Chapter 51 Delicious Plan

Raven's heart pumped, which was unusual for her. She wanted to cheer and scream her excitement from the rooftops, although she realized that she needed to keep her emotions in check even now. So instead, she wore a smile. She approached the two Goofy Titans, wearing the smile like a badge of honor. Beast Boy gave her a confused look. Raven just kept smiling, looking like she didn't care about all the horrible things surrounding her.

Well, whatever. Raven didn't need her to care. She just needed her to listen.

"You thinks you have a plan, Taller Raven Mama?" Beast Boy asked, raising an eyebrow as he did. "What plan could possibly help us in these situation?"

Raven only beamed. "It's simple." She stepped closer to them. "Raven's demon got loose when her gem cracked, right?"

"Right," Beast Boy said, still looking skeptical.

"And Trigon managed to absorb her demon using the gem on his forehead, right?"

"Uh… I guess?" Beast Boy looked so far away from convinced that it almost looked comical.

"So… if we break the gem on Hexagon's forehead, then the demon will be loose again, and Raven will be able to get her powers back!" She felt like laughing in triumph. "And once we do that, Hexagon will unfuse, and my Trigon will fade away from existence! That demon is the only thing that's allowing him to roam free, after all."

Beast Boy gasped, his green eyes now sparkling. "That's perfect! That be the perfect plan yo!" He jumped into the air, holding his head up high. "That'd be the perfect way to come out victorious!"

"Yeah!" Raven looked down at her double, who by this point was grinning while humming something. "Raven, what do you think? Is that a good plan?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." She wiggled her fingers in front of her eyes, causing her to giggle. "Man, this is fun to watch!" She looked over at Beast Boy. "Have you ever stopped to think about how cool fingers are?"

Beast Boy sniffed. "Yes, considering I turn into animals that have no fingers." He put his hands on Raven's shoulders. "But that's not important right now! Rae rae, we need to get your demon back! If we don't do that, then the whole multiverse will be at the mercy of Hexagon!"

BOOM! The ground rumbled as Hexagon aimed one more punch at the shield. As Raven wobbled, she looked over at the other Ravens. She noticed the way they were straining themselves, how hard this task seemed to be, and how they looked ready to pass out from the overuse of their telekinesis. A pit formed in Raven's stomach, but she pushed that feeling to the side. Now, she faced her double, who was still giggling at her wiggling fingers.

"Raven." Raven got down on her knees and put her hands on Raven's shoulders, turning her around so that she fully faced her. Raven wore an ultra-serious face as she looked at her, hoping that the intensity of her gaze would be able to reorient Raven to exactly how dangerous and dire this situation really was. "Beast Boy is right; we need to get your demon back to make sure that this situation doesn't escalate any further."

An emotion other than happiness finally appeared in Raven's eyes. Now shaking as she turned back to look at the other Ravens, she bit her lip. She looked back at Raven, the uncertainty and fear in her eyes growing.

"But… I feel great," she said. "I've never felt this good in my entire life. I'm free for the first time ever. Why should I give that up?"

Raven paused, cringing as she did. She remembered the conversation the two of them had before they got into the fight with the fused demon. Raven had seemed to like the idea of giving up her powers, and Raven couldn't in good conscience blame her.

"Because… because the multiverse depends on it. Don't you understand that?"

Now Raven looked miffed. "Why should I care?" She backed away from Raven, now staring at her with animosity. "My whole life has been an uphill battle! I've had to suppress my emotions and I've had to close myself off." Those words even made Beast Boy look at her in shock. "I want to live a normal life, Raven! Just the last few moments alone have been amazing! Why do you want to take that away from me?"

Raven bit her lip. "Because… it would be part of the plan…"

"Well then, think of another plan!" Now it was Raven's turn to put her hands on Raven's shoulders. "You're smart; you can probably think of a plan that doesn't involve me being resaddled to my demon!"

A hint of empathy shot through Raven's soul. She looked over at Beast Boy, who looked just as morose, sorrowful, and sad for Raven as she felt. Even though she knew that this would be the best plan, she realized that she did want to think of something else. She wanted to think of something else to give this poor little version of herself long-lasting relief on the battlefield of life.

"Alright," Raven said with a sigh. She pulled away, standing back up. "I'm sure I can think of something." She gave Beast Boy a look. "Can you help me come up with something?"

Beast Boy blinked. "Uh… I can try, yo."

So, the two of them thought as Hexagon continued banging against the shield. Through the earth-shattering tremors, Raven tried her best to think of a good alternative to her original plan. She thought long and hard, mulling over the possible options. Unfortunately, nothing came to her.

"Can you think of anything?" she asked Beast Boy.

"I…" the goofy green changeling hesitated before shaking his head. "I can't think of anything."

Raven's heart sank. "Me neither." Whether they liked it or not, Raven getting her powers back was their best, as well as only, option. If they didn't do that fast, then Hexagon would surely break down the shield and kill every single one of them. That possibility made Raven want to cry.

And unfortunately, the thought of her double experiencing the burden of her powers again made her want to cry even harder.

"Raven…" she cleared her throat. "We need to do this. It's the only option."

A flash of horror appeared on Raven's face before being replaced with a scowl. "And why do we need to do this?" She spat out.

Raven hesitated before getting a look at all the other Titans, strewn about on the pavement and groaning. This gave her the argument she was looking for.

"Raven… do you remember how you told me that you didn't want your powers to hurt your friends?" She gestured around. "Well, look around you!"

Raven rolled her eyes and looked around the area. As she did, as she took notice of the Beast Boys with bruises and Cyborgs with scars, her defiance turned into concern. More than concern; she looked completely and utterly horrified. She gawked as she turned back to Beast Boy, who gave her a concerned, very ungoofy look. She turned back to Raven, who gave her a similar look.

And that was when tears formed in Raven's eyes. She sniffled and dried her eyes. "You're right. You're absolutely right, but…" Her lower lip trembled. "I just…" she hesitated, looking like what she wanted to say was physically hurting her. "I've spent my whole life in chains. I've never been able to do what I want because I've always had my powers to worry about." The tears started streaming down her face. She looked over at Beast Boy. "And I know that this situation we're in right now ignites an even worse version of worry. But… I don't know." She shook her head. "This feeling is so sweet, so stress-relieving." She looked back at Raven. "Do I really have to give it up?"

Raven felt like breaking down herself, her sense of empathy and understanding increasing by tenfold. She hesitated before stepping closer to her. "You do." She hesitated as Raven sniffled once again. "It's… it's the right thing to do." She looked her double right in her eyes. "It's what a hero would do."

Raven blinked. "A hero…" She looked back at the scene that lay before all of them. Now, instead of sadness and hesitance, her face showed an expression of determination. That emotion only grew stronger, like it was a blazing fire that had been ignited in her heart. "I want to be a hero." She looked back at Raven. "I've always wanted to be a hero."

Beast Boy smiled in the most proud way possible. He approached Raven, placing his hand on her shoulder and patting it. "Well, there be no greater time to be a hero than right now." He beamed. "You won't only be saving the day. You'll be saving everyone. You'll be the strong sort of hero, the one that the whole multiverse will remember for their heroism."

"Exactly." She stepped forward. "Believe me Raven, I know it would be tough for you to get your powers back. But considering that the whole multiverse will be safe if you do… don't you think it will be worth it? Even just a little bit?"

Raven looked to be considering this before the determination returned to her face. Except this time, she smiled too, looking like she was ready to go toe to toe with an entire planet. "I do."

Raven smiled. "So you'll do it?"

"I will." Raven smiled at Beast Boy. "If it means keeping my friends safe, then I will take my powers back."

"That be the spirit, Mama!" All at once, Beast Boy's face fell. "But… hold on, yo. How is we supposed to do that? Hexagon is like a thousand feet tall, and Rae rae only be one person."

Raven's heart sank. "That is true." She looked back at the Ravens before, much to her relief, an idea formed in her head. "But maybe she doesn't have to be."

"What do you mean?" Raven asked with a blink.

"Well… Raven, do you remember when we were at that hotel? At breakfast time, you were able to gulp down all the food thanks to the way your mouth works." Raven smiled. "And didn't the way the Trigons fused together involve one of them eating the other?"

Raven blinked, the gears in her head easy for anyone and everyone to see. Then, when it clicked, and when she fully realized what her double was getting at, a look of disgust appeared on her face. "Don't tell me…!"

"Yes." Raven put on an ultra-serious face. "You're gonna have to eat all the Ravens."

Both of the goofy Titans looked ready to throw up. "Dude…" Beast Boy said.

"Do I have to?" Raven asked, looking a little green.

"You do." Raven got down on her knees so that she and her double were level once again. "If you eat all the Ravens, including me, then you'll be able to absorb our powers, just like Trigon absorbed Trigon's power." Raven grinned. "And considering you'll be absorbing a whole multiverse's worth of Ravens, I have no doubt that you'll be able to face Hexagon."

Despite his initial disgust, Beast Boy's eyes started to glitter with delight. "Oh, that would be sick! Raven, you'd have the power of an entire flock! You'd be a MEGA Raven!"

Raven still looked like she was going to throw up. "But… but I… I don't…" She looked at her double. "Can't you do it, Raven?"

"I would… but my mouth doesn't open as wide as yours." She gave Raven a smile. "Trust me, it'll be fine. You have my full permission to eat me, if that helps you feel better."

"Uh… it doesn't, but…" Suddenly, another BOOM shook the street. When the three Titans looked at the shield, they were able to see it was just a few punches away from completely crumbling, despite the effort of all the Ravens. So, in response to this, Raven looked determined once again. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Good. Then do it." That was the last thing Raven said before Raven opened her mouth and swallowed her whole.