Chapter Two
DISCLAIMER: Once again, I proclaim to the world, that I do not own the Teen Titans in any way shape or form. My work is merely an attempt to imitate to art that has been created by DC Comics, and then drawn by the wonderful animation artists at Warner Brothers. In other words, I don't own it!
(HAVEN'T QUITE FIGURED OUT THE PAGE BREAKS, SO USE YOUR IMAGINATION, OKAY?)
IMAGINE A PAGE BREAK HERE
Three weeks. Three whole weeks since she'd spoken to him. Five hundred and twelve hours, thirty six minutes and fifty one seconds if you really wanted to be precise. Was he counting? No, of course not. After all, who in their right minds would count how long it had been since a team mate had spoken to him? Not him, nope, not him, and why should he care, when he had Starfire and Cyborg and Beast Boy to occupy his thoughts with. After all, who wouldn't be suitably entertained with their antics and who the hell was he kidding?
Robin stopped punching his titanium reinforced punching bag. Walking over to the simulation computer, he started one of the hardest Slade confrontation programs. As he walked into the centre of the room and prepared himself for the hologram of Slade, a small part of his mind noticed that there was blood dripping from his hands onto the ground. Realizing that he hadn't even noticed that he had cut pen his knuckles while thinking about Raven while punishing his punching bag, Robin quickly focused his attention on the hologram of Slade that has appeared flying out of nowhere towards his head.
IMAGINE A NICE PAGE BREAK HERE, OKAY?
Raven sat up. As her hair waved in the breeze that blew in through her broken window, she carefully controlled her rebelling emotions, ruthlessly crushing the panic and fear she felt in her mind. Gazing at the wasteland that her room had become in the past two hours while she was asleep, she took some deep breaths and chanted in her head a few times.
Waving her hand in the direction of the window, she watched as the shards glowed black and flew back to their proper places in the window frame. As the cracks in the glass faded out and the glass melded back into a complete whole once more, Raven gazed at the ruined wasteland that had once been her room. Breathing deeply, and chanting in her head, Raven concentrated on her broken possessions. Moving with the power of her soul-self, the flew back to their proper positions on her shelves, their broken parts flew together, mending themselves as they settled once more into their well worn shelves.
Surveying her room once more and feeling satisfied that everything was properly fixed and in its place, Raven extricated herself from her tangled sheets. Lifting her hand to move her hair out of her face, she noticed that her arm was bleeding from a couple of horizontal cuts near her wrist. Curiously examining her wounds, she concluded that her window shards had cut her while her powers had run rampant while she slept.
Cursing the glass in her mind, Raven quickly covered her bleeding arm with her cloak and arranging the folds so she was suitably hidden, stepped outside of her room, walking purposefully towards the bathroom.
Padding silently down the hall, Raven sighted Starfire hovering around the junction between herself and the bathroom. Exhaling in frustration, Raven concentrated. With a flash, the apparition of her soulself appeared. Spreading its ebony wings, Raven teleported inside the common room bathroom. Quickly thanking Azar that it was unoccupied, Raven strode over to the bathroom door and locked it before anyone noticed that she was out of her room.
Turning her attention to the medicine cabinet over the sink and opening it, Raven wasted no time in removing the small brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a medium sized bandage. Twisting off the top of the bottle, Raven poured the antiseptic over her arm. As it bobbled and pink tinged froth foamed at her cuts, Raven absently noticed that it didn't hurt, that she couldn't even feel the pain that should have been associated with the chemical. Rinsing her arm, she wrapped the bandages tightly around her arm. Replacing the black encased bottle back to the cabinet, Raven arranged her sleeves and cloak so her arm was sufficiently covered. Turing and unlocking the door, she walked out and straight into a warm body.
(Should I leave it there? No, I wrote too much for me to leave it there)
A gloved hand shot out and caught her arm. As her sleeve shifted, she looked up into an expressionless white mask.
"Are you okay?" Robin asked as he placed his hands on her shoulders, as if he needed to reassure himself that she was indeed, there in front of him.
Hmmm, am I okay? Raven thought. Have I slept for more than twelve hours since my birthday? No. Can I stop the visions of the future that I'm destined to create? No. Do I know how to stop my father from entering this dimension and starting the apocalypse? No. Can I get into my mirror so I can subdue my emotions? No. Have I been able to effectively meditate for the past three weeks? No. Have I been able to get my powers under control? No. Do I know what this feeling is concerning you? No. Am I okay? Am I OKAY?
"I'm fine Robin. Thanks for catching me" Raven replied.
"Raven," Robin started, "I know something's wrong. I mean, look-"
To prove his point, Robin grabbed her arm again and pulled her sleeve up to reveal the 'skin toned' bandage that clashed horrible with her grey skin.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Robin skeptically asked. "You've barely spoken to any of us since your birthday three weeks ago, and you only come out of your room when we're needed by the city. What's wrong with you?"
"What? Not good enough for you? Am I screwing up the team dynamics? Can't be an efficient team without bonding or some other kind of platitude or something?" Raven replied with a hit of anger in her voice. "Want me to put on a happy face? Act like nothing ever happened? Pretend that Slade never happened? Act like everything is normal? Just like everyone else is trying to?"
"No, I want you to talk to me- to someone. Anyone. Something happened to you Raven, and the other can tell that something is up. As much as you'd like to believe, they're not that dense. I know that whatever you're keeping from us is eating you inside, and unless you tell one of us, I- we can't help you"
"And what would that accomplish? Oh Boy Wonder?" Raven asked. "You can't help me. None of you can. And I refuse to get any of you involved in this. It's MY problem, and I will deal with it"
"Raven, we're a team. A team YOU helped to create. What ever it is, we'll help you"
"No," Raven said as her eyes started to faintly glow red, "You don't understand. What I have to do-"
"We don't understand because you won't LET us understand." Robin interrupted, ignoring the warning signs. "Why won't you let us in? Just once? Dammit Raven, we're your friends, and we won't let you face this alone"
Raven snapped. "No," she screamed. As her cloak grew to impossible proportions, her eyes glinted an evil blood red. "Foolish mortal." Raven boomed. As the walls shook around her and various crashing noises sounded from around the tower. "You have NO IDEA what is about to happen. HE is coming, and his power is incomprehensible.
As Robin opened his mouth to try to reason with her, Raven continued before he could interrupt. "You all try to get me to 'open up' and to be like you, but you have no idea of what could happen if I ever did that. The slightest hint of emotion could draw his attention to this pitiful world and my lack of control, my emotion would be the one thing he needs to break through the dimensional barrier. I have spent my entire LIFE working to prevent this. If he breaks through, he will unleash terrors that your nightmares fear, and there is NOTHING you can do to help me. No one can help me…" Raven trailed off as she returned to her normal size and her eyes returned to their normal purple colour.
As a look of abject horror appeared on her face as she realized the implications of the information she had just revealed to Robin, she turned and with a flash of black, teleported to her room just as the rest of the titans ran around he corner.
Reaching the sanctum of her room, Raven made her way quickly to her mirror. Chanting her words, she fell into her mindscape. Looking around the barren landscape that represented her mind, she walked along the rocky path and entered the gateway to Happy's domain. It was gone.
Where clear blur skies and green grass should have been, there was just endless black skies slashed with red streaks, just like the rest of Nevermore. Continuing, Raven walked further down the path and passed through the areas where Bravery, Rude, Laziness and Sadness should have been. It was all the same. The forbidden road looked exactly like the rest of her mind.
Spotting Wisdom ahead, Raven walked towards her and asked,
"Where is everyone?"
"Gone. I am one of the last left." Wisdom replied.
IMAGINE YET ANOTHER NICE PAGE BREAK HERE, OKAY?
Author's note: Okay, Sorry it took me so long. I meant to write, more, but my inspiration sort of… disappeared. I didn't mean to end it here, but I couldn't think of anything else to write at the current moment. And it seemed to be a good place to stop. If this is similar to anyone else's story, I'm sorry. Email me, and tell me, because I don't mean to. Other stories inspire me too. Please read and review, I know that we haven't got into the Rob/Rae, but it's getting there. Never fear.
The button's just there, press it, and tell me what you think.
