a.n.: TheSkeet- Thank you. 3 VampireSelene- Oh, thankies. It'll continue for awhile. mysti-eyed- this takes place before season four... sometime during season 3. But I'm just completely ignoring that whole Titans East thing there... Lulu Cross- Thank you. I've tried my best to keep them as close to the shows as possible, but sometimes they seem very different. x.x; LM22102- Thanks. I think Slade and Raven work well together, too. Although I'm still undecided as to what they're going to be in this story... I'm really making it up as I go along. pink goth- waaaaa, thank yew... :3 gracefulraven- Thanks, and good luck with your story. :)

Chapter 2

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..." Raven chanted as she meditated on top of Titans Tower. The girl had gone to the roof partly because she wanted the calmness of the breeze and water, but also for fear that Slade had other communicators stashed around the Tower. How he even snuck them into the tower was beyond her.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

Raven debated whether or not to tell the guys about her conversation with their worst enemy. If she did, she would have to tell them what was talked about. That would lead to a horrible domino effect. However much she didn't want to admit it, Slade had started the faintest hint of doubt in her. If only she could talk with her friends about it, the doubts might be dispelled, but the fact was she couldn't.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

Raven would just have to work out this problem on her own, like she had done with all the others. The girl didn't need to involve her friends in this. Friends... "But isn't that what friends are for?" Slade's voice played over in her mind. "To share the burden? To help you through your problems? Or don't you trust them?" A grimace crossed her face. She did trust the Titans. She trusted them with her life. But there were things she didn't want them to know; personal things. Besides, everyone had secrets. Starfire had her own secrets, and Robin had secrets he'd never so much as hint to the other Titans. Slade himself definitely had his own secrets and problems, and he didn't need friends to help work them out...wait! Why was she comparing herself to Slade! Raven shook her head and let out a deep, almost cleansing sigh.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

A soft breeze fluttered past her, tossing her dark hair and cape out behind her meditating form. All she had to do was forget what he had said. He was remarkable at bending the truth, so she shouldn't accept anything he said. But as Slade was talking, everything had sounded as if it made sense. He was articulately talented and knew exactly what he had to say to her. "That's all you've wanted, isn't it, to be accepted?"

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"How can they accept you when they barely know you?"

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"But then again, what do you know about them?"

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!..." Raven's chant became harsh and forced. She couldn't remove Slade's words from her mind. Her meditation wasn't even helping to calm her. A pained expression consumed her face as she chanted. Why? Why was Slade picking on her? Why was he trying to make her doubt her teammates? What was he up to this time? "My dear, I'm just pointing out that they may be friendly toward you, but you have no true friends." Raven cringed.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

What was in it for him? Why bother with confusing her? Raven saw what had happened to Terra. Did Slade really think the dark girl would jump to follow that path? Nothing good could ever come from that. Nothing good ever did. Terra was now a statue and Slade was still as evil as ever. Did he really think that at the first doubt planted she'd turn her back on her friends? "My dear, it may be nice to know they care about you, and that shallow fact might get you through part of your life, but you will always feel a void."

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"You will always long to be understood..."

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"...to be able to talk about your secrets freely to someone who has the slightest grasp of what you've gone through."

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"To have the support of someone who feels the same as you."

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"To have the encouragement that your can get through it and remain for the most part unchanged."

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"Your so-called friends can never give you that, Raven." The dark girl cringed again. She hated how he said her name; that he even knew her name. Why couldn't she block his words? Why were they so haunting? Was it because they were true? -No. They were not true. They weren't. They couldn't be.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

Raven knew she would have to tell her friends that Slade contacted her. Maybe if they saw the dark girl not wanting to divulge too much information, they wouldn't ask much. She also knew that if Robin got the smallest trace of Slade, he'd go into his regular search-and-destroy mode. However, if the Titans went after their enemy, he might stop bothering Raven. That would give her peace of mind. The dark girl just had to be careful how much she told her friends. "You don't want to talk about it because then you would have to explain your secrets, which brings us back to the fact that you can't discuss such matters with your friends because they're not as close as you would like to think."

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"You have many deep, dark secrets, child." Raven clenched her teeth. Why did he refer to her as 'child' all the time? Was he trying to make her feel inferior? Whatever his reasons, she hated it.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

And why did he call her 'my dear'? She wasn't his dear anything.

"Raven."

Shut up! It was like his voice had been recorded in her head and was now replaying against her will. She had tried blocking it or thinking of other things, but nothing worked. Slade's voice kept popping up, rattling off some line from the conversation earlier.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"I know many things about you, Raven."

When were the boys coming back?

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"I perhaps know you better than the Titans."

Figuring them at a place surrounded by games, they could return later than Starfire.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

"Do they really understand you?"

She needed her friends.

"Azarath, Metrion-"

"Raven!"

That was it. The girl let out a scream, dropping to the hard surface. She thought she heard Slade's laugh. It was so loud, so close. Raven jumped to her feet and wildly looked around the rooftop. She was the only one there. It had just been her mind replaying a memory.

"Stay out of my head!" the dark girl shouted. It was directed to nothing – to anything – to Slade. Raven pulled her hood over her head and gazed out over the water to the setting sun. Evening was slowly approaching. The girl had spent almost the whole afternoon meditating. She wondered if she could wait up there until her friends returned. She was answered by a distant rumble; a thunderstorm was approaching. So much for that plan.

Very cautiously Raven returned inside. The living room was just as she had left it: her book on a couch, the shattered glass bottle in front of the small fridge, and the broken communicator on the table near the TV. The girl wanted something to keep her from thinking of that conversation. Reading was too quiet. She would clearly be able to hear herself think. Raven glanced around the room and her eyes landed on the big screen. Perfect. It would keep her distracted and melt her brain. Maybe the memories of Slade would go with it.

A few hours later the boys returned, talking about the games they played. Upon entering the living room they stopped short.

"No way," breathed Cyborg.

"She... she..." Beast Boy stuttered, "she's- playing a video game? Raven's playing a video game!" Suddenly a string of victorious tunes trumpeted from the TV. It showed Robin's name in big letters under an enormous score being crushed by Raven's name with an even larger number. Beast Boy and Cyborg turned to Robin, who was wearing an expression of shock and surprise.

"Oh, hey, guys," the girl said once she finally noticed them.

"I thought you didn't like video games! I thought you said they were mind-numbing and brain-melting and senseless!" accused the green boy.

"I don't, and they are," she replied. She picked up the broken communicator and took it over to Robin.

"So why were you playing them?" Beast Boy asked, now very confused.

"As a distraction." Raven wouldn't explain further, especially to him.

"What's this?" Robin questioned when she dropped the pieces into his hands.

"It's Slade's. I found it and destroyed it. I don't know if he has more around–"

"When did you find it?" the masked boy interrupted.

"I dunno," Raven said with a shrug, "maybe two hours or more after you left." Robin's eyes widened.

"You found it this morning and didn't bother to call me?"

"It was already broken," she defended quickly.

"Well, what have you been doing all this time? Playing games?"

"Meditating," hissed Raven in a threatening tone. "And it's not like you weren't playing games all day long."

"I wasn't the one who found this! Raven, this is Slade we're talking about!" Robin exclaimed.

"Don't you think I know that?" retorted the dark girl. Even though she rarely raised her voice, her tone was just as harsh as Robin's.

"Whoa, guys. Time out," Cyborg said, stepping between the two.

"Robin, chill," spoke up Beast Boy.

"Next time, Raven, don't waste time meditating and tell me about this stuff. This is serious," the masked boy argued, closing his fingers around the broken communicator. Fire burned in Raven's eyes. The large, semicircular couch was suddenly consumed by darkness and shot into the air. It landed upside-down and closer to the TV.

"My meditation is serious, too, and believe me, after Slade, I needed it!" Quickly her eyes widened and she stifled a gasp. She had said more than she wanted to.

"Did you talk to Slade on this thing?" Robin asked, his voice much softer now. The girl backed up a step. She couldn't answer that. It would lead to too many other things. Suddenly a shadow engulfed her and she sank through the floor. The three remained silent for awhile. Soon Beast Boy's nervous laugh was heard.

"I guess we shouldn't go to the Mega Arcade for the whole day from now on."

"Yeah," agreed Cyborg. "But it was so awesome, man!" The green skinned boy erupted with laughter and the two began talking about the games again. Robin slipped out and headed for his room where he could thoroughly study the communicator.

Raven laid in her bed, arms wrapped around a pillow. Robin had never yelled at her like that. She felt very insignificant and lonely. The girl wasn't even going to try meditating again. She listened to the rain pouring outside her windows. Slowly she felt her eyelids drifting closed. Just as she was almost lulled to sleep, a voice broke the serene silence.

"Now is that how a real friend would've acted?" Oh, no. No, no, no, no! Raven shot up and looked around.

"You put a communicator in my room?" she cried.

--

Next update: Monday the 29th. Just so you know. )