I'm adding this because it's the only other chapter finished… You might have to wait a while for chapter three. Sorry! Shorter dashed lines between paragraphs, longer between time periods.

Prologue

The girl's eyelids fluttered.

"She is awakening!"

"Hey, are you okay?"

The girl opened her eyes. She sat up carefully. Four people were staring at her. The girl stared back. One of the guys seemed to be half robot, and another had green skin! The red-haired girl and the third guy looked normal enough, though the boy wore a mask that hid his eyes. "Where am I?"

"You're in Titans Tower," the masked boy answered. "I'm Robin, and this is Starfire." He gestured toward the redhead, who smiled brightly. "That's Cyborg." The half robot nodded. "And last but not least, Beast Boy." The green skinned boy smiled. "And you are?" the masked boy asked. The girl didn't reply. Rachel Roth, the Athar, daughter of Arella and the evil demon-king, Trigon, had been left on Azarath. She remembered Crow, and Tarisia, and…Raistlin. But they were all going to stay in the past. So who was she now? She remembered some poem that she and Rissy had read years ago, by a man from Earth. There was a line…'Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."' Rachel made a decision and hoped it was the right one. "My name is Raven." Robin nodded in apparent approval. "Well, Raven, we saw you use your powers. How would you like to be a Teen Titan?"

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Evening Shadows

Rachel…

"No. I won't listen to you!"

You will listen, Rachel, and listen well. I am becoming impatient with you, child. You know that anger will eventually rule you, heart and soul. You cannot fight me forever.

"I can try!"

And I suppose you expect me to become angry and kill you. Foolish girl. You are far too valuable for that. It would be a waste of all that talent. Talent you inherited from me.

"Don't expect any thank you notes."

I see you are not ready. But mark my words, Rachel Roth, you will serve me. The day will come when you will destroy everything you hold dear in the name of Trigon.

Raven gasped and woke up. "No!" she whispered. "I won't!" A single tear slipped down her cheek. "I …won't…"

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Raven sat on the roof of Titans Tower. It was only four o'clock in the morning, but she couldn't sleep. Not after that dream. She stared out at Jump City Harbor. The dark waves against the starlit sky had a calming effect, and Raven felt slightly better. Behind her, someone opened the roof-access door and closed it. They tried to do it quietly, but Raven had excellent hearing. She also already knew who it was. Robin sat down beside her. "You okay?"

"Stupid question."

"Not really. Most people are still asleep at four in the morning."

"I'm not most people."

Robin sighed. "Raven…"

"I had a nightmare, okay? I had a stupid nightmare, and I couldn't sleep. So I came up here. Happy now?"

Robin frowned. "Are you sure that it was just a nightmare?"

"Yes."

"You're lying."

"Why is it you can always tell when I'm lying?"

Robin smiled. "It's a gift. Now tell me the truth."

Raven sighed. "It was more like…a vision. My fa-" She paused. "Trigon contacted me."

Robin's frown returned. "What did he say?"

Raven looked away. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Something streaked across the sky, but neither of the Titans noticed it.

"Raven, I can't help you if you won't talk about it."

Raven glared at Robin. "And what if I don't want any help?"

Robin stared at her, then sighed deeply. "Fine. I'm going back to bed. But…If you won't talk to me, at least talk to someone, okay?"

"Fine."

Robin smiled ruefully as he stood up. "You're lying again, but I'm not going to push it. See you at breakfast, Raven." He went back inside. Raven hugged her knees to her chest. Robin didn't understand as much as he thought he did. He didn't have powers. He didn't have to worry about destroying his friends.

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When the sun rose, Raven returned to her room instead of going to breakfast. She wasn't hungry, and she didn't want Robin looking at her in that way he had, as if he knew what she was thinking. Even though he didn't. Desperate for something to do, Raven began rummaging through her jewelry case. She hadn't really opened it since leaving Azarath, mainly because there'd been no need. Her hand brushed a small velvet-covered box, and Raven paused. She removed the box and opened it slowly. Inside, nestled in black silk, was a golden ring adorned with a single round garnet, her birthstone.

"Here, Rachel." Rachel took the small box, curious. "What's this for?" Crow smiled. "It's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it? Your thirteenth birthday?"

"Yes, but…" Rachel opened the box. The ring sparkled, and she realized what Crow was getting at. "Oh. Oh…Crow, I…" He put a finger on her lips. "You don't have to answer yet. I'll let you think about it. Besides, it's just a betrothal. The engagement wouldn't be for another two years, and then we wouldn't get married until you turn sixteen." Rachel shook her head. "That isn't the problem, Crow. I'm the Athar. I'm not allowed to get married, just like Fei and Rissy." Crow smiled. "I know, but I'll find a way around that. Keep it anyway, will you?"

Instead of closing the little box and putting it back, as Raven knew she should- hadn't she done that with the rest of her past?- she slipped the ring onto her left third finger. Then she put the box away and closed her jewelry case.

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It was dark and stormy that night, naturally. The Titans were gathered in the living room. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were playing some video game, and Starfire was cheering all of them (but mostly Robin) on. Raven was in a corner, rereading The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, primarily because it suited her mood. Suddenly the doorbell rang. No one moved. Raven looked up. "You did hear that, right?" she asked the others.

"Yep," Robin replied. Raven frowned. "And one of you is going to go answer it, right?"

"Nope," Cyborg answered. Raven rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll get it." She put her book down. The doorbell rang again as she reached the door, and Raven glared at it. "Just a minute!" She opened the door. Two cloaked figures, one tall and one roughly her own height, stood outside. "About time," the shorter one complained. Raven stared at them. "It's raining out here," the short one continued. "Aren't you going to invite us in?" Raven stepped back, and the two guests came in just as the other Titans appeared to find out why it was taking Raven so long to answer the door. They stared when the guests removed their hoods, because the short one looked like a male version of Raven. The other had shaggy black curls and bright blue eyes. The Titans looked back and forth from one to the other. "Um, Raye?" Beast Boy whispered not-so-quietly. "Who the hell are these guys?" Raven shook her head to clear it of the memories that were surfacing, but she didn't answer Beast Boy. Instead she turned to her look-alike. "What are you doing here, Raistlin? How did you find me?" Raistlin smiled. "Such a kind greeting for your twin brother. And you've completely ignored your fiancé."

"Twin brother?" Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg repeated."

"Fiancé?!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

Raven gave her brother a dirty look. "Crow is not my fiancé." Crow finally spoke up. "But Rachel, you're wearing my ring." Raven blushed, and Beast Boy grabbed her hand to look at the ring. She glared at him. "Let go." Beast Boy did so, grinning sheepishly. Raven turned to Crow. "And I'm not Rachel anymore; my name is Raven." Raistlin laughed. "Honestly, sister dear, you can't just change who you are." The Titans all glared at him, and he continued quickly. "But Crow and I came for a reason. Is there somewhere we can sit down?"

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"I need you to come back with us to Azarath," Raistlin said to Raven once everyone was settled. Raven stared at her brother. "What?"

Raistlin sighed. "I might have expected you would react like this. You know I wouldn't ask you to return unless there was a reason of the greatest importance." Beast Boy glared. "And that reason is?" Raistlin frowned. "This is something of a private matter." The other Titans frowned as well. Beast Boy turned to Crow, who had his arm around Raven's shoulder. "And you, hands off!" Crow removed his arm, and Raven gave Beast Boy her patented "death glare", telling him to stop interrupting, before turning back to Raistlin. "The Titans are my friends. Whatever you have to tell me, you can tell me in front of them." Raistlin sighed again. "Fine. The seal that closes off Trigon's dimension has somehow been…damaged. The Azar asked me to fix it, but my power alone isn't enough. Should the seal break, Trigon will wreak havoc on the entire universe." The Titans stood in silence for a moment. This was far beyond their usual save-the-city routine. Crow looked at Raven, using his most disarming smile. "You'll help, won't you, Rachel?" She hesitated, then glanced at Robin. Robin nodded, and Raven nodded back. "We'll do it."

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Once they were aboard Raistlin and Crow's ship, Crow went to talk to the captain, and Raistlin excused himself without giving a reason. Raven retreated to the cabin she was to share with Starfire, and the rest of the Titans gathered in the cabin the boys would share. "So," Robin began, "what do you all think of Raistlin and Crow?"

"I do not like how Raistlin called Raven 'sister dear,'" Starfire said. "It reminds me of my sister." Cyborg nodded. "Yeah, there's definitely something shady about that guy." Robin sighed. "What about Crow?"

"He should rot in hell," Beast Boy muttered. The others looked at him. "What?" Robin shook his head. "He does not seem evil," Starfire said, "and he does seem sincere in his pursuit of Raven's heart." Beast Boy started grumbling to himself. "Star's right," Robin said. Beast Boy looked at him as though he were crazy. Robin smiled grimly. "We'll just have to wait and find out."

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"Gypsophila is our capital city. Over there is the Temple Crossroads, and there…" Crow was showing the Titans around town. He didn't appear to notice when Raven hung back as he led the others onward. Beast Boy, however, did notice. "Must be weird." Raven was jolted out of her thoughts. "Huh?"

Beast Boy smiled. "I said it must be weird, coming back to the place you grew up."

"You have no idea."

"Aura! Oh, Aura, it is you!" a female voice cried. Raven and Beast Boy both turned around. The speaker was a pretty girl roughly their own age, with long dark curls and blue eyes the same shade as Crow's. Raven stared. "Rissy?" The girl nodded before embracing Raven. "Oh Aura, I've missed you so much! You never even told me-" Beast Boy cleared his throat rather loudly. Raven blushed, realizing she'd momentarily forgotten about her other friend. "Rissy, this is Beast Boy. Beast Boy, this is Tarisia Majere. She's Crow's cousin." Tarisia smiled. "Nice to meet you." She turned back to Raven. "Oh, Aura, it feels like it's been forever! And you still have that cloak I gave you!" Raven smiled sheepishly. "I kind of like it. And I thought we were past this 'Aura' thing." Tarisia blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I forgot it all the excitement of seeing you again." Raven shook her head. "It's all right. What about you? Is Fei keeping you busy?"

"Of course. But Rachel, where did you disappear to for the past three years? Everyone was so worried about you, and so much has happened…" Tarisia looked around suddenly. "Maybe we should take this elsewhere."

Raven frowned. "Where did you have in mind?"

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Moments later, the three teenagers stood in front of the Black Temple of the Athar. Raven stared at it. "I never thought I would see this place again."

"It's been empty since you left," Tarisia said. "Since no one knew if you had died or not, they couldn't look for a new Athar. So there hasn't been one."

"What's an Athar?" Beast Boy asked. Tarisia stared at Raven. "You never told him, apparently."

"I didn't tell anyone anything," Raven said quietly. Tarisia sighed. "Come inside, and I'll explain everything."

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The three sat down on the dusty black marble pews of the temple's main room. Tarisia shifted importantly. "First of all, Azarath has two high priestesses: the Azar and the Athar. While the next Azar is chosen and apprenticed by the previous one, a new Athar must be born. You see, the Athar is the priestess of the dark things in the world. She is Aura, the ever-reborn. When Aura dies, her spirit takes the body of the baby girl born an hour after her death. There always is one, and she becomes the Athar." Tarisia smiled. "Do you understand better now?"

Beast Boy nodded. "Except for where you come in."

Tarisia laughed. "I'm the Azar's apprentice."

Raven interrupted at this point. "You said things have happened since I left, Rissy. What sort of things?"

Tarisia sobered immediately. "Well, for starters, Raistlin disappeared the same night you did. He came back after a few months, and he was surprised to find you'd left. Everyone else was surprised that you hadn't left together. Since then, Raistlin's been really…I would say withdrawn, but he was always like that. He's more secretive, if that helps. And you won't believe this, but he's decided to become a priest!"

Raven stared. "No."

Tarisia nodded. "He has. And Crow's likely to be the heir to the throne. You know King Ward only had daughters, and all of them went and became either priestesses or nuns. Well, Fei is the Azar, but she still can't take the throne and her sisters won't. Crow's mother, Lena, was the daughter of the King's only sister. Since both the sister and Lena are dead, Crow and his brothers are the next in line. But Crow is the oldest, so he'll probably become king someday."

"No wonder his ego's so big," Beast Boy muttered. Raven glared at him, and then turned back to Tarisia. "So you call the Azar by her first name now?"

Tarisia grinned. "Yes, isn't it funny? After all I used to say to you about it, too. Nevertheless, I'm sure your other friends- and Crow and Raistlin, of course- are wondering where you are. Come on, I'll help you find them. They're probably at the White Temple."

---End Chapter Two---

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