AN: Enjoy, updates will come approximately every day. Please read and review, constructive criticism would be great too.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans
"The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we're afraid. We fear we will not find love, and when we find it we fear we'll lose it. We fear that if we do not have love we will be unhappy."
-Richard Bach
"Ignore the whispers of the dark"
Chapter 1 – The Telepath
The sun shone magnificently, its bright yellow rays reaching to the farthest corners of the world. The quiet rasp of the afternoon breeze, wisped softly through Jump City and rising to the heights of Titans Tower. The five heroes were enjoying the day, doing what they did best. Beast Boy and Cyborg sat tensely on the couch, focusing intently on their video game. Robin studied the newspapers, looking for any hints of Slade's return. In the kitchen Starfire slaved away, working on another Tamaranean dish. And Raven sat, in solitude, grasped by the iron grip of the book she was reading.
Suddenly the tranquil environment of the Tower was interrupted as Starfire shrieked with terror, and an entire wall of sticky, beige mixture exploded from its bowl, splattering the walls and dousing the common room in goo.
"Aw man and I just polished this leg!" moaned Cyborg, trying to rub the gooey substance off his mechanical right leg.
"Dude, this better get out of my hair" cried Beast Boy as he sniffed cautiously at the mixture.
"I am sorry friends, I did not wish to cover the room with the goo" said a sincere Starfire.
"Maybe you should take a break from the kitchen Star" said Robin, finding the situation slightly amusing.
Raven just rolled her eyes, managing to have avoided the bulk of the spray. Quietly she turned the page, as if nothing had occurred.
"Come on guys, we'll get this cleaned up quicker together" said Robin, taking on the role of the leader yet again.
"Or" interrupted Raven in her gravelly voice, as she used her powers to transfer the beige substance into a bowl.
"Thanks Rae" exclaimed Cyborg, surprised by her helpfulness.
"Yeah, it would've taken me days to get that gunk out of my hair" said Beast Boy, giving her a cheery smile.
Raven just turned her back to him, resuming her seat on the other side of the room. She sighed, stealing a glance at Beast Boy. He had grown up so quickly. It had only been one year since Terra had returned from the dead, claiming to have lost her memory. But even after such a short time, he had changed. They could actually have a civil conversation without trying to tear out each other's throats.
"Hey Rae, you want to have a go?" asked Beast Boy holding out the game controller, interrupting Raven's thoughts.
"Pass" muttered Raven.
"Aw come on, just one game! That's all I'm asking for, one" cried Beast Boy.
"I wouldn't play that game even if you threatened me with your breath" said Raven, in her deadpan tone.
"Hey! My breath isn't that bad, I just had a bad mix last time" said Beast Boy defensively.
"You mean the last six times?" replied Raven, getting annoyed.
Robin looked over to Cyborg, who rolled his eyes. Raven stood at the end of the room, glaring irritatedly at Beast Boy. He always knew how to rub her the wrong way. Every time Raven began to think that things were going well between them, Beast Boy had to push her buttons.
"All I asked for was for you to play one game. When was the last timeI got something that I wanted?" said Beast Boy passionately, his voice raising.
Raven opened her mouth to reply, when suddenly the loud blare of sirens resounded through the tower. The pair broke the deathly glare between them, and looked towards Robin.
"Trouble" muttered Robin, his eyes scanning the sensors. Starfire appeared glad for the interruption of Raven and Beast Boy's argument.
"What kind of trouble?" asked Raven, trying to forget her annoyance at Beast Boy.
"There's a new guy in town, and there's no information on him. We'll just have to improvise when we get there."
"Aw yeah! Let's teach the newbie how things are run down here" exclaimed Cyborg, revving up his sonic cannon.
"Let's just go" grunted Beast Boy, already walking away. Robin and Cyborg exchanged a sideward glance. Raven merely stepped past them and floated quietly to the Tower's exit. Without another word, the three remaining Titans quickly ran out trying to catch up with their two mismatched allies.
The sun was setting as the Titan's pursued their target. The orange ambience of the sky gave the city an eerie glow, and the clouds that had previously layered the air had by now dissipated. Raven and Starfire flew side-by-side, their uniforms flapping in the wind. Beast Boy had assumed his pterodactyl form, and flew roughly through the air behind Starfire. Below them drove both Robin and Cyborg, speeding through the roads, as they fought to reach the villain before he did some serious damage.
"I've just gotten reports about this new enemy. Apparently he calls himself The Telepath" said Robin into his communicator.
"That's interesting… so I'm guessing he's a telepath?" muttered Raven.
"That's right, looks like he's able to drive people mad with his words too…" replied Robin.
"So basically, we just don't listen to the stuff that crops up in our heads?" asked Cyborg.
"Basically…" answered Robin grimly.
As the Titans turned the corner, they saw their enemy. The Telepath wore a smooth white mask, covering his entire face, without even an eye peeping through. He was dressed in a white suit which shone from the remaining sun's light. Without a word, the man threw two green balls at Robin and Cyborg. The two swerved their vehicles away from each other, dodging the explosion of the balls.
"Titans, Go!" yelled Robin, as he threw three flying discs at his enemy. The Titans leapt into action. Cyborg fired his sonic cannon, at the man, who flew up into the air, dodging the beam by metres.
"Oi, Robin! You forgot to tell us he could fly" cried Cyborg, disappointed he had missed.
"It doesn't matter, we're bringing him down like any other villain" grunted Robin, dishevelled that they hadn't made a better first impression.
Starfire flew ahead, firing starbolt after starbolt at her target, each missing as his flexible body swerved to dodge each of the green balls of energy. Beast Boy flew at the white enemy, trying to scratch at his body with falcon claws, but with little hesitation the telepath kicked him aside, sending him flying down the street. The villain looked back at Raven, as if waiting for something, then as quickly as he had glanced at her, he turned back speeding away.
"Azerath metrion zinthos!" cried Raven, as black energy enveloped the street, sending hundreds of objects at her target. He swerved quickly, strafing left and right, causing everything to fly past him. Raven focused her mind, using her power to envelope the telepath in dark energy. Just as she was about to send him crashing down to the ground, she felt a strange feeling spread through her mind, as if something was slowly reaching into her head, and covering her brain with its black shadow. From the increasing darkness that was advancing through the depths of her mind, came a voice so silent that it felt as if it had been spoken next to her ear, as a quiet whisper. "Raven…" it whispered, chilling her to the bone. She gasped, her mind retracting from her power and releasing the telepath. She couldn't believe that she had let that voice scare her, she should have known that her enemy would have used his weapon soon enough. Shrugging off her misgivings she called upon her powers to be stopped again by the intruding nature of the voice.
"Raven…" it whispered, yet again.
She closed her eyes, focusing her mind but she couldn't get that dark voice out of her head.
"What's the matter Raven? Having trouble thinking?" the voice said.
"Leave me alone" Raven whispered to herself.
"You already are alone. You're always alone" it said, the voice echoing through her mind like poison.
"Get out of my head!" she snarled, her heart beating fast.
Something gripped her mind, like a vice, causing pain to burst through her body. She cried out in agony, as she looked down to her friends to help her, but how were they to know of her plight?
"They don't care about you, why should they? All you've ever been is the person who stands in the corner. They don't even like you" the voice drawled, stabbing at her mind.
"Go away!" stammered Raven, her mind clouding with fear, the voice was trying to snap her, and she knew it.
"The only reason they hang around you is because of your powers. They don't want you, they only need you. As soon as you show them your weakness, they will dump you like everybody else has"
Raven tried to ignore the voice, speeding ahead of the other Titans. She had to catch the telepath before the voice had a grip on her.
"Run all you like Raven, but you can't escape me. I am the darkness that lurks at the back of your mind. I am the part of you that knows the truth. Once your so-called friends discover you were unable to defeat me, do you really think that they will be your friends anymore?" the voice murmured in her head, stabbing at her heart with its icy points.
It's not real, it's just a man, she told herself.
"Where are your friends now? Have they abandoned you so soon?"
Raven looked around, her friends were indeed nowhere to be seen. She had flown so far ahead that she had lost sight of them. She didn't have time to call for help, she needed to end this now.
"To your face your friends laugh and chatter, but what do they think of you really? If you are capable of hiding behind a mask, why not them? What do you think they talk about behind your back? Why do you think they avoid you so? To them, you're not a friend, you're a tool. They never liked you, they never wanted you, you were never wanted in your entire life, all you've ever been is alone" raved the voice, that was shattering through her mind. She could feel her emotions welling up beneath the barrier with which she held them at bay.
Raven and the Telepath were in a desolate street of town, when the villain stopped and faced Raven. She looked at the man, she would defeat him, and she would do it alone, Raven told herself. The voice might be disrupting the control over her powers, but she was still able to fight without them. She flew at him, sending a kick in his direction, but easily he dodged it, and quickly sending her crashing down to the ground.
"Pathetic" whispered the voice, quietly.
Raven let out a growl of anger, as she watched her enemy waft down from flight, and landing softly on the ground. Brashly, she launched herself at him, throwing punches and kicks at him, but he was in her mind, and had no trouble evading her attempts of retaliation. He kicked her swiftly, sending her into a nearby car.
"Weak"
She lifted herself up from the car, walking slowly back onto the street. She had to beat him, what would her friends think otherwise? That she was weak? No, she said clearing her head, their your friends, they won't care.
"You don't have any friends remember? They were never your friends. They might have appeared so in your face, but when you lock yourself away in your room, what do you really think they talk about?"
"Shut up" she moaned, her voice cracking slightly.
"What's the matter… demon?"
"Shut. Up" she shouted, backing away from the villain, who was slowly walking towards her.
"You're a weakling. You're a demon. Hated among men, hated among children. How could anybody like you Raven? How could you even think that anybody could possibly like you? You thought they were always with you. But really, you're alone. Sitting naked. In the dark" said the voice, its volume dissipating in the air, like smoke.
"No" she murmured to herself.
"And in the end. They don't care about you. They don't like you. They hate you. Everybody hates you" said the voice, as it screamed into her head. A thousand words resounded throughout her mind, reverberating with endless reprise. And in her head, the barrier that held back the flood of emotions streamed out of her, inundating every portion of her mind, pushing the telepath's voice out of her thoughts and summoning the power that rested deep within her. And in that instant she lost control. And she screamed.
Three streets away, a changeling morphed back to human form, watching the spectacle in front of him. The black incarnation of a red-eyed raven exploded above the towers and buildings of the city, engulfing a wayward street in darkness. Beast Boy stared on, as he watched the dark form dissipate into the air like smoke, and from his lips came a quiver of a whisper.
"Raven"
AN: Hope you enjoyed it. I live in Australia, so please excuse the differences in our spelling and American spelling. BTW, this is my first fanfic, so great if you could comment.