Again I'd like said, thank you everyone! Thanks again everyone who like this story! I really liked writing this chapter and uhh...oh yea, sorry I didn't explain Robin and Cyborg, I didn't know what to picture them yet...So just work with me until I can think of their appearance. Please note that this is not what they are wearing in the real thing, that is to say in the comics anyway-it is what I picture them wearing. Also, since I checked, everyone has been requesting that I fix the paragraphs, so there, I did it! Is it ok, people?
To Dreamzcometrue, you rock! U r awesome! I LUVZ U! Keep Writing and being awesome! This chapter is dedicated to you and your incredible patience!
Disclaimer: I own nothing...
On with the story
Chapter 3: New Skills and Capabilities
"Raven?"
The squad of Titans just stared at their supposedly dead member. Shock, surprise and disbelief was plastered all over their faces. The dark haired girl returned their looks with an emotionless glare. But her glare was not un-called for, after all they had just attacked her.
'She's back. She's really back' Beast Boy thought.
The empath rose from her crouched position and faced at the Titans. Her amethyst eyes stared back at her former team. A slight breeze blew by and rustled her dark hair. The team of heroes continued to stare back until Starfire finally broke the silence.
"Friend Raven!" The Tameranean princess dropped her arms and flew over to the cloaked empath.
"EEEEE!" She wrapped her arms around the dark empath and gave a tight hug. Raven still retained a stoic expression on her face as Starfire gave her a Tameranean hug.
"Oh, how have we all missed you, Friend Raven!" Starfire squealed shrilly. She quickly let go of Raven and backed off to her former teammate space. Starfire could not stop grinning, ear to ear.
"Yo Rae! How ya been?" Cyborg walking up and greeted the Stoic.
"Quite well, Cyborg" Raven said as she let out a slight smile.
"Raven, it's been a while" Robin said walking up to meet the young empath.
"Yea, it has" Raven said nodding.
"Hey BB! You gonna come and say hi or not?" Cyborg yelled at his dumbfounded friend.
Beast Boy, who was still in complete shock, came back to his senses. He shook his head, took a look at Raven and ran over to his friends.
"Rae! You're back! I...umm...you...uh...err...ah...how did...where did...what...when did...who did...why did..." Beast Boy stuttered nervously as he scratched the back of his head and felt a blush creep along his face. He finally managed to compose himself just long enough to croak out a barely audible "Hi."
Beast Boy felt like he was going to faint as the wind escaped his lungs.
Raven raised a brow and replied with a curt nod of her head. Finally, she shifted her attention to the blond geomancer. Robin motioned for Terra to come, Terra felt reluctant about welcoming back the dark Titan.
'Something about Raven always gets on my nerves but I don't know what or why...But I sure as hell that I don't want her back!' Terra thought.
It was obvious that Beast Boy and Raven had some intimate feelings towards each other and that was one of the reasons Terra couldn't stand the dark haired girl in front of her.
"Uh...Hi Rae" Terra reluctantly greeted the cloaked girl.
Raven didn't reply back, she simply stared at Terra.. 'Urgh! What a witch! She doesn't even say hi!' Terra thought angrily.
"Hello Terra" Raven said in a monotone voice.
"So Raven, what have you been up to?" Robin asked. Raven seemed quite uncomfortable and averted her gaze to the ground.
"?" Robin raised a brow.
"Do you mind if we talk at the tower?" Raven asked politely.
Robin shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sure, why not. C'mon team."
Robin motioned everyone to leave and assured Raven that the police would be arriving any second to put Mumbo in jail. The Titans took a quick look at the block.
"Boy, we really did a number on this place, didn't we?" Beast Boy joked and glanced at Raven.
"Let me to handle this" Raven told the team.
There was a moment filled with "Huhs?" "Eh's?" and confused looks. The Titans stopped in their tracks and looked at the quiet member. Her hand escaped out of her long black cloak and Raven waved her hand.
The fissures in the earth began to seal as if it was being pushed together. Pieces of rock and debris were lifted into the air and sucked back into the earth and filled in the craters that fit the earth like a puzzle. Fires slowly died away; damaged buildings reverted back before the damage occurred. Cars, motorcycles and other vehicles that had been crushed, flipped over or flattened during the battle began to spring back to life and dents popped out, leaving nothing but a shiny gloss finish, like it was new. Fire hydrants that spewed out water like geysers halted, the water slowly descended back into the hydrant and tightly sealed. The bank seemed to regenerate; the hinges of the door moved back into place, broken or cracked glass reversed and melted back into place, leaving behind a smooth finish without even a scratch. Floor tiles flew back into place, broken pots for plants stood up, all the dirt compacted back and the pot regressed back prior to breaking. Papers flew into the air, sorted themselves and placed themselves back on desks and tables. Money that was littered everywhere shot up into the air and flew back into the newly repaired bank. People slowly rose to the air and began to awaken, though completely dazed.
"Whoa..." was all Beast Boy could say.
The Titans shot another surprised look at Raven. She simply nodded her head with an empty look. Raven glanced at Mumbo and narrowed her eyes. She lifted her hand again and Mumbo's wand shot to her hand. Mumbo started to regain consciousness when he saw the cloaked figure standing in front of him.
"Uh, Raven? What're you doing?" Beast Boy asked.
"I'm simply showing him what happens should he do this again."
"Hey! Gimme that back!" Mumbo whined like an immature child.
Raven clutched the wand tightly in her hand and her amethyst eyes drilled into his. It almost seemed like her eyes had a violet flames dancing behind them. Mumbo's attention turned to Raven's hand. As she squeezed tighter, the wand ignited and was now on fire! The Titans watched in amazement as Raven held the burning wand.
"Waah!" He yelped.
The empath's soul-less amethyst eyes stared coldly at supposed magician as the wand continued to burn until it was nothing but ashes in her hand. She dusted her hands off and the ashes blew in the wind. Then Mumbo's blue persona disappeared and reverted back to his normal human self. He looked at Raven horrified with his mouth agape. Just as the Titans started to leave, the police arrived and marched toward Mumbo before incarcerated him. The Titans made their way back to the tower with Raven in tow. Beast Boy looked at Raven with astonishment and he could feel his heart beat faster.
"I'll see you all at the tower" Raven said as black energy swirled around her and she melted through the asphalt.
All the Titans looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and headed back towards the tower.
+Inside Titan's Tower+
Raven rose up from the floor in the waiting room at Titan's Tower. She did an about-face and looked at the tall doors, waiting for the Titans to enter. The dark empath looked around the waiting room. It had not changed much; red lazy boys were aligned along the sides of the hallway, a small table in between each chair. Black carpeting along the sides of the room, but silver marble tiles along the middle leading up to the elevator. The tower was oddly silent, as if waiting for its' charges to return. As Raven was beginning to enjoy the silence, the door slowly creaked open and the Titans piled in
Starfire floating in the air and dove towards Raven. She gave another hug to Raven.
"Starfire, you hug a lot" Raven said trying to push off the Tameranean princess.
"Forgive me but I have missed the, how do you say, verbal irony and your brooding presence!" Starfire said cheerily, as she let go.
Raven backed off a little, her black cloak swinging behind her. The corners of her lips curled and gave Starfire a slight smile.
"Ok, Star. I think we've given Rae enough hugs today!" Robin said.
The five Titans walked down the long hallway of the waiting room, yammering and laughing, with Raven silent at the back of the group, her head tilted facing the floor. She took a took at the Titans; Raven was 5'5', Starfire was 5'7" and Terra the shortest member at 5'1".
The tallest was still Cyborg, at 6'6". Cyborg still retained his titanium body armor for steel. Robin and Beast Boy were around the same height: Robin at 5'10" and Beast Boy at 5'8". The two now towered over the female members.
Beast Boy wore a track suit-like outfit; he wore a short sleeve nylon top. It was purple and had thick black vertical stripes along the zipper in the middle and black sleeves He wore long black track pants that had purple stripes along the sides.
Starfire's long auburn hair fell to her thigh, and she wore a purple one-strap top that stopped at her hip. She wore a pair of knee length black pants beneath a purple mid-thigh skirt and armlets on each arm. But her vibrant lime green eyes stayed the same
Terra's long golden locks were pushed behind her ears and her hair sat at her elbows. The blond geomancer wore calf length beige cargo pants, a snug black long sleeve V-neck shirt that showed off her mid-drift. Yellow bands ran vertically and horizontally, forming a cross-like pattern on each sleeve. Her goggles dangled at across her collarbone and she wore wrist-length brown, heavy set, thick gloves.
Beast Boy walked beside Raven, he stopped ranting to the other Titans and glanced at her.
(A/N: Canonically, this is not what they're wearing, I've seen what they're wearing in the comics and I'm like NOPE. I wanted to make them more fashionable and civilian-like, I guess. I've also looked how tall they are, and that's their legit height, except for Starfire. She's like 6'6" but I wanted to make her shorter for reasons.)
"What is it?" She asked.
"Nothing" he lied.
Raven raised a brow and looked back at the floor. Terra shot him an angry look but Beast Boy didn't notice. They all piled into the elevator and waited to reach the top floor.
+The Common Room+
Raven stepped into the large Common Room. The large circular couch sat in the middle of the room, facing the windows. The small kitchen area had expanded to the windows, providing more room. A large screen was attached to the ceiling and hung down. The long crimson curtains rested on the side of the windows, allowing sunlight to flood the room. The sounds of the oceans lapped the beach, and its' smell was fresh. The silver tiles reflected the sunlight while blue, green, orange and yellow lit up parts of the walls. Raven was amazed how much the tower had changed, along with all of its' inhabitants.
Everyone walked down the steps and watched the dark empath levitate to the giant windows. She stared out the large windows into the city, the sunlight shining on her pallid face. The view of the city was so vivid, just like how she remembered. Raven felt a pair of eyes staring at her and turned to see Beast Boy staring unintentionally on her. Her pallid skin contrasted the long black cloak draped behind her body, stopping at her feet and revealed her clothes. Her black leotard and blue cloak had been replaced. She wore a long blue dress with a high collar and long sleeves. The dress had slits in the sides that went from her mid-thigh all the way to the hem. She wore black half-calf boots that matched her blue dress and a yellow belt studded with black gems that had a red shimmer. Raven's long, plum, hair cascaded to her mid-back creating gentle waves. She still retained some of her grayish hue, but she had more color now. Raven looked at the rest of the Titans. She stepped down from the stairs, walked to the circular couch, and sat down. Her amethyst eyes looked at the Titans, and she broke the silence.
"If you have questions to ask, ask me" she said in a deadpan tone.
All the Titans looked at each other and nodded. They gravitated toward Raven and crowded the cloaked empath, blocking her from exiting. Raven backed up further into the couch. An barrage of questions hit the empath, and all she heard was a collective ramble of annoyances. Her face looked unwaveringly at the Titans.
"One at time, one at a time."
"First off, Raven, what happened? We thought you were dead! After Trigon was beaten, you disappeared, what happened?" Robin asked, part of him still in shock and the other in relief and happiness.
Terra's face was confused; apparently no one talked about Trigon or explained what had happened five years ago. Raven dipped her head down and didn't answer. Her amethyst eyes darkened, her face turned to stone and her body stiffened. Silence filled the room again.
"Friend, perhaps it is not time to talk about this. She may speak about this another time, when she is ready?" Starfire suggested as she placed a hand on Robin's shoulder. Robin looked back at her and nodded.
"Tell me Friend Raven, what have you been up to in your absence?" Starfire asked, taking a seat next to Raven.
"Traveling, more or less. Learning a few things here and there..." Raven replied nonchalantly.
"Why have you changed so much?" Starfire asked again, curiosity emanating off her.
"Traveling changes you in more ways than one, Starfire", Raven answered, seriousness in her voice, as if not wanting to answer these questions.
"How did you do that thing with Mumbo and the crime scene?" Cyborg asked curiously.
"Well, to be honest, I still don't fully understand what it is yet. But I suspect that it's a form of time-space regression or matter manipulation, meaning that it returns whatever is in the space to its original form before destruction. Or it may be a form of substitution from another dimension", Raven explained and looked at her peers.
They looked confused, were scratching their head, and shook their head trying to comprehend what was just explained, all except for Starfire and Cyborg, who understood perfectly.
"And what I did with Mumbo, that was-" Raven stopped herself, and didn't finish that sentence.
"What is it?" Terra giving a quizzing look.
"...Nothing..."
"How did you do that to all our attacks?" Terra asked.
"I can absorb energy-type attacks by altering time-space, so it absorbs, negates and neutralizes attacks, so I'm able to use, divert and re-direct the attacks. Secondly, I'm able to open up portals, and wormholes, rendering all attacks completely useless and displacing energy."
"So that's how you were able to use my sonic cannon!" Cyborg figured and Raven simply nodded her head.
"However, I am still able to use my old abilities like shields, levitation, empathy and telepathy, among other things."
"So, how are you able to make your black magic, like invisible?" Beast Boy asked.
"I picked that up a while ago, I can choose the color of my magic now, if it fits me. However, I've gotten quite used to transparency and prefer it because it's much more useful. Although, I use my black magic as well, because it matches my cloak, and that often confuses the enemy. They think that they've landed a blow, when they just hit the shield or my cloak but these days I hardly use magical attacks."
"Why?"
"Now, I prefer to use hand-to-hand combat. It lets me to assess their capabilities, such as if they like using long distance, close-range, hand-to-hand combat or mid-range. By doing so, I'm able to analyze what their strengths and weaknesses, allowing me to defeat them. Secondly, I learned a long time ago that you can't always rely on your powers because they may fail. Thirdly, someone told me,' Your mind can be the most powerful weapon, so you must train your body to train your mind.'"
"Where did you learn those sick moves? You have to teach me some!" Robin said excitedly.
"Yea! You totally kicked Robin's ass!" Beast Boy added, earning a glare from the Boy Wonder.
"Why don't we head to the gym? And you can teach us some of it there?" Robin suggested.
"That is a fine idea, Robin! I agree!" Starfire said jumping off her seat.
Raven gave a reluctant, emotionless look back at the smiling group.
"Oh please! Friend Raven!" Starfire pleaded.
"Yea Rae!" Cyborg added.
Beast Boy bobbed his head up and down in agreement.
Raven sighed and said, "Alright."
She rose from her seat and stared blandly at the Titans. They exited the Common Room and made their way towards the gym. Starfire squealed and clapped her hands, Robin looked excited and had a smirk on his face, Cyborg rubbed his metallic hands together, Terra tried to walk beside Beast Boy but decided to walk beside Starfire instead. And Beast Boy walked beside Raven, glancing at her every now and then. Raven had her attention diverted to the floor.
"What's wrong?" Beast Boy asked concerned.
"It's nothing."
They all walked down the hallway and entered the gym.
Robin turned on the lights of the gym. They stood in an empty dark gray room, the equipment had been put away or placed in the compartments of the walls. The floor matched the rest of the gray room. Raven walked to the middle of the empty room and turned to her team.
She made a fighting stance and said "Let's begin."
End Chapter
So whad'ya think of Chapter 3? Read and Review Please and Thank you!