darktank: glad ya liked it...hope you still do after its finished
JMPchick: thanks...hope it stays good til the end
JesFriendMagnet: ok, calm down...the next chapter is finally up...though only one more left after this
Blue Lantern: thanks, glad ya liked it
TheMad shoe1: ok...I uh...hope it does
Wrathchylde: thanks
Regrem Erutaerc: thanks...hopefully this chapter is as good as the last one
ravenfairie: thanks..only one more chapter after this...
Amy: glad you liked it...and pink is happiness, at least that's what I got from the show.
Steve-Racer: first to clear up, her feelings don't manifest through her powers...it is through her emotions. Raven represses her emotions most of the time, so it semed to me that they could sometimes work independently of her physical being without her knowing. And even if this is done a lot, I like the idea of it...besides, it makes sense given the personality of Raven's character. But i do understand if you're tired of reading that...lol...either way thanks for reading.
The Sage of Story: so the master has read my work eh? I'm glad you liked what you saw. And thanks again for letting me use parts of your story as fashbacks...it really helped me develop the main plot of mine. Now as for the typos. Would you believe that I read each chapter at least 10 times before finally posting...sometimes more. No joke. But, for whatever reason, I always manage to miss something once in a while. Until i read it after posting (I read the entire story online every time I post a new chapter...lol).
Being a lazy college kid, by the time I finally catch it, I just don't fix it...at least not online. I do fix the physical document on my PC though. But, when I'm finished writig completely (1 more chapter), I plan to go back and fix all the little mistakes.
As for Terra, that's exactly what I wanted. Terra was one powerful kid...no denying it, she just made some bad decisions, and it cost her...big time (stonification...I like it lol).
Now for my quotes, I write this way for a couple reasons. One: it serves as a mark as to who's speaking, because sometimes, things can overlap and it may otherwise be hard to know who's talking. Two: I tend to stray away from: said, asked, stated, replied, etc. There are only so many options before things get repetitive (I used to do that all the time...), so I use phrases as lead-ins to my quotes, which is a technque I learned in my creative writing class senior year. Three: I agree that the phrases aren't always directly connected. But, indirectly, it does make sense. Saying "Raven sat down at the table, 'What happened to you?'" serves to say that she asked the question as she was sitting down. So in a sense it makes the connection between them. (Still, what you say does make sense...I guess I'm just stubborn or something).
Nitpicking...yeah I'd call it that, but thats what I was hoping for in reviews so thanks...I'm doing this in an attempt to better my writing, so every last criticism is welcome no matter how precise it is. (Wow...that was a long winded reply)
On one last note, thanks again for reading, and I hope these last two chapters continue like I started.
NOTES: Only one more chapter after this one, and I think it's gonna be a good ending, but we'll wait and see what you think. Also, if you havn't read The Sage of Story's Bring Me to Life yet, red it, read it, read it! lol it's a good one. Without further delay: Chapter Seven!
Chapter Seven: The Phoenix Project
Beast Boy woke up early the next morning, as always. He wandered blindly toward the living room prepared to create another typical tofu feast for his friends. As he neared his destination, Beast Boy could hear voices coming from inside the room. He waited outside and listened for a moment.
"Perhaps we should have woken Beast Boy…"
The others ignored Starfire's comment. Robin stared at Raven, "Are you sure?" Raven nodded, "Sure enough. Still, there's always room for…" Cyborg jumped in, "Failure?" Raven closed her eyes, "To put it bluntly, yes." Robin hesitated, "Is it worth the risk?" Raven nodded, "The only risk is the chance that it will have no effect. There's no real danger in…" Robin cut her off, "That's enough for me. Let's do it." Starfire smiled brightly, "I shall go awaken our green friend!"
Beast Boy walked into the room right on cue. He looked at his friends, "What exactly is going on here!" No one said a thing. Raven struggled with the words scrolling through her brain, then she finally spit it out, "I found a way to save Terra."
Beast Boy's eyes shot open. He was suddenly wide awake, "Really?" Raven nodded. Beast Boy charged forward and hugged her. Raven's heart skipped then Best Boy quickly let go, "Heh, sorry…" Raven shrugged it off and continued her explanation, "It's not guaranteed, but chances are good that…" Beast Boy cut her off, "I don't care what the chances are! Even a small one is enough for me…" Starfire giggled, "And I as well."
Robin cut in on the excitement, "Beast Boy, if for some reason this doesn't work…" The room fell silent and Robin paused, "If it doesn't work, will you…" Beast Boy cut him off, "I'll be fine. Besides, if this doesn't work, we'll just think of something else later…right?" The others hesitated. Raven was the first to speak, "Of course." Beast Boy smiled brightly.
Raven herself knew it wasn't true. This was the only hope. If it didn't work, Terra was gone forever. Though she was not about to tell Beast Boy that. She knew it would break his heart, and Raven could never live with that on her conscience.
The Titans approached the cave slowly. This was too good to be true. They had lost Terra nearly a month ago, and most of the Titans lost any hope of bringing her back.The only reason Raven kept searching for a cure was because she knew how much it meant to Beast Boy.
Robin was skeptical, he trusted Raven's judgment, but he still had his doubts. He entered the cavern expressionless and silent, hoping that everything worked out as planned. He glanced over at Beast Boy. The green hero was beside himself. Upon entering the cave, he charged forward and skidded to a stop at Terra's feet. Beast Boy stared up into her eyes and grinned, "I told ya we'd bring you back!" Starfire giggled as she came and stood beside him. "I do not believe that she can hear you, friend..." Beast Boy ignored her comment; he was far too excited.
Raven approached the statue cautiously. Thoughts raced through her head a mile a minute. She was shaking as she pulled a book out of her cloak. Cyborg stood near the entrance with Robin. The Boy Wonder looked up at him, "What's your guess?" Cyborg shrugged, "Dunno. I've got a lot of faith in Raven, but…" Robin nodded, "My thoughts exactly." The two turned back and watched as Raven placed the book at Terra's feet.
She hesitated and turned to face Beast Boy who was breathing down her neck, "Do you mind?" Beast Boy blinked and backed up, "Oh…heh, sorry." Raven shook her head and turned back to the book in front of her. She studied the words on the page and focused herself on the task ahead.
Raven closed her eyes and started to concentrate on the chunk of rock before her. She began to whisper quietly, "Azarath Metrion Zynthos…Azarath Metrion Zynthos…" She repeated the same three words again and again. The other Titans watched in silence from the far side of the cave. Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble. Raven never broke her concentration, "Azarath Metrion Zynthos…Azarath Metrion Zynthos…" The others backed up slowly afraid of what was about to happen. Suddenly, a loud crack echoed around the stone walls. The cavern floor split it two, a thin crack ran from the base of the statue and ran all the way to the entrance. "It's working," Raven thought. "It's working!"
She started to concentrate harder, knowing that success was just around the corner. Beast Boy was shaking with anticipation. He clenched his fists and waited. Then, the noise faded, and the ground stopped shaking. The Titans focused on Terra, and waited. Nothing. Raven opened her eyes and stood up. She reached forward and grabbed the book off the rock. "No," she thought, "this has to work…" Robin and Cyborg exchanged glances as Starfire floated between them with her head down. They turned and followed her out of the cave. Raven rested her head on the book and mumbled to herself. Beast Boy stood in the middle of the cave staring at Terra. "It didn't work?" Raven shook her head. Beast Boy lowered his eyes to the floor and walked outside.
Robin and Cyborg climbed into the T-Car. Starfire had already started to make her way home. Beast Boy approached the car slowly. He looked up at Robin as he climbed in, "Heh, back to the drawing board I guess…" Cyborg looked back at his friend, "You gonna be alright BB?" Beast Boy nodded, "Yeah…"
The three Titans turned to face the cave as the ground began to shake once again. Robin reached for the door, "I'm more worried about Raven. We put a lot of pressure on her." The Boy Wonder opened the door and started to get out. Beast Boy reached out and grabbed his shoulder, "You guys go back. I'll go get Raven." Robin stared at him "Are you sure?" Beast Boy nodded and climbed out of the car.
Cyborg stared out at the city, "You heard him, let's go. Starfire's probably back already, and she's gonna need some cheering up." Robin glared at him. Cyborg turned to his fried, "What?"
The ground was shaking violently as Beast Boy walked back into the cave. Raven was struggling to keep her focus. Small chunks of rock were cracking off the ceiling and crashing to the floor of the cavern. Raven was floating above the ground nearly screaming over the noise, "Azarath…Metrion…Zynthos…" Then, theearth stopped moving, and Raven slowly lowered to the ground. She looked up at Terra's lifeless form and waited. Nothing. She sighed, and prepared to try again.
Beast Boy reached out and grabbed her shoulder, Raven turned to stare at her friend, "I'm sorry." Beast Boy shook his head, "It's fine. We'll just try something else later." Raven stared at the ground and hesitated, "We can't. That was our only hope of saving her…" Beast Boy stepped back, "But you said…" Raven cut him off, "I lied. I'm sorry Beast Boy. Terra's gone." Raven slumped to the ground exhausted from all her attempts to save the lost Titan. Beast Boy stared up at Terra. He sighed lightly; somehow he always knew. He sat down next to Raven, "At least you tried."
Raven stood up slowlyand grabbed her book, "Let's just go home." Beast Boy stood up and started to follow her out of the cave.
"Hey Raven…" Raven stopped and looked back at him, "What?" Beast Boy hesitated, "I think I should tell ya…if it wasn't for Terra, I…" Raven looked away as she cut him off, "I know." Beast Boy continued to ramble, "I mean, Terra was great and all, but…wait WHAT?" Raven repeated herself without bothering to turn around, "I know." She started walking out of the cavern, "That's the main reason I never trusted Terra." Beast Boy ran after her, "Are you saying…" Raven nodded, "Yes."
She turned around and stared at Beast Boy, "I don't know why. And, frankly, I don't want to. Some things were never meant to be fully understood, and this is one of them. All I can say is that ever since that night I…'woke up'…I knew." Beast Boy stared blankly at her, "What made you decide to open up all of the sudden?"
Raven stared at the ground, "I tried to deny it once; it created jealousy, and it made me hate Terra. I don't want to go through anything like that again." Beast Boy couldn't believe his ears. Raven was actually opening up to him, of all people, and she was sharing the last thing he ever expected to hear from her. She looked up at him cautiously, afraid of what her openness might bring. Beast Boy just stared at her, speechless. Raven smiled slightly, "Let's just go home." Beast Boy merely nodded and followed her out of the cave.
As they walked down the street back toward the Tower, Raven could feel something growing inside her; a power beyond explanation. She felt a sense of balance enter her emotional existence. Raven had no words to describe this feeling, but she would soon come to call it, "Love."
This is NOT the last chapter there is one more left...and although this is a good place to end, I personally like the ending I have planned better.