Disclaimer: I do not own teen titans or the words to 'Paper Tiger' By Dry Kill Logic.
Hand in Hand
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Paper Tiger
December 18th 18:54
It was…dark. Darker than before.
Raven looked around herself at the wasteland that used to be her mind. Nevermore had fallen into disrepair, it was just a skeleton of what it had once been, there was no wind, no noise…no life.
The ground was hard and cold beneath her feet, she could feel the ice cold waves running up into her legs from the ground, but she couldn't move. The air was too oppressive; it was weighing her down and preventing her from levitating.
She looked across the wide expanse of ground, it was grey, all of it was grey and riddled with red lines. Veins across her mind. Veins of fire that tracked glowing patterns all across Nevermore threatening to split apart and bleed with molten anger, ripping her thoughts apart like a paper tiger.
She tried to open her mouth to speak, but it was as if someone had sown her lips shut with acid. She couldn't utter a single word, and it hurt. Goddess how it hurt.
All around her she could see bits and pieces of her emotions, broken parts of things that she used to hold dear, a torn piece of blue cloak here, a broken pair of rectangular gold glasses there, a silver brush littered amongst the broken rocks and a glittering white belt wrapped around the limbs of a twisted tree.
Where were all her emotions?
I have seen what's left for the rest of you,
And it's not what you think it'll be,
For the gift and the curse of what's been shown to you,
I can't believe what I feel it is taking.
She should have felt destroyed that her emotions were gone, but…she felt nothing. She couldn't seem to force herself to feel anything. Horrid realisation curled around her like a hungry viper, what could she feel without her emotions? She didn't feel despair, sorrow, distress or anything like that.
What could she do? She just stood there, her cloak weighing her down as if it was made out of metal instead of fabric, her eyes wide open and her mouth settled into a thin grim line.
"Don't fret so dear Raven, I am still here!" declared an evil voice off to her left; the declaration was followed by a sinister chuckle.
Raven slanted a glance in the general direction of the speaker; she found she was unable to turn her head. She couldn't see anything. How annoying.
"Aren't you even going to turn and face me? Pity." The voice was laced with amusement, "Because that makes me so very angry." The tone of the voice changed slightly and it sent shivers running down Raven's spine, but she wasn't afraid, no she didn't feel anything.
Raven raised her eyes and looked directly in front of her, having given up trying to catch a glimpse of who was talking to her. She felt a pair of hands snake onto her shoulders and hold her still tightly, as if she could go anywhere anyway.
"Are you ignoring me?" hissed the voice coldly in her ear, "That's not a wise decision. We know what happens when you ignore me." There was a small dark chuckle, "This time though, you're little associates aren't here to help you fend me off."
Raven would have widened her eyes, had she been able, she recognised that voice. She knew full well the implications of its appearance. It spelled 'trouble' with a capital 'T'. It was Rage.
"I have you all to myself. Lucky me." The hands moved forward and paused at her neck, she felt a sting of pain as a sharp fingernail was dug into the soft flesh, drawing a thin line of crimson blood. "I wonder Raven, do you want to play?"
The hands tightened on her neck briefly and she thought that perhaps her own emotion was going to kill her; it was a stupid notion because her emotions could not exist without her. But the hands slackened and withdrew. Rage was changing position.
Never give,
Never bend,
It's all a lie to you,
And all you do is seem to remind me,
Of all the times and the ways,
That I would have died for you,
And this is all of the thanks you'll show me.
"It doesn't really matter, whether you want to or not you know." Mused Rage as she planted herself squarely in front of Raven. Rage's cloak was longer than before it billowed around her like a sheet of silk, and it no longer had a cowl. Rage's hair had grown out, it was longer, just past her shoulders but it was still blood red. And the eyes, the eyes were still the same. The four slanted red eyes gazed at Raven contemptuously. "After all, the less emotions you have, the stronger we remaining ones become."
Raven's heart began to beat fast inside her chest, what did that mean? Were her emotions slowly gathering minds and wit of their own? That must be it, for surely Rage had not been this…enigmatic the last time she had made an appearance. Hang on….Rage had said 'we' that meant that had to be other emotions still lurking about somewhere. Oh if only she could move her mouth!
"I can see you wish to know who I am referring to when I say 'we'." Commented Rage reaching out a pale hand and caressing Raven's cheek, "Very well, they'll be gone soon anyway, they do not have the will to hold on and remain. Your Bravery is still here, along with your Determination. The others have all faded away in the most gruesome ways possible and it's all because of you!" Rage practically crowed the last few words.
If you would show the light for me,
The things I'd known,
That now I'd see,
This is…
Not the same, not now, not ever again
"We both know it's going to happen eventually Raven, those other lesser emotions will die off leaving only me! Rage! And I shall consume you Raven, I will become you. I will be the demon that your father wanted for a daughter and will wreak havoc and destruction upon the world!" Rage grinned cruelly and grabbed the sides of Raven's face in her hands. She brought her own, sneering face; close so that they were mere centimetres apart. "And don't you dare get in my way."
She released Raven and backed off, levitating slightly she began to drift around the statue-like girl, Raven tried to follow the action with her eyes but couldn't she gave up and just stared ahead of her, sure enough Rage was going full circle.
She was levitating around Raven, picking up speed as she went; soon she was just a blood coloured blur in the darkness. Raven started to feel dizzy.
"You know the truth better than anyone. Better than Robin, better than Aqualad, you going to bring them down with you, you know." Rage chuckled, "And they'll hate you, despise you for it. You'll be cast out with nowhere to go. Poor little Raven." Rage peeled into a fit of hysterical and maniacal giggling. "Poor little Raven!"
Raven screamed, "NOOOOO!"
When the dreams and the truth came colliding,
And the same can be said for the rest of them,
See the strong and the weak divided,
Yet I feel alive for all the pain I have
Raven jerked into consciousness and sat straight up in her bed. Her chest was heaving and her head was spinning. It had been a dream. She looked around herself and saw the mirror to Nevermore on the other side of the room. That's it, it must have been a dream, she couldn't remember picking up the mirror and it was in the same place that she left it.
It was just a dream.
Oh, thank Goddess!
Raven winced as something on her neck stung. She frowned and reached up with her fingers and touched the place that hurt. She brought her hand down and her eyes widened when she saw they were covered in blood. Her blood. Blood from the wound that Rage had given her.
She bolted to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. She inspected the side of her neck, sure enough there was a thin long scratch running from just below her ear to just above her collarbone.
She washed it quickly, almost absent-mindedly. So it hadn't been just a dream then. Had it been real? Had she really ventured into Nevermore without realising? She went cold as another thought struck her, had Rage found a way into her dreams? Was it going to be safe for her to fall asleep from now on?
What could she do?
The others were out, Cyborg had taken Beast Boy out to cheer him up and breaking up with Terra, Terra had run off somewhere and Starfire had dragged Robin out on the spur of the moment when Bluefire had turned up on the doorstep. She was all alone.
And all you do is seem to remind me,
Of all the times and the ways,
That I would have died for you,
And this is all of the thanks you'll show me.
No, she wasn't alone. She had Aqualad. She reached for her T-Communicator with a hard resolve. He would help her, he always did. She could depend on him, if not anybody else. She flicked the switch and listened to the tone.
She cringed as she remembered, she had forgotten that he had bought tickets to that Restaurant and then she had just slammed the door in his face. Well, she would apologise for that, anyway she would have to explain everything to him anyway if she was to get any good help. She wondered where he would be.
Probably at the restaurant he had mentioned something about not wasting his money. She smiled, he was reliable like that.
She took a deep breath and focused her inner thoughts, she would teleport to the restaurant, yes it was a while a way, but she had no doubt that she could do it. After all she was a strong person really. She was just having an off day.
She closed her eyes.
If you would show the light for me,
The things I'd known,
That now I'd see,
If you would show the light for me,
The things I'd known,
That now I'd see
She found her centre. She levitated into the air slightly in preparation. She could just picture the restaurant in her head. The dim lighting, the quiet music and the smell of the food.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She began chanted her enchanted words over and over again, as mentally she plotted her route, she had often tried to explain to Beast Boy that teleporting was just thinking of a place and going, it was picturing the route in your mind and then willing your soul to travel through it in half a second. Quite simple really. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Her magic suddenly took the form of a raven that surrounded her, made her one with it and then with a silent cry it vanished.
Energy as I feel it calling,
Cannot see through the cloud that is forming,
Blinding as it passes before my eyes,
Looking for the thing that's calling,
Now I see it's coming after,
Now I see it's coming after …me
Raven blinked as she set her feet down on the warm floor of the restaurant. She paused t listen to the music. It was oddly soothing. She smiled again, not a true smile, but to try and block out what she was feeling within, which notably, was rage. She couldn't let that emotion, or her panic show. Not when she was in public.
Now. Where was Aqualad?
She scanned the table in front of her, he wasn't there. She turned to her left and looked, nothing. He had mentioned he would be at the back of the room. She turned around and looked towards the far side of the restaurant.
Her eyes narrowed.
She was definitely feeling rage now.
There in plain view, for the whole world to see was Aqualad, her boyfriend, kissing Terra. That slut. For one unimaginable second, it caught Raven slightly off guard; she wanted nothing more than to rip the blonde's head off.
She tried to quell the feeling. Now was not the time for her to loose control.
Her attempts were in vain however. She gave an angry roar, a demon roar, and immediately the tables around her were wrenched apart by her magic, splinters flying in all directions, impaling unsuspecting customers and waiters to the floor. But she could spare them no thought.
Aqualad and Terra wrenched themselves apart.
"Raven!" shouted Aqualad as he stood up.
Raven ignored him and pulled her magic back. She had to get out of there. If only to save the people. Again, she melted into the form of a raven and passed out of sight, before anything else terrible could happen…
Back in Nevermore Rage cackled with glee.
If you would show the light for me,
The things I'd known,
That now I'd see