Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos !
Alright.
May 20th.
2 days after publishing CERBERUS, there I am, back to the keyboard. I couldn't yesterday, coz the chores took too much of my time. And although this morning I cleaned the flat's windows, I still have enough time left before noon to actually start the next chapter.
As I said, I'll do my best to have another chappy out before the end of the month, but I naturally can't promise anything. Just as ya guys can't promise yr fans to have a chappy out by next week or next fortnight, eh ! You're busy wz studies, I'll be busy wz work in 6 days. But till then I'll do my best to write whenever I can.
Strange, strange… didn't get any review till now. A certain someone must be busy galore to fail reviewing in the 24 hours following the publication of last chapter. That, or she has lost interest in this pathetic story of mine… XP Teeheehee, sorry, couldn't help it ! ^^It's funny to sometimes score an own goal, isn't it ?
I'm feeling just AMAZING, and have been for the past 3 days : the reason is that Spring, my good buddy Spring, favourite season of all, finally has settled in good old Switzerland… or at least in the French-speaking part of CH, in which I reside ! And it's oh so coooooool to benefit at last from sun AND warmth together (we had only sun since beginning of May, but cold winds and even regular rain, so yeah…) ! I just can't help feeling my spirits rise and rise on ! WOOOOOOOT ! Well, the only down is pollen, and given that my allergies are back… OUCH !
Okay, let's… oh wait, an announcement first : yest'day was the birthday of Cristina, my bestie on YT, so I gotta wish her once again a happy birthday, and best of wishes ! And if ya guys wanna contact on yr B-Day, I'll be sure to send ya a PM right on this day to send ya my most heartfelt wishes, thoughts, vibes !
Okay, too big a mouth, eh ? Okay, time to close it for good and let ya now…
…N'joy !
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« Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven. »
-Tyron Edwards -
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8.20 */*/*/* REUNION */*/*/* 8.20
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"Are you sure ? I mean, you're not completely healed, and you know it…"
"Nah, I'll be fine, believe me. I feel way better now. I know I'm not in top condition, and it'll take much more time before I am, but I can come with you, trust me !"
"Mmmmmmh… I don't know… well, it's your health and your body after all… so you're in the best position to decide if you can leave or not… it's all up to you…"
"As I said, just trust me… I know my own body better than anyone else… and my body is telling me that I can allow myself out… so please be at rest and come with me…"
A young man in white overalls came in just at this moment, a serious expression on his features.
"It seems that you want to leave already, Mr. Moser. I must warn you that this is still a tad early. I know you are probably feeling way better, but still… I'm not sure that it is a good idea."
The superintendent smiled at the practitioner.
"Doctor Fauchelieu, I know you're worrying for me, and for this I thank you wholeheartedly. But I can ensure you that I am feeling way better now, and I can feel it in my body that I'm good enough to leave the hospital. Trust me. And should I feel worse once back at home, I promise I'll call for an ambulance. You have my word."
Valentin Fauchelieu stared at the police officer for a long moment, then his eyes wandered over to lieutenant Heathfield. His look was seeking for the other's opinion on this important matter.
"I talked to him, Doctor, and… well, Stewart is the kind of man who knows what he wants, and will do all he can to have it. And I know he can be pretty stubborn enough when he feels like it… isn't it, Stewart ?"
He had uttered the last part in a visible attempt to lighten the atmosphere a bit, joking obvious in his tone and his smile.
"Yes, you can say that…" replied Moser, smirking, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"But he seems so self-confident, so certain that his body feels fit enough to enable him to leave. What else can I say to persuade him to stay a tad more ? I don't think any argument will do, so… I'm just relying on his intuition that he's definitely fit enough to leave. He has a pretty good intuition in his work, and I suspect that same goes in private life."
Dr. Fauchelieu took this all in, and finally nodded. He visibly wasn't completely convinced, but what indeed could he or Heathfield find as decisive argument to persuade Moser to rest for a few more days ?
Victor walked to the doctor and gently lay his hand on the practitioner's shoulder.
"I promise I'll be taking great care of him, every single day, and you have my word that we won't hesitate a single second to call the emergency service if anything serious turns up. He'll be in good hands, be sure of that !"
A soft, reassuring smile punctuated the comforting speech. (A/N : Eh eh, ya didn't have to wait long for an Author's Note, this time, eh ! Anyway, 'punctuate' has several meanings, and here, it is the equivalent of 'coming after'. It means that Heathfield smiled after finishing his speech. So careful : polysemy is a great enemy of language, just as are what we call "false friends", i.e. words that are very similar if not identical in two languages, yet have completely different meanings… Language traps, a neverending spiral, uh uh ! Jeez, was that a long Author's Note ! Probably one of the longest I've ever written… Ya know, I feel like making it longer. So what if we talk about something else ? For instance… *Happy turns off Léo's mike, who continues talking to himself, not noticing the mike is off…*)
The young Frenchman nodded again.
"Alright. I guess I can't hold him here by force, can I ?" He turned to the older man. "You win. I'll let you leave the service. I'll ask the secretary to prepare the documents, you'll then just have to drop by her to sign them." He remained silent, then walked over to the bed. "Take good care of you, Mr. Moser. I wish you the best of recoveries. And please do not hesitate to contact me for anything you should need." He handed him over his professional card.
"Thank you so much for everything you did for me, Dr. Fauchelieu !" Stewart uttered in a voice clearly filled with emotion. "You did a wonderful job ! And please also pass on my congratulations and thanks to your staff ! You guys really are doing such an amazing work, so necessary, so vital. I've got the deepest respect for you, you know." A short pause. "Thank you to no end, Doctor !"
The Frenchman smiled wider.
"Thank you for the kind words. And yes, I'll make sure to tell my colleagues about your thanks and about the high opinion you have of our profession. But you know, we're just doing our job, after all…"
That was typically Valentin Fauchelieu, modest in everything, never trying to make himself conspicuous. Just trying to say the minimum… in this case, that it was "only his job". But it was actually much more than that.
Both men shook hands warmly, the doctor telling his already former patient to take care of himself, the patient telling his already former doctor how grateful he was.
Then the doctor shook Heathfield's hand, said a few more words about his availability for any serious matter, and finally exited the room, leaving the two friends alone.
"And you win again !" said the lieutenant. (A/N : Bee Gees, we salute you ! For "You Win Again" is one of their '80 hits, and one of the songs I prefer from them. Respect to the Gibb brothers !)
"As always, right ?" jocked the superintendent, a huge grin on his face.
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"But where are you taking me, Victor ?"
"Ahaaaaa… Now that's a good question, isn't it, Stewart ?"
Since they were not heading to Moser's house… could they be driving to the precinct ? Or to one of the places in which Chaos had settled ? Or to meet one of the victims ? Or was it just a leisure destination, like a restaurant or such, to celebrate his leaving the hospital ?
Not a clue, as usual.
All the more since Heathfield had cleverly chosen a twisted itinerary that wouldn't allow his friend to have even the slightest hint about the destination.
"The surprise for the recovery, eh ?" asked, amused, the greyish-haired man.
"You'll see…" replied his blond colleague and friend.
The car finally got parked in front of… the precinct !
Moser turned towards Heathfield, smiling bright.
"You guys prepared me a 'welcome back' party ?"
"I wish it was that pleasing. NO, in fact, there's something I found out about all these recent messes. Something most interesting. And I want to show it to you immediately ! You'll certainly find this pretty fascinating. It explains a lot as regards the origin of the troubles."
The convalescent's smile fell.
"Ah ? Really ? So it's for business we're here ?"
He obviously was disappointed that it wasn't a party for him.
Heathfield cast him an uneasy look.
"Hum…. Yeah, I know, it's a tad harsh to bring you back into business immediately after your leaving the hospital, but I swear it can't wait ! You have to see these clues right away ! But I promise we'll celebrate with the colleagues real soon ! So please don't be too disappointed : it's only a matter of a few days !"
Moser gave a small smile.
"Okay then. Sorry if I seemed a tad… unhappy that it was merely professional. I honestly believed you guys wanted to greet me back with an informal cocktail or so. That was pretty selfish from me, wasn't it ?"
"No, absolutely not, Stew' ! We will do it pretty pretty soon, you have my word. Just not today. I didn't inform the colleagues that you were coming back. But no worry, we'll all be reunited in no time !"
Both men got out of the car, and Heathfield hurried to support Moser.
When they entered the building… surprise : it was pitch black !
"Hey Guys ! What's the matter ?" screamed Victor.
"Hello, Vic' !" replied a shout. "Sorry, but all fuses got blown a few minutes ago. We're trying to activate the generator, but it apparently won't work !"
"Please hurry, Guys !" screamed Heathfield.
"Ah, yes, I think I've got it !" yelled another voice in the room. "Here !"
All lights got back…
…to reveal the totality of the police officers (minus the one to put the lights back on) gathered closeby, and which started to clap hands furiously while smiling at the superintendent.
A large banner hung from the ceiling : "WELCOME BACK, STEW' !"
And on a neighbouring table were disposed many drinks and snacks.
"Welcome home, Stew' !" shouted all of Moser's and Heathfield's colleagues, radiant grins on all faces.
The superintendent visibly was way moved by this, and he couldn't hold his tears back : twin little waterfalls poured down his face, while he watched them all, a hand over his mouth, out of sheer emotion.
It wasn't until after a long while that he managed to utter something.
"Guys… it's… I don't know what to say… I… I'm so happy… thank you, thank you, thank you so much ! I really appreciate all this ! I'm so grateful ! God bless you all ! I'm so happy to see you all again !"
Some laughed, some grinned wider, some cheered, and Stewart Moser felt more touched than he had ever been in a long, long time.
The greyish-haired man turned to his dear Friend, who was smiling as wide as he could.
"Thank you so much, Vic' ! You really made believed damn well ! I didn't know you could lie with that much nerve…"
The blond man guffawed.
"Hey, what do you know ? If even police officers start lying that good, where in the world are we going ?"
Stewart chuckled at this, and Victor winked at him, and snorted nicely.
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The sound of a fall.
Then the grey portal, the one of Subterranea therefore, underwent a change : its outline suddenly got illuminated in crimson, then the inside turned white, and it remained that way.
The Titans froze as they saw what had caused the initial noise, the one of something falling.
It actually had been… someone falling.
And not just anyone !
"Raven !"
"Master !"
They all rushed to the poor half-demon lying motionless on the cold ground of the Vault.
Robin naturally was the one gently picking up Rae in his arms and calling her name in an alarmed voice.
"Rae ! Rae ! Please wake up ! Please, Rae ! Can you hear me ?"
His heart was trapped in a cold envelope, and its beats had never been so rapid inside the ribcage.
Oh no…God, NO… everything but that… NO… please take me rather than her !
The others couldn't speak. Anguish paralyzed them. They were swallowing saliva, sweating, observing anxiously, heartbeats racing. But nothing could find its way out of their throats.
Robin was on the brink of desperation. The only thing which prevented him from lose hope for good was the weak pulse he could feel in Raven's artery.
Finally, the grey teen slowly opened her eyes, with visible difficulty.
"Hello… Robin… and you all… sorry… for what you see… it was… long and tough… but this last part… was really… tougher… but at least… I did it… until the end…"
She slowly blinked, a brief smile haunting her lips for a couple of seconds.
"It's okay, you don't have to apologize for showing weakness. It happens to the best of us. And the main point is that you're alive. And that you indeed killed all Guardians. There remains only one Keeper. And I'm gonna go fight it." Robin firmly said.
Raven suddenly reopened her eyes, obviously restless now.
"No… No, Rob… please… don't leave me… stay with me… please… you already… risked your health… in here… you just got better… so don't fight…"
"I'M AFRAID HE WILL HAVE TO GO FOR THE LAST FIGHTER, MY DEAR !"
All turned to the origin of the noise… and of course, there was the large green eye hovering and looking at the group !
"You bastard ! You'll pay for what you did to Rae !" said Robin, gritting his teeth.
"OH YES, I KNOW I WILL ! AND I'M SHAKING IN ANTICIPATION ! BUT YOU INDEED WILL HAVE TO GO FOR THE LAST JOURNEY, BECAUSE THE RULES ARE CLEAR : EACH KEEPER MUST BE FOUGHT BY DIFFERENT ADVERSARIES THAN THE OTHER KEEPERS. THIS MEANS THAT EACH TITAN AND EMOTION CAN TAKE PART INTO ONE SINGLE FIGHT, NO MORE. SO, BASICALLY, THE OPPONENTS ARE DIFFERENT EACH TIME, BOTH IN THE TITAN RANKS AND IN THE KEEPER RANKS. CONCLUSION : THE ONLY ONES ALLOWED TO GO DEFY THE LAST KEEPER ARE THOSE WHO NEVER FOUGHT UP TO NOW. DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS. BUT THE ONE SUPPOSED TO ACCOMPANY YOU, DEAR ROBIN, PROBABLY WON'T BE WILLING TO COME : SHE HASN'T GOT THE GUTS TO FIGHT ME ! SHE MAKES IT SEEM SHE'S TOUGH, BUT SHE'S A CREAM PUFF, ACTUALLY… AH AH AH ! BUT YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN SUPPOSED TO GO WITH HER, ANYWAY…"
"Wait ! This means that it has to be Robin and a new emoticlone, right ?" asked Bumblebee, just checking what she felt was the truth.
"PRECISELY. GOOD LUCK FOR THE LAST KEEPER, BOY WONDER, AH AH AH !"
And with that last taunting, Fraktal disappeared.
"No…No… why… why you ?…" whispered Rae. And tears began to flow from her eyes.
Robin gently wept them away and softly stroked her cheek.
"Don't you worry, Rae ! I'll be fine ! I feel so great right now ! Your emotions did a brilliant job at bringing me back to my maximum ! I could battle at least six or seven enemies in a row ! And after all, I didn't take part in any battle up to now, while you and all other Titans and emoticlones fought hard to save the day ! So it's kind of logical I should as well have some fighting time, eh ?"
She reluctantly nodded, silently sobbing on.
"And did you hear what that scum just say ? That each Keeper had to be fought by another team Titan/emoticlone. This means that only those who haven't battled yet can go defeat the last monster. Therefore, it can only be me and… hum…"
He turned around and took a look at all the emotions behind him.
"Sorry, Man, but we already all fought a Keeper…" Brave said almost apologetically.
"She's right, Robin : there isn't anybody in here who hasn't defeated a Keeper. We all have" said Timid, visibly sorry to confirm that no emotion could help him.
He looked thoughtful.
"But if you've already done it, and therefore can't redo it, then with which emotion am I supposed to go ? Unless it can be with some other fighter, and not specifically an emotion ?"
"That doesn't solve the problem. All Titans already have struggled, so none of them can accompany you…" remarked Knowledge.
Robin looked puzzled.
If no one could come with him, then…?
Was Fraktal lying ?
"Rob… there actually is… one emotion left…" whispered Rae.
He turned to gaze straight into her violet orbs.
There was a pause.
One emotion left…
One which hadn't fought…
His eyes widened behind his mask.
He stared at her, incredulous.
"No… not her ! Don't tell me that it's her…" he said, visibly not willing to utter the most dreaded name of all.
She nodded, an almost painful expression on her face.
"Oh Man…" Robin said, looking down.
"It's okay… I'll take care of it… I'll talk to her…" the Azarathian said a tad louder, squeezing his arm.
She then made an effort to sit up, but fell back almost immediately.
Knowledge stepped forward.
"Please stay here and rest, Master ! You're far too weak right now ! Let me go and face her ! I have arguments to convince her. I know I can make her change her mind."
Raven took a good look at her Reason, then finally nodded and closed her eyes, frustrated that she wasn't even strong enough to go and "do the job". And was forced to delegate this unpleasant task to the emotion she revered the most.
Knowledge turned around, walked away, ready to go meet her unruly sister.
"If you're going, I'm coming as well !" said Brave, on a decided tone.
"Me too !" screamed Happy, cheerily as could be.
"I'll come as well !" calmly said Love.
"Count me in !" exclaimed Rude.
"Ditto !" dropped Sloth.
"I want to accompany you too, sister !" concluded Timid.
Knowledge was a tad surprised that all her siblings were willing to come along, all the more in such a difficult mission. But on the other hand, she was pleased by their solidarity.
She hesitated.
"I'm not sure that it's a good idea. I know you all want to help, sisters, but… you know how she is. I can calm her down, but… what if Happy or Rude have some, hum, comments she doesn't like ? And gets angry, even if there would be no good reason for it ? That would get in our way of convincing her to come fight with us…"
"If we're all gathered, we can show her that we ALL want her to come, that we ALL count on her. And that way, you'll have a lighter burden on your shoulders, Knowledge !" observed Love.
"And I promise to stay calm and not misbehave !" chirruped the Pink Cloak.
"I'll try not to upset Miss Tense…" vaguely promised the Orange Cloak.
Knowledge looked at both, then at the rest of them : Brave, Timid, Love, Sloth.
Then she gave a discrete sigh.
"If you can't fight them, join them… or let them join you, in this case !" uttered the glasses-emotion, smiling. "Let's go, sisters !"
They smiled back.
Then all raised their hands.
Colourful spheres appeared underneath all girls, each one having the colour corresponding to her cloak's : a yellow sphere under Knowledge, a pink one under Happy, and so on.
All emoticlones sank into those spheres on the ground…
…then the spheres turned into rays…
…which aimed straight at Raven's gemstone…
… and all thus disappeared right into the mind of the empath !
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Nevermore had… never been more empty. (A/N : my apology for the lame pun : I'm tired… :P)
It was deserted since the emotions had left it to go on war against Fraktal and his henchmen.
Well, on closer inspection… not completely deserted.
Not all the emotions had left.
There remained only one.
She was currently sitting crisscross applesauce in the center of her domain : a plain of geysers.
Every now and then, water and steam erupted from one of the holes around her, and a boiling rain fell back to the sterile ground.
Sometimes, part of the scalding liquid reached the grey girl, but she didn't even bother to move and never opened her mouth to scream out of pain. She was way resistant and didn't fear anything. And burns could be healed in no time, so why bother ?
Her eyes were closed, but her alert ears picked up the sound of footsteps in her back.
A gang was approaching.
And needless turn around to find out about their identity : her sixth sense had already unraveled that mystery, short after she had perceived the noise.
The footsteps stopped.
The group was right behind the lonely figure.
"You've got nothing to do here !" warned the solitary emoticlone in a deep demonic voice, without even opening her eyes or motioning the slightest.
"You know why we're here, Rage !" started Knowledge.
The Red Cloak remained motionless.
"I do, and there is no way I'm coming with you" she replied firmly.
"Rage, you are bitter because Master tries to stifle you as much as possible, to avoid causing trouble herself, but in this case, it's really the opposite : she wants you out ! She NEEDS you !" pleaded Love.
Rage suddenly opened her four crimson eyes and briskly got up and walked over to the Purple Hood, stopping only a few inches of her, eyes narrowed at her.
"Ah yes, how practical ! Master continuously discards me, complains about me, stifles me, as you say, and now that she has no other option, now that I'm the last resort, she suddenly dearly needs me ?! So much for taking advantage of me, the emotion she's so ashamed of !"
"Master is not like that. She's not trying to exploit you or anything, and you know it. She needs your help, yes. And will you ignore this perfect occasion to show you're useful, as much as all of us ?" Brave declared in a challenging way.
Rage snorted in an almost despising manner.
"As useful as you all ? Really, Brave ? If I really was, she wouldn't so often lock me up and act as if I was a disgrace to her."
"She does not" shyly replied Timid. "She doesn't consider you a disgrace. But given your temper, you cannot deny that you can become a menace, when you go all out…"
Rage laughed, a deep, worrying laughter that was everything but pleasing to hear.
"A menace ? See, that word proves how much you're afraid of me and try to put me aside. You consider me a scourge or a fatality. And I would be as useful as you, therefore ?"
"We need you. Give it a try at collaborating ?" proposed Sloth.
The four red slits opened wider, and the dangerous emotion spoke louder and more aggressively.
"I don't want to come. Get it ? I'm not a toy, or some useful tool you can use when you feel like it. Have you ever considered how much I suffer from Master's "gagging" me ? Her fearing me ? I feel like a monster, as I know I embody Trigon's demonic heritage, and how do you think I feel about it ? You think that I don't care ? That I like being menacing, threatening others' lives ? Well, guess what ? I hate it… but I can't help it ! It's how I was created, it's what I'm supposed to do, it's an obligation for me. I can't choose : I'm forced to be that angry, that fuming, that menacing. I wish I didn't have to do it, but there's an inner force that pushes me to it and leaves me no choice. It's my own burden, to be obliged to act and behave in a way that I don't agree with, but what can I do ? WHAT CAN I DO ?"
Rage suddenly turned around and didn't move anymore.
None of the emoticlones dared to say anything.
They had never heard the Red Cloak open up to them and confess what she had on her mind and heart. This was new. And it brought in light a most troubling fact : Rage was forced to act the way she did. Some interior brute power obliged her to do so. And one more crucial point : she had precised that she hated it, that she didn't agree with her forced menacing attitude. So not only did she find no pleasure in getting angry, but she wished she would not. And last but certainly not least : it made her suffer. That was a fundamental point as well.
If only they had known…
Knowledge slowly walked over and stopped on Rage's side, looking at her.
The usually angry girl had her head down, and made a wince, as she was experiencing pain. And the intelligent emotion guessed that she was : but it was a psychological pain, not a physical one.
"Rage… I'm sorry… and I know the other ones are as well…"
The latter approached cautiously and circled their four-eyed sister.
"We didn't know… we all feel bad about it… about your suffering from it… and we would like to find a solution to help you…" said Rude, her cocky attitude gone for once.
"Yes, but you can't. You can't !" yelled the bearer of Trigon's burden.
And all could see the two shiny traces going from her eyes to her jaw.
Rage, crying ? Now none of her fellow emotions would have expected that.
Knowledge stepped to her saddened sister, opened up her arms and wrapped the Red Cloak in a comforting embrace.
The witnesses watched, half-expecting half-dreading that Rage would push Knowledge back, and scream at her, given that the four-eyed emotion was not one to show weakness, just like Brave.
But quite unexpectedly, the red-eyed girl returned the embrace, and wept in the back of her yellow sister.
The emoticlones, at this incredible sight, couldn't help feeling so moved that all of them felt their eyes water, some weeping for good, like Love.
The Yellow Hood rocked the Red one back and forth, whispering comforting words in her ear.
The touching scene lasted for minutes, and finally the learned emotion allowed the usually temperamental one to leave her arms.
"I'm so sad for you, Rage… I wish there's something we could do for you… but be sure that Master respects you, just as we do. The thing is, she tries to control you to avoid to harm others or cause damage around her. It's not your fault, it's Trigon's. And the one Master is fighting against isn't you, it's Trigon, who is behind your curse, and therefore Master's ! It's all his fault, and he's the only one to blame !" explained the glasses-emoticlone.
Rage nodded, drying her tears.
"We can't force you to come if you don't want to…" trailed Love.
Rage shook her head, eyes closed, looking as she was experiencing physical pain, this time. She took her head between her hands and winced.
"Rage…" started Brave.
The red-clad female moaned, teeth gritted.
"I… I need to be alone !" she said, visibly suffering.
And her body turned into the signature raven, which then rapidly flew away, leaving all emoticlones astounded, and so confused.
"Guess it's a no…" observed Sloth.
"Can't blame her, for once…" added Rude.
"Poor Rage…" softly murmured Timid.
Knowledge remained immobile for seconds, staring intently at the place the raven had disappeared.
Then she turned to her sisters.
"Come on, we must leave. We can't convince her if she doesn't want to. We'll have to find another solution. There has to be one."
The group left, disappointed that their red sister didn't want to join as well as sad for her.
They journeyed for quite a while and had almost reached the limits of Rage's domain when a portal appeared in front of them.
Out of it stepped Rage.
She came to a halt and watched her sisters.
"Yes, Rage ? What is it ?" questioned the Yellow Cloak.
"I'm coming with you" she said seriously.
"What ?!" said several voices simultaneously.
"I'll fight. After all, I understand Master : I'm an unstable emotion and do indeed represent a threat. So I can't blame her for constantly bottling me up, or you for being afraid of me. But it wouldn't be fair if I refused to come and let Fraktal win. He said I didn't have the guts to fight him, that I was a cream puff… I'll show him who I am and what I can do !"
Knowledge smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, Rage. Thank you very much."
Rage smiled as well in return.
Happy, who for a change hadn't uttered a single word up to now, literally flew in Rage's arms and squeezed her tight.
"Oh, thaaaaaaanks, Red Riding Hood ! Uh, I mean : Sis' ! You're the best ! I so knew you couldn't ditch us ! WOOOOOT !"
All emotions winced at Happy's loud shrills.
"Turn it down, Pinkie !" scolded the Red Cloak. "And stop calling me… what you called me, or I swear I'll have YOU for dinner tonight !"
All emoticlones laughed at this.
Then all thanked Rage for her help, and soon the group of emotions, now complete, set out again.
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They were waiting.
Anxiously waiting.
West Titans and East Titans were speaking with each other, about what they had been through, about the eighth Keeper, about Fraktal.
And about Rage.
Would the most terrible of emotions accept to join them after refusing initially ?
Nothing was less sure.
But did they have a choice ?
Convince her would be an ever greater challenge than battling one of Fraktal's henchmen.
Yet it had to be tried with all possible determination. Because so were the "rules" of their enemy that each emoticlone was supposed to fight, and each Titan as well.
While the majority of the group chatted in the same part of the Vault, two Titans remained aside, alone in their own corner, the female lying on the ground but the upper part of her body resting in the nest of the male's crossed legs, him looking down at her.
"How are you feeling ?" gently asked Robin as he stroked his beloved's cheek.
"Honestly, weak, but I'll live…" she replied, giving him as a small smile.
"But you can heal yourself, can't you ? So I was wondering why you hadn't started yet ?"
His look was evidently a puzzled one behind the mask.
"You're right, I could have started already. But two things made me want to delay it. First, I wanted to spend time with you, Rob. I haven't seen you for such a long time that I didn't feel like already cutting myself from you again by starting the healing process. I want to stare at you until I'm too tired to keep my eyelids up."
She smiled tenderly at him, and he snorted, then leaned forward a lay a kiss on her forehead.
He didn't care about the others seeing, and besides, he felt that several of them had already guessed about Raven and him. Well, several of the Titans of course, given that the emoticlones naturally already knew.
She closed her eyes as she accepted the gift of his warm lips on her cold skin, and her smiled grew bigger.
"Thanks" she muttered.
And she kissed her fingertips and brought them to his mouth, pressing lightly on the lips.
"Ditto" he whispered, making her snort in delight.
She was happy, despite her being that weak. So happy to be with her friends again, and especially with the one who had stolen her heart away.
They stared at each other silently, the purple gaze losing itself in the blue and reciprocally.
(A/N : Yup, I decided to make his eyes blue, although I honestly hesitated with green… but then I thought it'd be cool that Robin's eyes colour would be the favourite colour of Raven, BLUE ! Sweet, is it ?)
They were so high on the emotional scale, and felt their hearts beat so powerfully within their chests.
Love really is such an amazing feeling, considering how it affects body and mind altogether.
Finally, Robin's face grew somewhat serious.
"You told me there were two reasons for your not healing directly. The first one was to spend some time with me before focusing on the spell and thus "cutting yourself" from me. And what was the second one ?"
She realized she had forgotten to mention that second reason indeed. Love had troubled her with such might that it had perturbed her memory.
"You're right. I was so hypnotized by your beautiful face that my memory failed me." This made Robin laugh lightly. "I wanted to stay awake to see if my emotions had managed to convince Rage to come fight with us. I'm really lukewarm about the outcome, considering Rage and her stubbornness, but I also know that Knowledge can have such clever arguments… If someone has a chance to persuade my demonic side to accept, it's definitely my wiser side. I wish it would prove successful… but it's really hard to bring Rage to her senses and make her change her mind !"
"I hear you, Rae. She's pretty unruly indeed. No offense, right. But on the other hand, Knowledge is the smartest of your emoticlones, so there's a chance, as you say… We'll have to wait and see for ourselves. But I'm really crossing my fingers for her to come. If she does, it will be strange battling by her side. I hope we'll get along good… well, not too bad."
"So do I… But you know, Rob, Rage isn't an evil emotion. She is too impulsive and has great difficulties with self-control, but she doesn't mean bad. She's just like that, all about wrath and destruction, as she embodies Trigon's negative power. She's the true demonic part of my personality, and I have to make sure she doesn't unleash too violently, or else… But she's not a bad person, no."
"Right. You know her better than I do, so I trust you. We'll see what happens…"
Just as he finished his sentence, eight coloured rays originating from Raven's gemstone landed on the floor and created spheres of the same colours, from which rose the totality of the empath's emotions.
Yes, although Raven and Robin couldn't believe their eyes, Rage was with her sisters !
Rae's eyes were as wide as possible.
She has come ! My most frightening emotion has come ! She agreed to help us ! I can't believe it !
But Robin's eyes were no less open under his mask.
No way ! Rage is with them ! Does she mean she accepts to fight with us ? With me ? We'll see, but if she was reluctant to, she certainly wouldn't have come.
The other Titans closed in, and on their faces appeared a similar astonishment, the moment they noticed that the red-clad emoticlone was of the number.
"You have accepted to come, Rage ?" asked Raven, who had now straightened herself but remained in the arms of Robin nevertheless.
"I have" simply answered the demonic female.
"What made you change your mind, tell me ?"
Rage seemed to think about how to expose it all.
"Knowledge had pretty good arguments, I shall say, and so had the others. At first, I still turned them down, remembering how you keep stifling me, but then, when I was alone again, I pondered things and put them in balance. I understood that you had to bottle me up for everybody's sake, even my own, because I would be affected myself if I caused a disaster with my violence. And that your meditation was only a way to make sure nobody was harmed, and nothing destroyed, which of course nobody would like. It occurred to me that I had to be controlled, to be "gagged", and that it was only for the best. But, you know, Master, I don't like being violent, I don't appreciate reacting harsh, I don't enjoy my dark behaviour… only I'm forced to it by some inner power which leaves me no choice ! Knowledge says it's Trigon's essence forcing me to act violently, while I for myself don't like doing so, and I think she's right. He forces me to act that devilish way, and I'm sorry for all the trouble I cause. I'm sorry for giving you that much concern, and that you're obliged to daily meditate to keep me in check. I realized all this as I thought things over by myself, and this made me change my mind and go back to my sisters."
Raven smiled.
She was actually surprised that her "unruly child", if one could say so, was talking that calmly and actually confessing in front of everybody else. But she enjoyed this particular moment, no matter how bewildered she was about this unknown behaviour of Rage's.
"It's okay, Rage. I know what you mean, and I know it's indeed Trigon pushing you to wrath. I don't blame you, yet I have no choice but make sure I control you at all time. I can't afford having a friend hurt if I let you take over. It's not against you, it's against Trigon's dark power I'm fighting. You're victim of his sneaky influence, so I can't blame you. And I thank you with all my heart for confessing all this to me, and also for accepting to help us in this difficult adventure. You have all my gratitude, and my friendship naturally."
For the first time ever, Rage smiled. None of her fellow emotions had ever seen her smile, neither had Raven, and therefore it felt strange to see that usually livid emoticlone suddenly smile. It wasn't exactly shocking, but definitely astounding, yes.
"Thank you, Master !" she said, and half-bowed to her owner.
"No, Rage, it's ME to thank YOU for your help. You have no idea how badly we need it. Fraktal made it so that every emotion and every Titan had to fight, and there was only you and Robin left. I'm sure you'll get along just fine, and I know you'll be victorious !" said Rae.
"Rage, thank you !" said Cyborg.
"Yeah, we owe you one !" added BB, his thumb up.
"You are most wonderful !" cheered Starfire.
All of the Titans East also thanked the Red Hood for her help and her courage to express herself in front of them all.
Finally, the four-eyed girl turned towards most of the Titans and all emoticlones, giving her back only to Rae and Rob.
"I want to thank you all for your kind words and your trusting me. I know I've been some burden to Master, and consequently to you all, and I apologize for that. And you have my word that I'll do my best to take that eighth Keeper down and show that Fraktal bastard that I DO have the guts he thought I hadn't !"
She smirked evilly as she said so, her four red slits narrowing at the mere thought of teaching Fraktal his lesson.
Then the symbol of Wrath, much calmer than she used to be, turned around and took a good look at the lovebirds, her Master still held by Robin.
"You look really great together, and I feel guilty breaking your embrace, I really do, yet we have some business to take care of, isn't it, Robin ?"
The Boy Wonder felt it strangely nice to see her smile again at him. He could definitely get used to Rage smiling.
"Yes, we have. And we will." He faced Raven and whispered : "I won't be long, Rae. Please do heal yourself while I'm away. I really need to see you fit when I come back. Take good care of you, my Love !"
The last part was whispered in an even lower voice than before, so no one but themselves could hear it.
"I will, and won't delay my healing any longer. Good luck for your fight ! I'm relieved you get to battle after being that frustrated of your not taking part in live action, as you were forced to remain here, but I will still worry for you while you're away. Take great care of you too, my Beloved !"
In this case as well, the last part was murmured, for them only to listen to.
Robin kissed Raven on her gemstone, not yet daring to give her a real kiss in front of everybody else – he didn't feel ready for it yet – and stroked her cheek, her hand squeezing his as he did so.
At last, he gently lay her down and smiled at her while she smiled back.
The leader walked over to Rage.
"I'm ready !"
Her smile reappeared.
"About time…" she teased him, and that too took the Caped Titan by surprise.
The new battling duet stepped to the dark portal and stopped in front of it.
The young acrobat turned around.
"Thanks for your help, everybody, and please take good care of Raven ! I promise we'll defeat that last Keeper and head to Fraktal real soon." Then he lifted his closed fist in front of himself, in a determined gesture. "Victory is ours !"
They all cheered for him.
Then, finally, Robin faced Rage, who nodded at him, and both ventured into the last part of Limbo, towards the final, mysterious Keeper…
/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\_/\
And there it was.
Some kind of a cliffie again, just as last chappy ending in suspense as well. Am I not too good at this, uh uh ?
Anyway, I hope you're not too upset by my making Rage more… human, less demonic. I know this stands out, given her personality, but she embodies the negative side of Raven, and I precisely wanted to get ride of that negative side. My goal was to make even HER a positive character, among the heroes. And I also felt that she should express herself about how she felt, how she suffered from her exclusion, how she was forced to act the way she did : the idea her was to show that, despite her terrible deeds, she's still a victim in the end, and it's Trigon "pulling the strings" against Rage's own will.
I'd be glad to hear how you found it, if my "humanizing" the most dreadful of all emoticlones didn't let ya too… hum, lukewarm about it. I hope not.
And naturally, I couldn't help putting some sweetness between Rae & Rob, after their long-time separation. I like their intimate moments. I bet ya do too ?
Last, as ya could see, I didn't thank anyone in my foreword and afterword. That's because, to my great surprise, no one reviewed last chapter, CERBERUS… well, no one yet, at least ! Computer bugs somewhere ? Lack of time ? Probably, probably… Well, that's just a minor change anyway, and I'll certainly be able to thank someone again in next chappy.
Waow, it almost feels strange writing less than 8'000 words for once. I actually had planned something shorter, as the part between Victor & Moser wasn't planned at first. But it occurred to me that it would be nice to have Moser's return celebrated by a secret "welcome back" party wz all his colleagues, so… chappy's become longer, then !
Ah, last : the title of this chapter, REUNION, actually refers to three "getting back together" : reunion of Moser wz his colleagues, reunion of Rae & Rob, reunion of Rage wz all her sisters. So there are actually THREE reunions in this chapter !
Alright, I have to go, take care of my goddamn allergy (jeez, how I hate sneezing and having that running nose… and now, I have rhino-pharyngitis, Gottverdammer !)
Better health to ya all, and read ya soon !
Peace, Love, Ecstasy !
XXXX
("Allerguy")