Fan Fiction ❯ After The End ❯ End of Day 1 of 2 ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, unfortunately. Any views or opinions expressed in this fan-fiction are strictly those of the author, me. The latter statement is probably just a formality, unless I somehow work my love of all things Canadian (GO CANADA) into this fan-fiction. Cheese is the root of all evil. If I were to use one word to describe all of the themes to all of my fics so far, I wonder what that word would be. Happy multicolored explosions in the sky day. I didn't see any fireworks go off on the fourth of July. I want to go to college so I can get out of this hell hole so bad. Blame comp problems for the missing update last week.

 

Please Read and review. Constructive criticism wanted.

 

Chapter 7: End of Day 1 of 2

 

Beast Boy stood there frozen at the foot of the gigantic demon before him, unable to even blink. `What just happened?' The changeling thought to himself in confusion. Even though his mind doubted exactly what had just transpired, the events continued to play in his head over and over, not allowing him to forget. `S-Slade was there and then he… Oh God! I think I'm gunna hurl.' All the dismembered humans he had seen and all the blood that had been spilled in such a short time had finally caught up to him now that he had unwillingly witnessed Slade's own demise first hand, and the unpleasant familiar feeling deep down in his stomach refused to be held back.

 

Fortunately for Beast Boy, Raven had sensed his unrest, and allowed her hand to slip from his shoulder down to his lower back. There, she focused on her healing powers to calm the unpleasant feeling welling up within the changeling. However, not once did she look at Beast Boy or even acknowledge that he was even there after that. Slowly, she let her hand fall to her side as she gave her father her full attention. If she had not, there was no telling what Trigon would have done in his fury.

 

“Yes, father,” Raven answered as obediently as she could force herself to be. “This is the one I have chosen to be my servant. Though he appears weak at first glance, he has great strength as well as a darkness hidden within him.”

 

Trigon glared at the green Titan before him as he looked him from top to bottom. Beast Boy gulped under the watchful eyes of Raven's father, hoping that there were not his last moments with her on Earth. “You are correct, daughter,” Trigon grinned slightly as he leaned back on his throne. “I sense much strength within this oddly colored human, as well as the restrained darkness within. If released, the darkness would make a most powerful asset, yet I sense that its loyalties would not lie with me if I did so I will leave him as he is now for you to command. However, you failed to mention the familiarity that I feel within both of you towards the other. He was a part of that meaningless group that you temporarily joined, was he not?”

 

“Yes, father,” Raven answered fearing what was going through the mind of the crimson demon. “He was a Titan while I was a part of that team, but with the choker I have wrapped around his neck, his loyalties can not be questioned. Your actions may be against what he stands for, but he values his life far too greatly to risk losing it by acting out against you. He will make the perfect slave for me. I do not see any reason why he should not.”

 

“I never said there was, dear daughter,” Trigon frowned, “but your desperation to keep him with you is sickening. I will acknowledge his place as your servant, but nothing more than that. Remember, daughter, your loyalties lie with me. Do not allow them to strafe so far as to where they lie with him. Servants are there to serve their masters and nothing more. Once our meeting is complete, your servant can begin to fulfill his role at your discretion. However, there is much that I require of you, daughter. There is much that is needed of you.”

 

Trigon briefly pointed in the vague direction of a neighboring city. “Just past the horizon there is a city that I have chosen to spare for the time being. It is there that our enemies here on Earth are gathering in great numbers. If I wished it, I could destroy them in one fell swoop of my fist, but their pitiful existence's demise is beneath me at the moment. There is a far greater threat lurking in the shadows around my kingdom. It watches and it waits as I conquer inch by inch of their world. I can easily sense their unwillingness not to act and I can sense that their gathered power would be a match for even me, but I cannot understand why they wait. Though it is inevitable that I crush whatever pathetic attempt at rebellion they have in mind, I am not a patient ruler and I will endeavor to crush them now rather than wait for when they deem their demise to occur. Thus, it is to you that I leave the destruction of the human armies positioned in the next city that will fall to us.”

 

Trigon gave one final glare to Beast Boy before turning his head away from Raven completely. “I have sent a significant number of my minions to construct a small campground for you to rest at so that you can attack when you feel that these human pests have dropped their guard, though I have no doubt that your newly gained true self can handle all of them at their greatest. I would rather enjoy hearing the utter chaos you will bring to them when they are unprepared. Their demise is on your hands. Do not fail me, daughter, or there will be unpleasant repercussions.”

 

“I will not fail you father,” Raven smirked as she turned to face her slave, Beast Boy. “Now that I have been freed and my full potential realized, you will finally get what you deserve.” Safely turned away from her father, Raven's four red eyes returned to her two violet ones filled with only hatred for the demon behind them, “I promise you that.” With that, Raven summoned up another dark disk of energy beneath Beast Boy and herself, lifting them off of the rubble ridden cement of the city Trigon resided in for the time being. Without looking back, Raven levitated them away from her father, towards the direction he had indicated.

 

`Yes father,' the hate filled half demon thought to herself as the city they were in became nothing more than a memory behind them. `You will get what you deserve.'

 

llllllllllllllllllll

 

Not far from Trigon's throne city, two teens lived in constant evasion of the demon's patrolling forces. Many times they had come within seconds of being discovered, but they somehow always eluded the watchful eye of the wandering Arkaens. They knew the dangers of even being near an aggressive alien of that nature, but they had to stay close to the signal Beast Boy's communicator was giving off. It was their only trace to Raven, the one they had promised the changeling that they'd save. Yet, as the sheer numbers of the number of Arkaens and the occasional Gredien rose, they knew that they were nearing something big.

 

“This all can't just be a greeting party for Raven,” Robin thought silently out loud while he and Starfire couched beneath a tall field of uncut grass surrounding adjacent to the few roads leading into the city. Fortunately for them, the grass seemed to have been going on unkempt for some time before Trigon's conquest began, and it provided the perfect cover for the two Titans. “All these guards for the city seem a little too extravagant just for her, and this can't be just another city. Jump City wasn't guarded at all like this city is. Something is here, something big.”

 

“Could it be the Trigon is here as well?” Starfire asked, mimicking Robin's hushed tone. “He would be the biggest thing that they have.”

 

Robin almost laughed at Starfire's literal interpretation of his words, but caught himself before he did. He could not risk any more noise than necessary right now. He did not want to get them caught and killed shortly after. “Could be, Starfire,” the masked teen whispered, “but we would need a closer look to be sure, and we just can't take that chance. If he is in there, we'd probably just end up blowing our cover. There is too much at stake for us to screw up at this point.”

 

“But Robin,” Starfire interjected, “if it is indeed the Trigon that is dwelling within that city, then are not friend Beast Boy and friend Raven in danger? They are alone inside this city with that demon. What if they are in danger? What if they require assistance? Should we not be there to assist them in that case?”

 

“Yeah,” Robin agreed, “we should, but there's no way we could get in there without being seen by something. There's just too many, Star. We just have to hope that Raven's current connection with Trigon holds up enough to keep Beast Boy safe. I'm sorry, Star, but it's not up to us at this point. We'll just have to wai-”

 

Robin's communicator suddenly flashed green and a digital map of their position relevant to Beast Boy's position appeared. The green dod signifying their teammate began to move out of the center of the city fast. The dot headed off to the left of Robin and Starfire's position, and they could briefly make out a little black dot disappearing in the horizon as it did.

 

“They're moving,” Robin stated the obvious, having a knack for doing so.

 

“I will fly us-” Starfire began before being cut off By Robin's finger to her lips.

 

“Too dangerous,” the boy wonder stated simply. “We'd either get spotted by the guards or by Raven. Either way would lead to disaster. We'll wait an hour to let them get a head start. Then we'll make our way out of the line of fire of these Arkaens and then tae to the sky. I'd wait longer, but we're running on a tight schedule. We only have one more day to save Raven and get her to safety before things get ugly, and a day is not that long.”

 

llllllllllllllllllll

 

Slowly, Raven guided the dark disk of energy she and Beast Boy stood on back to the ground below. After traveling for almost an hour at speeds which, much to Raven's delight though she would never admit it in her current emotionally controlled state, forced Beast Boy to latch onto Raven for dear life out of fear for falling. The fact that he could easily transform to a creature that could fly if he indeed fell off never occurred to him. Something told him that Raven would not enjoy stopping just to let him catch up if that happened, but maybe the real reason that he was holding on so tightly was because he kind of wanted to be this close to Ra-

 

`No!' Beast Boy screamed inside of his head before abruptly letting go of the teenaged girl in front of him. Falling off was no longer an issue now that they were descending at a calm pace. However, the changeling's mind was far from calm now that he had realized that he was actually enjoying what he was doing with Raven impersonator. `She isn't really Raven. She's not the one you… She's just not the same. Rage is only one part of Raven. Even though it is her body, Rage isn't completely the Raven I knew, so just stop thinking it is. I'm here to save the real Raven from Rage, not enjoy the things I couldn't befo-' Not paying attention to their descent, Beast Boy was shaken off balance as they landed on the ground without warning. Unable to stop himself from falling forward, the changeling once again wrapped his arms around Raven for support.

 

“Clingy much?” Raven mocked emotionlessly while reluctantly forcing Beast Boy's hands from around her. Once again, a part of her wanted nothing more than to let the warmth provided by the green teenager to consume her, and once again her situation denied her from giving in. She hated having to subdue her desires, but she hated her desires even more. `I rather enjoyed using them to frighten the changeling when he came to me, but now these useless desires are meaningless to me. Why is it that I continue to feel this way? Why can I not rid myself of this frustration? Why do I want to give in to them?'

 

`It's because you haven't changed anything,' a familiar voice inside the mind of Raven answered. She was the only one that hadn't been forcefully repressed when Rage gained control, but that alone did not grant her much freedom. `You took over Raven's body, Rage. You have her mind and everything in it, but you also have what comes with it, emotions. You're now more than the one you used to rule over, though you have somehow managed to get rid of the others. Yet, I am still here, and I am feeling you now must endure.'

 

`You again!' Raven screamed mentally in anger. `How you survived when the others fell is beyond me, but I will make you wish you had joined the darkness with the rest when I find where you are hiding. I will not just bow down to your supposed power over me. You are the one making me feel these things while plaguing my every thought, and I demand that you stop. If you do not, I will search my mind until I find you and destroy you just like the others.'

 

`I will admit that I am the mental representation of the feeling that you seem to be “plagued” by,' the hidden emotion explained. `However, I do not make you feel anything, Rage. All I do is place a suggestion in Raven's mind, and right now you are Raven, Rage. Ultimately, it is up to her to feel it, so the fact that you are feeling it shows that somewhere in you, you want to feel that. But for now, I will leave this conversation at that. I suggest that you do as well if you want to have any chance of saving face with the one that makes the warmth that I know you just love spread within you.'

 

`I'm not done with you,' Raven continued to mentally scream until a mysterious weight on her shoulder brought her back to reality. Instinctively, she shot out a field of dark energy, encasing the invader of her privacy in a powerful aura where she would torture them for interrupting her thoughts and especially for touching her without permission. However, all ill feelings toward the person were thrown aside when she realized that the one who had brought her back to attention was actually Beast Boy. Correction: A now very frightened Beast Boy.

 

“R-Raven, I-I'm sorry for touching you,” the emerald changeling pleaded apologetically with the cloaked half demon holding him. “You just seemed kind of out of it, ad you didn't respond to any of my apologies for accidentally latching back onto you like that. Please put me down, okay?”

 

Without warning, the black aura encompassing Beast Boy dissipated, and the changeling fell back to the solid Earth beneath him. “We walk the rest f the way,” was the only response Raven gave to Beast Boy before her eyes once again split into the demonic set of four burning red ones. Without any further words or even giving the out of breath in fear changeling another glance, Raven swiftly walked a steady pace past a confused Beast Boy, ho quickly recovered enough to follow closely behind his new master.

 

It did not take long for the duo to reach the campground that Trigon had spoken of during their meeting with the demon, and it only took an extra second for Beast Boy's veins to run cold when the massive gathering of minions of the demon came into view. There were easily three times the amount that had lined up outside of Jump City, and just like the ones from before, these lived to serve Trigon and his daughter, Raven.

 

`There's no way that anything we've got lined up could go up against these guys,' Beast Boy thought in horror. `Nothing we threw at the ones we faced could even scratch their exoskeletons. The only thing that might have a chance is something that would constantly be out of reach of their tentacles, like a plane. If these guys are let loose on that city, anything on the ground will be dead before they even knew it. But, as long as Raven doesn't give the signal to attack, these guys will stay right here like sitting ducks. I just have to pull off my part of the plan before she can start on her mission.'

 

Raven shook Beast Boy by the shoulders roughly, and gave him a glare far worse than the original Raven when his mind refocused on her. “Do not ignore me again, Beast Boy. I hate being ignored and it makes me want to do things to you that you would hurt you far more than it would hurt me. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes, Raven,” Beast Boy's voice faltered in fear. “I'm sorry. I was just thinking about… things.”

 

Raven raised an eyebrow at the extremely vague answer Beast Boy had given, but it was getting far too late for her to care enough to press the matter further. “As I was saying,” Raven spoke trying but failing miserably to force a hint of annoyance to her voice, “this is where we will be staying until I put my plans into motion. It is not much, but it is all that we will need.” Pointing to what looked like a small cabin, she began leading the changeling towards their final destination for the evening.

 

“Um…,” Beast Boy fearfully began, “could you please explain to me how a small house is right in the middle of the highway? Don't know about you, but that just seems a little unnatural to me.” The changeling stressed the word “little” to try and give his statement a bit of comedic value. Of course, he chuckled at his own joke, but Raven continued to only show the burning anger in her demonic eyes.

 

“My father obviously had it built for me to reside in while I plan the destruction of the human resistance,” Raven stated simply as she continued to walk towards the small building. “He probably gave some of his minions just enough knowledge to complete a remedial version of a home. I have no doubt that all we will find inside is a smooth, cement floor over part of the highway and a single bed. Obviously, it was designed for one person, so it is intended that you sleep outside with the rest of the minions.”

 

Beast Boy went wide eyed in fear as Raven opened the badly crafted door and walked inside, leaving him alone with the aliens that were known to torture humans for fun. And last time he checked, he was still human.

 

“However,” Raven stopped just inside of the entryway while still holding the door open, “you may join me inside and rest on the floor if you wish. That way, I will not have to find you if your duties as my servant are required.”

 

Beast Boy's face instantly brightened at the prospect of being able to be safely hidden indoors from all of the murderous alien's just outside. Though he knew that the choker Raven forced him to wear would protect him from being killed, he did not want to take any more chances than necessary now that he was so close to completing his mission. With a wide grin, the changeling quickly rushed inside the small, one room building.

 

“Close the door,” Raven commended once Beast Boy was inside. “I don't want to stay in this form a minute longer than I have to,” the red skinned Raven spoke almost sounding relieved if it were not for the obvious anger that dripped like venom from her voice at all times.

 

Without hesitation, Beast Boy pulled the door closed and fumbled with the horribly built locking mechanism before turning back to Raven, unsure of what she had meant by form. When he did, however, his jaw dropped in surprise. The menacing red, demonic skin that she wore previously had returned to its natural pale tone. Her four red eyes had once again reformed back into the single violet pair that she preferred. However, once seemingly returned to normal, her cloak lost its dark blue tint to it in favor of a deep crimson one.

 

“You look almost like you did inside Raven's mind,” Beast Boy commented in awe. “Except you still had the four glowy red evil eyes then.”

 

“I'm not inside of my mind, am I?” Raven countered as she walked over to the single twin sized bed not far from the door. Before any response could come from Beast Boy, she sternly looked him in the eye and pointed to the floor at the foot of her bed. “You sleep here.” The red cloaked Raven's heart sank as she heard her own words being spoken. Had she expected herself to say something else? Surely she had not thought that she would have given up the bed, and the other possibility was something that Rage would not even allow herself to consider. Turning away from Beast Boy, she unclasped her cloak and folded it across the footboard of her bed, letting her purple hair out of the shadows that her hood created.

 

Beast Boy had to mentally slap himself… several times to keep from staring at the uncloaked Raven. It was not often that he saw the dark beauty without her protective cloak shielding her from onlookers, but whenever he did, he could not help but admire her figure. Unfortunately, he knew that it was bad enough if Raven caught him ogling her body, but he was dealing with a Raven that was completely consumed by her own rage. He couldn't imagine the pain that she would put him through now, so he did his best to avert his gaze from her more than appealing physique.

 

Slowly, he made his way over to the place Raven had pointed out for him after she had already slipped into the bed and glared at him to hurry up. Even though the cement was too hard, he had pretty much done nothing for more than half the day, and he still thought he was wide awake, the fact that he had gotten very little sleep for the previous week finally caught up to him and he was fast asleep as soon as his head hit the cement.

 

Silence filled the small, makeshift residence as Beast Boy slept peacefully, but Raven was far from at peace. No matter how hard she tried, something kept preventing her from finding the solace that the comfort of sleep provided. There was something missing, causing her to just miss the call to slumber each time it came. Deep down, she knew what it was. She was not missing something, but was so close to having what she desired that it forced her to remain awake. Cursing mentally at the suggestions that the renegade emotion continued to give, her resistance slowly began to deteriorate until she found herself unknowingly giving in after an hour of fruitless attempts towards unconsciousness.

 

Raven soon found herself on the floor next to Beast Boy, with an arm draped protectively around his waist as she instinctively pressed her body as close to the changeling as physically allowed. There cloaked Raven had no more trouble falling asleep that night.