Disclaimer:
I do not own the teen titans.
Summary:
"And the only time she touches the ground is when that little bird… dies."
What happens when a certain bird falls to prey? Will she once again take flight? Or disappear into the night?
Raven centered fiction.
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CHAPTER NINE
Reality is a strange concept.
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RECAP:
She reached the end and jumped, spreading her arms as if it was wings. She free fell, her eyes closed, as she let the sensation of gravity overwhelm her. About to hit the water, she let her powers kick in and she flew sharply up, letting the water splash from pressure of air of her fall.
His chair toppled over as he stood up, his mug of coffee dropping on the table with a smash. Robin ran to the window, his hands on the glass, he thought he just saw something fly by.. '..Raven...'
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A black pool of power appeared before Slade's office desk. Raven slowly emersed from it.
Slade turned in his chair to look at her. Questioning her, silently asking her, wondering.
Raven, still clad in her pajama pants and laced top, stood there. Staring at him with fierce eyes. Her hands were at her side, clutched into a fist. They were slightly trembling, blood dripping into the carpet.
This is Slade.. Raven thought. This is the same person I would have no hesitation in killing.. All the pain he caused.. Because of him.. Robin.. Trigon.. Me.. He hunted us. Tracked us down. For years.. he's been haunting us. He created Terra.. he had made the people of the city fled.. he tried to kill us.. He was suppose to die in that earthquake.. But no..
Slade watched Raven stare at him. He glanced at her fists which were slightly drawing blood from her own hands. His eyes wandered back to her face, he jaw was clenched as if she was contemplating on killing him.. He didn't doubt that she would. Easily, too.
He had to work with my father.. my bastard of a father.. he burned me.. the prophecy.. the fall from the building.. it was all his doing.. then the attack on the tower.. those damn fire demons.. helping to release Trigon.. he did many things..
Her teeth was still clenched together. She drew her eyes to the ground, her head still held high. She spoke, her voice low and dangerous, "Take off your mask."
Slade stood up and took off his mask, laying it on the desk infront of him. He stared at her, apathetic. He didn't know what to do. He had thought of escaping quickly with a flashbomb, but then that would be futile, he could easily be found by her. He stood his ground.
Raven lifted her head slowly on the sound of his hard mask touching the wooden desk. Her eyes caressed his face, his eyepatch, his aged hair. He looked young, of course, he does. She knew this. But his eye revealed it all. He was tired.
And this is.. Wilson.
Her clenched fists released their hold, the deep nail wounds quickly healing themselves, only drying blood left to linger on her palms.
This is.. my tutor.. my.. guardian. The only family I thought I had.. This mercernary.. this soldier.. this.. man. He taught me everything.. He taught me control.. He.. gave me a home. He gave me.. dare I say it.. hope. Comfort of who.. I was.. Who.. I am.
She turned her eyes to the side, Raven gave out a breath of.. defeat. Her vision blurred by incoming tears. She refused to cry. She refused to be weak. Yet, her head was still held high.
Slade stood still. He watched a tear make its way down her face. He wanted nothing else but for this to stop. He didn't want to see her weak. He didn't want to see her cry. Not because of him. Why is she being like this! Damnit! He wanted her to be strong!
She wanted to blame her father. She wanted to blame her cursed bloodline. She wanted to blame Robin, the titans, for not looking for her. For letting her go. She wanted to blame Slade.. for taking advantage of her. For taking her in.. She wanted to blame herself.. For forgetting. For dying. For being weak.
She remembered helping Robin to form the titans. The building of the tower. Their first defeat of a villian. She remembered.. those countless nights of friends. She remembered going to her cafe. Being grabbed. Fighting him.. forgetting them.. being given a new life. She was so.. torn.
The Raven they knew died from flight.. and the Raven he created is getting her wings clipped. She thought bitterly.
"I'm going away for a while.." She thought of going to Azarath. Anywhere but where she was now. She couldn't stand the tower, her grave. And she can't stand being here, her ressurection. But now she.. was dying. Again.
Slade watched her, thinking of where she would go. "When will you be back?" Cold as ever.
Raven turned her eyes to his figure, catching his eye with hers. Her face was void of emotions, but the tear stained cheek told otherwise. She spoke quietly, yet strong. "I don't know if I will be back."
She refused to fight him. She was stronger than that. She'll get her answers. Just not right now. She was too fragile. She could easily destroy anything in her path of questions. Even with her control.
Slade lowered his eye to his mask. He had felt a pang in his chest when she spoke. First.. his sons.. then Addie.. Rose.. and now Her.. Atleast I still have Wintergreen. He thought quietly.
When he looked back up, she was gone.
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Robin decided to keep his.. encounter with Raven to himself. He wasn't sure if it was a dream or not. That's why he was at the main security room in the tower. He typed various commands on the keyboard, a large screen infront of him.
Security camera archives popped on the screen. He looked at the dates. The various rooms. He didn't see a list of their personal rooms. He narrowed his eyes. He was sure they had installed cameras in the rooms.
He had already looked at last night's footage. His face grim, he watched hours of her wandering the halls, entering the rooms. And angered eyes when he watched her disappear from the main room right when he walked in. He wondered where she went after that.. he thought this morning, when he saw her flying by. He thought of the roof camera. He watched her run and jump.
Robin sighed, frustrated and tired. He wanted to know what she did when she entered the rooms. He wanted to know what she did his room.
He opened his communicator.
"Yo, Cyborg here. Oh, hey Rob. What's up?" Cyborg was usually up in the morning, waxing his car before eating breakfast.
"Don't we have security cameras in the personal rooms?" He frowned at the communicator.
"Uh.. yeah, but that's for like.. emergencies.. you know privacy thing." Cyborg replied scratching the back of his head.
"I don't see it in the archives." He said plainly.
"Yeah I know, you're not suppose to. It's hidden. I have the password though. Want me to come up and help?"
Robin thought this over.. he sighed heavily. Might as well.
"Can you? I'll wait here." With that, he cut off the connection.
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Raven stood on top of one of the bridge's metal beams. She had changed before leaving the mansion. She was wearing leather zipped up boots that stopped a little above her ankle. And black trousers that went straight down from her hip. And a black skin tight, hooded, sleeveless, turtle neck. The skin of her shoulders exposed. She had black sunglasses and black gloves that barely reached her wrist.
She had also taken some items with her. Though, they were currently sitting in subspace..
Raven looked at the tower from where she stood. She knew Robin would be looking for her. The wind picked up and threw her hood off her head, letting it settle on her back. Deep plum hair flew infront of her face.
She thought of teleporting to the tower. To reunite with them.. but she had a life. Had, being the keyword. She didn't know what she had now.
Something else she didn't know; A man was watching her from a distance, perched on a building's rooftop across the bay. With high profiled binoculars. The figure chuckled, "Gotcha."
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Cyborg had just left Robin after giving him access to the personal room video archives. Cyborg had joked, that Robin was trying to get into the Girls' room to see them change. Robin had just stared at him and said that he wanted his own room. Cyborg left it at that and went to prepare breakfast.
Robin watched himself lay on his bed, and took a quick intake of breath when Raven appeared. He leaned closer, to listen to her conversation.
"I'm everything that you stand against.. I'm in allegiance with your rival.." He heard a sad chuckle, "..I'm a ravaging raven.."
Robin frowned at that phrase and watched the rest of the footage, even blushing when he watched her kiss him.
He sighed, and leaned back in his chair, arms folded against his chest. Her words haunting him, torturing him, killing him. 'Everything that you stand against.. allegiance with your rival.. ravaging raven.. I'm okay Richard.. stop searching.. stop searching..'
Then.. the last he heard of her.. '..I do love you.. I do..' He didn't blush this time, he was confused. He was worried. Why would she confess something like that? Where is she..
One last sigh escaped his lips and he stood up. Stretching, he walked out the door and toward the main room.
---
Raven ran a hand through her hair. She felt eyes on her.. but she brushed the thought away, thinking someone had seen her from below. She was ontop of a bridge. Deciding not to make any chaos, cars might get into accidents because of her and fall into the bay. She frowned at the thought and sat down in the shadow of a metal beam.
Raven leaned against the metal, the coolness of it partially calming her. She continued to look at her old home.
---
Robin walked into the main room finding Starfire playing with Silkie pushing him into the air and catching him. Beastboy and Cyborg was once again arguing over breakfast.
He stood there for a moment, thinking of he should let them eat breakfast first.
"Friend Robin! Good Morning to you!"
He nodded at her, walking towards the couch where she was and sitting down. "Hey Starfire. Did you eat yet?"
"Of the breakfast? No, I have not. Friend Cyborg and Friend Beastboy are currently preparing it. Why do you ask?" She asked curiously, her eyes on him, while petting Silkie who was on her lap.
Robin shook his head, "Just wondering. I wanted to show the team something. I'll wait for everyone to eat first."
And so he did. It was a good half hour until everyone settled on the couch. Beastboy and Cyborg was about to start gaming.
"Wait guys, I want to show you something I.. found last night." Robin stood, walking to a keyboard behind the couch.
"Oh, is it that footage you were asking about this morning?" Cyborg asked, turning his body so he could look at Robin.
"Dude, what footage?" Beastboy burped as he layed his head back on the couch.
"Yes, Friend Robin, are we watching a film? Shall I get the sugary eatings?"
"No, nothing like that Star, just hold on." Robin continued to type a few commands in, and the tv turned on.
Everyone turned around to the tv. It was blinking Security Archive.
A few more commands, and the tv split into four videos.
Starfire gasped. "It is.."
Beastboy's mouth was open, "Dude.. is that.."
Cyborg looked at the screen, his face like Beastboys. "Oh, man.."
For on the screen, was Raven. The first box held her walking into Starfire's room and switching to inside Starfire's room. The second, showed her walking into Cyborg's, the third, Beastboy's and the fourth was her walking in the main room.
Robin looked at the screen, his arms acrossed his chest. He said one word. One name. "Raven."
He walked around the couch and stood by the tv, looking at their reactions. He sighed and sat on the couch, next to Starfire.
Cyborg was next to her, and Beastboy next to Cyborg. They all had stunned faces.
Robin closed his eyes, and rested his head on the back of the couch, awaiting their words.
"..That is Friend Raven..?"
"Yes." Robin said shortly.
"Man.. she grew up.. A year did her good.. haha, she's taller than you BB." Cyborg chuckled.
"Aw dude, I think she is. Wait, is that lace she's wearing?" Beastboy leaned closer to the tv.
Starfire suddenly shot up into the air, silkie in her arms. She was joyous in the least.
"Friend Raven has returned! Friend Raven has returned! Friend Raven has returned!"
Robin sighed and stood up once again, pressing a few commands on the control again.
"Not exactly Starfire, watch the screen." The whole screen then turned into the camera of the roof.
They all watched her jump off the roof and fly away.
Starfire flew back down, "But Friend Robin, why has Friend Raven flown away?"
He then explained what she had said in his room, but he did not show the footage. Because of their.. closeness.
Starfire meanwhile was at the window, silkie asleep in her arms. She looked out the window. She had walked to the window in beginning of Robin's explantion and has been there ever since. Little did anyone know, she had seen something ontop of the bridge.
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Raven stood up, patting away dirt on her trousers. When she was suddenly knocked back into the metal beam she had previously sat against.
She looked up, the same figure crouched a few feet away from her. He grinned and stood up straight.
Growling, Raven stood up also, her hands clenched at her sides. She didn't bother with the colors, as black flames engulfed her fists.
"Who are you!" She was furious, to say the least. Someone had just knocked her back into a metal beam. Of course she was going to get angry.
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Authors Note: I know I know! A totally useless update, but I wanted to anyway, and I wanted to get straight to the action, blood, gore, and betrayals, and it just sucks if you skip all that.
Anyways, I was at titanstower's archives earlier, looking for any kind of enemy for Raven or whatever. I think I'll just make one up.. So yeah. Suggestions are really really welcomed.
Reviews, alerts, and favorites at awesome. Damn FF,net banning replies. Yeah.. so I want to finish this up, so I can get to Beautiful Disaster. But yeah, I had two different endings in my head.
One would be like.. BAM rebel armies baby! The second is just plain ending of course. Both open for sequels. Oh, and I was going to write more, but I thought a cliffe would do good. Ah, and I wasn't able to do spellcheck on this, so pardon me.
Umm.. yeah. So read and review, seriously, thank you for reading. It really helps. Since school started and everything. Stressful times, you know? It's good to get away from reality.
Hearts,
Ist.