Chapter Thirteen:

Meant to Live

The other Raven blurted out, "Are you okay?"

I stared at the ground where Cidious lay.

Finally, I replied, "Not really."

After relieving Cidious of his materia, I turned and looked at myself. She blinked a few times, obviously confused by the events that took place.

"We should help the others," I said, breaking her trance.

She nodded and floated up to the floor above. I followed. Beast Boy propped himself up against the wall regaining his strength; Cyborg was assisting Robin and Starfire.

"She got hurt pretty bad," Cyborg said.

My twin placed her hands on the back of Starfire's head. Using her powers, she managed to heal what damage Cidious had done after flinging her like a rag-doll into the window. Starfire stirred but didn't wake up. Robin sat upright with help from Cyborg.

He asked aloud, "Who… why is there two Ravens?"

"There's no time to explain," I said. "I have to get back to my dimension and stop Slade."

"Slade!" Robin said, anger filling him. "I take it he's behind that giant creature outside."

I looked out the window, saying, "There's more where that came from. I'll try to return to help contain it."

Something in Raven's room caught my eye. I gazed at Raven's Masamune.

"Where'd you get that?" I asked.

Raven looked at what I was pointing at.

"Oh," she said. "I killed Cidious with that last time. He was carrying it."

"Mind if I take it?"

"Not at all," she said.

I nodded and picked up the wickedly long sword. I turned towards the group as Beast Boy staggered in from the hallway.

"Dude," he said breathlessly. "What the hell just happened?"

"I'll try to come back after this is all over and sort out everything," I said. "Until then, you're going to have to try and deal with those creatures until I can return. Okay?"

"Yo, I think we can handle it," Cyborg replied confidently.

I nodded, "I hope so."

I inserted the materia into the slots on the Masamune, opened the book to the pages I needed and began to chant the words to open the portal. I levitated and focused my energy. The whole world slipped by me as I entered the dimensional planes. I focused in my mind on where I wanted to be, praying to God that it would take me there swiftly.

When I crashed landed onto the cold marble floor of the Shin-ra executive offices, all was quiet. Aeris was trying to use the column she was propped up against as leverage to get back on her feet. I slowly pulled myself up as she walked over, clutching her stomach.

"Where did you go?" Aeris asked.

I adjusted my hair, and said, "To witness another fine mess."

"We've got to get out of here: Slade's going to summon Meteor and the weapons!"

I slapped my forehead, uttering "Fuck."

"Come on!"

Aeris grabbed my hand as we went down the stairs and into the lobby below; she limped all the way. We spoke as we descended.

I asked, "Do you know where he's going to summon them?"

Aeris nodded, "I have an idea… probably where the point of impact was. You'll have to get back to your world fast and try to stop him. I'll take care of this place."

"Are you sure? What makes you think that he's not going to do it here?"

"I don't. But who's to say that he's gathered himself and his robots and gone back?"

I sighed, "Great…"

"Listen," Aeris said. "Go back home, stop him there… Please."

I stared into her jade eyes for a few moments. They reminded me of Starfire…

Silently I nodded.

Aeris smiled, saying, "Kick his ass for me."

"I will," I smiled wryly back.

When I made it back to the Tower, massive fires and earthquakes shook through the city. Apparently, Slade wasn't wasting any time summoning his minions. Screaming, looting, thick smoke, anarchy… it was so thick I could cut it with a knife. Titan's Tower looked like a giant napalm had hurled itself into the side. I whipped out my communicator and tried signaling the Titans.

I was about to give up when a weary-looking Robin responded.

"Robin!" I shouted. "Where the hell are you?"

He coughed, "We're at the North Pole… you need to get here… fast… Blackfire…"

Blackfire? Starfire's sister?

Robin ended the communication before I could get any more answers.

One of the WEAPON creatures called in the distance as it made it's way opposite of the Tower. I slipped the soft from my belt: I was going to need some assistance.

Terra's statue was just as it had always been: cold, emotionless, helpless. I sighed as I wrapped the undamaged stone with the soft that had been given to me. No sooner had I released my grip from the bedded cloth that it's magic began to work. The stone began to fade away; Terra began to turn to normal. Once the process was complete, the soft dissolved, and Terra fell to her knees and began to gasp for air. After a few deep inhales and exhales, she looked up at me and jumped.

"Raven!" Terra shrieked.

"Look," I said, wasting no time. "We need to get going, fast."

I grabbed her wrist and was about to transform into my pure dark energy to transport us when she resisted.

"Wait," she said. "What the hell is going on? What happened here?"

"Jesus Christ," I uttered. "Look, it doesn't matter what happened, what does matter is what will happen if you don't hurry the hell up and follow me."

"Dammit Raven!" Terra grabbed my shoulder, jerking me backwards. "I haven't even been alive for five minutes!"

I turned around and knocked her hand off of me. I grabbed her collar, "Listen to me, you fuck-tard: we are running on a very short schedule right now. The last thing I need is to sit around for the next hour telling you how we are going get the ASS FUCK of the CENTURY if we don't get moving. Got it?"

Terra stared at me for a moment perplexed. But she quickly conformed and agreed. I released my grip on her shirt collar and looked around.

"So… what do you need me for?" Terra asked.

I looked at her, "To kick some ass in a major way."

We arrived at the North Pole in a portal of black energy that I provided. The snow was no longer the color that snow should be; in fact, it was black and barren. The texture was wrong, too: it was crumbling and rock-like. The sky matched the ground below our feet. It looked like Hell had finally made it's way onto Earth in the complete form.

Terra stayed behind me, still dressed in her former Slade-provided uniform. The Masamune I carried grew heavier under an intense invisible weight that forced itself down upon me. I had brought us to where I sensed there was energy, but where the hell was it…?

A strangled, gurgled voice called out: "Raven…?"

We turned to the left immediately.

The mystery of where my friends were was solved. Well, at least half of it.

Beast Boy was lying on his back; his arms reached out for us. He looked pretty bad, and "bad" was an understatement. Terra tore away from my side and slid on the ground to Beast Boy's broken and bloody body. She cradled him, tears running down her face; she kept apologizing profusely. I pushed her aside.

"Beast Boy, where is Slade? Where are the others?"

Beast Boy pointed towards a massive cyclone of dark and spearmint green energy swirling violently in the far distance.

"There…" he said. "We tried… to stop him… he was too much…"

I swung out my Masamune, and said, "Let's go, Terra!"

Terra protested: "But he's injured severely; you're not going to let him lay here and die, are you!"

"Son of a…" I uttered. I waved my Masamune around and called out, "CURE!"

Sparkling blue and white particles surrounded Beast Boy as his wounds – both internal and external – were healed. Terra released him as he fell back onto the black slush that covered the ground.

"Leave him here," I said. "Beast Boy, I need you to get as far away from here as possible. Okay?"

Beast Boy was breathing deeply as his strength regained. He gave me a small nod. I turned towards the swirling battle up ahead. FOXDIE flowed through my veins, determination filled my thoughts, sweat dripped from my hands.

I could hear Slade calling.

I didn't want to keep him waiting.

As I approached the energy that waged war upon and within itself, a cold chill shot down my spine. The sword I carried felt heavier. Terra was transfixed ahead of her; my wounds stopped bleeding, at least, the ones visible through my torn uniform. I could hear Aeris whisper in my ear, but her words translated into nothing. I walked through the makeshift barrier: it was cold and breezy, but the winds were not strong enough to pick a person up, yet it was a cyclone. Terra stayed close to me.

Before us, the Earth had parted, revealing jagged canyons and towering cliffs. It was reminiscent of Slade's previous underground base where Terra made her ultimate sacrifice, only much larger. The air was stagnant, an incessant howling filled the air; Slade was standing a few yards away.

"Hello Raven, so nice of you to join us," he said calmly. His mask held many scratches and blood stains, tarnishing the once lustrous bronze.

"Where are they!" I commanded.

Starfire's voice called from behind: "Raven!"

I spun and was met with an axe kick from Hell. I was lifted off the ground, releasing my grip from the Masamune. I landed on my shoulders and flipped over backwards. I heard Terra start to put up a fight but was quickly put down faster than Beast Boy asking me for a date. I pushed myself up and rested on my elbows. Blackfire stood over me with her younger sister, Starfire, by the back of her collar. Starfire was beaten severely and bleeding. She looked at me with pleading jade eyes before Blackfire jerked her back and slammed her on the ground.

Blackfire smirked; her shimmering black hair speckled with debris and flowed freely. She pushed me back down flat to the ground with her foot on my throat.

"I'd like you to meet my latest apprentice," Slade said, approaching ever so diligently.

Blackfire increased pressure, almost fully closing my trachea and esophagus. I coughed as Slade crouched down over me.

He said, "Nothing more than a puppet, dear child. Now is the time to cut you loose."

Slade looked up at Blackfire.

"Finish her."

"With pleasure," Blackfire said gleefully.

My eyes widened as a giant boulder slammed into Blackfire's back, knocking her into Slade. Terra was hunched over nearby, summoning more Earth with her powers. I quickly regained my breath and scrambled to my feet. Slade threw Blackfire off of him, yelling, "APPRENTICES! GET THEM!"

I leapt back as Sephiroth's Masamune, out of nowhere, sliced down in my previous area. I grabbed his wrists and threw the silver-haired killing machine onto the ground. Terra kicked Cloud in the crotch just as he was bringing his huge sword above his head: his eyes widened and he collapsed to his knees. Terra roundhouse kicked him in the jaw to finish the job. Cloud fell backwards, clutching his nuts and his jaw.

Starfire had regained enough strength to pull herself up to a sitting position. I ran over to her and lifted her up to her feet.

"Can you fly?" I asked quickly.

Starfire leaned on me, saying, "I do not know."

She concentrated and managed to float a few feet off the ground. It didn't last long; Starfire collapsed back onto me. I gently placed her on the ground as Slade ran forward. He clotheslined me hard, knocking what little wind I had inside of my lungs out. He grabbed me while I was still in mid-air and hip-tossed me. I crashed and rolled a few times before sliding to a halt into a stone sticking up from the ground. In the background, Blackfire slammed Terra into the ground and fired a huge starbolt into her. Terra tried to get up but fell back into her self-formed crater, motionless.

"It ends here, Raven," Slade said. "The Teen Titans failed to stop me, what makes you think you'll do different?"

He reached down and picked by my arm.

Slade continued, "Are you so sure your precious FOXDIE will work? And what are you to do if Meteor is summoned? There is nothing you can do… it is too late."

I screamed as loud as my vocal chords could muster as I shoved my Masamune through his chest.