Raventhedarkgoddess: I'm sorry, school is being gay and I haven't had time to work on any updates for a long time. --;
Chapter Four: Life's Little Hassles
I knew it somewhere inside,
nothing could have changed.
But everything without is dark.
And what I loved feels strange.
Raven woke up the next morning and slipped into her clothes, ready to face the day as best as she could when a major part of her life was missing. Her hand trembled as she went to redo the clasp of the red jewel on her cloak. She remembered how Cyborg would come across her fighting with it, in the hall or on the room, and slip his hand under her throat, fixing it for her. She remembered how her thank you was cut off as he slipped his hand to her lips, letting the silence talk for both of them.
The rain came down heavily as Robin went up to knock on Raven's door. He knew what she was capible of doing to herself. She could probably kill herself in an instent if she wanted, he thought. She can't lose hope, not now............ He didn't know why he was so worried, but all the same he took the stairs, two at a time, to the heavy steel door with the word 'Raven' etched in it and prepared to knock. His green gloved hand hesatated, inches from the door. What if she hurts me? He thought, realizing that he actually feared the girl on the other side of the door.
The door opened before he could knock. "Yes, Robin?" She asked, sounding perfectly normal, although from what he could tell she hadn't slept well.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay and tell you breakfast is ready," Robin said, rather lamely. Ya, right, you wanted to make sure she wasn't dead.
"Robin...................." She couldn't figure out what she wanted to say. "Robin, don't worry. Everything'll work out, somehow................." She put his hand on his shoulder. "I guess we knew him best, huh? You've got to be feeling as bad as I do....................."
"It'll be okay, Raven." The two of them turned to go down the steps, her cloak making a loud swishing noise, his cape making no sound at all. She walked lightly, as if nothing in the world was holding her back, while Robin felt himself plodding along slowly. Amazing how she can still go on as if nothing happened................... His thoughts were becoming disorgaized, and he gave up on thinking anymore as they walked silently to breakfast.
"Tofu!" Beast Boy proclaimed loudly. Raven sat down, preparing for the usual cry of 'Not that crap!', but there was nothing and no one to contridict him. The emptiness had overtaken her again and she ate it without complaint or compliment.
Starfire and Robin exchanged worried looks over Beast Boy's head. Raven's personally had gotten, if possible, even more surrly and angry. Her dark eyes focused on only her plate, and no one dared to bother her.
As she stood up and pushed her plate away, her own words of false comfort to Robin ringing in her ears. "First, we'll have to figure out who did it," Robin was saying. "Not just anyone could have done this, you know." He sighed. "Cyborg's techonagy was pretty tricked out. Not many people could have destroyed it so throughly."
"Who would have done it?" Beast Boy asked, totally confused.
Rain splatted against the window and Robin's words were almost drowned out by the thunder. "Slade," he said.
"So, what are we gonna do about it?" Beast Boy asked.
But Slade had never been known to miss a cue, and today was no exception. Raven called for them all, informing them that Slade had 'a word for them all.' "Hello, Titans. Only four?" His smirk gave him away immidatly.
Normally, Robin would have done the yelling, but today Raven stepped up to the bat to have a few good cracks at Slade. "What the hell did you do with him?" Her eyes locked to the screen, her body ridgid, her face tightening noticably.
"Tense, aren't we? Relax, there's one way to fix this: I know the tecnolagy. Your friend Cyborg could easily be standing beside you. All you have to do is turn yourselves over to me, and I think I'll keep a few apprinitces and one or two pets. You'll destroy all you've saved." He let that sink it. "What do you say?"
Raventhedarkgoddess: And now I come to the part where I don't write anymore for a while.