Summary: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?
Author's Note: Wow, long time no update. I apologize for that. You've all been such good readers, and I love hearing from you. I just suck at living, and NYU finals slaughtered my very soul. My apologies, I hope this chapter doesn't let you down. I think it's my best so far. )
Legal Note: Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.
Robin jolted awake. Was it morning? He had no idea. All he knew was how badly his back and neck ached. When he discovered that he had fallen asleep with his head on his computer desk, he understood why. I really need to work on this 'going to bed' thing, he thought.
The conversation with Beast Boy the night before drifted back to him, and Robin remembered he'd spent the rest of the night attempting to decipher the symbol. All he'd deduced was that it was not of this world–it couldn't be–or there would have to be some record of it somewhere. And if there was,he had no clue where it could be. He decided he'd talk to Raven after breakfast. He spiked his disheveled hair, then stepped into the hallway and headed to the main room to see if Cyborg and Beast Boy were arguing over breakfast yet.
Cyborg and Starfire were peacefully co-existing as they worked to prepare their respective breakfasts. Starfire had been craving some kind of traditional Tamaranian breakfast, which Cyborg had declined the pleasure of tasting. He opted to make himself some real bacon and real eggs before the grass stain showed up.
Speak of the devil (not literally, of course, she was in her room), the green changeling dragged himself into the main room and over to the kitchen. He glanced at Cyborg's breakfast. "How can you eat things like that, tin can? That was alive at one time!" Cyborg's lack of concern for the welfare of his furry friends really bothered Beast Boy.
Cyborg grinned. "Chill out, green bean. I'm a member of PETA." (A/N: Really the 'People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,' for those who don't know)
"Seriously? Then how can you still eat meat knowing how they murdered the animals?"
"You're jumping to conclusions. My PETA is 'People for the Eating of Tasty Animals.'"
Beast Boy, if it was possible, turned even greener. His stomach turned, and he thought he might vomit. If it hadn't been for the further desecration of the innocent creatures, he would have purposefully yacked on Cyborg's breakfast.
"For real, BB. If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?"
Starfire, who had been silently observing the argument between her two comrades with some distress (she wondered if she'd ever get used to all their fighting), questioned, "But please, Friend Cyborg, are not humans made of the meat too?"
Cyborg just looked puzzled. Beast Boy looked triumphant. "Thanks, Star!"
The Tamaranian lifted an eyebrow. "You are welcome?" Starfire was not sure what she was being thanked for, but at least Beast Boy seemed happy as he started making himself his usual tofu breakfast.
"What you have concealed you shall become," the deep voice boomed. "You cannot escape your destiny."
Raven gagged and grabbed her throat. The fires burned around her, and Trigon's mark sparked and exploded in a suddenstring of fire. As she fled from the sound of the voice and the fires, she kept stealing glances behind her, only to find the fire following right on her heels. Suddenly Raven collided with something, and when she saw what it was, her amethyst eyes grew wide.
"No. No! This won't happen. I won't do this. I can't do this. They're my friends!"
While distracted by the burning fires, Raven had run right into the tortured stone statue of Robin. Around him were the other Titans: Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy. She couldn't do this to them, she couldn't stand to see them like this. There was no way she could bring this Hell to earth.
"Oh but you will, Raven,"spokeSlade, as heemerged from behind her in a burst of the flames that had been chasing her seconds ago. Raven attempted to turn, ready to face Slade with anger burning in her heart, but before she could make a move, he placed an arm firmly around her neck, pulling her close against him. She gagged, and tried in vain to pull his arm away so she could breathe again. The feel of him so close to her made her physically sick.
"You have no choice. The prophecy must be fulfilled, and such a glorious destiny awaits you. Think how powerful you'll be, Raven. Ruling the world at your father's side," Slade cooed.
Burning with anger, Raven called upon her powers to blast Slade. Only...they weren't working? What? How could that be?
"Silly girl, your powers won't work on me. Not in here."
Raven's eyes grew wide. She had to get away. She could feel what was coming.
Slade grinned, and quick as a flash had Raven turned around to face him. He held her roughly–hard enough to bruise–by both arms. "Enjoy your element, Raven. Think of it as a preview of the christening." With those words, he sent a blast of fire screeching at her body, while simultaneously calling for the burning symbols of Trigon. An instant later he was gone, leaving Raven alone.
She didn't even notice. The marks coursed over her body, burning red and glowing as they had before. The pain from those alone was intense, causing her knees to buckle under her. But the fire, the fire was the worst. While the symbols burned her flesh, the hellfire seemingly consumed her soul. It felt as if her guts were on fire, her chest. Raven began to scream; horrible, heart-wrenching cries of pain that were carried on the arid air of...
...her dream. Raven jolted upright in bed, her skin soaking with cold sweat and her hair hanging to hide her face. The agonized scream escaping her lips had carried over into her waking reality, and upon realizing this, Raven quickly stifled herself. She gasped for air, feeling like there wasn't enough in her room. In a moment of doubt, she checked her body for the marks. While they remained, they were fading quickly–they'd be gone completely in a moment, and with them the now unnoticeable burning. As she regained her breath, she grabbed her throat, and flinched. Slade had grabbed her. It couldn't possibly have carried over from the–
"RAVEN?" Robin, who had been on his way to the main room, pounded Raven's door. He'd heard her scream, and had taken off at top speed to find her. The rest of the team had dropped breakfast instantly, and arrived only seconds after Robin had, concern playing on all their faces.
In retrospect, Robin realized that yelling Raven's name at all was really for show, because as he finished the second syllable his steel-toed boot had connected with her door and taken it down. Starfire's hands glowed with green energy, ready to battle any intruder in Friend Raven's room, but also conveniently illuminating the interior of Raven's room–the curtains were still drawn, Raven having been asleep.
Cyborg flipped the light switch, and the room became visible. The team looked to their gothic counterpart. Raven was hunched over, the sheets still covering her legs. Her hair hung damp and limp around her face, and her forehead shimmered with a thin sheet of sweat.
Beast Boy stepped forward. "Raven...?" It was almost a whisper.
"Get out of my room."
Wow, I finally wrote another chapter! And I've tried to do things I've never really done before. I tried to improve on the dialogue, and I wanted to see if I could pull off a bit more of an action scene. I'd love to try writing some Titans battle scenes, but I figured a little practice was a good idea first. Let me know what you think! I hoped you liked it, and I apologize again for taking so long with an update. I promise to try to make updates regularly now that summer is here. Thanks for reading!