Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. I don't own TEEN TITANS.

-B L A C K – M A G I C-

Chapter 4- Morning-Night, The Split Personality

Titans Tower

'Kitchen'

Raven awoke the next day, actually feeling quite... uplifted.

She didn't know exactly why.

She was actually very happy being... home, but she'd never admit it. She had missed the Titans.

And today, she had just taken an early morning shower and was boiling water in her teakettle for her ritualistic breakfast tea session. Herbal tea, once again. Or maybe... she wanted mint tea, today. Or maybe strawberry. Or maybe raspberry. Or maybe iced tea. Or maybe lemonade...

"Good Morning Dear Friend Raven!"

Starfire greeted the contemplating girl with a big, huge hug.

Raven almost choked.

When the Tamaranian let go of her, she rubbed her arms and shuddered, trying to heal the broken bones as well as getting the feeling back in her body. "Nice to see you too, Star." She greeted, mumbling.

Suddenly, the dark girl heard the whistling of the teakettle. In the end, she just decided to have good ol' herbal tea. It would make life a lot less complicated for her if she just prevented thoughts like that.

Upon entering, Cyborg and Beast Boy greeted them happily, especially Raven.

Could they have missed me?, thought Raven, wondering why they looked so relieved, No. It must be something else.

Raven sipped her tea ceremoniously, the hot, soothing liquid sliding down her throat, calming her nerves. She tried to play it cool in front of them. She couldn't let the others know that something was anonymously wrong with her, that something was unmistakably off about her. If they knew, they might start to treat her differently and damn it, she didn't need their pity.

Raven felt restlessness in the air as she mulled over her thoughts. She looked up from her tea. "What?" They sat quietly, watching her every move. They looked as if something was bothering them. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong, or am I going to have to read your minds?"

"Uhh..." Beast Boy spoke, stalling the conversation. "We'll just wait until Robin comes."

"Fine."

The dark girl only sat there impatiently.

Finally, Robin walked into the silent kitchen, seeming ill at ease.

"Is there something disturbing you Robin?" asked Starfire worriedly.

"Everything's fine, Star." He gave her a weak smile, upon noticing Raven and the stillness. "Why is everyone so quiet?"

"We were waiting for you." replied Cyborg.

"Why me?"

"I believe you guys want to discuss something with me." Raven spoke dully, placing her intricate teacup on the table.

Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg stared at the Titan leader tentatively to begin.

He could tell what was on their minds.

"Well," he scratched the back of his head timidly, "we don't have to talk about it now. It can wait until-" He noticed her sharp, piercing amethyst eyes glaring at him dangerously. He sighed. "We're just wondering what happened... with you and... Slade."

"Nothing, really." She spoke with a bored tone. Robin watched with veiled diffidence as Raven lifted her insipid drink to her pink, supple lips. "However, he has a partner."

"Who?" asked Robin, breaking away from his fantasy.

"My father." She stared into her tea, as the others freaked.

Beast Boy exclaimed. "You mean TRIGON!?! Your WACKO FATHER!?!"

"You mean the one who was messing with your head?" asked Cyborg.

She nodded lightly.

"How do our two friends know about him, and not I and Robin?" wondered Starfire.

"Do you remember the Dr. Light incident?" inquired the metal man.

"And how Raven was acting all weird." added Beast Boy, receiving a glare from the dark girl herself.

Robin and Starfire bobbed their heads in 'yes'.

"Well, we sort of accidentally were trapped in her meditating mirror while we were going to apologize." The green boy grinned in slight embarrassment.

Cyborg spoke evenly. "It led to her mind."

The others just nodded in understanding.

Anything of Raven's was off limits, especially her thoughts.

Who knew what went on in that pretty, intelligent little head of hers?

"Anyway," Raven looked at them fiercely, remembering the events of that 'incident'. She spoke once again of the matter at hand, continuing on. "The two have made a pact. Slade undoubtedly wants Robin and Trigon wants... me." She said the last part softly.

They gasped.

"NO! They will not take you away from us!" Starfire shouted abruptly.

They can't take my friends!, she thought angrily. They can't take Robin...

Robin raised a questioning brow. "Where is your father?"

"He was supposedly locked away... or in hiding." Raven said, truly not knowing. "But I believe that Slade will bring him into Earth by using the Trias." That was the only possible way she could think of her father being able to enter Earth, unless he had found a way to manipulate her.

"So, all we have to do is get the stones before Slade does, right?" He inquired.

"Exactly."

"But, how will we find them?" asked Beast Boy curiously.

"I did some more researching on that guy and the jewel," Robin began. The others listened closely. "It said that he had actually founded two gems. Rubia, or rather Kahretsin," he spared a glance at Raven, "is the one that had been sold. The other, however, was sent to a museum, conveniently in Jump City." He paused uncertainly. "I'm not sure if this jewel is one of the triad. So, I'll have to check with you, Raven." He looked at her.

She looked at him. "Okay," she said quietly. "I'll help you with your research tonight." She got up from the table, deciding to head towards the roof. "I'll be meditating, if any of you need me." Raven gave them all a serious expression that spoke for itself saying, 'And-it-better-be-important'.

She left the room, as chatter was still few between them.

'Rooftop'

"Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos..."

Raven vocalized her usual mantra with an extra speed.

Though she had been quite contented this morning, the conversation had left her in a bad mood. She didn't feel like talking. It was just that... The thoughts of her father forcing her into being his deadly slave perturbed her to no end...

She had had nightmares of such forewarnings, ghastly premonitions filled with bloodcurdling screams.

Taking over the earth... Annihilating humanity... Destroying endless worlds... Having no control... Killing all... and everything in sight... Murdering her friends...

The dark girl stopped her chanting and dejectedly looked at her hands.

With these hands, 'her' hands, she'd kill in his name.

If... if it ever gets down to that, she decided mindfully. I have only one last resort.

Raven started her invocation again, maintaining a sturdy tranquil pace.

She would not live to see such destruction.

'Robin's Room'

It is ironic how the obsessed obsesses over the obsessor.

Robin sat in the center of his room, the only light shining blaringly upon his plans and designs. The room was a grayish smoggy area, filled with darkness and obscurity. Newspaper articles of villains, mostly Slade, and old ideas on paper chaotically scattered the walls and floor. The only thing clean in the entire room was an old picture of two parents and their son in trapeze artist clothing, completely untouched.

However, over everything, there is only one thing this boy does when he's in his room.

Currently, the Titan leader was obsessing over Slade.

"Slade," he whispered to himself, "why me?"

Of all the people in this world, why him?

There were a lot of great heroes in this world.

Why not them?

How about Terra?

Wasn't she good enough?

Wouldn't two apprentices just be a hassle?

Or, would he kill off Terra when he received him?

And what about Raven?

What did Slade do to her?

There was something strange about her... something he couldn't put his finger on. Last night, her eyes were a crystal blue, her actions unexpected, passionate, and heady. Today, her eyes were their normal purplish hue, indifferent and calm like they usually were. No emotions. No feelings. No nothing.

What about him?

Why did he respond to her actions?

And why had he wanted it so badly?

so... badly...

Robin reddened.

Now he was just rambling.

'Starfire's Room'

The upbeat room was an unsettling pink, blinding you and rendering you helpless when you first walked in. The floor was an unsullied white and the bed was covered in feathery purple sheets. The ceiling was a bright, tasteless yellow and there were pictures of kittens, puppies, and flowers plastered across the walls crookedly.

Starfire laid her head at the end of the bed, her feet on the pillow instead.

Her river of fiery red hair fell down the bed's edge as she stared distractedly at the sunny roof of her room. She loved bright, lively colors and photos of anything cute and cuddly. She loved anything beautiful and pretty-looking. And she loved...

Robin.

She was not, at first, sure of the feeling.

But she so desired the boy with an absurd infatuation.

She'd watch him in the morning over breakfast. She'd observe him while he was working out. She'd glance at him in battle from the corner of her eye. She'd look at him during lunch and picnics. She'd gaze at him while he was playing games or explaining a mission. She'd find any excuse in the book to see him while he was hiding out in his room or when he was not around.

Of course, she was sure he didn't notice.

But, her fascination with the Boy Wonder soon turned into an irresistible lust.

He was quick, agile, and nimble, just right for pleasurable 'exercises'. He was handsome, cute, and attractive, his undulating muscles appealing to her emerald and lime-green eyes. And... he was kind to her like nobody she had ever known, and he was sweet... oh so sweet. She wanted to have a piece of him.

Starfire licked her lips with longing.

Maybe, she wasn't so sure about love.

But hiding behind an innocent, naïve façade was getting her nowhere in her relationship with Robin. She wanted him and all of him. Hearing more bad news about him being taken away, upset her and the desire growing inside of her body.

She needed release.

Raven walked down the stairs from the roof to get to her room before she met up with Robin, which she didn't know why she felt so excited for. She brushed it off as a weird side-effect from the pill. She had decided to go to her room for a quick visit to her magic mirror. Maybe she could figure out what was going on inside of her from there. She was sure she'd find her answer.

As the dark girl reached for the entrance to her room, all of a sudden, she began to feel faintly light-headed and dizzy. She shook her head to get rid of the wooziness but the obnoxious vertigo came back with a vengeance, making it seem as if the area around her was spinning.

She wondered confusedly, What's going-

Raven clutched her head in pain and held her body with her other hand, as an unbearable pain spread across her body rapidly. Her head began to throb, and she felt like her bones were melting. She shook in intolerable torture. She couldn't breathe. Her lungs were gasping for air.

She sunk lower and lower towards the ground.

'Control Room'

It was already midnight.

Why isn't Raven here?, pondered Robin impatiently.

He had been waiting for a quite a while.

He had the computer set up and the picture of another jewel was placed on it, along with other facts of the archaeologist who had found them. A photo of the so-called Stone of Hell, Kahretsin, was on another smaller screen, on the side for reference, and more searching had been done on the third jewel. But he had no idea where to look, just a bunch of pictures of jewels.

He needed Raven's help in this. He couldn't do this alone without information.

Ten minutes passed by.

He sighed.

Robin was about to turn off the monitors when he heard the familiar yet somewhat altered voice.

"Hey, Robin..."

He turned his head to the side, looking behind him.

Raven stood in the control room, wearing next to nothing. She walked towards him with an extra stride in her step, her hips swaying smoothly. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, velvety wisps of dark violet hair falling gently by her face. She wore a silken lavender nightgown, hanging loosely from her shoulders but grabbing her melodious curves. Her pale, elegant face was glowing and flushed. And her eyes were...

Blue.

She smiled at him seductively with her enticing mouth.

Robin turned red. He wanted to indulge in her sweet taste again, but he knew that it wouldn't be right. This wasn't Raven. There was something wrong, something very wrong with this situation. The Raven he knew was withdrawn and detached. She didn't harbor any affectionate feelings toward him, right?

As the girl before him stepped ever closer, he was beginning to have second thoughts.

This isn't her, he told himself, repeatedly.

No matter how much I wish she was.

What did I just think?, Robin pondered.

Tumbling out of his thoughts, he felt someone push him back gently, causing him to fall back into the chair behind him. Robin sat there in surprise as Raven floated over him and sat in his lap, face-to-face with the Boy Wonder. Her soft touch was once again affecting him deeply.

Raven caressed his face with tenderness. Then she lightly tapped him on the lips.

However, Robin wanted... more. And he was sure she knew this. He pulled her face closer to his and kissed her profoundly, awakening the same arousal that had not yet subsided from last night. He savored in her aroma as his hungry proclivity fed from the moment.

This might be the only chance you get, one side of him spoke.

Yeah, you're only chance to get killed, the other side retorted.

Who knows about what might happen tomorrow! She'll just retreat back inside her shell.

I bet she doesn't even know what's going on. Like you said, this isn't her.

Then that's better if she doesn't know. What she doesn't know... won't hurt her.

You'll know. She'll eventually find out. Remember. She's your friend, and she trusts you. Do you really want to break that?

Robin came back to reality and broke away from the luring, beautiful girl that was Raven, but yet, wasn't her.

When his warmth left her, she pouted, rather cutely.

Have to remember to tell her to do that expression again, mused the Titan leader sadly.

"Raven." He spoke to her consistently. "You have to snap out of it." He shook her lightly. She only gave him a befuddled look and tried to calm him down, but he shirked away from her lethal caresses. "Look, Raven. You're not acting like yourself. You have to stop this." He shook her harder. "Raven." He growled in frustration. "Raven, wake up! Rave-"

"Huh?" Her eyes flickered from blue back into their normal pale purplish hue. She held onto her head as if it was still hurting. She looked up at Robin questioningly. "What?" Uncertainly, not sure of to be happy, disappointed, or afraid, he smiled at her. "What's going on?" She finally asked. She looked at the close proximity between the Boy Wonder and herself, then at what she was wearing. Raven immediately jumped off him and turned away, both of them blushing profusely. She tried to regain her self-control and sound as angry as possible, but it only came out as a quiet demand. "You better explain yourself, Boy Wonder."

Robin tried his best to explain. "Raven, i-it's not my fault. You came down here and-" He faltered, a red tint upon his cheeks.

"And what?" She asked curiously.

"Well, we almost-"

"Almost what?"

The Titan leader was wondering if she was just trying to torture him or if she really was that naïve. How could she not remember? Didn't she remember last night?

"You mean, you don't remember?"

She shook her head.

Could this be another repercussion?, wondered Raven in confusion. I don't remember even getting down here. All I can remember is that unbearable headache. Could that have been the cause? Is that why I'm with Robin? But why him?

"Robin," she insisted unrelentingly. "Tell me everything I did."

Robin flushed, all color leaving his face. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "A-are you sure you want to know?"

She glared at him.

He gulped.

Okay. Yeah, well moving on...

Rush. Rush. Rush.

To Be Continued?: Finally! The others find something a tad misplaced with Raven's appearance. And when Slade is after the second stone! Who will get it first? What!?! Why aren't her powers working!?

Thanks For Reading My Story!