Disclaimer: Let's learn our ABC's! A, is for, Absolutely not! B, is for,
Bummer, but no! C is for, Chocolate is great!
Get the picture? I don't own Teen Titans, although, at this point of time, I'd settle as the coffee maker.
Flyingpiggies: I'd say that the chocoholics anonymous was a success, don't you? Never seen so many ducks in the one place. But, alas, carried away I am! Why haven't you up-dated? Keep it up any longer, and I'm afraid that my broom will have to have a few words with you.
Writerofthefuture: Here it is! The next chapter! I'm flattered I'm on your faves, I really am!
Anime-catdagon: Still miss Eclipse? I'll see what I can do...As for the twins...keep an eye out for those two...
Raven A. Star: I continued
Lotus Cat: Ay maccarena! I love that dance!
Psymon: You think the last chapters were bad? What and see what's coming up –Eats Easter eggs-
To those who've reviewed: Happy Easter! Joy! Happiness! Chocolate glore! I've been dying for this week since Christmas! And it's here! Yay!!! *Showers the readers with Caramello Koalas and Cadbury Easter eggs that look like real eggs inside* Yum, I love them!!!
Following Shadows-Chapter 16: Stalking Light
Robin jumped up from the seat, seething. "Kill her? What kind of an answer is that?"
Cyborg slammed his fists against the table, while Beast Boy growled and transformed into a squid, wrapping a tentacle around Kirkor, who just sighed and waited to be released.
"I do not understand how killing our friend will save her," Starfire claimed. Her hands began to glow green. "But you have stirred my righteous anger"
"How do we know you're not working for Trigon?" Robin asked, his anger showing. Kirkor gave him an incredulous look. "I knew Raven as well. I've known her much longer than you can even imagine. Do not insult me like that ever again. Now release me, and I'll finish what I was going to say" He stared coldly at his green captor, who unraveled his hold. "As I was saying, Raven's been taken to her father's lair to be converted to The Stalking Lights, a...club, of sorts, for demons under Trigon's rule"
"How do we prevent her from being converted?" Even though he'd been telling himself that friendship was all there was between them, Robin's heart was speeding up with everything Kirkor said.
"You can't. By the time you locate her whereabouts, and actually arrive there, she wouldn't be Raven. Just an empty shell housing her father's hatred for all living things. The only way you can possibly respect your former friendship with her now, is by preventing her from destroying the one thing she worked to protect"
"No. There has to be another way" Not knowing why his voice was so desperate, or why his heart was jerking in the painful way it did, the Boy Wonder held onto the one thing he could.
Hope.
"There is no other way" Kirkor knew that Batman's protegé would put up a fight. But as Times guardian, and Raven's chosen Guide, he had to make this youth understand that the universe didn't always swing your way. "You are the leader of a team. You should understand, that as a leader, you have to make sacrifices in order to save the majority. Raven is that sacrifice, now all you have to do is make it"
Through his fury and grief, the rational (Backstabbing more like it) part of his mind whispered, 'He's right. Don't let the team suffer for one member. Better one than all'
It was interesting to see how the boy's misery played about on his face, Kirkor reflected. It was obvious that the choice between the one want, and the several needs, was an unpleasant conflict.
"Are you certain that there is no other way to save Raven from such an end?" Starfire was delicate in her question, throwing the Boy Wonder concerned looks.
Kirkor was too amused that this new twist in the tale to bother in answering the girl. Here, right in front of him, was the typical love triangle found between adolescence teens with the right amount of hormones. He had existed almost as long as the forces of Good and Evil had, and not once had he come across a group as contrary as the Teen Titans. Raven had been different. She was a force like himself, born between two worlds and uncertain to the path that life would take, forced to live thousands of lives under the same curse each time. Raven, the one that these children knew as their silent and slightly creepy friend, was just a faint shadow of the one he had loved. While he had been working as the waiter from the Dead End, Kirkor managed to bond with her, gain her trust. His cover of a smitten teenage boy had proved invaluable, though at times he had wondered if the feelings were real. It had been many lives, many other partners, but there was still something from the love torn boy he had once lived as, lingering in his now immortal form.
"Yo, Freaky bringer of bad news, are you sure that we have to kill Raven?" The large, humanoid boy's voice brought him out from his reverie. He had surveyed the group's reactions to his previous statement, making a clear revelation in his mind, that they knew shit all.
"Yes. It will be the only way to save all humanity, as it is known, from Trigon's reign. As unpleasant as it is for all of you, you must set aside your memories and treat her as the enemy"
Starfire's eyes began to water, and she excused herself, diving for the box of tissues in the living room. Beast Boy just stared after her, taking in what had been made painfully clear: They were going to kill Raven. He glanced up at Cyborg who was shaking his head, muttering about evil snots who thought they knew best. Then, he faced Robin, whose mind and heart were still doing battle.
He knew what he had to say.
"Guys," He cleared his throat, which was squeezing tightly, matching the anguish he felt at having to make the decision. He was fourteen. No other kid his age would ever have to say what he was about to.
"Guys, we have to do this, we have to save the world. Even if it means we have to kill one of our own" He gave a choked cry. "We're superheroes, not teenagers"
*************************
"You have been a most troublesome offspring for Him. More so than the brat Eclipse, with his fancy manners and smooth tongue. You will be punished accordingly" The cross, short man who was scolding Raven for every breath she had ever taken, stopped, and glared at her. "I told him, the moment the whore of a woman went to the temple with those meddlesome priestesses, that you would be a disappointment. I said, right then and there, that all those thoughts of control and purity would corrupt you, but did He listen? Noooo, called me an old fool, He did! Then sent me to baby-sit a bunch of unwholesome misfits! That's gratitude, I tell you! Who was there when He took the Incas? Me! That's who! His right hand man I was!"
Raven tried to block out the strange, whiny voice of her captor, but his ramblings about how Trigon ignored him, crawled under her skin, melting into her subconscious and making the anger in her rise. "Shut-up" She hissed in the uncanny demonic version of her voice. "Before I blast you back to last Thursday"
The little man didn't even blink. In fact, he began to grin. "About time! It took you long enough, that's for sure!"
"What are you talking about?" Raven demanded, her voice and thoughts once again working simultaneously. What had just happened? Had that been her?
"You will not address your teacher in such a manner!" He reprimanded. "What should have been said was, 'What is your speaking trying to inform me about, Mr. Tootsie?'. Not the entirely rude, 'What are you talking about?'. Am I clear?"
'This is a nightmare' Raven told herself, not caring for the school like structure she was in. 'I am in a horrible, horrible vision created by my father to wrap my mind into believing that there is no hope'
"Are you listening Miss Arazath? Write me an essay on the art of being an attentive student. 2000 words, minimum"
She just stared at him blankly, dumbfounded.
"3000, just for the disrespectful look"
***************************
Kirkor wondered aimlessly, his feet exploring. Coming to a door, he could feel a familiar aura surrounding it. Smiling slightly, he paused. So, he had beaten him to her.
Continuing on, Kirkor wondered if the Titans could really be trusted to destroy Raven. He knew about their past missions. Standing by their leader even though he had gone over to the enemy he had sworn to hunt down. Going after the Tamaren despite her protests. Yes, these children had a habit of not listening to reason.
Hearing the faint sound of meowing, the entity of Time stopped by a closet. Opening the door, he smiled down at the black cat that was sitting patiently under all the coats and shoes that had never been used.
"Hello Nightwing. Long time no see"
******************************
"What is the one thing that every heiress of the Darkness should know?" Mr. Tootsie quizzed for the hundredth time.
"I don't know"
The short man threw his hands up in the air, exaggerating his frustration. "Why must I be cursed with such a stupid child! O great master! Why must she be the one to carry on the magnificent line of the Ones of Dark! Why?"
He sighed loudly and glared at Raven, who had just watched his loud dramatics. "You!" Mr. Tootsie pointed a pudgy, short finger at her, his eyes narrowed. "Are to go to the Almighty's chambers and greet him! Go, Now!" Raven was jerked up from her seat and flung out the door.
"Be gone from my sight, child! Be gone, and do not come back till you have been trained as the proper Lady of the Shadows!" With her unwanted tutor's voice ringing in her ears, Raven was pulled down the empty hall.
*****************************
"How do we know we can trust this Keycor dude anyway?" Beast Boy asked the others, who had assembled back in the kitchen while Kirkor was exploring. "For all we know, he could be a zombie in disguise, making us believe that Raven's evil so he can lure her with him to the underground zombie cave were they eat brai-"
"BB, this ain't the time for joking around" Cyborg scolded. "We don't know whether Rae's chucked an Anikin and gone over to the dark side or what"
"Cyborg is right, Beast Boy," Starfire said gently. She looked over at Robin, who was sitting with his head in his hands. "This is not a matter that should be used for the purpose of laughing. Raven is our friend. We cannot make the wrong choice"
"Unless she comes at us with a legion of demons, I'm not going to hurt her"
The others turned to Robin, surprised. He was facing them, his eyes glowing. "She's still Raven, and if there's anyway that she can be saved without being hurt, then I'll take it"
Beast Boy nodded in agreement. "Yep, I'm up for that"
Smiling, Starfire exclaimed, "Yes! I as well!"
The three of them waited for Cyborg's reaction. He just stood there, his face angry.
"Cy?" Robin asked, his whole body tense.
His large metallic friend looked down at him. "She helped me with my Baby, of course I'm in"
Robin smiled grimly.
"How do we locate her?" Starfire inquired in a concerned voice. Robin was about to answer, when Kirkor cool voice cut through.
"If you really want to know, go to Hell"
******************************
Raven snarled at the demon who called himself her father. Trigon's four yellow eyes all stared down at her, summing up what he saw. "You are shorter than what I expected, Daughter"
"Don't call me that" She hissed. Anger at the creature who was the cause for all her suffering burst from the dam she had built around it. "I am nothing like you. Nothing"
"That is what Eclipse said to me when we first met" Trigon boomed, his voice bored. "But in the end he was"
White-hot rage like nothing she had ever felt ran through her. It was blinding, making Raven want only one thing.
Her father's death.
Forgetting that she could not use her powers in this domain, she chanted her mantra, making the room rumble with the pure emotion that was rolling off her. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
Trigon just watched as Raven's eyes began to glow a deep red. This is what he had wanted to stir, the deep burning hatred that had been compressed by living in the mortal world. The very air around the girl felt violent and raw, a dangerous weapon to anyone who would be foolish enough to get in her way.
Yes, she was the right choice as his heir. The perfect choice.
Concentrating on his own powers, Trigon's influence seeped into her mind, twisting her thoughts and taking control of her actions. Clapping her hands to her head, Raven yelled, "I will not let you win!" She fought desperately, slowly losing.
Just before Trigon gained total control, she sent out one last wave of power, all her hope and love for her friends going into it, knocking him off his feet.
When he stood up again, he looked down at his daughter.
Floating a few feet off the black marble floor, was Raven, glowing with a dark light. She was wearing a black cloak that fanned out behind her on an invisible breeze, flapping as though it was a pair of cynical wings.
"Father," She purred in a twisted echo of all her emotions talking. "Is this how you greet your long lost daughter?" Her red eyes gleamed wickedly as she touched down on the floor lightly. "I have finally gained total control of all her personas, and are ready to serve you, O Master" She bowed low.
"Straighten, Daughter. It is not fitting for a Princess of Darkness to bow" Doing as she was told, the now evil Raven waited. "I have only one request of you, before we take Earth"
"And that would be?"
"Destroy the Teen Titans"
**********************************
Kirkor gasped, feeling the intense evil that was making it's way to Earth. Teleporting to the communal living space where the teens were, he hissed at them to get up.
"Dude! What's your problem?" Beast Boy yelled after Kirkor had ripped out his controller, making him lose the game he was playing while they waited for Raven to show herself.
"She is coming!" Kirkor hissed again, pulling Cyborg from his seat. "And trust me, this is not going to be a social call!"
"So, Raven has finally failed in her plight of goodness" Starfire whispered sadly. The boys paused in their bickering. "Yes, Starfire. Raven has failed" Kirkor replied, his voice for once losing it's cool tone and ringing with pain. "But what is done is done. You must go stop her now, before any more lives are lost"
Robin, gripping his bo-staff tightly, asked in an emotionless voice, "Were is she?"
Kirkor closed his eyes, visions swamping him. Not opening them he muttered, "The Bridge. She's waiting by the Jump City Bridge"
Facing the group, Robin pushed aside the part of him that was crying, kicking and screaming, and simply said, "She's the enemy now. Any sign of Raven triumphing- well, do anything you can to prevent her from doing so. Anything"
Get the picture? I don't own Teen Titans, although, at this point of time, I'd settle as the coffee maker.
Flyingpiggies: I'd say that the chocoholics anonymous was a success, don't you? Never seen so many ducks in the one place. But, alas, carried away I am! Why haven't you up-dated? Keep it up any longer, and I'm afraid that my broom will have to have a few words with you.
Writerofthefuture: Here it is! The next chapter! I'm flattered I'm on your faves, I really am!
Anime-catdagon: Still miss Eclipse? I'll see what I can do...As for the twins...keep an eye out for those two...
Raven A. Star: I continued
Lotus Cat: Ay maccarena! I love that dance!
Psymon: You think the last chapters were bad? What and see what's coming up –Eats Easter eggs-
To those who've reviewed: Happy Easter! Joy! Happiness! Chocolate glore! I've been dying for this week since Christmas! And it's here! Yay!!! *Showers the readers with Caramello Koalas and Cadbury Easter eggs that look like real eggs inside* Yum, I love them!!!
Following Shadows-Chapter 16: Stalking Light
Robin jumped up from the seat, seething. "Kill her? What kind of an answer is that?"
Cyborg slammed his fists against the table, while Beast Boy growled and transformed into a squid, wrapping a tentacle around Kirkor, who just sighed and waited to be released.
"I do not understand how killing our friend will save her," Starfire claimed. Her hands began to glow green. "But you have stirred my righteous anger"
"How do we know you're not working for Trigon?" Robin asked, his anger showing. Kirkor gave him an incredulous look. "I knew Raven as well. I've known her much longer than you can even imagine. Do not insult me like that ever again. Now release me, and I'll finish what I was going to say" He stared coldly at his green captor, who unraveled his hold. "As I was saying, Raven's been taken to her father's lair to be converted to The Stalking Lights, a...club, of sorts, for demons under Trigon's rule"
"How do we prevent her from being converted?" Even though he'd been telling himself that friendship was all there was between them, Robin's heart was speeding up with everything Kirkor said.
"You can't. By the time you locate her whereabouts, and actually arrive there, she wouldn't be Raven. Just an empty shell housing her father's hatred for all living things. The only way you can possibly respect your former friendship with her now, is by preventing her from destroying the one thing she worked to protect"
"No. There has to be another way" Not knowing why his voice was so desperate, or why his heart was jerking in the painful way it did, the Boy Wonder held onto the one thing he could.
Hope.
"There is no other way" Kirkor knew that Batman's protegé would put up a fight. But as Times guardian, and Raven's chosen Guide, he had to make this youth understand that the universe didn't always swing your way. "You are the leader of a team. You should understand, that as a leader, you have to make sacrifices in order to save the majority. Raven is that sacrifice, now all you have to do is make it"
Through his fury and grief, the rational (Backstabbing more like it) part of his mind whispered, 'He's right. Don't let the team suffer for one member. Better one than all'
It was interesting to see how the boy's misery played about on his face, Kirkor reflected. It was obvious that the choice between the one want, and the several needs, was an unpleasant conflict.
"Are you certain that there is no other way to save Raven from such an end?" Starfire was delicate in her question, throwing the Boy Wonder concerned looks.
Kirkor was too amused that this new twist in the tale to bother in answering the girl. Here, right in front of him, was the typical love triangle found between adolescence teens with the right amount of hormones. He had existed almost as long as the forces of Good and Evil had, and not once had he come across a group as contrary as the Teen Titans. Raven had been different. She was a force like himself, born between two worlds and uncertain to the path that life would take, forced to live thousands of lives under the same curse each time. Raven, the one that these children knew as their silent and slightly creepy friend, was just a faint shadow of the one he had loved. While he had been working as the waiter from the Dead End, Kirkor managed to bond with her, gain her trust. His cover of a smitten teenage boy had proved invaluable, though at times he had wondered if the feelings were real. It had been many lives, many other partners, but there was still something from the love torn boy he had once lived as, lingering in his now immortal form.
"Yo, Freaky bringer of bad news, are you sure that we have to kill Raven?" The large, humanoid boy's voice brought him out from his reverie. He had surveyed the group's reactions to his previous statement, making a clear revelation in his mind, that they knew shit all.
"Yes. It will be the only way to save all humanity, as it is known, from Trigon's reign. As unpleasant as it is for all of you, you must set aside your memories and treat her as the enemy"
Starfire's eyes began to water, and she excused herself, diving for the box of tissues in the living room. Beast Boy just stared after her, taking in what had been made painfully clear: They were going to kill Raven. He glanced up at Cyborg who was shaking his head, muttering about evil snots who thought they knew best. Then, he faced Robin, whose mind and heart were still doing battle.
He knew what he had to say.
"Guys," He cleared his throat, which was squeezing tightly, matching the anguish he felt at having to make the decision. He was fourteen. No other kid his age would ever have to say what he was about to.
"Guys, we have to do this, we have to save the world. Even if it means we have to kill one of our own" He gave a choked cry. "We're superheroes, not teenagers"
*************************
"You have been a most troublesome offspring for Him. More so than the brat Eclipse, with his fancy manners and smooth tongue. You will be punished accordingly" The cross, short man who was scolding Raven for every breath she had ever taken, stopped, and glared at her. "I told him, the moment the whore of a woman went to the temple with those meddlesome priestesses, that you would be a disappointment. I said, right then and there, that all those thoughts of control and purity would corrupt you, but did He listen? Noooo, called me an old fool, He did! Then sent me to baby-sit a bunch of unwholesome misfits! That's gratitude, I tell you! Who was there when He took the Incas? Me! That's who! His right hand man I was!"
Raven tried to block out the strange, whiny voice of her captor, but his ramblings about how Trigon ignored him, crawled under her skin, melting into her subconscious and making the anger in her rise. "Shut-up" She hissed in the uncanny demonic version of her voice. "Before I blast you back to last Thursday"
The little man didn't even blink. In fact, he began to grin. "About time! It took you long enough, that's for sure!"
"What are you talking about?" Raven demanded, her voice and thoughts once again working simultaneously. What had just happened? Had that been her?
"You will not address your teacher in such a manner!" He reprimanded. "What should have been said was, 'What is your speaking trying to inform me about, Mr. Tootsie?'. Not the entirely rude, 'What are you talking about?'. Am I clear?"
'This is a nightmare' Raven told herself, not caring for the school like structure she was in. 'I am in a horrible, horrible vision created by my father to wrap my mind into believing that there is no hope'
"Are you listening Miss Arazath? Write me an essay on the art of being an attentive student. 2000 words, minimum"
She just stared at him blankly, dumbfounded.
"3000, just for the disrespectful look"
***************************
Kirkor wondered aimlessly, his feet exploring. Coming to a door, he could feel a familiar aura surrounding it. Smiling slightly, he paused. So, he had beaten him to her.
Continuing on, Kirkor wondered if the Titans could really be trusted to destroy Raven. He knew about their past missions. Standing by their leader even though he had gone over to the enemy he had sworn to hunt down. Going after the Tamaren despite her protests. Yes, these children had a habit of not listening to reason.
Hearing the faint sound of meowing, the entity of Time stopped by a closet. Opening the door, he smiled down at the black cat that was sitting patiently under all the coats and shoes that had never been used.
"Hello Nightwing. Long time no see"
******************************
"What is the one thing that every heiress of the Darkness should know?" Mr. Tootsie quizzed for the hundredth time.
"I don't know"
The short man threw his hands up in the air, exaggerating his frustration. "Why must I be cursed with such a stupid child! O great master! Why must she be the one to carry on the magnificent line of the Ones of Dark! Why?"
He sighed loudly and glared at Raven, who had just watched his loud dramatics. "You!" Mr. Tootsie pointed a pudgy, short finger at her, his eyes narrowed. "Are to go to the Almighty's chambers and greet him! Go, Now!" Raven was jerked up from her seat and flung out the door.
"Be gone from my sight, child! Be gone, and do not come back till you have been trained as the proper Lady of the Shadows!" With her unwanted tutor's voice ringing in her ears, Raven was pulled down the empty hall.
*****************************
"How do we know we can trust this Keycor dude anyway?" Beast Boy asked the others, who had assembled back in the kitchen while Kirkor was exploring. "For all we know, he could be a zombie in disguise, making us believe that Raven's evil so he can lure her with him to the underground zombie cave were they eat brai-"
"BB, this ain't the time for joking around" Cyborg scolded. "We don't know whether Rae's chucked an Anikin and gone over to the dark side or what"
"Cyborg is right, Beast Boy," Starfire said gently. She looked over at Robin, who was sitting with his head in his hands. "This is not a matter that should be used for the purpose of laughing. Raven is our friend. We cannot make the wrong choice"
"Unless she comes at us with a legion of demons, I'm not going to hurt her"
The others turned to Robin, surprised. He was facing them, his eyes glowing. "She's still Raven, and if there's anyway that she can be saved without being hurt, then I'll take it"
Beast Boy nodded in agreement. "Yep, I'm up for that"
Smiling, Starfire exclaimed, "Yes! I as well!"
The three of them waited for Cyborg's reaction. He just stood there, his face angry.
"Cy?" Robin asked, his whole body tense.
His large metallic friend looked down at him. "She helped me with my Baby, of course I'm in"
Robin smiled grimly.
"How do we locate her?" Starfire inquired in a concerned voice. Robin was about to answer, when Kirkor cool voice cut through.
"If you really want to know, go to Hell"
******************************
Raven snarled at the demon who called himself her father. Trigon's four yellow eyes all stared down at her, summing up what he saw. "You are shorter than what I expected, Daughter"
"Don't call me that" She hissed. Anger at the creature who was the cause for all her suffering burst from the dam she had built around it. "I am nothing like you. Nothing"
"That is what Eclipse said to me when we first met" Trigon boomed, his voice bored. "But in the end he was"
White-hot rage like nothing she had ever felt ran through her. It was blinding, making Raven want only one thing.
Her father's death.
Forgetting that she could not use her powers in this domain, she chanted her mantra, making the room rumble with the pure emotion that was rolling off her. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
Trigon just watched as Raven's eyes began to glow a deep red. This is what he had wanted to stir, the deep burning hatred that had been compressed by living in the mortal world. The very air around the girl felt violent and raw, a dangerous weapon to anyone who would be foolish enough to get in her way.
Yes, she was the right choice as his heir. The perfect choice.
Concentrating on his own powers, Trigon's influence seeped into her mind, twisting her thoughts and taking control of her actions. Clapping her hands to her head, Raven yelled, "I will not let you win!" She fought desperately, slowly losing.
Just before Trigon gained total control, she sent out one last wave of power, all her hope and love for her friends going into it, knocking him off his feet.
When he stood up again, he looked down at his daughter.
Floating a few feet off the black marble floor, was Raven, glowing with a dark light. She was wearing a black cloak that fanned out behind her on an invisible breeze, flapping as though it was a pair of cynical wings.
"Father," She purred in a twisted echo of all her emotions talking. "Is this how you greet your long lost daughter?" Her red eyes gleamed wickedly as she touched down on the floor lightly. "I have finally gained total control of all her personas, and are ready to serve you, O Master" She bowed low.
"Straighten, Daughter. It is not fitting for a Princess of Darkness to bow" Doing as she was told, the now evil Raven waited. "I have only one request of you, before we take Earth"
"And that would be?"
"Destroy the Teen Titans"
**********************************
Kirkor gasped, feeling the intense evil that was making it's way to Earth. Teleporting to the communal living space where the teens were, he hissed at them to get up.
"Dude! What's your problem?" Beast Boy yelled after Kirkor had ripped out his controller, making him lose the game he was playing while they waited for Raven to show herself.
"She is coming!" Kirkor hissed again, pulling Cyborg from his seat. "And trust me, this is not going to be a social call!"
"So, Raven has finally failed in her plight of goodness" Starfire whispered sadly. The boys paused in their bickering. "Yes, Starfire. Raven has failed" Kirkor replied, his voice for once losing it's cool tone and ringing with pain. "But what is done is done. You must go stop her now, before any more lives are lost"
Robin, gripping his bo-staff tightly, asked in an emotionless voice, "Were is she?"
Kirkor closed his eyes, visions swamping him. Not opening them he muttered, "The Bridge. She's waiting by the Jump City Bridge"
Facing the group, Robin pushed aside the part of him that was crying, kicking and screaming, and simply said, "She's the enemy now. Any sign of Raven triumphing- well, do anything you can to prevent her from doing so. Anything"