Chapter 22
"I told you he will never love," he hissed. "You are my Raven, not his dear."
"Just leave me alone," she hissed back.
He grabbed her face in a gentle yet forceful way.
"Now my dear," he said. "You are in no condition to talk to me like that."
"No matter what you say Slade," she whispered. "I am no one's Raven, I am my own Raven."
She clutched her chest.
"No don't go and strain yourself my dear Raven," he said putting an anti-pain medication on her chest. He himself had removed the bullet.
He was being oh so gentle, it scared her.
"Why did you do this Slade?" she asked.
"I have my reasons Raven," he explained. "I like to have the ultimate power on my side. I like to know I have someone on my side. Finally I like someone who will be loyal to me."
"Who says I will stay loyal to you."
"Where else do you have to go?"
No reply.
"I highly doubt the titans will want you back my dear. And if you try to return they will send you to jail."
She sat up to be leveled with him.
"It was your fault I did all those things."
"You still did them though. Besides you will be happier with me my darling."
He raised his mask.
"Besides you know you still love me."
He kissed her, and she kissed back.
….
It had been a week since the shooting incident.
Beastboy and Nightwing hadn't stopped fighting since.
"It doesn't matter if I knew who she was, you still should have never gone to the hospital with intentions like yours'," Nightwing yelled at the changeling.
"What you kept secret was worse then what I was planning to do," Beastboy yelled back. "You knew that I had been having a hard time yet you said nothing. Damn I would have been able to SAVE her if you had told me she was Raven."
"But the point is you weren't going there to save her, you went going to hurt her. We may be heroes who stand for justice but we are doing not pick on the helpless."
"And if it was slade what would you have done."
No reply.
"Exactly," Beastboy said.
"You're just sour because she doesn't love you," Nightwing hissed.
In a matter of seconds a giant green gorilla had Nightwing pinned to the wall. A second after that Nightwing had a bird-a-rang to his neck.
"Please friends stop this nonsense," Starfire screamed.
"Yeah," Terra added. "This won't help anyone!"
Beastboy resided.
"Don't ever say that again," Beastboy yelled at Nightwing.
"The truth hurts Beastboy," he replied.
"That's it," he yelled.
Before he could get him a bionic arm stopped both of them.
"Now listen you two," Cyborg interjected. "Fighting will not solve anything. Right now Raven, it doesn't matter if she is shadow Knight, our Raven is hurt and in the hands of slade."
"She isn't out Raven," Beastboy spat. "She is his."
The whole time the two boys were fighting Esmeralda sat patiently waiting to share her knowledge.
"Slade will use words like that against you," she said.
"So would you like to explain who you are and what your role is in this," Terra asked.
"My name is Esmeralda De La Noche," she said. "I have the power to manipulate memories. When your friend was revived Slade had me alter her memoires to make you seem like her enemy. After some realization I saw what I did was wrong, so I gave her back her original memories."
Everyone stared at her a little worried.
"She is still your friend Raven."
"No," Beastboy said. "No she isn't, our raven wouldn't let anyone mess with her memories."
He clenched his fists.
"Our Raven wouldn't fall for such crap, she is Shadow Knight in my eyes and she is the enemy."
"I have to agree with him," Nightwing added. "She may be Raven, but she isn't the Raven we knew."
"That Raven died eleven months ago," Beastboy said leaving the room.
"If you think like that," Esmeralda said getting up. "Then you will lose Raven again."
She exited.
Nightwing shortly followed behind.
"Friends," Starfire said. "Do believe she could still be our Raven."
"I do," Terra said. "I also believe we can save her from Slade. I just hope we won't be too late."
Cyborg and Starfire nodded.
…..
She had finished healing herself, and was watching clips from the titans' tower.
"No, no she isn't, our Raven wouldn't let anyone mess with her memories. Our Raven wouldn't fall for such crap, she is Shadow Knight in my eyes and she is the enemy."
"I have to agree with him. She may be Raven, but she isn't the Raven we knew."
…
"You see darling," Slade said wrapping an arm around her. "The two that used to have the most faith in you, have lost it all."
"I guess you were right," she whispered. "They will never trust me."
He grabbed her chin gently and leveled her eyes with his.
"If you can prove it," he said nearing her. "I will trust you again."
She nodded.
"Good girl."
…..
"She isn't Raven," Beastboy said looking at a picture of his Raven. "At least not my Raven. She is Slades Raven."
'She may be witty, sarcastic, mean, doesn't laugh at my jokes, the girl that I believed to be Rachelle, beautiful, she is still not my Raven. My Raven was witty, sarcastic, mean, didn't laugh at my jokes, and beautiful.'
"Shit," he said. "She is just like my Raven, but she isn't."
He put down the picture.
"And she is going down."
…
"Are you ready darling," he asked her.
"Of course I am," she wickedly said bringing him into a kiss.
"That's my Shadow knight," he said letting her go.
"This going to be fun," she laughed.
"And you will do a good job," he said.
"Of course I will."
She turned into a giant shadow Raven and disappeared.
…..
The alarms in the tower blared.
Everyone met at the common room.
"Who is it," Terra asked nervously.
"Cinder block, overload, plasmas, slade, and Shadow Knight," Nightwing replied.
"Terra take cinder block, star take plasmas, CY take overload, I will take Shad," he said before being interrupted.
"No I will take Shadow knight," Beastboy said.
"No you won't," Nightwing sternly replied. "You will take slade do not argue."
He nodded, "fine," he replied.
"Titans go."
…
Nightwing headed for Shadow Knights position.
He finally reached it.
It was the old library.
He entered with caution. The library emitted eerie sounds and cracks. He was a little nervous.
"Well if it isn't Nightwing," he heard her say.
"Raven," he said sternly. "Stand down."
She gave a wicked smile; she no longer wore her mask.
"You think I have to listen to you," she hissed. "I am not part of your team."
"You were once," he replied. "I know you remember, so why are you still working for Slade."
She gave him a death glare.
"I want to," she screamed her eyes turning white and purple.
Things started flying towards Nightwing from every direction. He dodged most but some grazed him.
"Of all people to fall for Slades tricks," he said pulling out his Bo Staff. "I never thought you would."
He lunged at her.
"I guess you don't really know me then huh boy blunder," she deadpanned dodging his attacks.
"Stand down Raven," he yelled.
"No," she deadpanned back.
Her hand started sparking black and purple.
So did Nightwing.
"Ahhhhhhh," he screamed in pain.
"Why should I listen to you huh," she cried. "I am the enemy remember. What reasons do you have for me to let you go?"
"We were friends Raven, does that mean anything to you," he yelled in pain.
"It would have it meant something to you," she replied releasing him.
He looked at her, and then all of his worst memories flooded into his mind.
"Does it hurt boy blunder," she said. "To see your parents die again, to nearly be killed by the joker, to see the world is destroyed."
"I tried to believe what Esmeralda said," he replied gasping. "But you aren't the Raven we knew, you're what Trigon always wanted you to be, just like him."
Right in the gut.
"Never compare me to Trigon," she said full of Rage.
A Bo staff hit her in the head moments later. She fell to the floor seemingly unconscious.
"Sorry Raven, "he said getting out some cuffs. "But you are the enemy."
He cuffed her with some power restricting cuffs he made. He put one on each of her hands.
"Yeah," she said. "And you should never underestimate your enemy."
They went into hand to hand combat.
"Slade taught you well," he said impressed at her moves.
"Yeah he did," she replied back.
Kicks and punches were thrown about; still this being his forte, he had the upper hand.
He had her pinned to the wall face first.
"Looks like he didn't train you well enough," he hissed. "Raven I am sorry to say that you are under arrest."
"You haven't won yet boy blunder," she said. "Azarath mentrion zinthos!"
She fazed through the wall.
"Damn," Nightwing said a little relieved.
…
She only had enough power to faze to the next room.
"He is still strong," she whispered.
Unknowingly she had faded into the room where she became the portal.
"I am nothing like Trigon," she whispered. "I am Raven."
"You are Raven," Nightwing said entering. "Just not the same Raven."
"Stay away," she cried weakly.
"We can help you," he said.
She stepped back.
"I don't believe you," she said still stepping back. "I can sense your hatred for me, your right Richard I am not the same Raven. I never will be."
A step to far back.
"Raven," he cried as she fell.
He tried to run as fast as he could to her.
"Ahhhh," she said as she fell.
He looked down into the abyss. She was gone.
"Raven," he whispered.
He jumped into the abyss.
….
"Gah," Beastboy cried as he hit the wall.
"Poor boy, you have lost everything because of me huh," Slade said picking him up.
"To be honest with you Beastboy, it is your own fault that you lost Raven," he told him.
"My fault I didn't kill her," he shot back.
"Neither did I Malchior take care of that," he said. "But that's not what I am talking about. If you believed in her a little more she would still be the same Raven you love. Now she is mine."
"I did nothing to her," Beastboy yelled. "She chose to be who she is."
"Yes she did," slade hissed brining up his fist. "And I must say I like her choice."
Before he knew it, Beastboy was out cold.
…..
She was falling really fast; the stupid cuffs didn't let her fly. Was this the second end for her?
He was falling and trying to catch up to his enemy.
'This is my fault,' he thought. 'I should have given her a second chance.'
Finally he could see her, her eyes were closed and tears were flying down from them.
He made himself more aerodynamic to gain speed.
He was catching up to her.
As much as she was the enemy he still saw his friend. A confused friend. Maybe he was wrong and Esmeralda was right.
He finally caught and released one of his grappling hooks.
He grabbed hold of the nearest stare case.
"Got you," he said.
She was out cold.
"Raven," he said. "Wake up and teleport us out of here."
"You need to take these cuffs off first," she said waking up. "Unless you expect me to do a magic less magic trick."
Ravens old famous sarcasm...
"If I do we both better make it out of here," he said getting his keys.
"Just unlock these stupid things first Slade now you," she cried.
He did as she said and in seconds he was in the titans' tower alone.
"First slade," he said confused.
…
The entire team had returned by now all damaged in different ways.
"Geeze," Terra said getting rock bits out of her skin. "That was a tough battle."
"Yes," Starfire added. "The plasmas were very unpleasant. I have the goo all over me."
"Hey overload nearly fried my wires," CY laughed.
Nightwing and Beastboy were quiet.
"Friends were your battle like," Starfire asked.
"Horrible," Beastboy said.
"Interesting," Nightwing said.
"What was so interesting about it?" Beastboy questioned.
"Shadow knight or Raven," he replied. "Our Raven she is still in there somewhere."
Beastboy got up and stormed off.
"Do you really think so," Terra asked.
Nightwing nodded.
"She just needs some convincing."
Everyone agreed.
….
Phew that was a long one any ways review and I am still debating whether this should be a slaven or bbrae…..might have to make a pole if I can't decide.