Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or any of the other characters that I use. Or any songs that I use. I meant Catwoman in the last disclaimer!
Ok, I've tried different versions of Chapter 7, and guess what, I never redo my work. Usually I'll skim through it, make sure everything is OK, because if I really re-read it I know I won't be perfectly happy. So as soon as I finish a chapter it's posted. That's why they are so… weird. Or good as I've been told. I thank you for your kind reviews. But come on, I can't be that good. There has to be something wrong! Maybe it's just me not being able to face the fact that I'm FINALLY GOOD AT SOMETHING! I've been told I'm smart n' stuff… but when it comes to sports, or music (usually, I mean there have been exceptions), or art I'm just not that great… But this, this beats everything! I'M GOOD AT SOMETHING! I'm happy, oh so happy. Ok… ignore this, I just woke up, and it's 11:44 AM, so I'm probably kind of hungry too… OH WELL WRITING COMES FIRST!
I'M TAKING OFF THE ALTERNATE ENDINGS TO HATREDS COST: DON'T BE OFFENDED! IF YOU WANT THEM THEN… Maybe I'll repost but, I don't' like them very much.
Oh, and to Chica De Ojos Café: I hope you don't mind that I used your phrase… -bows down, 'forgive me almighty writer!'- it was just so good I couldn't resist! It was the truth. Or 'Da truth yo' as they say at my school. –Shudders- Find a happy place, find a happy place. ONWARD WE GO… CHAPTER SEVEN… RIGHT… ABOUT…. NOW:
7…
I smile and look at the drones in front of me. Only 100? To easy Slade. You're weakening. I say my words and protect myself against the lasers they fire at me. I sigh and force a ball of dark magic to the drones. Sighing as I kill 15 of them right off the bat. I stare forward and concentrate, people are on the other side. A bird-a-rang flies at me.
A bird-a-rang? What's Boy Blunder doing here? I ignore my thoughts and keep firing. I didn't need to see Robin, or Nightwing as he liked to be called now. I laughed at the times I heard the name, 'Nightwing is such an amazing fighter, 'Oh, he's so hot when he fights!' Not so hot now are we Nightwing? I watch him almost get hit by a drone I send flying his way. I'm testing him, and now he's curious. I'm sure he knows it's me messing with him. The silent Raven that fights in the dark, alone. I know they need me back though, and the thought scares me. We've been weakening. Slade hasn't. People are scared and fleeing to one side, and for some… life has not changed. They are unaware that the fight involves them, who they follow. I know the ditzy girls who think Nightwing is 'hot' will follow him. And the boys that seem to stalk me will follow me. I fire at the drones, and so does Cyborg, I can't help but wonder how he's doing. Things have to be tough over there. I have dodged their futile attempts of finding me, and until recently I'm sure they believe I am dead. Or maybe they still do, I don't know. And the scariest part, part of me doesn't care.
"Raven!" Nightwing's cry breaks out across the street and I flinch. I didn't want to be found this way.
"Nightwing, what are you talking about?" Starfire asks. I watch her put a hand on Nightwing's shoulder.
"I saw Raven!"
"Naw, no way man. Raven's dead. We would have found her by now if she wasn't." Cyborg said.
"She. Is. Not. Dead." Nightwing is persistent, and for a second almost sounded like… me. I frown and sigh, I must need to go back. They need me, and part of me needs them. The other part remains alone. The side of me that no one can see.
"No Cyborg, I'm not dead." I float easily in front of them. "I just don't want to be found."
"Raven!" Beast Boy screamed.
"Yes. In person, right here, live." I say sarcasticly.
"Well yeah, obviously…"
"You're just as pathetic as you were when I left you." I turn to Robin.
"Raven you're here."
"Yes Boy Blunder, I'm here."
"He goes by Nightwing I believe." Said Starfire.
"Yes, I know. But he will always be 'Boy Blunder', 'Bird Brain', or," I pause to show a small smile, "'Traffic Light.'"
"I'm not a traffic light anymore! My costume is blue and black- I have stealth now."
"Yes, it's hard to find darker colors. Which is why traffic lights are so bright." I said.
Nightwing smiled. "Welcome back Raven."
"Pudding?" Starfire asked, they were standing in the kitchen of the tower, and Starfire wanted to celebrate. I sighed.
"No thanks Starfire." I said.
"Yeah… I'm good." Beast Boy agreed.
"I have to agree with grass stain on this one." Cyborg nodded.
"What about you friend Robin?" Starfire asked.
"NO REALLY! I'M FINE!" Robin said a little bit too quickly.
Starfire shrugged off her friends comments. Things had almost seemed so normal to Raven. Maybe they've changed since I left. Maybe they aren't so hard and uncaring.
"In that case… I suppose I shall train." Starfire said.
Maybe not.
Knowledge! Go back to Nevermore!
You know you need me. You know you aren't supposed to be here.
And just why would that be?
You belong alone.
I do not. I have the Titans.
It is no use lying to yourself.
AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS! I pushed knowledge out of my mind, back into the hell the was Nevermore.
"Yeah… I have to go work on that new program for Batman." Cyborg said.
"I uh… am going to… train." Beast Boy said weakly. "Superman says I am to weak, and I need to work on combat."
"So that just leaves us." Nightwing said.
I turned to stare at him. "Look, you've been with Starfire for half of the past year. Don't look at me like that." I inwardly cringed at my words, but it wouldn't be fair to myself if I let him get close to me. I looked out the window, he had been part of the reason I had left, no matter how much I didn't want to face it.
"I know! But she is nothing compared to you Raven! You offer me so much, you love me, you cared, and you reached out to me! If it wasn't for you I would still be with Slade right now! I need you!"
"No, you don't." My words were hurting him, I knew it. I felt childish, fighting with him.
"Raven you-"
"I what? Need you? I don't need anyone! I wasn't going to come back!" I glared at him.
"You… you weren't?"
"NO!" A lightbulb shattered. I sighed and used my powers to clean it up. "I wasn't."
"What? Why?"
"Because I was fine on my own! You need me, I don't need you! I have lived alone almost all of my life! I know what I need and what I don't." I spun away from Robin and started to walk out of the room. He put a hand on my shoulder and turned me back to him.
"I know you don't need us. I know we need you. I know you don't need to be alone! You have friends Raven, as much as you don't want to admit it you do!"
"Oh yeah? Friens who sent drones out to find me? Slade's drones that they had converted at that! You call that friendship?"
"I WENT OUT EVERY NIGHT LOOKING FOR YOU BEHIND THEIR BACKS! THEY HAD TO STOP ME FROM GOING OUT BECAUSE I WASN'T SLEEPING OR EATING ENOUGH! You know what you did to me? DO YOU?"
"I made you desperate. I made you so desperate you forgot me and went after Starfire! I'm sorry you wasted your time!"
"How can you do this Raven? How can you do this to me? I thought… I thought you loved…" He trailed off.
"THOUGHT I LOVED? I DO LOVE! My love gives so much! It gave you so much you gave me up and went to Starfire! Is that love? I WAITED FOR SIX YEARS! SIX YEARS! THAT'S HOW I FREED YOU FROM SLADE! THAT'S WHAT IT TAKES, PATIENCE! You have no patience!"
"I know what you went through!"
"No. You. Don't. No. One. Does. Don't. Ever. Say. You. Know. What. I. Went. Through."
"Raven please! I DO NOT LOVE STARFIRE! I WENT OUT WITH HER ONCE, ONCE!"
I glared at him.
"She is like a little sister to me! I just wanted to see if… if maybe you were gone, I needed someone, I just wanted to see if she could help me! But she couldn't Raven! No one could! I was alone! You left, and I almost killed myself! You turned around one last time and then flew off! STARFIRE HAD TO HOLD ME BACK!"
He was on the verge of falling to his knees, for me.
"Robin…" The word slipped, I realized he was not Robin. He was Nightwing. "Sorry… Nightwing."
"No, I don't care what you call me."
"I didn't know." I said flatly.
"Please don't leave me… not again."
I had to give into his hug as he wrapped his arms around me. "Please."
"Don't beg." I said. "I don't want to hear you beg. That is only a weakness."
He smiled. "Same old Raven."
Hmmph... it's kind of short. Sigh... I'VE GOT WRITERS BLOCK HELP ME!
I'm clueless as what to do for the next chapter, BUT MAYBE YOU WILL HELP ME? I need ideas man, IDEAS! So… REVIEW! Hmm… maybe I'll do some flashbacks to Raven's past year? Maybe, maybe not. YOU DECIDE! JUST REVIEW!
Just another hopeless reminder: Alternate endings for Hatreds Cost are goin' down! I don't like them! I hope you don't hate me for it, but they are just confusing…
