*I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. That's all I can say. I know it has taken me entirely too long to get this up here. I have plenty of excuses, but I won't bore you with them. Just know I haven't given up, and I am almost done with this story! I'm in the process of writing the last few chapters, so be not afraid! They will be up soon!*
Raven's eyes fluttered open to see Cobra's face above her, staring off ahead. It took her a moment to realize he was holding her, and they were flying. She looked around at the dark sky and then the dark landscape below them.
"Where are we?" she asked, barely able to force the words out. She felt so weak...
"Back on Glinton."
"But the plants...we used these plants...this is the first place they'll look."
"Yes," Bear answered. Raven looked over to see him flying beside them, carrying an unconscious Vixen. "But this is the only place we know of that they will be unable to track us. We'll find a good hiding place and heal ourselves. If any of them happen upon us...we'll just have to take care of them."
Raven allowed silence to return to the flight until they landed outside the cave Bear had been healing himself in when they found him. "What happened?" she finally asked as Cobra set her down and they walked in.
"As soon as you appeared and called out to us," Cobra responded, "we flew to you and materialized here."
Bear set Vixen down tentatively.
"Why isn't she healing herself?" Raven asked, almost scared to know the answer. She felt, and sounded, much like a little girl, depending on her big brother to make everything right.
Bear noticed. He looked at her sidelong. Raven expected him to be offended by her sound, expecting her to be strong and stoic, but to her surprise, he gave her a little nod, as if to say 'everything will be alright'. "She was put through a lot. She may not have the will to heal herself yet. If we help her, she should be able to take over the process on her own."
Raven and Cobra nodded and closed their eyes.
Azarath Metrion Zinthos
Azarath Metrion Zinthos
Raven repeated the incantation in her mind to help her concentrate as she and her brothers held their arms forward and surrounded Vixen in black energy. Raven almost shuddered. Her sister felt so empty and cold. They worked slowly. Hours passed as they gave her all the energy they could to help her heal. Finally, Vixen began to levitate on her own, and they released her.
They took a seat and watched her there, each worried, but also relieved that she had taken over.
"She'll be alright now," Bear ventured to say.
Raven glanced at both of her brothers, and looked back to her sister. She had always felt a connection to them because of their ability to read each other's emotions when they were together, but she felt something different now. She actually felt like they were...a family. When they lived in Trigon's dimension, although they knew exactly how the other felt, they would still all try to remain tough, as if they didn't feel those emotions at all. But here, they had all been torn down and beaten. They didn't just feel vulnerable; they looked vulnerable, and knew that the others could see. All of them, covered in cuts and bruises from the fight. Somehow, it had brought them closer.
Bear had always been protective of Raven, but their connection went so much deeper now. Raven really felt like he was her big brother, what a big brother was supposed to be, like Cobra was. And Vixen. Even Vixen, who hated her so. Seeing her like this, Raven only felt concern for her.
Bear glanced at her suddenly, perhaps reading her emotions. He looked annoyed at first, but then his expression softened and he actually gave her a small smile. Raven relished in the little sister feeling it gave her, one she had so rarely experienced.
The next day, Vixen awoke. She looked around at her siblings, looking annoyed, stood up, and walked out of the cave without saying a word. They knew what her problem was, of course. Bear had reacted the same way, unable to handle them seeing him so weak. But after a time, Vixen returned, looking humbled.
She walked right up to Raven, glared down at her for a moment, then took a breath and her expression fell. "I guess I...owe you now," she said tentatively.
Raven smiled. It was the closest thing she would ever get to a 'thank you'.
"You don't have to smile about it," Vixen commented, turning away. "I had to put up with feeling all of your sappy emotions while I was trying to heal myself, so maybe we should just call it even."
Raven, who could feel her sisters' new emotions of humility and gratitude, and a bit of annoyance at feeling them, just continued to smile. "Sorry. I should have been feeling less distracting emotions," she said sarcastically.
Vixen almost smiled at her. "None of your emotions are less distracting, Rae-Rae." She glanced at both of her brothers. "You two look rough."
"Saving your hide wasn't the easiest thing in the world," Cobra said, scratching at a cut above his left eye.
Bear stood. "Are you completely healed?"
"I'm fine," Vixen said. "And entirely ready to go kill whatever Demon Hunters are protecting Rae-Rae's friends. And any others we may run into."
"You mean you'll come?" Raven asked, a bit taken back.
"Any chance I have to give those monsters some pay back, I'll take. It's not something I can do alone, but the four of us together...we'll show them that you don't mess with the children of Trigon." She punched her other hand with a determined smile.
"We'll need a plan," Bear said. "We cannot depend on them preparing for the fake plan we implanted in your friend's head. If they were informed of Vixen's break out, they will know it was fake."
"Plan is we show up and destroy them," Vixen said, glaring hard.
Cobra shook his head. "The point of this is to save Raven's friends, not massacre the entire-"
"If we don't take them all out they'll just keep hunting us!" Vixen cut in.
"There are too many too destroy them all," Bear said. "But we may be able to destroy all of the ones conjugated on earth."
"I say we blow the whole insignificant planet up," Vixen said.
"No!" Raven yelled.
She responded defensively, "we'll save your friends first."
"We're not blowing it up!"
"Well what do you suggest we do?"
"We have to start with a plan to save her friends first," Bear said, ever the war expert. "Then we will move on to everything else. Raven, you need to explain the layout to me, of where your friends are being kept and the city."
Raven began explaining the T Tower and Jump City to her siblings, hoping her friends were still unharmed. Don't give up, she thought. I'm coming.
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D
It took hours for Cyborg to free all of the Titans. He had disconnected his hand, grabbed a broken table shard, and used it to unscrew the bolts holding the chains to the wall, but it took a long time because the chains sent a shock to the wood with each turn. Cyborg had to drop the tool when the shock started, and then pick it up again after it stopped. But, eventually, all four of them stood free of their chains, rubbing their wrists and ankles. Beast Boy shifted quickly into several different small forms just to feel the freedom again.
"So what's the plan?" Cyborg asked.
"We have to find Raven," Beast Boy said.
Robin stood for a moment, thinking. "We need to find Raven. But we don't know where to look. We don't even know if she is here yet or not."
"Perhaps it would be best to hide until she arrives. It would be, what you call, a surprise attack if the Hunters think we are still locked up," Starfire commented.
"And I say we go ahead and attack and kick some Hunter hinny," Cyborg said, punching his hand.
"We've still got a job to do," Robin said. "It's our responsibility to protect the city. Until Raven makes contact with us, that's what we'll do. We need to evacuate everyone before any kind of fight begins."
The Titans agreed and snuck out of the room and down to their submarine. As they took to the water underneath the T Tower and headed toward the city, Beast Boy could not help but focus all of his attention on Raven. Please Raven, he thought. Please be alright. Please call out to me. But no answer came.
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
"In a circle," Bear ordered, "and join hands."
"Join hands?" Vixen demanded, glancing sidelong at Cobra in disgust, who was returning the look with just as much repugnance. "Why?"
"Not that this sibling retreat hasn't been funtastic or anything," Cobra said, "but I think I'll skip out on the singing in a circle exercise."
Bear glared at him as he spoke. "We will need as much strength as we can get to fight these Hunters and, as you pointed out, we are strongest when we stand together. If we work together to heal each other, we will gain much more energy."
"Can't we work together at a comfortable distance?" Cobra asked.
"Just do what Bear says," Raven said, grabbing his hand and then Bear's.
"Fine," Cobra and Vixen mumbled together, taking each other's hands with obvious aversion. Vixen took Bear's other hand and the four demonic siblings stood together in a circle for a long moment.
"This is touching, really, but-"
"Shut up, Cobra," Bear and Raven spoke together. Bear continued, "Now, we must focus our energy on each other. Only when we let all of our energies flow freely between us will we reach our true power."
Raven closed her eyes and opened her aura, allowing her energy to flow outwards towards her siblings. She could feel the hesitancy with which the others opened their own soul selves. Cobra was the next to open, and then Bear, with some struggle. Vixen took the longest. For a while she seemed to be allowing a small portion to flow out, but kept the majority of it to herself. But she was trying, struggling, and finally she released her energy.
Even as Raven felt all of her energy leaving her, she felt her sibling's energy entering her soul, and she felt stronger than she had ever felt before. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see the others smiling, obviously having the same affect. Raven almost laughed, she felt so wonderful. Like she could do anything.
They released hands and all marveled for a moment on their new found energy.
Vixen sent a blast of energy clear through the cave wall, allowing the light of the morning to shine inside. She smiled mischievously. "Let's end this."