Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, I don't own Teen Titans, blah, blah, blah.
AN: Well? Do you guys like it so far? Like I said before, I'm trying to build it the whole drama/angst thing up (Damn you Miss Smith and damn your stupid lessons of tension!), But I still can't decide, Happy "OH-LOOK- EVERYTHING'S OK" kinda ending or "BOO-HOO-WHY-ME?" kinda ending?
Pick one.
Following Shadows-Chapter 5: Brotherly Love
Raven was in her room meditating later Christmas day. Her new companion Nightwing was curled up on her pillow and although she'd never admit it (especially to Beast Boy), she loved the little fuzz ball. Just as she thought it, her pillow exploded and feathers floated all over the bed. The smell of jasmine wafting from the candles that had been a gift from Cyborg calmed her sudden outbreak of emotions, enabling her to contain the key that would unleash her father.
When she had finished meditating, Raven pulled out the diary that her mother had sent her. It was a thick, plain black book. The only decoration on the cover was a small silver outline of a raven. Inside was a note written in her mother's small, neat writing.
Raven,
I know that I have never been the best mother I could have been to you. This I fear has made you the person you are and I am sorry for that. I know that you can never show your emotions for the threat of Trigon so I give this journal to you in the hope that what you can not show, you can write. Never let fear of your father rule your life, my daughter. Be who you are.
Mother.
"Fear of my Father" Raven murmured, running her hand over the smooth cover. Picking up a pen from the drawer beside her bed, she flipped to the first clean page.
My name is Raven. Black bird, a loner. That's who I am. My friends don't understand me, they never will. But even so, I have to fight to make sure that what I've been dreaming of does not come true. I have to protect them, even if it takes my life. I've seen what they could become if they can survive their greatest challenge. Me. Soon they're going to have to choose between what I once was, or the destruction that I will cause. And when that time comes, I'd rather they kill me instead of letting emotions getting in the way of what is right.
She stopped writing then. Someone was standing outside her bedroom door. Getting up, Raven summoned her powers. She wasn't going to be the one who ended up on the floor this time if she had anything to say about it.
Raven walked right through the door and practically ran over Robin.
"Whoa, steady on there, why the rush?" "What do you want?" She asked him, ignoring what he said. Robin blinked.
"Well?"
"How did you know that I was coming?"
"Lucky guess. Now tell me, what do you want?"
He just shook his head, smiling. "You really are amazing, you know?"
Concentrating on his mind, Raven blinked. "Why didn't you tell me that you and Beast Boy have been patrolling every night?"
He gaped at her.
"Well?"
Shaking his head Robin sighed. "Before that demon thing disappeared, he said that there'd be more of 'them'. You were unconscious so, Beast Boy and I agreed to watch over your room to make sure that you were safe."
Raven looked at him, not really seeing as she thought of what Trigon said.
## Flashback ##
"You will NEVER win!" Hissed the voice that had been haunting her for sixteen years. "There WILL be more, and they will keep coming until you join me!"
## Flashback Ends ##
"Raven? Raven, whoowho! Over here!" Focusing her eyesight, Raven started blushing. Robin's face was so close to hers, with all his attention on her. A centimeter in and they would be...
Raven stepped back. "I'm fine, "She said coolly. Robin was taken back. She was so unpredictable. One minute she'd be having a normal conversation and the next she'd be telling him to back off. He couldn't figure her out.
He wanted to figure her out.
They stood in the doorway for a few minutes when Robin asked, "Well, since I am to be your fearless protector-don't look at me like that-am I staying out here? Or keeping you company in there?"
Raven glared at him. She didn't like people coming into her room, but Robin had been in there before and nothing bad had happened.
She'd like to be able to get to know him better.
"Fine" she mumbled "But no funny business"
***************************************
Over the next few nights the same pattern emerged. On the nights Robin was doing sentry duty, he and Raven would spend the whole time talking. On the nights that Beast Boy was guarding, she'd sleep. It wasn't that she didn't like him, it was just she didn't like the looks he'd been giving her or the hints that Cyborg had been dropping. She did not want to encourage him.
On the fourth night Robin was doing the rounds, they got into a conversation about Starfire.
"So, what's the deal between you two?" Raven asked. They were sitting on her bed, side by side with Nightwing purring in between them. Robin fidgeted.
"We're just friends. Close friends"
"Ah huh. And I suppose all close friends like kissing under doorways when they've meant to be practicing do they?" Even though she didn't like the thought of Robin and Starfire as a couple, it was still fun to watch him squirm.
Staring at the space in front of him, the Boy Wonder remained silent. Absentmindedly scratching Nightwing under the chin, she let him have his quiet.
The silence between them stretched out, growing louder by the minute. Shadows danced around the room, distracting Raven from the boy beside her. They formed patterns, menacing faces that laughed at her. Frowning, she got up. Something wasn't right about thi-
Two strong arms had wrapped themselves around her throat. "Where do you think you're going?" Hissed an uncanny version of Robin's voice. "We have so much to talk about"
Concentrating on reading the mind of whoever it was behind her, Raven saw that it was definitely not Robin.
"Who are you?" she gasped. The grip around her throat grew painfully tighter.
"What's the matter?" Sneered the Robin sound-alike. "Don't recognize me sis?"
Raven stopped fighting. The world around her just started spinning as she tried to grasp what her attacker had said.
"Did you just call me Sis?"
*Yes I did SIS. Or don't you like family titles? *
"Not when they come from losers like you!"
Throwing out her incantation, Raven concentrated on her bedside cabinet. It flew up, and knocked her 'brother' out from behind. Groaning from the pain, she took the advantage of his loosened grip and flipped him over her shoulder.
She gasped.
Her attacker was taller than her by about a head. The only resemblance she could find was that he had the same pale pallor as her. Four dark, shadowy eyes stared up at her through ash grey hair.
Smiling in a sour way he told her, "I'll be back for the family reunion"
And then he vanished.
"No!" Raven reached out just as he left. Staring at the spot where he had been, she thought about the fact that he was her half brother. She knew that there had to be others, that her mother couldn't have been the only woman unfortunate enough to be chosen by Trigon. But most women committed suicide once they found out they were carrying his spawn.
Whoever he was, she felt like she had always known him.
That was a bad thing.
"Rafern" Turning in surprise, she finally remembered Robin. His mouth, arms and legs were all bound with what looked like thick, black scarves. "Hevlpf fi!"
She tugged at the 'ropes' only to find that the more she pulled, the more they tightened. Giving up, she blasted them with her power.
The bindings shrieked, and melted away. Forming a single pool of ink like substance, the puddle formed the shadow of her brother.
"By the way sis, Eclipse's the name, shadows the game"
And laughing, the shadow faded away.
Robin stared at Raven, confused. "I never knew you had a brother"
"Well, now you do." She replied calmly.
AN: Well? Do you guys like it so far? Like I said before, I'm trying to build it the whole drama/angst thing up (Damn you Miss Smith and damn your stupid lessons of tension!), But I still can't decide, Happy "OH-LOOK- EVERYTHING'S OK" kinda ending or "BOO-HOO-WHY-ME?" kinda ending?
Pick one.
Following Shadows-Chapter 5: Brotherly Love
Raven was in her room meditating later Christmas day. Her new companion Nightwing was curled up on her pillow and although she'd never admit it (especially to Beast Boy), she loved the little fuzz ball. Just as she thought it, her pillow exploded and feathers floated all over the bed. The smell of jasmine wafting from the candles that had been a gift from Cyborg calmed her sudden outbreak of emotions, enabling her to contain the key that would unleash her father.
When she had finished meditating, Raven pulled out the diary that her mother had sent her. It was a thick, plain black book. The only decoration on the cover was a small silver outline of a raven. Inside was a note written in her mother's small, neat writing.
Raven,
I know that I have never been the best mother I could have been to you. This I fear has made you the person you are and I am sorry for that. I know that you can never show your emotions for the threat of Trigon so I give this journal to you in the hope that what you can not show, you can write. Never let fear of your father rule your life, my daughter. Be who you are.
Mother.
"Fear of my Father" Raven murmured, running her hand over the smooth cover. Picking up a pen from the drawer beside her bed, she flipped to the first clean page.
My name is Raven. Black bird, a loner. That's who I am. My friends don't understand me, they never will. But even so, I have to fight to make sure that what I've been dreaming of does not come true. I have to protect them, even if it takes my life. I've seen what they could become if they can survive their greatest challenge. Me. Soon they're going to have to choose between what I once was, or the destruction that I will cause. And when that time comes, I'd rather they kill me instead of letting emotions getting in the way of what is right.
She stopped writing then. Someone was standing outside her bedroom door. Getting up, Raven summoned her powers. She wasn't going to be the one who ended up on the floor this time if she had anything to say about it.
Raven walked right through the door and practically ran over Robin.
"Whoa, steady on there, why the rush?" "What do you want?" She asked him, ignoring what he said. Robin blinked.
"Well?"
"How did you know that I was coming?"
"Lucky guess. Now tell me, what do you want?"
He just shook his head, smiling. "You really are amazing, you know?"
Concentrating on his mind, Raven blinked. "Why didn't you tell me that you and Beast Boy have been patrolling every night?"
He gaped at her.
"Well?"
Shaking his head Robin sighed. "Before that demon thing disappeared, he said that there'd be more of 'them'. You were unconscious so, Beast Boy and I agreed to watch over your room to make sure that you were safe."
Raven looked at him, not really seeing as she thought of what Trigon said.
## Flashback ##
"You will NEVER win!" Hissed the voice that had been haunting her for sixteen years. "There WILL be more, and they will keep coming until you join me!"
## Flashback Ends ##
"Raven? Raven, whoowho! Over here!" Focusing her eyesight, Raven started blushing. Robin's face was so close to hers, with all his attention on her. A centimeter in and they would be...
Raven stepped back. "I'm fine, "She said coolly. Robin was taken back. She was so unpredictable. One minute she'd be having a normal conversation and the next she'd be telling him to back off. He couldn't figure her out.
He wanted to figure her out.
They stood in the doorway for a few minutes when Robin asked, "Well, since I am to be your fearless protector-don't look at me like that-am I staying out here? Or keeping you company in there?"
Raven glared at him. She didn't like people coming into her room, but Robin had been in there before and nothing bad had happened.
She'd like to be able to get to know him better.
"Fine" she mumbled "But no funny business"
***************************************
Over the next few nights the same pattern emerged. On the nights Robin was doing sentry duty, he and Raven would spend the whole time talking. On the nights that Beast Boy was guarding, she'd sleep. It wasn't that she didn't like him, it was just she didn't like the looks he'd been giving her or the hints that Cyborg had been dropping. She did not want to encourage him.
On the fourth night Robin was doing the rounds, they got into a conversation about Starfire.
"So, what's the deal between you two?" Raven asked. They were sitting on her bed, side by side with Nightwing purring in between them. Robin fidgeted.
"We're just friends. Close friends"
"Ah huh. And I suppose all close friends like kissing under doorways when they've meant to be practicing do they?" Even though she didn't like the thought of Robin and Starfire as a couple, it was still fun to watch him squirm.
Staring at the space in front of him, the Boy Wonder remained silent. Absentmindedly scratching Nightwing under the chin, she let him have his quiet.
The silence between them stretched out, growing louder by the minute. Shadows danced around the room, distracting Raven from the boy beside her. They formed patterns, menacing faces that laughed at her. Frowning, she got up. Something wasn't right about thi-
Two strong arms had wrapped themselves around her throat. "Where do you think you're going?" Hissed an uncanny version of Robin's voice. "We have so much to talk about"
Concentrating on reading the mind of whoever it was behind her, Raven saw that it was definitely not Robin.
"Who are you?" she gasped. The grip around her throat grew painfully tighter.
"What's the matter?" Sneered the Robin sound-alike. "Don't recognize me sis?"
Raven stopped fighting. The world around her just started spinning as she tried to grasp what her attacker had said.
"Did you just call me Sis?"
*Yes I did SIS. Or don't you like family titles? *
"Not when they come from losers like you!"
Throwing out her incantation, Raven concentrated on her bedside cabinet. It flew up, and knocked her 'brother' out from behind. Groaning from the pain, she took the advantage of his loosened grip and flipped him over her shoulder.
She gasped.
Her attacker was taller than her by about a head. The only resemblance she could find was that he had the same pale pallor as her. Four dark, shadowy eyes stared up at her through ash grey hair.
Smiling in a sour way he told her, "I'll be back for the family reunion"
And then he vanished.
"No!" Raven reached out just as he left. Staring at the spot where he had been, she thought about the fact that he was her half brother. She knew that there had to be others, that her mother couldn't have been the only woman unfortunate enough to be chosen by Trigon. But most women committed suicide once they found out they were carrying his spawn.
Whoever he was, she felt like she had always known him.
That was a bad thing.
"Rafern" Turning in surprise, she finally remembered Robin. His mouth, arms and legs were all bound with what looked like thick, black scarves. "Hevlpf fi!"
She tugged at the 'ropes' only to find that the more she pulled, the more they tightened. Giving up, she blasted them with her power.
The bindings shrieked, and melted away. Forming a single pool of ink like substance, the puddle formed the shadow of her brother.
"By the way sis, Eclipse's the name, shadows the game"
And laughing, the shadow faded away.
Robin stared at Raven, confused. "I never knew you had a brother"
"Well, now you do." She replied calmly.