lostmoonchild: Okay, I'm sitting here and listening to music with a throbbing headache that actually makes me want to scream. Why am I not taking aspirin if the pain is that bad? Because my headache's forcing me to focus and I don't feel like stomping on my poor foot or hitting any bruises just to get this chapter done. When this chapter's done, I'm going to bed.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or anything else unless I say otherwise.

Chapter Eighteen

The pain was beyond anything she had ever felt before and the worst thing was, she had no way to make it heal. Time would heal it, she supposed, but how long would it be before the pain fully went away? Would it ever go away?

Raven ran through the torn land with tears rolling down her face. She wanted her twin but she knew that her twin wouldn't be able to help her anymore. Her twin wouldn't be able to get hurt since she was in a better place.

At least, that's what she wanted to believe. Raven didn't know where those like her went when they died. Did they go to Heaven because of their humanity or did they go to Hell because of their demonic heritage? Maybe they didn't go anywhere but got trapped in limbo.

Now that she thought about it, she really hoped that people like her went to Heaven for all of their good deeds. If they went somewhere else just because someone was prejudice she was going to be pissed and would probably make it her personal mission while on the other side to make it so her kind could at least go somewhere good if they did good.

Heh, equal rights for half demons. That was sure to go over well with the demons and humans.

She stopped when she realized one of Trigon's followers was following her and was preparing to attack while she was preoccupied with her thoughts. Bracing herself for the attack, Raven willed her powers to her hands. Distantly she wondered how many of Trigon's followers she could kill before she rejoined her friends.

Deciding that the challenge was set, Raven attacked.

"I'm pleased that you've been getting along with my daughters' brothers and sisters. I know they're difficult to handle." Arella said before taking a sip of her tea. "Especially the older ones."

"They're not too difficult." Beast Boy boasted.

From the look that had appeared in Arella's eyes, she knew her daughters' siblings perfectly well. "Well, after we got used to them." Cyborg amended.

Arella nodded slightly before setting her tea down. "Did she suffer? A mother can never stand to bear the question of if her child suffered in their final… moments." Arella said as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"No." Robin told her. "Alynn passed away fairly quickly."

"I always knew that my daughter was going to die. Fate, it seems, isn't very kind of my daughters. My youngest girl gets told that she's going to be the cause of mankind's destruction and my oldest girl gets told that she's going to die because of my youngest."

Mothers really did hurt when their child suffered. How much agony did she endure because of what was planned for her daughters? Even with the time that she had to brace herself, the pain was still there and it seemed to grow stronger. Had Arella actually hoped that she would be in her grave before Alynn passed into the next world?

"Friend Alynn has surely done many glorious and wondrous things." Starfire said in an attempt to reassure Arella. "Friend Raven will be here before long and she will without a doubt be pleased to see her mother in good health."

Arella forced a smile. It was hard not to like her daughters' friends with their conflicting personalities that somehow managed to blend together. Clearly Raven had chosen friends that she could be proud of and that she would either kill or die for. "I trust that Raven will as well." Arella confirmed. "If there's anything she's good at, it's her will to live on even when others have given up."

Damn it, she was running out of time but she was too hurt and weary to keep moving. Maybe she should have brought part of her last opponent with her so she could have a meal. Nobody would mind if she were covered in blood just as long as it wasn't hers.

No, her mother would care. By agreeing to this whole mess then she had agreed to go against everything that the monks had taught her. They had wanted peace and here she was, adding onto the fighting.

Did she care though? It didn't bother her that she was taking lives. All she was trying to do was get back to her friends and little brother while she still had a chance. She had only four hours to get to them before they were sent home.

Would that be a bad thing though? Meys would be safe on Earth with her friends and she could heal. When she healed, she could go back to Earth and reassure everybody that she was safe.

No, she couldn't do that. She needed to get moving once again and this time she couldn't stop.

He wanted her to be safe. He wanted her to come back and to hear her call him an idiot. He wanted to smell her scent again and see those amethyst eyes looking at him with such a calm look that it was almost creepy.

Beast Boy didn't say anything as he waited anxiously, his eyes flickering around the ruins for the familiar blue cloak. She was still alive, he could feel it. He could feel her very presence brushing against his as if telling him that she was coming as quickly as she could.

Somehow he knew that she was hurt but she didn't want to stop. She was going as quickly as she dared to, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything else. He could tell that she had enough power to transport them all back to Earth, but only when she was healed enough to be able to do the proper spell.

There! His eyes fixed on a flash of blue as his heart began to soar. It was her! "Raven!" He shouted before transforming into a bird and flying down to where Raven was moving towards the tower.

"Raven!"

She nearly jumped when she heard Beast Boy's voice shout and watched as he flew down to her in one of his animal forms. A soft smile spread across her face as she stopped and watched as he changed back to normal, seeing the smile across his face. "You made it." Raven said softly. "Meys got you all here in one piece."

Beast Boy hugged the other Titan as carefully as he could, making note of all of her injuries. There were cuts across her face and neck while gaping gashes crossed the rest of her body. Whatever fight she had been in had obviously been a bad one. "Get on, I'll take you up." Beast Boy said before transforming into a pterodactyl.

Without arguing, Raven climbed onto his back before surrendering to the peace that had been wanting to take over for so long now.

The Titans and Meys watched as Raven hugged her mother, her face showing both peace and pain. "You've done well, my daughter." Arella told her daughter as she touched Raven's pale face. "I'm so proud of you. All of you."

Raven looked at her mother for a moment before answering, "But I couldn't protect sister. I couldn't-"

"Raven," Arella's voice was soft and soothing, "there was nothing that you could do. It had been predetermined just as everything else is."

Nodding slightly, Raven hugged her mother again before offering a little smile. "I'll come home again to visit soon." Raven said softly.

She went over to her friends and smiled softly at them as she picked Meys up. "Will I like Earth, big sister?" Meys questioned with a worried look.

Kissing her brother's nose, Raven smiled softly. "I don't know," she admitted before looking at her friends. "But I do know that we can do anything as long as we're together."

Waving to Arella, the group was surrounded by a light as Raven chanted the spell that would take them back to Earth.

lostmoonchild: Damn it! The story's over and done with and I'm not happy about it! Oh well, all things must eventually come to a pass and I think I did pretty good with this story even though I abandoned it for over a year. Anyway, read and review, flames will be accepted.