DISCLAIMER: I don't own the titans, nor do I own anything affiliated with them. I do, however, retain the right to call any unique characters I create my intellectual property. That about sums up the disclaimer. Have fun reading the story!
I know, I know, there hasn't been much action in the plot yet. However, I never said there would be a lot in the first place, so there. (LoL) Anyway, as you can probably tell, my story is primarily going to center on Raven and my new character, whom will finally be named next chapter (well, sort of). However, I will be adding just a smidgeon of Robin/Starfire as I go along, which you most likely noticed from last chapter. (We'll just assume Cyborg is visiting Titans East on weekends to see Bumblebee.)
Besides all that, I trust you have enjoyed my fanfic so far, as I can only say that it will improve from here (I hope I don't have to eat those words…). Also, I'd like to encourage anyone reading these chapters to leave a review and tell me what you think of the storyline. I don't want to pressure you into writing some epic letter, just a line or two that expresses your thoughts. Please don't hesitate to send in negative feedback either, as the only way I will ever get better is if people point out my faults.
I'd also like to take the time to thank:
kay jolyn
Elihu
whitedarkness
They are my only reviewers as of my posting this, and I thank each of you for your input and advice pertaining to my work.
Thank you for reading, and I truly hope you enjoy Chapter 4.
Dr. Wraith rose to his feet slowly, brushing off his black jumpsuit and shoving aside several seekers as he made his way to the front of the group. He stood perfectly still, his posture revealing nothing about his mood, nor even the slightest hint of an injury sustained from the attack. All he did was stare straight ahead at the specimen before him, his specimen, pondering over the best way to punish such outlandish behavior.
A sudden glint in his eyes revealed much.
-
At the same time Morgan was propelled backwards, Raven had been trying to sort out the mixed feelings she was suddenly having. Something like this had never happened before, and it was with quite a bit of apprehension that she began to contemplate what exactly was influencing her so greatly.
That boy…no, young man before her had evoked several emotions that she had not felt in a very long time. Happiness, uncertainty, warmth, and fear all played a part in her feelings whenever she let this handsome stranger overtake her concentration.
Had she really just thought that? He was handsome, to be sure, but why did she center on such a meaningless quality? She had met plenty of pleasant looking boys in her time; Robin, Aqualad, Speedy, even Beast Boy could look rather cute when he wasn't pestering her about video games or some such nonsense. Why was it that she was fixated on this particular individual above any other?
A sudden thought came to her, and she had almost disregarded it before thinking that it may hold some answers to the turmoil brewing in her head. After she had finished probing his mind, the young man had cast her such a heart warming smile that she felt as if her face had gone up in flames. However, it wasn't the smile itself that she was pondering over, but what it had entailed.
Was it possible that he understood her? None of the other young men in her life had ever tried to do that before. Robin, of course, sympathized with what she had gone through, and Beast Boy seemed to think that if he got her to laugh just once the entire world would fall right into her lap, but neither of them had taken the time to truly find out who she was.
And now, this young man, someone she had never even laid eyes on before, came out of nowhere seeming to understand just that.
Confused and frightened by these new feelings that began to swell deep inside her, Raven had been startled to see him react so violently towards the individual before him. The anger, the tone of his voice, even the tears cascading down his face inevitably brought memories of her struggles with Trigon bubbling to the surface. He was acting the same way with this Dr. Wraith that she had behaved with her own father, and for what it was worth, she could relate to him in that respect.
Perhaps, in some vague manner that neither of them could quite explain, he did understand her better than she could have believed possible.
Or had ever hoped for.
Her thoughts would have to wait, though, as the tall, ominous figure began his casual stroll back towards the young man who had just moments ago been seething with rage the equivalent of anything Raven had felt in a very long time.
The youth, whom she now knew without doubt to be an elemental of some sort, looked absolutely haggard. His eyes were sunken in, and his jaw was just hanging open in the late night breeze. Her heart went out to him, but Robin had not yet said for them to make their move, so she bid her time and hoped that the young man would live up to whatever expectations her leader had placed upon him.
The Boy Wonder had made it back over to the group by this time, Starfire trailing behind by only a few steps. When Raven asked why he had not ordered an immediate assault, he sighed, and simply stated that they still needed to know more about the situation before they just recklessly charged. The young empath was not so sure there would be anything 'reckless' about it, and she made her thoughts quite clear by casting Robin a menacing glare. She had seen into both of their minds, or lack thereof, and the only thing she considered to be their top priority was to get this newcomer away from these hooded men as quickly as possible. The sooner they were all safe and sound back at Titan's Tower, the better.
Her thoughts once again centered on the situation at hand when Dr. Wraith stopped abruptly half-way between the titans and his object of interest. With a smile in his eyes, he addressed the youth first.
"I shall forgive you for that error in judgment. However, I'm afraid I'm not in the mood to play these games with you any longer." At that, he raised a hand high into the air and turned now to regard the band of super heroes situated some distance off to the side. Before he even completed his pivot, the youth's eyes had become as large as saucers. His pulse began to race, and he knew there was only so much time now before everything he had worked so hard to attain would be ripped away from him.
The doctor, on the other hand, was as cool and collected as ever, even going so far as bowing slightly to the masked teen in deference to his earlier cross-examination.
Robin's eyes narrowed.
Unhindered by the returned glare, Morgan's display of admiration vanished in an instant, only to be replaced by a cold persona made evident in his piercing gaze.
"I thank you one and all for your valued assistance in the recapturing of specimen number zero one seven three. My associates will be handling the situation from here. Thus, it is with a heavy heart I must inform you that your services are no longer needed, and you are to be exterminated immediately."
Before the jarring words could fully sink in, Dr. Wraith turned on his heel, walked back to his men, and let his arm fall. With horrifying precision, approximately forty seekers raised their energy rifles, took aim, and fired.
None of them could have possibly dodged such a close range attack. Even Raven, the most capable titan in terms of defense, didn't have time to create a black energy barrier large enough to protect her friends. Luckily, someone else had already prepared for such an assault.
Just as the beams of deadly red light reached their targets, the ground beneath the titans suddenly gave way and all five teens dropped into the subway below. Surprise and shock overtook everyone, though Robin was the first to speak after shaking some dust out of his hair.
"Nice work, Raven. You had me worried when you didn't throw up a defensive wall." As he looked around to cast her a thankful smile, his face slipped from gratitude to worry in an instant.
"What's the matter?" The young woman didn't even respond to the question. She looked just as perplexed as he had, though her gaze was directed upward towards the spot they had just fallen through. Her words came out as no more than a whisper, though everyone assembled undoubtedly heard them.
"He…saved us." The rare sight of Raven mystified was enough for the rest of the team to follow her unblinking stare upward as well. Along the entire perimeter of the hole were residual flickers of both red and gold light, accentuated by the drippings of molten asphalt that lined the entire circumference of the opening.
The truth of her statement was immediately obvious to the rest of them, and it was with a collective inward sigh that they all thanked whoever might be listening that this new guy was on their side. After a second, Raven's expression darkened and she locked two piercing lavender eyes on Robin.
"We have to help him." The Boy Wonder nodded, and regarded the rest of the team as well.
"We've let this go on for long enough. Let's give the doctor a taste of his own medicine. Teen titans, GO!"
Seekers were just beginning to approach the gaping crater when a barrage of starbolts, bird-a-rangs, sinister black energy, and a green pterodactyl carrying an angry looking cybernetic teenager burst through the remainder of the broken earth with unrelenting fury.
"Star, take point and keep them scattered!" The young girl nodded quickly before flying upward and unleashing a hail of emerald destruction on anything in her line of sight. A short distance off, dark auras encompassed any weapons within Raven's general area, ripping them away from their owner's hands and breaking them apart with several loud snaps. Having deposited his friend safely back on the ground, Beast Boy quickly turned into a rhinoceros and began charging through the ranks of hooded figures with ease.
Robin and Cyborg were taking a more methodical approach in the sense that they were fighting one on one. Bo staff in hand, the Boy Wonder was making short work of the disarmed henchmen, warding off several at once with precise twirls and thrusts of his preferred weapon. With all the agility of an acrobat, the masked teen vaulted over the figure he was currently fighting only to land a powerful double kick right in the chest of the person behind, taking out his initial target with a quick leg sweep.
Having dispatched everyone in his immediate area, Robin took a moment to see how the rest of his team was doing.
Cyborg was waist deep in seekers, though a few well-placed punches and one or two sonic cannon attacks cleared up the problem quite nicely. Starfire, for all of her aerial maneuvering, was having difficultly avoiding all the laser rounds shot up into the air seemingly at random. The Boy Wonder had gotten so far as to have three freeze disks in hand before he saw black energy surround several gun toting figures and hurl them against a wall. He didn't even see Beast Boy, but a sense of relief washed over him a few seconds later when he heard the familiar cry of a velociraptor followed quickly by several booming thuds.
Smirking to himself, Robin quickly made his way unobserved to a few more seekers, striking them down with a flurry of swift punches.
"Can't let them have all the fun."
By that time, Cyborg had managed to team up with Beast Boy, and both were back-to-back wreaking havoc on the throng of attackers before them.
"Hey Cy, I already got like eight guys! Bet ya can't beat that." He gave the metallic young man a solid nudge in the back. Cyborg smirked, taking a few more pot shots before answering with a raucous laugh.
"And that makes twelve, little man." To his great delight, he could actually hear Beast Boy snort in contempt over all the noise around them.
-
During all the fighting so far, the young elementalist had only been able to watch in absolute wonder. Of course he had heard the whispered rumors back at the institute of teens who were not held prisoner; that they actually went out of their way to help other people every day. It also was said that they were so powerful that Dr. Wraith could never get his hands on them, regardless of how hard he tried. No matter how much the youth had wanted to believe such things, he had never really let himself think that they were actually true.
Until now.
Seeing these people, no older than himself, really, fighting so selflessly for his well being made him feel quite good inside, not to mention very humbled. All this time, he had felt very alone, and very frightened. He hadn't even talked to anyone since he managed to break out four days ago, and the only thing he had eaten was an old grinder that was found lying on top of a dumpster yesterday, washed down with a few handfuls of rainwater that had accumulated on a small tarp nearby.
Never in his whole life had he felt more uncertain than he had the past several days. Had he made the right choice? Was he strong enough yet? Would this all work out in the end? Even more important that any of that, would Dr. Wraith ever manage to find him again? The answer to that last question was obviously yes, and he felt sick to his stomach that he had dragged others into this predicament. However, it was with a sense of renewed confidence that he assessed the situation before him.
Though he desperately wanted nothing more right now than to just talk to that girl whom he had shared his mind with temporarily, he knew there were much more important things to worry about. These teens fighting for his behalf were putting their lives on the line for no better reason than wishing to see him safe, at whatever cost that may be. No one forced them to do what they did; it was a choice they had all made, and it was a choice they were obviously determined to honor. For that, he respected each and every one of them very much, and wished only that he could find it in himself to live up to the example that they set before him.
That…prison he had been forced to call home for so many years was finally just a memory, and if it were within his power, it would stay that way for the rest of his life. Yet, he had made a promise to one day return and rescue the others who were still stuck there, though for now he believed they would be better off where they were. Thus, it was with a bit of serious contemplation that he thought about what the best course of action would be from here. Alas, his thoughts kept returning to the group of young super heroes before him. If the titans had taught him anything in the short time he had been in their awe-inspiring presence, it was that to give up was to die.
And he most certainly did not want to die.
At that thought, he made up his mind. With a final mental slap to boost his morale followed by a grim smirk played across his lips, he leapt into the battle with all the fury he could muster.
-
"Titan's, regroup!" Only a handful of seekers were left standing as Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg took defensive positions around Robin, all the while keeping an eye on their surroundings for any possible sneak attacks.
"Did any of you see Wraith?" Starfire was the first to answer, shaking her head in an apologetic manner.
"I was unable to locate the 'Wraith' of which you speak, though I think he may have escaped during our battle." Robin nodded his agreement, looking off to the handful of seekers who were now regrouping a slight distance off to the side. A smile played itself across his face, and he drew forth several energy disks. Just as he was lining up the shot, a bright flash of light shook him out of his concentration.
Huge gouts of searing flames had appeared out of nowhere, sealing the remaining handful of masked figures within a twisting inferno of insufferable heat. As the titans shielded their eyes, each of them caught sight of the young man from before making his way out of the shadows, a fiery red aura surrounding his entire body. With a sudden flick of his hand, blue wisps of color mingled with the ruby light, and a nearby fire hydrant virtually exploded as he effortlessly directed the water to converge upon and hose down the firestorm set before him.
As the band of super heroes watched the incredible display of sheer power, they likewise could not help but stare at the marvelous show of lights and colors that danced around the youth in a breathtaking display of beauty and grandeur. Strands of scarlet light blended with tendrils of cobalt blue to create magnificent shades of purple cascading down the entire length of the lad's body, transforming his image into something extraordinary.
Starfire was mesmerized, and could only wrap her arms around Robin's shoulder as she looked on with awe.
"Is that not the most beautiful sight you have ever laid your eyes upon?" The Boy Wonder looked over his shoulder at the girl behind him. Despite the situation, he could not help but grin, and the deafening roar of the fiery blaze adequately masked his response.
"Almost."
Just as soon as it had started, the spectacle of sights and sounds abruptly came to an end as all the water and fire dissipated in one final puff of hissing steam. When the smoke cleared, towering pillars of cooled asphalt could be seen lining the perimeter of the figures trapped inside, making escape quite impossible.
All eyes turned upon the youth, and he immediately seemed to shrink back under their gaze. Cyborg was the first to break the silence with a wide grin and a short laugh.
"C'mon man, we ain't gonna bite ya. Get over here so we can thank you properly." At his words, the young man took a few hesitant steps forward, then suddenly relaxed visibly and jogged the rest of the distance.
By this time, his sandy blonde hair hung limp around his face, and the shoulders that had looked so broad before were slumped forward. He looked each titan in the eyes, forcing a weak smile on his face.
"Thank you for saving me." Beast Boy nearly jumped on him in his haste to reply.
"Dude, are you kidding? We totally owed you! If you hadn't done that awesome ground melting thingy we'd all look like Swiss cheese right now!" The youth tried to keep the smile on his face, but he also couldn't help but feel put on the spot. There wasn't much time to think about it, however, given that a few seconds later he found himself in a bear hug that felt more like a vice grip.
"Thank you for your earlier assistance, as it was much appreciated!" Starfire let him go, and instead cast a beaming smile from point blank range.
"I would be honored if you would be the ship of my friend!" She finished her words with a big grin, leaving the young man staring at her dumbly. Before he could respond, Robin grabbed her by the arm and more or less dragged her away.
"Let's give him some time to relax, he's obviously been through a lot already. We can talk about 'friendship' later, OK?" The Tameranian girl set her shimmering green eyes on the Boy Wonder with a hint of disappointment, and then she pouted.
"If you think that would be best, Robin, then I will do as you ask." Not willing to let Starfire's moping get in the way of a good first impression, Cyborg stepped forward, gave the new guy a solid slap on the back that almost sent him flying, and smiled broadly.
"So, ya hungry kid? I know I am! Ya like waffles?" Well, a good impression as well as a good meal.
The young man set a confused glace upon the huge cybernetic teen, though within a few moments, his eyes began to narrow dangerously. Cyborg, on the other hand, got the wrong impression.
"Whoa, hey man, don't look at me like that! All ya gotta say is you'd rather have bacon or something. It's all good." After a second, the mechanical teen realized he was not the focal point of the penetrating stare. As he turned to follow the kid's line of sight, his jaw dropped and he motioned for the other titans to turn around.
"Aw, man, this is not good." The green changeling suddenly looked horror-stricken.
"Dude! They can't be! We totally kicked their butts!" Starfire regarded Beast Boy with more than a little bit of worry.
"Perhaps we did not 'kick the butt' as well as we had thought." As each titan regarded the situation, it suddenly became obvious that this would be a long night.
More than half the seekers were already back on their feet, and the rest were quickly following suit. Not one of them looked to be injured in the slightest.
Raven, who had up to this point remained behind the others in an effort to keep her emotions in check, strode forward and regarded the youth with an unblinking gaze. When she was within four feet of him, she made sure her barriers were in place before speaking.
"Do you have any idea how to stop these things?" Taken aback by the fact that she had even spoken to him, the youth stumbled over a few unintelligible words before focusing himself.
"I…uh…no. Seekers act as guards where I'm from, and I didn't even realize they could fight until now." He seemed a little dejected at giving such menial information, and his demeanor only got worse as he shook his head and continued on.
"They don't sleep, they don't eat, and they don't let us have a moment of peace. I don't even know what they look like under those hoods." A few eyebrows shot up at the word 'us', but no one thought it necessary to raise a question at this time. Raven, on the other hand, was not content with so little information. She took another bold step forward…and abruptly tripped on some loose rocks.
Purely on instinct, the youth shot out both his hands to catch the falling girl. One hand caught her squarely on the shoulder, slowing her momentum significantly. The other hand, however, pressed flush against an entirely different area.
With a small yelp, he wrenched his hand away from her chest as if he had been burnt, his face quickly surrendering to a crimson glow. She, on the other hand, spun away and did her best to conceal the utmost embarrassment she now felt. As if to capitalize on her predicament, several adjacent streetlights were sheathed in black energy and promptly exploded. A shower of sparks gradually descended upon both figures, setting them in a surreal lighting that revealed both of their rosy complexions as if the sun itself were shining on their faces.
With a sigh, Raven considered her situation. Oh, no, I couldn't just take a simple step forward; I had to trip right over some random object in the middle of the road! She bristled at her own stupidity, and then took a deep breath. Well, so much for keeping my cool. Why would he do such a stupid thing, anyway? It's not like I couldn't have just levitated or something. Still, it was kind of nice…no, I can't think like that! I need to keep my emotions in check, not just let them run wild! At that, she gave her head a good shake, and seriously began to think she was slowly going crazy. What's happening to me?
An ironic thing indeed, it was another bout of laser fire that actually saved them from a most uncomfortable explanation.
At once, each titan set their attention to the task at hand and forced any other thoughts from their head. In a matter of seconds, the young man was left alone once again, thinking about what had just happened, and hoping against hope that, right before she had flown off, he had actually spied a thin smile played across the young woman's features.
-
From a small abandoned factory some distance away from the fighting, Dr. Wraith watched the absolute anarchy with great interest. His confidence in the seekers was unmatched, as he knew full well that nothing the titans could muster would keep them down for long. Those rubberized suits were nothing less than industrial grade pressure-treated polymers fashioned together with an intricate set of titanium webbing that ran through the entire material, making it impervious to nearly any form of attack known to man.
Yes, the seekers would soon take care of these meddlesome children once and for all, leaving him free to continue his experiments blissfully unhindered by any further complications. A laugh rose unbidden to his lips. Before the day was through, zero one seven three would once again be placed under lock and key, solidifying the final element of his plans and setting into motion the most radical evolutionary advancement humans have ever made in the history of the world.
-
"Cyborg, cover me!" As the green and red clad superhero speeded along an open stretch of roadway, sky blue waves of condensed sonic energy ripped through the night air with the precision of a finely calibrated machine.
"Robin, you better run faster man, 'cause I can't hold them off for ever!" As much as they hated to admit it, this second round of fighting was going far worse than the first. Already, Beast Boy was out of the battle, nursing a tender arm that had been on the receiving end of a scathing laser shot. Starfire did her best to cover him, but starbolts and emerald eye beams were just not having the same impact that they had before.
Even Raven was being backed up against a wall, so to speak, as she was spending just as much time summoning up black energy shields as she was attacking. The only relief from the harrowing situation seemed to come in the manner that even though they were greatly outnumbered, their hooded adversaries were slow moving at best, and only a handful of them still possessed a working energy rifle.
Another benefit to the titans was that their mysterious new 'friend' was fighting just as voraciously as they were, if not more so. His movements were outlined in a rainbow assortment of colors, and his actions in general seemed quite chaotic and unpredictable. They of course realized that he had the most to lose in a situation like this, and it was with a light heart that each member of the team tried to keep an eye on their fighting companion when they were able to do so.
That very fact was much appreciated a few moments later when Cyborg spied a single seeker making its way towards the young man unseen from behind.
"Kid! Watch out behind you!" At the warning, the youth spun on his heel, practically coming face to face with one of the hated things. Panicking, he mentally groped around for something to throw. Finding something heavy several feet back, a white aura flickered across his eyes as a large metal pipe shot right at the attacker.
His aim had been wild in the spur of the moment, and thus it was with a look of surprise that he saw the tube strike the reflective faceplate, the object in question protesting the vicious assault with a loud crack. A moment later, the figure dropped to the ground and began to seize violently. Another few seconds passed before it went completely still.
Just as the youth had been about to give the limp form a cautious nudge, pure white gas of some sort began to hiss out of the opening created in the visor, billowing up into a small cloud before dissipating completely. A final examination revealed the figure to be completely wilted, not to mention deflated. With a look of jubilation, the young man glanced back over his shoulder and began to yell his findings to the others.
Seekers began to drop like flies after that.
Bird-a-rangs and starbolts began to aim directly at the head of each figure, as well as black energy and sonic cannon blasts. At one point, even Beast Boy was able to deliver a final blow to one that got too close, changing his one good arm into that of a gorilla's and sending the hooded figure sailing backwards.
Within minutes, all but a handful of suits remained intact.
-
Still watching from the same factory window, Morgan grew enraged at the sight of his beloved, mindless pets being destroyed right before his eyes. With a howl of rage, he cursed his specimen standing so smugly off to the side. He had no idea what he was doing! This would surely ruin everything…
With one final roar, he jumped to his feet and rushed outside, determined to finish this himself if need be.
-
Back in the battlefield, the youth was far too encroached in fighting what was directly in front of him to notice what lurked in the shadows beyond his sight. Inching forward with every step, Dr. Wraith made his way cautiously over to the youth, a thin black pole held in one hand. Eventually, he reached a point at which he could go no further.
Raven was still fighting valiantly, and she had just cracked the mask of yet another seeker when she thought she glimpsed a moving shadow somewhat off in the distance.
Thinking nothing of it at first, surprise dominated her features at the sight of the doctor leaping out from the concealing darkness and racing headlong towards the exposed back of the youth. The black stick he held in one out stretched hand began to pulse blue with electrical energy; a cattle prod.
Worry for the young man overtook her senses, and it was with a flourish of her cloak that she was enveloped in darkness and teleported right behind the mysterious youth.
The figure before her was less than thirty feet away, and closing fast. At her sudden appearance, he froze. She wished to end this fast, so she instantly closed her eyes and began to chant.
"Azarath…" At the sound of a voice behind him, the lad spun about. At the same time, Dr. Wraith dropped the weapon he held and reached behind his back in order to pull out a concealed laser gun.
"Metrion…" The youth could only stare for a second, trying to sort out what was going on. Then he saw the rifle. The man in black raised the weapon and took aim. All he could think about was the girl in front of him.
"Zinth-" Just before she could finish the incantation, something large and heavy fiercely shoved her to the side, knocking her hood down to her shoulders.
She heard a lasar shot.
Looking around to see what in the world had hit her with such force, she was horrified to see the young man she had been trying to protect lying on the ground, a small pool of blood gathering beneath his body.
A tall, thin figure in a black suit was standing nearby, holding a smoking gun.
Absolute rage consumed her thoughts and feelings. A sense of dread permeated all of it, but it was the rage that burned into her most deeply. Bright red light swelled deep within her eyes, and it was with a cry of fury and anguish that she hurled him backwards into a brick wall some forty-five feet away.
Turning back around, she fell to her knees beside him and gently pulled on one of his shoulders, fearing the worst. As he rolled over completely, a slight groan escaped his lips.
It was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.
-
Meanwhile, Dr. Wraith rose to his feet and began to retreat. His experiments could wait a little while. Let the boy have his accursed fun. It would be all the more enjoyable to see him kicking and screaming as he was dragged back to the institute. With a smile still in his eyes, Morgan disappeared down a side alleyway.
-
Quickly looking over the young man's body, Raven saw the blood was flowing from a wound somewhere on his abdomen. With a sharp motion, his ragged shirt split open, revealing both an entry wound and an exit wound located in the front and side of his lower torso.
Without hesitation, she placed both hands over the grievous injury and began to concentrate. Soon enough, a pale blue light encompassed both her hands, and the flow of blood gradually stemmed to a slight trickle, and then nothing at all. Relaxing a bit, she was relieved to see his eyes flutter open.
"You're going to be alright now, don't worry." She did her best to put on a smile, though she feared that it might look more like a grimace. He didn't seem to notice, and only looked up at her with a warm smile on his lips.
-
Off to the side, Cyborg had just finished off the last seeker with a powerful right hook. Seeing his chance to gain some information from their mysterious assailants, he scanned the mist as it escaped from the suit.
His one human eye grew wide indeed.
-
Despite the intense pangs of worry coursing through her body, that smile still evoked emotions inside her that she wasn't quite ready to deal with. In a few moments, though, she would have many other things to think about.
Though he was awake, his eyes were only half open, and Raven began to worry whether or not he was even able to see her. That idea washed away just as soon as she had thought it.
With a shaky movement, the young man reached up and cupped her cheek delicately in his hand. At his touch, her eyes grew wide, and soon began to sparkle in the moonlight that was fast rising over the city. She was trying to deny the look of absolute serenity in his gaze, as well as the way the light from above made his hair seem to glisten.
His thoughts, however, were jumbled at best, and though he wasn't sure what exactly had happened to him, he was sure of one thing. The girl he was now looking at was the single most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Without the cowl shadowing her features, she took on an almost exotic look with her small button nose and almond shaped eyes.
And it was her eyes that kept his attention the most. They were violet in color, though it was hard to tell exactly what shade with the beautiful manner in which they just seemed to catch and hold onto any light in the general vicinity. Her pale skin looked breathtaking in the basking glow of the moonlight, and it was with a joyful thought that he believed she was an angel come to console him in his last minutes of life.
With that idea in mind, he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. In turn, Raven took on a pained look, though she smiled nonetheless as she tilted her head into his palm, placing one of her hands over his. Regardless of her rising comfort with the young man, his next words, spoken in a soft whisper, would strike her to the very core.
"You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. Thank you for letting me die in your arms." With that, his hand slipped out from beneath hers, fell squarely into her lap, and he blacked out.
-
By that time, Robin, Starfire and Beast Boy had assembled around Cyborg, waiting for a briefing on what he had found. To say the least, he looked grim.
"C'mon Cy. It can't be that bad. Just tell us already!" The green titan was flailing his arms about, trying to get a better look at the cybernetic teen's arm display. Taking a deep breath to cleanse his thoughts, Cyborg finally gave in to Beast Boy's bantering and just blurted out his findings.
"The gas isn't gas. It's a highly condensed ethereal combination of super charged ions mixed with some kind of vaporized ectoplasmic substance that's held together by a very powerful negative polarity." At that, Robin's arms, which had been crossed over his chest, dropped limply to his sides. Starfire's eyes were as large as saucers. Beast Boy, on the other hand, practically had question marks dancing above his head.
"Dude! In English! We're not all super geniuses here, remember?" Cyborg gave the changeling a bland look before sighing deeply.
"BB, we were fighting ghosts." Beast Boy's mouth fell open. For once in his life, the changeling was at a complete loss for words.
-
Raven rose to her feet gracefully, checking to make sure that he still actually had a pulse. Calling over to her friends in a monotone voice, she didn't even react when Cyborg eventually said that he would make it as long as they got him back to Titan's Tower immediately. When she was satisfied that he would be safe in the mechanical teen's more than capable hands, the pale young woman casually strolled a short distance away and stared out into the night. Her composure was icy cold, and she made sure for the umpteenth time that every one of her emotional barriers was firmly in place.
At that moment, she felt as if even the slightest breeze could knock her right over. Again she checked her barriers, knowing full well that if she even let a tiny bit of what had just transpired into her realm of consciousness, she would be on the ground weeping uncontrollably. Huge swells of emotions continuously rose to the surface, and it was as if she was holding back a tidal wave in her mind with nothing but sheer willpower. Still, despite all her best efforts, a tiny trickle of emotions escaped her prison in the only way she could allow.
Set upon her bland, expressionless face was a river of tears that would just not end. What had she done? The way she felt about him, all of these emotions that were so familiar yet so foreign, even the fact that they had just met this evening. Nothing could dissuade her from the unrelenting truth of what she now felt, and for that, there could be no salvation.
The young woman had committed the ultimate sin against what she was, and now was forced to accept her fate with a sense of resignation that she had grown so used to under the constant effects of Trigon deep within her. After all this time, she still couldn't fully control her emotions to the level of perfection she constantly strived for. Now, the result of her inattentiveness to what should have been the most important undertaking of her entire life clearly presented itself. With a final deep breath, Raven centered her thoughts on maintaining the walls within her psyche as a slow acceptance of her self-imposed sentence began to take hold deep within her mind.
Love was something best considered over a cup of herbal tea.
Well, that was…long. Oh well, anyway, did you all think I did a good job with the fight scene? If not, tell me what needs to improve (I haven't written very many fight scenes before). Also, how about the cliffhanger ending? (Wait…that was a cliffhanger, right? Uh oh…)
No matter which direction your opinion is heading, please don't forget to review. It will provide me with a little feedback so I can keep writing and you can keep reading.
That way, everyone's happy!
Thank you for taking the time to read all this! I hope you enjoyed chapter 4.
