CH.7
Jak managed to find Ravens new place with little effort, as it was just a few blocks away from his own. Daxter stretched," Man! Talk about a long day! I don't know about you guys, but I could really use a good sleep!"
Raven nodded," It has been a long day."
Jak shut off the vehicle, and Raven hopped out," So, guess this is where I'll be staying..."
"Sweet! Lets check out the place!" Daxter hopped off Jaks shoulder.
Raven raised an eyebrow," I thought you were tired."
"Raven's right. We can check out her apartment another time. I think we should get some rest too. We still have a lot to do tomorrow."
"Aw, you two are no fun" Daxter crossed his arms," Fine. I'll be in the car. Make it snappy Jaky boy."
"Keira said your room is upstairs, I think she said 201."
"We should get some rest. I should probably change my arm bandage too."
"Listen. I'm sorry I didn't get there in time. You could've been hurt really bad, Lurkers have some sharp claws and teeth. Dax and I know, we've been there before in the past." Jak looked into her eyes.
Raven quickly averted her gaze," No, you shouldn't be the one apologizing. I rushed in without thinking. This is a new world that I know nothing about. I shouldn't have been so careless."
"Well, the important thing is you're okay." Jak smiled," Dax and I will be back here at first dawns light. We'll head out to Haven Forest, since we've yet to hear back from Sig."
"Alright." Raven nodded, as they both turned. Raven quickly turned back," Thanks again Jak..."
"For?"
"For making me feel welcomed, and believing that I wasn't the enemy. If you hadn't been there, I might be in jail right now."
"Hey, don't even mention it. I know you're not a bad person." He smiled," Goodnight Raven."
She blushed," Goodnight..."
Daxter gave Jak a smug smile," Weelllll, looks like someone might have a new romantic interest, eh Jak?" he laughed.
Jak rolled his eyes," I don't even know her. But, I do have to admit that she is pretty cute."
"Ya got that right. So who do you thinks behind all this Jak?"
"Don't know... Erol is dead, Krew died a long time ago, the Baron didn't die our enemy, and Veger is an otsel now, working alongside Kleiver...Has to be someone else." Jak scratched his head.
"Guess we'll find out soon enough eh? Here's hoping that Raven chick is really who she says she is."
"She's saved our lives more than once, I'm sure she's not the enemy Dax..." Jak turned, and parked the rogue vehicle, and they hopped off. "Come on, we should get some rest."
"Yeah, I better get ready for a mouth full from Tess..."
Raven watched Jak drive away, as she began climbing the stairs. "How did this all happen... This seems like a dream, but... here I am. Alone in a new world... Its like my first time in Jump all over again." She found a key underneath the mat before her door, and she unlocked it. The apartment was surprisingly spacious, with a pretty decent sized kitchen and living room. "I better get used to this place...Who knows how long I'll be stuck here... maybe until tomorrow... maybe a month, or forever..." she frowned.
She went to her bedroom, and on her bed was her clean robe and leotard, a note above them, "I washed your clothes for you. Its up to you whether you wish to wear them or not, best wishes! - Keira"
"These people are so friendly... I wonder if they'd still care for me if they knew I was a half blooded demon, daughter of an all powerful devil like being, and who almost destroyed her world..." She laughed and let a tear fall down her cheek. It amazed her how quickly her friends had accepted her, for everything she was, and still risked their lives for her, when everything seemed hopeless. Robin had told her that she was the most hopeful out of the entire group, but she still didn't understand what he meant by that. "Maybe, I'll let you know who I really am soon enough Jak..." she stared out the window. She closed the curtains, and sat atop her bed, and began chanting as she held her arm. She felt the stinging of the closing wound, and in a matter of minutes, the wound was closed, but the bite imprints stayed. She removed her clothes, and stayed in her underwear only. She began to meditate, and before she realized it, she was in a deep slumber.
Robin sighed as he layed upon his bed. It was so much stress, consistently dealing with crime, and worrying about the safety of his teammates and friends. It took a lot out of him when one of them was seriously injured. Recalling how awful he felt when Slade made him his apprentice, and blackmailed him by poisoning his friends, or when they all mistook Beastboy as the one who had seriously injured Raven the night after the animal research lab. Cyborg wasn't having any luck with Ravens books, nor was the computer any help. Who knew how long they'd be at this.
He heard a knock at his door," Come in"
Starfire sheepishly looked at the ground," Forgive me for disturbing you Robin, but I came to see how you are feeling..."
"I'm alright Star, thanks."
"May I enter?"
"Yeah, come on in."
She sat on his bed, and pressed her head against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, and it calmed her," Do not worry Robin, we will find Raven eventually."
"Yeah I know Star... until then we gotta stay strong. The city still needs our help, and we have to find a way to make room for finding clues about how to find and get Raven back, and protect the city."
"We will Robin. Please do not stress, it pains me to see you like this..." She hugged him, and he smiled, as he kissed her forehead," Its okay Starfire. Everything will be fine."
Though he loved Raven, their relationship and begun and ended so abruptly. He began dating Starfire, and he loved her too. To Robin, all that mattered was Ravens safety and her feelings. Raven knew Starfire loved him, so she said she'd rather see someone happy, who deserves happiness. It confused Robin, but he still had a place for her in his heart.
"May I stay the night with you Robin?" she looked into his eyes with lust and longing.
"Uh..." he felt himself grow hard," Sure thing..."
For the time being, he felt the stress melt away in an instant.
The next day, Cyborg called Titans East, as Speedy answered," Sup' Cyborg?"
"Señor Cyborg!" called out Mas y Meños.
"Yo, how you guys doing?" He smiled.
"All's good here in the East, whats up?"
"We got a problem over here, we lost a team member..."
Everyone that could be seen through the monitor, stopped what they were doing as they all walked over. Bumblebee frowned and looked worried," What do you mean, "lost"?"
"Who was it?" asked Aqualad.
Robin emerged from behind Cyborg," The other night, some creatures appeared in the city, none like we've ever seen."
"Yeah, they looked something like this..." Beastboy thought for a minute, and transformed his body. Cyborg raised a brow,"When'd you learn that?"
"I studied their bodies and after a while, I figured out how to morph into one."
"Never seen those before..." Speedy rubbed his chin.
"Who did you lose?" Bumblebee asked again.
"We lost Raven..." Starfire said sadly.
"Raven?" Aqualad asked surprised.
"What do you mean by lost though? Is she..."
"No, she's not dead. These creatures poured out of a portal like opening, and began wrecking havoc on the city. Raven used a magic spell that reversed the direction of the portal, and sucked those creatures back in. But, somehow Raven got pulled into the portal too, and we haven't been able to locate her signal, nor can we find any evidence there was even a portal. The city has been pretty tame since that last attack, but we haven't had any luck locating Ravens whereabouts." Robin explained the situation.
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Aqualad.
"Yeah, if you guys are good at deciphering books and spells in a different dimensional language." Cyborg jestered.
"We just need you guys to be on high alert, now isn't the time to be relaxing. Those creatures haven't showed up here yet, but there's no telling when they could strike again." Robin crossed his arms.
"Right, will do. If you guys need any help with those books, or with the city, don't hesitate to call us. We'll be there in to time." Bumblebee smiled.
"Right. Titans out."
"Well should we hit the books again?" asked Cyborg.
"No, we should use this daylight to go out and see if we can find more clues, or patrol the city. We aren't doing any good just shutting ourselves in here all day. We'll take another look at those books another time."
Raven woke up, and her body ached. She grunted and rolled over, glancing at her communicator which displayed the time. 4:45 AM, it displayed. "Up on time at least..." She rubbed her eyes, which felt like sand, and she stretched.
She walked over to her bathroom, and began to run the shower. As the water warmed up, Raven grabbed the same clothes she wore yesterday. "The hot water massaged her body, and she felt herself beginning to feel better. After her shower, she headed towards her living room, and waited paitently for Jak.
Jak rolled out of bed, anxious to find more clues about who was targeting the city, and anxious for adventure. He quickly showered and knocked on Daxters door. "Hey Dax you up? We gotta pick up Raven and head out to Haven Forest."
"Yeah give me a minute..." he grunted," One second!"
"Remember to be safe out there Daxter!" Tess's voice rang out.
"I'll be outside." Jak rolled his eyes, " I don't need to hear this again..."
Tess had moved in with Daxter since they saved the world from Erol and his Dark Maker army, and every single day he put up with Tess and Daxter and their lovey dovey relationship. He was happy for his friend, that he found someone he loves, but he just couldn't put up with the goo goo eyes. He usually headed out by himself just to get away. But Daxter would always find him and keep him company. They were still best friends, and Jak was grateful for that.
Daxter came out of the apartment," Sorry about that. Tess just wanted to make sure I came back safe. You know her... she can't resist this gorgeous mug!"
Jak smirked, rolled his eyes, and hopped into his car," Come on."
Raven stepped outside her apartment, still waiting patiently for Jak. Her communicator still in her pocket. It was a part of her, it just didn't feel right to not carry it with her at all times. Part of her still clung to the hope that Robin or someone would reach her, and come find her. Yesterday had been a long day, and she had only been here for one day. But a part of her was starting to like this new place. "I wonder, will I have to call this new world, home?"
She stared out into the horizon, when a honk caused her to jump. She turned and smiled at the sight of Jak. "Right on time" she joked, and climbed aboard.
"Yeah. Today might be another long day. We've still got a lot of ground to cover at Haven Forest. Its a pretty big place, so hopefully we can find that artifact"
"Hey Jak, wasn't Keira working on a new contraption to help with the dark eco overload?" asked Daxter.
"Yeah you're right. Well knowing Keira, I wouldn't doubt she's left us some experiment by the entrance."
"Has Keira always been so talented with mechanics?" Raven raised a brow.
"Yeah. She's really good at making things, but her destiny is to become a sage like her dad, ol' bark for brains, Samos." Daxter teased.
"A sage huh?"
"Yeah. Keira is a little torn between the two, but she might be one of the greatest sages after her dad. She might even be able to work in her inventions."
"What about Ashelin? What's her back story?" Raven asked, curious to know more about these people.
"She was the daughter of the Baron. The ruler of the city. She's also head captain of the Krimson Guards." explained Jak.
"Torn was a former Krimson Guard Captain, before he quit and created the rebel group The Underground." continued Jak.
"Yeah, Tess was a spy for The Underground, before she decided to become a Precursor. It was after that time that we started officially goin' out." Daxter chimed in.
"She decided? What do you mean by that?"
Jak made a turn left, glancing at the GPS map, as Daxter attempted to explain his girlfriends actions that caused her to become a legendary creator. Soon, the scenery around them began to change. Rows of giant vegetables, large sprinkler systems, and animals that resemebled cows or bison. "Wow," Raven stared at the farmers beginning their dawns work.
"This is the agricultural area. There used to be more, but we're still struggling to fix the damage done by The Dark Makers..." Jak frowned.
"The Dark Makers?" asked Raven.
"Yeah, its a long story."
She glanced up, and stared at the large gate before her, as Jak parked, and shut off the vehicle. "This is one of the entrances to Haven Forest. The place used to be really beautiful. The Dark Makers came to destroy this world, and in the process, destroyed a lot of the city. The Metal Heads sorta joined forces with them, and in the process of all the destruction, more dark eco began to spread." Jak explained as they walked up the ramp. " Dark Eco is poisonous to plants, and wildlife. So as it began to spread, it destroyed a lot of the forest. Keira and Samos are working on a way to reverse the damage using white or pure eco."
"Maybe I can help with their research... I am good with magic, so maybe my powers could help speed things along."
"Yeah, that could work." Daxter smiled.
As the gate opened, the flying communicator appeared behind them, Keiras voice ringning out," Morning you 3! Daddy and I have been working on these new inventions to reverse that dark eco. You should see them by the entrance."
Daxter hopped off Jaks shoulder, and picked one up," They look like those little toy guns the kids play with" He held it towards his face. A blast of ice cold white eco poured out towards his face.
"Be careful. They're still in trial mode, so they can be a little unpredictable."
"Now you say something..." said Daxter through chattering teeth, furry mug covered in ice.
Jak grinned, and rolled his eyes. Raven shook her head," No offense, but only an idiot points a gun towards his face."
"We've managed to collect white eco from the mountains 300 miles west of Spargus. Its the last of its kind, so we have to be very careful with how much we use. Make sure to use it sparingly. Spray the dark eco plants with this, and it should reverse the effects. Daddy has also managed to open 2 vents inside that will emit small amounts of white eco. Theres bound to be a lot of metal heads in there, so be careful!"
Daxter shook his muzzle free of ice, as Raven and Jak picked up the 2 remaining guns. Jak glanced at Raven, and quickly looked away," Remember. We stick together this time." He turned and smiled. Raven blushed a little, and nodded.
(AN: Hey guys! I know its been a long while since I've updated this fanfiction. I apologize to my fans and followers for the long wait, and I'm also sorry if this is a short chapter. I almost gave up, and got stuck in a bad writers block. So I was in kind of a hurry to finish chapter 7, so I can make more events happen in chapter 8... what do you think awaits Raven, Jak and Daxter in Haven Forest? Stay tuned! Much love guys! - Paine Falis 3 )