Hello, people!
This chapter came out okay, and everything is done for a purpose.
It seems we've had less reviews last chapter, but that's fine. Thanks to Gingerstorm101, ravenkakashiluv26, sinomin, KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun, XLucy0117X, and Lust for Life.
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Here ya go:
"Sit properly, up straight. No, Slade, not like that. Your meditation is different from mine..."
It was the crack of dawn, the sun just peeking over the edge of the horizon, casting an orange glow over their base; Raven was teaching Slade her method of meditation.
Raven sighed. He meditated by having peace of mind. No proper position and no rules to obey. Just like him.
"You sit cross legged, arms relaxed. Hands like this. Good. It's called the 'lotus' position. Close your eyes, and just copy me. Don't think about anything, breath in, and out slowly..."
The two were almost synchronised, albeit that she was floating. Everything was calm.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," they chanted simultaneously. Even though both their eyes were shut, the duo smirked. It was odd for him to utter those words.
The silence between them was calming, soothing. The sound of their chanting excused and the sounds of the dimension's nature were just adding to the atmosphere.
"My way of calming is also through martial arts, Raven, not just through peace of mind."
When he was done talking, he executed a flawless sequence of kicks, punches and manoeuvres. It was amazing, Raven thought.
"Now, attack me. I promise I won't attack you back. I'm going to dodge your attacks."
She looked uneasy. "But, if I'm meant to be learning defence, why do I have to attack?"
She realised Slade was very patient. In this situation, it was a benefit. "It will be useful. After all, you can't just defend their moves; you have to fight back too. And, this will improve your patience, and give an example of what you must do."
Raven nodded, and he gestured with his hand. She charged at him, and unleashed a kick with all the force she could muster.
He lifted up his arm, and the kick's force was expelled on the metal guard. She fell to the ground, and slowly lifted herself up. The kick had hurt her foot more than it hurt him.
"You made your intentions blatantly obvious, Raven. Try again, and don't hold back. Expel the force properly. Surely Robin would have taught you more?"
She easily suppressed the anger fizzing under her skin, and even after the comment Raven found him a good teacher. Maybe he had taught in his earlier life, or maybe teaching Terra or even Robin had helped him become such a...high-quality tutor. She dropped the train of thought. She needed to focus.
Running towards him, she leapt and faked kicking his head and his shoulder. Two arms came to block them, and Raven kicked his unguarded chest as hard as she could. Slade fell on his knees, the force of the kick not enough, and Raven sighed. She was hoping he'd fall. Quickly leaping back up, he was indifferent.
"Good, Raven, I'm impressed. You learn quickly, and that's a good skill to have. But, it's not over yet. Now, I'm going to attack. You're on defence. I'll give you a moment to calm yourself, find your centre, and stay alert."
The words were calming in themselves. He just had to be good at schooling, didn't he? She breathed in his words, absorbing them, and breathed out all the negative matter holding her back. Raven let go of all the emotions, all the hindrances she held. She was ready, focused, and in control.
Slade released a flurry of attacks on her, each co-ordinated and perfectly performed-almost like some dance. She blocked a few, but most hit their intended target. It was expected, but a good way to improve, by fighting someone better than you.
He wasn't impressed this time, but he knew he would win. When the girl focused, and was taught correctly, she could do and achieve far more. Robin obviously wasn't giving her any combat training. How selfish, he thought, keeping all his fighting secrets to himself. Finding a big hole in her defence, he sent a hook to her neck, knocking her to the floor.
"That... was disappointing, Raven, but I know it is because you lack proper training." She opened her mouth to offer a retort, but he spoke first. "Try to defend the places that are open, like your neck, for instance. Use the stance I am in."
Her cheeks tinted slightly, embarrassed, and she grasped his offered hand. As if using no strength, he lifted her up. She rubbed her sore neck, before mimicking his stance. She didn't know why, but Raven thought that she had to impress the man. She had to prove she could fight-to him, and also to herself.
"It's not the Titans' fault. Everyone has different abilities to train."
Slade felt a hint of amusement. No matter what, the girl thought she needed to defend her friends. He also knew that in a short amount of time, she could become a good fighter. Robin was in for a surprise when she returned.
"Well, let's not waste time on chit chat. This time, we spar. Don't hold back. Keep your hands close to your body, and face, to defend them."
They sparred for a couple more hours, stopping occasionally for Slade to offer more advice. Although she didn't want to admit it, Raven was learning from him.
Grunts of effort were made. Slade was winning (as expected), and holding back. He slowed down when he saw her lagging. She was tired, and the heaving chest and dripping sweat showed it.
He was impressed when she continued, using all her effort. She was willing to be taught and learnt fast. Again, thoughts of apprenticeship were entering his head.
The fight ended with her sitting on the floor, exhausted, and him standing over her. He didn't flaunt his victory. She found it odd that he didn't.
"That was good, for your first session." She ducked her head, embarrassed. She muttered a thank you. Even though she was embarrassed, Slade noticed she looked distant, gloomy, as though she was thinking.
"Can we take a walk? I want to just... relax." That wasn't the only reason. Raven wanted to see something other than just the camp and river. She needed to do something, anything that could take her mind off the previous events.
He nodded, and followed as she walked out of the base. Slade made a mental map of where they were going, forever being alert. The wind blew gently, blowing Raven's cloak behind her. She sighed, and remembered when she walked in the park with the Titans.
Slade found it quite obvious what she might be thinking of, but he wasn't completely sure. "Is something on your mind, Raven?" She stared at him, her eyes looking distant, as though she were somewhere else. In reality though, she was stuck with him. The thought made her angry. Raven stopped walking, and so did Slade. They stood on the edge of the cliff top, and looked down. The trees look like ants, she mused.
"Yes, something is. And quite frankly, I don't want to share it with you." She was in a foul mood. Couldn't the empath lighten up? Suddenly he understood why the green changeling would annoy her.
Raven watched as he stared at her. Then, she gazed in horror as a purplish creature pounced on Slade, pushing him off the edge. The beast fell down, while Raven grabbed his hand, skidding on her front.
Of course, Slade being the heavier person, she couldn't manage his weight. The edge seemed to crunch as she slipped off, along with him.
The air made Raven's eye squint, to look below at the harsh floor. Surely anyone would die if they hit the ground, since it was so far down. She grabbed Slade's hand with an unusual strength, connecting them. He almost winced. Almost.
Raven pondered whether she should: fly up, while dragging Slade. Would she make it though, as they'd be impossibly heavy?
She could get something to meet them, so it could carry them up, but wouldn't their bodies hitting it cause an injury?
She didn't have enough time to weigh out the possibilities, as the objects below were getting bigger. Why couldn't Slade help? She didn't know what to do. Panic threatened to form.
"What are you going to do? It's your move." Was he crazy, being so nonchalant? And talking about it as though it were a game?
"I don't know. I don't have any." She swore she heard him laugh. At this point, she realised he really seemed insane.
Think, Raven, she thought. Raven... Raven! She could use her raven form! It'd take alot of energy, but she'd be fine. Her powers could touch Slade! They had the bond, she'd already came in contact with his mind. They'd be fine. She chided herself at her own stupidity.
Experiencing the familiar feeling of her powers, she grasped Slade's hand even tighter, and covered them both in shadow. She flew up to the edge again, and dropped both her and Slade to the ground.
Raven watched sweat fall off her forehead, and took deep breaths. While she spoke, she panted. "I'd have thought... that you'd be... more alert."
Ignoring the comment, Slade stared at her tired form. "So, I take it you can now let your powers touch me, with no harm?"
She nodded. "It still took a lot of control though. We weigh plenty, and I still had to use energy to keep myself away from your mind. It's takes a lot out of me. Back in Jump, that would have been easy."
Raven was disappointed that the gravity was so different. Flying or carrying themselves was too heavy. However, holding an object was easy? But what if she used her powers and wrapped them around herself and Slade? They could be like 'objects'! She'd try it later.
Slade stood up, and brushed himself off. Next, he hauled Raven onto her feet. He always seemed to be doing it lately, making him believe he was a gentleman. He was, of course, with manners coming first.
Still exhausted, she collapsed. Slade tightly gripped Raven's upper arm, and she hung from it. "Sorry..." she muttered, "I'm just really tired..."
He nodded. He understood it must have been hard for her to carry them both up such a long distance. Plus, they were going up, so it must have been heavy.
"Why are you being so... nice?" she wondered aloud. Raven was confused. Why was he being nice? Why was he helping her?
"What do you mean?" Slade was trying to get her to reveal why? Coward, she thought. He was avoiding the question. Her eyes drooped a little. She really could use a nap...
"Sometimes... we argue and we're enemies and heroes... then... you try and annoy me... after that... you're nice, like now, and you help me. Why, Slade?"
"Well, Raven, I think you're just tired. I help because I did. I believe it'll be your benefit to not question my motives."
He wasn't snapping at her, he was simply avoiding the question; veiling the answer with an empty threat. She closed her eyes, and her body was held entirely by his hold on her upper limb.
"You never answered my question, I..." And just like that, she was asleep. He chuckled. Yes, he had been avoiding the question, but who could blame him? The girl was very... importunate.
He slipped his arm under her knees, and the other under her back. One could say he was carrying her bridal style, or cradling her.
Walking back the way that their base was, Slade was deep in contemplation. He stared at the empath's face. Strands of purple covered parts of it. He didn't bother to move them away. Her chest rose and fell with every breath. This Titan, he felt, was the best of them all. She was powerful, undoubtedly, yet refused to use all that power. Was she scared of losing control, or of hurting the Titans? When he'd added his deft cameras into the Tower, he realised he knew the least about her. She was an enigma. He'd spent more time watching her, even the smallest movements, and felt now, he knew more.
She wasn't shy, but just didn't want attention. She was serious, but didn't mind a bit of sarcasm as a joke. Out of all the Titans, she seemed the most different.
She isolated herself, read books, and didn't always go out with them. Raven stayed in her room, reading intelligent material.
He watched once as she tensed, watching her teammates taking hits. Slade noticed she tensed a lot, or gave a little twitch. He noticed that it was her faltering control over her emotions.
She had tensed when her father came. She tensed when she found Robin at her door. She tensed when Starfire asked her to go shopping, when Cyborg put his hand on her shoulder, when Beast Boy tried to make a joke.
She was far from skittish, and good at covering up what she really felt. Was it that bad for Raven to reveal how she really felt?
They'd reached the base now. Dropping Raven to a blanket, he lay down on a blanket next to her. His eye gleamed, before shutting.
There it is.
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