Like an Animal
Chapter 20
I do not own Teen Titans…
You know… I think I might write a Kim/Shego fanfic. I always liked the series of Kim Possible, and… I don't know, thought that they would make a better couple than Kim/Ron. I mean, they practically flirt with each other while they're fighting. Have you noticed that Shego seems to take a liking in straddling Kim against the floor, or getting a little too close to her face? Or how lil' Kimmy somehow always manages to get Shego pinned to a wall? Just a little fuel for thought there. I especially like the fanfic called "Kim Possible: Mind, Body, and Soul", and "Four Years Later". That junk is good reading. Um… lots o' blood. Not enough in my opinion, but at least I finally got some in here. Sick and twisted stuff near the end.
Anyways, onto the story!
Two weeks later…
As Raven lay in her bed, content in her dreamscape, a flood of light washed over her and disrupted her peace, followed by a weight that set itself next to her. She cracked open an annoyed eye to see BeastBoy's green ones smiling back at her.
She moaned and turned around, pulling a pillow over her head.
"Go away," she mumbled lazily.
"Wake up sleepy head," he said, putting a hand on her back and trying to shake her awake.
"Come on babe, you gotta get up."
"Firstly, don't call me 'babe', secondly, why should I?"
BeastBoy chuckled lightly, and carefully lifted the pillow only to be met by Raven's infamous death glare.
"Are you serious? You can't be serious."
"Will you just tell me already so I can go back to sleep?"
BeastBoy's eyelids lowered in amusement.
"Does the number '20' ring any bells?"
"Is this some sort of damn riddle? It's to early for those, damn you, I wanna go to sleep!"
She pulled the pillow back over her head and curled the blanket tightly over herself.
She heard BeastBoy fidget with something, and then he paused, and she knew he was staring at her. Curiosity and frustration got the better of her, and she raised up her pillow to tell him to 'go fuck-off'.
She opened her mouth, but quickly caught herself at the sight of what he was holding in front of her face. It was a small, rectangular, velvet black box with a thin, silver ribbon tied around it.
"Happy twentieth birthday, my sweet Raven," BeastBoy said quietly, his fang gleaming as he grinned at her.
Her eyes traveled up to his face as a shy smile appeared on her features.
"BeastBoy… I… don't know what to say."
"Then shut up and open your present," he laughed, giving her the gift as she sat against the headboard.
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she examined the velvet box.
"Will you just open it already? I promise you, it won't bite."
Raven shot him a look, but obliged and started to untie the ribbon.
"You didn't have to get me anything, you know. I would've been fine with just a 'Happy Birthday', or something," she said as she opened the box.
"Oh, but you're just too precious for that. That's why I got you this…"
Raven's eyes widened and her jaw slackened as she pulled out a silver necklace, inset with diamonds on random places, with a feather made of jet dangling on the end.
"BeastBoy…" she managed to say, before tackling him with a hug so powerful, that they nearly fell backwards off the bed.
Raven sat up, straddling BeastBoy's hips, as she gazed at the necklace in awe.
"This is beautiful BeastBoy. Thank you so much."
"No biggy. I just thought you might want to add a little more accessories to your everyday outfits."
She leaned down and kissed him deeply before snapping the necklace around her neck. It hung elegantly between her breasts, and she bent down to kiss him once more.
"You'd better get ready. Robin's gonna take us out to eat, to celebrate your birthday, and Terra finally being able to fully rejoin the team again," BeastBoy said after they broke apart.
"Sounds kewl. Tell him I'll be down soon."
"I would… but you're kinda on top of me. And you're getting pretty heavy. Have you been going to the gym more often? Or was it all those villains we've fought in the past week? Or maybe it has nothing to do with muscle. Donuts, maybe?"
She shrugged as she clamored off of him and ventured towards her closet.
BeastBoy came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, brushing his lips against her neck.
"I was wondering, if maybe later tonight, we could go out somewhere? Just the two of us?"
"I couldn't ask for anything more," she said as she leaned into him, hoping he would start kissing soon.
BeastBoy unlatched himself from Raven, much to her dismay, and headed towards the door.
"Cere's still full from all those birds she had a few weeks back, so she might not come. She said she had something to do, too. Plan for something. She seemed pretty distant when she said that."
Raven paused and remembered what Cere' had said before about how Robin had better be careful.
'What if she's planning on doing the unforgivable to Robin? What if she hurts him, or worse… eliminates him… No, I'm being stupid. Cere' wouldn't do something like that. Would she? Would I? Better yet, could she be so powerful as to manipulate or almost innocent BeastBoy into committing such an act? What if-'
"Raven? Raven, are you there?"
"Huh?" Raven muttered, shaking out of her stupor.
"You kinda left the building for a sec there. Everything all right?"
"Um… yeah, everything's fine… I was just thinking."
"Anything you wanna share with me?"
Raven shook her head.
"It was nothing. I'd better get ready now, I'll meet you out there."
"Okay," BeastBoy said, giving Raven a kiss on the cheek.
"Don't take too long. I'm starving."
She nodded, and continued picking out an outfit as BeastBoy walked out of her room, closing her door behind him.
"But then again, Cere' can be cruel at times… What happened with Starfire, that was heartless, but I find myself not hating her for it. Maybe because Cere's a part of me. But Robin… I even used to have a little crush on him. But maybe… not having him around won't be so bad-"
She shook her head violently at the sudden thought, afraid that that had actually came from her head. Plus, there was no time to muddle over these thoughts.
She had a party to attend to.
Later…
The party went really well. They went to a nice little cuisine that had a nice little buffet for Cyborg and those nice little umbrellas in the drinks
The restaurant had lots of dim lights around the place, making just enough light for you to see where you were going, and soft jazz music in the background, played by a professional bass-guitar player, a saxophone dude and a guy on the piano.
Terra and Cyborg practically ate the place clean, and almost got kicked out if it wasn't for Robin's quick thinking in… 'persuading' the waiter with a very generous tip.
"Dude, where'd you get all that money from?"
"That is none of your damn business."
"Hey, I was just asking. No need to get all emotional."
"I'm not getting emotional, you're just being nosy."
"I'm not the only one, I'm sure everyone else would like to know where you got all those pretty pennies."
"Like I said, it's none of your damn business. Now shouldn't we all be focusing on Raven and her birthday, instead of me and my money?"
"Wait, didn't you inherit some of Bruise Wayne's money?" Terra said after stuffing a steak down her throat.
"That's right. I forgot you're Bruise Wayne's little boy," Raven said smugly, popping a cherry tomato in her mouth.
Robin's cheeks reddened as he cut into his chicken breast.
"He's not my father," he mumbled.
"Oh, so you're having sex with him," Raven countered.
Robin choked on his chicken as everyone else erupted into a fit of giggles.
"What?!"
"So tell me, Robin, is he good? I mean with all those rippling muscles he has, there must be something else to show for it."
"What?!"
"Shh!" the whole restaurant hissed at the Titans table. The band had stopped playing, but resumed a few seconds later after everyone returned to their food.
Robin turned back to Raven and clenched his fists around the utensils.
"What is your problem?"
Raven grinned at him and replied, "I just love messing with you. You take everything so seriously. It's… fun."
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement as Robin focused on his food and mumbled something that sounded close to "sick bastards" as he took a bite.
About two hours later, after Raven had received her gifts (CDs, books, more jewelry and other good stuffs), she pretty much disbanded them saying how much she appreciated their time and presents, and then left to go to her room. Her and BeastBoy already agreed on a later time to go on their date, which she very much anticipated.
She plopped down on her bed and allowed a sigh to escape her lips.
She slept for a good hour.
But then she felt a presence in the room and closed her eyes in frustration.
"What do you want, Cere'?"
The blonde woman… creature popped out of nowhere and pouted.
"Aww, your no fun."
"Was I ever?"
"No, but that's not the point. There's something I need you to do. Something very important, to see if you are ready for… future events," she said softly.
"Oh? And what is this very important thing that I must do?" she asked lazily.
Cere' walked over towards the bed and straddled Raven's hips, pinning the half-demon's arms down above her head. She bent down to Raven's ear and gently licked the tip.
"I need you to show your true colors and hunt for me," she whispered seductively.
"Hunt for you?"
"Yes… a few humans should be able to sate your hunger."
Raven jerked her head away from Cere's lips and stared up at her with astonishment and disgust.
"Sate my hunger? You want me to kill for you? You sick bi-"
Raven stopped suddenly when Cere's open palm slammed against her cheek, snapping her head to the side.
She looked up at the creature in shock as she tasted blood in her mouth.
"Believe me, this is for your own good. Once you get started, you'll never be able to stop."
"And what makes you think I'll start?" Raven growled at her, trying to wriggle free from her grip.
Cere' grinned, baring her glistening canines.
"Because, my dear Raven," she bent down and gently kissed Raven's neck, giggling under her breath. "You won't have a choice."
Cere' bit down into Raven's throat, causing a scream to erupt from the young woman. To bad the room was sound-proof.
Blood spilled onto the bed sheets as Cere' removed her teeth and jumped off the bed, walking backwards towards the other end of room. She wiped the blood of her mouth and licked it off her fingers, enjoying every last bit of it.
Raven curled into a ball, tears steadily making their way down her face, clutching her neck wound tightly. She clenched her eyes shut and hissed in pain.
"What the fuck… what the fuck was that for? What'd you do?" she muttered through clenched teeth.
A series of cracks were heard and Raven arched her back in pain. One of her arms bent at an odd angle as she cried out and then quickly set itself.
Her bones were re-positioning.
"All I did was add a little fuel to the fire. Awaken something lying dormant inside of you for all these years. Injected a little something into your system to jumpstart the process. You'll thank me later, I'm sure."
Raven cried out again as her spinal cord lengthened, actually starting to protrude from her base and poke against her pants.
"Ah yes, the tail always hurts the most. Well… that's a lie. The muzzle, oh yes, that's a pain like no other."
There was more cracking as Raven's femurs grew, stretching her legs out farther, making her taller.
Cere' smirked as Raven's muscles bulged, ripping her jeans from the knee down and her sleeves; the strain causing the seams to burst (and her shoes burst to, revealing longer and now clawed feet). A small giggle escaped Cere's lips as her tail finally burst through.
"Make it stop! Please make it stop!" Raven begged as she clawed at her head, small stubs starting to emerge from her forehead.
Cere' tilted her head in wonder. She wasn't expecting horns. Maybe Raven would be more powerful than she thought. The horns grew no more than three inches though, just enough to push her hair out of her face.
She let out another cry as the bones in her face started shifting, making a small muzzle and several fangs. She was downright sobbing now. Her hands were raised to her mouth as it popped and shifted into place. Blood ran down into her eyes from the newborn horns, temporarily adding to her pain.
Her hands quickly moved down to her chest as she tried to rip her shirt away. Her back had started sprouting black, leather wings. Her newly clawed hands successfully tore it away, revealing her ribs to be multiplying in number.
Raven rolled onto her hands and knees as her wings burst out of her back, spraying blood across the walls. She crawled forward and gripped the headboard tightly, causing it to splinter under her grip. It did not help the pain at all though as her wings flapped involuntarily a couple times.
"My favorite part. The coloration change," Cere' said as she leaned against the wall, making sure to keep clear of Raven in this state.
She watched in pure amusement as Raven's hair turned a snow white color. Her skin faded into a dark tan, and faded even darker at the tail into a black. The rim around her eyes turned black, and the color spread across part of her face like a mask. The tips of her fingers and toes were also a black that faded into the dark tan. Her eyes glowed a bright white, and turned into a blood red as it got to the outer regions.
She was in such incredible pain, such terrific agony, that she wished that the merciful God in heaven that she'd heard so many times would just end her life now.
Her grip loosened on the headboard as her transformation completed, and she slip into a crumpled pile on her pillows, crying aloud, not caring if any one heard her. Actually, she wanted someone to hear her. Maybe then they would release her from this pain. She curled into a tight ball and continued sobbing, even though she was afraid of the sound of her own voice since it had changed dramatically. Her wings, especially hurt her, so she decided against folding them since she knew she couldn't take any more ailments.
Cere' approached her, now that she thought it was safe, and laid down next to Raven, wrapping her arms around the crying girl.
"I know it hurt Raven, I know. You were very strong, so very strong and I'm very proud of you," Cere' said, trying to calm Raven down.
Raven took in a shuddered breath and let out another sob.
"That's right, let it all out. You'll be up and at 'em in no time," she continued on, letting Raven bury her face in the crook of her neck.
"Why did you do this to me?"
Now how can I explain this? Raven's voice came out in a whispered series of echoes. Does that make sense? Um… there was a dominant voice, strong yet soft and very clear, followed by several echoing voices. That make it any better? I suppose not… just think of the creepiest yet most soothing voice you can think of. Like… a woman and/or man talking seductively towards you with a hint of malice. It sends thrills down your spine, yet soothes your mind. And don't forget the echoes.
"It was required. It would've happened sooner or later anyways. I just sped up the process for my own convenience."
"Please, just kill me, make it stop," she said hoarsely.
Cere' gently kissed her forehead and said, "Now what good are you to me dead? Don't worry, it'll all payoff. You'll be good to go in an hour or so, and then you can to what I need you to."
Raven didn't respond. She had passed out, either from the blood-loss caused by her wings, which were still bleeding, or the extreme suffering that Cere' had caused.
C
About 5 minutes after Raven passed out, Cere' exited the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. It was time to make a little visit to BeastBoy's.
Before she knocked on his door, she rubbed her eyes vigorously to make it turn a light shade of red, making it seem as if she had been crying recently. She gave the door three quick raps before lowering her head.
BeastBoy opened the door a few seconds later, his hair askew and his eyes half-lidded. Obviously, he had been taking a little cat nap. As he looked down at Cere', she sniffed, and BeastBoy immediately assumed that she had been crying.
"BeastBoy…" her voice cracked.
"Cere', what's wrong?" he inquired, concern written all over his voice.
"Robin, he… he…"
She made her body quiver like she was holding back tears. BeastBoy put an arm around her shoulder and led her into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. By this time, Cere' managed to get fake tears running down her cheeks.
"What's wrong?" BeastBoy asked again, rubbing his eye with his free hand.
"I… I had a vision. It was horrible. Especially what happened to… to…"
"To who? What happened?"
"Robin. His body parts were everywhere, and there was so much… so much blood-" she let out a fake sob and BeastBoy wrapped her into a hug.
"Shh… calm down. Maybe you'll feel better if you tell me the rest."
Cere' wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
"He… he ripped Robin's limbs off one by one. Torturing him, making him scream for mercy.
"Who did Cere'? Can you tell me who?"
Her eyes flashed with amusement as she raised her lips up to his ear.
"You did."
"Huh-" BeastBoy was cut off, as Cere dug her fangs into his neck.
His eyes widened and he dropped to his knees as Cere' yanked away from him. He gripped his neck wound with a hand and stared up at Cere' in confusion.
"Wha… what'd you do that for?" he asked weakly.
"Five, four, three, two…"
"Huh-" BeastBoy was cut off again as his body convulsed violently.
It stopped quickly, and BeastBoy started sweating with fear. He looked up at Cere' again, his eyes wide, and that's when his arm muscles strained and bulged. His sleeves burst open as his arms transformed into the form it had been when he dropped from the sky into that clearing two weeks ago.
He cried out and hunched over as his spine started lengthening and his muzzle grew.
Tears sprang from his eyes as he felt his chest expanding, ripping the top of his suit open and revealing that the area had been completely covered by fur, and it was starting to travel over his face now. His ears moved to the top of his head, and turned more canine-looking.
His legs bulged suddenly, making his leggings and shoes burst, leaving him clothed in nothing but torn shorts, er something.
He stood up and staggered forwards, gripping his head with one and the wall with the other.
His bellybutton down burst into layered scales, and his feet resembled those of a velociraptor's, with the talons and all.
Basically, he looked like a werewolf with the limbs of a dinosaur, with a big, bushy tail to top it off.
When the transformation was done, he turned to Cere', his eyes glowing a pale red instead of an eerie white. He peeled his lips back in a snarl and growled menacingly, drool dripping off of his long fangs.
Cere' grinned psychotically at him, bearing her own fangs. Her eyes were wide with amusement at her creation. She tilted her head to the side as BeastBoy… or rather… the new and/or improved, The Beast crouched down, ready to pounce at her with the slightest movement.
"Well," she taunted, her grin growing even wider. "Are you going to kill me? Because, you know, I've done the same thing to your lover, but it was much more painful then yours, by tenfold."
BeastBoy let out a loud snarl as he flexed his claws.
"Well," she said again. "Are you going to attack you master? Well?!"
The Beast lunged at her. Arms outstretched, tail erect, ears forward. His fangs glistened as they neared her throat, and he failed to notice that she was still smiling at him.
"Heel, boy!" she yelled, amusement dancing all over her voice.
And the Beast obeyed.
His teeth were wrapped around Cere's throat, just touching her neck, and he couldn't press it any further. He tried biting down, his eyes wide with surprise, but the only reaction he got was a jaw twitch.
He was even more freaked out as he felt Cere's throat vibrate with contained laughter, and was even more so when she started laughing out loud. Her voice echoed throughout the room, and it sounded so terrifying to BeastBoy's ears. It was simply frightening.
"Now, down boy," she commanded, after her fit giggles had died down.
BeastBoy… I mean, The Beast immediately dropped to his haunches, not knowing why he was obeying her in such a way, and even tried resisting the urge, but failed.
"Good, now stay."
The green creature whimpered in defeat as he sat rigid while Cere' exited the door, and closed it behind her. She checked around the hallway, and smiled to herself to see that no one noticed all the ruckus.
She entered Raven's room, and scooped up, the now full-demon, into her arms. Raven groaned as her head lolled while Cere' carried her into BeastBoy's room.
"Hush now," Cere' said as she laid Raven down on BeastBoy's bed, who by the way was still sitting still and hating every minute of it.
He growled menacingly at the state Raven was in.
"None of that. I need you to cooperate."
"What makes you think I'll will?"
Cere' grinned.
"One… you will enjoy very much what I'm going to demand of you, and second… if you don't comply… let's just say Raven won't be able to use her voice-box and she won't have any use of her arms."
"You'd disable her like that? You monster-"
"And the same will happen to you if Raven doesn't comply. You see, both of you are very different in personality and heritage. You're and animal, she's a demon. You had a loving family, she had none. You were appreciated, she was shunned. You knew the meaning of true love… all she knew was hatred…"
"What are you getting at Cere'?"
"But both of you share one thing. One thing buried deep inside of yourselves. The one thing that keeps me and you two connected."
"What do you mean? I thought you were our sub-conscious-"
"Oh BeastBoy… I am much more than that. Much more powerful than a figment of your imagination… your sub-conscious. But that's a story for another time. But what really keeps us together… connected… is our lust for blood."
"Lust for blood?"
"Yes, our bloodlust! Because, you see, once when you and Raven get your first taste… you won't be able. To. Stop."
"I won't-"
"But BeastBoy… you don't have a choice."
Raven chose that moment to awaken. She sat up, a clawed hand to her head and squinted as her red and white glowing eyes looked around the room. They landed on BeastBoy's own glowing red eyes, and the window cracked.
"Raven, so glad of you to join us," Cere' said, drawing Raven's attention to her.
"Join… us?" Raven whispered unsteadily as she struggled to stand up, scraps of clothes hanging off of her.
Cere' walked over towards her and pulled off the remaining cloth, and then walked over to BeastB- the Beast and ripped off the torn shorts.
"There, now we match. It'd be best if you didn't have any evidence on you."
"Evidence?"
"If they see the Beast wearing BeastBoy's torn clothes, then, of course, it must be BeastBoy."
"Cere', what's going on? What the fuck did you do to us?!" she asked, her voice distressed and strained. She was obviously panicked.
"Oh, we're just gonna go out and have a little fun."
"Firstly, it's the middle of the day!"
"That won't be a problem. It'll be so proficient that no one will notice anyone missing for a long while," she smirked.
Raven's breath hitched in her throat.
"You can't do this," she whispered hoarsely.
Cere' simply giggled as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"Bow to me, demon."
Raven's lips peeled back in a snarl, and she was about to land a good punch in Cere's mouth, but found herself sinking to one knee. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Not because it felt like she was being mind-controlled. No, it was quite the contrary. She couldn't feel or sense anything manipulating her, at all. It was almost like she was bowing for the heck of it.
Once on her knees, she planted her fists firmly against the ground and lowered her head. Her eyes still wide with surprise, as she watched a droplet of sweat fall onto the ground. She knew she needed to resist Cere', but the problem was…
She didn't want to.
Her eyes slowly traveled over to The Beast, whose own eyes were wide in shock.
"I'm sorry BeastBoy, I'm so sorry. I can't… I don't want to-"
"Stop? Amazing isn't it? Do you know why you want to do this? Because it's what you desire. You want to know what it truly feels like to sink your fangs in someone's neck. What it really feels like to shred them apart as you lap up their blood. What human flesh really tastes like-"
"Shut up!"
"The same goes for BeastBoy. But you… you had a need for it. BeastBoy has a craving. All I did was have a little talk with your Desires, and we awakened this craving or need a little faster than normal."
"You're lying. You are completely lying! We're superheroes! We don't take lives, we save them! I won't do this! You-"
Cere' drove the side of her foot up into Raven's face. She fell onto her side, clutching her nose as it bled badly.
"And I thought you were the quiet one. Now then, let's get moving!"
Operation: Stalk, Steal, Stow
Cere', the Beast and Raven laid low in the treetops of a nearby mountain region. Not to far away from where Starfire perished, Raven remembered as a shudder ran through her body.
A few people had passed by on the trail, but Cere' told them to wait just a little longer.
"I want this to be perfect, even though it's practice," she had said, smiling the whole time.
Mostly, small families were trekking up here; kids and their lone mother, or an old married couple.
They stayed there for hours, until the sun had started setting. It was maybe 5:20 PM. The Beast and Raven were praying that they wouldn't have to attack anyone, knowing they wouldn't be able to resist if the moment came that Cere' set them free. They prayed even more that it wouldn't be a child.
"Ah, there…" Cere' whispered as two young adults passed underneath them, holding hands and making small talk.
The Beast gulped as they walked up the trail.
"Alright, let's follow," Cere' said after they had gotten a ways ahead.
They all jumped silently across the treetops, watching the couple as the kissed each other lightly whilst they continued walking.
'Oh please God, let them hear us and run away screaming. Help them get out of here,' Raven thought has they continued leaping from branch to branch.
She caught Cere's eye, and the girl gave her a devilish smirk for wishing such a thing, knowing that her prayers wouldn't be answered that day.
Everyone continued up the mountain, until the terrain turned rocky and barren.
Finally, to Raven's and BeastBoy's horror, the couple stopped on the mountaintop.
They felt like they were going to cry.
The couple was watching the sun set over the horizon.
"Wow Demetri…" they heard the young woman say.
"See, I told you it would be beautiful," the young man replied before giving her a peck on the lips.
"Cere'… I can't-" the Beast yelped as Cere' slapped his snout, and he quickly muffled his cries before the couple could here them.
"You can and you will," Cere' whispered harshly. "Raven, conjure up a distraction… over there," she said, pointing to the left of the couple.
"But Cere'-"
"Do it!"
She should've resisted. She should've said no. She should've attacked Cere' right there and then. She and the Beast could take on this minx, no problem. She cried like a baby when she got punched by Raven the last time. What's to stop her from doing it again?
"Fine," Raven whispered hoarsely, as she concentrated on making a distraction.
She successfully made a black dove (or and elegant looking crow with a shorter beak and all around stature with long and graceful tail feathers), and sent it over towards the bushes near the couple; sweat dripping from her brow as she moved the energy strings to make the wings flap. She wanted the last thing for the young adults to see to be moderately beautiful, at least.
It cracked some twigs as it landed, drawing attention to the area.
"Demmy, what was that?"
"Dunno, let's go see," the boy said as he released his girlfriend's hand.
"Stop, what if it's an animal?"
'Yes. Smart girl. Stay away. I'm not sure if I can control myself much longer,' the Beast thought.
"Then we'll run away, duh. Come on, Noah. What if the thing's hurt?"
The girl hesitated, but walked over towards the bushes anyways.
Demetri, as he was called, bent down and pulled away the bushes, revealing Raven's black dove.
"Hey Noah, come look at this. It's a bird."
"A bird? What kind?" she asked as she bent down next to her boyfriend, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Can't tell. It looks like a… dove?"
"Dove? A black one?"
He shrugged as he reached out his hand towards the bird puppet. To his surprise, it jumped right into his palm. They both smiled as they stood up and examined it curiously.
"Now…" Cere' whispered in Raven's ear, who immediately cut connection with the black dove.
As they watched in amazement as the bird slowly disintegrated in Demetri's palm, the Beast and Raven silently dropped from the treetops and flashed behind the young couple. Raven outspread her wings and the Beast raised up his claws in anticipation, both their mouths dripping with saliva.
The girl's body noticeably stiffened. She slowly turned her head around, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw two pairs of glowing eyes staring back at her. Each figure standing at least a foot taller than herself.
Her body paled dramatically and she started shaking before she tugged on her boyfriend's sleeve.
"What is it?" he asked, still staring at the dissipating bird in his hand.
When Noah didn't answer, he turned to face her.
"Noah, what is…"
When he saw the look on her face, he obviously knew something was wrong. He turned to look at what ever was scaring her so badly, and immediately regretted it.
"R-run," he managed to say before they both turned around, only to be stopped by Cere who was standing right behind them.
She smiled at them, a hand on her hip before saying, "Enjoying the sunset? It is lovely isn't it… I'm sorry to say it will be the last one you'll ever see, but there has to be an end to everything eventually. Am I right?"
They could only stand there and shiver as they felt Raven and the Beast approach them from behind.
"Now, who shall go first? E-knee, me-knee, my-knee, mo…" she grinned as her finger landed on Demetri.
"So much for ladies first, hmm?"
Before they even had a time to blink, the Beast had sunken his fangs into the back of Demetri's neck and raised him up into the air.
The girl didn't even register what had happened until she heard her boyfriend's gurgled cries.
She turned around to see her lover in the jaws of the Beast, hanging a couple feet in the air. Blood was pouring out of his mouth and running down the front of his jacket and t-shirt. His tears poured down his cheeks as his body twitched while the Beast sunk his teeth in deeper.
Noah's legs gave out, as she watched Demetri's neck slowly crush underneath the vice grip. Tears started to leak out of her own eyes and run into her open mouth after the Beast let the boy drop out of his mouth and land on the ground with a 'thud'.
Cere' started laughing madly as she watched the blood pool around Demetri's body and then run over and soak into Noah's pants. The crotch of her pants were already wet with urine, which made Cere' laugh even harder.
Cere' walked over to the girl's front, crouched down and grabbed hold of her chin, forcing her to look up into glowing eyes. The girl's eyes were blank with fear, and it seemed liked she was going into shock.
"Now, do you want to sit here and watch as your boyfriend gets eaten nearly-alive, or do you want to die now?" Cere' asked casually, liked she did this everyday.
Noah's eyes wavered, unfocused and dilated, unable to respond.
"Well, how about you stick around for the show. Wouldn't want to miss that, would you."
More tears leaked out of the girl's eyes.
"Cere', I don't think-"
"Shut up, Raven! I'm running this show!" she snapped at the demon.
"But-"
"Shut up!"
'Raven… I've heard that name somewhere,' Noah thought as her mind finally started functioning. 'Wait… Raven! From the Teen Titans! So that means he's…' her attention turned to the green beast hovering impatiently over Demetri's body.
She let out a small gasp as she finally realized who they were.
'I have to warn everyone! But how…?'
Her eyes traveled everywhere as Cere' continued to argue with Raven. Finally, they rested on the pool of blood at her feet.
That was the answer.
She drove her fist upward in and uppercut as hard as she could muster into Cere's chin. Cere' fell backwards onto her back as Noah placed her palm into the pool of blood, stood up, and then ran into a cluster of nearby boulders.
"That bitch! Raven, retrieve her!"
Raven uncrossed her arms before spreading out her wings and taking flight into the evening sky. The girl had ran over into a field of boulders, each about twenty feet high.
Noah hoped and prayed she had enough time to do this. She knew she was going to die, but that didn't mean she couldn't warn other people of the dangers.
She ran into the middle of the boulder field and quickly wrote out in blood:
Rae+Beast Kill
Plz He
Noah heard flapping overhead. She quickly started weaving in and out between the boulders again.
She pressed herself against a boulder as soon as she heard the flapping stop. She let out a sigh of relief after a few minutes had passed by with no noise. She wiped the sweat from her forehead as she relaxed against the stone.
"I'm sorry… Noah, I think it was."
Noah gasped as she back away from the boulder and looked up to see demon-Raven's shadowy figure, crouching down on all fours with her tail swishing idly behind her.
After a long pause, Raven jumped down in front of Noah, who fell back on her haunches and raised her arms up in defense.
"You have to understand, I don't want to do this."
Noah stared up at her in disbelief and fear.
"Y… you killed him. You killed Demetri. We were going to get married in three months! You bastard! I loved him!" Noah sobbed.
Raven winced and she set her eyes downcast in shame.
"Look, I'll make it quick. Just come with me, and I'll make sure Cere' doesn't prolong your death."
Noah paused.
"Is that your way of saying you're sorry? That you feel bad for what you've done? Give me a quick and painless death? I thought you were a hero. You were my hero. What about my son?"
Raven's snapped her head up.
"Son?"
"Yes, my two-year-old Alexander," she sniffed.
"But you can't be older than-"
"Seventeen. Yeah, I made a mistake, but my boyfriend and I were willing to turn that into a miracle. But now…" Noah's voice trailed off, but she quickly regained her composure, trying to shrug her fear off. "Look, if you're going to kill me, can you promise one thing? Call it a death wish if you want."
"What?" Raven said softly.
Noah sniffed again.
"Just… protect my boy. Please?"
"Protect your boy? You're telling the killers to protect your offspring? But… why?"
She shrugged and raised her pale hand to her forehead.
"I just know you're the kind of person who'll keep your word. You're his hero ,too, you know."
Raven turned around, crossing her arms around her chest. Man this girl was good at playing with your emotions.
"Damn it…" Raven muttered after awhile.
Noah slowly got to her feet, steadying herself on a nearby boulder.
"Run," Raven said, not turning around.
"What?"
"I said run, before Cere' comes… your little boy's waiting," she said with a growl behind her voice. It seemed like her transformation was a waste tonight. She licked her fangs, trying to maintain control.
"But what about-"
"Just RUN!" Raven roared, turning around and snapping out her wings and claws, trying to scare Noah away.
It worked. Instinct took over and Noah started to bolt. She weaved in and out of rocks and vaulted over some of the smaller ones. She looked over her shoulder. Raven was out of sight.
She hit something solid and fell back.
Rubbing her head, she looked up to see what she had collided with.
It was Cere'.
"That hurt you wench," Cere' said as a small trickle of blood ran down from her bottom lip to her chin.
Before Noah had a chance to say anything, Cere' grabbed her around the neck and raised her up into the air.
Her feet dangled and kicked as she clawed at Cere's forearm, trying to get in a lungful of air.
Cere' took off into the air, and dropped Noah next to her dead boyfriend.
Raven landed behind them a split second later.
"Raven, hold her," Cere commanded.
BeastBoy was still hovering over Demetri, saliva dripping from his mouth. He whimpered when he saw Noah again.
Raven walked over to Noah, who was kneeling over Demetri, too, not caring about the ten foot tall werewolf creature in front of her.
"I'm sorry," Raven muttered again before pulling Noah's hand behind her back and pressing her knee into her back.
Noah struggled against her, but it was of no use.
"Alright BeastBoy, on my mark,"
"No, please no…" Noah sobbed.
She was about to see her boyfriend be eaten alive, less than eight inches in front of her. I'd freak out for sure.
Raven swallowed hard, trying not to cry herself. Why was she doing this? Did she really want to restrain this innocent girl and force her to watch her boyfriend being eaten alive? Did she really want to drive her to insanity?
Her eyes widened as she came to a realization.
Yes.
She wanted to see it all happen. But the most shocking reason was because she wanted it all to happen because… well because she was…
Curious.
She wanted to know what it felt like to actually be the one to cause pain instead of being on the receiving end. All those names she was called. All the pranks. She especially remembered the time where the kids in Azarath tied her up and rub raw meat all over her body, and then dumped her beaten and half-conscious in an alleyway where she was chased by rabid dogs for about an hour before she lost them by doing an accidental teleport. Then, when she had first come to earth, she was shunned by all. Had food thrown at her randomly by preteens, just because she wouldn't respond to their taunts. Then she joined the Titans. Still she was an outcast. The Goth. The Creepy One.
"The Demon Spawn," she mumbled to herself, her eyes clouded in her thoughts.
"Now," Cere' said arrogantly.
BeastBoy got down on all fours, trying to restrain himself. He was concentrating on Noah's cries, seeing if that would help him contain himself.
"They hated me for no reason," Raven continued to mutter.
"BeastBoy, I said now," Cere' said impatiently.
The Beast groaned in effort as he withheld from temptation, setting his claws on his head.
"Loathed me for being born…"
"BeastBoy…"
"For not being human. An abomination. Just because I wasn't one of them," she said a little more forcefully. She pulled on Noah's arms a little harder, and she let out a cry.
"For being alive!" Raven roared, her eyes glowing intensely.
Cere' turned to look at Raven, who was totally losing it.
"All I ever wanted to do was fit in! Just be human! But no!" Raven tugged on Noah's arms, getting another cry from the girl. "Was it because of my eyes? You saw the red glow in them? Or maybe because you thought I never needed to feel! Has it ever occurred to you all that demons need affection?! Huh?!" She gave Noah another tug, and there was a sickening 'pop!', and Noah let a scream rip from her lungs.
Raven's chest was heaving with emotional exertion by the time the girl had stopped screaming, and was now weeping. Raven looked up at BeastBoy, who was staring back at her with wide eyes.
"Do it, BeastBoy!" Raven growled.
When he didn't move, Raven released Noah's arms, letting her crumple to the ground, and walked over towards BeastBoy. She grabbed a handful of his hair and shoved his muzzle down into Demetri's neck.
"DO IT NOW!"
The Beast's eyes dilated as some blood hit his tongue. He shut his eyes as he felt his inner beast take over.
One thing ran through his mind, over… And over… And over again…
Blood.
Tastes.
So.
Fuckin'.
Good.
Instead of going straight for the throat, he moved down to the chest and ripped away the clothing. He dug his claws into his chest, ignoring the blood squirting up into his face, and literally ripped his ribcage open.
"BeastBoy, hand me the heart," Cere' said from behind Noah, who was to afraid to look up, despite the urge to see what they were doing to her lover.
BeastBoy gripped his hand around the still-warm heart and yanked his arm upwards, ripping the heart out. He tossed it over to Cere' who caught it in an upraised palm, and crouched down in front of Noah, who started sobbing loudly again.
Cere' grabbed a handful of the girl's hair and yanked her head up, forcing her to look her in the eyes.
Cere' raised the heart up between their faces, waiting to see a reaction.
Noah's face turned sheet-white as her mouth dropped to the ground.
"No no… please no…" she said as she clenched her eyes shut.
"Look at it," Cere' said, yanking her hair to the left.
"This is what you wanted from him isn't it? His heart, his love?" she said as she pulled it closer to Noah's face.
"Oh God! Stop! Please…" she screamed as she tried to pull her head away.
"Where's the fun in that?" Cere' said playfully.
She took a long lick from the heart, her mouth now filled with blood, and kissed Noah, pushing her mouth open with her tongue and forcing the blood into her mouth.
Noah screamed as she spewed out the blood back onto Cere's face, who only laughed in amusement.
"Now, let's watch the show, shall we?" Cere' said as she wiped the blood from her face.
She forced Noah's head to the right, just in time to see the Beast pull out a large intestine and drape it over his shoulders. Raven stood there and gently ran a hand through BeastBoy's fur as he dove back in and started feasting. Half his head embedded inside of the corpse.
Noah vomited violently as Cere' laughed erratically and while BeastBoy continued eating.
"Well, I think that's enough entertainment for one night, wouldn't you say so?" Cere' said, turning to Noah after the Beast had his fill, and was now laying lazily on his side while Raven sat next to him.
Noah, by the time it was all over, had completely lost it.
Her eyes were lifeless, and she was no longer responding to anything.
Officially, she was catatonic.
"Oh, the poor girl. She's left the building. Ah well… Raven, it's your turn."
"My turn?" Raven said as she stood up and walked over towards the crouching Cere' and Noah.
"Mm-hmm. You can do as you please with her," Cere' said, releasing the girl's head.
"Right…" Raven said unsteadily as she crouched in front of Noah, who did look up at her, but didn't show signs of registering that she knew anyone was present.
She felt kind of bad for blowing up on her and dislocating her arm earlier.
But that was earlier.
This was later.
Raven kissed her on the lips, getting a sample of Demetri's blood.
It does taste good.
She deepened the kiss, getting as much as the blood as she could, and there was plenty since Cere' had done the heart-licking process more than once.
When the blood was gone, Raven pulled away, licking her lips to get anything she'd missed.
She then started kissing Noah's jaw line, but stopped abruptly when she felt vibrations in the girl's throat.
"Why," Noah said, just under a whisper.
Raven resumed kissing down her throat until she got to the hollow of her neck. That's where she paused.
"Because," she said, giving her another kiss. "It's fun."
Raven bared her fangs and dug her teeth into Noah's neck.
She didn't make a sound.
TT
Raven sat bolt upright in her bed, panting heavily. She looked frantically around the room, her t-shirt and forehead soaked with sweat, along with her pillow.
She raised a shaky hand to her head and ran it through her hair.
"Okay, that was officially the most twisted dream I've ever had," she said to herself.
Was that a dream?
She stood up and walked towards her full-length mirror.
No deformities. No wings, no fangs. No tail… wait… yeah, no tail.
She let out a sigh of relief.
That nap really wanted to leave an impression on her.
There was a knock at her door, and she turned her attention away form the mirror to answer.
"Hey Rae- wow, you're sweaty…"
"Nice to see you too, BeastBoy."
BeastBoy grinned stupidly.
"Hey, can I come in?"
"Sure, why not," she said as she stepped aside for him.
BeastBoy sat down on the end of her bed and kicked his feet back and forth.
"Raven, did you have a weird dream?" he asked as Raven sat down next to him.
"Weird as in…?"
"Totally sick and twisted."
"Yup."
"Really?"
"Was there a girl named Noah and a guy named Demetri?"
"Dude, yeah. So… you saw me-"
"Yes, I saw you… eat him."
"Oh," BeastBoy said as he lowered his head.
"And that girl… did you see me-"
"Go completely berserk on her and almost rip out her arm? Yeah…"
They both nodded and fell silent.
"The funny thing was… is that I probably would've done exactly what my dream-self did, ya know? Like that actually could happen," BeastBoy said after awhile.
Raven nodded.
"But I still think you're too damn sweaty, no matter what kind of dream it was. Go take a shower for all our sakes."
Raven frowned at him as he chuckled idiotically.
"Don't worry, I still love you no matter how sweaty you get. But I would prefer it if maybe you were wearing a white tank-top next time, 'kay?"
He got a playful slap on the arm for his innuendo, but returned it with a playful kiss on the lips.
Raven kissed him back as he raised a hand to her cheek.
They parted their mouths and started a tongue-wrestling match, but quickly pulled away from each other a few seconds later, their eyes wide with shock and fear.
They could taste it. That unmistakable metallic tang spread across the inside of their mouths. That dream… was no dream at all. Oh no, more than just a figment of their imagination. And as realization hit, they both said and thought the same thing.
"Blood."
Wow! That took me what? A month to update! Fuckin' school… Damn, I'm so disappointed in myself. It shouldn't have taken that long! Man… I'm sorry guys it took me so long. Please forgive me. Next chapter should be up soon.