Hiya,
And we are back again. We have to warn you though, this chapter was rushed; Been neck deep in homework and exams. Hopefully, a better chapter will be next week. Thanks : ravenkakashiluv26, Dkaraly, Gingerstorm101 and Blood Dragon XIII. We absolutely love reviews, so we appreciate when you give them.
Anyways,
Enjoy!

Chapter six

Dirty green water flooded over Raven as she sunk into the deep abyss within the quicksand .Her eyes were tightly shut and she seemed to lose track of reality, while drifting upwards slightly. Her thoughts swam in her head, one of them being the all too familiar mask on Slade. Her eyes shot open and she looked around, but the man in thought was nowhere to be seen. She choked on the murky water, running out of breath. Waving her arms and kicking her legs frantically, she swam to the surface. Raven could swim, as it was required to be a Titan, but she was by no means the strongest swimmer. And although she would never say, she hated water. With a passion. She hated the coldness that came across her as she swam, the almost sliminess of the liquid. She hated that it always seemed to be too cold, or too hot. She had always had a fear of drowning. She panicked as the swamp-like substance kept pushing her down, struggling to keep her head up, she kept swallowing the water, the sensation was of eating flames, and the taste was of cod-liver oil. She shuddered, and kept swimming. She saw light above her, and once her head reached the surface, she spluttered and coughed, the water in her lungs coming out her mouth. She gulped in mouthfuls of air, relief evident on her face. "Slade!" she called out, hearing no immediate response. She sighed, clinging onto nearby debris. Where are you? She thought. Already physically exhausted, she swam to the closest land she could find. Lying on the ground, she cast her soul-self out of her body; leaving her physical form to lay lifeless.

Meanwhile, Slade was still walking, a little ways off from Raven. He'd already come back, recovering the sack and Raven's discarded cloak. He'd also already realised Raven might have went under, to search for him. Before, when he was swallowed by the sand, the water washed it all out of his mask and off of his clothing. Using his defined muscles, he'd swam to the surface, recovered the sack and was now walking forward. This time though, Slade had remembered to jump over the sand. Now, since he'd done what he needed to do, his task was to find the cloaked sorceress. But, the sky was turning indigo, as nightfall was coming. The colour of the sky reminded him of her hair. As he became tired and hungry, he sat down under a tree and was hidden from view.

Raven however, once her soul-self was released, flew around the dark canvas of the night sky. She couldn't see anything, it was dimming and her energy was fading slowly. In one last bout of her waning supply of it, her soul-self emitted as her bird form, towering above all. She screeched, screaming for help, screaming for the Titans and screaming for Slade. It quickly dissipated though, and she returned to her physical body, falling into a dreamless rest.

Slade almost tripped at the screech, dropping his jaw at the sight of the black bird. The sound came as a shock compared to the silence of the forest. It was undoubtedly Raven. He was impressed, and thankful she had revealed her location. It saved him from more work.

Standing up then brushing himself off, he headed for where it was. It wasn't necessarily far away, and the black bird soon disappeared. He got a torch out of the haversack, and it lit up, enabling better sight. After walking for what seemed an eternity, but was actually only minutes, he spotted the familiar pale skin of Raven. It was obvious she was unconscious and wet from the water. Even though she was out cold, Slade quite clearly pictured a wet cat in her place. Dripping with water, looking very sorrowful and embrassased, he also noticed she was shaking. He draped her cloak around her, touching her freezing skin. The colour was drained out of Ravens skin, and she looked as white as a sheet of newly fallen snow. Slade needed to warm her up, as the titans would not take well to a deceased Titan, especially if their knowledge was of the fact that they had been the last to be seen together. Also, it wouldn't be good on his conscience. He walked over to tall plants, and tore them off the ground. Lighting them all, he watched them erupt into a blazing, but controlled fire. For once, he was glad he wore black, as he'd warm up faster.

Slade stood and picked up the sorceress' limp body. She squirmed but sank into the warmth coming from him. He chuckled lightly, laughing at her antics. "Quite amusing indeed," he muttered. He placed her close to the fire and let her lay on a blanket. He quickly reached for a cereal bar, and devoured it whole. Once he escaped, he'd be more appreciative of Wintergreen's expert culinary skills. That is, if he escaped.

Raven came closer to consciousness and her jaw tightened, her eyes fluttering open. "Glad you're awake, Raven." She sat up, nodding as a response. She moved away slowly, annoyed that he was watching her sleep. "How'd you find me? Did you get the signal?" He mimicked her, his head going up and down.

"Quite impressive indeed, it was quite the display." He chuckled, which sounded deep and throaty. Raven shook her head, disagreeing, and stood shakily. She realised it was the beginning of the night, as darkening purple took over the whole sky. It quite reminded her of herself. Raven wondered whether the titans still thought of her, knowing them, they'd probably be trying to get her out. She continued to reminisce on more complex related events.

Slade watched her seemingly absorbed in thought, her eyes stuck to the sky. With his firm grip, he tapped her shoulder. Raven's head shook as though to wake up and she turned her amethyst eyes to him. Her face showed hints of irritation, since she didn't like to be disturbed. "Are you hungry?" Raven was about to say decline nourishment, but her stomach disagreed. She nodded. Slade reached into the bag, pulling out a slab of meat and a pan. Holding it over the fire, he stood there, watching Raven.

The person of his interest: Raven, looked far into the distance, hearing sounds from the forest. She jumped when she heard Slade's chilling voice. That was quickly ended though, as she composed herself. "Darkness there, and nothing more." She turned to him, looking on in slight curiosity. "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." Slade continued, not at all shocked. "But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token." Raven stepped closer to him, her lips holding the shadow of the smirk, unnoticeable by everyone but Slade, as he was watching. "The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe? You've read it?" He nodded and Raven felt a surge of excitement, which she wondered why she received. Everyone else didn't bother, Robin was busy, Beastboy would rather play games- and in some ways she wondered if he could even read, Cyborg had to work on the T-Car and Starfire couldn't understand the complex writings. It was nice to know someone else read it. "You do know, Raven, that villains don't spend all their time on scheming dominance over the world. Not to mention, indulging yourself in intelligent material is quite pleasurable really." Raven was now smiling, albeit it being small. It was barely noticeable, like an up-twist of her lips. "I agree, it's like an escape from reality," Raven quietly said, she didn't elaborate, as Slade had expected. She sat down near the fire and Slade handed her a stick with the cooked meat on it. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Raven asked him, while chewing on the meat. It wasn't a bad meal, but it wasn't gourmet either.

"Well, since we're in an alliance, we aren't exactly enemies, are we? At the moment, Raven, you've earned it. You've given respect, which is what I'll return." She nodded, still in disbelief. If they had to be uncivilised, it could cause a nearly impossible chance to escape, not to mention, arguing could cause loss of control. The meal was eaten in silence, which both villain and hero enjoyed. Raven appreciated the lack of unnecessary chatter, without anything disturbances. Slade also appreciated the absence of useless conversation, about things that needn't be discussed. The only sounds heard were their chews and the naturally caused noises within their surroundings.

Nearing the last bite of her meal, Raven suddenly stopped, dropping the meat in her hands. Her world twirled and her stomach churned. A wave of nausea overcame her. Slade stared at her, wondering what the problem was. "What's wrong, Raven?" She didn't respond, hand held high on her forehead. Raven stood and ran over to the bushes, collapsing on her knees. Slade followed, and squatted behind her small form. Placing one arm around her hair, to keep it from falling in front of her face, he placed the other to support her, incase she fell. He knew what she was going to do. Raven heaved as hard as she could, and dirty water poured out of her mouth. Coughing and choking, she felt the water empty from her lungs. Her face was covered in perspiration and she wiped it away with her sleeve. "Feeling better?" Slade questioned, still there. She nodded and stood weakly. Her legs shook with every step and in the end, Slade had to catch her when she slipped. Once she reached her blanket, Raven literally fell upon it. Her face was flushed from exhaustion, but barely showed with her pale complexion.

She decided to sleep away the now mild discomfort in her chest, while Slade also decided to sleep. Their eyes closed, and they both fell into their subconscious' thoughts.

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Thanks for reading. And please review! It really means a lot.

Big thanks from,
SRF and QLF

P.S Any ideas for the next chapter? Strictly no romance, not guaranteed that ideas will definitely be used.

P.P.S Sorry for the lateness of the chapter. Qweer very much apologises for her disorganisation and strange addiction to computers other than the laptop used for writing the story. Please, don't leave us!

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