I do NOT own Teen Titans
Comments and replies to reviews: Not the last chapter yet.
Time: The next day.
Gifts,... Nevermore,... The Attack,... Rage Released,...
Raven stretched, and turned over in the bed, not wanting to get up. She'd eventually fallen asleep, and combined with being unconscious for much of the previous day it'd made her groggy. The violet-haired girl pushed one wrist out from under the sheets, and studied the bracelet Beast Boy had given her. As a charm it was pretty much a dud, but in her short life gifts had been pretty rare. Once in a while Azar, the high priestess of Azarath, had given her items like the mirror that was a portal to her inner world. There'd been a few things from her mother as well.
Slumping back in the bed, she tried to count all the gifts she'd ever received. In all, she figured it was nine, with the bracelet making it ten. Each one was special to her, marking a moment in time when she'd been told she mattered. Of the others, only the mirror and the Book of Azar remained. And that led to a dilemma. She wanted to wear the bracelet, but in her line of work it would probably end up broken within a week. With a sigh, she decided to always remove it when she left the tower. Hands rubbing her face, she sat up with a yawn, and started to chant her mantra. Soon she felt tranquility fill her, and she reached for the mirror.
"Morning." Knowledge greeted, peering at the wrist with the bracelet.
"Morning." Raven replied, sitting down. A second later she was swarmed with Happy, Love, Brave, and Knowledge as they all leaned in for a closer look at her wrist. Even Timid was standing back, and peering eagerly over their shoulders.
"It's just a piece of silly jewelry." She told them with a slight smile.
"Umm. Sure." Knowledge replied with a smile of her own. "That's why you spent so much time looking at it, and why you're so afraid you'll lose it."
"Well. I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings by not wearing it." Raven intoned. "And all of you would've got a good look at the time same time as I did. So back off." Timid was the only who listened to her. Watching the grey-clad emoticlone try to examine the trinket from a distance made her feel guilty.
"Anything more on the premonitions?" She asked with a sigh,
"Sorry." Knowledge replied. "All I can tell you is there will be further attacks."
"Great." The violet-haired girl leaned back against a tree, and stared up at the yellow sky before speaking again. "As you know, Starfire's people did see a ship like the one that kidnapped me. It was destroyed by some people called the Aknarians more than four hundred light years from earth." Raven peered at the yellow-clad emoticlone. "Not that I'm going to complain, but how did Beast Boy drag me back to earth from that distance?"
"Maybe he has a form that can fly in space." Knowledge shrugged. "Or maybe he's been sneaking into your room and studying your books."
"Hrmph."
The yellow-clad emoticlone stared at the pink clouds floating above her. "Or maybe Rage helped him." She warily suggested.
"Doubt it." Raven muttered.
"Really? Why?" Knowledge asked. "Remember, if you die, then she does too. That might've been enough inclination to motivate her to help."
"Even so, what could she have done? The seal on her domain is intact."
The emoticlone shrugged. "As you said, Starfire's people were watching the ship, and they didn't see him leave it. So while BB using an animal form that can fly through space is a possibility, it's not likely. I just mentioned it to be thorough. As for him learning to teleport from your books, I think we would've noticed that. That Rage helped him is the only plausible explanation."
"But how?" Raven asked, giving the idea some thought.
"We do know he spent a considerable amount of time with her." Knowledge stared down at her hands, looking thoughtful. "Who knows what happened?" She shrugged.
"We know she nearly killed him." The violet-haired girl pointed out, anger tainting her voice.
"True." Knowledge admitted with a sigh. "Unless he's willing to tell us, we're not going to find out for sure."
Raven muttered something incoherently.
"Morning." Beast Boy greeted the violet-haired girl. "I was about to cook breakfast. Want some pancakes or waffles?"
"Waffles would be nice." She intoned, taking her usual seat. "Where did you learn to play chess?"
"It was something I used to play a lot before I became Beast Boy." The green-skinned Titan shrugged. "After that I didn't have anyone to play with."
"Oh."
"Cyborg figured out how they managed to gas us." The shape shifter informed her, pulling out the ingredients for the waffles. "Seems they have cloaking technology, and one of them just landed and hooked a canister into the tower's ventilation system. He was up all night fixing the scanners to see through their cloak."
"So it shouldn't happen again?" Raven asked, tone serious.
"Hope not. That was too close for comfort." He smiled at her.
"I wouldn't know." Raven replied sarcastically, with a hint of anger. "I was unconscious the whole time."
"Sorry." The boy replied with honesty.
"Yeah, Right." The violet-haired girl muttered, dropping an herbal teabag into her mug. "So you're still not going to tell me the full story?" Frustration filled her voice in a very unRaven-like manner.
"Sorry."
"Did Rage help?" She studied his reaction, seeing him pause. "She did?" The violet-haired girl said, stunned. "How? Why?"
Beast Boy sighed, and remained quiet.
"Tell me." She demanded, reaching out to push him against a wall with her dark magic.
"Does it matter? Just so long as you're safe?" He asked, feeling the immense pressure she was putting on his body as she held him in place.
"Yes." She spat. "Tell me!" The enraged half-demon increased the pressure.
"Unable to breathe, he could offer no response.
"Tell me!" She demanded again, eyes blazing with fury. "What did that demon do?" She increased the pressure again, ignoring her emoticlones as they struggled against her.
Close to blacking out, he wondered how to escape. He was confined by the dark energy surrounding him, so he couldn't shift into a larger form. Shifting into a smaller shape, including an amoeba, would just get him crushed as the power collapsed around him.
"Are you going to kill him? Half demon?" A dark voice echoed in Raven's mind.
"No. Of course not. That's what you would do." The violet-haired girl raged back.
"Look at him. He's unable to breathe. That is your doing, not mine." Came the demonic response.
Raven looked, and noticed that Beast Boy was definitely not his usual color. Gulping, she released her hold on the power, and stepped back. "I'm sorry." She whispered, but the changeling was already gone, leaving her staring at where'd been.
Free of the restraints, he'd shifted into a humming bird, and darted past her. Out of sight, he changed into his dragon form, and took to the skies.
"Forgive her. It's not her fault." Rage whispered darkly in his mind.
Beast Boy ignored the voice. He'd seen Raven's eyes, and they'd been scary.
Shaking, she turned and headed back to her room. There she reached for her mirror, entering the portal.
"What did you think you were doing?" Knowledge yelled at her as she appeared.
"I don't know." Raven replied, sitting down. She blinked, suddenly realizing the seal on Rage's domain was gone. Panicked, she rose. "The seal." She stated fearfully.
"We broke it." Knowledge replied. "We needed her help to stop you."
"But?" She sat back down, not knowing what to say. Around her stood seven of her emoticlones. All of them, except for Rage. None of them were pleased with her.
"It was better than letting you kill BB." Brave replied, for once sounding serious instead of just recklessly courageous.
"I wouldn't have." She firmly stated.
"The pressure you had on him would've killed any normal person." Knowledge pointed out.
"He's not normal. He could handle it." Raven insisted, trying to convince herself, recalling the way he'd looked. Her face was pale.
The yellow-clad emoticlone frowned. "Rage once asked me a question." She stated. "Would you like to hear it?"
Raven nodded, wondering what it had to do with the situation.
"Do you know what it means for Raven to be half demon?" Knowledge quoted.
"What sort of question is that? It means I've got to keep my emotions under control or they'll cause havoc. Especially Rage." The violet-haired girl replied.
"Somehow I doubt that's all that she meant by the question." The yellow-clad emoticlone looked up.
Raven looked and saw Rage standing there. Immediately she was on her feet, ready to fight.
"It means much more than that." The red-clad emoticlone replied, ignoring Raven. "I'm sure you've figured out a part of it."
Knowledge nodded. "She has aspects of Trigon other than just the ability to use magic."
"What? No I don't." Raven cried. "I'm nothing like him." She turned to look at the other emoticlones. "She's lying. Don't believe her."
"In a prison, there's not much to do." Rage idly said in her dark tone. "So I passed the time casting spells. Mostly divination ones."
"And?" Knowledge asked, interested, but still wary.
"Did you know, being half demon, Raven is immortal?" The red-clad emoticlone asked conversationally. It took a while for the statement to sink into Raven's mind.
"Immortal?" She exclaimed, blinking.
"Why so surprised? You were sired by the most powerful being we know of. It's to be expected you wouldn't be normal." Rage explained, shrugging.
"Are you sure?" Knowledge asked.
"As sure as one can be with prophecy. I mean the mortal world was supposed to end on Raven's birthday, and it did, for less than an hour. There's always a catch. But then you already knew that much, didn't you?"
"When you asked the question I did try to figure out the answer." Knowledge admitted. "So I considered each of Trigon's qualities, and tried to determine if they might fit Raven. Her being immortal was a possibility."
"When were you going to tell me that?" Raven asked, annoyed.
"As you can imagine, it has certain implications." Rage spoke, ignoring the girl once again.
"Yes." Knowledge frowned. "In time she might become as much of a danger as Trigon."
"That's insane." The violet-haired girl exclaimed, refusing to accept the statement.
"True. And how to avoid that is the big question." The red-clad emoticlone mused darkly.
"I won't ever become like him." Raven stated.
"Really?" Rage asked, turning her four glowing eyes upon the girl. "And what were you about to do to BB?"
"Nothing. I just wanted answers and got angry when he wouldn't give them. That he even cooperated with you."
"He couldn't breathe." Rage pointed out. "How could he've answered your questions?"
Raven frowned, guilt overwhelming her. "He's never going to talk to me again." She sighed, sitting down with her heart breaking. Tears started to slid down her cheeks.
"Perhaps not." Rage admitted, frowning. "If that's the case, then in time you will truly become the daughter of Trigon."
"Explain." Knowledge demanded.
Rage shrugged. "A person can only stand being alone for so long. Eventually, as centuries passed and everyone she knew died, she would change, and lose her connection to humanity. At that point they would cease to be real to her; like with Trigon they would be nothing but tools to be used and then discarded."
"Never." Raven exclaimed.
"That is what I saw as our destiny." Rage replied, meeting the girl's stare with one of her own.
"Me too." Knowledge admitted.
"What?" Raven cried, turning to face the yellow-clad emoticlone.
"If she's to avoid this fate, then she must have someone by her side to remind her of what it means to be human." Rage continued to explain.
"Which would be BB." Knowledge added.
The red-clad emoticlone nodded. "Someone who she can face the unending time with; someone who can remind her of what it is to be human when she starts to forget. Someone to make immortality fun."
"How? Wouldn't he die too?" Raven asked.
"No." Rage answered. "I'm not sure how, but in the futures I've examined, he remains unaging. In those where he stands with you, you do not become a monster. In others where he and you do not stand together he some times kills you to save the world; in others you kill him and brings ruins to the world."
"I would never kill him." The girl declared. "I ..." She blinked. "I love him." She stated, daring them to deny it; the words a surprise to her.
"We know." Happy spoke up. "We are all parts of you, and we've already realized that. It's about time you did."
Raven gulped. "But if he never speaks to me again..." She frowned.
"Then one of you will kill the other." Rage stated matter of factly.
"The anger I felt it was ..." She shrugged.
"You've kept me suppressed for years." The red-clad emoticlone spoke, anger in her tone. "Did you think there would be no repercussions?"
"I suppressed all of you." Raven pointed out.
"Not quite." Knowledge explained. "The others were only kept under control, not entirely suppressed."
"You made friends and spent time with them. You even made sarcastic jokes that made them laugh. I was happy." Happy explained.
"You felt affection for Robin, and love for all your friends. And eventually true love for BB." Love told her. "I was not kept in a prison."
"You walk into battles to fight for what you cared about. You were courageous." Brave said.
"Listening to me, you were cautious in your fights." Timid dare to say.
"The time you spent with books, or playing chess, I enjoyed." Knowledge told her, polishing her spectacles.
"I might not get out much." Sloth shrugged. "But your bookcase isn't as tidy as it might be."
Rude shrugged also. "While you tend to be sarcastically funny, you are at times rude." She explained.
"Whereas Rage." Knowledge spoke again. "Was kept in a prison, never allowed freedom. So long as she's kept balanced with the rest of us, it's okay to allow her some freedom; the same as you do with the rest of us. It's okay to feel anger at Trigon, and it's even okay to hate him, so long as you don't let it consume you. Those emotions have their place."
"So if I don't place her back in her prison, and seal her in, then I won't be uncontrollably angry like that again." Raven asked.
"No. But placing me in there again will guarantee there will be repercussions." Rage stated darkly. "Ones neither you nor I will be able to control."
"Why didn't I start to turn into my half demon form?" She asked.
"I was still sealed in my domain. It was you who had control of our body." The dark emoticlone explained.
The violet-haired girl frowned, unable to trust someone she'd hated for so long.
"He trusts me." Rage told her.
Raven looked up, fearfully meeting her eyes. "He did?"
"How do you think he crossed four hundred light years. He allowed me to possess his body in order to cast the spell."
"He what?" The violet-haired girl rose to her feet, gasping. "How reckless." She declared.
"Really?" The red-clad emoticlone asked. "The portal was cast, and I returned to my prison. How did that cause you any harm?"
Raven stuttered, trying to come up with a response.
"His mind is powerful. If his trust had not been absolute, it would have hurt us in our fragile state." Rage explained. "Instead he gave me the power to cast the spell, and all was okay."
The violet-haired girl remained frowning.
Rage shrugged. "Anyway, make up with him, or face the fact you will be as Trigon himself; a monster. And it's only with him that you can truly imprison that demon so he can't command his followers in this dimension."
"Imprison Trigon ..." Raven started to ask, but Rage was gone. Reaching out she sensed her back within her own domain; the seal to keep people out was back in place. The violet-haired girl sat back down, deciding not to replace the corresponding seal that kept the red-clad emoticlone imprisoned.
"Find him, and say sorry." Happy demanded.
"Will it be enough." Raven asked.
"No." Knowledge answered. "You've broken his trust several times, and too many will break it forever. But it will be a start."
"Have either of you seen Beast Boy" Raven asked, seeing the rest of the team gathered to eat breakfast.
"I have not, friend Raven." Starfire jubilantly responded. "Would you like some TosquiKob?"
"Hmm. No thanks Starfire." Raven backed away from the pot the smiling girl was holding.
"Oh. I wonder if friend Beast Boy would?" The orange-skinned Titan mused.
"If I see him, I'll ask." The violet-haired girl looked around at the rest of the Titans.
Both Cyborg and Robin shook their heads.
Hrm. She thought to herself outside. Reaching out, she searched for him. Detecting nothing, she frowned.
Beast Boy stretched his wings, and soared through the air. Feeling rage, he peered down and sent a blast of flame at the ground. It was tinted with black.
"Careful." A dark voice whispered in his ear. "Too much of that and you'll be a black dragon. I'm betting those are no fun at all."
"She tried to kill me." He thought back, enraged.
"No. When she realized she was hurting you, she backed off." Rage pointed out.
"Still." The shape shifter silently growled.
"It's not easy to be her. It took me a long time to realize that. Around her she sees everyone laughing and having fun while she has to be careful. In Azarath she was always an outcast; everyone knew she would herald in the end of the world, and treated her accordingly. The only ones who were kind to her were her mother and the high priestess Azar."
"And when she lashes out at me again?" He demanded.
"As she accepts who she is, and learns how to deal with it, that will cease. She's in a period of transition from suppressing her emotions to learning how to accept them. It will take time, but in the end I promise you it will be worth it. She loves you, and she's afraid of that. It doesn't help that Trigon is hunting her, causing her much fear and anger. It won't be easy."
"She loves me?" That he doubted; the rage he'd seen in her eyes.
"Yes." Came the simple reply.
Above he saw a ship heading towards the tower. Turning, he started to head back.
End of Chapter.
Updates might not be daily anymore. Depends on how much free time I have.
Rage it seems is free of her prison.
So Raven is immortal, and might be as dangerous a threat as Trigon? Beast Boy immortal as well? Oh well. If they get together it will be for a long time. And a way to imprison Trigon so he can't attack them would be nice.
Raven has decided she loves Beast Boy.
And another ship? Wonder who's on board.
Many thanks to those who read and review.