Tomorrow Never Yesterday

by lankree

A Titans story focusing on the consequences of love, betrayal, redemption, identity and false prophecies.

51. String of Memory Part Five

String of Memory

Part Five

"The end of the world was programmed long before Trigon or Doomgaze were manifest. It was destined from the beginning of creation and feared with the birth of religion and mortality. Until now the only process which allowed life to exist without the constant worry of nonexistence is uncertainty. No one knew if they would be a live to suffer the end of the world… but now we have a calendar date for the apocalypse."

Lethe listened with the fingers on her left hand clenched tightly; the fingers on her right were smoothing the hairs that framed her sleeping daughter's face.

Sabrah had seen the generation of Schala's energy: all of Azarath had seen it. Her powers were a golden beam of light, the power of which was incomparable. Luckily it was uncontrolled and Raven had been able to subdue her. However, there was no luck for Schala and Lethe from that point forward, there was no hiding… Lethe brought her daughter to Azar Sabrah to look.

"I have seen two absolutes in this child's life. She will have happiness in her life… and she will also have ultimate despair." Azar Sabrah declared.

Raven clenched her eyes closed, Astarte crossed her arms over her chest to listen, Arella and Katora both were kept outside the reading, but the declaration would be known throughout Azarath soon enough: such truths could only be kept from those who were lied to, it was possible to lie to a single girl, but impossible to lie to a city… Katora would see to it.

"She will make it to encounter Trigon. Schala will reach the seal of the Yiken stone and break it and Trigon will again influence the mortal world."

"And this is absolute?" Raven asked.

"It shall be so. On the anniversary of your birth, Schala will leave here and live out her pedigree." Sabrah replied, her face was somber, her tone was mono.

"Then we'll keep her here!"

Sabrah shook her head in the negative. "She can not stay…"

"Why not?" Jinx asked.

"I have looked…"

"What have you seen if Schala never encounters the Yiken Stone?" Astarte tu Jinx asked.

"The World Cast In Shadow"

"And how is that different than the end of the world?"

They waited thirty seven minutes before Raven secured her daughter and left with no answer. Arella walked to the right of Raven, making sure her daughter's long hair didn't fall into Akane's face. Raven held the small girl securely over her shoulder; the girl's breath was warm on the back of her neck.

Already it was beginning. The citizens of Azarath were watching with an accusing stare as if they didn't constantly acknowledge Akane's birthright that somehow Raven would forget it.

"Lethe, what will you tell her?" Jinx asked when Raven laid the small girl onto her bed. Arella brought food and drink and the three of them sat looking down at the beautiful sleeping girl. It had begun and there was absolutely no way that Raven could pretend that her child could be spared from her demonic heritage. Her normal skin and lovely face couldn't save her from the truth behind her pedigree.

"The truth, she must learn powerful spells to entrap the Yiken Stone and seal Trigon away forever. When my child encounters Trigon, it will be to destroy him."

…

At twenty one weeks old, Akane was the most beautiful of all Azarath. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders and she stood tall with the beginnings of true womanhood. Akane was also a gentle child. She started off life with huge eyes and over time, despite the change in her shape, she did not lose them. The narrowing of her eyes came with time, but the weak slant to them couldn't hide her intelligence.

Her mother told her of the difficulties she would encounter in tackling the evil Demon Kings and once Akane submitted the horrible legend to memory, she took on a mantra to prepare her mind and heart and body.

"I will become stronger, that I will."

She had been training since she was four, which was really to say three months old, to control her magnificent wealth of power. She read scrolls and submitted spells and incantations to memory; she studied at the Temple of Azar constantly with her mother and became increasingly aware of the power flooding within her. Akane practiced with crystals and orbs, powders and stones. She often listened to her Aunt Astarte teaching her about hex arts but found that she learned best when she learned from her mother.

Raven spent hours in meditation, it took longer in Azarath because of a complication that had occurred in Jump City. Raven had found the morning she had prepared to steal away that her mind was locked away from her not simply because of the power Washu had at his will, but because of the power she had relied on to ease the disorder of her mind was damaged. Her mirror of Azar had been cracked; a pattern of deep faults ran across its face. The mirror had been made specifically for her mind, crafted by the very hand of the Azar who had spoken his last truth the day the mirror was broken.

She could still contact her mind, but it took much more of her time, though she found it strengthened her capacity greatly. It was a hardship and a strength, Raven found that much of her life was held in that same flux. From birth to birthing Akane, Raven had a lot of responsibility in the world and she would see that her daughter had a future, whether fraught with peril or ease, Akane would prove her prophecy wrong.

When Raven trained Akane she was fierce, but always gentle when the onslaught of training was over. She loved her daughter, but Akane needed to be strong. Unlike Raven, the enemy Schala tu Akane would fight would not hold anything back. Akane had tremendous power but she also had to be ready.

They all had to be ready.

For hours at a time the demon child Schala trained her mind and her body. Her lithe form seemed to have stopped growing at the age of sixteen; her physical form was mature to that point: her limbs long, her body cut slender but her face still bared the faintest traces of childhood. She and the Azar were the only people in Azarath who wore color. Even Raven wore a brown dress. But Akane wore white and blue, her single suit a shimmering white that caught blue highlights, from where, it was not known. She wove a blue skirt around her waist; it was caped with the brown material stopping just above the cuff of her white capris.

She had pulled her hair back in two long ponytails to train. Her grunts could be heard down the corridors of the Temple of Azar as she worked in taming her energy. She could control the efflux of her power with her associative spell. She could fly, she could create barriers and she could attack. She held a wealth of hexes and curses; she was stronger than her mother, stronger than her aunt… she trained rigorously night and day to be stronger than her grandfathers.

Raven threw forth her black energy, the power concentrated in a thick bar, angled down to crash into her opponent. The reflex of color still amazed her, no matter how many times Akane put up a barrier. Raven's power pushed and Akane's barrier pushed back. The black haired fighter shifted her weight, sidestepping the direct onslaught of her mother's power and took to the air. Her flight was straight forward and only Raven's superior battle skill kept Akane from purging her attack. Raven's dark claw clutched Akane and sent her on a collision course with the ground. The echo of her crash resounded against the temple wall, still echoing when Akane rebounded and took a fighting stance. Raven dropped to the ground, her brown skit rustling against her knees. She shifted her weight to her back leg as Akane sprung forward and met her mother in close range hand to hand.

Akane was fast and lacked little as far as physical strength went. Her reflexes were sharp and the presence of body rivaled the fighting style Raven had seen in both Jinx and Robin. Akane's brown boot kicked out and shot clear over Raven's left shoulder. Raven grabbed the offending limb with her left arm and with the other purged her energy. The shot slammed into Akane's chest and when Raven let go of her leg, the energy bolt catapulted Akane's slender form to slam into the training room wall. Akane's body twisted and corrected its orientation; her feet and hands met the cave wall, her outstretched right leg absorbing the force. Her breathing was hard as she maintained her crouch, defying gravity, her purple eyes meeting her mother's.

Raven tilted her head. Akane dropped hers, setting her heels onto the wall and using it as a launch site. Her push gave her plenty of momentum, the wind of her motion pushed the hairs that framed her face past her ears. One hand drew back, cloaked in her gold energy. Raven waited, her daughter approached with her energy prepared and Raven charged her might as well. With nearly a foot distance between them, both Raven and Akane shot their energy forward.

The clash echoed throughout the temple. The resonance of such powerful energy knocked books from shelves in the libraries on the other end of the temple. In the room, two female bodies were thrown back. Akane, whose body was in flight, was repelled backwards, her body twisting helplessly as the energy sparked and bombed. Raven was pushed back as well.

The slip of Raven's dress didn't protect her knees as she slid backwards against the cobblestone floor. Lethe tu Raven shielded her eyes and waited for the collision to subside. Dust settled, the air cleared. Raven was weak at her knees; Akane was exhausted on the floor.

Raven ran to her daughter, made sure she wasn't seriously injured. She began the healing process as she looked down at her daughter's face. It wasn't more than a few seconds before Akane sat up on her own and completed the healing process herself. Akane frowned and rubbed her neck. She stood on her own design, standing slightly shorter than her mother.

"That was reckless." Raven warned.

Akane nodded. "I should always be prepared to have an energy clash, that I should."

"And what else?"

"You held back in that attack. Trigon and Doomgaze shall do no such thing."

The girl was intelligent. No one withheld the absolute truth from her, Raven had thought to but Akane would not allow it. Raven was rightly worried, but Akane was reassuring: "I will get stronger, that I will."

Akane fought against her mother and her aunt Astarte and found that she beat them as often as they beat her. The much younger woman listened to all the warnings, felt the warnings in her heart and prepared for the day that was approaching.

…

They left for battle six months before the calendar day for the end of the world.

Cyborg and Robotman made their last minute adjustments and Celine made sure everything was online. Elasti-girl and Bumble Bee secured the packs as Mento secured himself and waited for the members of his team to become ready.

The Brotherhood of Evil's fortress was not miles away from the Logan household, which served as the Doom Patrol's final base. It was final because if this mission was successful there would be no more need for the Doom Patrol and if they failed it would mean that none of them were coming back.

Beast King tightened the strap of his glove with his teeth. Everyone had a lot to lose; the world had a lot to lose: Cyborg had his prospects, Bumble Bee had her future, the Doom Patrol had its team and he had even more than the rest of them knew. Celine handed Beast King his communicator. Beast King wasn't paying her any attention, but took it automatically. His eyes were watching a much more important scene.

Negative Man approached Sinora and made sure he had Sinora's undivided attention.

"Are you scared?" Negative Man asked.

Sinora nodded. "This has to be done… the Brotherhood of Evil has taken away many things from many people over the years and they must be stopped… but…"

"You're worried about Garfield." It wasn't a question, it was a fact. Sinora acknowledged it. "We will stop the Brotherhood of Evil and it will never take anything away from you again."

"I have already lost half of what is dear to me." Sinora replied.

Before Larry had thought to hug her, he had already done the math. Beast King raised an eyebrow as his mother embraced Negative Man. Her eyes were closed; her warm face looked both happy and frightened. The Brotherhood of Evil had taken her first husband and her first son and in this battle she was risking her second son…

"Sinora," Larry said softly, his fingers running up and down her back. "Will you marry me?"

And now her second husband.

"Bring my boy home and I promise I'll work on it."

"Team," Mento said firmly. "Let's move out."

Celine held Sinora's hand and together they watched the team walk away. Beast King's back was straight, Cyborg's shoulders proud and the other's confident. The two brown eyed women watched them go, already desperate to have them back.

…

Raven watched Akane in and out of meditation. Her daughter was lucky, the might of Azarath kept the dark influence that was bound to form in her mind away. There was no way that Trigon was unaware of the creation of Akane and Doomgaze was the conspirer of her birth. She only knew of Doomgaze from legends from Azar Metrion, but if he was one of the Great Demon Kings, it was unlikely that his powers did not match Trigon which meant that his mind could reach Akane because she was part of his blood.

Everyday, since the day Akane showed her power, Raven feared that somehow Doomgaze would prove to be the stronger of the Great Demon Kings and mark his influence in Akane's blood. Jinx told her not to worry, but worry was the thing that a mother was always capable of.

Raven moved silently, leaving her daughter in the safety of her grandmother's care to journey to the Temple of the Azar. Her steps were silent, they always were: she had always been graceful. Against the backdrop of an infinite volume of books, Raven's moon pale skin seemed to glow and her eyes shimmered like jewels as they wavered back and forth, searching silently for a title that she wasn't sure existed.

Her fingers trailed legend after legend, hoping to recognize what she was looking for when she came across it. What was she looking for, perhaps a spell that would erode a power so strong as Trigon and Doomgaze, a tale of a half-demon overcoming their declared life course, or something so simple as a catalog of unfulfilled prophecies, something that could give to her heart something that was lacking in her mind…

HOPE.

Desperation was a crippling thing. It drove TimiD, SoRroW, DeSpaiR and RAGE all in the same moment, it could bring Raven to her knees and frequently it did: in the hollow halls of Azarath, Raven was often brought to tears.

Raven's fingers traced along the pages of a chronicle that she had read a million times as a child, she knew every word of it, she didn't even know why she had taken it. There was nothing new in that text, nothing helpful and nothing that would provide inspiration. But her fingers ran over the dark language it was scribed in because it was familiar, but not comforting.

To think of anything in her life as familiar stung at the long haired mystic: most of the moments she had built her life around were stacked upon lies. How different would my life have been if I were told the truth?

She had played the scenarios in her head a million times, if once, just once Azar Metrion had told her that the portal inside her was one she would birth, rather than borne, she would have been a different person. She would have still been reserved, that was a complication of her heritage and not her lifestyle:

But I wouldn't have been---

There is no point in lying to yourself, my Lethe! You are a slave to me!

Raven gasped and dropped the book. It slid formlessly to the floor, ripping a tiny tear in the skin of her index finger: not enough to draw blood, but enough to create a burn. No! Raven swallowed hard, her brown boots clicked against the floor as she stood up. Her purple crowned head twisted back and forth, her dark eyes shifting right and left, looking for some evidence that the menace in her head had a physical manifest.

There is no point in looking for me Lethe. I am in you. I am a part of you, I am your blood!

Trigon's voice roared in her head, she could feel the dark part of her mind flexing under his will.

"It's not possible! You can't be here! It's safe here!" Raven turned her body, bumping into shelf directly behind her. Books fell from the shelves, when one struck her shoulder she leapt up in freight, her dark energy encasing her hands. Her body was shaking as if cold, but sweat poured along her forehead and into her eyes, the heat of fear and the cold of absoluteness wrecked her body as her mind refused to calm down.

"Where are you? I'm not afraid of you!" Her voice trembled, her throat was dry, books continued to fall from the shelf above her.

Deliver her to me! The portal must be opened!

"I won't! I won't let you hurt her! I won't let you hurt anyone else!"

Is that so?

Raven felt his voice, the echo of the tremendous power behind it, striking her back. She turned slowly, fear apparent in every inch of her, in her every movement, her heartbeat, her breath…

The four eyes of Trigon stared down at her from the bookshelf, the red color more freighting then the marks that bore on her skin. Raven's jaw dropped. The light of the marks of Scath lit up her skin. She floated petrified, her breathing stopped, her blinking stopped, she could not feel her body.

And who are you to stop me? I am your creator, your master. You exist only to serve me. You will do my will and bring Schala to me so the portal may be ripped from her!

"Don't you ever say her name!"

Raven let a battle cry escape her lips as she threw forth her power to strike at the eyes of Trigon. Her energy blast shot forward from her outstretched hand, tearing at the image of the retched thing in the center of her existence. Her anger and righteousness fueled her and temporarily fought her fear of Trigon to the back of her mind.

"Azarath Metrion Zin-AHHH!"

Raven dropped the floor, holding her face in her hands. She had attacked and Trigon retaliated bringing her retched heritage to her four eyes. Raven vision was tainted red, all four years blinking at the same time. If those eyes were capable of tears, they would have blurred her vision as she gazed up at the unmarred gaze of Trigon.

Remember your place daughter. You survive only because I allow it and you will serve my will! You will deliver the girl to me!

"I will defeat you!" Raven shouted weakly.

What hope can a mere child have of defeating her all-powerful father… when there is no hope at all?

Another terrible blast of energy engulfed the room around her; everything disappeared and was replaced with her nightmare of Apocalypse. She could see them: her friends, destroyed in the battle field of Earth and she could see Akane, a puppet to the war of Trigon.

"NOOOO!"

…

She woke up some time later, feeling a demonic energy that was not her own, seeping into her body. She sat up immediately, her fist clenched to attack. Her breathing wracked her body, her eyes were frantic. Sabrah waited.

The Azar Sabrah had found Raven laid out on the library floor like an angel, wings crossed. The calm mistress of Azarath spun her staff and gently healed her childhood friend until she regained herself. She remained crouched, her lap warm from Lethe's head, as Lethe found consciousness.

Raven dropped her forehead into her hand. There wasn't a book out of place, the fever in her skin was gone, and all that remained was the cold sweat in her eyes. "It was all in my mind." She whispered.

Sabrah nodded in affirmation. "The place where we are least safe."

"Everyday… my body submits to him… I had worked so hard to make sure he could do no damage to my mind… but my best isn't good enough."

"I know very well of your struggles, Lethe… they are no different than when we were children… the only variance is severity… you became stronger… Trigon became more persistent."

"When did you gain foresight? When did you come to know the truth?" Raven asked, turning her sad purple eyes to the pale green eyes of her childhood friend.

"I had been a watcher of you… nearly from the day Azar Metrion excused you to Earth. I saw many things… I saw what blossomed in your heart and what crumbled in your mind."

Raven bit back the tears in her eyes. "Was there nothing I could do… that anyone could do?"

Sabrah shook her head in the negative. "Trigon's blood would follow you through your daughter, no matter who the father. It may have been a blessing or a curse that it occurred now, when your powers and mind are most keen as to act."

"Then there is a chance to save Akane and the Earth?"

"I have yet to see anything to suggest such a thing. No matter the causal path, the drive of ambitious demon blood will take Schala to the Great Demon King will. Prolonging the inevitable does not make the course any less inevitable."

"How can you be so calm about the apocalypse? It will reach here as well. If everything… happens, Azarath will not be spared. Nothing will be spared."

"So may it be. When Azarath's time comes, it will come."

"Damnation through fatalism."

"What we have seen is absolute. You know what it is so." Sabrah stood and her childhood friend Lethe stood as well. Though their skins were nearly equally grey, they were in stark contrast to each other. Sabrah's long red hair, Lethe's purple, green eyes, purple eyes, a prophecy to protect, a future to lose…

"I was both blessed and cursed with the gift of foresight, Lethe, and though my powers are tremendous, they are no match for the future. What will be done will not be undone, that is the consequence of time… it can only move forward… and so must we."

"My future is my daughter! Her future is her own! Your actions may blind you to the possibility of hope… but… I have to believe that there is something I can do." Raven whispered.

"The anniversary of your birth will occur in thirteen days. You will leave Azarath to confirm the retched truth. Resistance will prove futile and detrimental to the last moments of Schala's life."

Raven closed her eyes tightly. "I once considered you a friend Sabrah… the only thing that gave me any comfort in returning to Azarath was seeing you… however… if you are so sealed to absoluteness, I can no longer believe you to be my friend."

"Lethe, Guin Fori Byoun Buikua" (I steel my heart because I must.) Sabrah reached up gently and took a book from the shelves above their heads. Raven looked down at it; it was the same script she had stumbled upon before, the one she knew every inch of. The symbolism wasn't lost on her.

"And I do what I must… for my daughter, for myself… my friends and the rest of the world. We will prove the prophecy wrong."

"No one intercepts destiny without turning into its path. You are no different Lethe nor is Schala."

"If you're attempting to crush my last reserves of hope, you are wasting your time. You're working on the assumption that I have hope and that simply isn't true."

"Then what drives you to fight Lethe?" Sabrah asked.

"If I am to ever recover hope… I must maintain the vessel to capture her…"

Sabrah sat and watched Lethe walk away, her steps silent, her motions fluid and seemingly controlled. Foresight was a gift of the Azar, but not insight. But she didn't need it to know that Lethe, her childhood friend, was straining under the pressure of everything in her past and everything that would come in her future. A single tear slipped from Sabrah's pale, green eye. It was the curse of Azars to know the terrible motions of the future and despite all their awesome powers, to be able to do nothing about it. People would hurt, people would die, worlds would end and all the Azars could do was say when.

Thirteen days…

…

She could have watched her sleep for a million years if she were allowed. Akane lay gently on her side, her spill of black hair would tangle from her sleep, but right then it was beautiful and straight, highlighting the natural glow of her skin. Raven sat on her daughter's bed and watched Akane rest after an exhausting day of training. Their studies and practices had always been intense, but that day they had intensified to a level that would have crippled anyone without such a vast wealth of power.

Again that day Raven had defeated Akane in battle and that was what worried her.

ºOne of the few indulgences Raven took advantage of was having someone else brush her hair. She was tender headed and generally the soft pass of her fine bristled brush over her scalp was like a massage. It was hardly indulgent behavior to have it done regularly; it was a necessity after all. What was indulgent was requesting her mother to brush out her locks simply because she was having a bad day.

And the day was bad.

She had pushed Akane that day in training, she had pushed hard with almost she had in her arsenal and her daughter had fumbled. The gold energy that was limitless and well within the control of her will had faltered: Akane's barriers were barely holding up, her energy beams were lacking power and her meditation was lacking direction. It was as if all her training was being erased as the day of reckoning was approaching.

Arella watched her daughter drop her face into her hands, her shoulders hunching forward. Raven wasn't one to voice her frustration, but Arella had always been able to read her. Arella caught a lock of Raven's hair in her right hand and ran the brush over the long, soft tresses, mimicking the motion of water under the wind.

Arella had always appreciated Raven's ability to suppress her anxiety even if it were just for show. Sometimes her worry sparked and destroyed glasses or split the earth. Arella couldn't possibly know the severity of her daughter's distress, the range of Raven's power was nearly unmatched and luckily the impulses of her lack of control were not to the full extent of her powers. It wasn't to say that small explosions were little victories of her fear or that mammoth worries caused massive destruction. It shifted, Raven's control and fears were not static and so it was difficult to know how scared or frustrated Raven was, but not hard to tell what caused her distress.

Arella's fingers wove Raven's braid tightly, finishing the final twist when Jinx and Akane entered the room. Jinx leaned against the far wall, behind Raven's head. Jinx physically hadn't changed in the year they had been in Azarath and in truth had barely physically evolved in the four years since the actions of the Slade Syndicate shaped Raven's prophecy. Her hair was no longer, her face only slightly thinner, her frame just as wiry and her cat eyes were sharp and intense.

Jinx crossed her arms over her chest, her right ankle over the left when she heard Lethe tu Raven sigh. Akane frowned and watched her mother. She was sensitive enough to her mother's power to understand the distress she was experiencing. Raven had told no one of the vision she had when at the Temple Library, she had been too afraid to; but Akane had seen bits and flashes of it during her mother's fitful sleep last night. From her bed on the floor she could hear her mother weave in the darkness and find her treasured music box and listen to it until her heart calmed and she could risk sleep again.

Akane didn't feel the great disorder that came with the manipulation the Great Demon Kings had in her blood. It was the might of Azar Sabrah and her mother, just as much as her own power, to make sure she was uninfluenced in her days. In her nights, when no one could see, she had seen the stigma of her heritage more than twice. In the center of her forehead, exactly once, she had seen the Scath Stigma and several times in the palms of her hands she had seen the homing markers that told her what to do: to encounter, to be, to serve. She managed to suppress them without her mother ever being aware of them, but as the day approached, she knew it would be harder and harder for her to fight it back and another worry would be stacked onto her mother's shoulders.

In all truth, Schala tu Akane was both terrified and brave in the aspect of exiting Azarath: to confirm and disprove the retched truth that Azar Sabrah held fast to and scared her mother more than she was willing to admit. Akane would be a fool not to be afraid as well, and she was, but more than afraid she was determined: she had to destroy the Great Demon Kings, if not for the rest of the world or even her own future, then for her mother. It had been weeks since her mother had last smiled, genuinely smiled, the way she had done before Akane had demonstrated her heritage. Even though Akane was technically still very young, her memories of youth were in a constant rotation, whether dreaming or sleeping awake.

Akane saw Arella move and ended her internal dialogs. Akane stepped in front of her mother. Raven raised her head and gazed fondly at her daughter, though in those eyes Akane could see the lingering hold of dread.

"It is a week from the day, that it is." Akane said calmly.

Jinx cracked her fingers over her arms, keeping the graceful limbs locked over her chest. Her lips were in a tight line and anyone who knew her knew that that was her frown. Raven's face did have a frown, what Akane had said was no surprise, she had been calendaring the date before Akane was even born; but having her daughter acknowledge the fate before her was a stab she wasn't prepared for.

Akane stepped forward until her toes were only inches away from Raven's and leaned forward to hug her mother. She felt Raven's sigh run through her with the intensity of a shudder. "I believe I have found a reprisal for my prophecy, that I do."

Jinx leaned forward, Raven leaned backwards and Arella dropped the plate she was holding. Raven's purple eyes shifted back and forth gently tracing the slope of Akane's features. They had the same eyes and when their faces were set to worry, they had the same mouth. Akane's lips were in a straight line, Raven's turned downwards.

"What do you mean?"

Akane stood up straight and generated a tiny ball of her shimmering gold energy. It twisted gently above the cup of her hand, rolling over itself like living fire or roaring water. Raven watched the sphere of energy move, totally unsure of Akane's direction. The black haired half-demoness twisted her fingers gently in a curse hex that Raven didn't know, but Jinx did.

"Azarath Faeridos Rex." Akane whispered. Her magic and her cursery mixed, shifting the formation of her expelled energy, taking the shape of a mirror. The mirror showed a rather large grey stone, locked in an earthen pedestal. Radiating from the stone was a distinct black power; one Raven was intimately familiar with.

"The Yiken Stone of Grave." Raven realized.

Akane nodded. "Azar Sabrah has foreseen me giving my life energy to Doomgaze before I encounter the Yiken Stone. I believe that if I encounter Trigon first, then I can challenge and defeat him at full strength." Akane collapsed the magical image.

"Can that be done?" Arella asked.

A tear nearly escaped from Raven's eye as she shook her head in the negative. "Akane, you do not have the full strength to defeat Trigon."

"If that is true now, then I will get stronger, that I will."

"It will take much more than strength to defeat the Great Demon Kings." Jinx said.

"Then I shall give it much more than that, that I will." Akane replied. "Aunt Astarte, Grandmother, Mother, we must have hope for the impossible, indeed it is the only thing which sustains life."º

Her words had been brave and Raven had desperately wanted to believe in them. There was a possibility that the disordering of the prophecy could somehow bring about the results that Raven desired; but as they were, they did not have the strength to match Trigon.

Raven sat on Akane's bed and touched her forehead, her hair, her lips, her shoulder before pulling a blanket up around the girl's neck. The day Akane was born; Raven retrieved a gift from her bag. She had opened it the day she arrived in Azarath, the gift that the Titans had so thoughtfully picked out. It was a blanket in a shimmering white fabric, softer than anything Raven had ever held to her skin. Every night, despite her age, Raven covered Akane in it.

She had heard Jinx's footsteps as she entered her room, but hadn't thought to turn her gaze from her resting daughter to acknowledge her. She knew what Jinx was going to say before she said it and Jinx knew that Raven knew so she didn't say it. Instead she looked down at her sleeping niece. The much younger girl didn't have a trace of Laseri tu Tetris in her, except in her ability to readily ingest hex arts. She lacked their ability to faze; really she lacked all ability from her paternal side. It was both a gift and a curse. As far as Jinx knew, Doomgaze couldn't get to Schala with all the pollution in her blood, the traces of Trigon, Arella and Jinx's mother diluted the influence in Schala's energy. Jinx herself was not pulled at by Doomgaze, mostly because she served no real purpose as long as Schala was alive. It might have been selfish for Jinx to want Schala to disprove her prophecy solely for the aim that Washu and Doomgaze didn't resort to reincorporating her into their plot, but selfish or no, she was going to do her part in making sure that when the final spell was cast, Washu would fall and Doomgaze would no longer be one for this world.

And the weapon that would see to it was resting under the gaze of her mother.

"She'll need help…" Jinx said.

"And she'll have it."

…

º"Maybe we should talk to Starfire… she hasn't been herself for a long time… for as long as…"

"We've been together?" Raven posited.

Robin nodded, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. It had been a total of five months and sixteen days since their first kiss. Robin didn't think they'd ever get out of the desperate for the other's touch phase and in honesty, Robin didn't care if they never did. Feeling her fingers on his cheeks, his lips on hers, his chin on her shoulder, her ear on his chest; Robin didn't know that he was so desperate for simple intimacy, but her kiss drove him every day, her mind inspired him and her body generated the most vivid fantasies. They weren't the kind to rush; they savored every moment they were in the hands of the other, no matter where and no matter how long.

The where was currently on the roof, Robin was standing in front of Raven, his green gloved hands were latched onto the curve of her hips, hers were spiraling around his neck, playing with the short hairs at the base of his skull.

"I think she understands well enough what happened." Robin replied gently.

Raven nodded. "But the warrior part in her still wants to tear me apart."

Robin snickered slightly, kissing her cheek. "You're a big girl; you can handle yourself… you proved that at the Tournament of Heroines."

"Starfire's a big girl too, that doesn't mean we shouldn't take care of her."

"How should we do this?" Robin asked, realizing that Raven wasn't going to let them dance around this any longer. In truth, they had put it off for far too long. It had been something that came with such ease, that neither of them could feel like any part of it was wrong. They didn't want to hurt anyone or rather, neither of them wanted to hurt Starfire, because in the truth of it all, Starfire was the only one with a chance to get hurt. Raven had fought Starfire, she knew that the Tameranian powerhouse had been hurt and they were the only ones who could ease that hurt, if that hurt could be satisfied with words and gestures. Robin knew better than Raven that sometimes the only remedy was time.

"I want you to talk to her." Raven replied.

"It would be a bad idea for us to gang up on her."

"That's why I want you to talk to her alone."

"What?" Robin frowned, his fingers lifted, one at a time, from the soft place on her hip, before padding back down on the same place.

"You don't inspire 'the fight of the cat' from her. I'm still the last person she wants to talk to right now."

"Don't you think we should fix that?"

Raven nodded. "But you're really the first person she'd want to talk to. You're her best friend, no matter where we go with this relationship."

"You're right."

"Yes, I am." Raven replied.

Raven pulled her hands from his hair and walked away, already he missed her. Despite how cool and calm Robin could be when he held Raven, he was at the emotional level of a thirteen year old boy. He had never been in a real relationship, though if Barbara Gordon had heard him say that… he didn't even want to think about the repercussions.

Robin watched Raven leave, watched her move slowly, sort of like the full moon did in the middle of the night. She was graceful, she was beautiful and she was absolutely right: there was no way he could put off talking to Starfire when his feelings for Raven were evolving so rapidly and so powerfully.

Hurting others was something Robin did unintentionally or when he was exceptionally careless. Unfortunately he did it often. He had hurt his team, hurt the city and hurt his best friend. Whatever beautiful thing was building between him and Raven didn't make his carelessness with Starfire acceptable. In fact, it made it worse.

Robin walked down the flight of stairs, just as Raven did before him, his arms swayed slowly in his less than confident stride. He had a walk for every mood: the one on display told everyone to clear out of the way; he had work to do.

The only thing Robin found in Starfire's bedroom was a tiny wooden replica of Starfire and her bumgorf napping noisily on the pedestal bed. He frowned; he usually just had a sixth sense when it came to knowing where Starfire was. It was something he had chalked up to being a good leader for a long time, before he admitted to himself that there was something behind the looks and hugs they shared.

He had exactly one girlfriend before he started dating Raven and it was Barbara Gordon, but what he had compared nothing to what he felt for Raven and wasn't even on the level of what he felt for Starfire. Both Barbara and Star had been something akin to puppy love for the Boy Wonder, but there was just something more about Starfire that made the two situations so very different.

ººHe had met Starfire on accident twice in nearly the same way, two hours apart. The first time he had walked directly into her as he and Cyborg were turning a corner. He had collided, rather firmly, with the lost girl surprisingly knocking her down. He had done the gentlemanly thing and reached down to offer her a hand and her touch and her gaze had been electric. At that point he hadn't fully appreciated Raven's beauty so she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He knew she was alien, everything about her cried "not from here". She took his hand, squeezed a little too tightly; he bruised later, but hadn't minded. She gave "many apologizes" and asked for assistance to locate the "Great Hall of the City of Jump." Cyborg had no clue what that meant but Robin figured out that she meant Jump City Hall. He pointed her in the right direction and watched her float away for a few seconds. He hadn't thought much of it.

He thought much more of it when he and his team of four: Raven, Cyborg, himself and Beast Boy encountered Overload a few hours later. The team was still new, beginning to understand the dynamics of utilizing their strengths together. Cyborg and Beast Boy had discovered the T-Rex Takedown was rather efficient combination, erupting a screech from the electrically charged villain. Raven was in waiting, holding steady for Robin's cue to unleash her magic. Robin stood in a crouched position, with freeze discs clenched between his fingers.

The sight of the battle had been a hydroelectric plant. It was the initial plan to knock Overload into the hydro-part and be done with it, but the beast with no brains apparently wasn't brainless. It weaved and dodged nimbly, shifting its physiology to evade most attacks. Robin gritted his teeth when the villain struck Cyborg, slamming him into Raven and taken them both out of the fight. He turned to watch to make sure his team members were okay when Overload gave him something else to worry about. The blow had hurled the Titans' leader through the glass roof and into the ravine not feet away. He was in the torrenting water not three seconds when a hand reached in and pulled him out. He sputtered and coughed, his masked eyes fogged until he was dropped to the ground. A warm hand had touched his back.

"You are… undamaged?"

Robin turned his head and saw her again. It was the same alien girl. She was smiling softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine… how did you get me out of the water?"

"I am gifted with the marvelous ability of flight. I saw you… Please, are you not gifted with flight as well? You flew a great distance from the building of hydraulic engineering."

Robin sweat dropped. "No… that flight wasn't because I wanted to. I'm fighting Overload and my friends need me. Thank you for your help, but I've got to go."

Robin got to his feet and ran back to assist, surprised to find the alien flying beside him. "What are you doing?"

"Perhaps I may be of assistance. I was trained as a warrior for my home planet Tameran. I do not wish to see my new friend endangered when I can help."

New friend? I don't even know her name. Robin said nothing, though in truth he hoped the fighting was already over so not to endanger the pretty girl. She didn't look strong; she looked like a stiff wind would knock her over.

No such luck. Beast Boy morphed into an eel and absorbed Overload's charge, but found that the villain's arsenal was more than he could handle. The green fighter dropped to the floor shocked. Robin pulled out his bo-staff. "Stay back!" He warned to the girl, but found that she wasn't behind him. He watched in awe as the girl took to the air and unleashed a flurry of green energy blasts, throwing them like stones to skip across the water. The other Titans froze as the new comer dove in and tackled the electric fiend, knocking him several feet away. He became close enough from the waters edge that Raven could lift the panel beneath its feet and tip him inside. Overload shorted out and Raven retrieved its core.

"Dude!" Beast Boy said as he rubbed the back of his head. The alien girl returned to the ground, her alien powers withdrawing in favor of a smile. "That was awesome."

"Please, who is Dude? Is it more of the Earth lingo to address strangers?" The girl asked.

"Uhh?"

"I take it you're not from around here." Cyborg said.

"You are correct new friend. I am from a distant planet of Tameran. I came to the Earth seeking to make friends and what bountiful opportunity I have been afforded!"

The team was totally unprepared for the alien initiated group hug that ensued. Raven cringed as Cyborg grimaced, he could hear his parts grinding against themselves.

"Okay, you can let go now!" Raven demanded.

The girl released her grasp. She seemed slightly offended. "Did I misunderstand? Is that not the appropriate way to greet new friends?"

"Crushing people isn't the way most people do it." Beast Boy admitted as he tried to fix his spine. He morphed into a cat and stretched out, savoring the realignment of his vertebrae.

"Oh. I have offended you." The girl sagged her shoulders. "It seems that the customs of Earth are much more difficult than I am prepared for… perhaps I should leave."

"Whoa! Hey! That's not!" Robin said, stepping in the path of the retreating girl. She looks so sad… it doesn't feel right… "Giving up isn't the answer. Maybe we could help you."

"Yeah and you can definitely help with the butt kicking you just did." Cyborg added.

Raven could almost see the question formulated in the alien girl's brain about what butt was involved. "It means you did a good job." Raven said before she could ask. Raven wasn't particularly tolerant of bubbly and the red head alien girl was bubbly personified. The least she spoke, the less Raven would want to throttle her.

"You are willing to teach me the ways of the Earth? Then you wish to be my friends for ever and ever?" The girl floated in the air, her eyes wide and expecting. The Titans' eyes widened collectively.

"Ummm, sure." Robin replied.

Fireworks seemed to go off behind the girl's eyes and she danced merrily and offered to perform a traditional Tameranian song of new friendship. Raven passed and the moment was lost.

"By the way… what's your name?" Robin asked.

"My name is… Starfire."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Star. I'm Robin and we're the Teen Titans."ºº

Robin found it funny that he could remember every detail of that day. He hadn't thought about it so long… it was difficult to remember a time when Starfire wasn't a part of the team. She had fit right in, as much as an alien could fit in with a half-robot, a changeling, a mystic and a former ward. But it worked and the Teen Titans became legendary. Starfire had taken to Robin immediately, maybe because he was the most patient or possibly because of his handsome face or just because she saw him first. They had become friends and…

And now things are different than I had foreseen it those years ago… but then again, I don't have foresight to begin with.

Robin entered the common room and saw that his entire team, save Starfire was there. Speedy was laying on the couch listening to music; Raven was drinking tea with Celine and Sakura; Terra, Beast Boy, D'ucel and Cyborg were watching TV, and Aqualad and Blackfire were eating lunch.

He was suddenly very glad that he didn't have foresight, because in a million years he never would have thought of this. Behind his back the door slid open and Starfire entered, wearing a smile he hadn't seen in months.

"Friends rejoice greatly! I have glorious news!" Starfire shouted as soon as she was within the room.

"What is it Star?" Robin asked.

"Today is a great day!"

"Another Tameranian festival?" Speedy asked.

"No, even better dear friends! Today is the two year anniversary of our formation of the Titans!" Starfire revealed a calendar with the date circled, in pink pen the words "Titans Anniversary" was scribbled in bubble letters.

"Two years?" Beast Boy seemed to count on his fingers. When he ran out he smiled, his eyes went wide and glossy. "It has been two years!"

Raven shook her head, Celine laughed behind her hand.

"Raven, Robin, Beast Boy, Starfire and Cyborg… the original five. You must have seen a lot together." Aqualad said.

"Yes! We have seen many wondrous things and encountered a great number of wonderful friends! We must celebrate our friendship!" Starfire bounced merrily.

"I'm sure we can arrange something for you five," Sakura said. "Us new ones can put something together."

Fox, Aqualad, Blackfire and Speedy agreed.

"No, no! We must celebrate all of our friendships! New Titans and old!"

"A party?" Celine asked.

"Yes! With the exchanging of gifts and warm feelings! It will be the Christmas!" Starfire floated in the air, the Titans could see her childlike daydream of the Titan chibis exchanging gifts and sharing smiles.

"Starfire, its July." Cyborg pointed out.

Starfire would not be deterred. "Then we shall have a Christmas in July!"

Robin smiled. The others gave in.

"Alright Starfire. We'll have your party. But how should we do this?" Cyborg asked.

"We can perform the activity where each of us is a mysterious rendition of the fat man of jolly!"

Starfire didn't realize how she had misspoken, but most of the Titans didn't catch on.

"She means Secret Santa." Robin stated and the rest of the Titans caught on.

"Yes, Yes! We must be the Secret Santas! We can all go to the Mall of Shopping and prepare for the festivities tonight!"

"Here we go." Celine said, presenting a bowl with the names of all the Titans in them. They drew in no particular order, except that Robin drew first and Starfire drew last. There were frowns, mostly from Terra and Starfire, and there were smiles, specifically from Aqualad and Robin and everyone else seemed neither ecstatic nor displeased.

The Titans split in their voyages. There were attempts to keep tabs on others, specifically those whose names they had drawn. It was obvious to Robin that Beast Boy had drawn his name and despite her best efforts, Starfire was terribly aware of where Raven was.

Robin found Starfire staring into a window for a rather dark mysticism Shoppe in the far corner of the mall. She seemed reluctant to enter, she worried her lip and fidgeted, it was something Robin had never seen before. The Titans' leader put a hand on her shoulder and was just as surprised as she was when she squeaked and leapt two feet into the air.

"Sorry Star, I didn't mean to scare you." Robin admitted when the girl calmed her nerves and returned to the ground below.

"There is no need for the apologies Robin. I was… distracted." But Starfire had a habit of honest when it came to Robin, so she continued to say what was on her mind. "Perhaps the proper term is low in the landfills?"

"You mean down in the dumps?"

"Yes, that is the correct term. I have been on this planet for two years; I am still in the wondering if I will ever get the handle of Earth jargon."

"I'd say you're doing fine Star. Language is complicated; it separates as many people as it draws together. You've come a long way in two years, I'd say." Robin replied.

"A lot of things have changed in the last two years, have they not?" Starfire asked.

"Things change all the time."

Starfire shuffled her feet. She took her eyes from Robin's and looked back at the display case. "Some changes are more welcome than others."

Robin frowned. "Does this have to do with the name you drew?" He knew from the Shoppe that Starfire had drawn Raven's name. She was the only one among them who would appreciate the gifts of that particular Shoppe. Starfire kept her eyes on the window Shoppe, though she could easily see their reflections in the mirror. She was sad again, she had been sad for a long time. Her natural energy kept her from drowning in sorrow, she wasn't capable of feeling depressed: lonely, yes; isolated, yes; and maybe even regret… but her life habits kept her in good spirits: to make sure she remained such was the obligation of the team and Robin had the distinct impression that he was letting her down.

Robin put his hand on her arm gently. "We never… talked about what happened… between you and me and Raven."

Her bright green eyes tipped towards her feet, just catching a glimpse of Robin's arm touching hers. "I did not wish to." Starfire admitted.

"What about now?"

"I do not know… though I have been able to move on… it is still a difficult feeling to grasp… In my heart I am happy for the both of you, I truly am… but the warrior part of me sometimes desires to tear her apart…" Robin raised an eyebrow at her words and Starfire flushed red from her forehead down. She turned to Robin, a look of absolute horror in her eyes. "Many apologies! Such a terrible thing to say, I did not mean to…"

Robin shook his head. "Starfire, I understand."

"You do?"

"I do." Robin said, nodding his head to affirm his statement.

"And you do not think me a terrible friend?"

"Starfire, no matter what changes, you're still my best friend."

"That will always bring me great joy Robin. However, the loneliness I feel cannot be satisfied so easily. When I see the way you look at Raven, or how Aqualad gazes gently at my sister or how Speedy longs to be near Sakura… I recall how no one longs to be near me."

"Starfire, don't think like that!" Robin dropped his shopping bag to the side and secured Starfire's face in his hands. "Starfire, listen to me! Are you listening?"

The girl's shocked expression didn't change, but she nodded her head in the affirmative.

"You are a beautiful girl, both on the inside and outside. There are millions who adore you and I'm one of them. Everyone sees what a wonderful person you are and I know without a doubt that sometime soon you're going to meet the person who you'll want to hold your heart."

The tragedy is that I thought I had found that person… Starfire's gaze slowly shifted and in the not too far distance, she could see Raven slowly, in the graceful way she did, move into a store. Robin turned to follow her gaze and saw Raven as well. Starfire could see that just from the sight of her he would change his disposition from whatever it was to one of happiness. He loves her for her moon pale skin, her dark eyes and intelligent voice. What did he ever love me for?

Robin saw the defeat in her eyes and slowly took his hands from her face. "I'm sorry that your feelings were hurt Starfire. The last thing we ever wanted to do was hurt you." Robin admitted.

"I know that Robin. The heart wants as the heart wants."

She could tell that he was trying to formulate a way to explain himself without hurting her further. She had never been terribly good at reading Robin, it was one of the differences between her and Raven, but she did know that in her heart, that there were things in his heart that she knew better than Raven: it was the privilege of a best friend. She believed his words, that someone would come to hold her heart, that she would find the happiness that he had found… she just wanted it soon.

"Maybe you should talk to someone," Robin offered, interrupting Starfire's thoughts. "Someone who knows what---"

"Robin, would you like to exchange our recipients?" Starfire cut him off. It was decidedly un-Starfire like, but Robin accepted the fact that things were different and things were bound to change. "Perhaps you would like to be the Secret Santa for Raven; you would afford her a much better gift."

Robin shook his head in the negative. He reached down to the bag at his side, shaking it for Starfire's gaze. "I've got the person I wanted to give this too and if I give you mine then you'll know who I had. That takes a lot of the fun out of it."

"I suppose that is correct. But perhaps you may be of assistance in my search for an appropriate gift for Raven!" Starfire in truth wanted to spend more time with Robin. For the last few months their minds had been occupied with everything but each other. She missed him and she knew that in a different way, he missed her.

"I'm sure she'll love whatever you get her Star. As long as it's from your heart, anyone would."

Robin helped her shop, really just to spend time with her. She had a soft smile on her face when the Titans returned to the tower and in the company of her friends she was merry to match the festivities.

"Alright, all the presents are lined up! Let's open them!" Aqualad declared.

They sat down in a circle and pulled the wrappings away from their respective gifts, some (Beast Boy) more hurriedly than others.

"The best part of Secret Santa is to guess who got you what." Robin said, holding up his new punching bag. "I'll go first. My Secret Santa was definitely Beast Boy."

"How did you know!" Beast Boy shrieked.

"Superior detective skills." Robin replied.

Raven rolled her eyes gently. "You know Boy Wonder, a little ego deflation never hurt anyone." Robin balked, but continued to stroke her arm gently as she turned to address the youngest Titan. "Beast Boy, everyone knew you had Robin."

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I need to work on being inconspicuous huh?"

"Oh yeah." Aqualad replied.

"Well," Beast Boy decided, not to be discouraged. "I bet I can guess who got me my gift! It was Cyborg for sure!"

Cyborg shook his head in the negative. "Sorry BB, not me." He was doing his best to piece together a model car that looked suspiciously like the T-car.

"Uhh, Robin?" Beast Boy tried again.

"Nope."

"Raven?"

"Not on your life." Raven replied.

"Star?" A head shake. "Speedy?" Another head shake. "Aqualad?" Swing and a miss.

"For the love of martial arts! It was me Beast Boy!" Sakura shouted.

"Right, you were my next guess." Beast Boy replied thoroughly embarrassed.

Aqualad was the proud owner of a pair of goldfish, which he immediately named Gill Girl and Tram. He guessed Raven correctly in the first try. Sakura gasped in delight over her Japanese tea set and was more than a bit surprised to find that Blackfire had given her the prize. The wrapping on Blackfire's present had warned "extreme caution" and the alien powerhouse had taken a good deal of time to find that her gift was a crystal globe. Her eyes were wide in wonderment as the crafted interior was none other than Atlantis. She immediately turned to Aqualad.

"It is beautiful." She smiled.

"Glad you like it." Aqualad replied.

"Is this an accurate reproduction of the landscape of your home?" Blackfire asked.

"No, it's much more beautiful… you'd fit right in."

Blackfire blushed. Celine "awed", Beast Boy gagged and Terra made her guess. She held the blue star-shaped pillow with the words "Rock Star" stitched in with red lettering.

"It wasn't Beast Boy or Raven or Blackfire or Aqualad… maybe… Foxfire?"

D'ucel shook his head in the negative. "I did not."

"Ugh… Sakura?"

"Nope."

"Thought not." Terra muttered under her breath. "Cyborg?"

"Sorry kid. Not me."

"Is it so impossible to believe that is was me?" Speedy asked.

"You Speedy?" Hmmm…

Somehow Foxfire knew that Cyborg had given him his gift and Raven adored her mystic stone collection. She guessed Starfire correctly on the first try and even hugged her. Starfire sat rather surprised, but undoubtedly happy, staying still long enough for Aqualad to notice that Celine hadn't opened hers.

The red haired genius opened the box and the contents of which seemed to horrify the others. It was a doll, a rather unattractive doll that looked as if it had been handed down for generations it was so beaten up. It was barely bigger than the palm of Celine's hand, her dress was torn and the yarn hair was so matted it looked brown rather than red.

"I love it." Celine said.

The other Titans fell over in bewilderment. Celine looked around the circle of friends and figured it was best to explain herself. "This is a Winter Abby doll. I had one just like it when I was a kid. I used to bring it around with me wherever I went and played with it all the time. They don't make these any more and from the wear and tear, this one was loved the way mine was. Cyborg, where did you find it?"

"Umm, it wasn't mean Omicron."

"Beast Boy?" Celine asked.

"Nah uh."

"But then…"

"Actually, I got it Celine." Terra replied.

"Oh, thank you Terra. I never thought I'd see one of these again."

It was hard to read Terra's facial expression from that point on, but really no one paid attention to it. The Titans turned back to Starfire. She finally opened her gift and revealed a beautiful blue and gold dream catcher. The small ornament was stunning; the light fell over it in a delicate dance, spinning slightly from every tiny inhale and exhale from the Tameranian princess.

"What a whimsical device. Please, what is it?" Starfire asked.

"It's a dream catcher, Star." Robin replied.

"A catcher of dreams… what a beautiful idea. This will hold onto those things which we have lost?"

"If you want…" Robin replied.

"That's absolutely beautiful." Celine said. All the Titans had stopped to watch the tiny interplay between the green light gently radiating from Starfire's eyes dancing over the gold and blue trinket.

"I thank you Robin for purchasing this device on my behalf." Starfire said.

"Actually Starfire, I didn't buy that."

"You made this charm?"

"No, I mean, I didn't draw your name."

"You didn't?" Raven asked.

"No, I got Speedy." Robin replied.

Starfire frowned. Speedy hadn't taken his guess yet and come to think of it, only Robin would buy a "Second Place is Best" gag gift to accompany Speedy's new music player.

"Celine, did you purchase this delightful trinket?"

"No, Celine got me." Cyborg said. Celine nodded in agreement.

"Then did you purchase this, Cyborg?"

"No, not me. I got Foxfire remember."

"Then that's everyone." Beast Boy frowned.

"Everyone except Foxfire." Robin replied.º

Her communicator chimed gently, catching the beautiful redhead at the end of a day dream. Silkie plopped down excited in front of her, her communicator secure between his lips. She outturned her hand and her bumgorf spat the controller into her palm. She flipped the device open and was elated to see Cyborg's face.

"Cyborg! I am very pleased to see you again! I hope this is signs of a successful mission and your immediate return."

"Uh, yeah." Cyborg replied, slightly miffed that his announcement was so obvious to the Tameranian princess. "That's exactly what it is, Star. We're on our way back. The Brotherhood of Evil has been defeated and the world is safe for young heroes."

"That is wonderful news! We anxiety await your return!"

"We might have to stay a couple of days."

"Why is that?"

"From the way Beast King's mom and Negative man are staring at each other, we might have a wedding on our hands."

"It seems that even far away, our friendship is connected by similar events." Cyborg didn't understand the cheer in her voice or why the twenty year old girl was jumping up and down on her bed.

"Huh? There isn't another arranged marriage for you on Tameran is there?"

"No. My sister and Tempest have decided to commit their ever after to each other." Starfire corrected.

"Woo-hoo! Way to go Tempest and Blackfire! It's nice to see that things are coming back together."

"Indeed friend! Please make haste in your return!"

"You got it Star! Cyborg out!"

Starfire smiled and leapt from her bed. Silkie was inadvertently dumped on the floor, but the mutant larvae did not protest. Starfire floated from her room to the common room where she found her sister and Tempest.

"Friends! Rejoice Greatly! The Brotherhood of Evil has been vanquished by the efforts of our friends!"

"That's great!" Tempest shouted.

"They will be making the sojourn home soon! I must proceed to give the good word to Speedy and D'ucel!"

Starfire did not know where to locate D'ucel, but she knew where to find Speedy. She floated cheerily to the medic ward, knowing that Speedy would be waiting there, sitting in the cool way he did, his hands crossed behind his head as he leaned back and daydreamed. She had seen Speedy at the extremes of his emotional capacity, sometimes he would sit calmly, smiling even, as if he were recalling sweet memories of the time he had spent with Sakura in total animation. Sometimes he sat with his face in his hands, letting the worry of forever take over his body. As far as Starfire knew, Speedy had always possessed a presence of about him, something that said "life abundant" in his veins. No one could be so cocky and self-assured without just cause. She had seen less of the remorseful Speedy over the last year, much less than before Raven had been found. It had been Speedy's hope that Sakura would only be incapacitated until she could no longer interfere with the plans of the Slade Syndicate, but time had shown that that was simply not the case.

She could hear his voice before she turned into the medical room. D'ucel, that is, she could hear D'ucel's voice as she approached. She stopped just outside the door, that's where she stood when the words became clear.

"Are you afraid?"

Starfire peeked her head inside just in time to see Speedy shake his head in the negative. To say Speedy had changed was an understatement. Every inch of boyishness from his face was gone. His jaw was square; his red hair tussled and toppled to his chin, though usually it was pushed firmly behind his ears. Though his uniform was in essence the same, it had been modified to accommodate the shape of the man he had become. The truth was except for Cyborg and D'ucel all the Titans had gone through some sort of metamorphosis. Even in her suspended animation, the physical maturation of total womanhood had become of Sakura. Sometimes Starfire wondered if, when Sakura woke up, she would recognize herself.

Speedy turned his face to Sakura's face.

"Afraid?" He said. "Not for me. I know what I feel and as long as I can be there for her…"

D'ucel shook his head. "Do not lie to me Speedy. I know that desperate feeling."

Speedy let his masked eyes meet D'ucel's blue eyes. "I guess you do. You really loved Blackfire didn't you?"

Starfire couldn't hide her frown, but it didn't matter if she hid it or not. They couldn't see her. D'ucel nodded in the affirmative to Speedy's inquisition. It was no secret that D'ucel loved Blackfire, it was the basis of them even meeting Tameran's Foxfire and that love had lead to many beautiful things in the Titans' lives: they gained a new friend, Blackfire regained her memory and Tempest had guaranteed the safety of his heart for all time.

Speedy had known the answer before D'ucel had given it to him. He felt bad for making the guy put his feelings in words: he felt better of it when D'ucel didn't say anything, just nodded his head. "How do you deal with not being able to love her the way you want to? I mean, she's around you all the time." Speedy asked.

Starfire's hands pressed against the wall as she tried to press closer to the room without being seen. D'ucel was normally very soft spoken when it came to the subject of her sister. He had told her exactly once what he thought of the situation. She wondered if time would reveal a different face.

"It has become… easier over time. Though the burden of a love lost is painful, Komand'r is happy. Tempest makes her happy and so I am happy."

Speedy didn't agree. "No, you aren't. No one is that well adjusted… I'm sure as hell not."

"Perhaps… I would like to believe that there is more than one opportunity for love in my life. I cannot condemn neither Komand'r nor Tempest for the happiness they have found. I understand that the heart wants as the heart wants."

Starfire came into the room before Speedy could reply. She stopped between the two of them, her uneasiness had been radiating from the hallway. D'ucel would not tell her that he was aware of her the entire time.

"Koriand'r, something concerns you?" D'ucel asked.

"Not concern…" Starfire remembered herself and why she had come to find them. "I… Friends. Rejoice Greatly. The Brotherhood of Evil has been vanquished by the efforts of our friends."

Speedy smiled and D'ucel stood up. "That is very welcome news." D'ucel said.

D'ucel had just turned to remove his hand from Starfire's shoulder when Speedy spoke. Starfire turned to stand beside Foxfire, raising her opposite hand to rest over D'ucel's hand on her shoulder.

"And it couldn't come at better time." Speedy said.

…

The knock sounded rather firmly and before Raven opened her eyes she knew what time it was. She knew what day it was: who they were: and why they'd come. It was her birthday: 12:01 in the AM, the day when the prophecy cycle began, the prophecy for when this world would be cast in shadow… and it was time for her to go.

When Raven did open her eyes, Arella was standing over her holding a lamp. Raven's purple eyes raised and took in the sight of her mother. She was crying and before Raven could stop it a tear feel down her cheek as well.

Raven threw down her blanket, pulled her legs to the edge of the bed and used the nightstand to give her the strength to get out of bed. Her moon-pale fingers touched the only ornament she hadn't packed last night, before she had entered her fretful sleep. Raven took the music box into her hands. The gift reminded her of a promise she had to keep.

She reached under the bed with her magic and retrieved a medium sized package that was wrapped in bright colored paper. She didn't know why she had waited so long to give the gift to Akane. She didn't know what was in it and if it were something who's use had expired. The fear of commitment was latched in whatever was wrapped safely in that paper; somehow she had convinced herself that if Akane never saw this gift that she could forget about the year that she had lost again, even though the idea of lost was the same. Raven loved her daughter very much, she only wished that the circumstances behind her birth had been better for all of them.

Arella turned to look over her shoulder as Schala tu Akane entered the bedroom. Her purple eyes were clear and focused. "It is time to go, that it is."

"Schala, Watashine Kaiyen Mortien Mor." (Schala come here and listen to me.)

Akane frowned but did as her mother directed. Raven passed the gift from her pale hands, her touch lingering as she took in the contrast of her skin and her daughter's. Beneath that skin pumped blood that was mired by the same circumstance as her own. The difference between their heritages was a matter of fear. Not for one moment, in any instance she could control, did Akane experience fear. She was trained through consequence, disciplined through necessity and nurtured with love; never did Raven push her daughter forward or away because of what was to come to pass.

Akane's fingers moved slowly under her mother's. She pulled the bright paper away, something about the warm green color of the paper felt familiar or at the very least welcome. Raven's hand fell away and Akane took a look at her gift.

"Mother, what is it?"

"It's a dream catcher."

"It's beautiful… what is it for?"

The memory struck Raven in her heart and she shook her head trying to make her past and her present collide. "This will hold onto those things which we have lost…"

"I don't understand."

"Sometimes I don't understand what Robin does."

"This is from Robin? He gave it to you before I was born?"

Raven nodded.

"Perhaps he meant it for you?"

Raven shook her head in the negative. "He wanted you to have something for you to know him by. I'm sorry I waited to give it to you."

"It's alright. I don't think this is the kind of gift that you can lose appreciation for through time. I've already forgotten what it feels like to not have it, that I have." Akane took the ornament and tied it to her wrist. It was just small enough that it dangled and rested in her palm.

Raven looked to her daughter, carefully brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. Akane smiled at her mother. "I don't want you to me worried, mother, that I do not."

"Its natural instinct sweetheart… a mother can't help but worry."

Akane turned her head when she felt a new shadow fall on her shoulders. She and Raven lifted purple eyes and Arella turned her shoulder to see behind her. Astarte tu Jinx stood in front of them all, hands on her slender hips. The four of them standing together, made a unique image.

"It's time to go." Jinx said simply.

Raven nodded, Akane nodded and Arella accepted the loss. Arella followed them as far as the doorway and watched the three much younger girls walk from her home in close to a straight line. Jinx stepped out first and waited while Raven and Akane said their goodbyes.

"I promise to visit grandmother as soon as things are right, that I will." Akane said as she hugged the older woman.

Arella said nothing, catching Raven's eye over Akane's shoulder. When the smaller girl turned to leave, Raven didn't replace her. The two stood a few feet away, Raven in profile, Arella's lips set in a frown.

"Be safe."

Arella frowned deepened. She didn't know what to expect her daughter to say, but that wasn't within the spectrum Arella thought of as possibilities. Raven didn't know how often Arella cried thinking about the lives she had ruined when she herself was just a stupid child. Everything that was terrible in Raven's life, in Akane's life… in the lives of people who didn't know her… everything that bred darkness in fear was a consequence of Arella's foolishness.

And now, after the years and years of torment that Arella had helped to produce, everything was culminating and Arella couldn't help but believe that at least one among them would lose their life.

Jinx cracked her knuckles and Raven turned her back to her mother. It had been years since Raven had worn a cloak and it was almost by second nature that she reached behind her to pull her hood up, but her fingers encountered nothing except her hair. So instead of pulling a cloak up, she let her hair down, freeing the long tresses from her braid. Somehow the atmosphere of Azarath reacted to her and the wind began to pull at the strands. Raven said nothing of it, Akane thought nothing of it, Jinx moved forward and Arella moved back, closing the door behind her.

Most of the citizens of Azarath were awake and watched Raven and Akane move. The monks were lined up shoulder to shoulder, human, half demon and demon alike. They marked a pathway and the trio of half demonesses followed it. The path led to the gates of Azarath where Katora, whose anger and self-righteousness was blinding her, stood not feet away from their destination.

Heaven help her if she were foolish enough to open her mouth.

Akane looked up at the portal door. For the first time in her life, which in truth had not been that long, she was going to step outside of Azarath and encounter Earth. She tried not to bite her lip, she was so emotionally confused her head hurt. She stepped forward and raised her hand to the portal door.

"Azarath Faeridos Rex." She whispered.

The gates gave and without another look Akane walked through. Jinx followed shortly behind her. Raven took a step forward, both eyes closed. She felt more than saw Sabrah approach her.

"None of you will ever return here Lethe."

"We never intended to… So nothing is lost."

"Everything is lost to the inevitable Lethe… time will not wait forever."

Raven had heard words like those before. She opened her eyes but did not look in Sabrah's eyes. Katora's mouth twitched to speak and Raven raised a hand to silence her with violence. Sabrah gestured for Katora to desist and place a hand on Raven's to make sure she did.

That wind began again, but this time pushing from behind them, pushing Raven forward.

"I'm going to leave here and prove you wrong Sabrah. Azar Metrion raised me to understand my role… he also breed rebellion in me and I will fight everything that stands in the way of my daughter's future."

"Nothing stands in the way of her future Lethe… it is the end that is guaranteed for her. You refuse to see it."

"You were a better person when you recognized you were fallible." Raven said.

"Though the vessel may be flawed, the truth is the truth. Absolute is unchangeable no matter through which channel it travels."

The pain of Sabrah's words clenched her heart and for a moment all of Raven's reserve was taken away. She closed her eyes again and breathed deeply. When her eyes opened she saw Akane and Jinx waiting just outside the gates of Azarath, waiting for her… waiting for the rest of their lives.

"What do you see in my daughter's future if she encounters the Yiken Stone before she encounters Doomgaze?"

"The world cast in shadow."

That was the last sound of Azarath that Raven ever heard. Her boots were silent as she walked forward and behind her back the gates of her birthplace closed so silently, it was difficult to believe that was ever opened. Raven didn't turn back to look at it, but for a few seconds she stopped there.

Jinx turned to face Raven. Raven said nothing and led them to walk forward. Akane walked beside her mother, taking in the unusual color scheme of the path of Azarath. She knew that the depth of color potential was infinite; she hadn't been prepared for colors beyond her range of imagination.

Raven kept her breathing steady, her body outside her chest and mind were moving on its own accord. Her heartbeat was terrible; it had been a long time since the rhythm it had taken had been one of comfort. But this was painful.

Jinx saw in her silence that something was happening to Raven, something that she hadn't expected and something she definitely didn't like. The closer they came to the gate, the more obvious that the protection of Azar Sabrah was nonexistent. Jinx saw it in Akane too, but Akane didn't display her worry.

Raven was and that worried Jinx.

They approached the gate. At the same moment all three of them stopped their feet. The gate was gleyed and earthen; it had as much color as the dirt of Azarath. Akane raised her hand to open the gate with her magic, but Jinx stopped her. The pink haired demoness turned to her companion and watched Raven watch the door.

"Raven… How do you feel?"

"I thought you promised never to ask me that again?" Raven replied.

Jinx shifted her hips. "I've never promised you anything."

"Except everything you know." Raven returned.

"But only in exchange for what I wanted to know. I'll tell you something I've been holding out on, if you tell me what I want to know."

"That agreement isn't valid anymore, Jinx. You don't know more than me."

"I shudder to think how many times you'll have to eat those words."

Akane watched her mother and her aunt behave the way they always had. Their dependence on each other didn't change their disposition. It had something to do with their blood… it didn't get along… except in Akane's body. The black haired half demoness had two demon blood types in her veins, always had. Outside her body that energy couldn't get along, but inside her the instinct to oppose was quieted…

Except she was starting to feel it already.

She didn't know what part of her it was, whether the malice of Doomgaze or the ultimate cruelty of Trigon…. But from the worry she sensed from her mother, it was much easier to believe it was the latter. Something was telling her to get outside the gate and experience the Earth and do what had to be done…

The only thing different in the urge of her blood and the urge of her heart was the definition of "what had to be done."

Schala tu Akane turned to her family; her aunt Astarte tu Jinx and her mother Lethe tu Raven and broke the silence between their stares.

"He's waiting for me." She said simply.

Raven swallowed hard and Jinx turned her eyes towards the ground beside her right foot. Akane felt the dream catcher dangling from her wrist. She knew in her mother's pack was a music box and a singed bunny. Somewhere in her mother's heart, behind the uncertainty and the absolute fear that had been instilled in her since she was born, behind all the crippling aspects of her heart was something gentle that needed to be reawakened. Akane didn't know if she could do it alone… but never in her life had she done anything alone…

"That prophecy is incorrect. Azar Sabrah may possess the gift of foresight, but she is shortsighted… Azar Sabrah sees one thing… but I think it's impossible to see all things. I believe in infinite endings, that I do. And in every single one we defeat Trigon and Doomgaze."

Raven might have cried for her daughter's optimism. Optimism had been breed out of Raven as a child. She was so very glad she hadn't made the same mistake in Akane. Hope lived in that child and Raven would not let that be destroyed.

Akane raised her hand to the door. So did Jinx. So did Raven.

"AZARATH Faeridos Rex." "Endari ENDE Mortix." "Azarath. Metrion ZINTHOS."

…

Patience had never been Beast King's forte. It didn't matter how older or more mature he became, it was just one of those things that didn't come naturally and if he were a different person, he might have worked to correct it. Instead he opened his communicator and found home base.

"Celine, are you sure this is the right place? Nothing is happening and no one is here."

"I'm positive Beast King. I know you're awful at staying still, but this is it. So just sit tight and… well, just keep sitting tight."

The Ring of Azarath contained five gates: Azarath, Endari, Ledona, Serin, Segii and each one of them had an interplay on planet Earth. They were all connected, influencing each other and Earth every moment of every day. In folk lore, by those who believed in the existence of these dimensions but had no proof, the gates were always moving to stay out of a star formation, because when those worlds haloed and shifted into a star shape it would bring about the end of days. They were both correct and incorrect. The ring of Azarath would never fall into a star pattern because of the position of that universe; it wasn't really a ring as it was a spiral with Azarath at the narrow depth and Earth in the open funnel. However, the gates to each fraction of the ring did shift to mark the alignment of the dimensions. Only when they were aligned did those gates open and that's how the Titans knew where to be. It was Raven's birthday and they had to meet her and they left it to Celine to find out where. It was no surprise to them that Raven hadn't told them, if she had her way, there was a good chance she'd try to do whatever she was going to do on her own. But there was no way they were going to let her.

According to the star maps and charts Jinx had left in Raven's room, the only gate that would be opening was the Gate of Segii and that's where they were.

Starfire, D'ucel, Beast King, Cyborg, Tempest, Bumble Bee and Blackfire stood in various degrees of expectedness. It was just past the waking hour and the gate opened.

Starfire blocked her eyes with her forearm when the awful light escaped behind the opened door. She kept one eye closed tightly, but the other could see them clearly. They walked out calmly, their shadows spilling forward first before the light obeyed and showed brown and white and black.

The light quieted, the gate closed and for the first time in a very long time the emotional energy that bombarded the Tameranians was positive energy and if fueled their excitement.

Akane had never seen so much color in her life. Never and she had a suspicion that all the color to be seen in the world was right there in front of her. Green, blue, orange, purple, silver, white, yellow, it was all there for her to see.

"Raven, is that really you?" Tempest asked as he was the first to step forward.

Raven smiled, her heart raced and she smiled. "Yes… I'm…"

"Home." Beast King supplied.

Raven nodded in agreement. The Titans stepped closer and Jinx stepped back, the collective gaze was on Raven, though a particular blue shifted back and forth between her and Raven.

"Raven… then that means…" Cyborg said suddenly unsure what he meant.

"This is my daughter, Akane."

Their eyes shifted to the beautiful half demon.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, that it is." Akane said.

"Wow… Hi Akane, I'm…"

"You're Beast King." Akane finished.

The Titan morph nodded in agreement. Akane turned her gaze between each of them.

"And you are Starfire." Starfire nodded. "Cyborg." Cyborg nodded as well. "Foxfire, Tempest, Bumble Bee, and Blackfire."

She had gotten them all right, but she was frowning. Raven was too.

"Where's Robin?" Raven asked.

Cyborg rubbed the back of his head. "Robin's… not coming."

Raven didn't know if she felt his word in her heart first or in her head. It didn't matter. It hurt and it hurt a lot. Akane frowned, her eyebrows furrowed. She could feel sadness crippling in her mother's heart just as readily has she felt it in her own. But that force from her mother was infinitely stronger than anything Akane believed she was capable of.

"Don't let him scare you. He just means I've changed my name."

Raven turned her head, fast enough to knock a single tear from her eye. Because there he was, emerging from the shadows, standing tall the way she remembered… but everything else was different. His hair was unbridled down his back, his bright uniform was gone, destroying every inch of childishness. He adopted a black form fitting suit, highlighting every muscle and pulse beat that soared through his frame. On his broad chest was a blue emblem and his face was a narrow mask. This wasn't Robin, it was…

"Nightwing." Raven said.

Nightwing came forward. She had to look up to see every inch of his face. Her heart was beating harder than it ever had before. She wasn't sure she could survive it. Her hand reached up gently and so did his. Her hand found the short hairs behind his ears, his found her cheek.

"Raven." He whispered.

Akane discovered the color pink as it flushed over her cheeks as she saw Raven and Nightwing kiss. It was a bright color and looked absolutely beautiful on her mother's face as she held Nightwing close, the way she hadn't been able to since long before the day Akane was born.

The other Titans blushed furiously, Beast King covered his eyes. Raven's other hand found Nightwing's cheek, her eyes still closed but her body knew where it belonged. The first time she felt it, his kiss had been the most beautiful thing she had ever believed was possible in the world. He made her skin sing, he made her heart calm and gave that golden light to every part of her that needed hope…

When he pulled back her head found his shoulder, she had to hold him, she had to feel every moment of this. Just above her chest she could feel his heartbeat.

The blush faded from Akane's cheeks as Jinx cleared her throat. Raven turned to face her team and saw them all… but there were still some missing.

"Sakura?" She asked.

Nightwing shook his head. "She's still sleeping; Speedy's still watching her and Celine's on the console."

From behind his back he retrieved something that belonged to her. She had left it, left it on purpose beside him the day she had left. It was her Titans' communicator. She palmed it gently, never so peaceful to hold a material thing… but it was much more than a material possession… it was the bond of the Titans: it was the strongest one they had, in their infinite strings that tied them together.

She turned her head to see Beast King and Starfire were satisfying their curiosity about Akane. She saw that Nightwing saw as well.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Raven asked.

"Just like her mother… You named her Akane."

"A pretty name for a pretty girl right?"

Nightwing nodded. "What did you tell her? I mean about… Tetris and me and everything?"

"I told her the truth… that she had a father… but she also had someone waiting for her one Earth… and he would love her as much as I did."

Nightwing nodded and walked with Raven to stand beside Akane. The purple eyed girl looked up at him. She smiled and lifted her right arm, pushing back her long sleeve to show her dream catcher.

"I thank you for my gift Otou-sama, that I do."

Nightwing smiled at the term, he had taught Raven very little Japanese and he suspected his sister taught Raven that term and Raven had taught it to Akane… to their daughter.

Nightwing stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. He looked into her purple eyes for just a few seconds before the air shifted and he swore for a moment the ground shifted. Akane gasped and took a step back, her movement pulling Nightwing's fingers from her.

"Akane?"

"I can feel it… he's calling for me." She felt something hammer at her. It was stronger than when it was in Azarath, but this time she had no doubt what it was.

"Trigon." Raven covered her hand in her mouth, she had thought to believe that Trigon's power hadn't extended this far from the Yiken Stone, but it did and it was entering her too. But she didn't care about herself, she needed to get to the stone and she needed to stop it. For everything she had, for everything she had gotten back, for everything that lied in the future.

"Raven."

They all saw it then. The marks were there on Akane's forehead. The mark of Scath didn't mar her pretty face, but it set grimaces into the face of her companions. Raven did not cry. Akane stood as tall as she could. She chanted her mantra gently to herself and found a calm.

"We need to go and stop Trigon now when his minions are unprepared… Akane knows the way to the stone… she's guided by her blood." Jinx said firmly.

Akane nodded. The rest of the Titans set their hearts.

Raven looked out among them, she wanted to smile at the sight of them all, but she could only frown. For as much as it was good to have her friends close, things were still very bad. "The protection of Azarath is void."

Nightwing touched Raven's cheek gently with the back of his gloved hand. Her purple eyes looked into his masked ones, but just like a year ago, she didn't see the mask. She saw the man behind it, the man who held her hope. "Then we'll have to protect her now."

End of Chapter Thirteen

So I skimmed the ending with the Brotherhood of Evil because I don't know how it actually ends and I don't have a good enough understanding of the Brotherhood of Evil/the Doom Patrol to work something out. Larry and Beast King's mom was really just a segway. It won't affect the story anymore. OCs are so much easier to manipulate. Plus, I wanted the reunion to happen this chapter.

So a note about Darkwing. He was only temporary and represented an unsure part of Robin. Robin goes through stages of identity, from his origin, to Richard Grayson, to Robin, Red X, the apprentice, to Darkwing and to Nightwing… only I know where he goes from there.

Please! Please! Please! Please! Go to Photobucket and look at the drawing of adult Raven and Akane. The account is Lankree and it's really important that you understand what Akane looks like.