Fan Fiction ❯ A Raven's Cry ❯ Meditation is Supposed to be Relaxing... ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5

 

Beastboy and Raven walked through the mall, looking for a store that would suit Beastboy's tastes. "We'll have to go get you measured for new uniforms later."

Beastboy shrugged, "I don't know if I want to stick with the same old uniform."

"Yeah? Why the sudden change?"

"I dunno. I guess I'm just ready for a change." He looked down at Raven and grabbed her hand. He felt her stiffen for a moment, then relax. "Do you not want to hold hands?"

"I'm just not used to a lot of physical contact and I've already had more today than I have probably since I joined the titans."

"Well, we'll just have to fix that." He gently squeezed her hand. "This looks like a good place." He steered them into a clothing store. "Let's see what they've got."

Twenty minutes later Beastboy and Raven walked out of the store, Beastboy carrying several large bags. "So, what do you have, besides your uniforms I mean?"

Raven shrugged. "Aside from the occasional rave, I never had a reason to wear anything else."

"Come on then." He started leading them toward another shop.

"I don't need anything."

"Sure you do, my treat." Beastboy shifted all of his bags into one hand and grabbed Raven's. "Come on." He dragged Raven into the store that he had been aiming for.

"I really don't like to shop for clothes."

"So? I'll pick the stuff out if you won't, you just have to find the right sizes."

Raven sighed as he led her through the aisles. "Fine, if it'll make you happy."

"It does."

"Are you sure that you can pay for this?"

"What else do I have to spend money on?"

"I thought you were saving for a moped."

Beastboy smiled, "My parents left a trust fund when they died. It just started paying out on my last birthday."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It's not all that much, most of it was embezzled by one of my various guardians over the years, but it's enough considering I've got free room and board."

Raven pulled shirt off a rack and looked at it, "I don't know, I never really thought about clothes before."

"I'll help you pick them out then."

 

Cyborg walked into the living area and saw Raven and Beastboy by the couches. Raven was hovering in her usual meditative pose, softly murmuring her three words over and over, and Beastboy held a game controller, but was watching her. What surprised Cyborg, though, was that Raven was in black jeans and a dark blue t-shirt.

Cyborg walked over to Beastboy and leaned down next to him. "You got her to wear something besides her uniform?"

"Yeah. She's allowing herself to feel now, so why not?"

"If she's allowing herself to feel, why does she need to meditate?"

"She can still lose control of her powers. Feeling emotion actually makes it harder for her to control them."

"Huh." Cyborg watched Raven quietly bobbing for a moment, "Hey, is that your moped in the garage?"

"Yeah. I finally got the cash for it."

"Cool. I'll help you soup it up later."

"Thanks, dude."

"See ya later, man."

"Yeah."

After Cyborg walked out, Beastboy turned off the GameBox and leaned back. "I wonder if I can connect with her again." he though. He leaned back, folded his legs under him, and closed him eyes. It took him only a moment to clear his mind, and almost immediately found Raven.

At first Raven felt totally peaceful, as calm as a still pool. As soon as he thought of that comparison it appeared in his mind, a still pool that he knew was Raven. As he watched it he saw a gentle ripple destroy its perfection, fear. He focused on it and heard Raven's voice. "Trigon's gonna come, he's gonna kill them all, only if he finds out, of course he'll find out."

"Raven, I won't let anything bad happen." Beastboy tried to make himself sound confident, but anything that worried Raven was pretty bad. He was also sore from his earlier dream encounter with Trigon.

"You can't stop it, Beastboy. No matter how hard you try, you can't stop it."

Four red eyes appeared in the pool, and Beastboy heard the voice of Raven's demonic rage, "You should not be here, you are intruding."

Another Raven spoke up, "He can be here, he is a comfort to us."

Again, Rage spoke, "We should just kill him, if he is gone we will have nothing to feel for and Trigon will not come."

"Why offer advice to prevent Trigon's return? You want him to come back."

"Perhaps, but how can you know what I really want? Of all your emotions, I am the only one that is alien to you, I am demonic and unless you embrace me, you will never know what I truly want."

"It does not matter, we will not kill him."

Beastboy found himself in Raven's mindscape. He was standing on a stone bridge stretching over a chasm with no visible bottom. "Where am I?"

Rage appeared before him, "My realm."

"Have you brought me here?"

"Yes. I wanted to meet you for myself." She slowly flew around him, seeming to examine him closely. "You are weak. We deserve better than you."

"Maybe, but Raven wants me, whatever you may want."

"I crave strength." The bridge shook suddenly and began to expand outward. Soon Rage and Beastboy stood on a wide platform. "Show me what you have. Prove to me that you are strong, and I will not argue any longer with Raven's decision."

"So, I have to prove myself to you."

"I will fight her decision if you are weak."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I am not a living being, I am part of Raven. You can not cause me any harm, injuries will heal almost instantaneously and I can not die."

"So no matter what I do..."

"I will be fine. Now if you are done stalling..." She lifted her hands and swiftly brought them together.

Beastboy was barely able to shift into his giant gorilla form before to large boulders hit him from either side. If he had not shifted they would have crushed him flat, but as it was he was able to shatter them before they struck him. Shifting back to his human form he asked, "Is that good enough?"

Rage gave a mirthless laugh, "Hardly." She dove at him, her hands covered in dark energy. It extended out like claws as she flew at him, trying to drive them into his throat. "You haven't shown me anything yet."

Beastboy shifted into a hawk and soared up, dodging her attack. In the air he switched back into his gorilla and came down behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her in what would have been a bone-shattering bear hug.

Rage only grunted in pain and he found himself thrown away from her. "Better, but still not good enough show me what you've really got."

Beastboy landed in his normal form. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Show me your darkness." Tendrils of dark energy flowed from beneath her cloak heading for Beastboy. He quickly shifted to his raptor form and used his sharp rear claws to try to cut through them as they came for him, but his claws simply bounced off of them.

As Beastboy felt the tendrils wrapping around his arms and legs he shifted back to his normal form. "What darkness?"

"You have a monster, show it to me."

"I won't." The tendrils had now fully immobilized his arms and legs and were dragging him to the darkness within Rage's cloak. "It's too dangerous."

"Then I will make sure you lose her forever."

"Have it your way, then." Beastboy gave up his control to his beast. Immediately he shifted to his beast form and stood, throwing off the tendrils with ease. In one claw he grabbed half a dozen of the tendrils, trying in vain to recapture him, and pulled her to him. He lifted her by the throat and grinned showing a mouthful of sharp fangs, "I'm in control now."

He threw her for the edge of the platform, but she was able to catch herself in the air. "Better." She used her power to throw a number of large rocks toward the beast, all if which he dodged with ease.

The Beast vanished completely, and appeared below Rage, "Not good enough." He grabbed one of her ankles and swung her to the ground, his fist following into her face, "Not nearly good enough." He raised his fist again, but was thrown off with surprising strength.

"You've not won yet." She was bathed in dark energy, "I will not allow it." She whipped her arm across her chest.

The Beast could see a thin stream of energy stretch from her fingertips and pull across his arm, splitting it open. He fell back with a roar, clutching his bleeding arm. "You'll pay for that." He jumped and flew towards the red-cloaked figure.

The Beast landed on Rage, forcing her from the air onto the ground. She threw him off again, and leaped to his feet, her hands encased in black energy stretching again into claws. She swept them across his chest, opening up three long slashes.

The Beast grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the ground again. He tightened his grip around her throat. "You will die."

Rage removed his hand easily, and stood. "You are not controlled by Beastboy."

"No. You are not controlled by Raven."

"They are more alike than they would like to admit."

"Perhaps."

"You are strong enough."

"Of course I am." Beastboy's vision started to fade as his legs gave out.