Disclaimer: I do not own teen titans or the words to 'Tell All Your Friends' by Feeder. Take note, I know the emotion Love in not mentioned as a part of Nevermore, but that is because she doesn't exist yet, she will exist later on in the fic however. Thank you, reviewers! You have inspired to post this chapter a week ahead of schedule!
Hand in Hand
Chapter Forty-One: Tell All Your Friends
December 19th 06:05
It was official; Raven had the largest and most acutely annoying headache in the world. It didn't help that she was stood in a deadly silent Nevermore yet again, unable move.
Had she been able to sigh she would of, very loudly.
Life was never simple, and apparently neither was dying. Raven didn't care. Why should she? She had no emotions, well except for ones she didn't particularly want.
"How could you?" snarled a voice suddenly.
Raven stared at Rage, who had appeared in front of her in a thrashing red haze, both sets of eyes hard and gleaming with fierceness unknown to human nature.
"How were you able to keep such a worthless emotion from me?" Rage was practically seething, her chest was heaving and her hands were crackling with black energy, "I thought there were only three of us left, yet you somehow managed to hide your Depression! I don't understand why you would want to hide such a worthless feeling!" Rage spat at Raven's feet.
Raven, in a miraculous turn was able to quirk her lips up into a smirk. The action surprised her, but not too much. She was slowly regaining control of her body, and she was slightly pleased, only very slightly, but she was still pleased. It was more like satisfaction really, but there was a very fine line between the two after all.
Rage glared and narrowed her eyes, "You must have thought you were so smart! Ha, I knew Intellect was up to something, even though she faded away her essence is still here! I can feel it! It is the same with Apathy!" Rage growled, "I don't know how you managed it, your Depression and Determination working together, I suppose Bravery was in their somewhere. I had no part of it. If you die before I get free, I will be killed with you." She drew closer to Raven, "I can not allow that."
Raven managed to open her mouth and utter a few quiet words, "You have no choice in the matter, you are just a part of me."
Rage gave a barking laugh, "Are you sure of that? True, I began as a mere part of you but I have evolved past that point. I am fast becoming a single entity, you will not be able to stop me when I break free, don't even think about killing yourself either, you can't stop me. I'll make sure of it."
Raven's eyes widened as Rage brought her hand up and created a complicated pattern in the air with her magic, "What are you doing?" she demanded as the sign that Rage drew in the air began to glow.
The sign shimmered, and slowly began to take form, within seconds later, instead of just a trail of glittering magic, there was a black cloaked Raven, her black eyes were down cast and filled with tears. "I'm protecting my future." Snarled Rage grabbing the black Raven by the neck, "By killing off Depression."
Depression began to sob uncontrollably in Rage's vice like grip, but Raven could do nothing to help, being trapped in a statue like shape, "Stop it!" she cried, trying in vain to move her body but to no avail.
Rage's face turned smug and her eyes glinted, "You cannot stop what I've started." She declared and then drove her clawed hand, still glowing with magic, directly through Depression's back.
Raven felt bile rise up in her throat as Rage's clawed hand erupted from the front of Depression's chest clutching a still beating heart.
Staring out to reach a star,
Contemplating life on Mars,
Life's a cover magazine,
I'm an eggshell under feet
Raven bolted up in the bed and screamed.
Robin who had been dozing lightly in the chair next to the bed awoke with a start and miscalculating his position, fell awkwardly and landed on the floor with a loud 'oof'.
He clambered back up to his feet and grabbed Raven by the shoulders and shook her gently, her eyes were clenched shut and she was trembling. The scream wasn't like any scream he had ever heard before, it wasn't fear induced, it was…he didn't know how to put it; it was just one long continuous mournful note.
"Raven!" he shouted loudly over her odd scream, hoping beyond hope to try and get through to her, it wouldn't do to have the staff running in and complaining, he knew that most of the nurses were off checking on the cancer patients, he had taken the liberty of checking their rota when he went to get a cup of coffee to try and keep himself awake.
Her eyes snapped open and focused on him.
He forced himself not to stare, and it was damn near impossible not to, her eyes, when once they had been violet and exotic they were now darker, almost red. Not red as if they were bloodshot, but red as if she had dropped a film of dark silk on her eyes.
"Robin?" her voice, which he had expected to sound hoarse and quiet as the doctors had told him it would, was an octave lower than usual and as smooth as satin. He blinked when he heard his name, "Where am I?"
Until I see this house under pale blue skies,
With golden fields that will burn your eyes,
So let's take a drive underneath the sun
Robin shifted nervously and releasing her shoulders he sat back in the chair next to her bed, she turned her head slightly to face him, and he had a horrible feeling deep in his stomach that he wasn't talking to the real Raven, it just felt wrong. "You're in Jump City Hospital." He said slowly.
Her eyes clouded for a second and she looked as if she was contemplating something, "Why am I here?" she asked finally.
Robin stared at her incredulous, she had to ask? What was going on here? "You tried to kill yourself, remember?" he reached over and gently turned her arm over so that her wrist was facing upwards. He watched her face intently, not liking the way things were turning out one little bit. This had to be something to do with the death of Azarath. That girl, Alexial, had warned them about it.
Raven looked down at her wrist, slowly she lifted her other wrist and stared at them critically, her eyes, just for a moment flashed a brighter more intense shade of red, "Well, this simply will not do." Her voice was darker, colder, and there was an evil undertone to it, it made Robin shiver, but as he watched, her eyes narrowed. He looked back down to her wrists and almost started in surprise as the raw skin began to stretch and regrow, fibres of grey flesh began knitting themselves back together, erasing the wounds and leaving her arms, smooth and scarless.
Robin gaped, "H…How?"
The red eyed Raven looked at him, "It must be magic." She leered sarcastically.
Robin blinked again; Raven had never, never ever used that tone of voice with him, or anyone else before. Something foul was going on. "Who are you?" he demanded firmly.
The red eyed Raven inflected darkly, "I am the Demon Rage!"
Even as the announcement left her lips, Raven's body seemed to shudder slightly and her eyes flickered closed. She fell back against the pillows and seemed to be a sleep, but a few seconds later her brow creased into a frown and her eyelashes rose, revealing the normal violet irises.
New intentions all around,
Put the brakes on, slow it down,
Trying to find a new release,
Trying to find a space that you can breathe
"Raven?" asked Robin warily edging forwards slightly, to peer closely at her.
"Robin…I…I can explain…"
Robin sighed and smiled gently, "I'm here to help, and I think you better tell me everything, starting with who is the Demon Rage?"
Raven's eyes flickered closed for a second and then they opened again to fix him with a steady gaze, "Do you remember a year or two ago when we fought Dr. Light?"
Robin ran back across the list of villains that he stored in his head, he remembered the night well, it was the night Raven had gone crazy. As far as he knew Dr. Light was still in a mental institution somewhere. "Yeah, but what's that got to do with-"
Raven cut him off, "I haven't finished." She said with a determined light in her eyes, "That night something got loose in my mind." She blinked owlishly, "Beast Boy and Cyborg came to check up on me after I destroyed breakfast the next morning, and they accidentally transferred themselves into Nevermore, the dimension inside my mind."
"You have a dimension inside your head?" he exclaimed loudly, seeing her annoyed look he closed his mouth, "Sorry."
"That mirror that you picked up last month that is the main gateway into Nevermore. In Nevermore reside all of my emotions. They are versions of me, but they only have the ability to feel one thing. They are named after that one thing. Intellect, Happiness, Bravery, Timidity, Depression, Determination, Sloth, Vanity, Apathy and Rage."
Robin expelled a breath, "So you're saying that the Demon Rage is one of your emotions?"
"Yes. The day Beast Boy and Cyborg entered my mind Rage had gotten loose and had transformed into my father, the demon Trigon. Combining the efforts of all my other emotions I managed to contain her before she did any damage and I merged her back into co-existence." She sighed, "Now she's loose again."
"So, let's go into Nevermore and seal her away again or whatever it was you did. Ask your other emotions to help you."
Raven looked pained, "I can't."
But I've seen a house under pale blue skies,
With golden fields that will burn your eyes,
So let's take a drive underneath the sun
"What? Why not?" Robin was trying very hard to understand what was going on, but he was trying to take in all this new information and come up with a suitable solution at the same time.
Raven blinked again, "Because I only have three emotions left. Rage, Bravery and Determination. The essence of Intellect and Apathy are still clinging to the corners of Nevermore but they do not have substance. Depression…was still there until recently…" she trailed off, but didn't break his gaze.
"How recently?" Robin asked gently, wanting nothing more than to hold her hand and comfort her, but he couldn't take advantage. It wasn't honourable.
"Until just before I woke up." She shivered in memory.
"What happened?"
"Rage killed it off." There was no sadness in her voice; she was just stating a fact, "The less emotions I have the more powerful the remaining ones are."
"How does that work then?" he questioned raising an eyebrow.
Raven inclined her head slightly, "My power is shared out between my emotions equally, when their number is cut the larger the share that they receive. If one emotion was to have all the power then it would be a constant battle of wills between me and that emotion to keep control of my mind and body."
"I see." Robin nodded, it made sense really, when you thought about it, he never really knew what it meant to have to control your emotions all of the time, but he supposed that it couldn't be too great, in fact it sounded quite terrible. "So what can you do about it?"
"I have no idea." She admitted slowly, "I've been thinking about it and mulling it over for a few months now and no answer has presented itself."
"A few months?" exclaimed Robin, "How long have you known you were in trouble? Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"I didn't want to worry you all."
"Worry us? Raven, we're your friends! Worrying is what we do best! You opened up to Aqualad though didn't you?" he accused tightly without meaning to, "Why can't you open up to us?"
She stiffened at the atlantian's name, "Aqualad noticed something was wrong on his own. I didn't have to tell him." Her eyes flickered to the door behind Robin for a moment as if she was waiting for something and then she snapped her gaze back to him, "I care about the titan's at titan's tower too much to depress everyone with my own problems."
"But we're there to help you!" whined Robin in a voice that was not flattering for a boy of his age.
Raven shook her head as if trying to will the conversation away. She clenched her eyes shut. Robin stared at her, waiting for her to open her eyes. When she did, it wasn't Raven he was talking to.
Rage smiled darkly, her two red eyes flashing, "Raven's not here right now. You can talk to me if you like." Without waiting for an answer she continued, "Did you know Beast Boy and Terra broke up? Raven and Aqualad have for that matter, though Raven's break up style was the most spectacular thing I've ever seen, I can be held responsible for only part of it."
But don't you come round, pulling me down,
Telling all the world that I let you down,
Just tell all your friends,
That I wanna dream with you
"What did you do?" demanded Robin in a harsh tone, he really didn't like this Rage, even if she was a part of Raven, she creeped him out and the permanent sneer on her features made her almost unbearable to look at. His stomach tightened though at her words, had she hurt Aqualad? True he no longer liked the atlantian, but he wouldn't want to see him killed.
Rage laughed, "Me? It wasn't me that started it Robin dear, it was Aqualad who betrayed Raven's trust. It was Terra who despised Raven so much to tear her world apart."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that Raven walked in on her boyfriend in the middle of an intimate act with Terra! Raven blew up several tables when she caught them at it!" crowed Rage laughing.
Robin swallowed uneasily, as Rage laughed he glimpsed a pair of razor sharp fangs, "So, Aqualad cheated on Raven with Terra?" it just didn't compute. Aqualad had never shown any interest in the blonde. Never. "Why are you telling me this?"
Rage sat up suddenly and stared down at him, "So that I can watch you squirm."
Enough, was enough decided Robin sitting straight in his chair, it was time that he addressed the problem head on, with out any interruptions, "Rage. What do you want with Raven?"
Rage leered at him, "Haven't figured out have you? I'm going to tear her to pieces and rise up as Trigon's true daughter in her place, only a few more emotions to go Robin and then absolute power will be mine!"
"You can't do that!"
"Why not? No one's strong enough to try and stop me are they? Are you? No, not even Raven is anymore." She chuckled, "My path to victory is clear, for now I can only take control at intervals, as soon as I finish off Nevermore I will take full control. Permanently."
"If you take full control, what will happen to Raven?"
"She will cease to exist."
So tell your friends and your neighbours too,
CNN, BBC, World News,
Tell all your friends I wanna dream with you
"NO!" yelled Robin leaping from his chair, and balling his fists at his sides, why was life so damn complicated? "You can't let that happen, I…I…"
"I know you love Raven, I heard your little admission last night, even if she didn't." mocked Rage, "But she can NEVER love you back, and do you know why? Because for Raven, the emotion Love does not exist!"
"You. Are. Lying."
"Deny it all you like, you know she didn't mention Love when she was naming her emotions, yet she named all the others!"
Robin scowled, and then he realised something, "But she didn't mention hatred either, which is the opposite of Love!"
Rage's grin widened and the two sharp canine fangs indented her lower lips, "Hatred is part of Rage, and you should know Robin that Hate is not the opposite of Love."
"Of course it is! You either love it or you hate it! What else is there?"
"Indifference."
Robin floundered for a moment, he felt out of his depth in the conversation, "She didn't mention Indifference either" he said hotly, already knowing the answer that would come back at him.
"And what, pray tell, do you think Apathy is then?"
Robin glared.
Tell all your friends,
Tell all your friends,
Tell all your friends
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
"You bring Raven back right now!" he pointed to the floor as if to emphasise his point, "Raven can you hear me? Come back! Don't let Rage boss you about like this!"
Rage suddenly frowned; she raised her eyes to Robin, "She listens to you. How annoying." The redness in her eyes started to fade back to violet, "But it looks like I have a new toy to play with at least."
The violet eyes returned, the sharp fangs retracted and Raven started trembling uncontrollably.
"Raven?"
I don't want to sit here catching house flies,
Because I've seen a house under pale blue skies,
With golden fields that will burn your eyes,
So let's take a drive underneath the sun
She didn't look up. "Robin. Get me out of here."
But don't come around, pulling me down,
Telling the world how I let you down,
Just tell all your friends,
I wanna dream with you,
So tell all your friends and neighbours too,
CNN, BBC, World News,
Tell all your friends,
I wanna dream with you