…I just realized something. Once I get a couple chapters past day seven, the story will be over! WAH! But the good thing is that that means I can give my full attention to my other story! YAY! OK, split personality. Reviews:
Rea and bb fan: Thanx! Here's da update! And I'm glad I'm not the only one with a crazy life. Heh.
StarfireLover: I didn't go to that one this year…I'm so sad. But I went to last year's Anime Expo and it was really fun!
ILuVxSeSsHyx4eVa: I love Kiki's Delivery Service too! It's a Miyazaki film and all Miyazaki films are cool! My friends and I have SO many nicknames for each other (I have like four) and one friend thinks we have identity crisis. Anyway, don't worry because everyone thinks I'm really strange, too. You are not alone in your weirdness. So, yeah, I hope you like this chapter!
Coolcatjas: I know! I love that movie too! Gigi rocks! Anyway, I'm really happy that you enjoyed it and I hope this update came early enough for you!
TeenRAVENtitan: Glad you liked it! That plot bunny kinda bit me in the middle of the night, along with the spider (yes, I actually have a spider bite).
Ravenfairie: Thanx! Eh, yeah, my school gets out earlier than others…
OK, well, enjoy the story while you can. I know it will probably be quite short but I hope it is good enough. By the way, I think I might slack off from my other story to finish this one. BUT that means that I will update it more frequently when I finish this one! So don't kill me please!
Raven blinked. At first she thought her eyes were deceiving her, but when she had gotten over the initial shock, she knew they weren't. She flipped through the pages of the comic and scanned the content. Yes, this was definitely the same thing, except it was a different version. She didn't have time to read anymore though, as someone came up behind her.
"Raven, may I ask what you are reading?"
"AUGH! Um…Starfire," Raven cried, shutting the comic. She turned around to face the Tameranian. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Forgive me, but you seemed so immersed that I had to know what it was that had captured your interest," Starfire replied. She tried to get a glimpse of the title, but Raven had it held in such a way that she could not read it or see the cover.
"It's nothing, really," Raven told her. "It's just…it reminded me of something personal."
"I see," Starfire said. "Well, the others have made their purchases and are ready to leave. We should join them."
"Yeah. I'll be there in just a second," Raven muttered, heading toward the register. Starfire walked toward the other titans and informed them of Raven's intentions.
"What comic is she getting?" Robin asked.
"She…did not say," Starfire replied.
"Huh. Guess it's one of her dark, depressing books or something," Beast Boy suggested, after making sure that Raven was out of earshot. He had said it just in time, however, as Raven appeared a couple seconds later.
"OK. Let's go," she said, slipping her wrist through the handles of the plastic bag that held her book.
"That's it? We done at this fair?" Cyborg asked.
"Yes, I believe we are," Starfire answered.
"OK then! Everyone load up in the car and let's go home!" the half robot said, leading the group back into the busy streets. Raven lagged behind Starfire in their linear procession and Beast Boy had to remind her to catch up. Once in the car, Cyborg pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive them all home.
"So, what did everyone get?" Robin asked. He had to turn around in his seat to see everyone in the back.
"I got Inu-Yasha!" Beast Boy cried, holding up a comic.
"I have purchased a comic entitled 'Fruits Basket.' It looks quite entertaining," Starfire added. She leaned forward and glanced at Raven, who sat in the rear right seat. "What did you purchase, Raven?"
"Yeah! I didn't even know you did comics, Rae," Beast Boy chimed in. He was expecting a sarcastic remark or some form of physical abuse, but he got neither. Instead, Raven ignored all of them. Beast Boy scooted over in his seat and poked her shoulder. "Star and I are asking you a question."
"It's nothing, just something I thought looked interesting," Raven replied, brushing his hand away. Beast Boy pouted.
"Then what's it called?"
Raven turned to look back out the window. How was she going to explain this…?
"Hey, look! It's called 'The Ring 0 Birthday.' And—Raven, what exactly is that?"
Raven stiffened. Beast Boy had her comic! She quickly turned and snatched it out of his hands, narrowly missing Starfire's nose.
"I-it's not what you're thinking! Really!"
Starfire and Beast Boy simultaneously shot her skeptical looks. Robin turned around to watch curiously.
"Uh…"
Raven felt uncomfortable with all this attention around her. She racked her brain for some excuse.
"Hm…I could try the 'Hey, look over there!' trick, but that wouldn't—" Raven was suddenly brought from her thoughts as Cyborg was turning left on a yellow light, but had failed to notice that the oncoming car was attempting to run the red light.
"LOOK OUT!" she screamed, summoning her powers and hitting the brakes. The car whizzed by them, taking the T-Car's left mirror with it.
Cyborg immediately opened the door and yelled after the car, "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT, YOU BASTARD!" along with some other colorful phrases and vocabulary.
"Oh my…" Starfire whispered. Robin sat rigid in his seat, stunned. Beast Boy was bunched up in a ball, with his arms over his head.
"Did we crash yet?" he asked.
"Yes, that's why you haven't flown out the windshield and landed in the street," Raven said. (A/N: Take off of TROQ!)
"We're alive!" the changeling rejoiced.
"Don't even think about it," Raven warned. She didn't want another "Inu-Yuki incident."
"Great, now I have to fix the damn car all over again!" Cyborg grumbled angrily as he got back in the car. Impatient horns blared behind them, and Cyborg opened the skylight window and yelled, "SHUT UP!"
Of course, following this outburst, there was complete silence, even from the titans.
"Jeez, and I thought Raven was scary when she got angry," Beast Boy mumbled to Starfire. Raven glared at him and hit him over the head.
Back at the tower, the titans all split up and quickly went to their rooms to enjoy their comic books. Raven was not happy about her discovery, however. She had only bought it to find more clues to the strange events happening around the tower.
With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the edge of her bed and opened her book, remembering that it was a right-to-left comic. In it, she found out that the girl's name was not Samara, but Sadako. The name sounded strangely familiar to Raven. She also discovered that this girl was completely normal except for a curse. Maybe there was someone in Jump City named Sadako…
Raven quickly went to the kitchen where she had put the phonebook after its last use. She brought it out and put it down on the table with a loud bang, then flipped through the pages until she reached the "S" section. Her finger trailed down the list of names until it stopped at the name she feared she would find. Sadako. And there was no last name. (A/N: I know she has a last name in the comic but makes it spookier if she doesn't have one!)
Raven was now a little shaken. She carried the phonebook over to the counter next to the phone and dialed the number next to the name. She held it to her ear and waited with baited breath. It rang once…twice…
"Hello?" a man's voice answered.
Raven breathed out a sigh of relief. "Hello, this is Raven of the Teen Titans. Is Sadako there?"
"She's not in." Then there was a pause. "How do you know Sadako?"
Raven thought for a brief moment. "I'm an old friend, from her acting class. Do you know when I can reach her?"
"She doesn't like talking to someone she cannot see. She prefers to see them face to face."
She didn't know why, but Raven felt a chill run down her spine. "All right. Tell her that she'll be expecting Raven sometime tomorrow morning," she said, looking at the address in the book. It stated that the house was on an island, and Raven knew it could take a while to get there.
"Last name, please?"
Raven gulped. Last name? She didn't have a last name. It was just…Raven. She racked her brain for a name. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out the first one that came to her head.
"Logan."
"All right, I'll tell her." Click!
"DAMN! I'm so stupid!" Raven cursed, hanging the phone up. "I need to do some meditation before something like that happens again."
As she made her way to the roof, she paused. Beast Boy wasn't coming with her anyway, so why did it bother her? It's not like the guy was going to make any assumptions if the subject of humiliation wasn't there. Still…
Raven squashed the thought before it got any farther and decided to use her room instead of the roof. That way, no unwanted company could sneak up behind her.
She was proven wrong, however when she opened the door. Beast Boy was sitting on the floor, halfway through her comic book. At the sound of the door sliding open, he jumped and scrambled to a standing position.
"Raven! I—um…it's not what you—"
"WHAT—ARE—YOU—DOING—IN—MY—ROOM!" Raven yelled.
"I only wanted to see what this whole 'Ring 0 Birthday' thing was about!" Beast Boy answered, a little more confident.
"That is no reason to intrude into my personal space!"
"Yes, when it concerns the rest of us, it is!"
Raven stopped. "What do you mean, 'the rest of us?'"
Beast Boy sighed. "We all saw it, Rae, not just you."
"The movie, you mean?"
He nodded. "I'll leave now." As he passed her, he added, "Sorry."
Raven was dumbstruck, even after he shut the door. Beast Boy, however, curious about what she had been doing earlier, turned into a bloodhound and traced out Raven's most recent path. It led him to the kitchen, where he found the phonebook still open. In human form, he examined the page carefully and found the name. Sadako.
YAY! Cliffy! I hope you liked it, even though it was short. And if it took a while for this chapter to get up, it's because a certain anonymous reviewer's report of my parody finally took effect and removed it, plus temporarily disabled my ability to upload. So…yeah. Please review!