"I'm HO~ME!" Terra yelled as she walked through the door leading into the den. "And I bring gifts!" As usual, she was decked out in her superhero threads, composed of skin-tight yellow shorts and a black, long-sleeved top. She also wore a pair of goggles that dangled around her skinny neck and a pair of gloves that covered her equally skinny hands. She was carrying a few shopping bags as well, but those were quickly tossed onto the couch as she collapsed on the couch between Robin and Cyborg, who were busily going at it in their Gamestation game, "Super Fighter Budokai".
Starfire looked up from her magazine excitedly. "Hello, Terra! We are glad you have returned!"
"Hey, short stuff, what's happenin'?" Cyborg greeted, just before powering up his warrior and charging for an attack. Robin dodged easily and kicked Cyborg from behind, sending his combatant flying across the arena to the edge of the environment.
"I never imagined I'd have this much fun shopping," Terra said as she dug through her bags of new clothes. "I've been so used to living life in the wild that I'd forgotten what it's like to have money to spend."
"Yeah. Our allowance sure comes in handy." The allowance came from S.T.A.R. Labs, the sponsors of the Teen Titan's tower and the funder of their superhero team. It was the Lab's way of paying them back for all their good deeds, so it was almost like a superhero salary. Of course, most of the Titans spent the money on unhealthy junk food, music, and magazines.
"I bought some stuff after visiting my 'friend'." Terra pulled out a CD set that was bundled up in a collector's case. She dangled it in Cyborg's view so he could see while he played. "This is for you!"
"The Boys II Men collection!" he exclaimed. He dropped his controller in his excitement, forcing Robin to pause the game in mid-charge. "No way! I heard they were out of this!"
"You'd be surprised what those guys down at the music store will pull out of stock for a pretty girl," Terra said evilly. She and Cyborg shared an evil laugh. Terra then pulled out another gift from a random bag and tossed it to Robin, who caught it deftly. "This is yours."
Robin cocked an eyebrow. "A Batman plushie?"
"Pull the string!" she ordered.
Robin found a string on the back of the doll and pulled it as ordered. A squeeky, childish voice emanated from the doll along with some cheesy superhero music. "Come, Boy Wonder! To the Batmobile!"
Robin cracked a smile. "...Right. I can only imagine what the old man would say if he saw this." Starfire giggled at his reaction.
"I knew you'd think it's funny." Terra opened another bag and presented a boxed gift to Starfire. "Here you go!"
Starfire literally squeeled with delight. "A mustard cake!" She was about to glomp the food product until Robin caught her in the nick of time. "Where did you find such a delectable item!?"
"Had it specially made. When I told the chef it was for you, they went nuts and decided to make a new cake mix just for mustard icing. I think you might start a new fad!"
"Oh, I cannot wait to try this super-sized pastry! Robin, try it with me!"
Robin balked. "I uh..." Before he could protest, Starfire flew over the couch and dragged the hapless hero by his cape into the kitchen. Terra laughed and wished Robin the best of luck.
"Where's Beast Boy and ol' Grumpy?" Terra asked as she gathered up the last two bags.
"Raven's meditating, I think," Cyborg said as he excitedly perused the CD's in his new collection. "I dunno where B.B went."
Terra shrugged casually. "He's probably loafing around in his room." She smiled mischievously. "But since I might get held up there, I'd better give Raven her present first. Heh heh."
"Good luck giving Raven a gift. Nothin' against Ray-ray, but she takes a long time to warm up to new people."
"Yeah... I don't think she likes me either. But the whole point of the gift is to get on her good side. Maybe after this, she'll stop snapping at me during training."
"I wouldn't count on it, but it's worth a shot." Cyborg smiled. "Good luck."
"Thanks!" Terra leapt over the couch with her two remaining bags and left Cyborg to squeel over his new music. Terra raced through the steel hallways, dodging around corners and hopping up stairs as she made her way to the roof. She reached the door to the rooftop and extended her hand towards the door, but stopped just short of grabbing the handle. She pulled her hand back and nervously clutched her heart.
She reached into the bag and pulled out a fresh, crisp hardcover book from one of the local book stores. This one was entitled "The Love Song of Night and Day" - one of those big poems written back when poetry was something every artist did, not just the coffee house crowd that Raven hung out with.
Terra opened the cover and read the inscription inside, as she had many times before to make sure it sounded right. "Don't let a little competition come between us." -Lil' T
Terra frowned to herself and put the book back in its bag. She hoped – no, she prayed – that this would cement some sort of friendship between them. The last thing Terra wanted was for another person to hate her for a natural force. Terra could control a force of nature, but she couldn't control people's hearts. All she could do was be herself, and hope for the best, just like any girl. She just hoped that Raven would understand that, and not try to label her as some little witch who stole men away from other girls.
The spry little hero put her smile back on, and pulled the door open. She walked out of the hall with her eyes closed in anticipation of the bright sun. Blindly, she bumped into something tall but soft like a pillow. She opened her eyes, and saw Raven right in front of the door she just went through. Terra's face was firmly planted in Raven's ample chest.
"Gak!" Terra quickly jumped back and bowed repeatedly. "I'm sorry Raven!" Knowing Raven, something as little as that could send her off the edge and plummet her into self-consciousness, preventing her from being in any kind of good mood whatsoever. What a way to start the day!
"Really, it was an accident," Terra said quickly, her eyes on the ground. "Don't go all Maleficent on me. I need to talk to you about-"
Terra looked up when she noticed that Raven wasn't growling or snarling at her, or trying to phase through her like some wraith or something. To her surprise, Raven was... laughing. Loudly. She was practically rolling on the floor.
"...This is new." So far as she knew, Raven never smiled unless it was a gentle smirk during a quiet moment between friends. She'd never heard of Raven smiling at a joke, let alone laughing her butt off over bumping into someone.
"Ha ha ha ha! Now that's what I call using knockers to open the door! Ha ha ha ha!!" Raven leaned against the side of the door to steady herself as she tried not to bust her gut from laughing to hard. Raven managed to calm herself down and regain her breathing ability. A few additional giggles escaped her lips before she managed to quit entirely.
Terra glowered intently. "Okay. Who are you, and what'd you do with the real Raven?"
Raven grinned. "Hey, no worries shortcake. This is the real me! I guess you could say I'm coming out of the closet."
"I'll say," Terra gawked. "I'd believe you were made of wood before believing you could laugh. It's scary." Terra again stared at the girl suspiciously. "Is this some kind of joke? Did Cyborg put you up to this?"
Raven laughed again and patted the girl on the back. "Take it easy, sister. Just accept it. You don't know Jack, or Jill, about me." The mystic tittered at her own pun and bounced down the stairs into the dark halls, twirling like a ballerina as she did so. Terra watched in stunned awe as she disappeared.
"Raven... what's happened to you?." Terra closed the roof door behind her and followed, her bags of gifts still dangling in her grasp.
~~
The other Titans watched, wide-eyed and speechless, as Raven disregarded every stereotype they'd made for her up until that point. The girl danced around the room, ogled the various items situated throughout the room, gazed in awe at the massive theater system in the den, and basically bounced from corner-to-corner in an instantaneous tour of the area. It was as if she were a child seeing it all for the first time, and neither of those factors made any sense.
"Any guesses, detective?" Cyborg managed to say.
Robin's jaw was practically touching the ground. "I, have NO idea, what's wrong with her. It's like she's a completely different person."
Cyborg hmmed thoughtfully, then disregarded the thought he had. "Nah... couldn't be."
"Raven, is something wrong?" Starfire asked unsurely. "You are acting 'freaky'."
Raven pirouetted across the room and landed in front of Starfire, making the alien girl draw back as if a hyena was standing in front of her. "Star, I've never realized how beautiful your hair is until now! Oh, I really should grow my hair out and try that style out myself. What do you think?"
Starfire sweatdropped and tried to smile. "Y-yes, perhaps. Heh heh... heh." The alien promptly zipped away from the mystic and hid behind Robin's cape. Robin and Cyborg were still baffled as to what to make of Raven's behavior. Raven laughed at the faces they made, then resumed her joyous dance routine, as if in celebration of being free from some unknown prison.
Terra walked into the room, bags in hand, and her face still curled in shock from what happened on the roof. She joined the other Titans in staring at their wayward ally.
Cyborg looked down at her. "That must've been one heck of a gift."
"Wasn't me," she replied. "I found her like this. Must've been a good meditation."
"The meditation is supposed to calm her down," Robin noted. "This is the exact opposite; it's what she's always been afraid of. Something must have gone wrong."
Raven twirled to a halt and curtsied to the group. "Nothing's wrong. I've just outgrown that old limitation. Thanks to you guys!" Raven telekinetically grabbed the gathering of heroes and clutched them all in a big group hug, scaring them all with her incredible joyousness. They trembled in their grip as if the Joker himself had grabbed them.
"You've... outgrown your limitation?" Robin echoed. "You mean, you found the answer you've been looking for?"
Raven poked the boy's nose. "On the nosey! I've grown strong enough to have my cake and eat it too! Thanks to you guys, I can start experiencing all those emotions I keep bottled up inside. But of course, I have to start slow. So..."
Cyborg nodded in understanding. "So, you're 'Happy' then, right?"
"Right!"
"It's obvious she's happy," Terra griped as she pried herself from the group hug. "But what's all this about finding an answer? Outgrowing her limitation?"
Raven dropped the Titans still in her bear hug and bounced over to Terra like a toon out of an animated show. "I could explain it to you, but that would be boring. I'm in the mood for fun and games!" Raven smiled like a goblin with an evil idea. "And speaking of which, where's that cute little Beast Boy?" The mystic disappeared into the floor like a shadow, leaving the room deathly silent for a moment. Soon, they heard Beast Boy screaming in surprise from down the hall.
"You buy all that?" Cyborg whispered to Robin as the girls went to pursue Raven.
"No reason not to. It's been Raven's goal all along. I'm just glad she finely reached it." Robin smiled. "But we may have more problems on our hands than if this were some villain's work."
"Why's that?"
"You know what they say about people who've bottled up their emotions for too long. When they finally learn to express those emotions, they explode like a volcano."
Cyborg gulped. "That does sound bad. 'Happy' is bad enough. I can only imagine what it'll be like dealing with her other emotions all at once."
"Like she said, we have to take it slow. For her sake."
Beast Boy stormed out of the hall, wearing nothing but a towel and covered in shampoo suds. He left a trail of water behind him as he walked. His face was bright red. Terra and Starfire were escorting Raven back to the den. They too were blushing after having dived into the room to "save" Beast Boy from Raven's surprise. Raven, of course, thought it was hilarious and was yuking it up.
Beast Boy huffed one last time, and re-tightened his towel. "Okay. WHAT, is going on here!"
~~
It didn't take long to explain the situation to Beast Boy. Eventually, all the Titans understood that Raven had multiple personalities because of the spell that kept her father trapped in the astral plane. They understood that Raven couldn't show her emotions without putting the world at risk. And they understood that now, Raven thought she'd bypassed that limitation and was "experimenting" by letting parts of her personality join her in the conscious world. That was why "Happy" Raven was acting like she was seeing things for the first time. Up until now, she'd seen only fragments of these things in Raven's dreams and afterthoughts.
"... And she probably attacked you in the shower because she thought it was funny," Cyborg said, trying hard not to laugh. "Sorry man." Robin and the girls were trying equally hard not to show their amusement. Beast Boy, of course, was not amused and was burning with embarassment.
"I don't think this is funny," he muttered, his arms crossed defensively.
"They don't call you 'Beast Boy' for nothing," Terra said. She and Starfire giggled amongst themselves, while Beast Boy's red face grew redder still. His head looked like a giant apple with facial features at this point. Even though it was a compliment in a way, it was still embarassing to be seen naked by your roommates.
"So what do we do?" Beast Boy said, trying to change the subject. "So far as I can tell, Raven's gone insane and she expects us to let her go downtown to have fun. I don't think we should let her go!"
"Why not?" Cyborg snapped. "She's been waiting her whole life for this day! She wants to experience these emotions to their fullest!"
"Dude, she's a menace. I mean, she invaded my room! Who knows what she'd do if we let her go downtown alone."
"We won't send her out alone," Robin said. "You're right about her being underdeveloped. She's like a child when it comes to these emotions. We have to send someone to watch over her and make sure she doesn't get into trouble."
Starfire beamed brightly as she had a thought. "Perhaps Beast Boy should be the one to go with her! After all, I believe that Raven would love to-"
"No way!" Terra interrupted. "Beast Boy can't be anywhere alone with that girl. If anyone's going downtown with her, I say it's Robin!"
Starfire remembered what Raven just did to Beast Boy, and replaced Beast Boy with Robin in her mental picture. Her face turned red as she thought of how dangerous that could be. "No he will not! Robin will stay here with me while Raven is exploring!"
Robin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think I should-"
"No you should not!" Starfire flew over and covered the teen's mouth. "You will stay here with me, away from the crazy Raven."
Cyborg sweatdropped when he realized the girls weren't going to let "their" guys go anywhere near Raven while she was in this condition. He didn't blame them, quite frankly. He doubted the Happy Raven would pull anything dirty like they were thinking. But she would certainly be more open with her feelings to any guy she was with, now that she was bouncy and giggly.
"I guess that means I'm going with her?" Cyborg muttered. He was the odd man out when it came to the budding relationships. Typical.
"Good idea, Cyborg!" Starfire said cheerfully. Robin nodded, his mouth still painfully clamped by Starfire's hand.
"Thanks a lot, tin-head." Terra added with a smile. Beast Boy, however, was quiet on the matter. His mind seemed to be dwelling on Raven and her new behavior. His cheeks were still pink from the memory of being so exposed in front of her. She really was a whole different person now. The only problem was that Beast Boy wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
"Then it is settled," Starfire said. "Cyborg will take Raven out for the day to show her the sights and teach her what it means to be happy like a normal girl!"
Beast Boy frowned. He didn't want Raven to be a normal girl; he never did. He looked up at Terra, who smiled at him as she always did. He smiled back, and tried to forget his worries. They were probably pointless concerns anyway. This was just a phase. Raven would be back to her old self in no time, and everything would be hunky-dory.
... Hopefully.
~~
Raven bobbed her head to the pop music jamming on Cyborg's radio (to his regret). She danced in the passenger seat of the T-Car, her eyes closed as she swayed to the catchy music of the latest female pop icon. Cyborg drove with a hand on the wheel and his left arm resting in the window space on his side. The pop song reached its end, and Raven finished her little dance at the same time. The radio announcer came on to discuss the news at the top of the hour, which was Raven's cue to find some other conversation.
"Why aren't the others coming with us?" Raven asked. "I was looking forward to B.B and me spending time together too."
"They've got things to do at the tower. So for now it's just you and me." Cyborg stopped as a red light halted traffic. "Any place you want to go, we'll go, so long as you behave yourself."
"Oh, you know me!" Raven teased, laughing.
"I thought I did," he muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing." Cyborg followed the line of cars as the traffic started moving again, then turned into the right lane in anticipation of a turn-off for the local fairgrounds. He remembered one being advertised on TV the other day – some fair celebrating the new season and supporting some medical foundation. It sounded like a good place to get Raven started on her first day as a "happy" girl.
Meanwhile, up above the city, two heroes were scaling the rooftops and trying to keep up with Cyborg's car without being seen. Starfire flew casually threw the air as she always did, making sure to fly slow enough for Robin to keep up with her through roof-hopping. They stopped on the perch of a theater building overlooking the fairgrounds and watching Cyborg turn into the parking area far below.
"So this is where they're going to go," Robin noted. "Good idea. Fairs always get kids riled up, and Raven should be no different."
"Why are we spying on Cyborg and Raven?" Starfire asked. "Are they an 'item'?"
Robin tried not to laugh. "No. Cy' and I are just worried that something else is going on behind Raven's sudden emotional freedom. I told him I'd keep an eye from above while he watched over Raven below."
"Then... is it necessary for me to be watching as well?" Starfire asked.
"Not really. Why?" Before he could get an answer, Starfire zoomed into the fairgrounds and made a beeline for the ticket booth. Robin smirked in amusement, then drew his birdline to swing to a better vantage point within the fair.
Down below, Cyborg and Raven were in line, waiting to get tickets for the rides. Cyborg regretfully handed over a portion of his allowance to buy some of the overpriced tickets, which he probably wouldn't get to use anyway since this was technically Raven's day. This was exactly why Cyborg didn't bother trying to date San Francisco girls. They were way too costly for not much enjoyment, compared to friends or cars.
Behind them, two teens waited in line, both of them wearing black outfits and shades to obscure their features. One of them was still obviously green, which neutralized the purpose of disguising himself, but it was still a good look for him nonetheless. By the time they reached the ticket booth and got one ticket each, Cyborg and Raven were already lost inside the crowd.
Terra slid her shades down her nose and peeked at her compatriot. "Okay, time to drop your good looks and sniff out our quarry."
"'Least we both agree that these are good looks," he teased back. Beast Boy shifted shape into a green dog, his clothes and shades mysteriously disappearing as a result of the transformation. He sniffed the ground intently and followed the trail of oil and incense that matched his friends' scents. Terra followed behind him, her eyes scanning the crowd for signs of either Titan.
"What are we looking for?" Starfire whispered over Terra's shoulder.
"We're looking for- GAH!!" Terra jumped out of her socks and panted as her heart beat uncontrollably. She hissed back, "Star! Don't sneak up on us!"
"Sorry," she whispered sheepishly. "We are looking for Raven and Cyborg, yes?"
Beast Boy shifted back into man form, his black outfit returning. "They aren't 'Raven and Cyborg'. You make it sound like they're a couple. This is not a date." He reverted back to dog form and resumed sniffing the ground for a scent.
Terra scowled. "What do you care? It's not like you like Raven anyway."
The dog looked up, as if thinking of what to say, then resumed sniffing the ground and walking ahead. Starfire and Terra followed.
He didn't deny it, Terra thought regretfully. She knew that Beast Boy had stronger feelings than friendship when it came to Raven. But she thought that was old news – just something that Raven clung to and harbored in her heart secretly. Was Beast Boy still harboring some feelings too? If so... that message she put in Raven's gift about competition was more dangerous than she originally thought.
Beast Boy barked and bobbed his head, indicating the others should hurry up. The green bloodhound raced across the crowded fairgrounds, ducking behind haunted houses and performance tents. The girls followed quickly, ducking past pedestrians and performers alike, until finally they caught up with the dog outside of a "Tunnel of Love" ride.
"They went into the Tunnel of Love together!?" Terra gawked. "No way! Big Cy' and Grumpy Girl!?"
"I thought they were not an 'item'?" Starfire asked, confused.
Beast Boy reverted to human form and stormed into the ride, slapping his one and only ticket onto the counter. "There's just no way! Cy's pulling a sick joke, and I'm going to punish him for it!" Beast Boy disappeared into one of the duck-shaped carts that road into the Tunnel's dark interior.
"Hey, wait up!" Terra whined. She slapped her ticket on the counter, paying for her and Starfire (since the ride was intended for two people), and they hopped into the next duck to sweep by. The girls rode into the tunnel after Beast Boy and their quarry, and were instantly assaulted by disgustingly romantic music and bright, heart-shaped lamps lighting up the black tunnel.
Beast Boy rode impatiently in the duck, trying his best to see up ahead into the duck in front of him. The tunnel's ambience prevented his normal human vision from working, so he changed into a racoon and used its natural nightvision to see farther into the tunnel. The duck ahead of him had an actual couple in it, so he tried to look farther ahead still. Unfortunately, the angle of the tunnel and its turns prevented him from seeing the duck after the next one.
"Fine. I'll just swim up there and catch 'em red-handed!" Beast Boy growled. He changed into a water moccasin and slithered his way into the shallow water, making his way down the tunnel as silently as possible. He slithered past the duck in front of him and snuck upon the duck after that, changing shape into a human so that he could sneak up and listen at the same time. He heard feminine giggling that had Raven's peculiar tone to it. And from the sound of the giggling, she was really excited by something.
Gotcha. Beast Boy jumped into the duck and grabbed Raven's companion by the throat. "I gotcha you jerk! Get your meat hooks off of her!" He reared back and balled up his fist, ready to knock the teeth out of his so-called friend, taking advantage of Raven in her confused state.
Just then, the light of another heart-shaped lamp hit the cart. Beast Boy realized he was holding a giant stuffed bear from one of the prize booths.
Raven giggled from the seat nearby. "Gotcha, B.B." She called on her magic powers and dragged Beast Boy into the seat next to her, and tied him up with an ungodly number of safety belts. The giant teddy bear disappeared in a flash of darkness, again thanks to Raven's magic.
Beast Boy struggled against the belts as Raven laughed at her own genius. "What the... where's Cyborg!?"
"He was nice enough to go keep Star and Lil' T company while we have a little 'talk'." Raven scooted closer to her captive comrade.
"How did you know we were following you?" Beast Boy shied away nervously, but there wasn't much he could do while ensnared by so many bindings. He was at Raven's mercy, and at the moment he wasn't sure that was a good thing.
"Just because I'm happier today doesn't mean I've completely lost my senses."
"Then... you haven't gone insane?"
"I can calm down and act a little more 'normal' if I try. I'd just rather not... considering this is my first time feeling so free." Raven leaned against Beast Boy's side and rested her head on his shoulder gently. The ride continued into the next arc of the tunnel, themed like a hidden jungle paradise under a false night sky.
"Wh-what'd you want to talk about, exactly?" he asked nervously.
"I just wanted you to know that... I've always wanted to do this with you."
Beast Boy blinked into the darkness. "You wanted to ride the Tunnel of Love? With me?" Beast Boy looked down, feeling his cheek rub against Raven's silky hair as he did. "But... that doesn't sound like you at all."
"What do I 'sound like' then?" Raven said. "A stick in the mud?"
"That's not what I meant."
"I know." She chuckled lightly. "I just wish I could've come out earlier, before you grew bored of me. We could've had so much fun together at fairs like this. And I wouldn't have to steal you away like this."
Beast Boy frowned. Was that what the "real" Raven thought too? How different were the thoughts of this Raven and the Raven he saw everyday?
"I'm not 'bored' with you," he said, amazed at such a ridiculous thought coming from Raven. "How can I get 'bored' with somebody? That's something you say about a game, not a person."
"But... you never talk to me anymore."
"Because you never want me to talk to you!" Beast Boy whined. "Anytime I tried, you'd act like I was invading your territory or bothering you or something. So I stopped messing with you all the time."
"Then, you're not bored with me?"
Beast Boy shook his head vehemently. "Of course not! I feel the same about you as I always have!"
Raven wondered how that compared to his feelings for Terra. At the moment, she didn't care either way. Her heart filled with happiness just from knowing that he still thought about her, and that his lack of communication was because he thought that was what she wanted. He cared about her feelings.
"You don't know how happy that makes me feel," Raven sighed. She turned her head and pecked him on the cheek, before resuming her cuddling.
Beast Boy tried to think of a witty comeback, but all he could do was smile. His cheek, still touching Raven's, suddenly felt hotter than normal from somebody blushing. Whether it was him or Raven, he couldn't tell. Either way, it felt good to be so close to her.
"What do you think you're doing!?" shouted a voice from the darkness. Beast Boy nearly jumped out of his skin. Luckily, the safety belts were still restraining him.
"Terra?"
The blond flicked a match to light the darkness, revealing herself and Starfire on the head of the duck. Cyborg was on Starfire's shoulder, bound and gagged by what appeared to be a giant ribbon from the tunnel decor. He squirmed unsuccessfully, trying to break free of Starfire's grip with little success.
"Oh, hiya girls," Raven said from the comfort of Beast Boy's shoulder. "What kept ya?"
"You think this is so funny, don't you," Terra said, her eyes shining in the darkness thanks to the match hovering next to her face.
Raven giggled. "Definitely. Thanks for bringing B.B for me. We had a great time."
Terra burned with jealous fury. She growled back through clenched teeth. "No problem. Anything for a 'friend'."
Beast Boy struggled against his bonds. "Uh, guys? A little help here?" Starfire smiled brightly and used her starbolts to cut the seatbelts. Beast Boy leapt from the duck as it rolled towards the end of the ride. He glanced at Terra apologetically, then left the tunnel with Starfire and the still-captured Cyborg. The ride operator stared wide-eyed at the teenage heroes as they left.
Raven smirked at Terra. Her eyes glinted in the darkness. "Nothing wrong with a little 'competition', right?"
** "Don't let a little competition come between us." -Lil' T **
Terra glared angrily. "How did you know about that?"
The mystic skipped from the duck happily. "Magic." She turned to face Terra again and folded her hands behind her back. "I really appreciate the gift, you know. I really don't know what to say."
Terra hopped off the duck and stared coldly into Raven's eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, you're not the real Raven. And I'm not the only one that thinks so. I'm going to make sure you don't hurt Beast Boy or my friends."
Raven tried to make a cheerful reply. But even Happy was hurt by Terra's comment. She couldn't even smile. She's... afraid of us.
"Stay away from Beast Boy," Terra ordered. "If you do anything to hurt him, I'll..."
Raven's smile returned. "I'd never hurt him. We're best friends!"
Terra glared fiercely, but answered calmly. "The sooner this emotion kick of yours ends, the better." Terra disappeared into the crowd outside.
Happy subconsciously spoke to her sister. "Did that go well or no? I'm not good at sarcasm."
"...Don't worry about it. You did fine. Terra has a big mouth."
"She seems nice to me. She cares about her friends as much as I care about my sisters."
Raven coaxed her body into moving. "Whatever. Let's get out of here before security makes a big deal out of it."
"But I'm not done hanging out at the fair yet!"
Raven yawned deeply as she pulled her hood over her head. "We're done. Being cheerful is exhausting."
"I guess you're right," Happy said, bouncy as ever. "Maybe I can convince the others into playing a game of Super Fighter Budokai when we get back!"
Raven groaned. This was going to be a lo~ng day.
~~
Deep in the recesses of Raven's mind world, buried underneath the castle where her personalities gathered, there existed a dungeon. Although the dungeon was built for many prisoners, there was only one prison cell in use. Inside this cell, a single figure cloaked in red was held prisoner. In addition to the cell itself, the prisoner was trapped inside a steel jacket of chains and locks, all of which linked to the ground to heavy cinder blocks built into the floor itself. It would take a psychic force of incredible strength to break through those chains and free the prisoner inside.
But Anger didn't have to be free to exert her influence on her host.
"Raven has taken the bait," Anger said in retrospect. "She trusts the word of her maternal sister so much, that she is willing to throw away years of warnings for this chance." Anger chuckled, the malevolent tone of the laugh able to chill even the most hardened warriors to the bone.
"So long as I control the golden-robed persona, I can manipulate the events leading up to my freedom."
Anger smirked to herself. "And my first act of vengeance, will be to torture this boy so close to Raven's heart. And I know just the way to do it..."
The demon's laughter echoed through the cold, lonely halls of the dungeon. The only essence to hear the laughter was the ever-silent, ever-listless spirit known as Pain. Raven's darker self ignored the laughter, for it didn't scare her anymore. To her, death was the only future that would satisfy her need for freedom. And given time, Anger would bring about that death she so desired.
It was just a matter of time.