Disclaimer: I don't own teen titans or the words to the song Handful
Of Redemption by Boysetsfire
Hand in Hand
Chapter Five: Handful Of Redemption
Aqualad scowled at the fish that swam suddenly in front of him, halting his progress towards his underwater cave. Without realising it he telepathically scolded the little fish for getting in the way. The fish gaped at him before turning on its tail and fleeing.
The atlantian was thinking hard, and all of his thoughts were focused around one person and one person alone. Raven Roth. He had been fascinated with her since they had first met and he had saved the titan's lives. Usually she seemed to be happy when ever he came to visit but he knew almost instantly that tonight there was something wrong.
## The sick and tired refrain of everyday,
Is branding itself into you##
He had sensed that she was sad about something, had he not known any better he would have thought she was mourning a death. Her eyes were almost empty; true they had always been expressionless but never empty. That night when she had looked at him, all he had seen was endless darkness stretching out inside her mind. It had shocked him; he had never seen that kind of nothingness reflected in the eyes of any living creature before.
He frowned as he swam past a colourful reef of fluorescent coral; the colours stared up at him, a mixture of pink, red and green. Normally he would stop and admire the wondrous colours but tonight he couldn't spare them a thought.
Raven, she was so quiet, he could see why none of the titans had any idea that anything was wrong; she always seemed so reluctant to talk. She was always...he paused for a moment to think of the word, she was always...so introverted. Maybe she didn't want anyone to know what was wrong with her. That made his frown deepen, didn't she know that keeping things locked inside was bad for her health? He understood that she couldn't express herself very much, but that didn't mean not at all.
He slowed for a second and sat upon a rocky arch that brightly coloured eels were weaving in and out of in delightful and intricate shapes, their scaly skin flashing in the moonlight that filtered down through the waves.
He rested his elbow on his knee and his chin in the palm of his hand.
## Discouragement defined by all the times,
When everything just falls apart##
What was wrong with her? Truly he didn't understand why she was so sad, atlantians were supposed to hold superior knowledge over all things including the emotions that made humans do what they do. But Raven was still an enigma to him. He had no idea what made her tick, he didn't know what she lived for, what she loved, it didn't occur to him that maybe she didn't love. In fact, he scowled at the water before him; he hardly knew anything about her past her name and powers.
## And your skeletons have broken down the door,
And left you there for dead##
He pushed himself forward off his perch and dived down into the darker regions of the ocean that he knew so well, his black hair trailed behind, caught in the current his own haste was making.
Why didn't the other titans try to involve her more in their everyday activities? Beast Boy had often told him how angry Raven got when ever he said anything to her in a joking manner, and even he too could understand why Beast Boy's incessant and bland jokes would annoy her.
Time and time again the titans had explained away Raven's absence at days out, or group lunches as her wanting to be left alone.
Aqualad scowled as he swam deep into the mouth of a dark cave.
Nobody could want to be alone all the time, human nature craved companionship, even the people who said they didn't need friends often did. It was one of the flaws to the human design. Another flaw was the ability to lie so effortlessly as if it didn't matter. True Raven hadn't come right out and said that she was happy but she hadn't admitted that she wasn't, in fact she seemed to dance around the subject as if it were dangerous. That was just as bad.
## How do we find a little piece of heaven
In our time before we find acceptance
When no one understands at this point
That a handful of redemption's all we need##
His head broke the water as he arrived in the underground cavern he had shown the titans to on the first time they had met. He had fond memories of the place, but he did not want to indulge himself in them now. He stepped up onto the back and shook himself briskly, like a dog, to rid himself of excess water. He flicked a strand on wet hair from his eyes and walked forward.
He began pacing.
## From remorse to rebirth,
Finding it hard to think that this is really true##
What was Raven missing from her life? He thought back to a few hours earlier, Raven had arrived behind Robin and Starfire. She had looked sad to begin with but then the empty expression had re-lighted in her face. He put his hands behind his back as he paced.
She had approached slowly and had looked at the all of the titans in turn. He counted himself lucky that he had caught that, true he had been in conversation with Robin at the time but he had thought to keep an eye on her as well. He did after all have a soft spot for the gothic sorceress.
He growled softly to himself, mild derision had crossed her face when she had looked at Cyborg and Beast Boy and a flicker of envy and almost hatred had been visible when her eyes had settled on terror. She had smiled when she looked at Starfire and there was something very sad in her expression when she had looked at Robin. Then she had looked at him but he had had to focus all his attention on the conversation for a moment to make it seem as if he hadn't been watching her. He had turned and motioned to her and she had approached him...almost warily.
Aqualad ran a hand through his hair. She was so hard to figure out!
## Ask how long should we wait,
Before we take instead of waiting to be free##
He racked his brains trying to remember more. He usually had a perfect memory but his mind was so...blurred with thoughts of the expression on her face that he was having trouble recalling thoughts his brain had given birth to only moments before.
Okay, she had replied evasively when he had questioned her. She had also questioned his reasons for asking by saying he was never around to know that much about her. Aqualad paused in his pacing and then resumed it a moment later.
## And all, all the fear all the anger falls away
All the days that were wasted cut and pasted fall away##
She had then smiled, albeit mirthlessly at Robin when she realised that he had ordered her food for her. Something clicked in the atlantians brain.
"She's lonely." He whispered to himself.
He looked up at the roof of the cave, maybe she wanted Robin to make her loneliness go away. It, on reflection, certainly seemed like it. Aqualad's expression turned sour, but Robin had a thing for Starfire, Beast Boy had told him, so was the boy wonder toying with Raven's feelings? He sincerely hoped not.
## Never walked so tall until that moment,
When fate and circumstance collide##
Hmm, he would have to find out about that. It was clear to see that Starfire also liked Robin. Perhaps that was why Raven did not speak out about her feelings. But that still did not explain Raven's apparent dislike for Terra.
It was all very confusing.
## When all it takes is a step that you never saw,
And all the burdens fall away##
Aqualad stopped moving and put his hands on his hips. He glared at the water before him as if it had somehow offended him. He had to find out what was going on. His human friends were very dear to him and if there was discord among them he took it upon himself to sort the mess out.
## How do we find a little piece of heaven
In our time before we find acceptance
When no one understands at this point
That a handful of redemption's all we need##
But then maybe, the atlantian thought a small smile finding its way onto his previous scowling features, maybe he could be the one that chased Raven's loneliness far, far away.
##Redemption's all we need,
Yeah, Redemption's all we need##
Hand in Hand
Chapter Five: Handful Of Redemption
Aqualad scowled at the fish that swam suddenly in front of him, halting his progress towards his underwater cave. Without realising it he telepathically scolded the little fish for getting in the way. The fish gaped at him before turning on its tail and fleeing.
The atlantian was thinking hard, and all of his thoughts were focused around one person and one person alone. Raven Roth. He had been fascinated with her since they had first met and he had saved the titan's lives. Usually she seemed to be happy when ever he came to visit but he knew almost instantly that tonight there was something wrong.
## The sick and tired refrain of everyday,
Is branding itself into you##
He had sensed that she was sad about something, had he not known any better he would have thought she was mourning a death. Her eyes were almost empty; true they had always been expressionless but never empty. That night when she had looked at him, all he had seen was endless darkness stretching out inside her mind. It had shocked him; he had never seen that kind of nothingness reflected in the eyes of any living creature before.
He frowned as he swam past a colourful reef of fluorescent coral; the colours stared up at him, a mixture of pink, red and green. Normally he would stop and admire the wondrous colours but tonight he couldn't spare them a thought.
Raven, she was so quiet, he could see why none of the titans had any idea that anything was wrong; she always seemed so reluctant to talk. She was always...he paused for a moment to think of the word, she was always...so introverted. Maybe she didn't want anyone to know what was wrong with her. That made his frown deepen, didn't she know that keeping things locked inside was bad for her health? He understood that she couldn't express herself very much, but that didn't mean not at all.
He slowed for a second and sat upon a rocky arch that brightly coloured eels were weaving in and out of in delightful and intricate shapes, their scaly skin flashing in the moonlight that filtered down through the waves.
He rested his elbow on his knee and his chin in the palm of his hand.
## Discouragement defined by all the times,
When everything just falls apart##
What was wrong with her? Truly he didn't understand why she was so sad, atlantians were supposed to hold superior knowledge over all things including the emotions that made humans do what they do. But Raven was still an enigma to him. He had no idea what made her tick, he didn't know what she lived for, what she loved, it didn't occur to him that maybe she didn't love. In fact, he scowled at the water before him; he hardly knew anything about her past her name and powers.
## And your skeletons have broken down the door,
And left you there for dead##
He pushed himself forward off his perch and dived down into the darker regions of the ocean that he knew so well, his black hair trailed behind, caught in the current his own haste was making.
Why didn't the other titans try to involve her more in their everyday activities? Beast Boy had often told him how angry Raven got when ever he said anything to her in a joking manner, and even he too could understand why Beast Boy's incessant and bland jokes would annoy her.
Time and time again the titans had explained away Raven's absence at days out, or group lunches as her wanting to be left alone.
Aqualad scowled as he swam deep into the mouth of a dark cave.
Nobody could want to be alone all the time, human nature craved companionship, even the people who said they didn't need friends often did. It was one of the flaws to the human design. Another flaw was the ability to lie so effortlessly as if it didn't matter. True Raven hadn't come right out and said that she was happy but she hadn't admitted that she wasn't, in fact she seemed to dance around the subject as if it were dangerous. That was just as bad.
## How do we find a little piece of heaven
In our time before we find acceptance
When no one understands at this point
That a handful of redemption's all we need##
His head broke the water as he arrived in the underground cavern he had shown the titans to on the first time they had met. He had fond memories of the place, but he did not want to indulge himself in them now. He stepped up onto the back and shook himself briskly, like a dog, to rid himself of excess water. He flicked a strand on wet hair from his eyes and walked forward.
He began pacing.
## From remorse to rebirth,
Finding it hard to think that this is really true##
What was Raven missing from her life? He thought back to a few hours earlier, Raven had arrived behind Robin and Starfire. She had looked sad to begin with but then the empty expression had re-lighted in her face. He put his hands behind his back as he paced.
She had approached slowly and had looked at the all of the titans in turn. He counted himself lucky that he had caught that, true he had been in conversation with Robin at the time but he had thought to keep an eye on her as well. He did after all have a soft spot for the gothic sorceress.
He growled softly to himself, mild derision had crossed her face when she had looked at Cyborg and Beast Boy and a flicker of envy and almost hatred had been visible when her eyes had settled on terror. She had smiled when she looked at Starfire and there was something very sad in her expression when she had looked at Robin. Then she had looked at him but he had had to focus all his attention on the conversation for a moment to make it seem as if he hadn't been watching her. He had turned and motioned to her and she had approached him...almost warily.
Aqualad ran a hand through his hair. She was so hard to figure out!
## Ask how long should we wait,
Before we take instead of waiting to be free##
He racked his brains trying to remember more. He usually had a perfect memory but his mind was so...blurred with thoughts of the expression on her face that he was having trouble recalling thoughts his brain had given birth to only moments before.
Okay, she had replied evasively when he had questioned her. She had also questioned his reasons for asking by saying he was never around to know that much about her. Aqualad paused in his pacing and then resumed it a moment later.
## And all, all the fear all the anger falls away
All the days that were wasted cut and pasted fall away##
She had then smiled, albeit mirthlessly at Robin when she realised that he had ordered her food for her. Something clicked in the atlantians brain.
"She's lonely." He whispered to himself.
He looked up at the roof of the cave, maybe she wanted Robin to make her loneliness go away. It, on reflection, certainly seemed like it. Aqualad's expression turned sour, but Robin had a thing for Starfire, Beast Boy had told him, so was the boy wonder toying with Raven's feelings? He sincerely hoped not.
## Never walked so tall until that moment,
When fate and circumstance collide##
Hmm, he would have to find out about that. It was clear to see that Starfire also liked Robin. Perhaps that was why Raven did not speak out about her feelings. But that still did not explain Raven's apparent dislike for Terra.
It was all very confusing.
## When all it takes is a step that you never saw,
And all the burdens fall away##
Aqualad stopped moving and put his hands on his hips. He glared at the water before him as if it had somehow offended him. He had to find out what was going on. His human friends were very dear to him and if there was discord among them he took it upon himself to sort the mess out.
## How do we find a little piece of heaven
In our time before we find acceptance
When no one understands at this point
That a handful of redemption's all we need##
But then maybe, the atlantian thought a small smile finding its way onto his previous scowling features, maybe he could be the one that chased Raven's loneliness far, far away.
##Redemption's all we need,
Yeah, Redemption's all we need##