I thought I could celebrate the story getting 500 reviews with a quick update...
XXXX
"You're more than welcome to ask." Raven assured her friend. She could sense the teen's increasing curiosity and knew that there was a lingering question in her mind. If she didn't prompt the blonde, she never would ask.
"Do you often think, feel like?" she was interrupted yet again.
"You're wondering if I often have the urge to wreak havoc on mankind in order to satisfy my bloodlust?" the older woman finished knowing exactly what the blonde's question entailed.
"I wasn't going to put it like that." Terra frowned at the brutality of her words.
"I know you wouldn't." she would have found a much gentler way to pose her question because she wasn't trying to offend by asking. Raven also knew she wasn't asking for the sake of satiating her curiosity, but because she wanted to understand her. "Yes I do feel like that." she replied honestly. "But I don't act on my feelings."
"It's not worth it is it?" the blonde asked. "To kill such weak creatures… it would be akin to an exterminator killing off the population of an anthill." she surmised. "You just toss one can of poison into the hill and it's all over."
There was no excitement because she knew she would easily succeed. She could wipe off the entire human race and she wouldn't even break a sweat. There was no one to oppose her that stood a chance, other than Terra perhaps. And she was another reason why she found herself holding back as well. Any destruction she caused would only cause devastation to the one person who mattered. Besides, the half demon couldn't taint her element with the blood of the weak and undeserving.
If it were anyone else, they would have thought she couldn't bring herself to end mankind because she was half human but Terra understood her. The teen knew she wasn't sentimental when it came to her lighter half.
"There would be no honor in ending this world." she remarked. A smile passed through the girl's lips. "What is it?"
"For a dark and dangerous being, you sure are righteous." she jested. "I thought demons were supposed to uncaring, have no morals, no belief in wrong or right." teased the blonde.
"I prefer to term it as myself having standards." the older woman countered with a smirk.
"Ever the elitist, I see." Terra chastised the blue haired female. She shook her head in mock disagreement. "I'm suddenly thankful for the enhancements in my abilities," she revealed with honesty. "I don't think you'd want to spend time with me if I were some weak human." the girl said with a small grin.
"You really think me that shallow?" the half demon asked, frowning slightly as she did so. "I suppose I can't blame you if you do." she really couldn't, not after her tirade about the frailties of mankind and how they weren't worth her time.
"It's alright. I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to spend time with me if I didn't have my powers." she assured the older woman. "There's nothing special about me." she conveyed her apparent understanding. "It's comforting, knowing there are some benefits to being a freak among freaks." the blonde smiled, letting the older woman know she hadn't said this to berate herself, but was just teasing.
Raven found herself wondering what would have been. She wondered what her relationship with Terra would have been like if the teen didn't have such extraordinary abilities. She admitted that what brought the blonde to her attention, aside from the fact that she speculated how she had returned her back into the waking world, were the blonde's superior skills.
Her powers had been the beginning foundation to their friendship. It was why she started spending time with the teen. She satiated her curiosity and amusement as she sparred and tested the blonde. Along the way, she started paying attention to the blonde.
She began to notice things about the teen that she hadn't before. The younger woman became an enigma the more time they spent with one another. Suddenly her intrigue hadn't been limited to the earth manipulator's powers but had extended to the teen herself. She debated with herself, analyzing the possible scenarios and came to one conclusion.
"Honestly… I think things would still be the same." she revealed, surprising herself and the blonde. "The only change would be time." admitted the older woman. "It may have taken us a little longer to get where we are now."
"What makes you say that?" the teen questioned.
She was convinced that if her powers had been limited to her manipulation of the earth, the older woman would have brushed her aside and paid no attention to her like she did before. It wasn't that she thought she was a snob. No, it was just that she knew the growth in her powers were fundamental to their friendship.
"It's true, your abilities provided the basis for our friendship but it's not the…" she paused. "Heart of it." the older woman deduced. "You are an even grander ingredient to the recipe that is us." she commented. "Your rationality and your wit amaze me more than your powers ever could." Raven revealed. It's very easy to see how commendable you are. I admire how you hold steady to your beliefs not out of arrogance or stubbornness but because you know in your heart that what you believe in is right yet you still have the ability to be open to the convictions of others, not judging them for thinking differently." these were just some of the blonde's qualities that enthralled the older woman about the teen. "I especially love how even though you are upset, you are still able to think clearly, not letting your emotions cloud your thoughts."
"Let me get this right," the teen started. "I'd still be your friend no matter what?" she clarified the older woman's point, blushing slightly as she did. The blue haired woman certainly didn't hold back on her accolades.
"I can't speak for my human half, but trust me when I say…" she stared into those penetrating light blue depths she often neglected. "You're the only human I could ever care for." Raven had never believed something as much as she did this. There was no one else aside from the blonde who could affect her so.
Sure her human half cared for the others for her teammates and she did too, partly because she knew that some of her other half's emotions lingered onto her area. It was understandable, with two halves sharing the same mind, it was unavoidable. The boundaries were always noticeable. She knew how to separate her emotions, she knew the distinctions between her feelings and her other half's.
Red poured into blue as she kept gazing into the windows of the blonde's soul. She was peering, observing and memorizing the emotions that were pouring through the teen. Never had she felt her so elated and at peace.
The intensity of the gaze didn't escape Terra. She often wished that she would have the blue haired titan's focus; that those eyes would look to her with genuine interest, one that hadn't been laced with amusement or shock. She dreamed that Raven would just look at her simply because she felt like it. She would have no specific agenda and just become absorbed with her.
The blonde could feel her heart pounding and realized that the older woman could hear this. Embarrassed she turned away quickly, her cheeks tinged red.
She hadn't realized that she was leaning on the blue haired demon's shoulder while they had been standing by the window, looking into each other's eyes. She stepped away. Her mortification seemed to be incessant. With her muscles still sore and weak, she found that the small movement had easily knocked her off balance.
"Thanks…" she expressed her gratitude to the older woman who had acted swiftly and caught her. Raven pulled the young titan closer to her. "What are you doing?" the meek question was asked.
The half demon supported the blonde with one arm as she snaked her other around the back of the teen's knees. She proceeded to carry the teen, cradling her in her arms. The teen remained absolutely stiff as the older woman continued to carry her. The blue haired woman furrowed her brows at her cargo.
"You really need to be more careful." concern was evident in her voice.
"Where are we going?" the blonde asked as she concentrated on the fact that she was moving farther away from the bed. She was insistent on having her focus somewhere else and not on the sensation of having the love her life hold her so closely.
It had been so long since the blue haired woman had carried her. The last instance she had been this close to the older woman was four years ago. But no matter how much time had passed, she still remembered what it felt like to be pressed up against Raven. She remembered the softness of her ashen skin, the warmth. There was a tingling sensation in her stomach, a sort of stirring that only occurred when she came in contact with her taller counterpart.
What she didn't remember was feeling so incredibly roused. And as her heart continued to pound into her chest, she knew what caused the change in her emotions. Before, she was just a lovesick prepubescent teen. Now, she was a lovesick adolescent with raging hormones.
"My place." reminded Raven.
"Right…" the suddenly absentminded teen remembered their arrangement. A knock on the door interrupted their solace. "Come in." she welcomed her visitors.
"Hey Terra." greeted the dark haired Tamaranean.
"Hey you two." she greeted her eldest sister and her pink haired friend who stood there looking confused. No doubt they were wondering why the older woman was carrying her. She suddenly became very grateful for their intrusion. Her older counterpart was probably about to question her about why she was so overwrought. She was sure the half demon could sense it.
"We just came to wish you goodnight." Jinx stated haltingly.
"And good-bye." the alien princess added. "We've got an early flight tomorrow." she reminded the young titan who nodded her head in remembrance.
"You came at the right time." the half demon informed them as she continued to hold the teen in her arms. "We were about to take our leave as well." upon hearing this, the clouded fog of confusion cleared their auras as they realized that Raven had been carrying the blonde so that she wouldn't have to tire herself out on the trip.
"Leave?" the dark haired Tamaranean asked, confused.
"I thought it would be best if I took Terra somewhere else, a place that isn't filled with bothersome characters." the half demon explained. Normally she would have just disregarded the question but seeing as the blonde wouldn't take too kindly on her doing that to her guardians, she decided against it.
"Oh." Blackfire said in understanding.
"That's logical." Jinx stated. She and her lover knew that the team leader would no doubt be hounding the two women and that environment couldn't help with the teen's recovery.
"Do you mind?" the recuperating titan asked.
"No of course I don't." the dark haired Tamaranean assured her sister. She wasn't going to make an issue about this and knew Starfire wouldn't either since they had both decided to trust the half demon. She approached the two women and stopped before the blonde. She wrapped her arms around the teen, embracing her.
"Miss you…" Terra muttered into the dark haired woman's shoulder as she returned the embrace.
"Me too." the older woman assured her as she squeezed the teen in her arms. "Take care of yourself." she instructed the blonde. "And enjoy the long weekend." Blackfire smirked. "But not too much…"
They broke apart and as they did, the eldest princess of Tamaran realized her close proximity to the half demon. She smiled an uneasy smile. It had been a while since she had come within an arm's length of the blue haired woman. The taller woman's eyes met hers.
She gulped. She had forgotten how shapely those eyes were. It had been so long since she looked into them that their red color seemed natural and ordinary. It suited the other woman. She was meant to have such penetrating scarlet eyes.
The ebony haired woman retreated. She returned to her girlfriend's side as she thought about how those eyes never lost their intensity. They were as vacant as she remembered them but they were still captivating. There was a hidden mystery behind those now blood colored pools that she often tried to decipher back when they were together. That was an impossible task for her, she knew.
She realized that she never had once recalled her relationship with Raven, not even before she started seeing Jinx did she remember.
"Catch you later, kid." Jinx hooked her arm on her lover's waist and the shorter woman instinctively leaned into her touch. The dark haired woman felt her mind become clouded at the contact. She suddenly remembered why she failed to think about her ex. She had been so consumed with her emotions for the other woman that she couldn't process thoughts about her former lover.
"See you." Terra smiled their way while they nodded goodbye to the blue haired woman who managed to return their farewell greeting with a nod of her own. The cat-eyed woman gave the teen a small wave before grinning madly.
"Don't do anything I would." she winked and proceeded to turn around and exit the room with her girlfriend intact.
Before exiting the room, lilac eyes took one last glance at her sister than at her sister's temporary guardian. The lingering gaze went unnoticed by Raven but her charge had not failed to detect it.
Her lilac eyes seemed to be recalling something as she looked at the half demon, what it was Terra was unsure but she knew it had must have had something to do with the time they were still together. There was a twinge of amusement mixed with fondness. She decided better than to think about how her sister looked at her friend.
Blackfire was more than content with her relationship with Jinx. There was no doubting that the two were absolutely in love. Terra was convinced that her sister must have just been remembering something that happened while she was with Raven but it didn't mean that she would end her relationship with her pink haired lover and start anew with the half demon. She couldn't condemn her sister for thinking about their past.
It was normal for people to look back at their past in order to appreciate their present or plan their future. She would know, seeing as her mind often reverted back to earlier, simpler, times.
She looked at the older woman who held her. She didn't seem to be affected by the close proximity of her former lover. Terra remembered what the half demon said, about how she herself didn't love the two princesses but she had been forced to love them since her human half had fallen for them. She briefly wondered what the half demon's type would be.
The blue haired half demon proceeded to use her powers and grabbed the bags Blackfire and Jinx had left sitting on the floor by the door. With the luggage floating in midair she teleported her, the blonde in her arms, Luna, and the teen's belongings.
Still focusing on things other than her scanned her surroundings. They appeared to be standing in a lavish entryway. She could tell from the smooth texture of the marble beneath the older woman's feet and the flawless white walls. Her eyes continued to roam her alien environment, noting the showpiece on the round center table, the grand coiling stairway with its carved railings before settling on the hall ahead.
"I was going to give you a tour tomorrow, but I suppose you won't be getting to sleep any time soon." revealed the older woman as she looked to the teen in her arms and found those light blue eyes brighter than ever. She noted the restless and hopeful gleam. "But now's a good a time as any, I suppose." Raven added, smirking at the teen's enthusiasm.
"If it's not too much trouble." said the younger woman as she made the move to leap out of the half demon's arms. The blue haired demon held onto her, preventing her from attaining any sort of personal space. "What is it?" she asked.
"You're not fully recovered." reminded the demon.
"Yes, but I can still walk." argued the teen. She really didn't think she could last being this close to the elder woman. It was simply agonizing, being so close to her and not being able to touch her in the manner she wanted to.
"I would prefer if you didn't exhaust yourself too much." she confessed.
"But I thought we were going to start training?" training meant that she would have to exercise, meaning that she would have to strain herself in order to attain improvement.
"We don't start training until you're at a hundred percent." she remarked. "You think me such a slave driver?" she teased.
"No!" the blonde disagreed. "Of course not." she confessed to the older woman. "I just don't want you to have to carry me around." Terra admitted.
"Well, I'm afraid carrying you is a part of the tour." she admitted. Whether or not the teen had chosen today or tomorrow for a grand tour of her house, well she still would have insisted on carrying the blonde. "Aren't you comfortable?" Raven asked, wondering what the source for the blonde's discomfort could be.
"I am!" she assured her a bit too quickly. "I just don't want to be a bother… you're doing so much for me already." Terra stated this part of the truth, choosing not to note about how having the older woman so close to her was making it hard for her to think.
"You aren't a bother." her voice was soft, conveying truth and comfort. "I want to do this."
Of course the blonde was trying to put the blue haired demon's needs before her own. They both knew that she was already stepping way out of her comfort zone by letting the blonde stay with her in her alter ego's home. She was already letting her in and the teen knew that this was a radical and unexpected action for her to take.
"If you're sure." stated Terra. She would put aside her unease for the blue haired woman's happiness. Besides, she supposed she should revel in this moment seeing as it might be another four years before Raven would hold her like this again.
"I suppose we should start with the sitting room." Raven informed the blonde. She wasn't really sure how to give tours, never having to give one before. The older woman stepped further into her abode, taking great care of her package. They turned left and bright blue eyes were introduced to the very formal yet accommodating living room. "This isn't a bathroom." the half demon looked to the fox that had been on their trail.
"Don't worry… Luna's been trained." the blonde commented. The arctic animal jumped up in agreement. "Don't listen to the mean demon." she advised her pet.
"Any other animal would be wise to." Raven peered at the tiny creature who responded by pawing her leg.
Terra laughed. Her pet, like herself, had been unafraid of her hostess. She watched as the fox jumped in front of them. The blue haired titan got the hint and used her powers to lift the animal from the ground. Luna floated in the air before settling into her master's lap contentedly.
The blonde noted the hanging curtains by the windows, the leather couch and loveseat, and the matching arm chair, along with the coffee table that sat in the center. Her eyes lingered on the very pricey looking Persian rug on the floor where the furniture rested.
Raven took her into the next room, the formal dining room. She saw the table and chair set, noticing the fine wood work on the details of the grooves and etchings. The table sat could probably seat twelve people but there were only ten chairs, allowing more space in between the people.
They proceeded into the kitchen. Her eyes drifted from the stove and sink that were located on the island counter. She noted the marble countertop, the two doors; one which led to the garage the other led to the patio. There was another flight of stairs located in the kitchen. She looked to the dining table to her right. It seemed the informal dining room was conveniently located in the kitchen. The older woman led her out of the room and into the hallway.
She pointed where the bathroom was as they crossed the hall and arrived in front of two ivory adjacent doors which opened with the use of the older woman's powers. Inside was the game room of the house, complete with a pool table and a bar. From the corner of Terra's eye, she saw a jukebox.
They exited the room and headed further into the hall, stopping before two brown doors. Raven opened the doors. The room appeared to be the library of the house. There were bookracks located throughout the room. The desk allowed the library to transition easily to a home office. There was also a couch and a reading chair located inside the room, as well as a coffee table and a side table complete with a lamp.
Across from their destination was the family room. Like the kitchen, it was more vibrant than the other rooms the blonde had seen. It made sense though. The kitchen and the family room were supposed to resemble the people living there. These areas were supposed to be more for comfort and intimacy rather than showcase and work.
An exit led them back to their starting point. This time, the blue haired woman climbed the stairs, not forgetting to take the blonde's luggage which sat in front of the center table.
Raven took her to see the guest rooms which were in no means tiny. Like all the rooms in the house, they were spacious and vary accepting. She showed her guest where the laundry room was and pointed out where the linen closet was. She also disclosed the location of another bathroom of the house.
They paused in front of the two red oak doors which opened a few seconds later. Terra could tell, from the size of the room, that this was the master suite. Her eyes scanned the room, observing Raven's home eagerly, absorbing each little detail.
The red sheets made the bed lively. She noted the large antique dresser that held a vanity mirror on the side of the room, the two night stands that sandwiched the king sized bed. She also saw the bed bench and the flat screen television facing it. She could see the bathroom from the partially open door. There was another door in the room. She guessed that this was the opening of the walk in closet.
"Your room is very beautiful." she commented.
"Thank you." replied the older woman. "Now for the piece de resistance, I saved your room for last." Raven stated as she exited her room and took the blonde toward her temporary quarters.
The room was located across from her hostess's. The doors opened with the use of the blue haired woman's powers. She stepped into the room, carrying the blonde with her. Terra observed her atmosphere. Her eyes wandered from the canopy bed toward the nightstand and the dresser. On the foot of the bed was a bed bench. It, like the rest of the furniture, matched. It was fairly similar to the other guest room.
The room, like the others, held such class and style. Now Terra's home at the Anders' household was by no means plain. No, she too had a queen sized bed and a dresser but her room was more modern. This room was archetypal, classic. Of course, Raven's room differed from hers seeing as it had a more personal touch to it.
"Your decorator is very good." the blonde stated as the blue haired woman brought her further inside her new domicile. "But they didn't really capture you." commented the young titan.
It was simple yet elegant, very much like Raven though she doubted that the older woman had any input in the design and furnishings of the room. It wasn't that she didn't have exquisite taste it was just that the blonde knew she would never be in a room picking out dry wall and carpet samplings. Nor would she ever participate in furniture shopping. She didn't have the tolerance for participating in these kinds of things. She thought them too trivial.
Besides, as much as the place was similar to the blue haired woman's characteristics, there was something very different from her as well. At first glance, one would think the place fit her personality but if one looked hard enough, they would be able to see that this wasn't so.
The house was too soothing. It failed to catch the beauty of the turmoil within Raven. Of course this didn't mean she was looking for disorder. No, the chaos within the blue haired woman wasn't like the unrest one found in others.
It was quiet really, almost unnoticeable by the untrained eye. She expected a more somber tone, less brown furniture and more white perhaps. Perhaps she also expected a bit more gray and black in the décor of the place. It wouldn't make the place look dull and lifeless. Quite the contrary, it would simply allow the house to portray Raven in her natural environment.
"What makes you say that?" the blue haired demon asked, her curiosity peeking.
"Well, it looks like it could be you… its classic yet chic." replied the young blonde. The older woman urged her on. "But it's not really. It's too…" she searched for the right word. "Buoyant."
"Are you saying if it were up to me, the rooms would be decorated in all black?" she teased the teen.
"Yes." Terra replied, playing along. "Also maybe some upside down crucifixes hanging, maybe even a pentagram." the older woman smirked. "I don't know… it just doesn't feel like you. It's quaint, but not too picturesque. Everything seems so at peace… not like you, constantly battling with yourself, with your emotions." described the teen.
"You know me too well." she commented as she looked at the blonde in her arms. She placed the teen on the bed and picked up the small animal in the blonde's arms, placing Luna next to her patient before slipping the covers onto the titan.
"Otherwise, the decorator did well. They made sure to accent on the space, giving you a look that isn't cluttered and makes each room accommodating." the teen shared her views. "Everything's according, timeless. Classic." if she had to describe the house with one word, classic was perfect.
"I'm glad you think so." Raven commented with a faraway look in her eyes. Before the blonde could ask what was wrong, the blue haired woman focused on her. "Is there anything else you need?"
"No, I don't think so." Terra responded as she ran her hand through her fox's snow white fur.
"Do you need help unpacking?" the older woman asked and the blonde shook her head no in reply. "I suppose you should rest now." Raven used her powers and the remote on the edge of the bed floated and was placed next to the younger woman. "Good night." she said as she turned and headed for the exit.
"Raven?" the teen called out to her. She paused by the door. "Thank you."
The older woman gave a small nod of acknowledgement before closing the doors and leaving the blonde to her own devices. She headed off to the master bedroom, a room she hadn't ever slept in.
Red eyes peered into the room. This was the first time she was seeing the room through her eyes. Her eyes lingered on the bed. There had been a few changes made to the other rooms, she'd been told, but this room had been left untouched. She found her feet drawn to the bed.
She couldn't bring herself to lay on it. Instead, she ran her fingers through the sheets. The sheets animated the bed. Of course she hadn't picked them out. Terra had been right. She had no say about the furnishings of the house, or the house itself for that matter.
The fact of the matter was the house had been purchased before her time. The abode had been fortunate that its previous owner and decorator had exquisite taste. After twenty something years, it stood the test of time and still proved to possess elegance and class. She suspected it was more sophisticated now than it was all those years ago.
Tearing her focus away from the bed the previous owner slept in, she exited the room. She went down the hallway and took the stairs with the kitchen access.
She headed straight for the fridge. She felt comfortable touching the handle seeing as this was one of the things that had been changed. It had no old connection to the house, not like the counter top or the sink. She grabbed a glass with her powers and filled it with ice and water. She drank the contents and placed the container down when she was through.
Why had she gone here? Why had she picked this place instead of her penthouse? Her senses focused on the blonde upstairs. Ah yes, Terra had been the reason she had chosen this particular spot instead of her newly renovated penthouse.
Was it because of some subconscious desire to share all her secrets? She had wanted the teen to know who she was but had she wanted her to know everything? Apparently so because if she hadn't she wouldn't have picked such an intimate place to house the blonde. She narrowed her eyes at the thought.
Had she really admitted that this place, the bricks, the furniture, held some value to her? No, she couldn't have. She wasn't the sentimental type, her almost nonexistent human half was, not her.
This was merely a location and nothing more, she reminded herself. There was nothing special about this place, even if there had been, this was of no consequence to her. To her human half perhaps, but to her, the dark and dismal bloodthirsty demon this was supposed to be impossible.
Then again, was it really impossible for her to care about this place? She cared about a certain titan watching television on the floor above her, why was it so farfetched for her to have the similar feelings about this abode?
She leaned onto the counter, chuckling softly as she did. Who could have thought a skinny little teenager could soften her cold calculating contemptuous heart? Her snickering reverberated throughout the empty room of the house. The notion didn't shock her. She accepted this, the change within her. The blonde hadn't made her any less her.
No, she was essentially still the same demon. The only difference was now, she didn't believe caring was a sign of vulnerability. If she hadn't cared for Terra, she wouldn't have found the strength to take control of this body form her human half.
It was her apparent affection for the blonde that triggered her most recent manifestations. She couldn't deny this. The proof was undeniable. The urge to protect and care for Terra was too strong to be ignored. She had proved to be a surprising yet most favorable source of vigor. Yes, the blonde had proved repeatedly that there was nothing wrong with a little change.
XXXX
I just want to thank you all for reading my humble fic and recognizing some of the elements I've put in the story. I'm glad there are readers who felt Starfire's pain and that not too many people are demanding Terra/Raven action be placed on the next chapter. This makes me think that there's enough going on the story to keep you interested even if our two main characters aren't doing the horizontal tango yet...
This is a Raven/Terra fic so it means they will end up together. The how and when are up to me to decide... Keep on reading to find out!
Anyway, what do you all think so far? More Raven/Terra emotional moments and we found out some very important information. For one, we know Raven's loaded. She has a house and a penthouse? Who the hell is her alter ego?
Drop a line and feel free to curse at me for keeping you in this much suspense...