Here's another chapter that I worked on not too long ago. I hope you all like it. Reviews are always welcome. Oh and props to whoever can guess who the intruder is at the end of the chapter. :D
I do not own Teen Titans.
Chapter 2 (A Raven By Any Other Name)
Water dripped in puddles all around Kori's feet as Raven handed her a dry towel. The red haired young woman wrapped it around herself like a blanket, shivering despite the warm living room. She seemed particularly quiet Raven noticed as she studied her bruised face more closely. It seemed obvious that this had been going on for awhile. She had a few old scars but the bruises seemed to be quite recent. Her green eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle, and she glanced away uncomfortably whenever Raven tried to meet her gaze.
"Kori...what happened?" Raven asked. "Can you tell me who did this to you?"
Kori sighed. "I do not want to discuss it Rachel but please can I stay here for the night? I will try not to be a burden, I promise."
"I guess so, I mean I would not be upset if you stayed" Raven said. "But please call me Raven, I have not been called Rachel for a long time."
Kori looked up curiously. "Why are you now called Raven? I always thought Rachel was a nice name."
Raven just shrugged indifferently. She could not meet Kori's eyes but instead busied herself with wrapping the occasional bleeding wound on her friend's feet and arms. The muddy roads had done little good to the open scrapes, so she set her sights on healing them. "Let's just say that after I moved here many months ago, I wanted to start over with a new name. I think Raven suits me better anyway." She said after a moment.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense." Kori mused. "I will call you that if you insist. It does not matter to me; you are still my best friend."
Raven nodded and gave a halfhearted smile. "Well, if you are comfortable, you can sleep on the sofa for the night. I'm sorry I can't do any better. There wasn't really a need for another bed, since it's only me that lives here. I will bring you some blankets and I might have an extra pillow or two somewhere. I'll go get them. So are you sure you're all right? You will tell me who did this to you in the morning, won't you? I shudder to think the culprit might still be around."
The red haired woman did not utter a word, just shifted nervously on the couch. She curled up in a fetal position, closing her eyes sleepily. Within a few minutes she closed her eyes and fell asleep, with or without a pillow. Raven just watched her sadly. Who could have brought Kori from a cheerful girl to a wounded soul so quickly? Only two years ago she was her bubbly self. Now she just seemed the shell of what she once was.
Raven sighed and went to fetch a soft blanket from a nearby closet. She draped it carefully over her Kori's back before heading off to the direction of her own room. Never in her life did she feel so tired. The clock read 4:30 am in bright red letters, but Raven did not notice because soon she fell fast asleep as well.
When the next morning finally came, bright sunlight streamed through her bedroom window. Raven groggily woke up, fumbling around for a fresh set of clothes before heading down to breakfast. She had just turned into the hallway leading to the kitchen when she noticed Kori still asleep on the living room sofa. The blanket had long since fallen off but the girl still slept pretty deeply. Maybe when she awoke, she could give her a clue to what was going on.
She prepared her morning tea, as well as some toast and jam. She did not feel up for a big breakfast but she prepared some for Kori too when she would wake up. No doubt she would be hungry after the night she went through. It was all methodical, but Raven could not help but feel a little anxious thinking about her old friend's situation. Perhaps she should ask who did this again...Kori might not have heard last night. Would that be the right thing to do in this situation?
Victor! Maybe if she called Victor, he might be able to help. Vic had mentioned yesterday about someone hurting Kori. Perhaps he knew something she didn't? Like the guy's name, for example. If they knew his name then maybe they could press charges. She glared at the wall in thought before reaching for the phone in the kitchen and dialing the familiar numbers. She tapped her fingers on the receiver, anxiously waiting for a reply.
The phone rang twice before Victor answered it. She could hear some loud clanking and whirring coming from the mechanic shop before Victor said "Hello?"
"Hey Victor, it's me. We kinda have a situation on our hands; do you think you can come over later?" Raven asked quickly.
"What? Oh, it's you Raven." Victor said breezily. "Of course I can come over. I'll stop by during my lunch break."
Raven sighed with relief. "Thanks Victor, I really would appreciate it. Oh, and perhaps you could bring Richard with you?"
"The Detective? What do you need him for?" Victor asked puzzled.
"Kori came to my house late last night Victor. She had bruises all over her face, legs and arms." Raven explained. "Richard is the best detective I can think of and besides, doesn't he owe you a favor? A detective could really help us get to the bottom of this." Raven explained patiently.
"Well, he did lose that bet to me when we were playing Fast Furious Frenzy II..." Victor mused. "That guy can never win a video game to save his life. Anyway, I'll drag his butt all the way over to your house if I have to. This lowlife guy that hurt Kori needs to be put behind bars. I mean just look what that ex of yours did to you..."
"Alright, that's enough Victor, we don't need to go into details of my past. Just bring Richard over here as soon as you can. I'll try to get Kori to calm down and maybe she will explain to me what happened. She just looks so...broken Victor. I don't know what to do." Raven whispered.
"Just show her you care Raven." Victor explained. "Be there for her like a best friend should. Oh and make sure you lock all the doors in your house. If her attacker is still out there, than he's probably going to be looking for Kori."
Raven's eyes widened as she peeked out one of her windows. Victor was right, why didn't she think about that before? She got up from her sitting position and studied the neighborhood. Nothing really seemed out of place...
"Thanks for the tip Vic." Raven said quietly. "I guess I'll see you in a few. Bye."
She hung up the phone and with a quick glance at Kori's sleeping form, she began inspecting the doors of her house. None of them seemed to be forced into and all of the doors were locked. She was about to breathe a sigh of relief, when all of a sudden she spotted movement from her peripheral vision. Grabbing her umbrella that was placed next to the door, she took a deep breath and rushed out the door brandishing it wildly.
"Stay away from this house! I'll have you know I called the police for trespassing!" Raven yelled as fiercely as she could.