Sorry this took so long my friends!

I hope you enjoy this latest, yet slightly darker instalment of Feelings.

Thank you so much to all that follow review, fav and send good thoughts.

Enjoy!

On with the show!

Chapter 10: Day 3

It was like a nightmare. A dark, loud, chaotic nightmare. The darkness that had surrounded him was suffocating, like a boa constrictor squeezing the life out of him bit by bit, yet he could still hear, see, and feel what was going on around him. Only he couldn't focus, not with all the noise pounding in his skull, or all the flashes passing before his eyes, like looking out a train window going at light speed. None of it made sense. Whispers, crying, screaming, wails of agony and torment. The flashes. A boy, chains, fire, blood, Raven, his team, his uncle, his parents, like a washing machine of colors making his dizzy.

Then a voice . . .

. . . penetreating the darkness . . .

"Beast Boy it's-ARHHHHHH!"

"Is that . . . Raven? What . . . am I . . . did I just . . . ?" The chaos continued, drowning out any and all rationality until finally another voice began to cut through the darkness. But this one was slowly tearing away at the chaos producing a beautiful light to peel it apart piece by piece like a orange.

"-ergo draco maledicte, ut ecclesiam tuam secura, tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!"

Then silence.

Top of Jump City Bridge

Landon looked out into the distance of the city Skyline, his dark lifeless eyes finding the floating fuschia object in the sky in the dead center of the city. He had obsolute faith in her, she was after all one of the more powerful sorceress in the world, and he was witnessing her strength first hand. He didn't have a third eye so he couldn't see what was going on, but he could feel the power rippling over the city. If he WAS able to see what was taking place he would see five points around the edge of the city light up like spot lights that would illuminate the sky a bright fuschia. Once the pillars of light lit the sky, thick threads of energy would stream from the pillars connecting them together until the threads formed thick ropes in the form of a star blanketing the city in a protective layer of light. He couldn't see it, but the Star of Solomon was finished, the demon Carnus was now trapped in the city.

The small speck of light in the sky floated towards Landon and slowly began to take shape. The little speck was a women, a well developed women dressed in a form fitted black dress that covered her arms and draped down past her feet. Her blood red hair hanging slightly past her shoulder covering a generous amount of her back that was exposed from the dress. Her eyes, were glowing a soft pink as her power circulated through her slender body, until her feet touched down just in front of the demon king. The magic in her eyes fading into her natural forest green irises, then poured into the fuschia colored stone on her forehead.

"The seal has been put into place." she said. "He wont be going anywhere, if he manages to escape the Titans and Drake."

Landon nodded. "Unfortunately, I don't know how much faith I have in these kids. I thought the ward of the Batman, the child of Trigon, a shape shifter, a metal man with the most advanced state of the art tech, and an alien princess would be able to handle Carnus, especially with Drake on their side."

She shrugged turning back to the city. "They might still surprise you."

He joined her. "So any chance you'll talk to your son anytime soon."

She tensed her shoulders. "I'm just waiting for the right time, is all."

He chuckled. "Okay well. When you go NOT talking to him, you should know he might actually be opening up. I saw the looks he was giving to a lovely young lady this evening. Not like you'd know or anything your to busy . . . waiting."

She scoffed. "What do you care?"

"I don't, just don't ask me to look after him when your two feet away, and to much of a coward to do anything about it." She turned glaring at him, her power sparking at her finegrtips, but he didn't budge, he was right and she KNEW it. "I have business to attend to. Make sure you hold up a decent sign as you sit on the sidelines. Can't even get you to cheer these days." His eyes sweeped her frame. "A shame too." Landon vanished, leaving Malundra to stew on his words.

11:48 pm

Twelve more minutes and it was the third day. The end of the deadline Carnus set, then the torture and eventual death of his teammate, his sister, his friend would begin. He was so focused on losing Starfire, he didn't listen to what he was being told. Landon warned him that it was all a smoke screen, a farse, but he didn't listen. It was the Brotherhood all over again. If he had just listened to Beast Boy then he wouldn't have been captured. If he had listened to his team about Slade only being in his mind, they might have helped him sooner before he frightened Starfire. Raven was right, his pride was his downfall, and now she was going to pay for it.

He failed.

He failed Raven, he failed Beast Boy, his team, the Titans, the city, but more importantly himself. Tears welled in his eyes. What was he thinking? He should have stayed in Gotham, under the Batman. Maybe then Raven wouldn't be in the hands of a monster.

"Robin?"

The Titan leader didn't respond. He stayed supine looking up at the sky as if it was condemning him for his failure, and he was letting this chastisement continue.

The alien princess stared down at him, her jade eyes filled with worry, not just for her leader, but where was Raven? Wasn't she with him? A lump formed in her throat, her heart stopping as her mind fell to the worst possibilities. "Robin, where is Raven?"

"He-he's got her . . . " he said quietly, "I . . . failed her . . . " He felt the hot tears slide down the sides of his face slipping into his ears.

Starfire looked over him, his eyes half closed and lifeless, unaware that she was right in front of him, as if looking past her to the heavens. She could see the defeat in his face, he was giving up. He was ready to except the fact that Raven was gone, and she was going to be killed and he was here unable to prevent it, just like when she became the portal. Starfire clenched her fists. She wasn't going to watch then, and she WASN'T going to watch NOW.

Starfire's face fell from sadness to fury, the lump dissapearing, the tears evaporating, her heart pumping anger ridden blood through her warrior body. No. Her sister wasn't going to be killed for FUN. She would NOT except defeat, not like this. She reached down grabbing the Boy Wonder by his collar and hoisted him high into the air. "You will LISTEN to me! You will NOT have a party for the pity, we have not failed until we see and feel Raven's lifeless body in our arms. Until then as X'HAL as my witness we will look for her until our feet bleed if necessary, but I need YOU Robin. I need you NOW!"

Her words. They weren't coming from the sweet alien princess who struggles with earth sayings and enjoyed drenching everything in mustard. This was the warrior princess of Tameran, the heir to her throne, empress to her people, and Robin had NO choice but to listen. His eyes snapped open, the pity party coming to a halt. Raven! His sister, his beacon for hope. She was gone and he was GOING to find her, or die trying.

A small smile came to his face when he looked down at Starfire. "Thanks Star, I needed that."

She met his smile with one of her own. "I welcome you."

He waited a moment. "You can . . . put me down now." Starfire sheepishly set him back on his feet.

"Whoa . . . " Robin and Starfire turned towards the dragon who had joined them on the roof. Beast Boy drapped over his shoulder, and Kole in his other arm. She too wore an expression of surprise towards the Tameranean. "Remind me never to piss her off."

Starfire giggled, glad she had frightened him so much. Robin's looked towards the changeling. "Is he . . . him again."

Drake set Kole down, once again taking notice of how her hands slid down his scales, then the changeling. "I don't know." Beast Boy's face was sweating, as he curled and twisted in nausea. "It's normal to be a little sick after an exorcism, but this is . . . I don't know."

They watched him for a moment longer. "Look as much as I'm concerend for Beast Boy, Carnus has Raven, and she comes first. Starfire go search the-" He was about to give an order for her to search the warf, but he thought for a moment.

"Robin . . . what is it?" She asked. Drake could see the wheels turning in his head, he already figured out what Carnus was doing, but Robin needed to do this himself. Besides he knew Raven better then he did.

"All of his victims have been random, until now. He played with us, toyed with us . . ." he lowered his head, "Landon was right, it was misdirection, but I didn't listen because he made a threat against you Star. He wont go back to the warf, if anything he'll try to leave the city-"

"He wont leave the city. Landon we'll make sure of that." Drake told him.

"Okay then. Lets assume he was after Raven this whole time, or at least after Aqualad. It wasn't enough to just take her, he had to torment us individually, so when he did take her we'd be to pathetic to go after her. This also leads me to believe he will kill Raven sooner then the others," he ignored the gasps from his friends as his detective mind continued putting the peices together, "He researched all of us, and Raven, he took his time, he targeted her, which makes me think this is somewhat personal." He stopped thinking out loud and began turning over all the clues in his mind. "I think I know where they went."

Three years ago.

"Raven!"

The demoness looked over her friends one by one, defeat filling her very soul. She removed the hood that was shadowing her face. "It has already begun . . . and there is no stopping what is meant to be."

She could see the faces of her friends, and practically hear their hearts shattering. Her team leader approached her. "You're willing to give up on EVERYTHING, all because of some prophecy you heard as a child?"

Raven closed her eyes, the wind blowing her hair into her face. She wasn't crying, she shed to many tears throughout her younger life thinking of this moment and the horror she would bring into this world, but she had come to terms with what was about to happen, and now it was here. "Robin . . . I know what I know."

Robin became angry. "I don't accept that. You can take control! You can make it not happen!"

Raven however remained calm, her voice even and steady. "I've known my whole life this day was going to come. I tried to control the dark side of me, I tried to do good, to do good things, to fight evil . . . and hope that would somehow make up for the . . . horrible thing that I am destined to do."

"But no one knows their destiny!" Robin's anger was fading to fear, fear for her. "There are things you can't possibly know!"

She looked down, this time fighting the tears that threatened the back of her eyes. "There are some things I didn't know . . . like how I would make such wonderful friends." She looked up at her friends. Her family. "All I wanted was to make your last day perfect . . . instead you spent it worrying about me."

Robin tenderly took her hand. I gesture that had only happened once in her life, was he the boy she WANTED to hold her hands like this. No, his emerald eyes had lost the light she had come to rely on. "That's what friends do."

She lost her smile and released him. "And as my friends . . . you have to let me go . . . "

With a wave of her hand she put up a shield of black energy in front of her four friends and turned on her heal heading for the large stone steps that took her to the large statue. All the while she head her family beating against her shield with all the power they weilded. Starfire shouting as she threw bolt after bolt, Cyborg beating with his metal hands, Robin throwing his weapons, and Beast Boy changing into any creature he could think of to break the shield down. She couldn't look back, she could only move forward, reciting the same damn thing she had been told her whole life.

"The gem was born of evil's fire . . . the gem shall be his portal . . . he comes to claim, he comes to sire . . . the end of all things mortal!" He brothers are yelling at her to stop, her sister sobbing, and the changeling . . . just stares. She is gone, in her place, her father has come to end the world with a booming.

"THE EARTH IS MINE!"

Raven was gone.

"NO!"

She pulled at the chains that are holding her wrists in place, her heart beating a million miles a second, sweat dripping into her eyes. Once again she pulls, but she is held back. She takes a moment, freaking out won't solve anything. She takes a moment to center her mind and calm herself, then looks at her surroundings.

" . . . no . . . " she breathed. She was back. Back in that godforsaken place, the place were she ended the world. True it was nothing more then rock and rubble now, but the memories remained. She inspected herself. Her wrists and ankles were chained to a large boulder in an spread eagle fashion, her cloak and shoes gone, all that she wore now was her leotard. She winced at the pain in her neck, the brand that Beast Boy had given her still stung with the slightest movement. Beast Boy? Was he ok? Was Robin okay? She reached into herself, true her powers were neutralized, but she could still feel the bonds she made with her friends and if they were severed she would know it. She reached, and found them. They were still alive. She breathed a sigh of relief, and looked around the cavern again.

There sitting casually on a nearby rock, his dead eyes shimmering in the darkness, was Carnus. To his right, a metal tray covered with a cloth, she didn't have to think to hard to figure out what was underneath it.

"Sleep well?" he asked calmly.

"You . . . you made me see that aweful day?" she cleanched her fists in anger, but she was quickly losing feeling in her fingers.

He stood up approaching her. "It's not like it's hard to make you see the WORST day of your life."

He was nose to nose with her now, but she kept a brave face. "I relive that moment every day of my life, your gonna have to do better then that."

Carnus chuckled bringing his hand to her face cupping her cheek. She pulled her face to the side hoping to pull away from him, but he snaked his fingers to the back of her head pulling her hair to make her face him. His dark eyes seemed to be searching her, but he wasn't probing her mind, she would know if he was. "Do you know . . . what an oddity you are?" His tone was so quiet she almost mistook it for tenderness. She opened her eye a crack.

"What are you talking about?" He continued looking down at her as if at a loss for words. His odd staring and silence was angering her. "Why did you bring me back here?!" Her voice echoing through the emptiness.

Carnus finally released her head, and took a few steps back into the cave. "Why not bring you back to the place where the big burrito first came into this world?"

Raven's face betrayed her fear. "You-your trying to bring Trigon into this world?!"

Carnus stared dumbly, then began laughing at the obserd question. His laughter reverberating off the baren walls of the catacombs. His laughter continued even as he closed the distance between them, until he was nose to nose with her again, yet his laughter didn't stop. "The ONLY reason I would ever want to bring Trigon into this world . . . is so I can send him back to the stinkhole he crawled out of . . . myself." Laughter and joking was gone from his eyes, replaced with a white hot hatred for the four-eyed demon lord.

Carnus let that resonate in her mind before turning back to the metal table. "So you hate him just as much as I do." she reasoned. "Is that why you targeted me?" Carnus didn't respond instead wheeled the tray over to the demoness. She tensed slightly when he removed the cloth to reveal a variety of different torture implements. Mostly knives, but she saw a needle filled with a clear something, and other odds and ends that she didn't have the imagination for, but she wasn't going to scream. She REFUSED to. "So this is it then, huh?"

Carnus gently caressed one of the knives, savoring the touch of the cold steel, just like he did before each kill. It was intoxicating. "For centuries I tortured in hell, but torture wasn't anything I was unfamiliar with. As soon as I was able to formulate cognitive thought, I knew I was meant for damnation."

"Is this the part where I feel sorry for you?" she growled.

He shifted his eyes in her direction then slowly began to remove his coat and shirt. What she saw froze her heart.

His body was COVERED in scars, of verying lengths, depth and width. The skin on his back replaced with scared tissue from being whiped repeatedly, scars on his wrists where shackles had dug into his flesh, brands over his chest and abdomen. The at the grotesque sight before her, she couldn't help the lump form in her throat in tremendous sympothy. "Believe it or not my dear, this ISN'T from my time in hell. You see there are some of us that remember the . . . sweet taste of humanity, and as you can see," he spread his arms to the side and spun around making sure she got a good look at his scared flesh, "for me it's not that hard to forget." Raven's mouth ran dry, but she still heard the scrape of the knife off the tray. He was nose to nose with her again. "So tell me Raven? As a demon, what makes you so SPECIAL?" he spit the word into her face like it was acid.

Raven didn't understand the question, but she didn't have long to think about it. Carnus took the knife and cut her leotard right down the middle then seperated the two pieces revealing her chest covered in a black bra. He brought the knife up to her face, gently rubbing the tip against her cheek. "What do you say we get started?"

Drake landed on the ground just outside the entrance to the catacombs Robin hopping off of his neck, and to their luck the T-Car pulled up right behind them, Bushido and Speedy exiting the car. Both had spare weapons stored at the tower, with a spare mask for Speedy from Robin's collection.

"So Raven's down there?" Speedy asked.

Robin turned to the entrance. "It's just a hunch, but it's the best guess we have." Robin responded, hoping against hope that he was right.

A light from the necklace Drake wore enveloped the dragon changing him back to his human form. "Did you bring what I asked?"

"In the trunk." Bushido popped the trunk of the car while Drake went to the back.

"Were's Starfire?" Speedy asked.

"She and Kole took Beast Boy back to the tower, they'll meet up with us as soon as they can. Drake what are you doing? We don't have time for this."

"You said ghosts protect this place right?" he asked from the trunk. He grabbed a large duffel bag and met the three teens at the front of the car. Opening it he pulled out a few large containers and tossed them to each Titan. "Coat your weapons in that."

"Salt?" Speedy asked looking over it oddly.

Bushido however was already pouring the contents unto his weapons. "This is the best defense against spirits. I used to sleep with a powder bag of salt under my pillow as a kid." Speedy shrugged then emptied the container into the bottom of his quiver making sure to coat his arrows. Drake himself however was loading a few double barrel shut guns with shells.

"I thought you said salt?" Robin said he coated his bow staff.

"These shells are filled with rock salt." He loaded up then stood. "You see Carnus, hit him with all you got. The salt wont kill him, but it was slow him down long enough for me to finish him."

"How are you going to do that?" Speedy asked.

Drake removed a blade that looked like it was nothing more then a borken piece of a sword. "This was made from the blood of an archangel. Lets hope it lives up to it's reputation of killing ANYTHING." He placed the blade back in a makeshift sheath on his belt. "Lets do this."

"Follow me!" The three young men took off after the Boy Wonder who led them into the catacombs. Robin ran right to a larg hole in the ground which forming into a long staircase that headed straight down.

"Please tell me we have to go down there." said Drake. Robin nodded, and with a smirk Drake immediately jumped making himself level with the center of the long drop and began to freefall to the bottom.

"Sure beats the stairs." The three boys followed suit. At incredible speed the wind ripped by the dragon knight, his powerful eyes unable to see the bottom of the hole, but just as Robin said he could see cloaked spectral creatures coming right at him with scythe blades at the ready.

Drake smiled wickedly to himself. "I've always wanted to do this." He reached under his coat, grabbing two double barrel shot guns and opened fire. With the rock salt spreading over a large range he was able to take out more of the cloaked ghosts with one blast. More spectres seemed to emerge from the walls and headed to the other three Titans behind him. Drake spun around taking another shot at the ghosts behind him, once again clearing a spot for the heroes to fall through.

With his grappling hook he grabbed Bushido by his arm and shot the hook towards the rock wall to ease him onto the staircase. Speedy did something similiar by shooting an arrow connected to a wire and connected to the wall, landing gently next to the others.

"The entrance to where Raven might be is down a few more flights. You two cover me." More of the cloaked spectres advanced on them.

"We got your back Rob!" Speedy began loosing arrows at the creatures and to his surprise the salt was actually working. "Whoa, I take back what I said."

"Told ya." While not the sword he was used to Bushido took the loaner sword and began ripping through the ghosts one by one.

"Let's go." Speedy and Robin bolted down the staircase.

Drake was still in freefall when the others stopped. "Probably should put on the breaks." FLASH! He spread his wings creating a makeshift parachute that slowed his freefall, but to stop it completely he pierced the stone walls with his claws. He began to scale the wall, since it was too narrow for flight to catch up to the others further up the tunnel.

"Please tell me we're close!" Speedy asked quickly running out of arrows.

Robin used his salt coated bow staff to fight away a few spectres. "Hang on Raven, we're coming."

The inside of her mouth was filled with her own blood. With each cut the demon sliced across her she bit into her lip, her tongue, her cheek anything so that she didn't scream, but the pain was becoming unbareable. He cut along her breasts, her abdomen, her face, her neck, careful not to knick the brand or she would get her powers back. He slid the knife down her stomach, the blade digging half an inch into her body, but once again she didn't scream. Once the knife was removed she released her lip and spit her saved up bloody saliva into the demons face.

"You know that tends to get old after the first five hundred times." he said wiping the blood away. "But I have to commend you, on your resolve." He placed the bloody knife back down on the tray. "However I made a goal to hear you scream and I need to do so in a timely manner."

Raven was getting woozy from the massive blood loss. "My . . . friends are . . . coming . . . "

Carnus picked up the needle filled with the clear liquid. "I know dear. In fact I'm sure their on their way to rescue the damsel, so I'm even counting on it."

That alone made Raven weekly lift her head. "W-what . . . "

He approached her with the needle in his hand at the ready. "When they come for you, I'll be ready for them, and I will kill them all one . . . by . . . one. And when I'm finished, I'll toss their spines in at your feet. So no, I'm not going to kill you . . . not until your ankle deep in their blood." He brought the needle to her face. "In the meantime, I've always wondered if holy water and salt works on a half demon," Raven's eyes went wide, "Lets find out." He put the needle into her neck and emptied the plunger.

This time she couldn't help it, and released an aweful, blood curdling scream.

Her scream ripped through the catacombs, reaching the ears of all that were inside. Robin's blood ran cold at the sound, but fear gave way to rage as he pushed forward towards the entrance that would lead him to Raven.

"Go get her, I've got you covered." Speedy ordered, releasing more arrows at the spectres. Robin ran through the doorway that took him deeper, the scream of agony getting louder telling him he was getting closer. Finally he emerged inside the cavern, and found Raven's bloody and thrashing body chained to a rock in the center of the rubble.

"RAVEN!" Robin sprinted as fast as his legs could take him, but was blindsided by a blast of black energy.

"It's about time you showed up," Carnus said as he loomed over him, "probably wasn't a good idea to give yourself away by shouting though."

"Actually it's YOU whose caught!" Robin growled. He spun around throwing some of the salt covered disks at the demon. The explosion covered him head to toe in the salt, causing him to howl in agony at the substance. Most culture's believed salt to be a symbol of purity, and when an impure entity comes in contact with it, it burns like acid. Robin drew his bow staff and began wailing on the already weakened demon with as much fury as he could muster, but his attention was pulled away by the hacking sounds of a choking Raven.

Raven's mouth was filled with an aweful red colored foam, her eyes rolling into the back of her head and was convulsing wickedly making the chains that bound her rattle. His heart sank as he ran to her, trying to remember which of his pouches held some sort of medicine. "Raven it's okay, I'm-" An arm wrapped around his throat pulling him back.

"Come on now, let's watch her die together shall we!" Carnus growled. Robin fought and kicked with all of his might, but the arm that held him wouldn't loose. All he could do was watch as his friend died a painful death right in front of him.

"Raven . . . "he chocked. "No . . . "

CRASH!

"Oh good, more to watch her die!" Carnus sneered, he turned expecting to see the dragon, but instead was met with a large green claw to the face. Robin fell to the ground coughing to get air back into his lungs, then saw the shadow of the beast charge at Raven who had now gone limp.

NO! the beast growled in his mind. He ripped the chains apart like they were nothing more then paper, holding on to the limp soceress in his arms. No. . . as tenderly as he could he placed her motionless body on the ground. The gentle giant moved a strand of her hair violet hair out of her face, her cut but still beautiful face. What have I done? He brought her debilitated body to his chest, her head dangling off of his arms, he tilted his head back towards the moon and let out a howl of complete agony.

He heard her scream even from all the way back at the tower, and as fast as he could he came for her, but it was to late . . . she was gone. He howled again, bringing his anguished head to her chest, but the scent of the "unnatural one" assualted his nose. Rage replaced agony, the beast snarled, his feral eyes landing on the demon that killed his mate.

Carnus got to his feet, and saw the beast's savage, mindless fury directed at him. Carnus couldn't help but chuckle. "Well now. I can't imagine a more perfect end." What the beast didn't know was that Carnus was refering to himself. With a crack the beast leapt at Carnus, his fangs bared and throat letting out a roar of fury and anguish.

Robin crawled to his fallen friend, his fingers desperately searching for a pulse.

There was none.

"NO!" Robin got his interlocked hands over her chest, not giving a shit about modesty and began compressions. "COME. ON. RAVEN! NOT. LIKE. THIS!" His tears began dripping on to the pale girls flesh, whiping away the blood, but not bringing life. "COME. ON!" he pleaded.

A strong hand pushed him out of the way. Drake in his human form had pushed him out of the way, he had to help somehow.

"SAVE HER!" Robin ordered, his voice cracking with pain.

Drake wasn't listening he was too busy looking for the brand. Once he found it on her neck with a knife he slit the mark effectively breaking it and releasing her powers.

Something he shouldn't have done.

Yeah so Shits about to get crazy! If it hasn't already.

See ya'll next time.