Are you ready for Chapter 6? Well here 'tis, folks, and long overdue, I must say.
Before we begin, I would like to give major props to…..:drum roll:
….KATE! You got it apsopositively correct! For those of you who don't know, the chapter names and title of this fanfic is from "The Phantom of the Opera".
In this chapter you may find (confused emotions, a lost kiss, a shocked Beast Boy, and asuper bad dream)to ease your mind.
The verses before the story is from the song "Nuclear."
Disclaimer-Still not owning it.
This is where the summer ends
In a flash of pure destruction, no one wins
Going nuclear. Nuclear.
Violets in my eyelids going red
Sentimental geek
Shut up and go to sleep
Moonlight trickled down her sleepy droplets of night into the glimmering stars. The song of the night was a quiet one, breathy and sweet. The quiet ripples of the bay lapped at the shores of the isle, where the slumbering titans were, that is to say, not slumbering at all.
Raven sat on the cool air of the wind, floating above the tower and below the night sky. Her lilac hair fell to her shoulders playfully, her eyes open, her lips mumbling distantly a slow chant. Yet her senses were acute, the crash of the waves and the gusto of the wind relaxing her psyche. But she wasn't at rest. Her mind confused her heart with thoughts of distrust and thoughts of intimacy.
On one side, she was slighted. She felt that she couldn't trust Figaro as far as she could throw him. But the worst of it was, she knew now that she was right. She couldn't trust him. Too many experiences had told her that she couldn't trust anyone but the Titans. But not only did that tell her she couldn't trust him, it was in his eyes. Those gorgeous, alert, wonderful orbs of dark fire that vexed her mind so. She could see that he was sincere, but he had stolen the talisman, hadn't he? And for that he was one step away from a common criminal, right?
On the other, she felt so attracted to him that she constantly scolded herself. It couldn't be any different from Malchior. Just some silly crush that made her want to laugh just to think that she, Raven, could have feelings like that for anyone. This is pointless. My emotions won't allow me to feel like that for anyone. Not even him. Not even Beas-. No. No one.
From behind her, she could feel Figaro's essence approaching. Curiosity, she noticed. He was behind her now.
"Good evening," he opened with pleasantly.
"I guess so," she answered monotonously.
He came beside her and stood, watching the moon's light glow upon the earth. "Soon enough, you won't have to speak like that anymore."
"What are you talking about? I've always spoken like this," she said, a little agitated. She turned to him, watching a smile swept across his face.
"That's not true. For as long as you can remember, perhaps. When you were little, however, you spoke so cheerfully that it would make Starfire squirm." Raven blushed, hardly aware that the color bounced to her cheeks. "Ah, yes. It's true. But, of course, you changed as soon as…" He stopped, shook his head as if to shake the subject, and continued after a pause. "You were so tiny back then. Your hair was longer and your eyes were much bigger." He looked at her teasingly. "I'm glad to see you've changed your style."
"I don't find that funny," she snapped lightly. She didn't put up with derision, but she knew he was teasing. "I can remember you too," she added mockingly. "You were short, had short, messy brown hair, and wore clothes that were far too big." Her triumph was sweet, for Figaro blushed too, scratching his shoulder with his open hand. The other, however, was closed.
"What's that?"
"The talisman," he said, presenting it in front of her. "The potion is ready. All we need to do now is let the talisman simmer."
"When will you do that?"
"Soon."
Raven looked at him suspiciously, one eyebrow arched. "Why so hesitant?"
Figaro met her challenge decisively. "I'm not being hesitant," he argued stubbornly.
"You are, though." She fought with her words so strongly that Figaro grew tired already. Touching a cold fingertip under her chin, he raised her eye level to his own, holding the gaze with their noses merely inches away. Raven could actually see the tiny fire that burned within his dark pupils.
"Raven, do you trust me?"
She had never been this close to him before, their lips so close, her heart beating so fast and his beating so calm. She wanted to answer, she knew he was waiting for the answer. No, she told herself, No you don't trust him. Just tell him and get it over with. Then he'll leave and you'll live in peace again.
'But I don't want to tell him no. I want to tell him yes. I want him to think I trust him, so maybe I can…'
Figaro wouldn't let her think it over. "Raven….?"
"Er…." She couldn't answer. He was closing in on her, his lips were coming nearer…
He didn't get the chance, however, for when he was about to kiss her, she teleported into the rooftop, landing in the middle of the living room where Beast Boy and Robin were playing Mega Monkeys Sixty-Three. Her eyes were closed, and she was expecting the kiss, but when one didn't come, she opened her eyes wide to see that Robin and Beast Boy had ceased playing, and were now staring at the girl with wide, concerned eyes.
"Raven…why are you sitting on the floor like that?" Robin questioned.
"Yeah, and why do you look all kissy-faced?" Beast Boy inquired. When he came to the realization, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh…" Beast Boy's jaw went slack as he stuttered dumbly.
Robin was fast to snap his jaw back up with an upward shift, sending him a mad eye gaze. Not now, he translated through his eyes.
Raven, however, looked like she was as close to embarrassed and sad as she could be with revealing her emotions. "I have to go." With that, she was gone again.
"Cyborg, does baby always shoot oil from her pipe? It is…very rude." Starfire and Cyborg were in the garage, working on Cyborgs 'baby', which had recently been damaged in a fight against 'baddies'. Cyborg rubbed a particularly nasty rust stain on the hood of the car, before wiping his would-be brow and laughing at the alien girl.
"Star, she's not called baby, I just call her 'my baby'. And she doesn't do it on purpose….I don't think." Cyborg patted the car fondly, wiping it raw until he saw his reflection especially well.
"Not that I mind the fixing of your baby, but why not ask Robin or Beast Boy or perhaps Raven to help you?" Starfire asked sweetly, not at all a trace of dreariness in her voice.
"Because," Cyborg answered patiently, "Robin and Beast Boy are too busy trying to beat my high score, and Raven is too busy making puppy eyes with Fire Boy." Cyborg added the latter with a quiet snigger, ignored by Starfire entirely.
"He is nice, it seems. Do you think she has a…crush, on him?" Starfire inquired unsurely.
"Heck yah! But we all know Rae…" Cyborg ran off with his statement, polishing his lustrous 'baby' for the seven-hundredth time. "She'd rather eat ten pounds of tofu than admit it."
Raven sat apprehensively by her peaceful window, the beautiful, blue-black starry night hung like a masterpiece canvas above her head. It was late, and there was no doubt all of the titans were asleep. She noted the peacefulness in the atmosphere, the uninterrupted harmonic song of the night. The music of darkness played seductively in her lair, drawing her to shut her eyes and succumb to its powerful song of sleep. She could not allow it to take her in, for sleep was far away in a land unknown to her yet.
She rose from her bed, stepping distinctively over to her dresser. The mirror. She scrutinized it, watching before her eyes a scene that she did not expect. It had never happened before. Usually she would just travel into the mirror and stay there for however long she needed to. It was never long, for the titans never missed her for more than a few hours, and needed never to send a search party. But as she stared at the glass in the mirror, she found with complexity that she could not focus her emotions enough to watch.
In the scene was Figaro, standing tall and exceedingly handsomely, his head bent to his chest and a concentrated look on his face. He was wearing a long cloak the color of night, a death's mask on his face. She watched as he held out his hands to the heavens, sparking fire from the earth. The titans appeared from the earth, looking like the ground had opened and allowed the titans to breathe. They stood there, all four of them, surrounding Figaro in the shape of a box. One by one, he scorched the titans, throwing flame-balls at their hearts and watching with fascination and satisfaction. Their bodies turned to ash, which then drew itself together in one big pile, of which formed the shape of one body. As Raven watched, she saw with horror that the frame of the body was herself, dressed in a long, flowy gown of red silk, wearing a smile of evil. Figaro stepped towards her, took her hand in his as she offered it to him. They both stood together, grinning triumphantly, as they rose to the heavens that wore the color of hell.
Raven jumped in her bed, flying five feet in the air, and then landing hardly on the floor. Rubbing her back, she wondered aloud how she was in bed. "What? I was dreaming? No…I couldn't have been…It felt so real….so very real…." She was shaking madly, her forehead drenched in ice cold sweat. Just as she was about to try and stand, a whispered voice rang out from the hallway.
"Raven? Are you okay? I heard a scream, and I came rushing." Leaving no time for a reply, Beast Boy opened the door. Seeing her laying on the floor, he jumped with a shriek and ran over, falling on his knees beside her. "Raven, what happened? Your hands are cold. Your face, Raven, it's white…." He put his warm, slightly rough hand on her face, scanning her chilliness for her forehead. It, however, was burning hot.
"Raven, tell me what happened. Did Figaro hurt you?" Beast Boy helped her lift herself up so that she could lean against her bed frame.
Raven shook her head exasperatedly. "No…he didn't hurt me…at least, I don't think….no, he didn't hurt me exactly….it felt so real…but it was just a dream…I'm going crazy…was it a dream…Yes, just to make me sort emotions…calm down, Beast Boy…." Raven looked down at the floor, her eyes becoming glazed over with thought.
"Raven, are you…."
"Beast Boy, I'm fine. I just had a nightmare. A horrible, terrible nightmare."
"Tell me about it."
Raven shook her head, allowing the droplets of sweat to trickle down to her lip and rest there.
"Raven, you must have been dreaming. Dreams like that can't come true." Beast Boy paused, resting a caring hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes. "Raven…you're talking in riddles, and it's not like you."
She nodded, hearing him and allowing her pained look to soften. "You're right. I'll be fine. Thanks." Raven got up all on her own, leaning on the bed for support and drawing the covers up off the floor.
"Do you want me to stay here…."
"No," she answered flatly, a little scorn in her voice.
Beast Boy frowned. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I'll be fine. I just need to sleep." With that, Beast Boy left the room dejectedly, leaving the girl without another word.
Raven slipped into the covers, still shaking slightly with her dream encounter. Her final thoughts before she slipped off to sleep were, Angel or devil? Monster or man?
What she did not imagine, however, was that a man would be watching from outside her window, floating on a pillar of water. In a soft, sing-songy voice, the person spoke, their lips crinkling into a satisfied expression, their tone menacing and mysteriously eerie.
"Beast Boy…Go away- for the trap is set and waits for its prey . . ."
Yay, chappie 6! I haven't answered ANY reviews, so I'm about to do that:
Ariel: As always, thanks for reviewing.
snow child yukiko-chan: thanks!
spoiler: one word: thanks. lol
1397379310: wouldn't you like to know;)
staticsponge123: oh, thanks! and my bday is actually on March 24..soon its pretty soon!
EV: No, sorry, but good try!
scathac's warrior: oh, thanks:blushes:
Kate: Oh, I'm so happy you figured it out! I was beginning to lose faith! Yay, another phan!
beast boy rulz: No, he's not quitting..he's just going through a tough time.
Well...hope I got everyone..if I didn't, sorry a million times over!
I am, reviewers, your loyal servant,
StakeMeSpike04
