A/N: DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION IS THE BEST GAME IN THE WORLD! Also, special Raven/Malchior fanart to whoever can guess where 'Cybiria' came from! (But you have to give me your working e-mail address in order for me to send it to you)

XP

Prophet!' said I, thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'
Quoth the raven, Nevermore.'

The Raven, By Edgar Allan Poe

XD

"But, but we've still got an hour before we have to leave!" Raven argued as both Zacroma and Starfire dragged her to Zacroma's room, both grinning mischievously.

"Right, just enough time for us to get ready, and to get you ready at the same time!" Zacroma said.

If there was one room in the entire T-Tower that was as opposite from Raven's as it is possible, it would have been Zacroma's. Colors upon colors covered everything. Shelves were painted, the desk looked like it had been tie-dyed somehow, the bedcovers were the same way, there were stuffed animals almost falling out of a net that had been pinned up on the wall. There were bean bag chairs, a TV, posters of Zacroma's favorite bands, and she even had a work table where many pieces of metallic art were strewn, some looked finished, others definitely weren't. The huge dragon she was working on currently had one wing, no head, half a tail, and had a big chunk of its stomach missing.

But the thing was, every single color, even though there was more than one shade of it, seemed to go together rather smoothly. It wasn't at all painful to look at, rather artistic really. Raven couldn't help but somehow liking it, though hell'd freeze over before she made her own room look anything like it.

"Okay, I've got your outfit right here, but we'll need some jewelry to go with it, of which I have plenty! I think you'll like these earrings I made for you." Zacroma said, holding up a pair of small metal dragons on hooks, one with a small red stone for its eye, and the other with a blue.

Raven sweatdropped, "I thought I had a spider theme going on." She commented.

"That doesn't mean you need the same style of earrings." Zacroma answered grinning. "Or necklace, or bracelets, or ponytail,"

"Ponytail!" Raven exclaimed.

"But of course, you didn't think we weren't going to play with your hair a bit did you?" Zacroma asked, she and Starfire looming over Raven with broad grins on their faces.

"Oh yes! We have also bought proper colors to smear all over your skin!" Starfire exclaimed.

I already regret this. Raven thought.

By the time they were done with her, Raven was almost terrified to look in Zacroma's full-length mirror. No only did she have on that rather, er, questionable outfit her dark self had bullied her into (she'd rather not admit to putting it on willingly), but her back hair had been pulled up into a, you guessed it, ponytail, and had been tied in a bow with a black string. Then she'd been given the dragon earrings, a choker with a dagger, held by a dragon of course, to put around her neck, and a couple of normal silver loops for bracelets on each wrist. They'd also put a chain belt around her waist, and had put her into those black boots Starfire had gotten her several months ago which use to be pink. After that, The Makeup. She did not want to look. She knew they'd chosen a dark red for her lips and a blue for her eyelids, but she didn't want to see if the colors worked well with her skin or not. Knowing Zacroma, it probably did.

However, she had no choice in the matter, as the two drug her over to the mirror, looking very proud of themselves. Raven grimaced at her reflection, but decided it wasn't as bad as she had thought. It didn't look like she had too much makeup on, so that was good. The outfit…well, she dug the ditch, she might as well stay in it. And there wasn't so much jewelry she looked gaudy in it. However, the dagger around her neck had to go.

"Okay, I just want to make one change." Raven said, removing the dagger. "And that's it, alright?"

"Oh okay. At least you're not running for the sink to wash your face." Zacroma sighed. She had adorned herself in some, other stuff. One was a spike choker, a silver necklace with a cross on it, spiked bracelets, and several silver chain belts. She'd put on black eye-liner and ice blue lipstick as well as a pair of dragon earrings she'd made for herself (both with red eyes, probably to be normal). Starfire had put on some green eye shadow and pink lipstick, a pair of blue stubs in her ears and a couple of fun chains about her pants, and one single chain about her neck.

They looked really good, both of them. Raven had the feeling that Beast Boy and Robin were gonna have a problem with guys trying to move in on their objects of affection.

"Alright, I think we're ready! Let's get down to the par-tay!" Zacroma said, fastening her blue jewel on her hand where it always was. "Now, let's go show ourselves off to the guys!"

"Exactly the part I've been dreading." Raven groaned, as her two friends drug her out of the room.

XD

"Oh boyyyyyys! We're ready to go!" Zacroma called.

"About time you—whoa." Beast Boy stopped abruptly, his eyes as wide as amusement park lollypops. The rest of the guys turned to look, and had similar reactions.

"I'm gonna die." Raven muttered to herself as she instantly became flanked at both sides by (who else?) Malchior and Rorek.

The guys had also made an attempt to alter their appearance for this special occasion. Rorek, wearing what he had on their date, Malchior with a pair of tight dark blue jeans and a very tight black shirt with "Bad Boy" very accurately written across the chest. Beast Boy had slipped on a plane green T-shirt and really big baggy jeans, also putting on a hat which, even Raven had to admit, made him look really cute. Robin and Cyborg were the only ones who hadn't bothered, but, let's face it, they didn't exactly need to.

"You all are look'n hot yo!" Cyborg told them. He was pretty much the only one who hadn't relocated himself beside one of the girls, Robin (currently getting his cheek smooched) instantly to Starfire, and Beast Boy to Zacroma.

As for Rorek and Malchior, well, it seemed Raven's new outfit had such an…unhealthy effect, that they were completely ignoring the fact that the other had his hand around her waist/shoulders, telling her how sexy/beautiful she looked.

"Alright, everyone! Lets get it on!" Zacroma said, punching the air with enthusiasm.

"Meaning males present will need to tear their eyes away from the females in order to see where they're going." Raven put in, causing Zacroma and Cyborg to double up in fits of helpless laughter. Even Malchior was looking a little embarrassed now.

XD

"Alright, that should do it. Is it working yet?" Raven asked as the last bits of the hex fell into Malchior's nostrils.

For a minute, he looked as though he was about to sneeze, and then he looked like he didn't and was getting that pain. But after that, he wriggled his nose, "It feels like you completely blocked my sense of smell." He said frowning. He lowered his head so that his face was close to her neck and sniffed deeply, "I can't even smell you properly from this distance. I do hope you know the counter to it." He said, looking irritated.

"Trust me, you'll probably need that." Rorek assured him, though he looked uncomfortable with the whole idea as well.

"That may be true, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna be happy about it." Malchior said, rubbing his nose almost as though it itched a good deal.

"Are we ready yet?" Beast Boy wined, looking over at the laser sign, displaying the name "Cyberia" in three different colors of light wires.

"Yes, let's go." Raven answered with a nod.

Inside the music nearly blared, the base pulsing rapidly to the techno beat. It was dark, only illuminated by the moving beams of colored light and the few sections where there were steady bulbs for those either eating or just chilling at the bar. Some people were dancing, even the floor lighting up when certain squares were stepped on. Here and there, there was a space where another dancer could join, and some dancers were given a wide breath to bust their more advanced moves.

The people who 'guarded' the door took one look at them, and stepped aside. Probably assessing the girls' wardrobes and nothing else.

"You call that 'dancing'!" Malchior yelled to Zacroma.

"That would be modern dancing Mal, watch and learn!" She answered. Zacroma found herself a good space, and then started to move her body. Her feet found the floor in different spots, her hands were moving in ways that went with the music, and her hip was starting to shake a bit. Then she began to really get into it, spinning, kicking, cartwheeling, and finally break dancing.

It wasn't long before she was in the center of the dance floor, and sometime during this Starfire had joined her and they began to do a routine that, somehow, they seemingly practiced. No one else was dancing, they were all cheering and watching the two girls. "Come on Raven!" Zacroma yelled, gesturing her to join them.

"Over my dead body!" Raven yelled back, but was pushed into the circle by the crowd anyway. "I'm not dancing!" Raven yelled.

"You must! It is a dance club!" Starfire exclaimed.

"I can't dance!" Raven told them, trying to get back into the crowd.

"You've never even tried, just start moving to the beat! Let yourself get swept into the music!" Zacroma yelled, pulling her back as the crowd began to get back into the grove themselves. "See? Not everyone's watching anymore! Just move your feet around, alright?"

Raven let out a sigh that couldn't be heard, glowered, but gave in. She looked down at her feet and started stepping from side to side, using the beat as a guide telling her when to pick up one foot, put it down, then pick up the next. She followed Zacroma's basic steps, right-step, front-step, right-step, left-step, back-step, back-step, spin, front-step, jump. Hey, this was kind of fun, provided she didn't loose her footing.

Soon Raven was letting her body sway a bit, moving with her legs as they began to take on a life of their own. Back, left, back, front, right, right, left, spin.

It wasn't long before Raven was dancing without following Zacroma's lead, she was getting the hang of it herself, making up her own combinations using what she'd shown her. And then she found herself being joined by about three guys, all of which were grinning broadly at her. Ugh. Raven decided to ignore them and focus on her steps instead, which were become faster the more comfortable and sure she became. She wasn't about to escalate to Zacroma's wild and crazy moves, her hips were only moving an inch if even that much, but her feet seemed to be making up their own swift pattern, and her arms were giving a little into the motion of the music.

However, when four more guys were crowding around her, making it vary obvious that they were, indeed, giving her all their attention, and neither Rorek nor Malchior anywhere in sight, it was time to head for the bar table and get something to drink. Unfortunately, a couple of them didn't get the hint, and followed her as she maneuvered over to the said destination.

"Hey babe, can I buy you a drink?" Asked one, leaning over next to her when she sat down on a stool.

"Back off, wimpy! I think the lady would prefer a real man." Another said, pushing him out of the way.

"You wanna ditch these losers, they're no good for you." Said a guy with a soft tone of voice, coming over on her other side. "I got a place not too far from you, you wanna—"

"I'd like some water please." Raven told the bartender.

"What kind of water?" he asked with a bit of a smirk.

"The kind whose molecular components are two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen." She answered, beginning to bristle. The bartender snickered humorously, and went to pour her some regular water.

"I'll pay for it." Said the second guy, slapping down a ten-dollar bill.

Raven rolled her eyes, "No, I'll pay for it. You can leave." She said, still not even bothering to look at them.

"You heard the lady." Snapped the one on her left side.

"That means you too, wise-guy." She told him, turning her head to glare at him. He frowned.

"You've got a lot of ner—"

"Actually, you've got a lot of nerve, assuming that just because you've got a nicely groomed head of hair and a few hundred dollar bills in your pocket you can get any woman you please." Snarled a new voice, coming from the stool next to Raven. The guys all looked over, and so did Raven. There sat a woman, clearly just above 20, leaning on the counter with a rather intimidating air about her. She had dark skin, long black hair, and deep green eyes. She was very beautiful, with soft curves to her face, and very generous curves to her body. She dressed in black, wearing the exact same webbed over-shirt that Raven had on, a halter top which reached down just below her bust line featuring a red spider, and pants that were black, but with webbed designs all over them. All of her jewelry had the same spider theme, the only color she had other than black and white was red. Spider earrings with red markings on their abdomens, a choker that featured a spider on it, and even a belt whose links consisted of spiders. But what completed the outfit so perfectly, was the live tarantula sitting docile and content on her shoulder.

"A-Arachna! We were just—" Tried one of them, but she shot them a glare that made them stop abruptly.

"Save it for someone who cares and get out of my sight." She hissed. Almost immediately they vanished.

"Thanks." Raven said as the bartender, snickering, set down Raven's glass of water.

"No problem." 'Arachna' said, her deep voice considerably less hostile, but still seeming to command a lot of power. "Girls have to look out for each other, especially in this day and age." She said, taking a sip of what looked to be an extremely strong drink. "Nice outfit, by the way," She said with a smirk, "I like how you seemed to fit the dragon earrings in with the spider theme." She commented.

"Actually, this wasn't me, it was my friend's. This is just the outfit I chose over all the other's she forced me into." Raven explained.

Arachna raised her hand to her tarantula and it obediently crawled onto it. "You have good taste, but you're not afraid of spiders, are you?" She asked, moving her pet over so close to Raven it could have crawled onto her laid down arm.

"Not really." Raven said, actually reaching over with her other hand and stroking its hairs with one finger. Seemingly to see this as an invitation, the spider did, indeed, pass from Arachna's hand to Raven's arm, and then crawl on up her shoulder.

Arachna looked extremely pleased, "I don't think I've met a girl who didn't flinch at the sight of Zerr, much less allow her to crawl up on their shoulders." She said, sounding very impressed.

Raven shrugged just enough to indicate the gesture, seeing as Zerr was still on her shoulder, and said, "I guess I should be scared, logically, but I'm not."

"A spider can be a girl's best friend." Arachna said, leaning in towards Raven, "Not many guys are willing to harass a girl who's got a spider on her shoulder, I can testify to that. But, strangely enough, you can make a few friends as well, even though said friends would rather it be as far away from them as possible. Spiders have a bad reputation, and that makes them objects of fear. But once you can get past that fear yourself, you can use it to your advantage. If a spider can bite, even if it has no poison, people shy away, afraid that it will."

"That's right, tarantulas don't have any poison." Raven considered. She looked up and, for the first time, locked eyes with Arachna.

It was almost like a jolt had hit the two at the same time, Raven felt it, and she could feel Arachna feel it as well. Both eyes widened, Arachna's expression became strangly closed for a minute, while Raven blinked, looking, and feeling, confused. "Do…do I…do I know you?" Raven asked, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"No." Arachna said, a little too swiftly. "No," She repeated, more smoothly, "I, I would remember you if we've met before, I'm quite sure…" She said, but she was looking a bit confused as well. She leaned in closer, peering fixedly into Raven's eyes, as Raven stared into hers. Those eyes were so familiar, but where had she seen them? Not many people had green eyes in that color…

"There you are! I have been looking everywhere, you'd be shocked at how many people have purple hair, I had to apologize to a man for taping on his shoulder, thinking it was you!" Raven turned, recognizing Malchior's voice at once.

"Where were you when I had three guys harassing me?" Raven demanded.

Malchior twitched, "What? You didn't happen to get the names and descriptions of these, 'men', did you?" He asked.

Raven opened her mouth, but Arachna beat her to it, "I did. First one had black hair combed back and looking pretty greasy, he was wearing a black suite and his name was Trent. The next was rather burly, had a mop of unruly brown hair, a white t-shirt and kakee pants, his name's Deric. Last was a rather skinny guy with blond hair and a few freckles, he was wearing a black T-shirt, red jeans, and a blue jean jacket, his name's Tim but everyone calls him Spark."

Malchior looked up and said, "Thank you very much." Before disappearing into the crowd.

"Malchior, get back here!" Raven yelled, but it was a little late. She banged her head on the table, "Great."

Arachna laughed, "Of course, it seems you don't need a spider. Jealous boyfriends are a plus, but only if you've got a firm control of the relationship." She said, taking another drink.

"Let's just say one of us wants to be dominant, but the other is." Raven responded.

"Good girl." She grinned. "Now you just need to put a leash on him and take him everywhere you go."

Raven leered at her, "No." She said flatly. "Besides, the sad thing is he'd like it."

Arachna looked at her for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "I almost pity you now. Personally, I don't like men that much, but being lesbian never really worked for me. Women have become almost as bad as men nowadays. They're both foul in their own ways, the typical man disgusts me to no end, but some women have sunk far too low in evil pleasures. I've yet to decide which type of evil is worse." She said.

"There are exceptions." Raven pointed out, "For one, I know my friends are good people, all of them. And not every guy is a pile of filth, they just appear that way because they don't know how else to act."

"I just assume not deal with it anymore. I think I'll stay happily single for the rest of my life." Arachna said, taking another drink. "Relationships just aren't worth the drama, all you have to do is learn to resist and suppress your feminine hormones completely."

"But don't you feel empty sometimes?" Raven asked.

"Yes." She confessed, her brow furrowing, "But that has nothing to do with needing male companionship. Another vodka, Keith." She said, waving her empty glass to the barkeeper.

"So you drink it away?" Raven asked, rather disapprovingly.

"Heh, Arachna doesn't get drunk. This is her fifth one tonight." Keith said smirking. "She's a regular here, and when the drinking competitions break out she never looses."

"I have a very strong immunity system, it's near impossible for me to get so drunk I'm tipsy. So I drink for the taste and the pleasant cloud feeling I get." Arachna explained.

"Wow, that's impressive. So what do you do for a living?" Raven asked.

Arachna grinned broadly, "I'm a highly paid bouncer for an extremely high dollar night club down past Shwitzer." She answered. "In other words, I handle the fights that break out, keep stuff from getting broken, and get people to leave without having to throw them out. Not even policemen can keep the calm as well as I can."

"I wonder why." Raven murmured.

"I admit it isn't the most, tasteful job sometimes, but it supports me enough so that I can pursue the stuff I like to do. Such as hang out at dance clubs talking to interesting young girls." She said, grinning at Raven. "Too bad you're taken, and I'm guessing your straight as well, huh?" She asked.

"Yes, very." Raven answered abruptly.

"Fine with me, I don't really care. So, what's your name? My name's Shenira, but everyone calls me Arachna." She said.

"It's Raven." She answered.

"Raven, I like it. Would you like to hook up again sometime?" Shenira asked.

"Yes I would. Where do you live?"

"Not too far from here, by Valley Park, where Norse Road sort of loops around the duck pond and goes back into the city. There's a dirt road that comes off it, follow that for a bit and you'll find my house. I don't get many visiters, mainly because I let my spiders have the run of the place, but if you can sit there calmly while Zerr sits on your shoulder, I doubt that'll concern you." She said.

"Alright, I guess I could try to stop by, what time's good for you?" Raven asked.

"I work nights on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so I'm usually home during daylight hours on those days, during night hours on the days in between, and I have every other weekend off." She explained.

"How does that work with your sleep schedule?" Raven questioned, eyes wide.

"I have no sleep schedule, I sleep when I'm able to and can function properly for three days without a night's rest. My body is very tough you see." She answered smirking, "Which helps when I can't scare troublemakers into submission and have to beat them down with my fists. Though I don't have to do that often, and when I do they're usually drunk and therefore easy pray."

Raven snickered, "Maybe you could help me get into shape, then. I'd love to make my body a little stronger." She said, draining her glass of water. She then looked over, to see Shenira had an odd grin on her face, "What?"

"You serious about that? Would you like to learn how to defend yourself as well? I could do it, I've done it before. But it'll be hard work, very hard, and you'll have to give me a good bit of your time each week. I think a few hours during the days I have night shifts would work best. That way you have some time to rest afterward." She answered, considering.

Raven blinked, and thought for a moment. It would be a good idea to strengthen her human body, especially if she learned to fight without relying on magic. That could come in handy. "Alright, how about," She thought for a moment, "From noon till 4:00?" She asked. That was a time when no one had to work, not on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays anyway. So if there was an emergency, likely she wouldn't be needed.

"Sounds good to me, Raven. Very well. As tomorrow is a Wednesday, we can start then." Shenira said with a wink.

Just then, Malchior appeared again, and sat down next to Raven, looking incredibly pleased with himself. "What did you do?" She demanded suspiciously.

"Made sure those three will never bother you again." He answered.

"That statement leaves far too many possibilities, what did you do?" She repeated.

"Heheh, alright, let's just say one of them is never going to walk again, another has lost the use of his left arm for at least a year, and the last will be, what's that phrase again? Ah, he will be singing soprano for a good while. And all of them will probably be sleeping with one eye open for the rest of their lives." He answered.

Shenira burst out laughing, "Oh, I'm starting to like him!" She exclaimed.

Malchior leaned over to look at her, "And, who are you again?" He asked.

"My name is Shenira, but everyone calls me Arachna." She answered. Raven suddenly realized that Zerr had passed from her shoulder, back to Shenira's then.

"I wonder why." He said, eyeing Zerr.

"Scared of her?" Shenira asked, petting Zerr with a finger.

"I could crush that little thing with my bear hands, why in the world would I be scared of it?" He asked.

"Heh, exactly."

"Whatever, come on, Raven, let's dance together." Malchior said, his voice slightly sensual as he put his hand around her bear waist and gave her neck a small nip.

"I can only imagine the way you'd like to 'dance together'. And stop that, we're in public!" Raven said, pushing him away from her neck.

"Alright, alright, I'll behave. But come on, I was just getting the hang of this." Malchior pushed.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Have fun." Shenira said, waving as Raven was lead out of her seat back towards the dance floor.

"Alright." She called, yelling more loudly over the music.

XP

A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking, 'Oh look, another possible Titan!' and I know I'm bad for doing another OC, but I've got big plot-filled plans for Shenira, MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ahem, yeah, so anyway.

Dark Ki: LOL! Okay that was good, that was really good. I love it! And you should know me by now, more is still coming as I've not yet lost my driving force! Which are lots of lovely reviews of course.

Silverwinged-Raven: It's because Malchior's the sexy bad-boy while Rorek's the hot sweetheart. It's all a matter of preference. Also, while girl's will go wild and crazy over Malchior, initially Rorek is the best candidate for a long-term relationship. And yes, being a published author is my dream, but the thing is I haven't been able to finish any of my original stories yet, though hopefully I might teach myself how after getting this one done, and I will finish it if I have to watch Spellbound reruns again and again and re-read every single Malchior/Raven fanfiction posted on the C2 In the Darkness. I have promised this myself. Also, I still have a ways to go before I can get a good solid hole-free story out (so far there aren't too many here, but there are a few). Also, I'M UPDATING I'M UPDATING, DON'T HURT ME! I'm a good dragon. Ahem, also, Judora's name actually came from an alteration of Majora from Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask, and was originally used in my fanfic Master of Masks, which is focused on Majora, and Judora was the evil demon mother of Majora. You could say that character leeked a bit into this story. But yeah, I did notice that the name sounded like that dark Faerie on Neopets. But hey, I think it's a cool name for a powerful and evil woman, don't you?

Pandora Kattalikis: There are more rooms, but they're being stuffed with stuff (mostly Beast Boy and Cyborg's), and the living room, while big, would start to feel crowded with that many people hanging around. Also, I'm being a lazy bum and didn't want to have to add their characters to every chapter, besides, too many OCs can ruin a story, I made that mistake before and I want to keep as much focus on the original Titans as possible. I know I'm stretching it with Shenira, but she's got a big part to play that couldn't be filled by any other titan. Won't say anything else about it, you'll have to wait!

Miyu399: Um, okay. I hope this classifies as 'before tomorrow' because I'm not sure if we're in the same time zone (Lives in Texas), so I hope you get to read this before you have to leave or something!

Well that's all I have to say. Again I'd like to point out that, if you didn't see your name up there, it was because I merely had nothing to say to your review, it does not mean you are being ignored, I'm just at a loss for words is all. Heheh.