[Ok, so I realise now that Raven fanfics have been done to death. But heck,
I'm going to keep writing this cow of a fanfic until it's done, and then
probably do a sequel if I can scrape together a few more ideas. For the two
people who were kind enough to take the time to read this and then review,
thank you.
Oh, and relating to Rooks costume - The boots are like the ones that the prison guards wear (you can get a good glimpse of them in the episode "Divide and Conquer" - its kind of hard to get across :S]
"You know that you cannot prevent the inevitable Raven."
The voice rushed in on the meditating titan, pressing itself into her consciousness. Inside her head, Raven watched as the shadowy figure approached her over the barren ground. Raven knew who it was. It was Wraith. But more than that. it was Rook.
"Why are you doing this Rook?" she asked. The figure stopped. The shadows seemed to draw back from its form, revealing the true figure underneath the shadow. He was tall, probably just shorter than Cyborg, and was dressed similarly to Raven. His bodysuit included his legs though, and instead of the thin shoes that Raven wore, he wore a pair of thick boots. The figure's eyes remained completely scarlet however.
"You know full well why I am doing this Raven." Intoned Rook, drawing ever closer. "I am doing it because it is inevitable."
"It is only inevitable because he tells you it is!" shouted Raven
"Is it? Well, no matter - it must happen now anyway. You are the last, Raven. The only one of us who remains free."
The red light in Rook's eyes seemed to flicker for a moment. He cupped his hands, and a small orb appeared in them. Inside the dome, images started to form.
The first was of a heavy set male, dressed almost identically to Rook, but far taller and broader. The look in Raven's eyes was all Rook needed to begin. The figure was fighting something, and losing. Eventually it was possible to see what he was fighting - Trigon. It looked as though the boy was getting tired.
"Griffon was the first," said Rook slowly. "His pride got the better of him, and once he learnt what Trigon intended, he confronted him. He lost, and now is like me." The images swirled again, showing a young female dressed as Raven was. She faced the daemon confidently, before splitting into many versions of herself. All of them battled valiantly, but one stopped fighting and turned on the others.
"Jay's bravery was turned against her, and she also lost to him."
The images kept swirling, showing another three youths fighting and falling against Trigon. Rook stared into the orb impassively.
"Owl, Falcon and Dove all fell to him, soon after Jay and Griffon. All there was left afterwards was you. and me." The orb flickered to show Rook fighting Trigon. The battle seemed to be creeping in Rook's favour.
"We fought each other for what seemed to be days, even weeks. Neither of us could get the upper hand on the other. But Trigon could not tire, and I did. Cracks started to appear in even my mental defences. It was then that he struck." The red light was flickering in Rooks eyes wildly now. The orb showed rook being struck with such force that he was thrown high into the air. He landed heavily with a loud crack. The psychic tried to stand, but slipped into unconsciousness.
"And now, you are the only one of us who isn't under Trigon's command. That is why I am here. I am here to bring you back into the fold." The figure advanced. He was very close to Raven now. She backed away slowly.
"I'll never do his bidding!" she cried at Rook, "What he is doing is wrong Rook. Don't you see that?"
The figure nodded. "It is wrong, Raven. But I am in no position to dispute it. It was my sense of reason that was turned against me. My strongest emotion. That was Trigon's plan. He placed within our strongest emotions the means to control us. And we all know what your strongest emotion is, don't we Raven."
It was not a question, it was a fact.
"I'll never show that emotion again, you know it!" lied Raven. She could feel it welling within her even now. It was fighting against every shred of control she possessed. Her anger. Anger at what Trigon had done, anger at Rook. anger at ever being even brought into existence.
Her eyes started to flicker with red light.
"That's right Raven," soothed Rook, "Let it all go. you need not be concerned with the matters of others any more. You belong with us."
Raven regained control. "No" she said quietly. "I don't. I belong with my friends."
She launched herself at Rook, who dodged out of the way. He looked at her for a moment, and then burst out into laughter. It echoed through the nightmare world they stood in. "Friends!" he mused. "They are not your friends Raven. Do you not see? They always ignore you, even though your advice is often the soundest. They see your powers as a help and nothing more." Rook's face seemed to darken.
"But that is what it is now, isn't it Raven? You used to be strong. Your powers used to be able to accomplish anything you set your mind on. And then you joined the Teen Titans. Their so-called friendship has made you weak Raven. They see you as a useful support option for when their plans go wrong. Robin is too headstrong to accept your advice, and Beastboy is too stupid to understand. Cyborg carry on his own plans regardless, and Starfire is too busy looking out for Robin to notice you at all. You call these friends? People who take everything they want from you without giving anything back in return?"
Raven struggled with her emotions. She knew he was lying, but even so there was the small voice in the back of her head telling her he spoke the truth.
"You're lying!" she shouted to the figure. "They have made me stronger!"
"Really?" breathed Rook. "How so? By forcing you to rely on them instead of on your own strength? I have seen their powers Raven - they are pushovers. I could defeat them all without breaking a sweat. I daresay you could too, though you don't like to show it. How can they make you stronger?"
"Because they give me purpose."
Rook smiled cruelly. "Well," he concluded, "Since I cannot awaken your anger here, I shall do it otherwise." He turned. "Maybe once I destroy your friends you will let go of your petty feelings for them." The figure walked away, fading into nothing as he did so. All that was left was his cruel laughter, echoing in the cold sky around Raven's form.
Raven was awoken from her trance by a hefty shake from Cyborg.
"Raven, there's trouble" explained Robin. "We've got another sighting of Wraith, and this time I think we can catch him. Come on!"
Oh, and relating to Rooks costume - The boots are like the ones that the prison guards wear (you can get a good glimpse of them in the episode "Divide and Conquer" - its kind of hard to get across :S]
"You know that you cannot prevent the inevitable Raven."
The voice rushed in on the meditating titan, pressing itself into her consciousness. Inside her head, Raven watched as the shadowy figure approached her over the barren ground. Raven knew who it was. It was Wraith. But more than that. it was Rook.
"Why are you doing this Rook?" she asked. The figure stopped. The shadows seemed to draw back from its form, revealing the true figure underneath the shadow. He was tall, probably just shorter than Cyborg, and was dressed similarly to Raven. His bodysuit included his legs though, and instead of the thin shoes that Raven wore, he wore a pair of thick boots. The figure's eyes remained completely scarlet however.
"You know full well why I am doing this Raven." Intoned Rook, drawing ever closer. "I am doing it because it is inevitable."
"It is only inevitable because he tells you it is!" shouted Raven
"Is it? Well, no matter - it must happen now anyway. You are the last, Raven. The only one of us who remains free."
The red light in Rook's eyes seemed to flicker for a moment. He cupped his hands, and a small orb appeared in them. Inside the dome, images started to form.
The first was of a heavy set male, dressed almost identically to Rook, but far taller and broader. The look in Raven's eyes was all Rook needed to begin. The figure was fighting something, and losing. Eventually it was possible to see what he was fighting - Trigon. It looked as though the boy was getting tired.
"Griffon was the first," said Rook slowly. "His pride got the better of him, and once he learnt what Trigon intended, he confronted him. He lost, and now is like me." The images swirled again, showing a young female dressed as Raven was. She faced the daemon confidently, before splitting into many versions of herself. All of them battled valiantly, but one stopped fighting and turned on the others.
"Jay's bravery was turned against her, and she also lost to him."
The images kept swirling, showing another three youths fighting and falling against Trigon. Rook stared into the orb impassively.
"Owl, Falcon and Dove all fell to him, soon after Jay and Griffon. All there was left afterwards was you. and me." The orb flickered to show Rook fighting Trigon. The battle seemed to be creeping in Rook's favour.
"We fought each other for what seemed to be days, even weeks. Neither of us could get the upper hand on the other. But Trigon could not tire, and I did. Cracks started to appear in even my mental defences. It was then that he struck." The red light was flickering in Rooks eyes wildly now. The orb showed rook being struck with such force that he was thrown high into the air. He landed heavily with a loud crack. The psychic tried to stand, but slipped into unconsciousness.
"And now, you are the only one of us who isn't under Trigon's command. That is why I am here. I am here to bring you back into the fold." The figure advanced. He was very close to Raven now. She backed away slowly.
"I'll never do his bidding!" she cried at Rook, "What he is doing is wrong Rook. Don't you see that?"
The figure nodded. "It is wrong, Raven. But I am in no position to dispute it. It was my sense of reason that was turned against me. My strongest emotion. That was Trigon's plan. He placed within our strongest emotions the means to control us. And we all know what your strongest emotion is, don't we Raven."
It was not a question, it was a fact.
"I'll never show that emotion again, you know it!" lied Raven. She could feel it welling within her even now. It was fighting against every shred of control she possessed. Her anger. Anger at what Trigon had done, anger at Rook. anger at ever being even brought into existence.
Her eyes started to flicker with red light.
"That's right Raven," soothed Rook, "Let it all go. you need not be concerned with the matters of others any more. You belong with us."
Raven regained control. "No" she said quietly. "I don't. I belong with my friends."
She launched herself at Rook, who dodged out of the way. He looked at her for a moment, and then burst out into laughter. It echoed through the nightmare world they stood in. "Friends!" he mused. "They are not your friends Raven. Do you not see? They always ignore you, even though your advice is often the soundest. They see your powers as a help and nothing more." Rook's face seemed to darken.
"But that is what it is now, isn't it Raven? You used to be strong. Your powers used to be able to accomplish anything you set your mind on. And then you joined the Teen Titans. Their so-called friendship has made you weak Raven. They see you as a useful support option for when their plans go wrong. Robin is too headstrong to accept your advice, and Beastboy is too stupid to understand. Cyborg carry on his own plans regardless, and Starfire is too busy looking out for Robin to notice you at all. You call these friends? People who take everything they want from you without giving anything back in return?"
Raven struggled with her emotions. She knew he was lying, but even so there was the small voice in the back of her head telling her he spoke the truth.
"You're lying!" she shouted to the figure. "They have made me stronger!"
"Really?" breathed Rook. "How so? By forcing you to rely on them instead of on your own strength? I have seen their powers Raven - they are pushovers. I could defeat them all without breaking a sweat. I daresay you could too, though you don't like to show it. How can they make you stronger?"
"Because they give me purpose."
Rook smiled cruelly. "Well," he concluded, "Since I cannot awaken your anger here, I shall do it otherwise." He turned. "Maybe once I destroy your friends you will let go of your petty feelings for them." The figure walked away, fading into nothing as he did so. All that was left was his cruel laughter, echoing in the cold sky around Raven's form.
Raven was awoken from her trance by a hefty shake from Cyborg.
"Raven, there's trouble" explained Robin. "We've got another sighting of Wraith, and this time I think we can catch him. Come on!"