Hiya! This is SladeRavenFan speaking!
Argh! Six more chapters before Lost is... over...
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Those people are: The Amethyst Eyes, Random hero77, sinomin, KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun and ravenkakashiluv26.
All you readers are amazing too! Now, enjoy this chapter! Sorry if it's a little out of character, but hey, everyone has to change a little to fit in...
"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos... Azarath..."
It was becoming routine, meditating at the crack of dawn, every day.
Not that Slade didn't like routine, of course. He liked having routine, as it gave stability and was easy to follow. No complications or things like that.
Raven too liked routine. It gave her time to prepare for events, as well as let her know what'll happen. That stability was refreshing, knowing what'll happen.
But routine would end soon, and both knew it. Raven dreaded the day. Earlier on, when she'd given into Slade's demoralising lecture, she'd reluctantly said animals could be killed. Now, she knew she'd just said it because he wanted to hear it.
Slade wouldn't understand. She just couldn't kill them. She couldn't back up though, as she was sure that the one eyed villain would torment her over her cowardice. Now she had to wait for Slade to teach her how to hunt, and worse still, make her hunt. Her heart seemed to speed up, but her face showed no sign of worry.
"We're here, Raven. I've found this creature simply because I followed its tracks in the sand. It's one of the most basic methods. Also, judging by the size of the footprints, the animal should be small."
True to his word, the creature was small, and about the size of a wolf. It, or whatever gender it was, had similarities to wolves, other than its enormous eyes. One would think it'd look crazy, but it looked... cute? This was the thing she'd have to... kill?
His voice broke her train of thought. "Pay attention, Raven. I've picked a small handgun to do the work. It's light, and is basically one of the most used guns. Just shoot it, and I'm sure you know how to aim."
"Okay..." She shakily held the gun, grimacing. Raven instantly thought of shooting Slade. That wouldn't work, she admitted.
The creature looked up. It really was a charming animal. She chided herself for the very thought. Raven, the one to find another dimension's prey: cute. It reminded her of Puss In Boots, from Shrek. (Beast Boy had insisted on watching animals talk to human movies a couple of months back) She only had to pull the trigger, and that seemed too easy.
But it wasn't. She couldn't kill it. It was wrong, but this man! This manipulative man made it seem so right! She had to do it, didn't she? How? How could she? It'd just be wrong. She'd never live with all the guilt. She couldn't take another's life. It wasn't an item. She couldn't return it.
Raven's face gave a hint of worry and confusion, which Slade had undoubtedly noticed. She froze, still holding up the gun. She started to shake more visibly, as her face fully revealed her worry.
"Raven?" She didn't move, looking as though in a trance. He sighed. Taking the gun from her hands, he fired the bullet himself. It hit the creature's head, killing it instantly. He couldn't be bothered to chase it, so killing it on the spot would benefit. Blood poured out, causing a red puddle to appear.
Anger was the first emotion she felt. He, he killed it! So ruthless! He had killed it himself! The...the fiend!
"You killed it! It was just an innocent thing, an innocent being! Why... You...you monster!"
Strangely enough, Slade chuckled. "Are we really so childish to resort to name calling, Raven? I really could find a large number of nicknames for you, and none of them would be positive."
She glared, and stomped away, back to the camp. Raven was trying to suppress her emotions, but anger was threatening to become rage. How could he just kill it? There'd been no mercy, no second thoughts, and no remorse. Heartless beast, she thought.
She sat at the fire, Slade coming to sit beside her. She felt the urge to turn around with a 'Humph', but didn't. Instead, she refused to look at him.
"Stubborn as always, Raven." The way he said her name seemed so special. It sounded strange, sounded good, in Slade's masculine voice. She didn't know why.
"So? What do you want? To get out? Because, trust me, we will, so don't bother."
"Why are you angry at me? I haven't done anything wrong." Haven't done anything wrong? Had Slade been off in La La Land, while they were in the dimension?
"That's just it. You have done something wrong! You killed an innocent animal!" She made to put extra emphasis on the word 'innocent'.
"Is it wrong? Is it really?" Great, Raven thought. He was going to lecture her... She hated Slade's lectures! They always got into her head...
"Yes, it might've been innocent, Raven, but, it is partly your fault too. You need to eat, so this animal was killed. Is it wrong for me to get food for you and me to eat?"
Raven shook her head, violet hair moving with it. No, it wasn't. See? He always got into her head, always managed to manipulate his words! It was wrong, but she didn't have anything that could make a good argument. His explanation was logical though.
He always lectured her, til she understood. Always taught her something through lectures, learning through mistakes, teaching patiently. The girl wasn't eager to learn, but he could teach amazingly well.
"You're a good teacher, Slade."
He almost hadn't heard her speak, or didn't believe what she'd said. "Thank you, Raven. I have had experience in teaching."
Experience was on his side. Slade had taught his wife, Joseph, Grant, Rose, Robin, Terra, and now, Raven. He was good at adapting methods for each of his students. For the more gentle and inexperienced, he was able to teach them things that weren't as violent. For those eager to learn how to fight, he taught them how to use weapons and more advanced skills.
Memories flashed through his head: him battling Adeline, teaching Grant how to use a gun, the smile on his face, a young Joseph doing well in battle... Grant, Joseph, Adeline... He missed them...
"Who's Grant, Joseph and Adeline?" Raven had felt the names echo into her head, from the bond.
Slade wanted to backhand her, but didn't want an enraged Raven on his tail. He was becoming too nostalgic, but who could blame him for missing his loved ones.
"My... wife, and my children."
Wow, Raven thought. Slade had a wife? And kids? He was a family person, and he was a villain. "What happened to them?"
She could sense his hesitance, but wasn't bothered. He spoke, "You ask a lot of questions, Raven, but don't have a lot of answers."
He was speaking the truth, but it was also saying 'lay off, or else'. Empty threats. Raven couldn't blame him, and he'd already revealed a lot she'd never expected him to have. It was enough.
In fact, and she hated to admit it, Slade was a human. He had motives for his actions, and some reasonable explanations for his evil doings.
Plus, he'd understood her. She didn't want to kill the animal, so he did. He didn't force her, which she'd expected him to do. Slade also had started the lecture, she had. But the man had done so many wrongs too, so it balanced it out.
The night left them lost in thought, and unbeknownst to the pair, their time around the fire, was coming to a close...
Thanks for reading, and please review! It'll help to improve the whole 'reading experience'...
As for now... SladeRavenFan really could use some food...
And remember, you're stuck in the Shadow_of_the_pear...
P.S Sorry if the characters were a little out, but hey, do you write a Slade and Raven fic?