A/N: Sorry it has taken so long. I'm away from home, like I mentioned before, with very little time and Internet access. Anyway, this story is nearing its end, but there is still at least one chapter left after this one. Enjoy!
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Raven made her decision, and was prepared to live—or die—with it.
"Raven!" she heard one of her friends shout, quickly followed by cries from the others. So, she thought sadly, they finally noticed.
Before anyone could act further, Slade was suddenly blown back—by a blast of yellow energy.
The Titans turned to see Saidi heading towards Raven.
"I felt something bad was going to happen, that you were going to make a gravely wrong choice," the small alien girl explained at Raven's questioning look.
Raven pondered Saidi's words a moment before nodding and giving her a small smile of gratitude.
The other Titans joined the two girls.
"Weren't you going home, Saidi?" Terra asked.
"Yes, earlier today. But then I sensed something, so I came here," she explained in her small voice.
"We shall buy delicious foods for you as thanks!" Starfire insisted cheerfully.
When Saidi looked confused, Raven explained, "We'll buy you lunch."
"Oh. As much as I would enjoy eating with you, I miss my home," Saidi politely declined.
Starfire looked disappointed but she understood how the other alien girl felt.
"That's okay, we understand," Robin assured her.
"Have a safe trip," Raven added.
Saidi gave the cloaked girl a weak hug before leaving. Raven thought she saw sadness in the girl's eyes when she looked at her, but was not positive.
"I've contacted the police. They should be her to get Slade in a few minutes," Cyborg said.
"Good. I think we can leave him. That blast knocked him unconscious," Robin said with a glance at Slade's unmoving form.
"He doesn't look like he'll be waking up any time soon, that's for sure," Beast Boy added.
"Hey, Rae? You okay?" Terra asked her sickly-pale friend, who was swaying on her feet.
Raven forced herself to stand still. "Yeah, just tired. Can we just go back to the Tower?"
"Yeah, sure. Let's go," Beast Boy said, looking worried.
They started back towards the T-car, walking at a slow pace for Raven's sake.
The glint of light on metal caught Raven's eye. Turning to get a better look, she felt a searing pain in her shoulder, quickly followed by another in her collarbone. Reaching a hand up, it came away bloody.
Raven's mind only had time for one thought before she collapsed from blood loss.
I've been shot.
The other Titans had stopped walking as well when Raven had halted, and had watched with horror-stricken faces as first one bullet, then another, struck their friend dangerously close to her heart before a blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon indisposed Slade.
Sunlight again flashed off the gun that fell from the now truly unconscious Slade's grip.
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The Titans gathered around their fallen comrade's bed, gloomy expressions on all of their faces. They grimly viewed the machines and IVs that the frail form on the bed was connected to. Her pale skin nearly as white as the bandages that covered her multiple wounds and contrasted with her dark clothing.
All in the room were anxious, except for the one lying on the bed. Her face, though colorless with the exception of a few bruises, seemed to be mysteriously at peace as she rested in her deep sleep.
"Friend Raven, please, let us help you," Starfire pleaded sadly. She didn't understand much about Raven's condition, but she knew that there had to be something they could do to help their friend.
"Yeah, Rae," Terra agreed, hesitantly taking one of Raven's hand and holding it as if it were made of glass.
Robin sighed. "If only we knew what was going on her mind," he said, more to himself than anyone else.
Nevertheless, everyone heard him—including Beast Boy and Cyborg.
"Hey, guys, there's something BB and I need to show you. Come on. Let's get in the car and we'll explain on the way. The Titans reluctantly left the clean, white building.
After several long minutes of silent driving, Terra's patience finally wore out. "Okay, where are we going? What's going on?"
"Um," Beast Boy started. "We never told you this before, but…"
"There is a way into Raven's mind. BB and I have been there before…"
"Only once," Beast Boy quickly added at the shocked looks from the others.
More time lapsed in stunned silence.
"How?" Robin finally asked as they traversed down the hallway in Titan Tower.
Cyborg opened Raven's door, and Beast Boy went over and picked up the mirror lying on the dresser. "Through this."
"It's a portal into her mind," the hybrid added.
"Well? What are we waiting for?" Terra demanded. "Let's go!"
"What do we have to do?" Robin asked sensibly.
"You just sorta hold it up, like this," Beast Boy demonstrated. "And—"
Black light surrounded the five Titans, and they were pulled into the mirror.
They appeared on the thin, crumbly walkway that Beast Boy and Cyborg recognized from their first trip, but everything was completely unknown to the other three Titans.
"Hey, Ravens! Where are you?" Beast Boy called.
Starfire, Terra, and Robin looked confused.
"Did you just say 'Ravens?'" Robin inquired.
"Yeah. We're in Raven's mind, so all of her personalities are separate Ravens," Cyborg explained.
"Oh. That makes sense, I guess," Robin said slowly. Both girls still seemed puzzled.
A green-cloaked Raven appeared next to them, looking just as ill as their friend. Two bloodstains on her shoulder and collarbone matched Raven's as well.
"Brave, right?" Cyborg asked her.
She nodded. "I know why you're here. Come on," she said, her voice weak with sickness.
The Titans followed Brave through one of the roughly hewn stone archways.
There was a flash of blinding light, and when they regained their vision, Brave was gone. Instead, in front of them they saw Raven's other emotions, sitting or laying on violet stone furniture, obviously drained of energy. And all of them had bloodstains on their cloaks where Raven had been shot.
Orange-cloaked Lazy was lying down with her eyes closed, chest rising and falling rapidly as if she was having difficulty breathing.
The pink-shrouded Happy was sitting in a chair, a hand clutched to her stomach. Her face had a slight tinge of green to it. She managed a weak smile when she saw the Titans.
Raven's other colorful personalities looked just as unwell.
"This way," they heard, and turned to see Brave standing beside another portico. She walked through before she even saw whether or not they were coming.
Starfire followed automatically, quickly trailed by the others.
Their vision cleared more rapidly after the burst of light, and once again Brave was nowhere to be seen. Now they stood before a shining cage of Raven's black energy, with many other colors interwoven within it—one for each of her emotions.
Inside the enclosure was a sight observed by only two of the five who stood before it. A red-cloaked Raven stood with her back to the Titans.
"Friend Raven! We must free her!" Starfire said, determinedly walking towards the cage.
"No, Star!" Cyborg cried, stopping her.
The mysterious figure turned around and glared at them with two pairs of crimson eyes. Her lips twisted into a wicked grin.
"Rage," Beast Boy said quietly.
"Trigon, Raven's father," Cyborg added. "The son of the Devil."
"What are you doing to Raven?" Robin demanded.
The voice that answered was not that of their friend. Rather, it was deeper and filled with hate. It was the voice of Trigon. "My daughter locked me away inside her mind. I am only repaying the favor."
"What do you mean?" Terra asked heatedly.
"She spent three days trapping me in here, in a cage of her energy, her essence. So I have complete access to her life-force, and I intend to use it to teach her a lesson, or until she let's me go."
"Which I will not do." They all turned to see Raven, looking feeble but resolute beneath her violet cloak. Her eyes were only for the one in red. "Because I know what the result would be; you would destroy everything using my powers!"
Rage wrapped a hand around one of the cage bars. Raven fell to her knees, coughing blood into her palm, struggling for breath.
"Raven, let him go. We can beat him!" Cyborg insisted.
"Yeah, just like last time!" Beast Boy said.
"No, he is stronger just as I am weaker," she managed, still trying to regulate her breathing and calm her racing heart. "Now, you must leave. If I die while you are still here, you will perish."
"We'll die, too?" Terra asked.
"No," Raven corrected, her voice hard. "Perish."
"That does not matter to me," Starfire said, surprising them all. "Raven, please, let us help you, just as you have helped all of us."
"But, if Rage is not destroyed…" Raven's resolve was waning.
"We'll get him," Robin assured her.
"He'll get his butt kicked," Beast Boy added.
"Yeah. We got twice as many people this time, too," Cyborg pointed out.
"Yes, Raven. Let me out," Rage prompted evilly.
Terra gave the caged character a fierce look before turning back to her friend. "C'mon, Raven," she encouraged softly.
The five held their breath awaiting Raven's answer, knowing her decision would be final.
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To my reviewers:
Star1993: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Sorry for the wait. I hope it was worth it!
Arrendi: lol. You're right. I'm glad you've been enjoying the story, and I hope you liked this one, too.
RaVeNfAn123(): I am happy you liked! So sorry it took me so long.
Goddess Grief: Thanks! I check out your story as soon as I get a chance. Thanks again!
caralynne(): Yes, I do know that Terra is evil, but that didn't quite work for this fic. Thank you for the review!
DelofDani: Thanks! Well, we all know Slade is good with machines, so it's up to the reader's imagination to figure out exactly how he did it.
Possesed Angel: I'm happy you've been enjoying my story. Thanks!
lotos-eater: Thanks for the info, I honestly didn't know that. I just copied what was on the site I got the name from. Keep rooting, who knows what will happen—except maybe me.
anti-terra: I'm glad you like my story and I'm sorry for the wait. If I don't finish before I get home, I promise updates will be a lot more frequent. Thank you!!
CoRrUpTeR oF mInDs: I'm delighted! Thanks so much!
dana1313(): Sorry for the cliffhangers, and the wait. I'm on a 'vacation' of sorts. Anyway, I have to say: thank you very much!
Ravenn03: Wow, thank you! I apologize for the waiting, and I hope you liked this chapter, too. Thanks again!!
EarthChild: Thanks! I will keep writing. Enjoy!
LIz: Thanks! Very sorry for the wait!
Aya Sadaka(): I have been thinking a lot about the ending, because, as much as I sometimes hate endings, this fic is coming to a close. The 31st is when I get home, so hopefully I'll get to see those new episodes when they premiere, thanks for the info. Thank you again for everything!
002(): Interesting suggestion. I almost had that happen, actually. But I have both BB/Rae and Cy/Rae and possibly Rob/Rae fans, and I don't want to show any favoritism, at least not yet. Thanks very much, though! I hope what I wrote was adequate!
MirandaOtto: I'm that popular? lol. I'm glad you like the story. Thanks for the reviews!! And I am extremely sorry for the wait.
Orion Kohaishu: Hey! I'm glad you like it. You know I love your stories, too. Hope to hear from you soon!