Summary: Raven and Robin Everyone thinks that Slade is gone…they're wrong. Raven is plagued by horrific nightmares and won't let anyone help her, drifting further away from them everyday. Robin is worried sick, and won't let her suffer alone because he cares about her more than he realizes. He manages to bring her back momentarily…but someone doesn't like that…Enters Hell's Fury: The Beginning.
A/N: Hello all! This is my very first Raven and Robin fic, although I have dabbled here and there, nothing substantial though…I just love those crazy birds.
Anyway, you ever meet that person who inspires you to be all that you can be? To try your hardest and do the very best you can? Well when it comes to writing fanfiction I have. I never thought my work was much at all, until the right person came along to review it and put it on their favorites list. I can remember sometimes looking at other extremely magnificent fanfics and I would feel so depressed because I would start to believe that I would never be able to write at that same magnitude, that I wouldn't be able to weave words as beautiful as they're able to and I would just feel terrible inside(and insanely jealous). But then I read this excellent fic and instead of becoming depressed, it made me determined. I was determined to do my best and at least come within a level of writing where that author would say: hey this is pretty decent. That was before I got a wonderful review. True, to any other person it wouldn't have seemed like much but to me it was and it blew me away. I don't take much pride in my work and when someone you admire as I mush as I admire her says something like that…it's just great. You wouldn't believe how happy I was, I couldn't even sleep that night. I wore a grin on my face the all of the next day. I know it was a whole different category but it still made me indescribably happy. She probably thinks I'm an obsessed stalker or something but I'm not, just trying to express how I feel.
This fic is dedicated to Lain Fluff-Master. Thank you for inspiring me to do my very best and I hope this fic measures up to you. I know what you said wasn't much and you probably think I'm being silly…but coming from you it meant a lot. (Btw: That joke of the moment made me laugh until I cried.) I wish this story would inspire someone as much as "A Love Worth Seeking" inspired me. (And no she didn't pay me to advertise her fic.) gets crazy, freaked out stares from everyone I sorry I just get emotional……on with the STORY! (I wasn't sure what to call it)
Disclaimer: You Starfire/Robin and Raven/BB fans are soooooo lucky that I so do not own that show….so damn lucky. -
Hell's Fury: The Beginning
Chapter one: Frightening Nightmares
By: Amber Myst
I'm thinking of you
In my sleepless solitude tonight
If it's wrong to love you
Then my heart just won't let me be right
'Cause I've drowned in you
And I won't pull through
Without you by my side
- Mariah Carey
Darkness surrounded her, everywhere she looked and everywhere she turned…complete darkness. Under normal circumstances, that would not have bothered her, darkness and shadows were her element; she thrived.
However, this was not normal darkness. It was not an absence of light; it was a void, as if light could not and would not flourish there given half the chance. This was something much more sinister; it seemed to be the essence of evil.
Her violet eyes narrowed. An evil she knew too well.
Her footsteps seemed to echo endlessly as she walked along warily, the silence was almost too much. Suddenly the ground around her began to crack and shift, red light filtering in, illuminating the dark ominously. Raven braced herself as she muttered her words. "Azarath Metrion-" That was as far as she got before her voice became lodged in her throat, not even a scream could escape as the ground trembled violently, throwing her down as she lost her balance.
A loud, menacing hissing could be heard as the crack seemed to circle her, separating from the surrounding landscape as extreme steam and heat, along with the bright, flashing red light was emitted. The ground began to press inward, as the slab of rock began to descend, jolting her once more.
The rock was descending at a slow pace and so Raven tried to stand, but as soon as she managed to steady herself, the rock lurched. It began to descend at an incredible speed, forcing her back down onto the slab of stone and to cling to stay on, as her hair and cape flew upwards due to the slipstream.
'What's happening?' She thought wildly.
'Where am I going!' If Raven were the type to panic, she would have done it already. However, she did possess a vague, frightening idea of where this hellish ride might be leading her.
She was moving too fast to decipher her surroundings, the speed of her descent causing everything to come fuse together into one red, gigantic blur. She closed her eyes, and began her chant to calm herself. 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos.' She repeated the mantra over and over, but to no avail. She needed to be completely relaxed, which was not even remotely possible because she was gripping the ground tightly, her fingers digging into the rock almost terrified of what would happen if she lost her grasp. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly against the rapid landscape, the blurring almost giving her a headache.
Soon her descent slowed, and stopped completely, jolting her as it hit a liquid substance at the bottom …where ever the she was. She had a sneaky suspicion though, when the smell of brimstone reached her nose. She opened one eye and gasped both widening. Although she expected it, it still shocked her to the marrow of her being. She stood slowly as she took in her surroundings. It was almost unbearably hot, as flames flashed about her, the smell of burning flesh and brimstone was almost overwheming. Screams of eternal torment and despair could be heard around her and although she was normally deadpanned those screams of horror and torment sliced straight through to her soul making her shudder.
She was encased in a world of misery, a lake of burning brimstone was extended her (if someone can tell me where that text comes from they get a surprise!), lava lapping at the stone she was still situated on. She was in her father's territory. She set her jaw, a determined, grim line settling itself on her face. She had been coming here for weeks now, each way more creative than the last. She was in Hell. The slab of rock under her lunched again as it moved forward again, heading towards some sort of blackened land form, she spied ahead.
She was sweating profusely at that point. Under normal circumstances, she wasn't effected by mild weather, whether it was mildly hot or mildly cold, her demon side saw to that. However, the insufferable heat she was now enduring was neither 'mild' nor the situation 'normal'.
Soon the rock reached the land and before Raven could decide whether to get off it or stay, it began to sink making the choice for her, seeming to say: 'Get off or burn.' Raven was not suicidal…at least not yet and so she lightly stepped from the stone, watching as it small flames licked at the edges as it slowly sank.
"So nice of you to join us Raven..." A sinister voice greeted from behind her, mocking her as she stood there.
She shuddered, the familiar, terrorizing voice almost completely slicing through her defenses. She tensed and closing her eyes as she took deep calming breaths, reconstructing her walls. She didn't have to turn around to see who he was. Raven knew who it was; he was the one who had brought this nightmare down upon her. He has been her tormentor since her birthday.
"Slade." She paused, and after a second or two, she added. "Go to hell!' She twisted her lips dryly, in a perverse smile. It was the first thing to come to her mind…although the phrase was a tad bit unnecessary.
"Too late," he chuckled slightly, before giving in to wicked laughter.
"That's a good one kid." He sneered. "Never knew you had a sense of humor."
Raven sneered back before whirling around, her cloak and hair flaring out as well, from the use of her powers as her eyes turned white as from the sudden spin. She glared into her masked antagonist, and remarked deadpanned. "You're pathetic Slade. Doesn't your 'master' have something for you to do? Such a faithful lackey you make."
She knew it was wrong to provoke him but she couldn't help it. She never groveled before anyone and she was not going to start now. It was always the same though. They would banter back and forth until either Slade's temper got the best of him or until he got bored. Then it began.
His face darkened before he took a step forward. Although he was several yards away from Raven, that single step seemed to bring him inches before her.
Raven gasped as her hair and cloak flew back from the swiftness and sudden halt of his movement, yet she stood still, challenging him with her stance and her demonic glare.
He returned her glare at her before cracking her across the face, throwing her head to the side.
Raven did not respond. Her face was on fire and it felt as if he had broken her jaw. She wavered before falling to her knees, clutching her jaw as her cloak settled around her. "You…bastard." She narrowed her now red eyes angrily, and clenched her hands in the dirt against the pain as she spit out a mouthful of blood.
Slade laughed, his voice baneful. "That should teach you to run off at the mouth…I don't care if you are his daughter." Raven was his now and she would learn her place. He watched with a dark amusement as she knelt before him. "This is the position you are to take even when you think of me."
The roaring pain in her face had yet to diminish and she summoned some of her power to dull it to a low ache. She touched her face tentatively and winced. That was going to leave a bruise. She slowly got to her feet before staring at him furiously and lifting her jaw, her narrow, red eyes glowing demonically. She growled before launching herself at him, in a fury as he laughed and easily evaded the lunge, using her own momentum to run her into the ground. "You will learn to answer to me Raven, or I will destroy you."
"I answer to no one! Hell will freeze over first!" She was clenching and unclenching her hands furiously, trying not to let her anger overwhelm her again like it was prone to do. She thought back to a fight she had with Terra and she remembered well what happens when she loses her temper. She loses all sense of herself and reason. She automatically clenched her jaw, and pain flared throughout her. She whimpered before she started to glow with a black aura, tendrils of black crawling around her as levitated from the ground. That's when she decided to screw sense, she did not need it. All she wanted now was euphoria that would come from ripping Slade to shreds, to hear his screams of pain and his bones breaking, to feel her hands become coated in his red, metallic blood. At this point, Raven lost complete control of her dark side, her demonic heritage burgeoning furiously to the surface, determined to wreak it's revenge.
At that simple admission, chains flew out of nowhere, attaching themselves to Raven's ankles and wrists, before tightening, leavening Raven suspended in air so that she was level with Slade. Her black aura immediately diminished and with it sense was reestablished. She would later realized that this time, she could have done without the return.
She gave an experimental tug on the chains, but they didn't budge. There was no slack in the chains at all. Raven winced, the shackles creating an uncomfortable yet pleasant sensation. True, the metal was biting into viciously into her pale skin, and her arms felt as if they were about to be ripped from their sockets, but the metal was cold. The only coolness among, the agonizing heat.
Slade seemed to have read her thoughts when he replied. "Don't worry, it won't last long."
As soon as those words escaped his mouth, his raised his hands and a symbol burned on his forehead briefly, before streams of flame erupted from his outstretched hands. The flames were directed towards the chains holding her up, and before long, the said chains began to glow a bright red, heating them but not to the melting point.
Raven cried out, as the scorching shackles branded their image into her pale skin. Once her echoing scream stopped, she took deep, shaky breaths, refusing to give Slade the pleasure of another scream. She concentrated on her harsh breathing in her attempt to ignore the unbearable pain. A steady stream of blood trailed down her arms before stopping completely as the heat of the bonds wore on, growing worse. It was agony. The pain swept throughout her body, like wildfire. The smell of her own burning flesh made her head spin, feelings of vertigo and nausea dominating, as her body paled even more.
Raven began to lose conscious, her body begin automatically shut down, not able to stand the pain anymore. As her vision blackened, the last thing she remembered seeing was Slade's sneering face. Her whole being seemed to swell with hatred and hostility at that single sight, her eyes glowing red briefly.
She dimly realized that the fire stopped engulfing the chains around her wrists, although the burning metal did not cool, and started up around her ankles, searing them as well. At that point she completely blacked out, but before doing so she heard an echoing scream, she wasn't sure if it was hers or not, but she was beyond caring…she just wanted it all to stop.
"I will break you."
Raven awoke with a shuddering sigh, the nightmare replaying unbidden in her head. It was just a nightmare, but it felt so feel. She hugged herself, hanging her head, as her hair shielded her darkened eyes from view. These nightmares weren't going to leave her alone…she hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long while. Every night was spent tossing and turning in excruciating pain, unable to escape what lay beyond her world, behind her flickering eyelids.
Her eyes traveled over to her nightstand where the luminously face of her clock glared at her, mockingly as it read: 5:30. There was no way in hell, (excuse the ill pun) that she was ever going back to sleep that day.
That's when she noticed the pain in her ankles and wrists. She quickly jerked her wrists up to eyes to examine them as they widened, with incomprehension. Her wrists…they were charred, impossibly black, her skin burned away. It caused an interesting contrast with the normally pale skin flanking the wounds. They felt painfully raw and she yanked back her covers and noticed the same on her splayed ankles.
Her eyes widened impossibly wider as she scrambled from her bed and cried out hoarsely as she put weight down on her feet, springing back onto the bed. Tears welled up in her eyes. 'Ok,' She thought. 'No walking.' She was lucky the wounds weren't bleeding, but it was a twisted kind of luck because it was only the burns that stopped the wounds from bleeding. The burning was meant to cause pain, but also cauterized the wound, sealing it shut.
Her mind was in chaos and she was dimly aware of the items around her room that were glowing black with her aura, levitating. How was this possible? When she had other variations of the dream before, any wounds accumulated there stayed there. In other words, what happened in her dreams shouldn't be happening to her body! Unless her dreams, were no longer dreams. She shuddered at the thought as evil laughter rang in her head. It sounded disturbing like Slade's.
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, as much in pain as to keep the tears from escaping from her eyes. Was she no longer allowed any kind of peace? Was she to be haunted in her sleep as well as when she was awake? She was afraid…she would admit it. She was afraid of what was happening to her and what was prophesied to happen to her...of what she would do. The clock next to her exploded, along with her windows, letting in the howling, frigid wind. She quickly tried to regain control over her rampant emotions and powers as she sighed miserably. She would have to deal with this, was her determined thoughts as she firmly pushed away her fear.
Different variations of why flew around in her frayed mind. Why was this happening to her? Why was her life destined for loneliness and despair? Why? Ever since her cursed birth, she's been afraid. Afraid of hurting the ones she loved, of destroying the world and of losing control only to reawake, to find the mangled, destroyed bodies of her friends littering the debris that was left of the T Tower. A sob escaped her unintentionally. She shook her head and forcefully suppressed any other emotions that were swirling inside of her heart and head, threatening to erupt. Emotions were for the weak, and she wasn't weak.
She had to hide these wounds from her friends, they would ask questions and she couldn't tell them. There was no use in worrying them over her situation when there was nothing that could be done to prevent it. They were already sick with worry, she had been avoiding them.
She sighed deeply as she began her chant, the only thing that managed to instill in her peace and security. By the time she had her emotions under control, her room looked like a hurricane ripped through it, and one in fact, did. A black furious hurricane created from her powerful emotions and pain.
She sighed. Life was so unfair. Nevertheless, she had gotten use to it. It was just plain retarded to complain over something like that. She was surprised she even thought something so cliché and pointless.
First, she had to get dressed and so she levitated her costume over to her, and put it on slowly, minding her painful wounds. She contemplated wearing stockings before she remembered she didn't own any and it wouldn't do any good to wear her civilian clothes. Her friends would definitely ask questions she couldn't answer and she didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings...at least, anymore than they already were.
Therefore, she settled for a pair of boots that stopped at the middle of her calves, effectively hiding the burns. She wore extra pairs of socks to alleviate the pain and to prevent chafing.
She would have to treat those wounds, she thought offhandedly.
She was never more happy to have her powers, her hellish inheritance, than at that moment when she levitated herself from her room and through the tower, into the kitchen. She went automatically to where she kept the kettle and put on some water to boil, grabbing her ceramic teacup from a cupboard above the sink. She settled down into a chair to wait for the kettle to whistle, alerting her to the fact that the water was heated. She glanced up at the wall, the kitchen clock reading, 6:30. She sighed. The earliest person to be up besides her would be Robin, who would probably be out of bed in an hour or so.
'That boy takes his job seriously, almost to the point of obsession.' She thought fondly, a shadow of a smile appearing at the thought of the Boy Wonder.
That same expression disappeared and was swiftly replaced with a small frown. Since her birthday, the feelings she felt for her fearless leader had changed. She didn't even know why they changed. It could have been the way he caught her after her fall but he had saved plenty of times and she never felt anything other than slight gratitude. After all, she was a team mate and he was just doing his job, looking out for her. He would have done it for anybody.
Every time he smiled at her, her heart jumped into her throat and every slight caress had her skin tingling. In addition, on the rare occasion he would actually touch her bare skin, her nerve endings seemed to explode and her traitorous body would concentrate on that one caress despite her mind's avid objections. She sighed dejectedly and cradled her head in her hands. Her emotions were so twisted at that moment, she felt she desperately needed something to calm her nerves and tea would do just nicely. Her leg began to twitch as she started to tap her foot against the linoleum floor with quick, irritated slaps. She shouldn't be thinking of Robin like that.
"Damn can that water take any longer?" The object of her thoughts was suddenly engulfed in black with reaction to her emotions and thrown out the window. (The kettle, not Robin)
Raven jerked as hot water was splashed onto her head, and she looked up in shock as she heard the breaking glass.
Hadn't she been burned enough that night?
At that point, she engulfed herself in black and teleported to the roof for meditation. Apparently, the tea idea didn't work although she wished it had. Tea would have relaxed her immensely, although not as much as mediation would have. The cool breeze blew over her, calming her fraught mind slightly. So she settled down in her Lotus position and started to levitate, chanting her mantra as the sun rose. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" As the warmth of the sun's rays warmed her skin, she cleared her mind of everything: Slade, her father…Robin. Soon she descended so deep into herself she lost track of time and everything else.
Robin yawned and stretched languidly, his muscles contracting before loosening, as he rose from his bed. He no longer needed an alarm clock; his schedule was burned into his subconscious. He always awoke right around dawn, unless they had just been on a particularly strenuous mission or if he was injured. He then started with his morning ritual with contained brushing his teeth, showering, etc.
With all that done, he made his way down to the kitchen, almost slipping on spilt water. If it wasn't for his quick, cat-like reflexes he would have fell and busted his ass.
He frowned. 'I shouldn't have to clean up after the rest of the titans." He thought to himself, as he grabbed a mop and dried the wet floor hastily. He was their leader not their mothers. He then set the mop aside, before noticing the wind howling through the kitchen. He looked over to the broken window and then sighed. He came to the conclusion that he lived in a zoo, and with Beast Boy as one of his roommates, he meant it quite literally. He made a mental note to have Cyborg fix it.
True Cyborg mostly dealt with mechanics and machinary but he was also fairly versed in other things such as repair, which was necessary when living with four other teenage superheros.
It was around 8:30 when he finished making his breakfast, and around nine when he finished eating it, unhurried.
That was when Beast Boy bounded into the kitchen, immediately declaring he wanted tofu eggs. Follow by Cyborg who was vehemently refusing to eat the vomit that Beast Boy named 'tofu'. He then announced he had a 'hankering' for some bacon.
Robin sighed. When didn't Beast Boy want something tofu? And when did Cyborg want anything other than some type of animal? One of these days, Cyborg was going to eat Beast Boy and the only ones who would probably mourn his lost would be him and Starfire. Raven disliked him, and would probably kill him herself eventually, and Cyborg might miss him, but only because he would have lost his video game buddy, although Robin acquiesced to play a few times.
At the thought of Raven his thoughts soured. There was something wrong with her and he knew it had something to do with her recent birthday and Slade. But he just couldn't figure out what that something was. They hadn't heard from Slade again, after his last mysterious appearance. Raven and him shared a bond, a bond he shared with no other member of the team.
She had secluded herself, and was always secluded in her room. This was somewhat normal for her but not isolation to this extent. She no longer responded to Beast Boy's lame jokes, whether it was a snide remark or a sarcastic zinger or even to threaten him with countless painful deaths. She became more reserved, and a reserved Raven was almost as worrisome as an angry one. She did nothing with the other Titans, she didn't go to the mall with Starfire anymore, and she no longer helped Cyborg with the T-car. The only times she left her room was to eat, rarely with the team anymore, and to go on missions. He saw her so little he was beginning to think she wasn't eating at all.
Sometimes she would sit in the living room and read her books, but he suspected it was only for show because her eyes rarely roamed across the pages. She would stare blankly at the words and Robin sometimes wondered if she even saw them. Even when he blasted the music or when Beast Boy and Cyborg were being loud and rowdy, she didn't show any kind of reaction to it at all. It was almost as if she was drifting day to day, barely living.
He hated to admit that he was worried sick. She didn't let anyone in, after her birthday, anymore. She did confide in him the day of her birthday which invoked a feeling of…happiness or contentment at least, because it showed she trusted him to a certain extent. It wasn't even because he was her team leader. Raven couldn't give a damn about society and its rules.
He wasn't the only one worried about Raven's behavior, everyone was. Beast Boy even went to the extreme of playing a joke of Raven, despite the endangerment of his health. She didn't even notice it and continued to ignore everyone, no matter how hard they tried. He was planning a team meeting to get to the bottom of this. Raven was a vital part of their team and he wanted to make sure everything was ok. Besides, he cared for her and so did the rest of the team.
Soon Starfire walked through the door, awakening him from his contemplation. She smiled brilliantly before announcing: "Good morning Friends! I would like to inquire if you would join me for the day at the place of large white screens and sticky floors!" Translation: She wanted to go to the movies.
"Sounds good, Star." Robin smiled at her and she beamed back.
Cyborg grunted his reply and Beast Boy squeaked his as they both fought over the spatula. "Let go you Metal meat eater! I got here first!" Beast Boy tightened his grip on the cooking utensil and braced his feet on Cyborg's chest before pulling with all his might.
Cyborg kept a hand on the spatula as he shoved Beast Boy's face away with the other. "No! You Green tree killer! Just take your dame tofu from the fridge and be done wit it!" He spat out the word tofu as if it were diseased.
Beast Boy repeatedly bit Cyborg's hand savagely as he changed into several animals in his bid to get his utensil back. Suddenly the spatula blew up in their faces. Cyborg blinked several times and Beast Boy's jaw dropped as he cried out. "NOOOOOOO!"
Starfire giggled a bit before, floating over to her friends, shaking her head. "It is not nice to fight with you friends."
"Why Starfire, why?" Both boys cried out dramatically. Robin rolled his eyes and Starfire giggled some more.
"Did I not just explain why?" She looked slightly confused.
"No lost cause." Beast Boy then let go of Cyborg whistling, as he made his way past him and into the refrigerator before pulling out some tofu and consuming it. Everyone watched him blankly.
That is, before Cyborg blew a fuse. "You…all this time…why…I...ARRGGG!" He roared before launching himself at Beast Boy, who squeaked and abandoned his half eaten plate of tofu, fleeing from an enraged Cyborg with pleas of help.
Robin chuckled a bit before getting up to deposit his dishes into the sink. He didn't feel an inkling of sympathy for Beast Boy, for he was always getting himself into those kinds of situations.
"Those two never get tired." Random insults could be heard firing at each other. Such as, "Get back here you green piece of turd, and ha, you wish, metal butt!" Besides, Cyborg always knew when to stop before he injured Beast Boy to the point of no return. Robin winced as he heard a cry of anguish from Beast Boy and a loud cracking sound that sounded like BB's spine was just rearranged…well usually.
"Friend Robin?"
Robin turned around to face Starfire, who seemed to be slightly anxious as she was twisting and shredding the paper napkin she was holding. "Is today the day we talk to friend Raven? I fear for her and am very worried." Starfire bit her lip, as she glanced at him, her eyes, displaying the worry he himself felt for Raven.
Robin nodded. "Sure Starfire…you wanna go get her?"
"Oh Glorious! I shall go fetch her!" Starfire exclaimed before flying off to go do just that.
Robin composed himself as he gathered his thoughts. He wasn't too sure what he wanted to say to Raven exactly only that they needed to talk.
Suddenly he heard Starfire's frantic scream, as they all rushed to see what the problem was. 'Please be alright!' He urged. He wasn't sure if that plea was for Starfire…or Raven.
They arrived at Raven's bedroom in record time. "Starfire!" He called out anxiously when he saw her. "What's the trouble."
Starfire turned tearful eyes towards his. She pointed at Raven's room with a shaky finger. "I fear friend Raven has been abducted!"
Robin shook his head, as he reached her. "That's impossible Star, we would have…" He trailed off as he viewed the damage of Raven's room.
"WOAH!" Beast Boy uttered, taking in the damage through wide eyes.
"You took the words right outta my mouth." Cyborg said, and Robin silently agreed.
"These are signs of a struggle, are they not?" Starfire asked fretfully.
"If that ain't the biggest understatement…" Cyborg swore. What the hell happened?
"It looks like World War III went on in here while we were sleep! And it looks like Raven lost…big time!" Beast Boy squeaked, unbelievably.
Starfire whimpered from fear for Raven and Robin glared at Beast Boy. "You are not helping Beast Boy!"
"Yeah," Cyborg added. "We have to find out what happened, and where Raven is."
Robin nodded as they all entered the destroyed gloomy room except Beast Boy. "Come on, we'll search for clues."
Beast Boy looked a bit apprehensive. "You guys remembered what happened last time we entered Raven's room?"
He squeaked as Cyborg's arm shot out and dragged him into the room by his collar.
There you go. It's kind of on the long side…coughs 5300 words coughs Anywho, tell me if you enjoyed it or not. It is the first chapter after all and is slightly dull…at least in my opinion it is. And it might seem kind of one-sided but it's not. So review plz, ciao!
Spread your wings and fly...Butterfly