Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS. STOP. HOW EVER. IF YOU SHOULD WISH TO BUY IT FOR ME, PLEASE DO SO. STOP.
Warning: Wow. Six whole pages. Hmm... there is a implied'bed' scene in this chapter- not graphic. I don't do graphic anything. Thank you. ...But the memory we have... is a line break.
Chapter Five: Banishing Night
The days went by quickly until a week had passed. There were skirmishes everyday, which was cleaning out the scum who had crept in while they were gone. Slade had not shown up yet, though he was a constant part of their thoughts. Anytime they looked at Raven, saw how different she was, they knew they had to do something. As for Raven herself, she grew more and more frustrated as, at every fight, she was unable to help. She wasn't able to go to Nevermore, either. The mirror just wouldn't respond, and she didn't know why, because Cyborg and Beast Boy had been able to go in. The worst part was the nights. She tossed and turned, nightmares crowding her. Flashes of dead bodies, Slade, her friends dying, and when she tried to wake up, she couldn't.
Raven opened her eyes to see blackness. Pain lanced through her and she realized she was hanging. Her hands flexed and she gasped with the raw nerves' screams. The metal nails driven through her hands were the only thing that kept her from falling. The wood slivers dug into her back, piercing her like tiny knives.
Crucified
By Heaven's Gaze
Wondering what the hell is going to happen next
Hanging here
Knowing Death awaits
Just beyond those Pearly Gates
And I'm up here on a cross
Not bothering to try
Try to get off because
I guess this is what I deserve
If you really want to know
The angel's gone
The wings are too
And now I'm here reaching out to you
Poisoned tongue
Speaks words that I don't mean
Not the King of Darkness
But the chosen Queen
It was hiding inside me
All along this time
Now I'm trying just to tell you
In words and broken rhymes
Will you ever know
The pain I feel now
Oh God please don't
He doesn't deserve this hell
Let him be spared
Because he's too good…
For the likes of this place:
Hell's own abode.
Unmoving, Raven saw the darkness part. Slade walked through, each footstep a toll of Death's Bell. He stopped a few feet away, taunting her without speaking. She clenched her jaw.
"Slade."
"Raven. I have a friend for you to meet." He brought a hand around from his back. The person gripped in his hands groaned, eyes opening.
"Rae?" Beast Boy looked at her, blood trickling from his mouth. She inhaled sharply, ignoring the sudden pain as she strained to get to him.
"Rae… why did you betray us?" His despairing voice cut her to the bone.
"Beast Boy, I didn't!" But his head fell forward and he spoke no more.
"SLADE!" She screamed, just like that day more than ten months ago when she revived after he had attacked her. The darkness swallowed the two figures and dragged her down with it…
"Rae! Raven! Wake up!" Like a lifeline, Raven followed the voice to reality once more. Beast Boy shook her roughly and she grabbed his arms, catching her breath. Finally she gathered her courage to look into his face, afraid to see the expression of sorrow and agony that had been there before.
All she founds was worry and love. Relief was immediate.
"Beast Boy…"
"Bad nightmare, huh?" He sat next to her on the bed.
"Yeah…" The terror of the night faded abruptly at his nearness and she glanced down at her hands, trying to maintain the impartiality and distance she had had when her powers were still there. Her half-hearted attempts failed and she became more and more aware of his body besides her, the warm heat that lingered where he had touched her. "Beast Boy?" He looked at her. "You were dying in my dream. You asked me why I betrayed you." The painful, too recent memory made her bite her lip, barely noticing the pain. A gentle hand turned her towards him. Beast Boy kissed her gently.
"I could never do that to you, Raven. Never." She wrapped arms around her hesitantly as he kissed her again, shivers running through her. They were breathing heavily when it ended.
"Beast Boy?" She touched her forehead to his. "I'm scared." He looked into her eyes, green ones swallowing her in their depths, so different from everything else; everything else so contrary to previous experience.
"So am I. Let's be scared together." She retuned his kiss, heart thumping. Let's be scared together. The simple words drew away past pain, leaving only now, her and him, and no one else. Together… And even as she let him into her soul, she shed the past for the future.
...But the memory we have...
Raven stirred, the sun's warm rays lingering on her face. Warm and comfortable, she breathed in the spicy aroma of Beast Boy, the familiar scent soothing her sleepy thoughts. Violet eyes opened and she smiled slightly, lifting a hand to brush green bangs out of Beast Boy's face. Then, rising slowly, she collected a loose sheet and wrapped it around herself. Her gaze scanned the room lazily, and it wasn't until her brain jumpstarted that she paused.
Beast Boy roused, puzzled at the purple sheets on the bed and the vague shape of the room, and then remembered. It was Raven's room. He sat up, seeing Raven on the edge of the bed, sheet draped around her. Then, following her line of sight, he half-gaped, half stared.
"Well," she said suddenly, breaking the silence. "It looked like something has returned."
Everything in her room was shattered into tiny pieces, except for her mirror and bed. A chuckle came from BeastBoy and he slid up next to her.
"Last night definitely solved one problem." A black rectangle formed around his mouth and silenced the changeling. Raven turned, a spark of amusement twitching at her lips and eyes. He rolled his eyes and it vanished.
"You're right at that, at least." A hint of softness entered her voice. "Thanks, Beast Boy. It helped- more than you'll ever know." He put a hand on her shoulder.
"Anything for a friend Raven, and much more for you." He glanced at the clock. "I'm not even going to bet they know. Why else would they let us sleep until 9:30?" Raven slipped off the bed and went to her closet, rummaging through it and coming out in a uniform.
"You'd better get dressed." He made a face and complied as she walked out the door. Raven picked up the note on the table beside a cooling cup of tea and tofu bacon.
Raven and Beast Boy-
A little trouble at the bank. Be home soon!
-The Gang
She was sipping the tea when Beast Boy came in, eyes lighting up at the sight of tofu.
"Oooo, thank the Lord that Bumblebee is able to cook tofu!" The figure at the table merely continued sipping as the bacon disappeared down his throat impossibly fast. Once he finished, she put down the now empty cup.
"Think they'd need a hand?" Beast Boy wiped his mouth, considering it.
"Nah, but it'd be fun anyway!" With that they both rose, a black cloud covering them and sinking into the ground.
...But the memory we have...
Dr. Light cackled as he blocked their attacks, meanwhile shoving bars of gold into a pocket that had appeared in his suit. As the smoke from Starfire and Bumblebee's last attack cleared, a black raven rose from the floor, melting away to reveal Raven and Beast Boy. The Titans paused, Starfire about to call out a greeting when the meaning of their entrance hit her. Dr. Light was oblivious to their appearance and stuffed more bars in before realizing that there were no more attacks to counter. He straightened, blinking, and then turned to follow the four's gaze. Spotting the pair standing behind him, the villain twitched at the sight of the hooded Raven. Then the foolish man laughed, pointing at the cloaked young woman.
"You don't scare me, witch! You don't have your powers anymore!" He continued laughing, not noticing Raven's twitch or her eyes narrowing.
"That's what you think." He had but a moment before she raised her hands, chant flowing from her lips. "Azarath, Mention, ZINTHOS!" A pipe burst from the ground, winding around the unfortunate villain and squeezing once before the glow vanished. He stared at her before keeling over in a dead faint. She relaxed and let the tension melt from her body; harnessing her powers had taken it out of her.
"Eee!" Starfire zoomed over, grabbing her almost sister in a trademark hug. "You have gotten your powers back! All is well with the world now!" Her happiness was infectious. Cyborg grabbed the repeat offender villain, a huge smile on his face, and hoisted him up.
"And I'll take this guy to the police station so Star doesn't need too. See ya'll soon!" He and Bumblebee, after giving a quick smile to Raven, left quickly.
"We must go back to the Tower and eat the Pudding of Happiness!" All of them sweat dropped.
"Uh, tea might be better." Raven said quickly. Starfire, luckily, was unaware of how hastily she had been diverted and went to float in front of the group. Raven walked besides Robin, leaning over to mutter something in his ear.
"Remember the last time we had to eat one of those?" Robin suppressed a gag.
"Too clearly."
"Right after the Puppet King thing too…"
"Now that was an experience I'm willing to forgo again."
"Robin?"
"Raven?"
"If you ever make her eat a Pudding of Sadness, I'll break every bone in your body."
Silence.
"Robin?"
"Uh… Raven?"
"If you let her get away, I'll still break every bone in your body."
"Raven!"
"Don't give me that crap, Robin. I've been in your mind before, and I've noticed how she acts around you- even if you don't." With those threats and statement in the air, Raven let him pass her, dropping back to Beast Boy.
"I don't know why I let myself get caught up in your plans." She muttered. Beast Boy gave her a cheeky grin.
"Because you have noticed how they can't see how the other feels about them and you know as well as I do that Robin wouldn't be able to tell her how he feels. That 'teammate' thing he had- though I think we've gotten rid of that." There was silence for a few more moments. "Would you break every bone in his body?"
"I don't make empty threats, Beast Boy."
...But the memory we have...
It was a few days before she finally got around to trying to enter her mind. Her powers, newly returned, were fluctuating and it had taken more than a few hours to settle them even slightly. So it was with a weary face that she picked up the mirror, feeling a wave of relief as the portal to Nevermore sucked her in
The smell of strawberries overwhelmed her and she stifled the cough she felt coming on. A Raven in a pink cloak flounced out of nowhere, carrying armfuls of yellow daisies that she tossed merrily. Raven grimaced. Happy's domain was just a little too happy, more than so for her. Spotting her, Happiness skipped over, grinning like an idiot. Which, frankly, to Raven she was.
"Oh, Raven! We haven't seen you so soooo long and I have such good news!" Raven stared coolly at the beaming emotion.
"What news?"
"Oh, you are-" A hand clapped over her mouth, silencing the grinning version of Raven. Knowledge kept her hand there until Happiness clamed down and threw her arms around the yellow cloaked figure. "Knowledge!" Raven blinked, it being unusual to see another emotion in Happy's territory.
"What were you going to say, Happiness?" Something was nagging at her mind. Knowledge shook her head at Happy, who was about to reply.
"She doesn't need to know right how, Happy." Happiness pouted, tears starting to well around her eyes- and then grinned.
"Then it's a secret!" She twirled, spinning off in another direction. Raven and Knowledge sweat dropped. Then, dismissing the distance girl, Raven turned to the calm Knowledge.
"What don't I need to know?" Knowledge watched her.
"Nothing right now, Raven."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"Tell me, Knowledge." Knowledge looked at her steadily through the thick glasses, and then sighed.
"Raven, you don't need to know right now."
"Knowledge, you're holding something from me, and I want to know what it is." The emotion refused to be moved by her flat tone.
"We'll see." With that she set off down the path, not waiting for Raven to follow. Expressionless, the Titan moved after her.
One by one, passing however briefly past their domains, the emotions gathered, till they all were at the exit of Nevermore. They stood in various positions and places between her and the exit, nonchalant manner telling her something was up.
"Raven, said Knowledge, matter of fact. "You shouldn't know this quite yet, but I will tell you. This is your last chance, Raven."
"Tell me." Knowledge closed her eyes briefly. Timidity spoke up in a quavering voice.
"Raven, promise not- to do anything bad, Raven?" Raven looked at her uncomprehendingly. Knowledge spoke then.
"Raven…"
...But the memory we have...
It was past twilight and Raven still hadn't come out of her room. Worried about her Beast Boy went down to her room and rapped lightly on her door, not expecting it to slide open slowly. Raven sat on her bed, profile outlined by the moon's rising beams. Brows furrowing, he walked to the bed, about to speak when she looked up at him. A tear had left a trail down one cheek and he saw desperation in her eyes.
"Rae, what's the matter?" Worry for her protested his stop at the edge of the bed, but Beast Boy feared to press her now. There was the quality of a hunted, scarred and scared animal in her features. For a moment she didn't say anything, violet eyes midnight black, lit only by that strange desperation. Her hands, resting on her abdomen, trembled.
"I'm pregnant. With Slade's child."
MUWAHAHA! Betcha didn't see that coming, did you? I have to feel sorry for her, and I'm the one who put her through this. The next chapter is incredibly short,but I just had to leave you with this cliffie, so... It'll be up by tommorow or the next day- and the scary thing is that it's the second to last chapter! The poem in Raven's nightmare was written by me.
Yaa: Yeah, that's why it happened. Cyborg doesn't know what she's been through- and he wouldn't really (in my opinion) understand unless something like that happened. Starfire was the only Titan who didn't freak Raven out to an extreme, but they are so close she'd understand. I was SO HAPPY when I read your compliments- IF THERE'S ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE READING THIS STORY, IT'S ALL DUE TO YAA THAT I'VE KEPT UP THIS STORY SO WELL. I updated!
Technogirl: Thanks! I'm glad you think it's so good- keep trying with your writing!