Hiya everyone and welcome to the next chappie of "Mere Memory" there not much to say except a big THANK YOU! To Lain the Fluff-Master for reviewing! YAY! Oh, and IVE FINISHED THE STORY! Well, at least writing it down…that's not exactly good news because now im really bored…but anyhoo…onto the chapter!
Disclaimer: see the last six bloody disclaimers…pooey foo on you…
Btw…this chappie may be a little…confoozling and weird…at least I is finking so…but that's prolly due to the fact that I am confoozling and weird…
Oh, another btw…the bold is another person, the regular font is Karigan…ok, shutting up now…
Chapter 7even: The Unsettled
Mere Memory
Darkness. Cold, isolated darkness. The only known presence in this seemingly endless void was Karigan, but she knew she wasn't alone. This place, this collector of night, held hundreds of bodiless voices, all trapped. Karigan could hear their whispers in her head; and incessant buzzing that would not cease. She continued wondering where and what this place was, why she was here, and why there were so many sorrowful, trapped, souls. This place is Mishocair. Karigan whirled around and saw a hooded figure all in grey. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. The person chuckled, but not out-loud. You can only speak through thoughts. Karigan grew a little alarmed at this new information. What do you mean this place is 'Mishocair'? And why am I here? Karigan thought hastily. The figure sighed mentally and continued. Mishocair is where souls are trapped, in perfect balance between life and death. Even the smallest of factors could tilt the scales and determine whether these people live or die. Karigan held up her hands. Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. How can you be in perfect balance? If you're comatose, came the short reply. So I'm in a coma…she thought distantly. But I thought I died, I saw my death. You saw yourself slipping into unconsciousness, not dying. You only assumed that you did not live. The two sat in silence for awhile, the whispers of the trapped forever in the background. If I'm in a coma…was my mother- Here? Yes, she was. One of the lucky few to wake up before they die-being in the condition she was in. She loved you very much. Karigan nodded, and looked straight into the hood. How long do people usually stay here? She asked solemnly. The figure paused for a moment. I guess it depends on what put you here in the first place. So how were you injured? Gunshot wound right there. Karigan told her, pointing to the space just below her ribs. Hmm, well it depends on how much blood you lost and what was hit by the bullet. Usually shooting victims don't go into comas, but I guess you must've lost a lot of blood. You could be here for days, hours, even weeks, I don't really know. Karigan nodded numbly. But just out of curiosity, why were you being shot at? The comatose girl pondered her answer and then spoke. I was saving a friend. From what? An enemy. They sat in comfortable silence until curiosity got the best of Karigan. Do you have a face? She asked rather bluntly. The hidden person giggled and pulled down her hood. The woman beneath the hood possessed a remarkably ethereal beauty. Her hair was the absence or color, black, with random white and silver highlights. Her eyes, thought looking normal at a glance, were not. They were solid, deep pools of quicksilver, engulfing Karigan's stare altogether. The silver orbs held no show of emotion, but had a swirling mist in them. (AN: normal eyes have pupils and such, but hers are all silver. Top-bottom, left-right, all silver)
Then Karigan's next question just flew out of her mouth before she could contain it. You're a woman? She smiled. Yeah, I guess I am. Sorry to not properly introduce myself, name's Sividia, or Siv, or Guardian. (that's my job title) just call me whichever. And yeah, since the Afterlife and the Underworld are both ruled by power-hungry men, it's high-time a woman did something. Sividia began counting on her fingers. You've got Trigon, Grim, Xaphtious, and Bob in the Underworld; and Celere, Jack, and now Dakkaadyyyshum's back up there in the Afterlife. And just little ol' me right here. Karigan smiled for the first time since she got here. Then she sighed, What do you do to pass the time?Sividia thought for a moment. I learn about the world. You see, I can look out on anything on Earth; so I do, and I learn about anything and everything, and by the time I'm done learning about everything, there's more to learn. But even that gets old. It gets pretty lonely down here; no one usually talks to me. It's as if the Unsettled think it's my fault they're here in the first place. Karigan nodded. But what happens to the people once they die? They fade. Depending on the life they lived they go black or white; Underworld or Afterlife. And if you wake up, you fade clear as tears. Karigan said nothing but felt extremely frustrated. I don't have a concussion or anything, I was shot, why am I not waking up? Anger coursed through her veins, hot with fire. This is all Slade's fault. If he hadn't shot at Robin, this wouldn't have happened, I wouldn't be here. What the hell does he want! Karigan screamed mentally. Sividia was shocked at this change of emotion and just stared, wide eyed, at Karigan.
In the conscious world, Karigan had gotten out of an immediate surgery two hours ago. She had the bullet removed and the wound treated as best as it could. The other Titans had gone home for the night, but Robin stayed by her side in case she woke up. He was almost ready to dose off when Karigan's body began to glow red, illuminating the room in a blood-bath. Oh no, don't get angry now... Robin groaned inwardly. But instead of something bursting into flame, her body began hovering a few inches off the bed. Robin was a bit befuddled at this, and also curious, so he stood, transfixed with the scene before him. Karigan's heart rate increased a little, and after about ten minutes of floating and glowing, she went back to normal.
Back in the unconscious world Karigan's anger died down. Sividia still stood there, confused. Who's Slade? The enemy. Karigan whispered in her head. And then much to the surprise of Karigan and Sividia, Karigan began to turn clear. Sividia again stared at Karigan in amazement and Karigan looked down at herself. I-I'm leaving? I'm waking up? Sividia nodded in a daze. Goodbye and good luck. And with that Karigan vanished completely from the Mishocair.
Robin wasn't sure what had just happened but stayed put, deciding the incident wasn't enough to alert the rest of the Titans about. Since he had been pacing, Robin sat back down in the chair facing Karigan's bed.
"What the hell just happened?" he whispered.
"That's a good question for someone that knows the answer." came the response. Robin jumped a little at the sound of another voice in the room and his head shot up. Karigan was wide awake and smiling at him. The Boy Wonder sat mouth agape, at a loss for words for the first time in a long while. Karigan still sat there, smiling broadly.
"Well I see someone's happy to see me." She teased. Then Robin snapped out of his reverie.
"You're ok! That's great! But do you know what just happened?" he asked. Karigan looked confused.
"Describe it and I'll see if I do." So Robin told her about how she had levitated above the bed and glowed. She sat silently for a few moments to piece together the puzzle.
"So nothing caught on fire or moved?" Robin shook his head. "Well, I did get angry, and I think I scared Sividia a bit." Karigan thought out loud. Now Robin looked confused.
"Who's Sividia?" he asked. Karigan began explaining about Mishocair, the Unsettled souls, and Sividia. The Boy Wonder sat in utter disbelief at her tale; and Karigan could tell he didn't believe her.
"Are you sure this wasn't some very detailed dream?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.
"Sividia said my mother was there." Karigan answered quietly. "And besides, what do you think people in comas do, count back from a zillion?" she added hotly. Robin looked stunned at her cool reaction. Karigan lowered her head, ashamed.
"I'm sorry. It's just that, well, it felt so real. I could hear the the Unsettled whispering in my head." She muttered. Robin touched her arm gently. Karigan's heart jumped and she could feel the color rise in her cheeks.
"It's ok," he began, "I believe you. I guess it's just that I don't understand it because I haven't experienced it." He explained. The hospitalized girl nodded and Robin continued. "Overall I'm just glad you're ok." He finished, blushing slightly. (OoO what have we hear? Fluff? A wee bit…I truly suck at writing it tho…) Karigan looked up at him and smiled, her face flushed as well. Before long the both realized that they were staring at each other, and looked away, blushing even more. Silence took over between them and Karigan was getting extremely uncomfortable in the bed. She tried to sit up, and surprisingly, it only stung a little to move. Robin began to protest at her moving but when he saw she wasn't in any pain fell silent.
"That should've hurt a lot more." She muttered. Karigan lifted her shirt until the bandages were exposed and removed some of them. What she found startled her. Instead of a deep, bleeding hole in her stomach, she found a new layer of tender, pink skin. Karigan looked up at Robin, dumbfounded.
"How the?" she asked flabbergasted, running her fingers over the skin. The Boy Wonder was just as amazed and reached out and touched the new skin. Karigan snorted and wiggled away a bit.
"Ah, that tickles." She said, giggling. Robin looked relieved.
"Oh, sorry." He apologized and then continued. "Do you think that when you got mad you healed yourself?" She thought about this.
"I guess it's possible, and it's basically the only explanation right now." She mused. "But I guess it sort of was a good thing I got shot instead, you might've not pulled through." Karigan added, trying to make light of the situation. Anger filled Robin's obscured eyes.
"I think that's what Slade would've wanted." Then he started pacing again. "but what I can't figure out is why the hell he wants me and the rest of the Titans dead. He could've killed you Kari." He finished, his frustration dying a little.
During his ranting, Karigan had removed all of the cords and IV's attached to her.
"But he didn't, that's the thing. I'm ok now." She told him, swinging her legs off the bed.
"What are you doing?" Robin asked
"What's it bloody well look like I'm doing? I'm getting out of this dratted bed. I can never sit still for very long." She answered, pushing herself into a standing position. Before Karigan stood up, she hadn't thought about the circumstances her body was in. She had lost a significant amount of blood, she had been laying down for who knows how long and her legs probably had no bloody flow. Robin was by her side in a heart-beat when he saw her legs falter.
"Bugger on it." She muttered before her knees buckled, sending her falling into Robin's arms. (hmm…that seems to be happening a lot!)
"Um, maybe you should just sit down for a bit." Robin offered, leading her to the chair he had been sitting in. Karigan sank into the chair, drained from just trying to stand up.
"Stupid legs." She muttered, frustrated. "Well this officially bites. I'm confined to a bed or a chair, there's nothing to do in here, and I'm completely healed." She added.
The heart monitor next to the bed showed no signs of life, and that brought the doctor and two flustered attending nurses running into the room.
"What's going on here?" Dr. Abernathy demanded. "I did not authorize this young lady to get out of bed," she continued as Karigan glared daggers at her. "she has been seriously injured and needs to recover." Karigan cleared her throat loudly.
"This young lady," she emphasized, "does not like being talked about as if she's not here, and I'm not seriously injured anymore." She finished matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean, 'not anymore'." The doctor asked incredulously. Karigan rolled her eyes, sighed, and lifted her shirt just enough so the doctor could see she was all better. Dr. Abernathy's eyes widened with amazement, mush as Robin's had.
"Very well, you are fit to go home," Karigan's eyes shown with excitement, "tomorrow. In the meantime, you are to rest. No buts." She added, seeing her patient start to protest. Then Dr. Abernathy turned to Robin.
"And you, mister. You shouldn't even be here, visiting hours ended two hours ago. Say goodbye to your friend and then go home. You can come back in the morning." She scolded, shaking her finger at the almost cowering Boy Wonder. Robin gulped and nodded as she and the nurses left. At the same time he and Karigan sighed.
"What a stickler for the rules, I pity you." Robin told her, shaking his head.
"At least I'll be asleep most of the time." She yawned, standing up. Robin grasped her arm tightly to steady her, but she waved it away.
"I'm good." Karigan said, shuffling to the bed and sitting down on it.
"Well I guess we'll all pick you up tomorrow." He started awkwardly, walking to the door. "Thanks for saving my life." He finished, turning off the light.
"Your welcome." Karigan whispered, glad he didn't ask why she did in the first place.
Meanwhile, at dock 76…
Jake was beside himself. He had killed Karigan. The person he had cared for most in this world was gone. He was utterly alone in this endless void of tragedy and false hopes. The world couldn't possibly throw anything worse at him. The Teen Titans will pay, Slade thought evilly, they will regret the day that they were born. Then a thought occurred to him. "What if she isn't dead?" Jake asked the ebbing darkness. He remembered Raven saying she was alive-but barely. She's too strong, she couldn't die, she is alive…Jake thought distantly. Then he came back down to reality. "She foiled my plans." Slade spat aloud. "she saved Robin; not a good sign." Slade sighed heavily. "Damn it. She's sided with them." (AN: yeah, I know, he's talking to himself. But we all do it sometimes…) Then Slade began pacing much as Robin had. "So this is what it's come to," he whispered hoarsely, "You are one of them, the enemy, kill or be killed. There is no turning back now."
woohoo…so, how u likey? Oh, I switched between Jake and Slade because he's got two sides basically. Jake still cares for Karigan and Slade wants to kill them all…Yeah, Karigan didn't die, I know how boring. But who's to say she won't at the end of the story? Huh? HUH! Teehee…oh…another little disclaimer. I don't own Dakkaadyyyshum. He's from Raven's Wolf's story…go read it! And Grim, Xaphitious, Bob, Celere, and Jack are just dudes I made up. Trigon is obviously Raven's dad and I don't own him either. Pronunciation time! Xaphtiouszaf-shus. Celerese-leer. And I hope you know how to say Bob and Jack! As always, please review. I would usually discontinue the story at the lack of reviews, but due to the bloody fact its all written down…what the hey, might as well. And theres still Lain that reads!