Just a quick note to clear up confusion: "Talking." 'Telepathy.' Sorry, but Robin is yet again on comic relief. BB is doing something somewhat serious (for a change), Cyborg's the 'expert,' and Starfire needs to not be a ditz, so he's it by default, and as a thumb-to-the-nose for misguided Rae-Rob 'shippers. Reviews to replies are at the bottom- over twenty for this chapter alone, so they're just relocated, not gone.
"Well, Raven, we have a choice. You can either give me power enough to get a form that will function on your planet, or lose this emotion forever."
"You're not going to earth." Raven knew the decision would be hard. She couldn't lose Dovey- Dovey was the one always held most precious in all poems and stories and treatises. Bravery moved forward, undoing Timid's burst of fear. Raven couldn't reconsider. There was only one possible choice.
"Then you just won't feel her again, unless you change your mind."
Raven reached out telepathically, using the smallest possible wisp of power to speak to Beast Boy without Malchior hearing. 'I'm going to make a portal. You're getting out of here. I have to resort to drastic measures if I want this to come out right.'
'No way, Rae. I think he's bluffing.'
'What's your plan?' She didn't have a better option, and could always make a direct wormhole to her apartment at the last second if something went wrong. Even while holding the telepathic conversation, she pretended to be weighing her options. She was good at keeping her face blank. Malchior thought Beast Boy was still recovering from what Raven knew to be a powerful, ruthless, and very painful spell that forced a person to reveal their true self. Raven knew that he was ignoring the side-effects, and her already high impression of him only rose.
'You won't like it.'
'Tell me.'
He told her. She didn't like it, but she would have to go with it. Unless- she had more time. Malchior had launched into a short speech that threatened to grow. 'Gar, that is the worst plan I've heard in my life. Can you think of anything better?'
'No. Can you?'
'Anything is better than "stall him."'
'Well, he did say something odd, one comment that doesn't make sense- I think. I don't know that much about dragons.'
'So, we're basing our entire survival strategy on a guess,' she said after his rushed explanation, made while Malchior gave a third monologue(changed from full-out short speech to bring-out-the-soapbox) about the inevitability of her defeat. For a smart villain, he could be extremely stupid when he lapsed into stereotypes.
'Yeah, that's about right. We're doomed'
'I'm supposed to be the pessimist, Gar.'
'In this situation, I think up-beat comedy would make me want to slap myself.' He paused. 'Unless you want to hear what the headless chicken said when it met the orangutan.'
'Let's stick with pessimism.' Malchior had finished his speech. Raven decided to make an announcement. "Malchior, I've made a decision," she announced, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.
"Okay, something's up. It's seven o'clock. Raven's only late if something serious is going on." Cyborg checked his watch. It was right. He had a link to the world-wide satellite network that was used to time space missions. His watch was on.
"We should check on her. I've been telling you-" Robin told them, with the weary air of the noble ignored doomsayer.
"We'll go after her," Starfire broke in, striding to Raven's room. She no longer had issues with self-confidence.
"I told you-"
"Save it, Robin," Cyborg interrupted. "You can brag later- if she needed our help. If she did, we all take credit. If she didn't, we're blaming you."
"B- but that isn't fair."
"Earth isn't fair, Robin," Starfire reminded him gently. "Everyone ready?" she asked, waiting for confirming nods. She picked up the mirror, making sure that everyone was right behind her. The portal opened in front of them, a swirling vortex of purple and black. "Titans, GO!" she yelled.
"That's my line!" Robin protested.
"Again, save it," Cyborg told him, pushing him through the portal. "We have a Raven and a Beast Boy to potentially save, or our asses to get severely kicked by the girl. Either way, the line's been said."
"No more stalling, or I decide that she's crushed. What will it be?"
"Fine. I choose-"
What she would have said was muffled when a very heavy half-robot, half potential linebacker landed on her. If Cyborg wasn't enough, Robin and Starfire landed a split second later, adding a still-scrawny guy and an alien to the weight piled on top of her. She shoved them off almost instantly with more than a small burst of power, but what she had been trying to say was lost in the resulting confusion.
"Raven!"
"A dragon?"
"Garfield?"
"QUIET!" Raven's yell silenced even Malchior's overly dramatic evil laugh for a moment, before he remembered that she was no real threat. "You're here, which means you were in my apartment. Starfire's lock-picking set I sent her wouldn't work with my door, Robin would emulate Batman and only pick locks with an automated lock-picking gadget, and Cyborg probably busted my door down. It's fine, as long as you don't get in my way." She knew her friends very well, and would prefer to skip long-winded explanations. Those could come later. "Robin?"
"Go ahead, Raven. You're calling the shots." He still didn't understand Nevermore, knew next to nothing about Malchior, and was more than a little embarrassed about the point she had made.
"Thanks." She hadn't looked away from the dragon since she pulled herself to her feet. She wouldn't be turning her back on him. He had already proven that he had no honor. "I choose door number three, Malchior."
"What part of give me passage to Earth with a physical form or lose the emotion don't you understand?"
Raven was angry, and felt Rage as a wildfire running rampant through her veins. She didn't push the anger away as she used to. Instead, she drew Rage's fury into herself, tapping into her power. Bravery was next, lending an aura of wild serenity, part of the clashing sensation of battling through fear. Rude gave the reckless abandon to say or do what needed to be said, conventions be damned. Envy's seething jealousy boiled over Malchior having their Dovey. Timid's cautious assertion had strength all its own, adding to the feelings of Bravery, conversely enough. Knowledge and Wisdom joined for the first time; Raven was strong enough for a unified mind and the empathy and cool assurance that came with Intellect. Happiness was last, offering the pure joy of knowing exactly what is right, and doing it.
Raven had been cloaked in white with a chakra glowing like nothing on Earth. With her powers completely in her control, her uniform was bright enough to make the eyes contract, and the chakra blazed. The chakra helped to focus the energy of a section of the body. Her newly awakened gemstone showed the full power of her mind. She was ready to fight, and Hell help whoever stood in her way.
"Malchior, you underestimate me." Only seconds had passed for the entire transformation. The dragon had only watched, fascinated despite himself. "You knew my flaws of not accepting emotions or accepting help. You knew my old battle strategy, and the weaknesses involved."
"What will you change? Will you start your black-energy left hook with a step-change lead-in? Humans are creatures of habit, and you ignore the demon side of you that could give you power."
Raven ignored his last statement. "No. I'll show you in a minute. For old time's sake, I'm bringing in back-up. Unlike some lying cheaters that manipulate teenagers having a bad day, I have friends." She was levitating without a hint of effort, and rose herself to look into his eyes, far off the ground when he stood on his haunches.
"Robin, Starfire, Cyborg- fight smart, not hard. Beast Boy, you're in reserve." The forced change had caused injury, she knew, and too much changing would only hurt him. Traces of the spell remained, and would make changing at all extremely difficult. Raven hoped she still had it in her to heal, and smiled when Intellect assured her it was possible. The smile had a dangerous edge to it. She hadn't felt so alive since she had defeated Trigon. Today, her friends understood, and the only emotions she felt were supporting. "Robin?"
He smiled, expression not hindered by a mask. He knew what she wanted. "Titans, GO!"
Raven hovered in midair, palms up in some strange summoning. If she began to chant "Ohmmmmmmm" in a nasal voice, not a single friend would have been overly surprised. She was waiting for something, but the black shadows rippling around her didn't give a single clue as to what she was trying to attain.
Starfire knew after just one starbolt that dragon-armor only reflected her shots. Cyborg had the same problem. Without speaking a word, Star veered away from her chosen spot to cover him as they both riddled the ground beneath Malchior with holes, dodging attacks easily.
Malchior was slower than before. Robin had been steadily lobbing freeze-disks from a belt compartment. As he had guessed, dragons were cold-blooded to some extent. Leaving frozen projectiles on the dragon made Malchior slow down. The small devices the size of an average penny could slow down a dragon larger than the average cruise liner.
Malchior growled a spell. The earth solidified beneath his feet. The freeze disks fell to the ground with a muted clatter. His eyes glowed the dull red of drying blood, a sign that he was about to let loose a torrent of dragon-fire.
"You might not want to do that," Raven told him. She spoke quietly. There was no need to yell, when her statement carried to the farthest corners of Nevermore. The shadows were gone- she had found what she had searched for.
"I suppose you thing a bit of black magic will stop me?" He ignored a barrage of kicks, punches, and strange martial arts tricks from Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin aimed at his legs. One human, one half-robot, and one alien wouldn't knock him off-balance.
"No, but this will." She stretched her arms as his eyes glowed brighter, a confident smile tugging on her lips. She knew something he didn't." "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
A wall of bright purple sprang in front of Malchior, protecting all Titans by deflecting his fire. Raven sent arrows of sparkling amethyst-hued magic through the force field, relentless. They didn't bounce away, but he hardly looked wounded. She would need to think of some other plan, but he no longer had the upper hand. The guilt from his magical attack only made her madder at him. She was furious that Malchior, Trigon, and all others of their ilk had dared interfere with her life. Today, she was taking control. All she needed now was a plan.
I've broken 150 reviews. You guys rock. And that was the final version of the beautiful sixteenth chapter. I only rewrote it six times- likie? No likie? Well, I like this version, so it's staying. Approval just makes me feel good.
The official (and only) up-to-date (sort of) poll results- Four for green, two for violet eyes, one for bi-color eyes (one violet, one green, with a blue chakra), one for a sort of a mix (teal/turquoise), one for violet-rimmed emerald, and one for other (hazel) on a potential child. Question, for those who missed it: If BB and Rae had a kid, what color eyes would s/he have?
Moonjava- Thanks for the review, but I seriously have run out of responses.
Dakyu- I know the chapter was a little short, but I have to divide up the chapters at logical points. I didn't know anyone had done the BB-turns-into-a-dragon deal. I just thought of it when I was mapping out the battle. What can fight a huge dragon with magic cheats and knowledge of faults . . . but a dragon? BB lost after the spell to keep them both in the game for a bit for the Grand Final Resolution of the Conflict, which will happen eventually.
The Last- Everybody loves Dovey. That's kind of the point. Picking on the blind girl is seriously rude, and she has a few good parts pretty soon. Dovey always messes with everyone and everything, after all. Keep reading- the fate of Dovey will be decided . . . eventually. I can't promise that everything will be finished after this chapter.
D- I just might use that, after my next story. The next story is Cyborg (paired with an OC, as the usual people just aren't developed enough for my style), with hints of BB-Rae and limited Rob-Star in the background. Green dragons rock.
TheUbu- Well, I thought about that, but having dragon-fight-dragon sounded more fun. The Beast can just be in another story, since everyone keeps waiting for him to show up. I liked that chapter, too.
Jaime Snyder- By the time I found your review, the next chapter was up. I'm glad you think so. I've been having problems putting it down, and I know what's going to happen. I've rewritten the next few chapters four times now- I think everything finally lines up.
mirsan4ever- I don't think I can help you there. I can make B into a dragon, but my powers as an author are sadly limited. If they weren't, world hunger wouldn't exist, there would be peace (or else), and George W. Bush would never have been elected.
FirefliesWish- Irony's always good. This chapter took a while to work everything out exactly right. English terms are rightfully shudder-inducing, and as soon as final exams for the year are over, I plan to not use a single one until (shudder) AP English.
Metal Dragon- I know, but that's how it always goes in these stories. No matter how many times the author/narrator tries to shove them together, they're stubborn. He's a dragon because I wanted an interesting fight scene, and T-Rex on titanic dragon just isn't balanced. Besides, fire is cool.
FutureFamousMovieDirector- Raven is supposed to be a bit OC. She has emotions expressing themselves, and has been mainly feeling the last four (none of which is extremely uplifting). I don't think anyone really knows what she'll be like when emotions are safe- she could stay the same out of pure habit, or become someone completely new.
Teleportal- Thanks. All confusion will (hopefully) clear up when I go back through the entire story and fix up lapses in grammar/spelling/language/minor plot details. No one but me proofreads this, so some parts need a little extra help.
YumeTakato- Thanks- I tried to make the dragons' fight just how I pictured it. I had an image in my head, but I didn't know if it would translate write to written words.
teenRAVENtitan- I'll try. This chapter was a little delayed due to writer's block and my being a perfectionist in matters related to plot, but it turned out better. That's what really counts, right?
Toughfront- Having no real social life will do that for you. Besides, I write, read, and type fast. Those are all useful skills. For other stories- the only other Titans one so far is in the middle of being completely reworked, but I'm proud of A Satire. It's fairy tales, but with more sarcasm.
Jim Starluck- Of course Malchior would cheat. I mean, he was willing to trick an obviously lonely girl into loving him. Pulling out a spell would be no problem. You'll have to wait on the hunch, but don't dismiss that train of thought.
XPhoenixX- I think he could do it. He's had a few more years of getting a little more confident in himself, trusts instincts more, and is really mad at Malchior. I would compare his feelings to Malchior to Raven's feelings for Terra. All of the Dovey-ness shall be explained soon- I think. I'm still working out chapters.
BeastWithin- She'll have her chance (had? I write reviews before chapters or while writing them, so I don't quite know yet.). I'm glad you're keeping the faith. No one's been foolish enough to suggest it (thank all powers that may or may not be), but no Malchior in the love-fest. That's simply not done.
DarkCypher- Too many tragic endings is bad, but you never know. Sometimes, sad is more effective than happy. This story has completely gone away from the original premise (they go to reunion straight from Chinese place), so the original ending's gone.
GoldSky- Thank you so much. Your rambling made my week. I've actually been trying to get a story ready for publishing, and I need all the encouragement I can get. Thanks for all the feedback, and if I meet you, you deserve a hug. People like you make people like me feel like smiling, even in the middle of final exams.
Nya the koneko- Great to hear from you! Here is (or there was, actually, since this will be at the bottom) the next update. I hope you liked this- it took more paper than I care to admit to long-hand this section.
Em- Thanks! I've gotten a great response to my guilt-tripwire. Yes ma'am, I will review as soon as humanly possible without failing exams. My fingers and browser are fine- the statistics, pre-calculus, and physics finals are not.
Ripdos A.K.A. The Bad Ash- Everyone is a bit out of the character they were as a Teen Titan. They have all grown up a bit. Cyborg is a lot more comfortable with Starfire, Robin's more open to being teased, Starfire's learned the language. She needs to keep Robin under check, after all. This is my interpretation of post-Titans Titans.
timmy- Thanks thanks thanks.