Insanity 101: Hehehe, those rants are customary, so I'm used to them. Yeah, well, it's interesting stuff, thought I'd put it in there. Yeah, it was awful, it was like "write, erase, write, erase", ugh. Oh don't worry, you'll know soon enough. Oh, forget about it, I'm going to see those episodes all this week, so by Friday I'll know all about it. Yeah, nice chapter by the way! Sorry about the homework, I start school in a week (hehehe). Why, thank you mate, nice to hear from you, old chum.

hoshi-ko88: Yeah, just a bit. I'm doing my best.

Xiaolinlover: Thanks, I'm rather fond of that chapter. I'm also rather sorry that you don't like the other chapters as much to review them also, but I appreciate your praise.

Child of Blood: Lol, why thank you! It did! It reminds me of Raven somewhat (dodges black-hexed spell book aimed at head) hehehe.

Ok, shut up and read:

Focus. All I need to do is focus.

"That stupid, ugly…"

I have to focus, I have to meditate.

"…double-crosser, traitor, slut…"

It's not worth it, she's not worth it.

"…wring her neck if I get the chance…"

This won't hurt me, I won't let it hurt me…

"…she'll pay if it's the last thing I…"

NO!

Raven felt her fingernails digging into her bare knees. Breathing was difficult; she felt as though a rubber band had been stretched over her chest, constraining it. She didn't dare open her eyes, for fear of losing control.

This isn't me, this isn't like me…

"If I ever cross paths with that…"

It's not like I've never heard those things before…

"She's not from Azarath. You didn't sense those things from her, she said them to your face…"

She didn't know what she was saying…I almost provoked her…

"You're not defending her…are you?"

Raven started at that. This indoor ping-pong match had been going on since Robin left her in her room. Well, he didn't exactly leave…unless you count being pushed out the door by a telekinetic energy shield and having said door slammed in your face leaving. Why he didn't kick the door in, as he had once before, was a mystery to Raven, but she assumed it was because he felt as team leader the responsibility of dealing with Terra, and had decided to leave her in peace for a while.

"Of course it's his responsibility…you don't think he took you here because he cares for you, do you?"

Raven gritted her teeth at the derision that oozed from those last two statements. But that wasn't what bothered her. Since when did she talk to herself in terms of "you"?

No witty response flashed in her head.

Raven slowly opened her eyes. They took some time adjusting to the darkness. Which was fine, because Raven had a lot to think about.

Raven felt unsettled. She struggled to keep her thoughts organized. To her surprise, she almost felt her anger at Terra ebbing away.

"Was I just defending Terra a minute ago?" she said aloud, breaking the familiar, eerie silence that always hovered over her room. No one answered.

Why would anyone do so? She was alone…wasn't she?

Raven's heart began to beat very fast, but in a way that was different than from a half hour ago in the main room. Was that fear pumping through her veins?

She uncrossed her legs and stood up. Her legs felt shaky and unwilling to support her, but Raven's resolve kept them upright. She nervously began to pace the room. She felt as though the walls were closing in on her.

What was going on? Raven felt strange. She felt as though she had just been talking to someone. It was like another presence was lingering around…

Everybody talks to themselves once in a while, she reasoned, wrapping her arms around herself, feeling chilly.

"Why am I feeling afraid? I should be angry, angry at the traitorous earth-shifter!"

Raven stopped short. She felt her arms drop to her sides. Her eyes narrowed. The silence echoing around her room rang out like an alarm bell.

That doesn't sound like me at all…she thought suspiciously. Anger is pointless…

Suddenly, she felt an awful strain sear through her mind. Raven cried out, as she closed her eyes and put her hands to her head. She felt the pain building up.

Just an attack, another fit…Raven thought desperately. It had happened before. They were becoming common these days…especially since Terra showed up.

"Argh!" Raven fell to her knees, the pain continuing to build up in her head. Her mind frantically throve to focus, even in her pain, and to think rationally. But she couldn't help distracting herself in the process.

"It'll be over soon…thisreallyreallyhurts…and when it is…whyisthishappening?...my room will be wrecked again…someonepleasehelp…and nothing worse will have happened."

But this time was different. This time, she didn't open her eyes to find a wrecked room. This time, there was no Boy Wonder to hold her and snap her out of it.

This time was different.

Like a film was being projected in her head, Raven saw images flash before her eyes:

A flash of yellow light, identical to the one in her vision…

Terra's face reflecting on the main room's screen, next to a grinning Beast Boy...

Terra in person, folded safely under Beast Boy's wing…

Terra in her apprentice uniform, floating next to Slade in Raven's dream…

Beast Boy and Starfire taking turns hugging Terra, forgiving that traitor…

Cyborg shielding the earth-shifter, protecting her from certain death…

Terra's smirking face as she casually talked about Arella and the fate of the world, as though she were discussing the weather…

My mother…my mother…

"NOOO!"

Raven clutched the ground in agony, fingers grasping the thick carpet on her bedroom floor as though holding on for dear life, body convulsing with erratic spasms.

Fury rushed through her, enveloping her, suffocating her, squeezing the life out of her. She could feel the ground trembling beneath her, knew what destruction her powers must be causing.

Yet this didn't worry her. Because a second later she was distracted.

Something wasn't natural. Something was wrong.

The anger that coursed through her veins felt foreign. It felt strangely…

Artificial.

Induced.

With a gasp of realization, Raven struggled to bottle up her emotions, as she had done so countless times.

But it was too late.

Suddenly, the sound died away. Raven felt a cold wind blow against her face and make her cloak rustle. The carpet beneath her fingers turned to unforgiving rock. She knew she was outside.

And then she heard a drawling voice she had never wanted to hear again.

"Nice to see you again, Raven. It's about time."