Teen Titans: Unexpected Fate
Chapter Two
Raven took a few moments to collect herself before she got into the shower, bringing her radio in the bathroom as well so she could drown out any thoughts that kept creeping into her brain from this morning. Anytime something got close enough she physically shook her head and began singing rather loudly to clear her mind. She quickly got out of the shower, dried off, and got into a fresh, new uniform, the entire time making her mind think of what she had to do and not what had already transpired this morning. She finished getting ready and hurriedly scrawled a note for the other Titans and taped it to her door, letting them know she would be back later in the evening and not to worry even if she wasn't.
"Looks good." Pauses. "Guess I can leave now and go talk to Azar. Hopefully she will know what is wrong with me."
She folded her legs underneath her as she sat hovering above her bed and started repeating her mantra, her eyes closed as she pictured her old home, her home where she happened to never feel as welcome as she did at the Tower. She took a deep breath as she gathered up all the energy she could and transformed into her shadow-form, flying almost as fast as Starfire through the inter-dimensions and towards Azareth.
She could feel a slight shifting as she soared through the dimensional plains but she was used to it and merely felt content, as though she were only in a delightful, fancy-free flight. A few minutes later she felt her mind reach the outer limits of her old home, so she opened up her eyes as she looked down and saw the blur of the devastated terrain below her. A pang stung her heart for the destroyed planet, for the people she knew were always in risk because of the demons, because of her.
She quickly pushed the awful thoughts away and slowly made her way down to the ground, phasing out of her shadow form and landing softly on the ground in front of Azar's temple. A few passerbys looked at her strangely before shrugging their shoulders and continuing on, forgetting the young woman almost instantly. Raven ignored them and went up to the doors, knocking forcefully and then stepping back as two guards appeared before her, the only Azarethians allowed to carry weapons.
"I'm here to see Azar. It's important."
The guards looked down upon her, giving her the feeling they would sneer if they weren't in such close proximity to their peaceful leader's abode.
"And who are you to demand such an inquisition? Mere subjects surely cannot just barge in upon her Highness for no reason at all."
Raven sighed and rolled her eyes at their gruffness.
"Well you can just tell her 'Highness' that Raven is here to see her and that her incompetent lackeys are really starting to piss her off, so she might want to hurry."
The guards' nostrils flared at her arrogant words but they glared at her and stuck their nose in the air.
"Wait right here, peasant."
They walked back into the temple, leaving Raven alone outside, feeling somewhat perturbed by their ignorant attitudes and their apparent dislike of her. She luckily didn't have too much time to ruminate about how to torture them as the doors flew open almost instantly and the guards appeared terrified a little as they moved aside to let her in. Raven huffed at them, seeing their obvious terror and smiling to herself; Azar had undoubtedly reamed them for giving her such a rude welcoming. She knew her way around the ancient temple and set her course straight for Azar's temple throne. She came to the doors, stopping only to take a deep breath, before she opened the doors and walked inside.
"Welcome my Child. It truly has been quite some time."
Raven bowed before the High Priestess and smiled warmly at the old woman.
"Thank you Azar. Yes, it has been quite a long time. I apologize for not contacting you in the last few months."
"Oh you do not have to be sorry for that." She came down from her throne and lifted Raven's chin up with her finger. "I know that you are busy with your new house mates."
Raven stood up and followed her over to an area of soft, velvet pillows and they sat down across from each other, relaxing in the calm atmosphere. Raven took the time to look her old friend over, marveling at how nice Time seemed to have been to her. Her long, pure white hair was tightly coiled into a braided bun atop her head, exposing her slender, graceful neck and parts of her pushed back shoulders. Her light yellow robes complimented her pale skin and brought out the flecks of blue in her forest green eyes. Raven suddenly felt physically self-conscious of her slim, but short legs, her unusually large bosom, her stick-like arms and her still wet odd-colored hair cascading down her back.
"So, my dear. What brings you back here to see me? It must be important if you thought to practically dismiss my guards as imbeciles."
Raven smiled a little at the old woman's gleaming eyes and nodded slowly, caught off guard by the sudden speech.
"Well, Azar, you see, I think something has been happening with my powers... I have had many visions lately, none of them are very clear, but they all make me feel... I don't know what they make me feel, but the fact that I can feel is what really scares me. I talked with my leader last night before we went to bed and even he seemed to think it would be a good idea to come and talk to you about it. He thought maybe it might have something to do with my... heritage."
Azar smirked and regarded the young woman babbling before her.
"You talked about your powers with your leader? Well, you must really trust this young man very much. You were never one to share your secrets and feelings with anyone, let alone a boy. What is his name again? Robert?"
"Robin. And yes, I trust him with my life. I feel like I can tell him anything and he'll listen, and I mean really listen. I've never felt this way with anyone before... I trust all of them very much."
Azar's smile brightened even more as she delved deeper into Raven's words and thought about what was underneath the actual spoken words.
"Ah, yes, it was Robin, that's right." Pauses. "I am happy for you, my little one. You deserve such wonderful friends who really are more like, if I can daresay, your own family."
Raven thought about it for a minute and then looked back to her.
"Yes, they are like my family aren't they? I would do anything for them and I know they would help me in any way they possibly could... It feels good to finally feel cared about."
"Yes, I am sure it probably is. But, moving back to your question at hand: You said your powers seem to be slipping and that you are getting visions? What, if I may ask, are these visions? Are they apocalyptic? Of the future? Of your friends?"
Raven shook her head and blushed intensely, feeling awkward to be telling Azar of something so personal and so vulgar, in a way. She fidgeted for a moment before sighing deeply and shaking her head yet again.
"Yes, I have to focus really hard on my powers when I use them and it takes much energy out of me." Gulps. "As for my visions... they are not apocalyptic, or of the future, or of my friends. They really are not that bad at all."
Azar studied the young woman's internal struggle as she weighed her words.
"What do you mean then? Of what are your visions if they are not bad?"
"T-they aren't really even premonitions, I think. At least, I hope not. You see, Azar, my visions usually involve me and someone else... I don't know who he is, but I do know it is a man. But I can never see his face and his voice doesn't even sound familiar since it is always garbled. As for what is happening in those visions..." Blushes intensely. "Well, they are not exactly situations of good caliber. I mean, they are rather awkward to talk about, as much as they make me feel good, but they are always involving a...er,...less than casual setting."
Raven stumbled over her words as Azar tried to piece together her cryptic sentences. Obviously this was something embarrassing for her since she kept blushing and fumbling with her thoughts.
"Child, as strange as this might be for you, please do not feel apprehensive in telling me something, no matter how personal it may seem. I am only here to help you, something which I cannot do if you do not outwardly tell me what is going on."
Raven closed her eyes and sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose before opening her eyes again and looking at her mentor.
"I am sorry Azar, it's just...embarrassing on my behalf really. But I suppose you are right; I cannot truly receive your help if I am not forward with my words." Deep breath followed by a heavy sigh. "You see, in my dreams, the man and I are always engaged in... activities of a...sexual..nature."
Azar blanched a little as she heard her protege's words, but she quickly calmed down and carefully thought her own words out.
"A sexual nature you say? So, the dreams are carnal in content?"
Raven blushed even more and she could sense her old leader's weary tone, knowing full well Azar was uncomfortable with the topic.
"Yes, they are, very much so. I find the scents and touches are heightened and when I awake, I often find myself sweating and in a near state of arousal. I have never been one to succumb to such pointless feelings, but I feel as though I have no choice in the matter. Also, I can feel myself having feelings of, dare I say it, love towards this individual... Am I completely wrong in thinking these explicit dreams are somehow affecting my powers?"
Azar was silent for a few minutes as she pondered the situation. At first she knew not what to make of the connection, but as she slowly pieced the events together, she quickly came to a decision, apprehension dawning on her face as she turned back towards the confused young girl.
"Raven, what is the date back on Earth? I have not checked my Earthen calendars in such a long time..."
Raven quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing at the strange question. She could tell by her tone that Azar might have an idea on how to solve her problems.
"Erm, it's almost the end of January, I think this morning I saw that it was the 22nd or so. Why? What does the date have to do with anything?"
"Well, my child, your birthday is coming up is it not? And is this year not a special year, at least on Earth?"
Raven blushed a bit at the mention of the despised day of her birth and scowled.
"Unfortunately, yes. In about two weeks it will be my eighteenth birthday. But I don't see why that's important."
Azar stood and offered her hand to the sitting girl; Raven took it hesitantly and stood beside her, following confusedly as Azar led her back to the entrance of her temple.
"You see, Raven, when a demon child reaches their peak of adolescence, a rather large change occurs. For complete demons, it happens when they grow their wings which symbolizes their entrance into adulthood. But since you are a half-breed, you will not get the changes that demons get and so your body must deal with what it has. So, that in turn means that it waits for a significant turning point in your adulthood, which in the case of humans, is their eighteenth birthday, more or less."
"Ok, so my body is responding to my being an adult? So, this is going to pass right? I mean, I don't really understand what all the visions are about, but still..."
Azar chuckled and stopped to look at her just before the door.
"Well, you see when a demon child reaches adulthood, then they are to choose their mate for life. They, in a matter of speaking, go into a mating frenzy to find their eternal demon partner."
Raven's eyes widened and she seemed to grow even more pale than she normally was.
"S-so what you're saying is that, I'm practically going to be in heat for the next two weeks! And that this person I'm dreaming of might be my s-s-soul mate?"
Azar noticed the uneasy feeling in her voice and quickly tried to calm her down.
"Yes, well your body will want to mate, like any normal demon's, but usually it only works with other demons. So the chance that the man in your visions is your eternal partner is very slim. But, if I may say so, my dear, with your emotions going haywire, it means that your powers will be more under your control than ever before. If it is not so bold of me to suggest, then I would say you should think of confronting your father and taking back your life in the next two weeks."
"Defeat my father? Have the chance to finally be free? As tempting at that sounds Azar, I don't know if I'm strong enough yet for that."
Azar placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small hug, comforting the young woman as much as she could.
"Raven, you have always been strong enough for that. You should never doubt in yourself like that. You deserve to be free and truly happy for once in your life. Besides... it would keep you from thinking constantly about the visions you've been having..."
Raven returned the hug and smiled sadly at the old woman.
"Maybe you're right. It's about time that I took control of my life and stopped living in fear of my father for once. Thank you Azar. I knew you would help me greatly. I truly appreciate it."
"You are welcome. Raven, I have always looked upon you as one of my own. I have raised you practically from birth and I only long for your happiness. I hope that you find it soon. It would do my heart a great deal to see you content and, maybe, even someday in love with a family of your own."
"Someday..."
Raven's smile grew as Azar opened the door and they said their goodbyes, Azar still wishing her luck in whatever path she chose as she smirked at the guards upon leaving. Raven walked slowly, breathing in deeply the sweet, unscathed air of Azareth as she walked down the path, not really wanting to leave for back home just yet. She felt as if a terrible weight was just lifted off her shoulders as she was happy that the visions were merely nothing but raging hormones.
She was relieved that her dreams were merely byproducts of her uncontrolled emotions and she put aside the minor fact that her latest one had actually been more of a premonition than anything. She lazily strolled around the dilapidated landscape of Azareth and fondly remembered what it used to look like before Trigon's army had effectively destroyed the tranquil beauty that had inhabited her former home. After an untold amount of time, Raven finally decided it was time to get back home and to her friends.
She found a quiet place near the dying lake and began meditating a bit before finally using her powers to fly through the dimensions and back to Earth. She appeared in a shadowy wisp of black magic, hovering a few feet above her bed in the Tower and slowly floated down, sitting there for a moment to collect her bearings. She shifted a little to look at her clock, beaming an ominous red in the dark room, casting an eerie glow to her night stand beside her bed.
Hmph, it's only a little after ten, she thought to herself, stretching her legs out and sliding off of her bed. The other Titans are probably already in bed. Maybe I should go and get a cup of tea before bed; I need to calm my nerves somewhat before I fall asleep.
She walked quietly to her door and out into the darkened hallway, making her way down the long corridors. She made it to the kitchen rather quickly, entering quietly through the dark room and towards the kitchen and the small light someone left on above the stove. As she got closer to her tea kettle, she frowned as something didn't seem right.
She walked a little faster and when she got there, she would have sweat-dropped at the obviousness of what was different. Her kettle was already full and boiling with a mug set out next to it and a soothing, herbal tea bag lying next to it. She smiled softly at the apparently well-thought out gesture as she looked over and saw a stirring spoon with a small packet of cream lying atop a plain white envelope with her name scrawled on it.
Her brows furrowed together as she picked the envelope up and opened it, her gaze softening as she read the letter:
Raven,
I hope everything went well with your visit to Azareth this morning. I also hope that Azar was able to give you some much-needed answers as well. I figured you wouldn't be back until later tonight and you could probably use some tea to help you relax. See you in the morning. Get some rest; I mean it! Good night,
Robin
Her small smile still on her face, she set the letter off to the side as she poured her water, closing her eyes as the smell of her newly made tea relaxed her to the core, making her forget all her problems for just a second. She added her cream, which she didn't even know Robin knew about, and stirred it up, cleaning her mess in the process with her powers and taking both her tea and Robin's letter back to her room.
Her eyes glanced over at his door as she passed and her smile grew only slightly as she took a sip of her tea, blowing off the urge to stop and knock on his door to thank him. She settled on telling him in the morning as she finally made it to her room and used her powers to light some candles instead of turning on the harsh main lights. She set her tea down and changed into her pajamas, thinking all the while of what lay ahead of her.
The prospect of, for once on her life, being able to feel unrestrained sent a light-hearted feeling through her and she had to recall her emotions as some of her books rattled quietly on her shelf.
At least the whole bookcase didn't explode like it normally would. Maybe Azar was right; my powers are a little more under my control now. Which means that I could defeat my father if I wanted to.
After changing and finishing off her tea while she got ready for bed, Raven decided she would begin training hard by herself for the intense battle that loomed ahead of her; starting tomorrow morning, she would meditate as much as possible and when she wasn't meditating, she would be in the training room so she could gain the upper hand against her father. The tea began to take its effect on her and she became suddenly drowsy as her thoughts started to become jumbled. She used her powers to put the candles out and crawled under her dark, silk sheets, smiling the entire time as she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
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The next morning Raven woke up completely rested and even a little happy that she didn't have any more of those 'dreams'. She got up and looked at the clock, frowning at the somewhat late hour. She got out of bed, grumbling a little bit as she grabbed a new uniform and headed into her bathroom to take a shower. She was out relatively quick, with her hair dried and her shoes and cape on in a matter of minutes as she calmly walked out the door, mentally planning her day out in her head.
She walked into the living room to see no one but shrugged it off as she headed towards the kitchen. As she got closer she saw the fridge doors open but couldn't see who was behind them. Finally the doors closed as she walked to the cabinet and pulled a mug out; Robin turned around, hearing someone behind him and smiled at her.
"Hey Raven, I kinda figured you were back already after everything was cleaned up last night, but I was starting to worry when you weren't in here by 7 like usual."
"Yeah, sorry about that, I guess I was just too tired from traveling through dimensions yesterday."
"Well don't be sorry. I'm glad you finally got some sleep, it seems like you're always up way before you should be."
Raven just smiled and chuckled quietly to herself as she went back to making her tea and Robin came to stand next to her. She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, still smiling and watching him as he just stood there next to her, a soft smile on his face as well.
"Um, can I help you with something Robin? Did I forget to thank you for the tea last night? Because, then Thank you very much. It was greatly appreciated."
Robin just chuckled and shook his head.
"Well you're welcome for the tea. But that wasn't the reason I came over here."
Raven just cocked her head to the side, leaving the counter and going to sit at the kitchen table. She sat down, sipping her tea, having a staring contest with her leader as he leaned against the counter.
"Okay, I give. What was the reason then?"
"Well, I was just waiting for your order."
"My order?" Pauses, "What order? What are you talking about?"
"What do you want for breakfast? I mean, you can't just live on tea alone. You need some real food sooner or later. So, what will it be?"
Raven shook her head in response and frowned.
"No Robin, I couldn't do that. I'm fine, really. I'll just get something later on in the day. I don't want you to go out of your way to make me some measly breakfast."
"Fine then, seeing as how it's almost noon, what would you like for lunch?"
Raven sighed and glared at him, her look quickly becoming playful as he continued to smile at her.
"Nothing. I'll make something later. Tea is just fine for now. Really, Robin, I don't need anything."
Robin just moved toward the fridge, opening the door and scouring the shelves. Raven just watched him as he came out a few minutes later with his arms full of food.
"Grilled chicken salad it is, then."
He smiled smugly and went to the counter and proceeded to cut up pieces of leftover chicken to throw in a pan. Raven just sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Robin, I thought I sai— "
"Uh-uh, Raven. You need to eat. You haven't eaten anything since the day before yesterday and I won't have you fighting me anymore. You're going to eat now and that's an order."
Raven scowled at the serious tone his voice held but she refuted nothing, merely grumbling to herself as she fiddled with her tea, a smirk on Robin's face that she couldn't see.
"Well, if you're going to force me to eat, then can you at least let me help you cook something?"
"Sure, you know what, why don't you cut up some vegetables for the salad while I cook the chicken, sound good?"
Raven nodded and got up, leaving her unfinished tea on the table and proceeded to cut up some vegetables while Robin got out a frying pan and began cooking the chicken. They worked in an easy silence and in less than 10 minutes they were back at the table enjoying their hard work. Halfway through her salad, Raven looked up at Robin to see him playing with his tomatoes and could practically taste his anxiety. She put down her fork and stared at him.
"Alright spill, Wonder Boy. What's wrong?"
He looked startled at her sudden words and clattered his fork on his plate, his eyes a little wider.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong, why would you think that?"
"You're nervous about something, I can feel it. We have a bond, remember? And I'm an Empath. How could I not?"
"Oh, heh, right. Well it's nothing really.. I-I was just wondering h-how your visit to Azareth went... You know, I just wanted to know w-what Azar t-told you yesterday."
"That's it?"
"W-well, yeah..."
"Are you kidding me? Why didn't you just ask?"
Robin looked down, clearly embarrassed as Raven just quirked an eyebrow up at him.
"I-I didn't know if it was personal or anything. I didn't want to impose on you."
"Don't worry about it, Robin. She knew what was wrong with me, and it wasn't much really... It's just, that with my 18th birthday coming up... my emotions and powers are going to be under control as I get closer to adulthood. It's a demon thing I guess."
Robin visibly relaxed and Raven suddenly felt bad for not mentioning that she was going to be as horny as all hell in the next few weeks. She blushed slightly at the obscene thought but she forced it down as he smiled at her.
"So, that's it? Nothing too serious then?"
"No, not really anyway. But, I am going to have to ask for some time off; you might want to call in one of the alternates for the next two weeks or so."
"What? Why?"
Robin looked worried suddenly and Raven berated herself for making it seem like she was dying or something.
"I just meant that with my powers under control, Azar suggested that I try and confront my father and take my life back. I don't know how long it's going to take me to train or to defeat him. But I need to do it, and I'm going no matter what."
Robin frowned at this new information and was silent for a few minutes. Raven looked down and played with her salad, angry at herself for saying it so harshly. She was shaken from her reverie when he cleared his throat and started talking again.
"Raven, I know that you need to do this for yourself, but I would prefer if you let us help you fight against your father."
"No. I'm sorry Robin but that's out of the question. I don't want to risk getting any of you hurt or losing you. I need to go alone."
"Raven, I don't want to risk losing you."
Raven was startled at his serious and caring voice as he reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She thought she could feel something else in his tone, but she brushed it off with a wry smile.
"Don't worry, you won't. You're stuck with me for good, didn't you get the memo?"
She stood up, still smiling, finished with her lunch as she took it over to the sink. Robin just chuckled sadly and shook his head, his worry still laced in his words.
"I must have missed that one, I guess. Raven... are you sure you don't want any help? I would feel a lot better knowing that you had someone else to watch over you."
"Yeah I'm sure, I'll be fine, I promise. I have to do this by myself or I won't ever be able to be fully free from my past."
She turned her back to him as she placed her dish in the sink. She must have been really immersed in washing her dishes because she managed to not hear the chair scraping, or Robin getting up, or even him walking towards her. She jumped as he coughed to get her attention and spun around to face him, her heart beating wildly in her chest, and not just from the initial shock. Her eyes searched his mask for answers as he just stood there, mere inches from her face, just standing there as she could almost taste his gel in the air around them.
The entire kitchen seemed to vanish as they stood there, the air buzzing with an unknown electricity, the two birds just standing there with the water running behind them, not a care in the world besides that moment. Raven internally gasped as Robin began to come closer and her mind was a complete blank. She just stared at him and held her breath, not knowing what his intentions were. She almost died when his arms suddenly wrapped around her and his head was buried in her shoulder as he hugged her tightly to his chest. It took her a few moments to respond, putting her arms lightly on his back. It was a warm, friendly hug and Raven closed her eyes, letting out a loud sigh.
"R-Robin?"
"Please be careful, Raven. The last thing I need is to lose you, to lose such a beneficial part to this team, this family."
Raven's heart pinched in her chest, from what she didn't know, as he squeezed her one last time before pulling away, a shy smile on his face.
"Sorry about that. I know that you don't care much for hugs, or physical contact at all, but I just had to. I apologize."
"N-no, I-it's okay, really. It's nice to know y-you all care about me that much."
She managed a small smile for him, her heart thumping painfully in her chest from the intense moment. She still didn't understand the emotion coursing through her, but either way she didn't care too much for it and tried her hardest to quell it. He backed up and went to clean up his own dishes, nervously trying not to look at her too much in his moment of weakness.
"Well, I think I'm going to go and meditate for while. B-but I should be down again for dinner."
"Yeah, o-okay. That sounds good. I guess I-I'll just see you then."
Raven said goodbye and briskly walked back to her room, her heart pounding the entire time. She rushed into her room and immediately stomped over to her bed, flopping down and growling loudly.
"Stupid emotions! These two weeks are going to be harder than I thought. I think it'll just be better if I try and stay away from everyone, period. Especially the boys since it looks like these hormonal overload tendencies really aren't going to die down."
She sighed loudly and got back up, heading back out into the hallway and up the stairs to the roof. When she got outside, she could vaguely hear voices and so she looked over the side to see Starfire, Cyborg and BB all heading out across to the mainland, chattering away. She smiled at the carefree sight and moved back to 'her spot' on the roof and sat down, folding her legs and closing her eyes. She focused her thoughts on nothing but the quiet around her as she began her chant, slipping off into oblivion and beginning her meditation.
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Dinner went relatively well, neither Robin or Raven speaking of what was going to transpire in the next few weeks. Although, he kept sneaking glances at her, well she thought he did anyway because she could feel someone staring at her, but with that damn mask of his she could never really tell. The other Titans had no idea what was going on and Raven was thankful for that at least. She didn't want anyone else worried about her because in the long run it would only distract her from the task at hand.
After dinner, Raven agreed to watch a movie with them, but only at the pleading of Starfire and, in secret, Robin. She sat down with them, furthest away on the couch and thought about everything else while the movie was playing. She was still thinking when it was over and it wasn't until Robin cleared his throat that she snapped out of it and excused herself to her room. She cleared her mind before bed and was thankful for another night of dreamless sleep, for the next morning she was determined to get up early and start her training.
At exactly 6:30 in the morning, Raven was up, showered, and dressed comfortably in a pair of black track pants, a black sports bra, and a black tank top along with black tennis shoes. She headed down to the gym, her favorite cd in hand as she prepared herself for her training. When she entered the gym she set up the punching bag, the weights, everything she could think of; she wanted to be prepared for her battle for her destiny and she wanted to be ready for her father on every level.
She trained straight for two and a half hours while listening to a mix she made of her favorite songs which were, unbeknownst to anyone else in the tower, classic rock songs of the 70s and 80s. The soothing and yet, energizing, beats of Van Halen, AC/DC, Journey, and Bon Jovi, just to name a few, filled her senses as she fought hard, the sweat only making her feel accomplished as it pooled on her body. She finished training just before 9 and went up to her room to shower again, not trusting the locker rooms, smiling as she passed Robin's room and heard him getting up and getting ready to train himself.
After her wonderfully cold shower, she made a minor appearance in the kitchen, grabbing a mug of tea and some toast, at Robin's urging, and reading for a little under an hour before going up to the roof for almost four hours of meditation. She came down again around 3 in the afternoon and made another minor appearance, merely sitting and reading again before she began more training. She was about to head down to the training room again around 5, but she was stopped by Robin as she was leaving. He motioned for her to follow him into the hallway and she obliged, only a little perturbed at the minor setback.
"Hey, I noticed you started your training today..."
"Yeah, why wouldn't I have? I need all the practice I can get if I want to win."
Robin looked ashamed for a moment as he shuffled his feet and sighed deeply. Raven cringed at the hurt posture he assumed and felt bad for snapping.
"Listen, Robin, sorry for snapping, I didn't me— "
"No, it's okay, Raven, really. I understand... well, what I was getting at anyway, was that if you wanted any help, not like you're thinking, but if you wanted some pointers, then I would be more than willing to lend my services as a sparring partner."
Raven quirked up an eyebrow at his offer and was silent for a moment, trying not to laugh out loud at his strange terms. He mistook her silence though, for rejection and hung his head while starting to walk back into the living room.
"S-sorry Raven, I shouldn't have even said anything. I know you wanted to do this by yourself and it was a silly gesture anyway. I'll just be going now."
Raven shook her head, smiling warmly as she turned around to face his retreating back and placed her hands on her hips, scowling at him.
"Well fine then, go on back to the living room. It's not like I wanted to give you an answer anyway."
He whipped around and looked surprised, chuckling nervously as he saw her playful demeanor.
"Sorry again Raven, I just thought— "
"Yeah, well you thought wrong, Boy Blunder. When you assume, you make an Ass out of 'U' and Me."
She smirked at him and he laughed outright at her logic. When she looked back to him, she smiled warmly and nodded her head.
"It would be really great if you did want to help me, though. Then I could shove it in dear old Daddy's face that I trained with The Batman's protégé. He'd get a kick out of that for sure."
"Really? You want me to spar with you?"
"Sure, it can only do more good than harm. I'm going to need all the practice I can get."
Robin just grinned at her as she accepted his offer.
"Well good. Why don't you head down to the gym when you're ready then. I just have to go let the other Titans know where we'll be... Oh, erm, Rae?"
She whirled around from her walk back to her room, her stomach doing (ironically) belly-flops at the use of her nickname. She suppressed the growing blush and fidgeted with her cape to distract herself from her thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"Um, well I noticed you haven't told the others about your plans yet and I was just wondering..."
"Yes...?"
"Er, well, do you not want them to know or anything?"
Raven just stood there and stared at him for a second, decoding his words.
"In other words, if you were to tell them why we're training and why I'm going to be almost non-existent for the next two weeks or so, would I be mad?"
"Heh." Nervous chuckle. "Yeah, something like that."
"No, not at all. That does seem like the only right thing to do."
With that, Raven turned around and headed to her room as Robin stood there for a second before he remembered what he was doing and went to tell the Titans. Raven was already dressed and stretched by the time Robin showed up in the gym, clad in only black sweat pants and a white wife-beater. She instantly turned around to put some music on as she could feel her heart swell with lust at the sight of him so dressed down. Before they fought, Robin informed her that the other Titans now knew and would do anything they could to help her in her training and that they weren't going to hide their apparent dislike of her going to defeat her father alone.
Raven frowned at the news but was happy that her friends were at least supportive of her decision. They quickly got into their sparring session, with Raven's music mix blaring in the background, helping her to focus solely on the fight and not the reason behind it. At the end of their session, she had fared pretty well, winning half of their fights and losing the others only by getting distracted once by Beast Boy sprinting by as he was running away from an angry Cyborg, and the other time when Robin whipped his sweat-drenched shirt off in the middle of their battle.
She was never more thankful to look flushed while fighting because it gave her a cover up for her blushes, although she swore she moaned once when Robin had her in a lock, his one arm crossed over her chest and the other twisting her arm behind her and so very near her butt. She played it off easily, though, and they agreed to make it a daily routine to help her train. She really didn't want to have to think about the close proximity she would be having to him every day now as she trudged wearily back up to her room, ready for bed and then another shower.
As she was lying in bed she let her mind wander to the last few days as she started thinking about everything that had happened, including the freedom she could feel coming with her emotions. Which, in turn, made her think about those strange feelings she was getting in the pit of her stomach every time Robin walked into the room. Right before she fell asleep she had concluded she had a crush on her fearless leader and was afraid more of the fact she might be falling deeper for him than the fact that he was her leader, her teammate and she shouldn't be feeling this way for him.
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The next few days went by just the same with training in the morning by herself, then breakfast, meditation, reading, sparring and finally bed, leaving her completely tired and drained every night and every night without any more dreams. The end of the month came fast and Raven found herself getting comfortable with her training and she was even winning the majority of her sparring matches with Robin, not letting her impending feelings get in the way of her mind set. On the last day of the month there was a late night call for the Titans as Mumbo had escaped prison yet again and was on the rampage in town. Robin told Raven to stay and train, that they had it covered and not to worry about it.
Raven agreed in the end and stayed behind to train, her sparring session not lasting very long without a partner and so she decided she earned the night off, taking a shower, getting dressed in her pajamas and heading into the living room to read and wait up for her team. She sat down on the couch with her tea on the table in front of her and tried for a few minutes to get comfortable. She didn't normally wander around the tower in her pajamas, but she made an exception this time since she was so tired and felt as if she would pass out any second.
She finally found a comfortable position by the end of the couch and began reading as she used her powers to pull a blanket over and on top of her. It didn't take long for a sleepy haze to cross her vision as the words in her book started to blur and her eyelids fluttered. She was asleep in mere seconds, but unfortunately tonight her dreams felt the need to resurface and disturb her from her usually peaceful reverie.
Raven was lounging around in her room, just laying back on her bed as the darkness ensconced her room but the candles lit everywhere gave enough light to see. She was waiting, but for what, she couldn't really remember. She started thinking about what it might be when she heard her door whoosh open and a figure walked in. She squinted to try and see who it was but she couldn't make out any distinctive features yet again, but when he spoke, she knew who it was... it was him again.
"Hello my Love. Sorry I'm late. I got caught up somewhere."
"It's all right. You know I would wait for you forever."
Raven purred as the figure came closer and was still a shadow to her, no matter how hard she concentrated on what he looked like. He crawled on the bed towards her and began kissing up her legs, earning a very misplaced giggle from her mouth. He moved up to capture her lips quickly and she closed her eyes, drowning in the wonderful sensations he caused inside of her. She settled herself amidst the pillows as he began kissing her neck, sucking hard enough, she was sure, to give her a bruise in the morning. She moaned quietly as his hands moved under her shirt, making him pull away as they lifted it up and over her head. She frowned until his mouth came back down, this time on her right breast and she arched up to meet him more, her hands flying to entangle in his hair.
He paid much attention to her stomach and chest as she moaned louder and urged him on, her eyes squeezed shut in pleasure. He slowly slid off her shorts and discarded them into the darkness as he kissed a trail down to her thighs, his fingers sliding beneath the hem of her underwear and caressing her curls. She gasped as her underwear seemed to no longer exist as his tongue gently found its way inside of her, causing her to cry out in surprise at the intense pleasure coursing through her.
She forced herself to open her eyes as his tongue probed her most secretive areas, sending shivers to places she didn't even know existed. She moaned in ecstasy as he added some fingers to the mix, pushing, and poking, pinching and pleasuring to no extent. She was writhing on her bed, oblivious to the world around her, her half-closed eyes rolling around in her head at the new sensations. She looked down as he touched a most sensitive area and she could just make out his other hand resting on her stomach.
Her eyes widened slightly as she saw the green, fuzzy-looking arm yet again moving back and forth, rubbing her abdomen as wave after wave of delight flew through her, pulsing with a life of their own. She felt herself coming close to a release as suddenly she heard her name being repeated from far away.
She furrowed her brow as the feelings started to dissipate as well as her surroundings. She felt like a huge part of her was missing as her eyes fluttered open to see Beast Boy's face come into view just above hers, closer than anyone else's before.
"Hey, Earth to Raven! What's going on? Did you fall asleep or something?"
Raven woke herself up fully as he started going off on how she had been muttering in her sleep as she thought back to her dream and who the man seemed to be. She yelped and jumped up, shoving her way past BB and out of the living room. Her mind was all jumbled as her brain starting screaming at her, her emotions going haywire.
No, not him, not him, not him. Not Beast Boy, please not him. Azar said I might be safe, that my soul mate isn't here... it can't be him, it just can't! Not when I've just discovered my feelings for Robin, please no!
She fled into the hallway with BB and some of the others hot on her tail, concerned at her reaction. She was too busy trying to figure out what had just happened; her brain kept trying to tell her that every time she had these visions, BB was near her and he was what was causing them. She closed her eyes and shook her head so much that she didn't see Robin until she practically ran into him, colliding with his shoulder. She ignored the blazing pain in her arm as she booked it into her room, slamming her door shut and locking it behind her, sliding down the door as her eyes leaked out tears for the first time in years, landing on her butt on the cold, hard ground.
As soon as the tears started, more images of roaming hands, well-placed kisses, and distorted words of love flooded her mind, making her cry harder at the thought that her love for Robin meant nothing since she obviously wasn't fated to be with him. She held her head in her hands as the images poured into her memory, making her feel sick and disgusted and as if Fate were having fun messing around with her happiness.
She didn't even know when she finally fell asleep against the door, her body curled up in the fetal position on her floor, her tear-stained face resting against her soft carpet. She was only thankful that once she fell asleep the dreams and images stopped, letting her mind and her heart be at peace, even if it was only until she awoke the next morning.
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A/N: Woot! How the Eff was that for an update! Yeah! 18 pages on my WordPerfect. I rock my socks off! I felt the need to do some major updating since I haven't done it in awhile.. I apologize if I kinda die off again for awhile. I gots the Finals coming up in two weeks and I'm freaking out just a bit over here. At least Michigan decided to be somewhat nice and let us have some nice, warm weather... It makes up for the icky winter we had somewhat, doesn't it Xaph? ;-)
Anyhoo, I hope you all enjoyed that and I'm sorry for the vague fighting and training scenes. There is a point, I promise, and it's this: I don't want them in there. Period. This is an angsty/smut-fic. And nothing more. I don't want to jumble it up with fighting and training jargon. I have too much to say without throwing in some nonsense about fighting and training... So, I'm letting you all know ahead of time that Raven's fight with Trigon will prolly only be snippets of flashbacks... and that's a major 'Maybe' right there too...
Well, let me know what you think and hopefully, I can set aside some extra time and do some updating for y'all on my other stories. Hit that little button down there and give your feedback, I love it! L8R Daze...