zervus,

i finally got around this thing again. well, a bit more guessing about the new kid and a bit Raziel-Raven interaction and info about Raziel. it's a good three times longer then the first chapter and all the same warnings aply.

btw, I'm still searching for Raven's colors. Help would be appreciated or else I'll have to make up my own colors.

have fun

"And you're sure this is the place Raven?" "For the god-knows time Beastboy, Yes I am sure." The five Titans sat in the place the stranger had pointed out to Raven last night. The place was an upper-class bistro with prizes the Titan's normally would avoid but Raven had insisted to go there and her friends thought it wouldn't be good if she went alone. They sat in a corner of the bistro, trying to seem unsuspicious, while Raven looked around in search for the bone-colored stranger from last night. Besides them only a handful of other customers were around. One was a businessman, dressed in a red suit; another one was one of those snobby teens, wearing a black sack coat, a green undershirt and blue pants going along so well with his white sneakers; the third person was a young man approximately around twenty. He wore black pants and a black, short sleeved shirt; the rims of his clothing were colored in silver as were the seams. He had uncommon silver-white hair running down to his waist, wore a set of black shades and had a slightly grayish skin color like Raven. None of those three reminded Raven of the stranger from last night and she looked at the hall clock next to the counter. 'It's already 3.30. Where is the idiot?' Suddenly all windows to the street shattered simultaneous and something crashed through the wall behind the bar. "WHAT THE HELL," shouted Robin as he and his teammates took cover behind the shield Raven had risen and all five peered into the dust, trying to figure out what had happened. Suddenly a female voice penetrated the silence and the Titans groaned, "My my, looks like we came at the wrong time, what do you say boys?" "I say you're right Jinx, they look quite… surprised." "Less talking more beating." "Easy Mammoth, they will go nowhere. You know how heroes are." The dust finally settled and revealed Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo standing in the middle of the chaos they had just created. The other customers had taken cover under the tables, rather forcefully one might add, and were peering out to see if it was save to already come out again; all but one. Mister Bad-Ass-In-Black rose to his feet, totally ignoring the mayhem around him and walked up to the rest of the bar, brushing away some dust that had gathered on his shoulders. As he reached the counter, his hand reached under it and brought forth the barkeeper, "I'm still waiting for my Daiquiry." The barkeeper stared at him with wide eyes but the 'B-A-I-B' looked at him with cold eyes so the barkeeper went to work. The heroes and villains present stared at the person with wide eyes.

"H… he… HEY," shouted Jinx, the first to find her voice again, "Some attention to the villains crashing the place?!" The stranger ignored her while he paid for his drink and returned to his table. He slumped down on a seat that had survived the previous actions and slowly drank the drink, so not paying attention to the cursing that now left Jinx' lips. "ARGH! You're going to pay attention when we bust a place!" Jinx rushed at the stranger who was still ignoring her and slowly finishing his drink. He finished just as Jinx reached him and send her right fist towards his face and from then on it happened all damn fast. The eyes of the stranger seemed fixed on Jinx, before he dashed out of his chair, past Jinx' right side and then stood shortly behind her, his right arm raised so it was parallel to the ground and in one line with his shoulder. His elbow moved backwards, hitting Jinx at the back of her head and in the progress causing her to topple forward but even while Jinx fought for balance the most shocking thing happened. The stranger's right hand moved downwards and gave Jinx's rear a hard slap that caused her to screech in surprise. "You got some fine piece of an ass there. Is it natural or customized?" "YOU!" Jinx launched several hexes at him but the stranger only smirked at her as he dove away to his right and closed in on Jinx, using his left hand to hurl a destroyed chair at Jinx to distract her and it actually worked. She used a hex to blast the remainders of the chair to kingdom come while the stranger managed to get even closer to her. In fact he was close enough to take hold of her right arm, throw her over his shoulder and into her partners in crime, who were too stunned to react. "And you call yourself a villain? That would be the overstatement of the century. Come back in twenty years and you might be able to claim that title." "ROOOOOAAR!" Out of the sudden Mammoth charged the stranger headfirst but the stranger still smirked, "One down, two to go." The stranger moved his hands to the side and closed his eyes briefly before his hands were surrounded by a yellowish glow. His hands shot forward at Mammoth and two pillars of earth shot from the ground, hitting Mammoth square in the chest and knocking him backwards into a wall where he slumped down unconscious. "Two down, one to go." The stranger turned to Gizmo, who was staring at the scene with wide eyes before the spider legs emerged from his backpack, "I'm so fucking out of this!" Gizmo rushed off, leaving his partners behind and the stranger turned to the Titans, "Sorry, did those punks have some quarrel with you?" The Titans were too shocked to react but Raven soon got her act together and did something unexpected, yes nearly emotional. She raised her right hand at the stranger and said one was flung against a wall and trapped with Raven telekinesis. "Raven, what are you doing," shouted Robin as he watch his teammate advance on the trapped stranger. "This time you are going to answer: Who and what are you?" "So you finally figured it out, huh?" The stranger was still smirking and the Titans were sure they saw a small spark behind those shades of his. Then suddenly raging flames broke free at the stranger's feet and soon they consumed his body. As the fire died away the Titans stared at an empty wall while a chuckle hang in the air, "Ehehehe, met me at your place." The Titans stared at Raven who in turn stared at the wall in front of her. "What the hell was this about Raven," fumed Robin as he stood next to her, one hand on her right shoulder and to his surprise she didn't shrug it off but actually answered him, "He's the stranger from last night. He has to be." The rest of the Titans exchanged some looks and their thoughts were clear, 'Either Raven is loosing it or something big is going to happen.' "Alright, let's get out of here," said Cyborg as he finished with Mammoth and Jinx, "The police should be able to take care of them." The others nodded and headed out of the bistro turned battlefield.

-Ω-

As the Titans entered the Tower they all felt that someone else was there, or better said: they heard someone else was there. "Did you leave the PS3 on again Beastboy?" "No Cy, it wasn't me." "Then…." "Someone else must be here," finished Robin as he pulled out some birdarangs and all headed towards the living room. They carefully peered inside, ready for anything but what they saw. The stranger from the bistro was comfortably sitting on the couch and playing the latest Mortal Combat… with only one hand at the controller. "JUST HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN HERE WITHOUT THE ALARMS GOING OFF?!" Robin was standing behind the uninvited guest and he was literally on fire. "Hey Beastboy," whispered Cyborg behind his hand, "I dare you to poke Robin." "ARE YOU NUTS?! I may be an idiot but I'm not that stupid!" "SHUT UP YOU TWO MORRONS! THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR JOKES!" "Cool down Robin," said the stranger as he put away the controller and turned to face them, although he still had on his shades, "It's not to blame on them or even your security system. Your system is designed to detect any unauthorized entry from outside, right?" He received a nod from the still agitated Robin and continued, "Then your system had no chance to detect me, seeing that I didn't enter through a door or window." "THEN HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?!" "Let us just say that I have similar ways of transportation as your young sorceress here." All eyes turned to Raven whose eyes seemed to drill holes into the stranger's skull and she spoke with a voice that indicated she needed much control to not attack him, "Who and what are you?" "Ah, back to the old question. Fine, you deserve some answers. My name is Raziel and, like you Raven, I'm a demon." While he spoke Raziel had removed his shades and revealed his red eyes just in the moment when he told them what he was and the audience gasped before all got into their fighting stance… all except Raven. "No need to get violent. If I wanted to attack you I could have done so last night." "He is right," said Raven as she stepped closer to Raziel and her friends lowered their weapons, "But that doesn't explain why you are here." "Well, you could say that I'm very similar to you Raven." "What do you mean?" "Like you I don't have many ties to our people and like you I have lived the better part of my life away from them." "Why are you here?" "As I said last night: to warn you. There are several demon lords who seek your power and in turn for this, your death." "Why?" "Why what?" "Why do you wish to help me?" Raziel closed his eyes and shook his head while he sighed, "Raven, Raven, Raven. You must learn to accept the opportunities life presents you." "Why?" "Ugh, you're one bitch to deal with you know that Raven?" After the bitch comment sank in, Raziel was send flying through the room by a very pissed looking Raven, who's whole body was enveloped in her dark magic, "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" Random things began to fly through the room and the rest of the Titans dove behind whatever cover they could find. Raziel rose back to his feet, all the time smirking at Raven who seemed ready to not only blast him but the whole of Jump City up to Pluto. "Temper Raven, temper. You're loosing it over a small off-handed comment." Raven paled at this and immediately everything returned to its normal place. "I… I…." Raven looked around the room and sought the look of her friends as they abandoned their hiding places. Beastboy seemed still terrified beyond everything while Robin and Cyborg seemed rather collected. Starfire on the other hand looked pissed beyond anything Raven expected.

"Star… I…." But Raven was cut off as Starfire send several starbolts towards Raziel, who barely was able to take cover as the bolts impacted with the wall behind him and the table he used as cover. "HOW DARE YOU CALL FRIEND RAVEN SUCH NAMES!" Starfire flew at Raziel, preparing to beat him into a bloody bulb as said one move away from his cover and into the open of the living room and there he began to float in the air and the earth began to tremble. Suddenly the whole room darkened and all Titans looked outside except for Starfire who was still focused on attacking Raziel, who managed to evade nearly all her blows with what seemed easy. "Star… STAR! Stop!" Starfire stopped her assault at Robin's shout, turned around and gasped. She finally realized the drop in light and she saw the cause. The water surrounding the Tower had rise out of its river bed and the whole Tower was surrounded by a wall of water. "If you don't want me to let this tower be crushed by those walls of water then you should consider to calm down," stated Raziel in a voice that left no place for questions. Starfire landed again, still staring at the wall of water surrounding them. Raziel himself landed as well and the water slowly returned back to its original space. "It seems like you both need a few lesson. Not always when people seem to insult each other they actually mean it." Raven turned on her heels and rushed out of the room while Starfire turned to Raziel, "I… am sorry…." "Don't be Starfire. Although you have spent quite some time on this planet you still need to learn a few things about humans. And don't counter that I'm not human. Like Raven I too have only partly demonic blood. And also there are demons that are more human and humans that could pass as demons. Life is complicated and too short to dwell on such trivial things." Starfire looked at Raziel and she managed a smile that Raziel mirrored. "You're on strange character," said Robin stepping beside Starfire. "And how should I take that Robin?" "In one moment you're perverted bad ass, in the other you're a cold-hearted demon and in the next you're sage. Now who is the true Raziel?" Raziel chuckled at Robin's explanation and leaned against the couch, "All of them are me. When I go into a battle and take my opponent serious then I'm this 'cold-hearted demon', when I take battles I don't take serious I like to play with my prey or as you put it I'm a perverted bad ass. But from time to time I rely on my life experience to… guide others. You could say I have many personalities like Raven. And I bet that Cyborg and Beastboy can second that she does have those other sides." Raziel smirked slightly at the two Titans and both returned the smirk. Both knew all too well what he was talking about. "Maybe I should look after friend Raven." "I think it's best to let her be alone for now Starfire. I doubt very much she is in the state to face anyone of you. You're her friends and she let her emotions get the better of her and endangered you." Raziel paused as he looked down the hall Raven had disappeared through before he shook his head, "No. I will talk to her. One time I have been just like her, unable to control myself." The four Titans stared at him as he seemed to change before their eyes. Up to now they had met three Raziels and it seemed like now he showed them another one; the teen laying under the surface of a trained… hero? A fighter? They didn't knew what he was only that he knew how to fight. Suddenly Robin frowned, "Waaaait. Did you say that one time you were like Raven? So your powers too went haywire in curtain situations?" "They did. And I have spent half of my life to figure out why. I think, and mind you it's only a theory, that Raven has similar problems as I had." Raziel started to head down the corridor as Cyborg spoke up, "You actually know where her room is?" Raziel stopped and looked back at Cyborg, "I may not be an empath like Raven but I can sense her in many other ways I one day might tell you about."

-Ω-

Raven was in her dimly lit room, sitting on her bed, her back leaning against the headrest while her knees were drawn up to her chest. Her whole room looked like a nuke had just blown up: her books, normally neatly lined up at the shelf lay on the floor and everywhere, not even one percent intact. The shelf itself was only some pieces of wood while the armchair was nothing more than a heap of cloth. In fact the only article in one piece besides herself was the bed. Raven was still in her normal attire but now tears adorned her cheeks while the last hours played over in her head. Everything she did today ended in chaos. First the meeting with Raziel at the bistro and then back at the Tower. The whole day had blown up right in her face and now her friends would fear her. She knew they just had to. There was no way they wouldn't. Suddenly there was a soft knock on her door but she couldn't face them so she remained silent. But then the knocking returned, still soft and patient so she tried to regain her collected self, "W… what is it?" 'Is that broken voice truly mine?' "Open the door Raven. Please." 'R… Raziel…? What does… he want…?' "Come one Raven, open the door. You can't keep everything to yourself. Sometimes everyone has to talk its mind." 'Why is he… doing this…? Why can't he… stay away?' "Listen Raven, you can either open the door yourself or I will do it." 'Why can't he just let me be alone… just as Fate meant me to be?' Raven created a barrier around the room, blocking off any sound from the outside and leaned her forehead against her knees. 'Life is hell.'

Raziel was standing on the other side of the door and he frowned. 'Damn! I knew she wasn't in the best state but this…. She has it worse then I ever had.' He moved to knock once more but when his hand made contact with the door a strong shock went through his body and he jerked his hand away. 'FUCK! She knows some damn strong spells.' He looked at the door and braced himself for what he was about to do. 'Alright. Here goes nothing.' He placed both hands against the metal of the door and this time he didn't pull back as Raven's magic tried to get rid of him. Soon the whole wall was glowing with black and red but by now it was not only Raven's but Raziel's magic. Raziel's hands started to pass through the door and soon the hallway was vacant of any living soul.

As Raziel had completely passed through the door and barrier he was tempted to curse aloud. 'This scene seems to be an instant picture of her state of emotions. Chaotic and destructive. What have you gone through Raven?' He studied the books on the floor and read a few names, 'Kant, Freud, Schiller; all the big names.' Then he noticed some other books that fell out of the schema and he couldn't help but smirk slightly, 'My, my Raven. Quite some collection of corny adult novels you have here.' Raziel looked up and studied Raven herself. 'She's a wrack; life has no meaning for her right now.' "Raven." Raven's head jerk around and she looked at Raziel with wide eyes, "How did you… get in here?" "We share the same blood. It's only logical that I also have some of your more common powers." "Get out…." "No." "GET OUT!" Raven's magic lashed out at Raziel but he didn't move out of the way and was thrown against the door. "No Raven. I'm not going to sit back and watch while you destroy yourself." Raziel staggered back to his feet, slightly dizzy from the blow but still determine to see this through. "Why do you even care?" Raziel looked at Raven and he could have sworn he saw something in those violet orbs of hers. He levitated into the air and landed cross-legged before Raven on the bed, "Let me show you something Raven." He raised his hands so the palms faced towards her, "Place you hands against mine, close your eyes and mirror my movements." He closed his eyes and waited for Raven to either follow his words or give him another one way ticket into the next wall.

Raven stared at Raziel, unable to understand what was going on. Here she was, at the weakest moment she ever had. She could kill him even without wanting to and still he stayed, even dared to talk back at her. She mustered his posture and was even more surprised to see him… relaxed. She knew by now that he could take a lot pain and damage, after all he had taken a few direct blows from Starfire and she was strong as hell. 'Can I do this? Can I trust myself not to mess this up?' Raven felt several of her emotions pushing her to do it and, to her utter surprise, even Anger did it. So she gave in and placed her hands against Raziel's and closed her eyes. She felt Raziel begin to move and just copied his movements. The little and ring finger of her right hand moved backwards while the other fingers were soon only connected with Raziel's through their fingertips. The middle finger of her left hand intertwined with his as he moved his hand downwards and to the right so their arms were between their bodies. She felt how her legs lost contact with the bed below and soon after that her mind was surrounded with magical energy. Her consciousness slipped and soon her mind was totally blank.

-Ω-

As Raven opened her eyes she looked around to figure out where she was. She was lying on grassland, a soft wind blowing over the blades of grass. She looked up and saw a blood red sky above her and within a split second she was on her feet. She looked around franticly as this place reminded her strongly of a place in her past. Her eyes fell on a figure dressed in black with silver-white hair. 'Raziel? Wait. He convinced me to take part in some strange magic…. He wanted to show me something.' She walked up to Raziel who seemed to stare off into the distance and as she got closer disturbing sounds reached her ears: explosions, cries of death and metal clashing against metal. She all but sprinted the last distance to Raziel and stared at what he was watching. Below them, at the foot of a hill lay a city but this city lay under siege and was half destroyed. "Follow me," stated Raziel coldly as he began to walk down the hill towards the inferno. Raven followed, speechless as she saw more and more details of the battle below. Or was it a slaughter? She saw soldiers rushing through the streets, cutting down everyone they came across. But she only saw one kind of soldiers, no opponents.

After a few minutes they had reached the city wall and entered it through a blown up gate. She followed Raziel dumbstruck and slightly scared. The sides of the streets were littered with dead bodies and the two were walking through a steady stream of blood. She noticed that they were walking up a swell towards what seemed like the center of the city. Suddenly Raziel turned into a side road and as Raven followed she gasped. The floor was littered with the dead bodies of… children. She reached out and grabbed Raziel left arm, "Why are you showing me this?" Raziel looked at her with blank eyes and spoke with a voice Raven only knew coming from herself, "You will soon understand." "Where are we here?" "The city of Pyronius." "B… but Pyronius… is noting more then ruins…. Is this… the past…?" "Yes. This happened twelve years ago." Raven let go of Raziel's arm and he continued to walk down the side road. Raven followed and soon the two reached a dead end. Before them stood some soldiers in blood red armor and behind them a group of kids that were still alive. Raven noticed a small boy with silver-white hair and for a moment she thought she saw a younger version of Raziel but then she noticed that this kid had green eyes and she brushed it off as a coincidence. "Stay away from my friends," bellowed the white haired kid as he took a step forth, displaying false bravery. "Shut your trap runt," growled one of the soldiers as he brought the handle of his sword down on the kid's head and send him to the ground. "Razy! No!" A girl rushed from the group of kids to the fallen boy only to be impaled on the sword of another soldier. "Y… You… damn BASTARD!" The boy Raven had thought was out cold shot to his feet in a split second and slammed an inflamed fist into the gut of one of the soldiers. The soldier winced in pain and only a second later a torrent of flames burst free from the soldier's back. The other soldiers stared as the boy turned to them and his whole body emitted pure fire, "DIE YOU SCUMBAGS!" The boy levitated into the air and pointed his arms towards the sky. The earth began to quake as ground broke open and streams of fire and magma shot into the sky. Raven was so enveloped in the happenings that she didn't notice how Raziel took hold of her left arm and raised both of them into the air. Raven gasped as she saw that the whole city was filled with towers of fire and the cries of death intensified by tenfold. "Oh my god," whispered Raven as she saw how the flames devoured the city and all inhabitants. After a few minutes the shouts died away and only the flickering of the flames was heard. "Follow me." Raziel started to float back to the ground and landed next to the destroyed gate. "What are we waiting for," asked Raven as she landed next to Raziel but she got no answer, Raziel just stared into the burning flames, not even blinking. Raven settled with standing next to him and waiting.

After a good ten minutes or so of waiting the flames before them parted and someone stepped through the flames. Raven gasped as she saw that it was the kid that went crazy back in the side road. In his arms he carried the still impaled body of the young girl. The boy walked away from the city and Raziel started to follow him with Raven in tow. They soon reached a small hill with a single black rose bush on top. Suddenly the earth at the foot of the rose bush split open and formed a grave in which the boy laid the girl. The earth closed over the dead body of the girl and the boy fell to his knees, crying out his frustration. The earth around the boy broke free and once more hell was loose. 'This boy…. He has the same… problem as I.' Raven looked down at the boy as he staggered back to his feet and wiped his face with a sleeve and looked once more at the grave before her turned away, leaving the grave and the burning city behind. Raven was about to follow him but Raziel just stood there, not turning to follow the boy. "Raziel," asked Raven shyly as she tried to figure out the emotions from the demon next to her. "Do you now understand why I showed you this?" Raven looked at the direction the boy had left and simply nodded. "Good. Then to the next past." The place around them became vaguer and fogy before it totally turned to blackness.

Raven felt panic rise in her soul but then her vision returned and she saw that the two of them were standing on a dark road somewhere in the country side of where ever they may be. To there left was a small fire burning and Raziel stepped closer to it and Raven followed him. It seemed like he wanted to tell her something with these things he showed her and she paid close attention to whatever was happening. As they reached the little fire Raven saw a person levitating next to it and heard words from it she knew all to well. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…." "Who is this,"" whispered Raven as she took a few steps back. "The boy that survived the fall of Pyronius." Raven looked at Raziel and was surprised when she felt remorse emitting from the young man next to her. 'What is the meaning of this? Why is he so affected by all this?' Raven's eyes turned from Raziel to the boy and back several times before Raziel turned away, "And to the next one."

--

The two spend the next several hours traveling from situation to situation and each time Raven found something that shocked her. She had seen the boy grow up over several years and with each past moment she witnessed she saw more and more similarities between the boy and Raziel. They watched him break into libraries and spend whole nights reading the books inside. They watched him as tried to control his powers and soon Raven noticed that the boy not only had control over the fire and earth. He seemed to be able to control all four elements as well as the dark magic Raven wielded herself. The two watched the boy getting more and more control over his powers and emotions and how he seemed to search for something. They watched him as he seemed to manage to feel emotions to some extend without hell breaking loose and how the boy developed into a young man.

"Alright; think you're prepared for everything?" Raziel looked at Raven with those red eyes of his and she nodded. She needed to see what happened next. The boy had managed to feel nearly everything again but sometimes he still lost control. Now Raven had a very strong presumption that the boy and Raziel were somehow connected. 'They both control the elements and the dark magic. The only difference between them is their eye color and that Raziel has no problems expressing his emotions.' Reality faded back into place and Raven looked around. They were standing on what seemed to be a mart, filled with humans and occasional demons. Raven roamed the people with her eyes and soon spotted a silver-white head in the crowd and took off into the air, closely followed by Raziel. They followed the teen through the crowd and into a side street. Suddenly the teen was stopped by a group of soldiers and to Raven's shock she recognized the armor they wore. And the teen seemed to do it too as his eyes widened. Raven saw how the soldiers spoke to the teen but he didn't answer. Raven suddenly felt a rise in temperature and quickly turned to Raziel. He just nodded back to the teen and Raven watched as the teen fell to his knees, clutching his head with both hands. Raven felt the hatred and anger pour from the teen and she unconsciously backed off. The teen changed before their eyes back into the raging killing machine they had seen dozen of memories back. Within a split second the side street was enlightened with red flames and filled with cries of pain and then there was only silence. The teen came back to his feet and then something happened she never expected. She felt that the teen was using some kind of magic but then his anger spiked up and Raven felt it exceed anything she expected. Fire seemed to pour from the teen as he fell to his knees again and dug his fingers into the clayey street. And with the fire his anger seemed to leave his body and pooled opposite of him. After a few minutes the stream of fire and anger ebbed away and the teen stumbled back to his feet while the fire in front of him seemed to mold itself. The fire gained the form of a human being but then wings sprouted from its back. Then the fire seemed to get a solid surface and soon a winged warrior, clad in a blood red armor stood before the teen. The two stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like eternity before both started to walk towards each other. They met half way and as they connected darkness enshrouded the place; torrents of fire, earth, wind and water formed around the darkness and melted into it before the darkness itself seemed to melt with something. Soon the darkness was gone and only left the teen stand in the middle of the street.

He looked down at his hands like he was confused and Raven finally couldn't help herself. She landed in front of the teen and tried to see his face and as the boy looked up from his hands she jumped back. He still looked the same as before but now his eyes were blood red. The teen looked around before he stepped into a small shop to his left. Raziel landed next to Raven and spoke with a very low voice, "Do you understand what happened here?" "I… I think…. He… confronted his hatred and anger…. And he was victorious…. How do you know all that?" "Look." Raziel motioned for the shop the teen had entered and Raven turned around and gasped loudly. The teen just left the shop but his attire had changed: he wore a bone-colored, hooded robe and as soon as he left the shop he pulled up the hood and vanished in a torrent of fire. Raven turned to Raziel and stammered, unable to form a single sentence while Raziel closed his eyes, "I think we have seen all that's needed." The world seemed to blur and soon Raven felt a by now known dizziness consume her.

-Ω-

As Raven opened her eyes she noticed they were back in her room at the Tower. She watched as Raziel got off her bed and walked next to the destroyed armchair. He did a quick motion with his hand and the armchair pieced itself together and he sat down. Raven moved off her bed and slowly walked towards Raziel. "Y… you…. All the time… we have been… following you!" "I see you figured it out," stated Raziel calmly as he rested his elbows on the armrests and his hands together. "Why? Why did you show me all this?!" Raziel looked up at her with his eyes unwavering and dead serious, "Why do you think I did it? No long time ago I was like you: unable to express myself without endangering everyone around me. But unlike you, I wasn't that successful. You have seen how often I have lost control and killed." "But why did you show me all this?" "You have seen how I was only three years ago. And you see how I am now. Tell me: what has changed? What has changed since that last memory?" Raven stared into those red seas of Raziel and she finally seemed to get why this all happened. 'He… has managed to… control all his emotions. He can feel… without worrying… about mayhem.' Here thoughts seemed to reflect in her eyes because Raziel suddenly smiled at her softly, "You finally see. You finally understand why I showed you all this." Suddenly new tears streamed from Raven's eyes as she grabbed the front of Raziel's shirt and lifted him out from the armchair with surprising strength, "WHY?! WHY HAVE YOU SHOWN ME THIS WHEN I CAN NEVER HAVE IT?!" Raven had let go of Raziel and slammed her fists against his chest, letting go of her frustration. Raziel stood there, taking it all without complaining or trying to stop her. Finally the strength left Raven and she fell against his chest, still crying. Raziel slowly moved his arms around her quivering form and rested his left hand on her back while his right hand softly stroke her hair, "I haven't shown you something you can't have. I only showed you something that you don't have right now but maybe in the future." He felt how Raven shuddered against his chest and tightened his hold a bit, totally expecting her to get rid of him in a split second. But to his surprise nothing happened and he smiled slightly, 'She's not controlling her emotions and yet nothing has blown up until now. Her powers seem to be too exhausted to act up. It's just a small thing but it is something.' "Listen up Raven, if you have an anchor to your humanity you don't have to fear loosing yourself in your anger, hatred, fear or whatever emotion is triggering your powers to go haywire. As long as you have this anchor you can let yourself go." Raziel felt how Raven seemed to relax into his embrace and also how her lips seemed to form soundless words. 'T…. E…. R…. R…. A…. Terra. A name? A friend? Maybe even a… companion? I never heard of someone going by that name.' Raziel was about to ask Raven who this Terra-person was but he had no chance. Raven had finally give into exhaustion and fallen asleep. Raziel sighed but at the same time smiled slightly, 'Well, she has gone through a lot today and deserves her rest.' He carefully removed Ravens cape and also thought about removing some other parts of her attire but he stopped himself. 'This leotard doesn't look like she wears that much under it. Best to don't investigate further or I can be happy if she only kills me.' He did remove Ravens belt but after this he stayed faaaaar away from the thought of doing more. He laid her down on the bed and tugged her under the covers before he turned to leave but then he stopped. He looked back at the still torn up room and placed his palms together while he closed his eyes. His body was surrounded by a blue glow and a small wind picked up in the room and soon the remainders of the books were twirling in the air. The shelf pieced itself together and back on the wall before the books lined themselves up after they were pieced together as well. After every book was somewhere on the shelf the winds moved through Raven's room and pieced everything together again before the wind died down. The glow around Raziel diminished and in the end vanished. He opened his eyes and with a last look back at Raven left the room. 'Sleep well young sorceress. The Immortals know what will happen anytime soon.'

-Ω-

Robin and Starfire were sitting on the couch in the empty living room. Or better said: Robin was sitting on the couch while Starfire was sitting on HIM. Both had taken a few steps towards each other and finally admitted how they felt. And now, whenever they were alone they would huge or cuddle and a few times they had even shared a brief kiss. Both were rather content with the current situation und just happy about the little time they had together. But then Raziel walked into the living room and Starfire was about to bolt out of Robin's embracement when the newcomer spoke up, "No need to act like it didn't happen. I, and probably Raven too know what's going on between you two." He sat down on the other side of the couch and smirked at the two blushing teens while he stretched his limbs. "H… How is… Raven doing," asked Robin while he tried to fight the blush down. "Oh. I think she'll be back to nearly normal tomorrow. We two had a long talk and now she's sleeping." Raziel let his eyes wander over the couple and he noticed that Starfire was very comfortable with everything while Robin seemed slightly tense. "Do you two mind if I ask you some questions about something Raven said?" "No, go ahead friend Raziel." Both males quirked an eyebrow upwards at Starfire's reply but Robin soon shrugged it off. He knew how little time Starfire needed to see someone as a friend. Raziel wasn't that fast to recover, "O… Okay…. Well…. Ah yes. Raven mentioned a name that I don't quite recall having heard before. If I heard right she used the name 'Terra'." He noticed how Starfire and Robin tensed up at the mentioning of that name and also that they stared at him. "Did I… say something wrong?" "No… No, not at all," said Robin in a slightly unsteady voice before he managed to collect himself, "It's just… I didn't expect this of all names to pop up." "Is that so?" "Well… you see Raziel… nearly two years ago we met a young geomancer. She stayed with us for sometime and she and BB seemed to build some kind of… link. She had no total control over her powers and hid this from everyone but BB. After some time I figured it out and approached the topic. She thought BB betrayed her trust and made a run for it. After a couple of months she returned, saying that everything was fine. Well, to make a long story short she was misguided and warped by Slade and in the end fought us. But, after some time, she saw the errors in her ways and sacrificed herself to save the city. She herself has been turned to stone and is nothing more then a statue since nearly one year." After Robin finished Terra's tale the three remained silent for some time. Raziel was sitting there while he thought about everything Robin just tolled him, 'A geomancer been turned to stone? Now that's a first. Normally no mancer would die by the hands of its own element or profession.' "Say, can you show me the place? I'd like to see it with my own eyes." Starfire and Robin exchanged a look before they both nodded and Robin spoke, "Sure, I can give you a lift on my bike." "No need Robin. I have my own ride." Robin looked a bit surprised at Raziel but soon he was pulled to his feet by Starfire, "Don't let us waste time dear friend Robin. It has been a long time since we visited friend Terra." "Yeah, sure Star."

The three left the living room and moved down to the garage where Robin mounted his bike and Starfire took her place behind him, happily clutching to his waist. Raziel looked around briefly and then moved to an open space. His hands form a triangle before his chest and he closed his eyes, muttering words unknown to the two Titans. Suddenly a black portal opened at the floor and something rose from the shadows. Robin stared wide-eyed at the 'ride' that passed through. It was a motorcycle alright but…. Well, it had 40 inch tires and they looked more fitting for on jeep or something in that class. The frame was bulky and angular. Robin could take some similarities to an old school chopper but this ride was just… massive. It was colored mainly in metallic with some red parts, mostly the fenders and the exhausts. Raziel mounted his bike and put his shades back on, "Show the way speedster." As Robin hesitated Raziel added, "Trust me, this baby looks old and slow but it packs one hell of an engine so don't fear to loose me." To emphasize his words Raziel let the engine of his bike roar and the sound filled the garage totally. "J… just tell me: how old is this ride?" "I don't really know. It looked cool at the shop and it just screamed for me to buy it. Now show the way, I want to reach the place sometime in this century." His skills as a driver challenged Robin smirked and took off like a shot, expecting to loose Raziel half way to the city but soon Raziel was at Robin's high, racing his machine with only one hand at the handlebars. 'Looks like he wasn't boasting about the engine,' though Robin as the three raced through the night.

Ω

After only ten to fifteen minutes the three reached their destination and all three dismounted their respective bike and after Robin had take off his helmet he could only stare at Raziel's bike before he managed to get some words past his lips, "This. Is. One. Hell. Of. A. Bike." "Told you the baby had some power," smirked Raziel as he patted the side of his bike, "And before you ask, sure can we trade for the ride back, IF you can control her. She can be one hell of a bitch." Raziel let his eyes travel through the night and he shortly stiffened. "Something amiss friend Raziel?" "No… not at all Star. Just for a brief moment I thought…. Nah, never mind. So, where is this fallen friend of yours?" "Up there, in a hidden cave no one beside us knows about," said Robin as he began to climb the mountain before them. Starfire just levitate up to their destination and Raziel smirked as he still stood at the foot of the mountain, "Why climb when we can do this differently?" Fire pooled at his feet and soon a torrent of flames shot upwards and then he was gone. Starfire stared at the place where Raziel had stood only seconds ago when she felt a source of heat next to her. She looked to her right and saw flames floating in the air and watched silently as they increased in size and then died away. Next to her floated a smirking Raziel who looked down at Robin climbing up the rocky mountain side. "How did you do this friend Raziel?" "Let's move this conversation to tomorrow when all of you are around so I don't have to tell this more often then necessary." Starfire nodded at this and the two waited for Robin. As he reached them he was slightly out of breath and glared at Starfire, "You… couldn't have given… me a lift… after he was already… up here?" Before Starfire could defend herself Raziel began to laugh, "Ahahahahaha, you're truly something Robin. Who is always saying that the others lack behind in their training?" Starfire too giggled at that while Robin was probably rolling his eyes behind his mask, "It's me alright. Now whip that smirk off your face and come."

The three entered the mountain that turned out to be a volcano and Raziel smiled slightly, 'A geomancer entombed in a volcano; now that's what I call classic.' They soon reached a wide area and Raziel noticed streams of magma flowing freely below them along with lots of stalagmites and pillars of cooled magma and rock. Suddenly Raziel staggered on his feet and had to lean against a wall so he would not fall. "Hey Raziel, you ok?" "Yeah Robin, just… felt dizzy for a moment. Must have been the fight against the Lich last night and the little stunts I pulled today." Raziel knew he was lying through his teeth here. 'So I was right about something. There is a pained soul in this volcano and it's not happy.' After a minute or two Raziel had regained his cool and they continued to walk deeper into the mountain. Soon they reached a set of stairs and began to climb them. As they reached the top Raziel stared at what stood before him: it was the statue of a girl. "Raziel, this is Terra, the fallen Titan." Raziel walked up to the statue and around it a few times and Robin could have sworn he saw a dangerous glint in Raziel's eyes. Raziel in the meanwhile was about to make some silly victory dance. 'Oh for fuck's sake, THIS IS FANTASTIC! I can't belief this at all!' He moved his hands over the structure of the statue and as soon as he reached some 'skin' a shudder went through the statue. 'She's in there. However she managed to pull that off SHE'S A GENIOUS!' "Robin, Star. Could I have a moment alone?" Starfire and Robin looked at Raziel, trying to figure out what the demon was up to. "Why?" "Let's just say I have an idea but I don't want to get anyone's hopes up." "Hopes up? What are you talking about friend Raziel?" Starfire was luckily not able to pick up the double meaning of Raziel words but Robin did. "Are you sayin…." "Maybe Robin. I can't promise anything so don't go around shouting it to the world, ok?" "What are you two talking about dear friend Robin?" "Nothing that should concern you Star. Come; let us give him some privacy." Robin took Starfire's arm and led her back to the entrance while he called back to Raziel, "We'll be waiting outside so take your time." "Sure thing."

Raziel waited for the two to leave the cave before he turned back to the statue and spoke in a very low voice, hardly detectable for the human ear, "My, my, young geomancer, you've managed to pull off quite something." A shudder moved through the whole cave as if a small tremor rocked the mountain and Raziel smile widened. "Yes, I know that you're still somewhere in there. I know that you're not truly dead, just imprisoned in your own body. Now don't use all your remaining strength to shake the place out of happiness. I don't know how exactly you pulled that one off but I'm sure if you use up too much power you will die for real." Raziel waited briefly and as nothing happened he sighed happily, "Phuu; now, how to get you out of this damn piece of rock?" An angry tremor rocked the place and Raziel placed one of his hands on the right cheek of Terra, "Calm down young geomancer. I didn't mean this as an insult for your element." He felt another shudder move through the statue and he removed his hand quickly. "Ok, OK. I get it. 'No touching your skin' noted to the checklist." He chuckled softly as he watched a few rocks at the foot of the 'statue' waggle, "Ok young geomancer. I might be able to get you out of your prison but as I told Robin I can't make any promises. Also I need a piece of you to test my theory." A rather strong tremor rocked the cave and several boulders fell down from the ceiling. "WOWOWOWOWO, hold your horses! Calm down! I didn't mean to chop you to pieces or something like that. I only need a small piece, a fragment including your hair would be more the enough." The tremors ebbed away and Raziel could have sworn he heard someone sigh. "Alright listen up. Raise a single stone in the air for a 'Yes' and two for a 'No', ok?" A single stone waggle at the feet of the statue before it shot upwards and drove itself into the ceiling. "I take that as a Yes," chuckled Raziel as he watch another single stone rise into the air but this time it stopped on his eye level. "OK, now trust me when I say I will be as careful as possible." Raziel walked around Terra and looked for a few strays of hair standing out and soon he found something suitable. A dozen hairs stuck out from the solid structure and with one swift motion removed them. "Now, that was the easy part." He walked back to the front and looked once more at the statue, "Alright, I'll take my leave now but don't worry; I'll be back as soon as I figured out something." Raziel heard a crunching sound coming from his feet and looked down. Like by ghost's hands the words 'Thank You' engraved themselves into the stone and he laughed, "No thanks needed. I'm just doing the friend of some friends a favor. And try not to grow too impatient it could take a few days. However, sit tight girl and don't go anywhere." Raziel laughed at his own joke and was about to take his leave when a couple of fist sized stones hit his head from above. "Ouch! Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok. I get it!" The rain of stone stopped and Raziel glazed back at the statue and he could have sworn he saw Terra smirk.

-Ω-

"You two ready to head back or should I just get you a blanket?" Robin and Starfire looked up at Raziel who was floating down the mountain towards them. The two had been leaning against Robin's bike, hugging each other. "Well, it would be nice to spend the night her but the others would be worried in the morning," stated Starfire with a cheery voice while Robin shook his head. After all, HE had caught the double meaning of Raziel's words. "No need to put a double meaning behind all your words Raziel," muttered Robin as he send a sharp glare at the demon, who had landed next to them, smiling like he was the cat who stole the canary. "Come on Robin; let me have some fun in life." "Why not use BB for a change?" "Is he here; because I don't see any one beside us three." Raziel reached for his left pocket and threw a key chain towards Robin who caught it with a puzzled look, "Didn't you want to take my baby for a spin?" Robin's face lit up at an instant as he looked at Raziel's 'baby'. "But don't come running to me when she bucks you off." Robin send a questioning look at Raziel but he just smirked, "Come on man, show some balls." "What balls should he show you friend Raziel." Raziel burst with laughter while Robin took a nice shade of red. "Forget he said that Star," muttered Robin as he cast a dark look at Raziel. "C… Come on… Robin…. I didn't… make her… say… it," said Raziel between laughs. "Yeah, whatever." Robin mounted Raziel's bike and started the engine. "Bloody hell," shouted Robin as he felt the vibrations move through the whole thing and him, "What are you feeding this thing?" "It's powered by nuclear-fusion generator," answered Raziel as he started Robin's bike. Starfire, standing where Robin had left her, looked from one male to the other, seemingly a bit helpless. From the space provided she couldn't ride with Robin and she wasn't so sure Robin would be Ok with it if she accompanied Raziel. "Come on Star, I won't bit and I promise I won't be hitting on you. I have that unwritten law not to hit on girls that are already taken." Starfire looked shortly at Robin, but he was occupied with testing Raziel's bike. She just shrugged at this, knowing that Robin was equally obsessed with motorcycles as he was with Slade and headed over to Raziel and took her place behind him. "Now hold on tight because I'm not as a gently driver as Robin." And with that Raziel took off, closely followed by Robin, who was obviously enjoying himself.

Ω

After a small, ok it was a long detour, Robin and Raziel stopped the machines in the garage and Robin smiled from one ear to the other, "WOW, that was a ride!" "Told you she was a bitch," smirked Raziel as he removed his shades and helped Starfire off the bike. "You got to tell me where you found her. I need one of them myself." "Could be difficult. The salesman said she was one of a kind. But I can lend her to you on occasions." The three walked back to the living room where Raziel stretched his arms and yawned, "Looks like I'll be crashing here tonight." "Well," started Robin a bit unsure, "we do have a spare bedroom but…." "It belonged to Terra right?" "Yes." "Thanks but I'll choose to couch if you don't mind." "Help yourself," answered Robin as he and Starfire turned to leave but stopped when he heard Raziel call out to him, "Don't do anything I wouldn't." "And that would exclude what, oh chastely monk?" "Not much I can tell you that," laughed Raziel as he saw the quizzical look Starfire gave Robin and he could already picture what Starfire would ask Robin as soon as they were out of sight. 'Well,' thought Raziel as he took a piece of stone from his pocket, 'I think I'll skip sleep tonight.'

what is Raziel up to and what does he intend to do about Terra? we'll find out next time. remember, reviews are fuel for my muse AND motivation.

T signing out.