whispered under his breath, "clap". I did as he said, clapping my hands and the window darkened to black. Before I could question Cyborg, the ceiling flitted to life, filled with tiny lights that resembled the stars. In the center of the ceiling, a moon was alit. Tears filled my eyes at the beautiful room as I turned to face him.
"How…when…" I couldn't quiet think straight. He smiled and gently took my hand in his.
"I started this months ago for you. Robin and I knew were starting to go stir crazy in your room and…I figured why not give you a beautiful room. Robin and I has begun working on Starfire's now. We were going to reconstruct the bottom floor to make our rooms bigger. Now, however, I hope to have mine here with you," he said his eyes sparkling.
"You don't mind becoming immortal," I whispered nervously as he grabbed my face.
"Baby if I get to spend forever with you… I would never mind it." I teared up and brought his lips to mine, eagerly kissing him. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to him.
"Okay… we'll do the spell then," I whispered nervously.
That day Cyborg and I decided to go an actual date. We went to lunch at the park and then I watched with a joyful heart as Cyborg showed a bunch of little boys to play football. He will make an amazing father, I thought to myself with a light blush.
"You're Raven," I heard a voice from behind me. I turned to see an elderly woman with a gentle smile. I gave a small smile in return, unused to people greeting me.
"Yes mam I am," I said taking a step closer. I wiped my hands on my blue jeans before reaching a hand out to her. She side stepped the hand and pulled me down to her little petite form in a hug. I blinked in surprise before gently wrapping arms around her in a hug. She pulled away with a teary smile.
"You saved my granddaughter's life," she said smiling. I frowned trying to remember ever saving a girl's life.
"I'm sorry mam I am not sure who you are talking about."
"She is talking about me," a voice came from behind the little old women. It was a teenager that couldn't have been no older than 16. She blushed lightly and stepped forward. "My name is Gloria. A while back you gave a speech to the press on Ann Nicole's suicide." I nodded remembering the day Robin asked me to make a comment on the young girl's death. I ended giving a speech about bullying and how to keep strong during your depression. "You may not have known it but your speech changed my life. I was in the suicide pact with Ann. She was my best friend…" She trailed off her smile fading. I gently touched her shoulder, sending comfort into her. She smiled up at me thankfully. "If not for your speech, I would have never got here. Thank you Raven. So very much," She whispered wrapping her small arms around my waist. I felt tears prickle my eyes as I leaned wrapping her in a tight hug.
"Never give up," I whispered to her squeezing her to meet. She smiled softly and showed me her wrist. On it was a little raven. "Did you draw this?"
"Yes, mam. Most people use butterflies to help remind them, but I use a raven… for you." I smiled wide and she smiled in return. After saying thank you once more, she walked away hand in hand with her grandmother. That one girl, though no more than three years younger than me, showed me that perhaps I am not as dark as I seem…
"Ready to go love," Cyborg asked walking up to me. I wiped the tears from my eyes with a smile and nodded.
"Let's go. We have a spell to do!"
That night, the Titans met on the roof. Cyborg and I were in the center of the circle. Around us was a circle of dried rose petals. Cyborg held in his hand a candle and so did I.
"Are we ready?" I look around nervously. The others nodded and joined hands. "Cyborg you will use the same words just change it around your name." He nodded and smiled at me completely carefree. Raising my candle, Cyborg mirrored my movements.
"Tonight I light this candle as a representative of my soul," I say loudly, surely. Cyborg repeated what I said his voice sure. Suddenly the candles flicker, lighting with our soul fire. Mine glowed the color of my magic, black and white. Cyborg's glowed a vicious blue. I looked at him as we walked toward the sage in the middle of the circle. We kneeled mirroring each other.
"I, Rachel Roth, ask Azar for permission to join my soul with that of the man I love." Whispering this I hold my flame out to the candle.
"I, Victor Stone, ask God and Azar for permission to join my heart and soul with that of the beautiful woman I love," Cyborg said surely, his eyes locked on mine. I felt my heart beat faster as our flames became a soft violet flame of the sage. After that we joined hands together around the sage. Together we began to chat the spell.
"Let our hearts become one, let our minds join together. Listen to our plea, listen to our hearts, We are in this for life, our souls conjoined, hand in hand, side by side. Not even death, shall part our hands. Not even death, shall tear our love. Azar we ask, as your children, let us become one. Let us become one!"
At our last words, the flame grew to surround us. It was comforting, the flame caressing us. However, Cyborg's scream tore through the air. I was unable to move to look, for my own pain ripping through my body. I felt my soul, my very soul being sorted through piece by piece. I relieved Cyborg's life. I lived his pain. I lived his sorrow… I saw his feelings for me develop. Even as I was mentally in pain, so was my body. My eyes burned. My skin felt as if it was pierced by a thousand needles. My hand was alit with a blue flame as it held Cyborg's. I felt my hair being pulled out of my scalp, growing longer. Once the pain faded, I was panting on the ground. I heard the others yelling because they couldn't get past the roses. I stood steadily and looked to Cyborg gasping. His was….human. His skin was a natural chocolate brown that matched his face. I kneeled next to him trembling.
"Cyborg," I whispered nervously touching his cheek. He jolted awake, both of his eyes a deep brown, and looked up. He reached up with a shaky hand touching my cheek.
"I…I can feel you," he whispered cupping my cheek. "Your eyes." I used our new found bond to look through his eyes and see that mine were swirling now with a chocolate brown. He felt me intruding his mind and tentatively pushed back. 'Can you hear me?' I smiled fully and leaned to kiss him full on the lips, uncaring of anyone around, uncaring of the fire. He pulled me to him kissing my lips full on, moaning at the unfamiliar contact of the warm, chiseled chest. Pulling back, he began laughing.
"Cyborg," Robin questioned coming to stand next to us as the fire had stopped. Cyborg flashed a smile at him. "You're human…" Cyborg laughed and stood shaking.
"No Robin… I'm both." With that said, he began to change back into the Cyborg we knew, the half-metal robot. I smiled, understanding that my magic running in his soul allowed him to change. Everyone began to celebrate as we walked downstairs. Once in the living room, Robin went and pulled out drinks and a cold pizza.
"I guess this means I can't call you sparky anymore," Bee laughed eating her pizza slice. Cyborg flashed a sly smile, but I could feel his heart pounding for some reason. I looked over to find him looking at me with dark, almost black eyes. My heart skipped a beat and I swallowed nervously.
"Friend Raven, are you okay," Starfire asked looking innocently. Robin looked at her and took her hand in his.
"I think they just wish to be alone Star," he whispered and nodded to us. "You two will be fine in Raven's room right? I am guessing Cy that you don't have to be on charge anymore." Cyborg nodded and with that and our goodbyes, we began our descent to our new room. My hand sweat nervously against his new soft hand, I hadn't been able to let go of it since the spell. He grinned at me and pulled me into the elevator. Before I had a chance to speak, he pushed me against the wall, kissing me feverishly. I gasped in amazement before surrendering to him. He picked me up carrying me down the hall towards our new room. I wrapped my arms around his neck to hold myself stable and he led us through the doors. Kissing me again he laid me down on the bed, proceeding to throw his shirt off.
"Rae… did I mention that this room is soundproof," he said smirking. I smiled nervously, feeling my body begin to react to his emotions I was receiving through the bond. He smirked and lowered himself on top of me beginning to kiss me feverishly. It's going to be a great night," I thought to myself. He laughed in my ear. You have no idea….I love you Raven. I love you too Cyborg I thought back to me before getting lost in his kiss.