~ The Raven's Omen - Epilogue
They found the perfect place for it. A soft, grassy spot not too far from the bay. Omen's small grave was the thing that stuck out the most in that plain pasture. That day, the Titans held a moment of silence for their deceased honorary member. Omen would always remain in their hearts...
~\~/~
Raven sat on her bed, her back against the frame as she looked ahead blankly; like if someone had been fumbling with her mind. Besides her blinking and constant pulsing fingers, she looked completely immobile. Not even the knock on her door seemed to faze her.
"Come in," she said monotonously, not even caring to ask who it is.
The door slid open and Starfire and Cyborg walked in as quietly as possible. They both smiled slightly for her, even if she didn't notice it at all.
"We just wanted to see if you were alright, Raven," Cyborg said.
"...I lost it," she finally said. Star and Cy both gaped, confused.
"What have you misplaced, Raven?" Starfire asked curiously, tilting her head.
The goth girl's mouth hung open but then closed again. She either didn't feel like explaining it or just couldn't find the words for her to say. Cyborg followed her line of vision to the bare wall and looked back at her strangely.
"She HAS lost it...!" he murmured to himself, raising an eyebrow.
Starfire glanced from the wall back to Raven. "Perhaps we should go get Robin...?" she suggested, feeling 'weirded out' as well.
Without another word, Cyborg ran out the door, leaving Starfire behind to stare worriedly at her only female companion in this place. Reluctantly at first, she hovered over to Raven's bed and kneeled down beside her, standing guard. Raven suddenly turned her head towards her -- the first movement she has done since she entered and her mouth opened vaguely again.
"I lost the gift..." she said, now with her eyebrows raised.
"Raven...?" Starfire repeated, hoping to get a much firmer grasp of what she was saying. Just then the rest of the Titans entered.
"What is it?! What's wrong with her?!?" BeastBoy found himself blurting out.
"Calm down, dawg. She's probably just shaken up. Looks like Starfire has it handled." Cy assured. They all closed the distance between them and Raven and they waited for the moment for it to all be explained.
Raven sighed. "I got up this morning... and it was just gone. Can't turn into a bird, can't talk to them anymore," she admitted. "How?"
The whole gang exchanged looks again. Raven's gift was not a curse; it was created by a toxic surge through her body. So... why has it been lifted? Would they ever find a reasonable answer to this in that very hour? Robin scratched his neck, desperate to break the ice.
"I honestly don't know, Raven," he said. "But maybe it was just your time. Maybe it was something... you were not meant to handle the rest of your life."
Raven understood. She flung her legs to the edge of the bed, standing up. Everyone else backed away and gave her room. Raven raised her expressionless face and walked past them. "Well... picnic, anybody?" she said, looking over her shoulder at their surprised expressions. They stayed there for a moment until Cyborg hooted with excitement.
"Race ya'll downstairs!!" he yelled as he ran out the door, Robin and Starfire laughing and running after him. BeastBoy walked next to Raven, patting her on the shoulder.
"Nice job, my student," he said. Raven smiled briefly before breaking into a sprint down the stairs. BeastBoy laughed and glided as an eagle after his friends. This was going to be another great day.
~\~/~
In the bowels of solitary confinement, Megara laid down in the middle of the windowless room; a straightjacket wrapped around her body. She shivered uncontrollably-- not because of the cold, but the surplus fury that boiled inside of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for that dreaded door to unlock and take her to her final fate. Megara opened her eyes when footsteps down the hall were approaching her cell.
The door opened and closed. Someone was in the room. Megara stirred slightly. The only source of light came from a crack under the door, but it was enough to make out the silhouette of the man in her cell. She gasped and braced herself mentally for the worst.
"Hello, Meg," his voice rang out. There was a trivial discontent in his voice, but Megara could sense his smirk. "I take it you are as displeased with your work as I am..."
She didn't dare speak out. She rested her head against the floor shakily.
"The Titans sure are a challenge for those unprepared. Not very often do I hire someone like you to take care of such a big task. I feel ashamed, really..." some kind of weapon cocked in the background. "And I have no choice but to keep my promise, Meg."
He kneeled down beside her. Megara quivered when feeling something cold and metallic against her forehead. It was a gun. Another metallic surface reached up to her jaw as she saw it was her master's gloved hand cupped under her chin for her to stay unmoving.
Her green eyes were filled with fear as she met his. "I have failed. I'm sorry..." she whispered.
"So am I," he said unemotionally. "I'm sorry almost every person I hire... has to come to this. It is a true waste..."
Outside the halls of the solitary confinement, an alien zapping noise is heard along with a bright flickering light that died immediately. Policemen and guards rushed to the scene, weapons drawn and kicked open Megara's cell... to find it completely empty, her straightjacket limp on the cement floor.
As if she just... vaporized.
The guards looked around, but no one was in the room besides them. They lowered their weapons as they stared at the scene confused. A camouflaged man stood alone, hiding from them behind the shadows; his laser gun flaccidly held in his right hand.
~\~/~
"Hike!"
Cyborg threw a football across the park, Robin and BeastBoy running after it like mad, laughing all the way. Starfire stood under a tree beside Raven, cheering on the boys.
She clasped her hands together, her eyes darting from one Titan to another. "Go, Robin! Go, BeastBoy! Go, Cyborg! Go..."
"Starfire? You do know that they're just throwing the ball around, right?" Raven said, raising an eyebrow.
"Vigor talk is most important when at recreation, Raven," Star answered what to her seemed like a rational answer. Raven just looked at her warily and stuck her nose back in her leather-bound book.
Minutes later, Starfire joined the game and BeastBoy stepped out, walking in a happy trot and humming a distinctive tune as he approached Raven. He fell silent when approaching Raven, remembering the last time she was interrupted from her reading she had been quite peeved. Leaning against the tree trunk, he peered down at the book.
"So... what is that you're reading?" he asked, in an attempt to sound engrossed.
Raven returned the stare with raised eyebrows, giving him a look of almost unnoticeable surprise. But without another expressive falter, she lowered the book onto her lap and closed her eyes. "Nothing that might interest you. I've been reading about ancient hexing rituals... and those event you might call 'mumbo jumbo' or 'witch's brew'..." she murmured monotonously.
BeastBoy frowned momentarily. "You're saying you got my character all figured out, huh?" he said with a smirk as he sat down beside her.
Raven fought a smile and self-entertainingly levitated a rock near her to concentrate her energy into it, instead of letting it whip out as emotion. "Maybe, maybe not."
There was a brief moment of silence before BeastBoy whipped out his traditional grin and slugged her knee lightly. "You know I don't like it when you go all 'mystery girl' on me."
Raven didn't answer, but the glint she had in her eyes could clearly say a mischievous 'I know'.
----------------------------------------
THE END
A/N: Crappy ending, I know. -_-;; Thank you to those who had not lost patience with my terribly slow updating. I almost lost faith on myself, actually. You guys rock beyond all measure. *salutes* Farewell.
They found the perfect place for it. A soft, grassy spot not too far from the bay. Omen's small grave was the thing that stuck out the most in that plain pasture. That day, the Titans held a moment of silence for their deceased honorary member. Omen would always remain in their hearts...
~\~/~
Raven sat on her bed, her back against the frame as she looked ahead blankly; like if someone had been fumbling with her mind. Besides her blinking and constant pulsing fingers, she looked completely immobile. Not even the knock on her door seemed to faze her.
"Come in," she said monotonously, not even caring to ask who it is.
The door slid open and Starfire and Cyborg walked in as quietly as possible. They both smiled slightly for her, even if she didn't notice it at all.
"We just wanted to see if you were alright, Raven," Cyborg said.
"...I lost it," she finally said. Star and Cy both gaped, confused.
"What have you misplaced, Raven?" Starfire asked curiously, tilting her head.
The goth girl's mouth hung open but then closed again. She either didn't feel like explaining it or just couldn't find the words for her to say. Cyborg followed her line of vision to the bare wall and looked back at her strangely.
"She HAS lost it...!" he murmured to himself, raising an eyebrow.
Starfire glanced from the wall back to Raven. "Perhaps we should go get Robin...?" she suggested, feeling 'weirded out' as well.
Without another word, Cyborg ran out the door, leaving Starfire behind to stare worriedly at her only female companion in this place. Reluctantly at first, she hovered over to Raven's bed and kneeled down beside her, standing guard. Raven suddenly turned her head towards her -- the first movement she has done since she entered and her mouth opened vaguely again.
"I lost the gift..." she said, now with her eyebrows raised.
"Raven...?" Starfire repeated, hoping to get a much firmer grasp of what she was saying. Just then the rest of the Titans entered.
"What is it?! What's wrong with her?!?" BeastBoy found himself blurting out.
"Calm down, dawg. She's probably just shaken up. Looks like Starfire has it handled." Cy assured. They all closed the distance between them and Raven and they waited for the moment for it to all be explained.
Raven sighed. "I got up this morning... and it was just gone. Can't turn into a bird, can't talk to them anymore," she admitted. "How?"
The whole gang exchanged looks again. Raven's gift was not a curse; it was created by a toxic surge through her body. So... why has it been lifted? Would they ever find a reasonable answer to this in that very hour? Robin scratched his neck, desperate to break the ice.
"I honestly don't know, Raven," he said. "But maybe it was just your time. Maybe it was something... you were not meant to handle the rest of your life."
Raven understood. She flung her legs to the edge of the bed, standing up. Everyone else backed away and gave her room. Raven raised her expressionless face and walked past them. "Well... picnic, anybody?" she said, looking over her shoulder at their surprised expressions. They stayed there for a moment until Cyborg hooted with excitement.
"Race ya'll downstairs!!" he yelled as he ran out the door, Robin and Starfire laughing and running after him. BeastBoy walked next to Raven, patting her on the shoulder.
"Nice job, my student," he said. Raven smiled briefly before breaking into a sprint down the stairs. BeastBoy laughed and glided as an eagle after his friends. This was going to be another great day.
~\~/~
In the bowels of solitary confinement, Megara laid down in the middle of the windowless room; a straightjacket wrapped around her body. She shivered uncontrollably-- not because of the cold, but the surplus fury that boiled inside of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for that dreaded door to unlock and take her to her final fate. Megara opened her eyes when footsteps down the hall were approaching her cell.
The door opened and closed. Someone was in the room. Megara stirred slightly. The only source of light came from a crack under the door, but it was enough to make out the silhouette of the man in her cell. She gasped and braced herself mentally for the worst.
"Hello, Meg," his voice rang out. There was a trivial discontent in his voice, but Megara could sense his smirk. "I take it you are as displeased with your work as I am..."
She didn't dare speak out. She rested her head against the floor shakily.
"The Titans sure are a challenge for those unprepared. Not very often do I hire someone like you to take care of such a big task. I feel ashamed, really..." some kind of weapon cocked in the background. "And I have no choice but to keep my promise, Meg."
He kneeled down beside her. Megara quivered when feeling something cold and metallic against her forehead. It was a gun. Another metallic surface reached up to her jaw as she saw it was her master's gloved hand cupped under her chin for her to stay unmoving.
Her green eyes were filled with fear as she met his. "I have failed. I'm sorry..." she whispered.
"So am I," he said unemotionally. "I'm sorry almost every person I hire... has to come to this. It is a true waste..."
Outside the halls of the solitary confinement, an alien zapping noise is heard along with a bright flickering light that died immediately. Policemen and guards rushed to the scene, weapons drawn and kicked open Megara's cell... to find it completely empty, her straightjacket limp on the cement floor.
As if she just... vaporized.
The guards looked around, but no one was in the room besides them. They lowered their weapons as they stared at the scene confused. A camouflaged man stood alone, hiding from them behind the shadows; his laser gun flaccidly held in his right hand.
~\~/~
"Hike!"
Cyborg threw a football across the park, Robin and BeastBoy running after it like mad, laughing all the way. Starfire stood under a tree beside Raven, cheering on the boys.
She clasped her hands together, her eyes darting from one Titan to another. "Go, Robin! Go, BeastBoy! Go, Cyborg! Go..."
"Starfire? You do know that they're just throwing the ball around, right?" Raven said, raising an eyebrow.
"Vigor talk is most important when at recreation, Raven," Star answered what to her seemed like a rational answer. Raven just looked at her warily and stuck her nose back in her leather-bound book.
Minutes later, Starfire joined the game and BeastBoy stepped out, walking in a happy trot and humming a distinctive tune as he approached Raven. He fell silent when approaching Raven, remembering the last time she was interrupted from her reading she had been quite peeved. Leaning against the tree trunk, he peered down at the book.
"So... what is that you're reading?" he asked, in an attempt to sound engrossed.
Raven returned the stare with raised eyebrows, giving him a look of almost unnoticeable surprise. But without another expressive falter, she lowered the book onto her lap and closed her eyes. "Nothing that might interest you. I've been reading about ancient hexing rituals... and those event you might call 'mumbo jumbo' or 'witch's brew'..." she murmured monotonously.
BeastBoy frowned momentarily. "You're saying you got my character all figured out, huh?" he said with a smirk as he sat down beside her.
Raven fought a smile and self-entertainingly levitated a rock near her to concentrate her energy into it, instead of letting it whip out as emotion. "Maybe, maybe not."
There was a brief moment of silence before BeastBoy whipped out his traditional grin and slugged her knee lightly. "You know I don't like it when you go all 'mystery girl' on me."
Raven didn't answer, but the glint she had in her eyes could clearly say a mischievous 'I know'.
----------------------------------------
THE END
A/N: Crappy ending, I know. -_-;; Thank you to those who had not lost patience with my terribly slow updating. I almost lost faith on myself, actually. You guys rock beyond all measure. *salutes* Farewell.