LAST CHAPPIE! NO! I loveyou guys! There will be a sequal! THANKS FOR REVIEWING!
'My father said differences make us stronger.' Mulan sighed as she clenched her necklace. 'Maybe he didn't realize Shang and I are just too different.'
With a sighed, Raven curled up against the couch. When Starfire had originally suggested Mulan II for their movie night choice, Raven wasn't that excited. In fact, that's an understatement. She had planned to stay in her room that night, but apparently the Titans had a different story.
They had duck taped her to a chair.
Seriously.
They had duck taped Raven to a chair.
What they didn't realize was that she could escape any time she wanted. But she didn't want to. She was content, sitting there at Beast Boy's side, watching a children's movie, something she had long-vowed she'd never do willingly, and slowly removing her restraints without notice. After all, she still had an image to keep up. Perhaps, right as the credits began to roll, she'd miraculously be able to escape.
But what would she say if Star asked her how she liked it?
Raven glanced around. Abbi and Thor were snuggled up on the couch. Abbi was obviously enjoying the movie, while Thor seemed to be….meditating? Quickering an eyebrow, Raven thought; 'Ah well, what ever floats your boat.'
Starfire and Robin were on the other side of the circular couch. Starfire, like Abbi, was intent on the movie. Every once in a while she would ask a question and Robin would mumble an undistinguished reply. Raven could tell he wasn't even watching the movie. No, it was more likely he was watching a certain green-eyed, red-haired alien.
Cyborg sat in the remaining chair, eyes glazed over, a bored expression on his face.
And Beast Boy?
Beast Boy was sitting in her lap as a little green kitten. He sat there, purring, almost lulling her too sleep.
In fact she was getting a little sleepy… zzzzzzzz.
Later, as the seemingly endless credits were rolling down the dark screen, the five Titans got up and stretched, their knees sorely protesting the unpredicted movement. They talked excitedly about the movie, laughing at Cyborg as he tried to cover up his short attention span by saying his favorite part was when the dragon ate Shang. They noticed something was wrong though. There was no mindless chatter, no screeching, no complaining. And there was no balance for it, no awkward silence, no glares, no silent protests.
Glancing carelessly, they witnessed a small 'miracle.'
Raven sat, dozing softly, still in her now slightly loosened bonds. One stray strand of lavender hair had fallen across her face and stubbornly refused to move. Every time Raven breathed out, it would flutter up, dancing near her eyes before making its graceful way back down. On her lap sat emerald kitten, purring contently. He was curled around into a tight ball, but sometime during his sleep, his head had flipped over so the soft fur under his chin and his neck was exposed.
They sat there, the two, in perfect harmony. When she breathed in, so did he. When he breathed out, so did she. And when one moved, the other followed. The Titans smiled sadly at the sight and captured the moment for in their minds.
()&&
Raven suppressed the wave of guilt and nerves that arose when she looked at the streaming line of fans. Suddenly, she wished she was anywhere but here. Dressed in skin-tight black leather pants that had a periwinkle blue belt, stripes on the outside of the leg and ankle cuffs, with a matching periwinkle tank and leather jacket, she stood out. Her normal feather mask was on, but it was soon to be discarded forever. Everything was too be discarded forever.
She fingered the zipper on her jacket as the crowd swarmed past the stage. What was she doing? Was this really what she wanted? Well, that was an easy question. Crap no! But she had too. It was the only way. Her past was unchangeable; her future unknown. A recipe for disaster.
Startled, she looked up as the audience began to cheer. Her beautiful eyes widened behind her masks as her mind registered the hundreds of people there. Where they all there for her? Crap. They just had to make this harder for her, didn't they?
Scanning the crowd, she caught sight of her friends in the audience, huge expectant grins on their faces. Was the entire world out to get her today!
Sighing, she walked up to the pedestal from which she would talk. Unknowingly, from her cold eyes came large tear drops, falling behind the mask and landing on the steps. She didn't dare take the mask off to wipe them though. Doing so would just fully unleash the waterworks, and she couldn't afford to break down, not now, not in front of all these people waiting for her. Head held high, she stood on the steps and faced the cheering crowd. They immediately shushed as she stood there, head high, eyes cold, body stiff.
"There is no prolonging the impossible. I promised my identity to be reviled. And it will be." Several of the audience where surprised by her bluntness, but that surprise was quickly replaced by excitement. "My name," She pulled that mask off and was greeted with a gasp. "is Raven, of the Teen Titans. And I must leave. It is too dangerous for me to remain. My last song, 'Final Goodbye' is my gift to the city I could call home. Thank you, for making me feel as if I truly belonged."
The huge, shimmering tears were now evident to those around her, but they were too much in shock and grief to notice. Leave? How could she leave? What did she mean 'dangerous'?
The Titans stood still, shock coursing through their bodies. What… how… why…no! The last thought rang through their minds like a giant bell. It had to be let out. Just as Raven was turning, they screamed it.
"NOOOO!"
Running as one, they forgot their powers and just ran, ran to their friend who, if they failed now, they could never help again.
That did. That one single, unanimous scream, that one plead for friendship almost broke her. It did break her. Inside… inside she was dying. Her face was wet with tears, her eyes glazed over, her arms limp at her sides.
The entire world fell away. The crowds, the screams, city all disappeared as life itself centered around the seven broken hearts. The universe was in perfect harmony for one short moment. All existence beat with one heart, suspended in a perfect moment.
This is our final goodbye
Don't worry if I start to cry
We can both no longer deny
That this is our last goodbye
You never even saw my face
I feel so out of place
Now that you're gone
I couldn't blame you for long
It was never your fault that it happened
You couldn't have known at the time
Now everything's changed since then
My only wish is for you to be fine
Things happen for no reason
We can't go back in time
But there's still hope in my heart
That we'll meet again one last time
When I first heard the news that day
I didn't want to believe it was true
But now I have to face the fact
That you're never coming back
They stared at each other for a long moment; six eyes felt the force of one. They silently pleaded in their hearts, yet not moving against the deep black.
This is our final goodbye
Don't worry if I start to cry
We can both no longer deny
That this is our last goodbye
I don't want to relive the past
But time has caught up to me at last
Nothing more can be done but to say
Maybe I'll see you again someday
I don't know how long it's been
It seems you were just here
But no one is now near me
It's like you disappeared
Who could have imagined the pain
We still had so much to gain
Oh, how I wish I could believe
And just wake up from this bad dream
It's hard to believe that it's true
It's been too long since I last saw you
Tell me you'll come back soon
Or at least it'll soon be through
With a sob, Raven turned and with a swish of her cloak, she was gone.
A single move ended all their lives.
This is our final goodbye
Don't worry if I start to cry
We can both no longer deny
That this is our last goodbye
Everything that was left unexplained
I've kept hidden in my mind
And I've tried everything to contain
The feelings I have inside
I should have taken the chance
To tell you my feelings at that last glance
Now that I know what time has done
I see what I've become
I should have taken the risk
There's no time to waste
If you can't see it through
There's one more dream that won't come true
Not a day goes by
That I don't think of you
So many dreams were lost
But it's nice to think of you
Nothing could have prepared me
It really caught me by surprise
I just wasn't ready for it
So I'll finally say 'Goodbye'
The universe drifted back into it's normality, drifted back to shocked media and the grieving audience. It drifted back to the reality of time, drifted back to life.
But they did not. They were empty shells without souls. They felt nothing; no fear, love, not even grief. She had left and she had unknowingly taken their emotions with her. Not in a literal sense, but they didn't want to feel, didn't want to love, if in the end it only left that much pain.
She might as well took their souls.
This is our final goodbye
Don't worry if I start to cry
We can both no longer deny
That this is our last goodbye
Before this song is over
Before a dream is through
I only hope you know
That I'll always think of you
I wish I had taken a chance to tell him
What my mind was going through
Hope everything is better now
Than the world that we once knew
Slowly, they started to care again. Slowly, they started to remember that, though the grief in the end was great, the happiness is worth it a million times over. That love was the greatest gift of all.
They returned to their normal lives, trying hard to ignore the gaping hole where their fallen comrade use to stand. And in time, they could. In time, they could remember her with honor, not grief. Honor that they had known her. Honor that they were worthy be called her friends. Honor that she loved them and the city enough to sacrifice them.
And every night, they would look up at the stars, wishing against hope that she would return and bring back with her, the true Teen Titans, friends till the end.
This is our final goodbye
Don't worry if I start to cry
We can both no longer deny
That this is our last goodbye
Wishing against hope.
This is our final goodbye