Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, sadly. If I did, I'd hire Mad Mod to be my jester. Isn't he funny?
Title: Obsidian Midnight
Author: S.K. Midnight
Pairings: Raven x Malchior, Robin x Starfire, Beast Boy x Terra, Cyborg x Jinx
Summary: Set three months after the episode "Spellbound". In Jump City, the Teen Titans are the greatest force of justice to be reckoned with. Raven, finally realizing that Malchior truly wasn't evil, releases him from the book, and he joins the Titans in their crusade against evil. But when a mysterious bounty hunter appears from the shadows, hunting victims with bleeding eyes and possessing powers similar to Malchior and Raven, the Titans must stop him at all costs…before they are hunted next.
Reviewer Answers! Woohoo!
OurScars: Ah, thank you. I'm really glad you like it. And since you were my first reviewer, since you're looking forward to it, here's the next chapter! Don't want to disappoint the readers of my little fanfic!
(A/N): Great hugs to those who reviewed! Here you go! raises plate of cookies Have one! Anyhow, this is the next chapter in my story, obviously. This ought to be fun. Pops neck and back Here we go! Welcome to the melee!
Chapter One: An Empath's Emotional Puzzle
"Lord, what fools these mortals be"
The Titans all gathered in the meeting room, where a large computer screen was flashing the word "Alert" over and over in red. Suddenly, the screen went black, and an all-too-familiar face appeared on it. The one eye, peering from behind a mask of orange and black, gleamed down at them menacingly.
"Slade…" Robin growled. "What do you want?" Slade waved a finger in front of the screen. "Now now Robin, I'm not up to anything…yet. I just want you and three of your little friends to meet me at the abandoned warehouse down by the docks in two hours. I suggest you get here quickly." And with that, the screen turned back to normal, and a large red dot indicated the meeting place on the computer's city map.
"What's Slade up to now?" Cyborg asked. "Yeah and why did he only want Robin and three of us?" Beast Boy puzzled. "I don't know," Robin responded. "But I have a feeling that he's serious. But who will stay?" "I will," echoed a voice from the back of the room. Everyone turned to see Raven gliding up. "You don't need me; I'll stay behind and guard the Tower."
In truth, Raven wanted to meditate and clear her mind of the incident that had happened earlier that evening. Wells of emotion were bubbling up within her, and she needed to suppress them. "Alright, you heard her; it'll be me, Star, Cyborg, and Beast Boy. Titans! Go!" At that, the aforementioned Titans rushed out of the building, leaving Raven behind, alone in the room. She glided swiftly back to her room and phased through the door. As a reflex, she glanced around the room to ensure nothing was out of place and no one was there.
When she was satisfied, she walked over to her bed and sat down, cross-legged, in her meditation stance. She closed her eyes and imagined herself flying throughout the realms of space and time, free from her body and restrained only by the limits of the universe. The body is only a restraint, a shell. The cosmos is mental. Freedom is the key to survival, and nothing can hold me back. With this knowledge at hand, she began to probe her inner mind, twisting along its many complicated passageways.
"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos…Azer...Metri..." She stumbled, her concentration wavering. For some reason, she just couldn't focus on meditation right now. She gave up on the unfruitful venture and simply lay down on her bed, arms behind her head. What was the matter with her? She knew that she needed to meditate, but she just couldn't focus. Her mind was elsewhere, where exactly though, she feared that she knew. Her mind was on that chest. 'Would it really be so bad?' she thought to herself.
Gathering her resolve, she sat up and slid off the bed. It's now or never. With her courage in hand, she walked over to the chest and stood before it. It seemed eerie, almost as if it were…calling to her, begging her to open it and release what was caught within. Her hand glowed with black energy and it creeped over to the lock and undid it. Well, here goes everything. She opened the lid and looked inside the chest, which she hadn't seen ever since she had locked Malchior's book in it over three months ago.
The inside of the chest was fairly worn, and as she looked around in it, she saw small orbs, ancient necklaces that faintly glowed with hidden power, small notebooks, but…where was the white book? A small gasp escaped her, and her eyes frantically searched the chest again until she spotted a small corner of the book sticking out at the bottom. What a relief, I thought that it had… Willing herself to banish the thought, she reached into the chest and took the book from it.
Laying the book on her bed, she looked at it for a moment. Her eyes traveled across its pristine white cover, and a battle of emotions raged within her. Her mind split into two different sides. One was saying to go ahead and talk to Malchior, after all, what harm could he do if he was in the book? The other half was begging her not to, to remember all the pain he had put her through, and that doing this would only make it worse. It went something like this.
Open the book…
No, don't, remember what happened last time.
That was over three months ago, you can't really still be holding onto it?
Why not? He hurt her, more than you know.
Oh just be quiet. Open the book, it can't hurt. Besides, wouldn't it be great to finally be able to understand what happened?
He'll just lie to you, he'll hurt you more.
Will you shut up? Look, just open the thing; he's in there, so he can't do anything to you. You have the advantage!
"Both of you just SHUT UP!" she yelled. When she came back to her senses, she looked around the room, realizing there was no one there. Finally her gaze returned to the book. She grasped the cover, and with a smooth flick of her wrist, her hands easily found the page where the eyes, black as pitch, stared unblinking at her. Suddenly, a voice resounded, both in her room and in her head.
"Raven? Raven! Is that you? You've actually opened the book! This must mean you want to talk to me! Oh joy!" Malchior exclaimed, for all the life sounding like a joyous little kid at an amusement park. "Don't get your hopes up Malchior; I'm only here to ask you a few questions. Once I'm completely over you and what you did to me, I'll lock you away forever." Malchior's eyes looked downcast, if only for an instant, before they brightened again. "Well then, I suppose I should make the most of it. What is it you wish to ask of me?"
(A/N): I know it was short, and I apologize. I'm rather new at writing Teen Titans fanfics, and I don't have many ideas. If anyone can help, I'd love an idea to get Malchior out of the book. I need to advance the plotline along, so I'll let you, the reviewers, decide. I'm clueless right now, waiting for my muse to beat the daylights out of me with the inspiration stick. So if you have anything, please let me have your ideas by October 18 (Tuesday), and I'll incorporate them if it'll fit.. Please don't flame me, as flames will only serve to increase my power. And with that, I bid you farewell.
S.K. Midnight