Author's Notes:
Hello and welcome again, my beautiful people. I hope you don't mind me switching things up a bit and putting the author's notes at the beginning of the chapter rather than at the end. Oh... you don't care? Well... good, I don't care either. It's just as a little social experiment to see if people are more inclined to read the author's notes if they are at the beginning of the chapter rather than at the end.
I want to thank everyone again for you love and support... or hate and rejection, of the series. I can't believe how many views I've gotten on this story in the amount of time it's been on the sight. So I want to thank everyone for reading it.
Don't forget to leave a review if you want to, or don't, I don't care. But I love to hear your thoughts. Also, if you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, I'll be happy to hear from you.
Uh... yeah, I think that's it. Enjoy the chapter.
Nighttime in Jump City is as beautiful as seeing New York City at night from the sky. The bright lights of the buildings bringing the city to life and the suburban areas slowly but surely turning off their lights as the residents drifted off to sleep. Downtown, however, is always lively. And what better way to kick off the nightlife than a capsized armored truck in the middle of the street. Wait, what?
That's right, along a street in downtown Jump, an armored truck, whose back doors had been broken open, laid on its side as gold bullion spilled out onto the pavement. Perched on the vehicle, a bearded, helmeted male figure clad in a skintight black outfit with a light bulb on his chest stood, facing off against Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin.
The man created yellow electrical orbs around both his hands, "Your pathetic skills can't outshine the brilliance of Dr. Light!" The man exclaimed as he brought his hands together, launching a broad beam of light at the young heroes. After scattering to avoid the attack, Robin leapt high into the air and flung one of his birdarangs at the super villain, who jumped off the truck to avoid both it and the throwers' lunge. "You're fast, but I doubt you'll enjoy moving at the speed of light!" Dr. Light taunted as he touched the bulb on his chest, causing it to glow and emit a wide-angle blast that propelled the Boy Wonder over the roof of a nearby building. Beast Boy then came around a corner and charged the light-themed villain, turning into a wolf mid-stride. Once he got close enough, the robber easily ducked to the side, avoiding a collision with the green lupine. "A wolf is no threat when it's blind as a bat!" He cackled as he threw several glowing globes of light at the green hero. These projectiles exploded in a series of brilliant flashes and left the poor changeling so dazzled that he reverted to his human form and clapped both hands to his head woozily as he curled up into a ball on the ground. At the next moment, Starfire flew overhead and unleashed a barrage of starbolts, only for her target to create a radiant, transparent shield around himself to block the assault. After the Tamaranean stopped firing, Dr. Light dropped the shield and threw a landmine-like device onto the street. Its top opened and emitted a wall of radiation that enveloped the alien Titan and isolated her from the fight.
Smirking at his success, Dr. Light was caught by surprise by a purplish-black orb that struck him squarely in the chest and sent him skidding across the pavement. Struggling a little to sit up, the villain saw the brown-haired member of the Titans float down and land in front of him, dispelling his aura around his legs and putting his hands in his jacket pockets. "No amount of light can shine if darkness surrounds it." Kylar said with a malicious grin on his face. With a growl, the robber leapt towards the black-jacketed teen with a right jab. The teen nonchalantly grabbed the older mans' wrist with his hand before the fist could connect with his face, "Really? That's all you've got?" Kylar sighed, his tone oozing with boredom.
With a smirk, Dr. Light opened his palm and released a brilliant beam of light from his hand that flashed through the brunettes' face at full force. When the beam disappeared, Kylars' face looked as though it had lost all sense of life, his hair stuck up behind his head and had turned white, his normally deep blue eyes had faded in color as they grew to the size of saucers, and his skin turned a lighter shade of olive as well. With a forced smile, and a twitch in his right eye, the surprised Titan released his opponents' wrist and fell backwards completely frozen, landing on the ground like a plank of wood. "I am the light that pierces the dark void!" The villain laughed as he made his way back to the truck full of gold.
However, once he reached the truck, something caught his attention. "Watch yourself, lightweight." The villain heard a voice say to him. He turned to see Cyborg on the other side of the armored car, carrying the front half of one axle in hand, tire and all. "Things are about to get heavy!" The metallic Titan yelled as he swung the axle down over the villains' head. The attack missed, but it created enough of a tremor when it struck the ground that it threw Dr. Light back a few feet. The light wielder concentrated his energy in one hand and projected an intense beam at the makeshift club, causing it to break in the bionic teens' hands. Laughing, the bearded, black jumpsuit wearing enemy created a red projectile above his head and directed it at Cyborg, exploding in a terrific flash and surrounding the Titan in a storm of dust. When the dust cleared, the African teen was embedded in the melted remains of the truck, with only his head and hands free. "Uh! Hey! Let me…" The trapped Titan struggled to get free, before the villain approached him.
"Now if nobody minds, I'll be taking the gold." Dr. Light said triumphantly as he put his hands on his hips.
"I mind." A female voice called out to the villain. Dr. Light turned around and saw Raven flying towards him, summoning her magic in her hands, "Azarath Metrion Zin-" Before she could finish her incantation; a beam of light connected squarely with her and sent her skidding across the street, causing the brooch on her cloak now showed the silhouette of a raven's head in its gold frame.
"Bit of advice," The light-wielding enemy began as he warmed more energy in his hands as he approached her, "Find shorter magic words."
The mage got herself ready again and surrounded a motorcycle that was down the street in her black magic. She levitated and slung it at her opponent, only for him to easily blow it apart before nailing her with another blast of light that launched her down the block again. As Dr. Light approached her again, she got on her knees and faced her back to him.
"Don't come any closer." The cloaked teen warned menacingly. However, her warning fell on deaf ears as the man continued his approach.
"What's the matter? Afraid of the light?" He asked as he summoned more light into his hands. Snarling in pure rage, Raven swirled to her feet. Her eyes were glowing bright red rather than the usual white when she used her powers as she grew to an impossible height, at least three times taller than the lightweight. Thick black tendrils shot out from the shadows under her cloak towards the man, "No! No!" Dr. Light cried out fearfully as the tendrils wrapped tightly around his body, sparks flying from his jumpsuit, "My suit! What are you-no! Stop! You win! I surrender!" Unfortunately, his pleas came too late as he was dragged toward the billowing blue hem.
"What's the matter? Afraid of the dark?" Raven smiled viciously down at him, her voice sounding as if some demonic entity was saying her words along with her.
"I surrender! NOOOOOO!" The poor villain cried before getting pulled into the shadows.
"RAVEN! STOP!" Robin shouted as he ran towards the mage, having returned from his flight across the city. The sound of the team leaders' voice successfully snapped her out of her rage as she gasped sharply and shrunk back to normal size. Her cloak receded to reveal the beaten enemy, curled up in a fetal position on the pavement and shivering in wide-eyed fear. The Boy Wonder and Starfire, having freed herself from her trap, ran up, "It's okay. You're going to be all right." Robin said, trying to comfort the terrified man.
"It was… so… so dark… make it stop… make it stop…" Dr. Light shuddered as he hesitated to speak. His armor set, and entire body looked as though it had aged an entire decade from the fear.
After freeing their friend trapped in the pavement, Kylar, the color having returned to his head, Beast Boy, and Cyborg walked up to the mage to see the commotion. "Raven, are you okay?" The brunette asked as he extended a hand and placed it on her shoulder. Turning to face him, the mage snarled at her teammate as her eyes glowed red again, causing the black-jacketed teen to throw his hands up and back away nervously as the changeling and bionic Titan screamed in fear behind him. After composing herself, Raven stalked away from the trio.
"What's her deal?" Beast Boy asked as they watched her enter a dark alley and soon disappear in the shadows.
0-0
The following morning, Beast Boy was in the Tower kitchen cooking breakfast for his teammates. Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin were seated at the table as they waited for the food, Raven and Kylar had not entered the Ops Center yet. After the fighting last night, the changeling wanted to do something nice for his friends. So donning a chef's hat, he made it his mission to make an amazing breakfast.
"Rise and shine, amigos." The chef said cheerfully as he carried a steaming pan over to the table, "Breakfast is served."
"Thanks, Beast Boy. Everything looks great." The spiky-haired Titan said as the green teen set the pan down.
"On my planet, such a feast would mark the arrangement of a marriage." Starfire explained as the changeling put food on plates for his friends, "Tell me, Beast Boy, to whom are you engaged?"
Not quite ready to deal with the Tamaraneans' curveball questions so early in the day, Beast Boy shouted in surprise as he jumped back, catching his hat in order to keep it from flying across the room. Meanwhile, Cyborg started wolfing down a plateful of food. When he finished, he burped loudly before his expression changed to resemble that of a person who had just eaten a skunk, spitting the meal out disgustedly as a result.
"That's not eggs! That's that tofu stuff!" The metallic teen cried before draining his glass to get the taste out of his mouth. Instead, his whole head ends up looking as if it might explode before spitting the liquid the same way the food went, "That's not even real milk!"
Beast Boy gave the African teen a reproving frown as the door opened, admitting Raven into the room, her hood down as her cloak draped over her body. Paying no mind to the breakfast table, she headed for the kitchen counter.
"Hey, Raven. Want breakfast?" Robin asked as he held a cup in his hand. Next to him, Starfire had a mouth full of the tofu food that the chef served.
Ignoring the masked Titans' offer, the mage picked up a coffeepot and poured a cup as Beast Boy popped up behind her with a full plate of tofu. "It's good. Wakey-wakey, tofu eggs and bakey." The green teen sang as he held the plate out.
"Herbal tea." The girl returned.
"Come on, just one little taste." The chef pleaded, "You could use a little food after the way you cooked Dr. Light."
"NO!" Raven shouted angrily as she whirled around to face him, her eyes blazing red. The cook gasped in fear as the mages' powers leaked onto the plate he held. The eggs exploded like a volcano, leaving him covered with his own cuisine as he made a strangled little noise before dropping the plate.
As Raven headed towards the door, it opened to reveal Kylar yawning before entering the room, "Oh, hey Raven. How are-"
"Fine." The violet-haired girl cut him off as she brushed past him and headed down the hall.
"You…" The brunette finished as he watched the girl walk further from him. "Did something happen?" He asked as he walked to the breakfast table, picking up a plate of food and walking over to the kitchen counter.
"Nothing happened!" Beast Boy cried, "I just try to be nice and she gets angry for no reason!"
"Maybe you should go apologize." The Boy Wonder said as he eased over to the distraught teen.
"Me? I'm not the one who just turned breakfast into a battlefield!" The greenling argued, pointing to the plate in his hands.
"Yeah, but after the weirdness that went down last night, you should know better than to go messing with her." Cyborg added, carrying his dishes to the sink as he passed the two shorter teens.
"I was trying to be nice!" Beast Boy repeated, "But no matter how hard I try, she still treats me like tofu eggs!" Cyborg began washing dishes. "You know, she's never once laughed at any of my jokes."
"You mean she actually listens to you?" Kylar asked jokingly as he lifted a fork, full of food, to his mouth.
"Yeah, I just kinda tune you out." The bionic Titan admitted, causing the brunette to chuckle a bit. A sight gag showed a small storm cloud form briefly over the disgruntled green Titan's head.
"Raven is complicated. There is much about her we are not meant to understand." Starfire stated as she stood up and joined the group.
"Then how are we supposed to deal with her? How can we even trust her? I mean-"
"She's our friend. What more do we need to know?" Robin asked, trying to calm his friend down.
"Yeah, B. Let her actions speak for her." Kylar added before finally taking a bite of his breakfast. Cyborg shot him a terrified stare as he watched the black-jacketed teen swallow the food, "What?"
The breakfast cook put his mental machinery to work as he tried to sort out what he should do.
0-0
A little while later, Beast Boy was in the hall, standing before a closed door and scratching his head. After a few seconds, he gingerly raised his left fist, turning his head away as if ready to avoid a sudden explosion, and just barely tapped the door.
"Oh well, nobody's home." The boy shrugged, relieved that he didn't need to confront the agitated mage at the moment. He started whistling as he turned away from the door, only to run flat into Cyborg, with Kylar standing next to him. "Ow." He groaned as he looked up to see his two taller teammates glaring down at him.
"You might want to knock a little louder." The bulky bionic said as he and Kylar planted a hand on both his shoulder's and turned him to face the door again. A little shudder of fear came from the little one as they approached the door. The robotic teen knocked much louder than his colleague's feeble attempt; on the third and final knock, the entire door fell off its hinges and revealed the interior to the trio.
"Maybe that was too loud." Kylar stated.
"Now we all have to apologize." Beast Boy groaned as the three glanced into the room. The sight of the room proved beyond any doubt that Raven's tastes were about as dark as they come. Shelves filled with old books, four-eyed tragedy and comedy masks on a pedestal, a hexagonally shaped mirror mounted on the wall, chalices and braziers, ancient chests and lamps, a bed partly recessed into the far wall, and a large globe in the near corner. To top it off, the entire room was done in shades of gray and black.
"Uh, Raven? Sorry about the door." The metallic Titan called out as he looked around the room, "Raven?"
"Dude, she's not here. Come on." Beast Boy said as he led the group into the room. "Looks like Halloween came early this year." He remarked when he reached the bookshelves and masks.
"Wow, so this is Raven's room." Kylar awed as he picked a book off the shelf, "Wonder what she likes reading." He muttered as he opened the book.
"We're in Raven's room." Cyborg whispered nervously as he tiptoed into the room, "We should not be in Raven's room. She doesn't let anybody in here-ever!"
"So this is our big chance to find out more about her." The changeling returned as he crossed the room and stood next to the dresser by the wall, "For instance…" He laughed and picked up a hand mirror; studying his image, "…check out his beauty mirror. Who woulda thought Raven spends time sprucing?" He joked as he looked at his face closely, "Ah! Is that a zit?" He cried as he poked his cheek.
"Beast Boy, it's one thing to look around, but I wouldn't touch any of her things." The brunette said as he flipped a page in the old book he took off the shelf, the irony completely escaping him.
As the greenling continued poking his cheek, two pairs of glowing red eyes, one above the other, superimposed themselves on his image. Disappearing a moment later, the boy gasped in shock as he dropped the mirror and backed up with a cry of fear. The next moment, a red-rimmed swath of black energy shot straight up from the hand mirror, shaped itself into an arm, and grabbed the defenseless teen. He was shaken back and forth as Cyborg and Kylar paid him no mind, Kylar having returned the book in its' proper place, and Cyborg having reached the doorway.
The metallic Titan made his way out of the room, "Come on, guys, we should really get out-"
"Cy! We got a problem!" The brunette yelled as he ran over and grabbed both of the changelings' ankles, trying to pull him free from the hand.
"Huh?" Cyborg turned around and saw the struggle, "Yo!" The hand started to be too much for the brunette as it started dragging him and Beast Boy down, but the bionic teen was there in one swift leap to grab Kylar by his waist and pull. However, this proved to be ineffective as all three Titans were yanked through the looking glass, which returned to its normal appearance as it gave off a small puff of smoke.
0-0
Inside a whirlpool of dark-glowing energy, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Kylar screamed as they were swept through an area of subspace before falling towards a large asteroid floating in a patch of outer space, surrounded by red stars. The vortex closed after dropping them towards the rock.
Kylar was the first to approach the large landing. Before impact, he formed his aura around his arms and legs, which stopped him a few inches in the air; his body parallel to the rock. "Phew." He sighed, only for his green teammate to land on him, causing him to crash into the ground face first. Then followed by the larger, heavier teammate landing on both of them.
"Real nice, BB." Cyborg sarcastically said as he rubbed his head, "Way to get us trapped in Raven's mirror."
"Me? I told you we shouldn't have gone in her room!" The changeling cried as he pushed the metallic Titans' legs off him and stood up, "Where's Ky?"
"Uh, guys…" The two heard a muffled voice call out. They looked down and saw Kylar face down on the rock, "I think my organs are bleeding." He added, still muffled by the asteroid.
Cyborg quickly stood up and helped his friend off the ground, "Sorry 'bout that." He apologized.
"It's cool." Kylar grunted as he popped his spine back into place when he stood up.
Beast Boy walked around the asteroid, staring out into the red starry sky, "Uh… where are we?"
Cyborg tapped his forearm controls, "You're asking the wrong robot." He answered, "My sensors must be on the blink, 'cause they're saying we're in Titans Tower." He finished before closing the scanner on his arm.
"Riiiight. So how do we get back?" The green teen asked. The three looked around them for a brief moment.
"I guess we start by walking." Kylar said as he approached the edge of the asteroid.
"Come on. I'm serious. We're on a rock in the middle of-" The sound of something large shifting cut Beast Boy off. In the middle of the void, several fragments of rock rearranged themselves to form a winding path. "Oh…" The changeling muttered as the three of them set out. "If sending us to Weirdsville's Raven's idea of a joke, I am so not laughing."
"B, she didn't send us here." Kylar said as they continued walking.
"Yeah, you're the one who went snooping in her room and popping zits in her magic mirror." Cyborg accused as he pointed a finger at the shorter teen.
"Who booby-traps a mirror?" Beast Boy asked, "And how come I'm the one in trouble? Kylar picked up a creepy book too!"
"Luck of the draw, I guess." The brunette responded, "Besides, I don't think the mirror was a trap." He added as they continued looking around the empty space.
"Maybe it's Raven's way home." Cyborg added, "Maybe this is where she's from."
"Definitely creepy enough." The green Titan stated.
"Turn back." A feminine, childlike voice echoed through the air, causing the three to stop walking and pivot in an attempt to locate the speaker.
"Like I was saying…" Beast Boy said, scared out of his wits.
"Turn back." The voice repeated. Kylar followed the sound of the voice to a rocky arch over the path. Perched on it were three small black birds, each of which showed a pair of large red eyes to the brunette. "Turn back." The black chicks repeated as Beast Boy and Cyborg caught up to their friend.
"Sweet! Betcha they can tell us how to get home." The green Titan cheered as he passed both of his taller teammates.
"Careful. How do we know they're not a threat?" The metallic teen asked cautiously.
"They could attack you if you scare them." Kylar added, "Maybe we should leave them alone."
"Hel-lo? Remember me? Beast Boy?" Beast Boy asked as he turned to face the two and pointed his thumb at himself, "If they were dangerous, I'd know." His reassuring smile didn't convince the other two in the least bit as they both shot him disapproving glares. Said guy turned to the arch and adopted the sort of tone one might use with a small kitten. "Hey little guys. My buddies and I were wondering if-" The animal speaker stopped when he looked up on the arch and saw that the birds had disappeared.
Looking down, Beast Boy saw five black birds gathered at his feet, repeating the warning, "Turn back," over and over. Suddenly, their beaks elongated and sprouted small sharp teeth as each eye split into two smaller, narrower ones.
"Aaah!" The scared green Titan cried as the birds snarled at him. He quickly turned around and ran straight into Cyborg and Kylar, causing the former to tumble and skid across the ground while the latter two crashed down on the stone pathway.
Now multiplied into a flock of ravens, the birds flew past the two downed Titans and zeroed in on the skidding shape-shifter. He quickly turned into a hippopotamus and opened his mouth. A trio of ravens perched on his tongue before the animals' jaws snapped shut. The prey squirmed within the green hippos' mouth and after a moment he opened his mouth again to shake them off, showing that the birds had clamped their beaks into the lingual muscle.
After another pass, Cyborg stood up just as more of the dark birds swarmed him, causing the metallic Titan to run around the pathway, "Get 'em off me! Get 'em off me! Cut it out!" He cried as he attempted to fend off the attackers.
Kylar was the last to stand up. Dusting himself off, he noticed his two teammates running up to him as they attempted to escape their pursuers. Beast Boy passed him first, in the form of a green ostrich while Cyborg followed.
The aura manipulator flinched in surprise as the flock of ravens approached. He quickly crouched to duck under the birds, only to find that they paid him no mind when they flew past. When he lifted his head, he felt something soft nuzzle against his left cheek. He turned his head and saw one of the small black chicks from earlier perched on his shoulder. He smiled in relief as he held up his right index finger to the chick as it jumped onto it. Holding the bird in front of him, Kylar scratched the top of its' head with his other hand before it flew off as the flock of ravens passed by again. When the brunette looked up to see what was going on, he noticed Cyborg was now riding a green llama and shooting his sonic cannon at their fleeing attackers.
When the llama stood next to the brunette, another raven flew past them again. In response, Cyborg growled as he tried blasting it. Then again, and again, until finally one creature flew next to the mammals' legs. The bionic then blasted in its direction, only to miss and hit the walkway. Fractured by the energy, the stone path started crumbling away. The three Titans' looked to the ground then at each other, trading a classic look of despair before dropping.
At the last second, Cyborg dug his left hand into the pelt of the animal while his right dug into the broken rock. Kylar was holding onto the hind legs of the llama as he began forming purplish-black energy around his own.
The African teen started hauling his two friends up but stopped when he heard a very familiar voice, "Hey, guys." The three males heard a cheerful voice call out. They all turned their heads to look and saw Raven standing upside down on the pathway with no ill effects whatsoever. What was most shocking to them, however, was that she was clad in all pink; pink boots, pink cloak, and pink wristbands. "What's up?" The girl asked as she waved to them.
"I don't know anymore." Cyborg muttered quietly. Suddenly, gravity decided to pull a prank on the three interlopers and completely flipped 180 degrees, putting the now pink-clad mage right side up and the boys upside down. "Whoa!" The three boys cried as they crashed back onto the platform.
Beast Boy was the first to stand up, "Raven?! How did-where are-what just-" He stammered before he took another look at the sorceress, "-why are you wearing pink?" He asked, as though that was the most pressing matter at the moment.
"'Cause it's my favorite color." Raven giggled as she responded.
Kylar quickly shot up and stood next to his shorter friend, shooting her the same confused stare he was, "It is?" The brunette asked.
Cyborg was the last to get up, "Look, I'd love to talk fashion, but I don't suppose you know how to get home." He said as he dusted himself off.
"The Forbidden Door." The pink mage answered as she motioned to a few arches down the path that led to a distant asteroid. "It's the only way out, but you don't want to go there. Not now."
"Uh… yeah, we do." The three males stated in unison.
"'Kay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Raven said happily as she ran towards the nearest arch, making airplane sounds and stretching her arms out like wings.
"Have you ever seen her this happy?" Cyborg asked as the three followed their cheerful teammate.
"Dude, I didn't even know Raven could do happy." Beast Boy replied, a bit of surprise in his tone.
As they passed through the arch, the dark and dreary landscape faded more and more to make way for a peaceful-looking landscape under a bright yellow sky. "Now where are we?" The bionic Titan asked as the three continued walking down the path that threaded through and bisected a huge meadow filled with pink grass and trees.
"I think this might be where air fresheners come from." The changeling remarked as a small strawberry floated up to them. Kylar plucked it out of the air and popped it into his mouth before it passed by.
"Haha! Good one!" Raven giggled as she popped up next to the trio.
The three assumed shocked expressions after hearing their resident ice queen laugh. "You're laughing?" Cyborg asked in bewilderment.
"At one of my jokes?" Beast Boy asked as he slapped his hanging jaw closed.
"Are you feeling all right?" Kylar asked before composing himself.
"Sure. I've always thought you were funny, BB. Buy hey, looks aren't everything." The cheery mage smiled, "C'mon, it's this way." She said as she grabbed the brunette by his hand and pulled him through the meadow.
"Whoa! Wait a-" Kylar tried to protest, but the cheerful grin on the girls' face quickly quieted him as he just smiled in defeat. The other two Titans just watched in disbelief as their brown-haired friend was dragged through the flowers.
0-0
Meanwhile, at Titans Tower, a blue-clad Raven was sitting at the edge of the roof crossed legged as she meditated.
"Raven… you okay?" Robin asked as he and Starfire walked up behind their friend, "We stopped by your room and the door's been knocked down." He added.
When they reached the meditating girl, her eyes popped open, wide as saucers, before she laughed uncontrollably for a few seconds. The sound scared the other two out of their wits as Raven clapped both hands over her mouth to stop herself, "Need to be alone." She said demurely as she stood up and hurried over to the door leading to the roof, a bright red blush apparent on her face.
Robin and Starfire watched in confusion as she left, "Many of your Earthly ways are still strange to me, but that was… just plain freaky. Correct?" The Tamaranean asked as the Boy Wonder nodded in response.
0-0
Inside the Tower, Raven peeked around the frame of her wrecked door. Looking around after entering, the mage lifted the door with her magic and put it back in order with an easy motion of her hand. Walking in a bit further, she stopped short when she saw the hand mirror at her feet.
"No…" She uttered in a horrified tone, assuming the worst that could have happened.
0-0
"They ditched us! I can't believe Raven and Ky ditched us!" Beast Boy cried angrily as he and the remaining member of the team continued walking on the path through the flowery field. The other two ran ahead of the duo when she grabbed the brunette and disappeared in a flurry of flowers. Now, it was just the green teen and Cyborg left to find their own way out. "Next time I see them, it's not gonna be pretty," the changeling grumbled as the scenery dissolved back into the outer-space region they were in before, causing the two to look around in confusion.
"Hey, I know where we are! We're in that place where I didn't know where we were before." Cyborg groaned as he clapped both his hands on his head. Just then, they heard what sounded like someone passing through a force field behind them. They turned around and saw Kylar approaching them, scratching the back of his head as he looked around in confusion.
"Oh hey, there you guys are." The brunette said with a smile as he walked up to the two.
"How'd you come out behind us?" The bulky, taller teen asked.
"I dunno," The black-jacketed Titan shrugged, "When Rae led me through the field, she let go of my hand as a storm of petals flew around us. Next thing I knew, she just vanished."
"Aw man!" The greenling cried as he pulled on his lower eyelids, "That means she ditched all of us! Now how are we supposed to get home?" Just as Beast Boy finished complaining, Raven popped up in front of the trio, a very sad and fearful facial expression on her face, and startled the daylights out of them. "WHERE WERE YOU? SHOPPING FOR ROBES?" The changeling shouted furiously as a sight gag showed his head growing a few sizes and flushed an angry red with a vein popping out of his temple, while the mage shrunk to midget size in his shadow and started crying. The two quickly returned to normal size as her tears kept flowing. "Whoa. Easy." Beast Boy tried calming the girl, "I didn't mean it. Please don't-"
"Beast Boy," Kylar cut off his shorter comrades sentence, disappointed in his behavior, "How are you ever gonna get a girlfriend if you make a woman cry?" He approached the sulking sorceress, "Hey… hey… it's okay." He said endearingly as he softly pulled the mage in for a hug. The girl froze up like a block of ice at the initial contact, but eventually thawed as she returned the hug, resting her head in the taller teens' chest, "It's all right, don't worry."
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you angry." Raven sniffed as she clenched the back of his jacket with her hands.
"No ones mad at you, Rae." The brunette said soothingly, comforting the girl as he stroked the back of her head, "Right, B?" He turned his head and glared at the green teen.
"Hehe… right…" Beast Boy chuckled nervously as a sweat drop fell from his head.
"Hey!" The three heard Cyborg call out to them. They turned and saw him smiling as he pointed ahead, down the path towards the asteroid at the end. "That's that Forbidden Door, right, Raven?" Having released Kylar, the girl nodded worriedly in response. "Come on, y'all! We're almost-" A high metal wall sprang up from the stone surface, blocking his rush. "Whoa!"
More walls emerged and boxed in the four Titans, creating multiple pathways up and down the winding stone walkway. A moment later, Beast Boy turned into a hawk and flew up towards the open top of the labyrinth. Just as he was about to surmount the walls, a force field crackled to life, shocking the poor bird, and sending him crashing to the ground.
After he landed, the bird transformed back into his human form, "Great." The green teen groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head.
The metallic Titan broke out his sonic cannon and aimed it at the walls, "Oh man, we gotta get outta here!" He grunted as he fired a few bursts at the walls. However, these blasts proved to be ineffective, as they didn't even leave a scratch on them.
"It's a maze. You can't get out." Raven spoke up, sadness very apparent in her tone, "You have to go through. I can show you the way, but when we reach the end, you won't like me anymore." She turned and looked at Beast Boy, "He already doesn't like me."
"Come on. That's not…" Beast Boy replied sadly as Raven started down the way. The three boys stared after her as she turned the corner, "Gee, Raven, moody much?" The green teen asked irately as a puff of smoke came from his head.
"Yeah, she's like a whole different person." Cyborg added as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Then again, you did yell at her." Kylar directed his words at the shorter Titan before walking towards the corner. "Come on, we're gonna lose her if we don't hurry." He said, beckoning to his comrades before running down the path.
As they were walking through the labyrinth, Kylar had caught up to the shy mage. She clung onto his sleeve like a lost child for protection as they walked, and apologized to all three of them for things she had done to them in the past.
"And… remember the time I called you guys immature pinheads?" The timid mage asked as she and the brunette rounded a corner of the maze, "I'm sorry for that too. And also the-"
"For the hundredth, millionth time…" Beast Boy groaned as he and Cyborg followed behind the other two.
"…We forgive you!" He and the bionic man cried out in unison as they saw Kylar and Raven standing in front of what looked like a dead end and looking back at them.
After releasing the brunettes' arm, the gray-cloaked sorceress walked over to the wall and waved timidly towards it. Sliding open like a pair of interlocking doors, the opening revealed a short path that led out of the maze. At the end of the walkway, two tall stone statues were positioned on both ends of the path, both were chiseled with long cloaks and had faces that matched the masks in Ravens' room. Each only had one arm, on the side towards the wall next to it.
"That's the end." The shy mage said timidly.
"Sweet!" Beast Boy cheered.
"All right, Raven!" Cyborg whooped as he and the others began heading for the egress, however, the gray sorceress did not join them. Just as the trio of boys approached the stone statues, the eyes of the smiling statue glowed red, followed by those of the frowning one. The two halves slammed back to back and performed three quick half-turns in front of the group, putting the smile into view, then the frown, then the smile again. The boys watched in shock as long swords materialized in its hands while a second set of arms shot out from its back. "What?" Was all the metallic Titan could say about what unfolded in front of them.
"No way." Beast Boy groaned.
"That's not good." Kylar sighed as he brought his hands to his head and tussled his hair.
"Told you you wouldn't like me when we got here." Raven said sadly before phasing through the ground, leaving the three alone as the stone giant advanced towards them.
0-0
"Aaaaahhh!" A man screamed as he ran from a huge green monster. The image was cut off by static until it resolved to a view of a chef, clad all in red, working in the kitchen.
"Now the salt." The cook said as he stirred an eggbeater in a bowl in front of him. In the Operations Center of the Tower, Robin was lounging on the couch as he watched the shows on the window screen. "Stir continuously until thickened." The Boy Wonder pointed the remote at the TV and pressed a button, changing the station again, this time showing a Western.
Behind the masked leader, Starfire paced back and forth before approaching the male, "May we go see if she is feeling better?" The girl asked.
"She said she wanted to be alone." Robin replied before changing the channel again.
0-0
Back inside the outer-space area, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Kylar backed nervously down the path as the sculpture guardian slid closer and closer to them, both blades at the ready. As it bore down on them, the shape-shifter did just as his powers allowed and transformed into a hawk before flying away. The brunette quickly turned around and ran in the opposite direction of the rock man while the robotic Titan let loose a blast from his cannon. Cyborg quickly learned that his attack did absolutely no damage as the statue swung one of his swords down at him, completely unfazed.
The African teen rolled out of the way just as the blade clanged down on the ground next to him. Next, the green hawk swooped down, talons extended, only to be caught in one of the two free hands of the monster. As the rock guardian squeezed cruelly, the hawk changed back into Beast Boys' human form.
Just as the hand squeezed harder, a purplish-black arc of energy sliced through the air and severed the arm that was holding the green teen from the rest of the statue. Kylar flew by and caught his falling teammate and placed him on the ground. He then formed his aura in his right hand and punch through the rock hand that was still clenched around the changelings' body.
"Thanks." Beast Boy said as the brunette helped him off the ground.
"No problem." They both turned around just in time to see the rock statue materialize another arm to replace the one it just lost. However, before it could continue its' attacks, a voice rang out and caught the guardians' attention.
"Yo! Eight-Eyes!" The monster turned around to see a now green-cloaked Raven flying at it, launching a jump kick. "Hai-yah!" The kick slashed across the statue's head and sent it toppling to the ground. "Whoo-hoo! In your faces!" She smirked as she leapt at the foe; now back on its feet, and dodged one sword slash after another without changing the little smirk on her face. Flying through the air, the green-cloaked girl extended the index and middle fingers of her right hand and brought them straight down the length of the rock body. Smoke billowed out to follow the trace. As the surface broke apart along the new cleavage, the two newly formed halves dropped to the ground.
The entire fight left the three boys staring in pure amazement at the new incarnation of their fellow Titan. "Hoo-ah! High Fives! Come on!" Raven cheered as she held out her hands.
Kylar pointed at the girl in complete confusion before pointing behind him, then at the rock monster that lay defeated on the ground. A moment later, he shook his head and shrugged before holding his hands up to return the high fives. "Awesome job, Rae." He congratulated as the girl slapped her hands to his.
Beast Boy stared a bit more, his jaw slack, before shaking his head vigorously, "What is your deal?!" He cried out, annoyed at the complete change in their colleagues' attitude, "First you nuke breakfast, then finally laugh at my jokes, then you're all weepy, and now you're a Marine?" He counted off, "Make up your mind. Who are you?"
The green-cloaked girl directed a quizzical look at him as a grinning pink-cloaked mage leapt into view, followed by a glum gray-cloaked girl. "I'm Raven." The three said simultaneously in their respective tones. Completely poleaxed by the sight, Beast Boy fell to the ground, leaving Cyborg and Kylar confused at the situation.
"Happy… timid… brave." The metallic teen said, pointing to each of the respective emotions.
"You forgot dopey. Hehehe." The pink-cloaked Raven laughed as she pointed to the green teen as he stood up.
"They're different sides of her personality." Kylar said, finally figuring out what was happening.
"We're not in Raven's home." Cyborg added.
"We're in her head." Beast Boy remarked.
"And I want you out." A familiar voice called out in a tone the boys recognized immediately. A blue-cloaked Raven dropped in front of her three duplicates as they faded away, "The mirror you found is for meditation. It's a portal into my MIND-NOT A TOY!" She growled through gritted teeth, directing those last four words at the green teen.
"Heheh… my bad." The changeling chuckled nervously as a big drop of sweat rolled down his face. Nearby, a flock of ravens that had been roosting in a tree flew away in a great commotion of squawking and flapping of wings.
"You have to go-now!" Raven ordered as the four looked towards the birds.
"Hang on, Rae. What's wrong?" Kylar asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Last night, something… got loose. Something bad." The mage answered.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Beast Boy interjected as he flailed his arms around, "I've had it with this mystery-girl routine. I want to know exactly what we're talking about here."
As if on cue, an unholy roar sounded through the air. The four looked at a gargantuan black vortex that formed over the horizon just as the raven flew into it. Gradually, this retreated from the top down to expose a super-king-sized humanoid male with red skin, flowing white hair, and four glowing yellow eyes. The giant was clad in a black and gray loincloth, steel wristbands, and a belt similar to the one Raven wore, as well as a jewel on his forehead. The belt was silver, set with black stones, and a matching piece was set at the throat to match her brooch. There were short, curved black stripes on the arms and chest as well.
"Hatred shall rule!" The demonic behemoth roared, his voice being the same as the one that overlaid with Raven's when she snared Dr. Light the night before.
"Does that answer your question?" Kylar asked as he and the other three Titans stared up at the red giants' sheer size.
"Let's just say I have issues with my father." Raven stated evenly as they all backed away from the unholy beast. As the giant moved steadily towards them and leaned in with a loud roar, the three male Titans quickly turned around and ran off as the sorceress held her ground. However, a quadruple blast from those glowing yellow eyes struck the ground just in front of her, forcing her to jump clear. The monsters' enormous feet stomped down the path after Cyborg, Kylar, and Beast Boy, who were making a beeline for a portal set into the base of a rock formation. Unfortunately, another beam hit the path in front of them and brought their escape to a very abrupt halt. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted when she landed in front of the boys and faced her father, creating a shield around herself, them, and the door. The demon unleashed another blast from its' eyes in the stone as it raced towards her until it finally came into contact with the barrier.
0-0
As the uneventful day passed, Robin continued sitting on the couch in the common room, flipping through channels as he tried to find something to watch.
"May we now go see if Raven is better?" Starfire asked innocently as she slid up behind the masked Titan.
"She wants to be alone." He replied before flicking the channel again.
0-0
"Get out of my mind! Now!" Raven strained with great effort as she struggled to hold the barrier as it was bombarded with beam after beam.
"And leave you alone with that?" Beast Boy asked as he pointed towards the behemoth.
"Not gonna happen." Cyborg stated.
"It's my problem. I'll deal with it. If I lose, you'll be stuck in here forever." The mage shouted.
"Which is why we're gonna make sure you don't lose." Kylar said with a determined look in his eyes.
Outside the shield, the red giant produced a ball of energy in his hands as he pulled him above his head. Swinging his arms forward, daddy dearest unleashed the mighty burst at his daughter. The attacked seemed to have been enough to finally breach the shield as a second shot blew it apart altogether, kicking up a great cloud of dust around the teens.
"Go!" Raven shouted as she swung one hand behind her in a sudden lash of telekinesis, flinging the three boys towards the portal. Once they were at the mouth of the portal, the defiant mage flew up to the monsters' level and fired a black salvo from her hand, annoying him just enough to make him start trying to swat her down. Her evasive maneuvers made the act a rather tougher prospect than it might have seemed as he tried firing eye beams at the girl as well.
The three fellows watched as their friend tried desperately to protect them. Looking at the exit, then at each other, the boys traded a knowing look before running into the fray.
The free-for-all continued as Raven continued dodging her fathers' attempts to crush her between his palms. She flew behind the giants' head to avoid another strike, but was caught by surprise when he whirled around and scored a direct hit with his eye beams that dropped the poor girl like a rock. As she fell, the giant caught her unconscious body in one broad hand. "Rage shall consume you." The beast threatened as he held the girl up in front of her.
"Yo!" The monster turned around and saw Cyborg standing on a nearby mountain ledge, his sonic cannon primed and ready to fire, "Sounds like somebody needs a time-out." He said before firing a blast at the monster. His blast was blocked when the demon raised his forearm, but multiple orbs of purplish-black energy found their way to his exposed chest when he did this. Exploding on impact, the attack caused the crimson behemoth to stumble backwards as he released Raven and toppled over the edge of the asteroid into an empty abyss.
The violet-haired girl fell helplessly towards a granite slab. However, before they could become acquainted, a green hawk dove down and grabbed the unconscious mage by the shoulders with its' talons. Coming too with a barely audible moan, Raven looked up and saw the bird before it set her down safely, leaving her to fall to her knees with a small groan. "You stayed?" The rescued damsel asked when the bird transformed back into Beast Boy and landed next to her, "I thought you didn't like me."
"Thought you didn't like me." Beast Boy returned with a smile as he helped his friend off the ground.
"Yo, I like both of you!" Cyborg called out to the two. They looked over to see him and the brunette standing over by the ledge the monster fell from, "Now get your butts over here!"
A demonic growl sounded throughout Ravens' mindscape as the behemoth rose slowly over the ridge, even larger than when he first appeared. "Feel my fury." The monster growled as his eyes glowed with energy and fired a four-pack blast at the ground that Kylar and Cyborg stood on, causing the former to take off into the air and the latter to dive for cover.
Beast Boy transformed into a pterodactyl as he and Raven took to the air to continue the offensive. Cyborg stood up quickly and provided cover fire with his cannon as he bobbed and weaved through the barren landscape to dodge the blazing bursts.
As the giant was distracted with the pesky kids, Kylar flew around his head and wrapped his arms around that mane of white hair and pulled back with all his strength. The monster released a surprised yell as he was dragged off balance and toppled over some of the rocky peaks that filled the mindscape.
0-0
Once again, the two remaining Titans occupied the common area of the Tower while nothing major was happening on TV.
Starfire eased her head up behind the Boy Wonder, "May we now-"
"No!" Robin cut her off before working the remote again. This answer caused the Tamaranean to groan as she dropped behind the couch.
0-0
Back where the action was hot, Cyborg was fleeing from the monsters' fusillade before a green pterodactyl flew overhead and picked him up. Raven passed both of them while Kylar slammed both of his aura filled hands into the ground, creating two large streaks of energy that ran across the ground and kicked up dust in the monsters' face.
The scarlet leviathan waved away the dust to see that the four teens were nowhere to be seen. He looked around a bit before moving down the asteroid.
Behind a small ridge, the four teens peeked over to see the monster walking away from them. "He's too strong. Even with your help, I cannot defeat him." Raven said as they dropped behind the ridge.
"So call for backup!" Cyborg cried as a suggestion, "What about all those other you's?"
"Yeah, the green one kinda kicked butt." Beast Boy added.
"It still wouldn't be enough." Raven replied, "None of my other sides have the kind of power we need."
Kylar placed a hand on the despaired girls' shoulder, "Maybe not alone, but what about together?" He asked, "They're all part of who you are, right? Together I'm sure you can take him down." Raven turned to face the brunette with worry in her eyes. However, that feeling soon changed when she saw the faith he had in his.
Cyborg peered over the edge again, only for a couple eye blasts to send him ducking back behind the rocks. "Go for it! We got your back." He grinned as he transformed his right hand to his sonic cannon and jumped over the ledge.
Beast Boy gave her an encouraging nod and ran after the metallic charger. "You can do it. I know you can." Kylar reassured the mage before following his two friends to help in the diversion.
A small smile crossed her face before she disappeared into a clearing on the asteroid. Closing her eyes to concentrate, a sudden gust of wind stirred the dust at her feet as her duplicated rose from the ground. She opened her eyes to see no fewer than seven other Ravens standing before her, clad in pink, gray, green, yellow, brown, lavender, and finally orange. The yellow girl was wearing glasses, perhaps representing her cerebral aspect, while the orange girl dug something out of her ear and burped, possible the mages' lazy side.
They quickly scattered and formed a large circle around her. All eight rose into the air and hovered several feet above the ground before the seven doubles spun around the Raven in the center. Finally, a brilliant flash of white overtook them, sending them out of view.
Back with the boys, Cyborg had been firing his cannon at will while Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl again and took to the air. The crimson behemoth countered the diversion with a storm of bird apparitions from his hand that quickly swarmed the metallic Titan and the green dinosaur. The giant smiled evilly down at the two, only for that smile to quickly flip 180 degrees as a few orbs of energy exploded in his face. When the giant regained his bearings, he saw the black-jacketed teen flying around in front of him. With a growl, the monster fired four beams from his eyes at the small pest. Kylar was able to dodge three of them, but the last one struck him in the chest and knocked him out of the sky, landing in a red hand before it squeezed his body.
The brunette grunted as he struggled to free himself from the demons' grip. His eyes began flickering between glowing pure white and having his sapphire irises visible. "Release your anger. I can feel how much you have." The giant said menacingly as he tightened his grip.
Kylar released a pained yell as he could feel his lung get crushed by his ribcage. In a desperate attempt to get free, the brunette summoned all his energy around him, engulfing his entire head in purplish-black flames, and forced a blast that emitted from his entire body. The burst was enough to cause the giant to release him as he quickly dispersed the aura around him, except for his arms and legs.
"Insolent fool. You cannot hope to defeat me." The monster growled.
"Wasn't trying to." Kylar coughed as he smiled wickedly at the beast. Confused by the young teens words, the red giant turned around and noticed a now white-cloaked Raven standing behind him. She stood as tall as him and was even clad in a white leotard to match her cloak.
The white sorceress hurled a mass of black energy, which formed itself into a band that encircled her father tightly from shoulders to waist. "You are going back where you belong!" She said in a very deep and terrible tone.
"Never!" The leviathan growled, as he broke free of Ravens' binding spell. When he did, she rose into the air, arms crossed in front of her, and her eyes and mouth started blazing with the same dark force that poured from her hands. The raging demon sent two huge beams from his hands towards her as Raven did the same. The two energies met at a point between them and canceled out, becoming a tug-of-war where the balance point shifted back and forth between the two parties.
On the ground, Beast Boy and Cyborg had their hands full with trying to keep the birds from pecking them to mush, only for them to disappear a moment later as Kylar landed down in front of them.
They looked up to watch the standoff between the white sorceress and her father continue; with the former slowly gaining ground. With one final groaning effort, Raven sent her beam surging into the red monsters' face, creating an incredible flash when it hit. When the flash faded, the monster was nowhere to be seen and in its' place was another copy of the resident mage, only she had red eyes and a dark red cloak. The crimson mage dropped to the ground in front of the white-clad original, only standing about a foot tall. She turned her head to face the victor, revealing two pairs of glowing red eyes, before her body disintegrated into a bolt of energy that crackled into the larger mages' body, throwing her into an unbearable rictus.
One final flash left the remaining teens blinded for a split second before they saw their friend standing on a rock, back in her normal blue cloak and bowed as if she had just taken the beating of a lifetime.
As she straightens herself, wind blew her cloak back to reveal her black outfit underneath. A moment later, she moaned weakly and collapsed backwards, only to land in Kylars' arms. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall." The brunette said warmly as the mage looked up at him, blushing a bit as her hood fell from her head.
Beast Boy and Cyborg ran up as the brunette set the girl to her feet, "All right, Raven!" The metallic Titan cheered.
"I knew you could do it!" The changeling whooped.
"Thank you… friends." Raven said kindly as she rubbed her head.
"So… we really are friends?" Beast Boy asked as he clasped his hands together.
"Mmm-hmm." The girl nodded with a smile.
"And you really think I'm funny?" The greenling asked, wiggling his eyebrows. This question received a disapproving stare from Cyborg as Kylar slapped his own face.
"Don't push it." The mage replied as the smile quickly faded from her face.
0-0
Now nighttime, the day had finally come to an uneventful end as Starfire slowly reached for the door that led to Raven's room. Robin had his fingers wrapped tightly around her arm, trying to pull her back.
"Please! Let us simply-" The auburn-haired girl began, not even looking as though she were straining to reach the door.
"Raven asked us not to disturb her!" The Boy Wonder forced himself to say as he tried with all his might to pull her hand back.
"She could be weeping-"
"I don't want to bother her!"
"But if we merely-" The door opened before she could finish, causing the alien to relax her grip with a gasp and smile. This caused Robin to tumble backwards to the floor. Outside the frame of the doorway, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Kylar, and Raven stood before the remaining two Titans.
"Where have you guys been?" The masked leader asked as he stood up.
"Just getting to know each other." Cyborg replied as he and the other three teens smiled.
"Come friends. We shall prepare a new breakfast feast." Starfire cheered as she lifted her hands above her head.
The four mind dwellers gave her a blank stare. "It's a little late for breakfast, Star." Beast Boy said he scratched the back of his head, "Maybe just some herbal tea."
"Actually, breakfast sounds… nice." Raven admitted with a light blush.
The green chef was caught off guard momentarily by her change of eating habits, but quickly smiled as stars flashed in his eyes. "Breakfast for dinner? Coming up!" He cheered as he took off down the hallway.
"Oh, no! I'm cooking this time!" Cyborg called out after him, "We're having real eggs!"
Robin and Starfire chuckled before walking after them, leaving the brunette and mage by themselves.
"We're not such a bad group." Kylar chuckled as he placed a hand on Ravens' shoulder when he passed by. Raven smiled before stopping the brunettes' progression by pulling him back by his jacket sleeve. This surprised him, but not nearly as much as what followed. The blue-clad ice queen had pulled him in for a hug. "Uh… Rae?"
"Thank you." She said softly as she rested her head in his chest.
The aura manipulator could only smile in defeat as he returned the hug, "No problem." He said, stroking the back of her head.
They released each other just in time for Beast Boy to pop back around the corner, "You guys coming? I got tofu pancakes!" He sang before a cybernetic hand grabbed his head and yanked him out of view.
The two Titans shared a laugh, "C'mon, they're waiting for us." Kylar smiled as he began walking down the hall. Raven followed as she smiled warmly, catching up to the boy as they made their way into the kitchen to enjoy a wonderful breakfast with the rest of their friends.
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Author's Notes:
I am not liable for any sicknesses one may come down with for the purchases of the food found at Gazpacho's. That being said, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, I know I had fun writing this thing. And just as a reminder, don't forget to leave a review if you want and if you have any questions or suggestions, PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners. Again, I own nothing.