By Nyassa Kaiba
Notes: Right, this may be the part that Raven fans will kill me for. Because… well…
Chibi Blackfire: Well wha? Auntie Nya well wha? Finis da stowie!
Okay, I'll finish the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. It belongs to Glen Murakami and whoever wrote the comic book. I also do not own Painters by Jewel.
Warnings: There is yuri in this chapter and I am adding a yaoi warning to the fic. That means MEN FUCKING MEN!
BTW I am also working on a Kim Possible Shego/Kim fic called, The Desert Island Game. I hope to have the first chapter up by the end of school at least. Man this is going to be fun. I hope you'll read it! (cackles in glee) And Shego as a tease! (evil cackle) Just be there and READ it!
To quote an anonymous review: "Aren't Sieryu and the other dragons from Fushigi yugi?" In answer to that, Seiryuu is a Japanese God of Dragons, rivers, storms, and the direction east. In Fushigi Yugi, his rival Suzaku is associated with the Goddess, fire, the sun, lakes, and the direction south. I'm simply using a character from Mythology as part of the story.
Chapter 12
Where has the starlight gone?
Dark is the day
How can I find my way home
Home is an empty dream
Lost for to the night
Father I feel so alone
Endless Night, from the Lion King on Broadway
Raven slowly came to, hearing the voices above her. "Is she going to be alright?" Robin asked.
"I don't know Robin. I really don't. The spell that Blackfire used was unfamiliar to me." Feralae was saying. "It's not like any dragon spell I've ever seen. My guess is that it's some kind of Tamaranean equivalent to Dragon Magic. Getting hit in the power mark like that, it almost killed her."
Raven groaned, her head hurt like hell when she tried to stand up. "Raven stay down!" Feralae said, sounding frantic. Raven rubbed her eyes, trying to get them open. Then she realized they were open. "Oh my gods…"
"What is it? Are you alright?" Robin asked from somewhere to her right.
"I can't see! Everything's all black!" Raven's eyes filled with tears. "How… How am I supposed to help if I… if I can't see!" Raven's heart nearly stopped with fear.
If Raven couldn't see how could she fight. How could she help her friends against Trigon when he came back? How could she defend herself against Slade? How could she fight anybody? How could she… how could she remain a Titan?
Feralae pulled Raven into her arms, or she thought it was Feralae. "Raven, it's me. We'll find a way to get your sight back. I promise." A gentle pair of lips touched hers, and Raven desperately kissed back.
"I need you!" Raven murmured, "I need you so much."
Raven didn't see Robin shake his head. He went outside to where the other Titans and Blackfire waited. "She's blind. Whatever you did Blackfire its TOTAL."
Starfire gasped in shock. Beastboy choked back a sob. Terra turned to him, snuggling into his arms as she cried. Cyborg simply said, "No way! But that means…"
"If Raven cannot fight, then she cannot remain a Titan." Starfire shuddered. "We must find a way to reverse the spell."
They all looked at Blackfire. "I have no idea how to reverse it. I don't even know what Fudo Myo DID. All I remember is him taking me from the prison, and bits and snatches of what happened after. I remember fighting Feralae with that mask on, and then nothing. The next thing I know I'm waking up and all of you are out cold. Feralae's de-transforming and trying to get to Raven. Then I went to get help and that's how I ended up here. I assume that Feralae defeated Fudo Myo?"
Robin shook his head. "Fudo Myo teleported away back to San Francisco." He replied. "He'll be waiting for us there. So we'd better get ready to fight."
Beastboy nodded. "And we've got to figure out a way for Raven to get around."
"With blind people it usually takes a few weeks to get oriented." Robin told him. "We'd have to start with helping her around, maybe get her a staff of some kind so that she can feel her way around."
"Poor Raven." Starfire had tears in her eyes. "Perhaps we should get her something to eat?"
"You'd better do it Starfire. I don't think she'd be happy to see me." Blackfire commented.
"Right. You stay out of my way." Starfire told her sister coldly.
A few minutes later she was back with Chicken Soup and a piece of crusty bread. "Friend Raven, I have brought you something to… eeek!" She found Feralae and Raven in mid kiss. Raven's hands were roaming Feralae' s body in places that should not be mentioned in polite conversation.
Starfire had to stop herself from dropping the tray as she felt her own body respond to their actions. Stop it Star, she told herself, you can't mention that around the two of them. Starfire had neglected to mention on the jet that she was a two spirit herself, or she suspected she was. The only other person who knew about that was Blackfire. After her betrayal Starfire had been terrified that Blackfire would 'spill' her secret to the other Titans. Now, with Raven involved with Feralae and Terra clearly going after Beast Boy there was no way that she'd get a partner of her own, at least within the group itself. "I am sorry to interrupt, but I have brought you something to eat." Starfire said politely. "Are you strong enough to sit up friend Raven?"
Raven propped herself up on the pillows. "I think so. But my head hurts like Hell."
"I brought some chicken soup and bread." Starfire said as she ladled a spoonful of soup. "Open your mouth."
Raven did so, waiting until she felt the spoon enter her mouth. She gulped down the broth, so soothing, then chewed and swallowed the chicken. The soup was so good, and Starfire was so gentle with her.
While Starfire fed Raven, Feralae broke the bread into bite sized pieces and when the soup was gone she fed them to Raven one by one. "There will be fruit and pancakes for breakfast tomorrow morning." Starfire promised as Raven finished the last of the bread. "The cook said she will make something special for you tomorrow."
"I should be the one doing it." Feralae muttered. "I AM her girlfriend."
Starfire sighed, shaking her head, then realized that Raven couldn't see the gesture. "I have an aunt who is blind Raven. Let me show you a trick." She moved one of Raven's hands to her face. "This is how you tell expressions. You run your hand over the person's face and then you can tell what they're feeling from what you tell."
"Excuse me Starfire, but I need to talk to Raven." Robin interrupted.
Oh man, here it comes. Raven thought. He's going to say that I can't be on the team anymore because I'm blind.
"Raven, something happened after you blacked out that I need to talk to you and Feralae about." Robin began, unsure of how to proceed.
"Really, what happened?" Raven asked, anything but the topic of her leaving the team. They needed her! Where would they go without her? What would they do?
"Feralae's eyes began to glow red." Robin explained. "Just like yours do when you get angry. Then she channeled a Dragon Spirit and transformed into the dragon she channeled. Did you share energy with her?"
"No, of course not. We haven't since the incident on the Training Course." Raven told him.
Robin sighed. "Then it's true what Fudo Myo said about Feralae's ancestors coming from Azarath. What may or may not be true is that Himiko knows or does not know, and has been lying about it to Feralae."
"Robin, the secret of transformation is something that only the most advanced Dragon Mages can control." Feralae replied. "It's ONLY taught to Masters."
"So it's not necessarily a power of Azarath?"
"It could be either." Feralae replied. Raven didn't see her worried look. So she reached up and put a hand on Feralae's face, trying to get a feel for her mood and what she was NOT saying. It took Robin a minute to realize what Raven was trying to do. "But I agree that we should confront Obaasan." Feralae replied. "It's a lot better to do so before another incident occurs."
"Agreed. As soon as you're ready to get out of bed Raven."
Raven stood, setting the tray aside. Almost instantly she was seized by a sense of vertigo. "Woah… where…" She fell over.
Feralae caught her. "Easy Rae…" She put Raven's arm around her shoulder and said, "Follow me."
"There you are." Himiko stood in the doorway. "We can hold a meeting in here, sit down."
Obediently they sat. The other Titans and Blackfire took seats around there. Starfire signaled to Blackfire that she should stay quiet so that Raven wouldn't know she was there.
"I'm sure that Fudo Myo has told you the Clan's greatest secret, their greatest fear." Himiko began. "A long time ago a prophecy was made. It concerned a pair of priestesses. The Kin of the Priestess of Darkness would destroy Azarath, and in her mourning, the Priestess of Darkness would seek out the Priestess of Dragons and together they would return life to the empty world. To ensure that life would return a group of Azarathan Colonists were sent to Earth. They were our ancestors Feralae. The Priestess of Darkness has appeared. Now you are the Priestess of Dragons."
"WHAT? You mean we really aren't human?" Feralae asked, eyes wide in shock.
"We are human, but of a different sort." Replied Feralae's grandmother. "I think it's obvious by now that Raven is the Priestess of Darkness. Perhaps not now, but definitely soon, you and Raven shall lead us through the veil so that we may return to Azarath."
"To return life…" Raven's eyes widened. She couldn't see her friends faces. But she could picture them. Robin's slow regard, Beastboy's awe, she could picture their faces one by one.
"What do you mean to return life?" Beastboy asked.
"Trigon massacred everybody in Azarath except for my mother." Raven shuddered. "When I went there last she said that… that I always had the love of my people, even if my life led to their destruction." Raven blinked back tears from her sightless eyes.
"Feralae, it is your destiny as the Priestess of Dragons to lead us home. Once you grow too old to be a Teen Titan I will expect you to return home for your journeyman's exams. From there I will expect you to attempt the Master's Ordeal. You shall return us to Azarath only once you are strong enough to pierce the veil. Not before. Of course, Raven can take a hand in your training. If you are transforming out of control it may very well lead to yours and your friend's destruction. Raven, as soon as you are able, I expect you to teach Feralae some degree of emotional control."
Great, Raven thought, I'm blind and I have to be a teacher. I have to teach my girlfriend how to be something besides what she has believed all her life. There's nothing harder than that, added to that, my vaunted self control is in tatters. What am I going to do?
"I'll try." Raven replied.
"That is all I can expect from you Priestess of Darkness."
Feralae paused. "Obaasan, is there any way to restore Raven's sense of sight?"
"There may very well be. I must do some research on this in the library. That was my next stop actually." Replied Himiko as she got up and left.
As soon as Himiko was out of earshot. "Feralae?"
"Hmm…."
"Kiss me before I faint from shock." Raven muttered.
Feralae did just that, right in front of all the other Titans, and her mate responded with an almost desperate urgency. Feralae smirked at their reactions. Starfire and Beastboy's jaws dropped. Robin flushed and made an ahem noise as he got up to leave. Terra giggled. Cyborg laughed at their discomfort. "You three. Aw man, I think it's time we left." He tugged the others out.
Knowing they were gone, Raven pulled her lover into a kiss. Tears were streaming from her eyes. "I'm sorry… I was so weak. I couldn't help you. Instead I end up kicked off the team because I can't see." Raven sighed.
"Who said anything about you being kicked off?" Feralae asked. "Robin was talking earlier about ways of helping you get around, even with your eyesight gone. Do you REALLY think we'd abandon you?"
"YOU might think that. But what about the others? We've had disagreements about things before, but this is major." For the first time since she'd escaped to Earth Raven cried. "I… more than anything I wish… I wish I could see your face again…"
Feralae leaned down, gently licking up her tears. "Shhhh… We'll take care of you. We're a team, we'll stick together. You just watch. You'll be staying with us for as long as you're alive. We're friends. And I am your lover, I'll always be there for you. I promise." Feralae said softly, whispering in her girlfriend's ear.
"Stay with me. Sing me to sleep." Raven whispered softly.
Feralae, being the Dragonsinger, lived up to her name and sang softly.
"Oil streaked daisies covered the living room wall
He put water-colored roses in her hair
He said, "Love, I love you, I want to give you mountains, the sunshine, the sunset too
I want to give you everything as beautiful as you are to me
'Cause they were painters and they were painting themselves
A lovely world."
Raven snuggled into her grip. Feralae took her hands, stroking them gently as she continued the ballad about the two lovers.
I want to give you everything as beautiful as you are to me
'Cause they were painters and they were painting themselves
A lovely world.
Feralae smiled, reaching up to stroke her lover's hair, and Raven's hands moved up to her face, sensing the smile as well her her lover's anxiety over her condition.
So they sat down and made a drawing of their love,
They made it an art to live by
They painted every, passion every home, created every beautiful child
Feralae realized that she was crying too when she felt her lover dab away her tears. But the words resonated with her.
Raven's imagination painted a picture of her lover in her mind, the long red hair and beautiful pale eyes. Slowly, so slowly she felt herself falling asleep. Better to sleep off her misery than to stay awake and sense the other's pity. Even if Raven didn't see their faces she could feel their pity for her.
In the winter they were weavers of warmth,
In summer they were carpenters of love
They thought blue prints were too sad so they made them yellow
'Cause they were painters and they were painting themselves
A lovely world.
As soon as her lover was asleep Feralae put a kiss on her forehead. As she came out of the room she ran into Beastboy. "Hey, is she going to be okay?"
"I don't know if her sight will come back. She's horribly depressed, but I think she'll be out for awhile. I'm going to make a staff for her. That way she can find her way around without walking into things." Feralae walked off down the corridor. She turned right and walked out along the breezeway.
The woods were dark, but not scary. After all, mankind had come from darkness. And the woods were beautiful. Several dragons and other mythical animals turned their heads as she passed them.
Nidon sailed in to land on her shoulder. "Hello there friend." She said, pausing to give him a stroke and a piece of Dragon's Blood resin. Dragon's blood was like catnip to dragons, and many of them appreciated a piece or two of it, usually seasoned with some kind of oil or herb.
Feralae searched for the right kind of wood. She found a rowan tree that had been knocked over in a windstorm. After checking it for bugs Feralae determined that it was perfect. A portion of it even coiled in a spiral, an unusual and novel shape for a staff. And the wood was sleek and smooth.
Offering thanks to the Kami as well as a small handful of herbs, Feralae took the wood home. She entered the workshop and sensed eyes on her. She turned around.
Blackfire was watching her from a distance, her gaze betraying nothing. Feralae turned back to her work. Selecting the piece of iron she needed Feralae began to hammer it into a top and bottom for the staff. Carefully she hammered in the runes she had been taught. The message said, "To Raven, from Dragonsinger." On the other two sides she carved the same message in it inordinary English and in Braille.
"Good." She said, inspecting the handy work. Feralae took additional strips of iron and formed them into pieces. The pieces, when put together, formed a raven's head. Feralae found glass beads and set them as eyes. On the bottom she formed a bird's claw with a tiny crystal at the end.
By now Feralae was singing as she worked, singing White Flag by Dido, as well as several songs by Evanescence. The music, she thought, charged the staff with energy. By then she had gotten the attention of all the journeymen and apprentices who were working on various projects. Blackfire watched her through all of this. She probably knew what Feralae was up to.
Feralae's fellow Titans were in and out all day and evening. Robin, with Beastboy as a songbird on his shoulder, was the last to check on her. "Nice work you're doing."
"It's for Raven. That way she can find her way around better." Feralae gently scraped off a piece of bark that had been left on the staff. Carefully Feralae punched the holes in the grip that would allow her to nail them into the staff. Three at each end of the grip.
"She could use it to fight too." Robin agreed.
"Do you REALLY think she'll be able to fight again?" Feralae asked, doubting it herself. Then Feralae shoved away the doubt. It wouldn't fool her lover for a minute considering that her lover was a telepath.
"I don't doubt it at all. If anyone can find a way it's her." Beastboy said from Robin's shoulder. "But you need to eat. It's almost ten at night!"
Feralae finished off the nails. Then she dipped the staff in water until it was cooled. Lastly she dried off the wood and water. "I'll bring it to her and then I'll eat and go to bed. By the way, have you noticed that Blackfire's been watching me this whole time?"
"Yes, I have, in fact, she hasn't moved. Starfire told me earlier that she doesn't approve of you handling metal. Something about Tamaranean tradition."
"Well I'm not Tamaranean." Feralae stated "So I'll work with whatever medium I care to."
"That's what Starfire told her." Robin sighed. "I predict trouble with her. She ALWAYS brings trouble but…"
"But with Raven down you need as much help as you can?" Feralae asked. "I don't trust her totally. There's something about Blackfire that I JUST don't trust."
"Do we even have a choice?" Beastboy cawed. He sailed on ahead to the room that he was sharing with Robin while they were there.
"Good…" Robin began, but then he heard the noises coming from Raven's room.
Feralae reached for her link with her lover and swore. "Oh Gods…" She ran to the room.
Still blind, Raven had formed her blankets into a noose and was attempting to hang herself. "KOIBITO!" Feralae cried, running to her. One slash of her boline, or magickal dagger, and Raven was cut loose.
Gasping for air the Lady Titan burst into tears. "Just let me go! I can't keep fighting without my eyes! I'd rather die than be without them! Please Feralae! Let me go!"
"I LOVE YOU!" Feralae cried. "I can't leave you! Don't leave me! Please! Think what you'd do to me if you died!"
Tears streamed down both girl's cheeks. "Raven…" Beastboy said from the doorway. He and Robin were there.
"Raven we need you!" Robin said, the tension in his voice was evident even in Raven's half hysterical state. "You can't just quit on us!"
"How am I needed? I can't fight! Not in my state! Look at me! My hair's a mess, I can't eat without help, I can't walk without falling over!"
"You'll be okay! You'll learn everything over again! You can't go! We'll get your sight back! I promise!" No Titan had ever seen Robin so upset. "We'll track down Fudo Myo and we'll MAKE him lift the spell!"
Sobbing, Raven fell into Feralae's arms. Feralae picked up the staff from where she dropped it a few moments before. "I made something for you." She put Raven's hands over first the end, allowing her to trace the outlines of the Raven on the handle. Her hands wandered the coils of the spiral and made their way to the end.
"Feralae…" Raven gasped. "It's beautiful… Oh if only I could see it!" She sobbed.
"I'll stay with you tonight, and if you need something Robin and Beastboy are right next door okay?"
"Oh… okay…" Raven said softly. She was too tired to argue. And her brush with death had shaken her, so had her Deva's words… Your link will save your life.
As soon as they were out of the room, Raven fumbled for the clasps on her leotard, slipping out of it with only a little help. She put it to the side of the bed. Feralae also undressed, slipping on a baggy t-shirt for bed. Then she leaned over and kissed her girlfriend, long, hard, deep.
Raven whispered. "Take me…"
"Can do." Feralae smirked as she reached down to kiss her lover, licking her way south and stroking her stomach.
Raven shuddered. "Thank you."
"You're welcome love." Feralae said as she began to rub at her lover's breasts. Feralae reached out to turn out the lights.