Tollete Dolorum
'Take Up Your Sorrow'
Author Note A shorter chapter. Remember, review!
- - -
Chapter Two - Circle of Fears
The room was stuffy, she finally decided. This room that she had lived in for nearly a year as a Titan. . . her personal living space, that she defended on pain of death . . . was suffocating her. On impulse she threw open the heavy, dark curtains and let the sunlight stream in.
Opening her window, a chill breeze took her room and she shook. Not of cold, though. She couldn't even feel the wind on her bare legs.
How could she tell them? And yet, how couldn't she? She paced the length of her rooms, and uncharacteristic behavior in itself, and wanted to scream in annoyance.
Meditation was out of the question. She couldn't bring herself to try since. . . since. . . since last night.
She had long and hard looked at her beloved mirror to Nevermore, and wondered if going there was wise or not.
In her annoyance, she knew her powers would be less effective. She knew, somehow, that she needed to regain control.
Was this the first step?
Ready to scream, she picked up the mirror and looked deeply into it.
Speaking only a word, she was gone and the mirror floated lazily down back unto the dresser that it forever rested upon.
- - -
Robin was worried.
And it wasn't for either Cyborg or Beast Boy, who were currently rolling on the floor in the living room, embroiled in an argument over whether Cyborg's win 'counted'.
It was for Raven.
Something was wrong. Something more than the girl's love of privacy. She'd been badly shaken when she entered the living room earlier.
Something. . . something had terrified her.
He could only imagine what could terrify that woman. It had to be bad. It had to be horrible.
He only wished she would talk about it.
Robin knew that pushing her would only cause her to retreat more, but he wanted to go surging off to her door and beat it down, demanding to know what was wrong.
For a long time now he'd been wondering at the strange feelings that had been rising to the surface concerning the dark haired girl. He'd thought it was love he felt for Starfire, but these strange new feelings for Raven were so much more than what Starfire invoked in him. So much deeper.
Was it love? He didn't know. He suspected that he might never know.
He did, however, know that Raven was an essential part of the Titans. They needed her at the peak of performance if they were to remain a working force.
That was definitely his reasoning side surfacing.
What better could he do? He would just go and talk to her. . . as a friend.
- - -
She stood, rock still, staring down the half-circle of emotions staring back.
"What do you mean?"
Courage spoke up first, loud as always. "Just what we said! There's too much going on in here to really pinpoint anything."
Raven sighed. "Fine. Can you guys at least keep me in check?"
They nodded. "We can manage that."
"Good. . ." she trailed. Closing her eyes for a minute, she spoke softly. "I can't afford a breakdown. We have to remain in complete control. Get Fear under control."
Fear started to protest, but Raven was gone before she could utter a word.
- - -
A gentle knock on her door caused Raven to look up. She'd been sitting on the edge of her bed since she'd returned from Nevermore, contemplating whether or not she should march off right now and tell her friends or savor what time left they had.
"Raven?"
Robin again. She stood and opened her door. With Fear suppressed, she felt only a deep, lingering sadness.
Robin stood there, looking at her evenly.
"Are you alright?" he pressed. She nodded slowly, avoiding his look. She opened her mouth to speak when the lights in Titan Tower started flashing. Trouble called.
"Trouble." Robin voiced, needlessly. "Let's go!"
- - -
Nothing. That was what they had found at the supposed 'crime scene'. Nothing.
Caution in excess, they wandered around, searching for something. . . anything.
A blast of energy knocked Cyborg square in his chest, throwing him backwards. Raven tensed, but it was Starfire and Robin who reacted first. The redhead tossed the boy wonder at the newly surfaced enemy.
Raven didn't recognize them. It didn't seem to matter. When they didn't have the element of surprise, they seemed relatively weak.
She was wrong the minute she realized that this mysterious enemy had herded them into a trap. A cage of this same mysterious energy rose around the five Titans.
Raven seethed.
"Now now now, isn't that just so pretty? I picked a pack of Titans!"
"Not a whole pack!" a new voice yelled, and a boulder larger than this strange enemy by threefold crashed into them.
Terra floated into view, perched upon her trademark boulder-ride.
Raven's jaw dropped, and terror rose in her. She was out of time now.
The cage around them faded, as Beast Boy ran headlong and crashed into Terra. Lucky for the girl, he changed into a puppy midleap or she would have crashed to the floor.
Laughing, she cuddle the puppy.
"Terra!" the others exclaimed.
Raven took one more look at the blonde and closed her eyes.
- - -
Fin
-The Celtic Raven
"Feel it all surround me.
I bring all your hate into my bones.
I know that you can't stand me."
-"Pool of Fears" by Scars of Life