Disclaimer: Teen Titans isn't mine

"Speech"

Thoughts


A terrifying explosion of raw darkness flooded through the forests of Avalon. The ravens scattered, wailing, then regrouped around the center of the pulse of energy, where a cloud of smoke blocked everything from view. Raven emerged a moment later, coughing into one hand, but otherwise seemingly unharmed. Though her face seemed relatively expressionless at first glance, the practiced eye might have noticed the tightness around her eyes and mouth, the slight furrow to her brows, and definitely the crimson streaks flying wildly through her eyes.

She cast a glance down at the layer of dust settling about her clothes and gingerly felt the bruises on her ribs, but ignored them, focusing single-mindedly on the task at hand. I have to find Jinx. Damned Trigon...

Above her, the ravens' soft screams filled the air, a warning cry, or perhaps one of sympathy, or perhaps one of fright. The ravens, swirling around her, caressed her body with their soft, ethereal feathers, warning her that they would not be able to follow, not at the distance she wanted to travel. Away from the protection of Avalon, where she would have to fight alone, she was vulnerable; for the first time in centuries, someone had emerged who could harm her, and yet she was willing to venture out and fight him again, knowing it was dangerous...

The ravens cried out, a cry of pity, as if they knew why she was doing it. Why she was willing to leave the safety of her home, to pursue her one and only friend... to save her, and to maybe, just maybe... reconcile with Jinx? Hoping for too much. I just... need to protect her.

Crying out, fearful... for both of their lives. But Raven ignored them, feeling some alien surge of panic run through her.

She looked around for a few moments, trying to calm herself, then took a step forward. Her entire body trembled with the effort of mere movement, her muscles aching and sore, but she ignored their protests, moving on. A moment later, her stomach rumbled. Her throat felt dry and her lips were cracked and parched from the intense flames of her battle. She gritted her teeth.

I don't have time to waste. I can't afford to be distracted by petty things like this.

Behind her, the ravens continued wailing.


There was a market town nearby, where usually the farmers and merchants gathered to sell whatever wares they had to offer, but of course, it was a rare sight in winter for that to happen, so, as expected, the town was a little emptier than it might have normally been.

But it was spring now, so as she walked in, there were at least some people standing at stalls with a variety of things around them; winter melons, preserved foods, cloths, trinkets, various utilities like wheelbarrows and hammers and the like...

She spotted a dark, hooded robe and bit her lip - it reminded her of Raven. And then, over a fire, she saw a man baking a few square-patterned breads - as she recalled, one of Raven's favorite things to eat, especially with sweet syrup poured on them. And then she saw an old monk bearing several books - most of them religious texts as far as she could tell, but goddamn it, why does everything here have to remind me of her? Why do you hate me, universe? She looked to the side and saw a man carving a bird out of a block of wood and swore under her breath.

Jinx paused and sat underneath the shade of one of the tents in the market area, looking down at the ground. Maybe if I just go back and make up with her... Ugh. It might get me killed, but hey, what the hell. Better than dealing with this feeling... she clutched her chest, feeling as if there was something burning within her. It was faint, but the slight emptiness that she felt was terribly unsettling, just the barest sense that something was wrong...

And I know what it is too! It's just... how do I deal with this...

"Something wrong, miss?"

She looked up into the bright eyes of a young man, who seemed not the least discomfited by the rather moody expression on her face.

"No, nothing's wrong."

He sat in front of her. "Ah fair maiden, I have seen that look on your face too many times to not know that something is wrong."

She rolled her eyes. "What's it to you?"

"Why, it is my duty to help any damsel in distress."

Jinx sighed, rubbing her temples - quite the same way Raven did. Okay, really gotta stop thinking about her.

"Look. I'm not interested in whatever you have to offer me, okay? So please, just leave me alone."

He drew back, slightly abashed. "Oh, okay then. I was just hoping you would maybe accompany me to the village dance tonight. Still looking for a girl to go with me-"

Jinx folded her arms over her chest. "And what about that girl who's been staring at you for the past five minutes," she pointed behind them, where indeed, there was a dark haired woman, probably slightly younger than the boy in front of her was, who was staring at him intently and apparently not even aware that she was looking.

"She, um..."

Jinx raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with her?"

"No, nothing at all," he smiled sheepishly, then sighed. "We, um, kind of got into a fight so I need someone else to go with to make her jealous."

Jinx's eyes shifted and she frowned a little, then grinned. "So you're playing that kind of game, huh..."

He grinned back. "Yeah, I am."

She shook her head, as if chiding him for his foolishness. "How horrible. What if she loves you?"

His bright expression faltered a bit. "Well, uh, hmm, well the thing is, I know she does. She just doesn't want to admit it. So I'm trying to get her to."

Jinx blinked a few times. Well doesn't that sound a lot like someone I know... she bit her lip. Actually, I don't even know how Raven feels about me. She closed her eyes. Okay. Stop. Thinking. About. Raven.

She took a deep breath. "What's in it for me?"

He thought for a moment, then rushed over to a nearby stall and bought something, then brought it over to her. She stared at it for a moment, then laughed.

"A cookie. You think you're going to win me over with something like that?"

"Yes," he said confidently.

She smirked. "Alright, you win," she took the cookie from him and nibbled at it, letting him hold her hand as he helped her up and they began walking around the open market. He gave the dark haired girl a wink and her mouth dropped open, color flooding into her face. Jinx looked away, whistling, feeling a little guilty, but hey, she had to have some fun sometime, right?

"So what's your name?" he said after a few moments, after they were out of sight of that other girl.

"J-um, Jennifer," she stuttered, coming up with the first name she could think of.

"Oh, cool. I'm Daniel. You're not from around here?"

She shook her head. "Just passing through."

"I see." He turned away for a moment, then back to her. "Nice hair."

Jinx blinked and looked at him. "What about it?"

"It's pink."

"Well, yeah, it's pink."

He grinned. "And how many people do you see with pink hair walking around?"

She shrugged. "So I'm a little weird. But hey, so are you."

Daniel laughed. "Yup. I get told that all the time. Doesn't stop me from making friends though."

Jinx rolled her eyes again. "You only won me over by bribing me."

"Hey, apparently to you, a cookie is worth more than not having to help me with my plan."

Jinx pouted. "Well it was a good cookie..."

He snorted. "You sound like a kid."

"Maybe I am," she smiled widely. "Or maybe not. I just like my sweets."

Daniel chuckled again. "I'll get you another cookie then."

She blinked. "Wait what? Why? I have my own money."

"Because you have a funny laugh."

"That's not a good reason..."

"It is to me. Besides, who needs reasons to do things anyway? Just go with the flow. Do whatever your heart tells you to. Of course, within reason."

But the last statement was lost on her. She continued walking beside him, murmuring brief responses to whatever he said, but that one sentence kept ringing inside her head. Do whatever your heart tells you to...

What is my heart telling me to do?


Raven squinted, looking around for something that was not quite visible to the naked eye, something only she - and Trigon - would be able to find. It was the slightest trace of pink in the swirl of color around her - she turned and headed that way, frowning darkly as she noticed a trace of crimson there as well.

Gathering her powers, she transformed into a raven of pure, black energy, flying through the sky in the direction of where the pink had gone, then landed as the trace of color disappeared again.

Looking around, she found herself near a river and paused for a moment, tiredness washing over her body. She knelt beside the river and dipped her hand into the clear water, splashing it over her face, then frowned as she noticed a disturbance in the current. She glanced north and noticed a waterwheel nearby, probably out the outskirts of a village, and decided to head that way - Jinx might've crossed through there.

She paused as she heard the crackle of thunder above her, then continued moving, gliding barely above the ground so it looked like she might have been walking, looking up slightly as rain began to fall.

Hard.

It soaked through her cloak and robe, though she really didn't mind, but then one thought crossed her mind and she looked back to the river.

Because the riverbank was a little low, as the water sloshed back and forth, a little bit spilled over onto the land, looking definitely like it was going to overflow. Lightning crackled again and the rain fell harder, splashing up the mud on the ground around her, soaking her thoroughly. Raven grimaced, her vision of the colors flowing around her fading away with the coming storm, replaced by violent streaks of pure white flying through raw darkness.

She entered the village and looked around, seeing it mostly empty - the people probably had run back into their homes when they had heard the lightning, though there were still some of them standing near the riverbank, looking at the rising waters. Why are they so worried? It's just a bit of rain. The river might overflow, but it shouldn't be too bad. And it's not like they have any crops nearby.

She turned her attention back to her search and tried to scout for that tiny sense of pink she had found earlier, scanning the area in front of her, then up slightly, northward... her eyes widened. Danger filled all of her senses. Raven focused in harder, toward the source of the trouble... a dam! They built a dam... here?

She extended her range and found a dam a little ways north, blocking off the entrance to a large lake, letting only a little bit of water through, as it was supposed to, but with the heavy rains, the aged wood was beginning to give way beneath the weight of it. If it was to break, the village would be swept away, she was certain of it.

They must've built it to drain the water from around here and to prevent floods. Guess they didn't expect that that would eventually have repercussions, though... once the lake was filled, then what were they going to do? It's not like the water that gets stored up magically goes away. She frowned. But I have to figure out where Jinx went. I have to make sure she's okay. Turning full circle, directly behind her, she found it. Her eyes flashed. Jinx was here.

Looking, she saw an inn and a stronger residue of the pink color than she had seen before; she must've spent the night here, and very recently, probably. The trail of Jinx's color lead east a little way, away from Avalon - was the girl trying to get away from her? Raven bit her lip. Does she really hate me? She shook her head. Even if she does, I can't let Trigon get to her. As long as she's safe... then if she really does hate me... she stared at her wrists, mind going blank for several moments.

And then danger filled all of her senses again, overwhelming everything else. Raven whipped around, looking north, trying to focus in on the area with the dam. Her brows furrowed. The top broke. The water's going to come any moment now...

As if on cue, the people near the riverbank started screaming as a rush of water flooded down over the riverbank and swept outward, crashing against the bases of their homes. Raven tensed. That's nothing to scream about. That's nothing compared to what would happen if the whole dam broke. If that were to happen... she shifted uncomfortably. I can't just let these people die...

"Magnificent sight, isn't it?" A deep voice rumbled from beside her, and she felt her hand on her shoulder.

He laughed as she breathed in sharply. "Trigon!" Raven hissed.

"You broke free rather quickly, didn't you? I'm proud. You have grown strong."

She felt her heart beat faster. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for your friend, of course. Ah yes, and I see that she has been here after all." He paused. "It was nice seeing you, daughter, but now I have a hostage to go collect. And it looks like you have a problem on your hands." He turned and began walking away.

Raven's eyes darkened. "Wait-" but then she winced as the dam creaked dangerously on the edges of her senses. She swore loudly and turned back, extending her powers northward. It will hold out a couple minutes, no more. And squeezed her eyes tightly shut, covering her face. But Jinx - She looked back and found that Trigon was already gone, following the path of pink east from what she could tell. She took a step, following the newly made trail of crimson. I have to get to her before he does! Or else...

The dam creaked again, and more water flowed out, already nearing the area where she stood. Raven froze, face completely blank. She stood there for several moments, head bowed, then turned. Damn it all. She cursed again and flew rapidly toward the river, forcing the water back with her powers. She sent it flying down the river and glided quickly past the homes to look northward. Behind her, she heard several doors open and could practically feel the people's stares on her back, but she had more important things to worry about than being seen using magic.

The wood splintered and the water came rushing forward in a massive wave. Raven tensed, bracing herself for the impact, then threw up a barrier, trying to contain it. But the momentum of thousands of tons of water was far too much for even her, and her barrier shattered, leaving her no time to react. The flood swept over her and she felt it hammer her down, almost tearing her apart, definitely bruising several of her internal organs with the sheer impact, but she had no time to care about those minor details.

Darkness spread and she managed to stop the water from going further, from crashing into the village and sweeping it away, but it forced her under again as the excess in the lake continued draining. She barely managed to keep focus, holding her breath while swimming upward. The water pressed down on her like something solid; the pressure was so enormous that she thought that she might be crushed, but luckily her body was made of tougher stuff than that of a normal human, else she probably would have died by now.

Still, she found that she just could not muster the strength in her aching muscles to keep swimming, feeling as if even moving would cause her body to be torn to shreds. But I can't give up. What would Jinx say? Raven closed her eyes, still holding her breath in the water. Then, in a flash of light, she propelled herself upward, gasping as she broke the surface, looking up into the dark curvature of her shield.

And then lightning struck down, past her barrier, surging through the water. She heard a scream - was that me? - and sunk back down, the strength in her body momentarily lost as her muscles convulsed with energy. She put a hand to her chest and felt no pulse, but then a second passed and another bolt of lightning struck down and she lost all focus, her barrier dissipating. The massive surge of electricity ran through her and her heart stopped.

The water rushed down quickly, her body dropping with it. Time seemed to slow and it hovered over the village like some alien monstrosity, casting its terrifying shadow over everything.

Raven's eyes flew open. No!

She fell rapidly, but still managed to summon up her powers, stopping the wave of water midflight, hovering barely over the village and gathered it together, high over the lake, into an amorphous, vaguely ball-shaped mass in the sky. And then she realized she had forgotten to take care of herself and she slammed into the ground on her back, feeling several bones break with the impact.

She tried to move, but her body would not respond. I hope I didn't shatter my spine...

Raven took a deep breath and tried to sit up again, but failed, the strength in her body deserting her, most of her focus still sent toward maintaining the barrier around the water. She gasped out harshly, trying to regain some energy, lungs working furiously, but, bruised by the impact of her fall, she was unable to maintain the flow of oxygen that she needed. Still struggling, she managed to raise her torso a little. And fell back with a sigh, aching all over.

And then she felt an arm around her neck, a gentle force helping her into a sitting position. She coughed violently a few times, her whole body shuddering, then once she felt better, looked back into a pair of green eyes.

She blinked several times. The eyes' owner blinked back. Why does he seem vaguely familiar..? She shook the thought from her mind and put her hood back on, flying up over the lake again. A barrier blocked a bolt of lightning, and then she looked down at the basin, which held perhaps only half the water it had had before. Have to give all this water a place to go...

With a tremendous effort, she sent her powers flying down, carving out another path from the lake, another river roughly the same size as the current one. The wide beam of darkness cut easily into the soft soil, creating a deep basin; Raven moved the trajectory slightly, forming a curving line, watching as the water flowed into the new aperture. Extending it westward, she let it meander about through empty paths in the forests, extending it a fair way before she felt exhaustion overtake her. She clenched her hands into fists. Can't give up now. But I don't have the strength to extend it all the way to Avalon. I'll have to just let it flow out, then.

Her eyes glowed with power again and this time she carved out shallower paths from the deep one she had just made, sending them off almost like tiny capillaries from the larger vein, growing smaller and smaller until they were nothing but shallow pools. Then, taking a deep breath, she let the water in the sky down and watched as it flowed into both rivers, causing the old one to overflow just slightly, but at this point she really didn't care about such a little thing. It filled the new river quickly, flowing over the little streams that she had created, seeping into the ground in the forest, under the trees where it would supply the newly growing plant life. After a few minutes, the water level in the lake stabilized and though the rivers still churned tumultuously, it seemed that they would no longer overflow. Raven closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

But in her relief, she forgot to guard herself again, and gave out another cry of pain as lightning struck her full on, breaking all focus again. She dropped quickly and darkness took her before she even hit the ground.


Jinx looked at the sky. "It's raining."

"So it is," Daniel replied. "But just a little. C'mon, we don't want to be late, Jen," he tugged at her hand.

She glared at him. "Hey, who said you could call me that!"

"I did. Now let's go, before the dances start without us. Besides, there's nothing to look at here."

Jinx took another look back at the storm in the distance, then with a sigh, tugged her gaze away and let him lead her toward the sounds of music and laughter. She smiled as she saw a bunch of people dancing around a large fire, which was still blazing brightly in the rain. As they got closer, it became apparent that there was always a couple nearest to the front, in the limelight, and off to the side, there were a couple of boxes, where people were putting in slips of paper with writing on them.

The pinkette looked for a moment, then smirked. "So that's what it is. This is a contest."

He grinned. "You're a sharp one. Yeah, this year the best pair gets a prize. I thought you looked like you'd be good at dancing so I figured I'd ask you."

Jinx shook her head, still smirking. "Well that's too bad. 'Cuz I can't dance at all."

His smile remained plastered to his face. "Oh really? You don't look like you're serious."

"Well I am."

He chuckled. "You're a terrible liar."

Jinx pouted, then grinned back. "Alright fine. I'm pretty good at dancing. And you?"

"I'm not half bad myself. Why don't we go eat something and then try our luck?"

"Sure," she replied. "You gave me two cookies after all."

He laughed, and led her over to a man who was cooking some meat pies over a fire. Daniel toss him two coins and he passed over two of them. He handed one to her and looked at her, biting into his own food. And then nearly choked as he saw her making a weird, funny face at him - on purpose, too! - as she calmly chewed, as if nothing was wrong at all.

"Fine," he muttered. "Two can play at this game."

She smiled widely as he made a face at her as well, then returned the gesture and they both ended up giggling like children for several minutes. He helped her off the ground and held his hand out to her, as if he were some nobleman courting her.

"Would you indulge me, my lady?"

She laughed. "A village peasant, acting better than he is. Sure, I'll entertain you."

She put her hand in his and gave off a slight noise of surprise as he pulled her in and spun her around. Jinx paused for a moment, then grinned mischievously and this time spun him in a circle, holding him up as if he were a ballerina, then set him back down. There were cheers and whistles all around her and she blushed.

"Didn't know you were that strong," he whistled, slightly red in the face as well. "Gave me a good scare there."

She flashed him a brilliant smile. "Always know what you're getting into."

She took his hands into hers again and moved furiously about, right in time with the lively beat behind her. To her surprise, he matched her energy, legs and feet mere blurs as they circled each other, almost looking as if they were in heated battle, yet complementing each other perfectly, pulling in close, then apart again, and then close once more, bodies colliding with each other.

She moved as if in a trance, the music and rhythmic claps blurring together with the loud pounding of her heartbeat in her ears, all of her senses melding as one. The sense of the cool air, the sweat on her face and neck, the salty taste in her mouth, the whirl of colors all around her, the smell of fire... all indistinguishable - where her emotions stopped and her senses began, she did not know.

In her heightened state, she became vaguely aware that Daniel looked a little different in the light of the fire; something about the shadows seemed to make his face a little more angular, his skin slightly red, though that was probably just the flush from dancing intensely, and from being excited. Certainly, she had not felt so enlivened in a long time, and probably her cheeks were red too. His eyes glinted fervently and she noted that they were not really focused on her, no, to something behind her and instinctively she knew that the other girl was watching from behind them, probably jealously - yep, she's probably staring hatefully at me right now.

At one point, the fire seemed to roar up in front of her, hotly, brightly, and she felt a surge of terror flow through her - it reminded her of Raven - and in that moment, he had drawn her close, face drawn into one of flushed delight - and it was odd, because she knew she looked frightened in that moment, though maybe he had taken it as excitement - no, he had known she was terrified by something, because the smile had faltered very slightly, just a little bit, but as soon as the fire was gone from her sight, she was fine again.

He bent her back and she looked at the sky, the light rain falling in her face, and she marveled at the patterns in the clouds for that single instant before he pulled her back up and they broke apart again.

The smell of rain and fire mingled together - one moment, she was exceedingly hot, standing next to the fire - and the next she was cool, the rain falling on her bare arms and shoulders, trickling down through her clothes. He lifted her, bridal style, and swung her around - she smirked and did the same to him, drawing laughs all around, though Daniel's laugh in her ears was faintly a growl, actually no, more of a cough - she looked back at him, and indeed he was short on breath, panting heavily, though he didn't seem to be aware of it.

And indeed, she knew she was tired, but her body did not protest - she knew she was breathing rapidly, but the fire in her lungs was cooled by the cold water falling between her breasts, overshadowed by the heat in the rest of her body.

Her senses blurred completely together again and she had not a clue where she was going, though it must have been in a circle because she did not bump into anyone besides him, but he moved about it gracefully, as if it were intended, pulling her close again, then apart - the smell of sweat and fire, the sense of heat and cold, the taste of rain on her lips, the sound of rushing wind and tiny, tiny human voices around her, shades of whirling color - she could make sense of nothing; all was chaos, an overflow of senses.

And abruptly the music stopped as her body did, on its own accord, and she became aware that she was smiling, panting heavily, and he was too, as he approached her.

"Yep," he smirked. "You're pretty good, alright."

"Thanks," she replied, figuring it was Daniel, though her vision was still no more than a blur.

Somehow, she managed to walk steadily behind him and they sat together on a nearby log, waiting for the remaining dances to finish before they got up. She was still unable to figure anything out, everything still melded together, but she became aware that a man was approaching them, holding out a pair of metallic wristbands cast in silver, each with an intricate, leafy pattern to them and a small bird - like a raven - on the top.

There were claps and cheers all around, though for some reason she could only hear Daniel's voice through it all.

"Keep it," he smiled at her. "You earned it."

She blinked a few times and her vision finally cleared a little. Had she been trying to give it back to him? Apparently she had, because she had hers in her outstretched hand and he was wearing his already, the silver oddly bright against his skin, a little too bright. They just looked at each other for a while, and she was not sure what her face was showing, but his was a mixture of dying excitement, amusement, and oddly enough... terror?

And then she was acutely aware that they were alone, well, not completely alone - that other girl was still there, watching them. But everyone else had left. She shook her head again and swayed as she stood when she felt a pair of hands on her back. Small hands. Not Daniel's...

She turned and gasped as four eyes stared back at her.

"Shh, shh," the dark haired - and red skinned - girl tried to sooth her. "Please, don't scream."

Jinx turned back to Daniel and covered her mouth as she saw that he had red skin and four eyes as well, and nearly fainted, collapsing back into the girl's arms.

His face darkened. "Sorry we had to trick you," he muttered. "But this was the only way to-"

"You guys are demons," Jinx whispered.

"We are, but we're not here to fight you," the girl holding her up said. "We just wanted to ask you something and to see if you would help us."

Jinx gulped, her breath sticking in her throat. "You guys - are... demons..." and she fainted.

The girl sighed and shifted the pinkette into a position which she'd be easier to carry in.

"Well, now what?"

Daniel scowled. "He's here."

The girl paled, her skin turning a rose color. "Let's get out of here."

She slung Jinx over her shoulder and they disappeared quickly into the darkness.


Raven gasped and sat up, holding a hand to her head, feeling a wave of pain wash over her body, mostly in her ribs. She moved a hand down and frowned as she felt something warm flow out - blood.

"Hey!" A voice suddenly said. "You opened your wound back up."

It was the same green-eyed boy from before, with a dark skinned man sitting next to him. Raven frowned.

"You two... are Titans, aren't you?"

The green-eyed one nodded. "You fought us, remember?"

She shook her head. "Only vaguely. I... wasn't myself."

The dark skinned man frowned at her. "Well, the person we fought and the one who just saved this village seemed to be completely different people."

Raven frowned and looked back - and only then she noticed that the one with green eyes also had green skin. "Oh, now I remember... Sir Garfield... and Sir Victor." She winced again as pain shot through her ribs.

Both of them rushed over and tried to help her lay back down, but she shook her head again, looking at them curiously. "Aren't you two supposed to kill me?"

Victor shrugged. "Nah. That's Richard's thing. As much as I personally don't trust you, you saved all these people today. So for that, thank you."

Garfield nodded. "Yeah. What he said."

Raven sighed. "But the instant I mess up again, I'll be hunted," she murmured, and the two knights looked at each other curiously.

She was supposed to be a mighty, dangerous, half-demon sorceress. So why did she sound so sad?

She pulled her hood up and stood, ignoring the pain in her muscles and their protests. "I have something I need to do," she said quietly. Someone I need to find. I can't be bothered by little hurts right now. I have to find her.

"But you're hurt!"

Raven turned a little. "Yeah, thanks for the heads up. I couldn't tell." And she disappeared into a portal of darkness.

Garfield looked at Victor, a confused look on his face. "Did she... just make a joke?'

Victor shrugged. "Beats me."


A dark figure stalked the forests, closing in quickly on his targets, a dangerous crimson aura burning around him. He stopped moving for a moment, looking back, sensing a rush of darkness a distance away, travelling in his direction and knew he had limited time to do his task. After all, if she got to his targets first, there was no way he would be able to hold them in place. Maybe she couldn't fight him head on, but she had much more mobility than he did.

Grumbling, he kept moving until he sensed three auras right ahead of him, two burning of crimson, and the other that very odd color of pink, the color that had made her so easy to track. And the best part was, she seemed to be unconscious.

Time to act.

His eyes flashed as fire erupted from the ground.