raven learns focus

disclamer: i don't own teen titans at all, ii just write stuff down

Note: sorry if this one is all mystical and stuff but this story is writing itself, I am just the guy writing it down.


The day was perfect for flying as Raven flew over the vast ocean. Raven swooped lower just twenty feet off the surface to catch the cool air rising from it. Being so close to Beast Boy made her pulse quicken, and she could feel his heart beat a little faster as she squeezed him tight.

Beast Boy started to wiggle and wave his arms and legs around saying "let me go Raven, let me go". Raven was confused until she saw shapes moving in the water bellow. As she dropped Beast Boy he instantly changed into his dolphin form and slipped into the water without disturbing its surface. Looking down she could see all the shapes darting about as they moved forward at high speed. Several dolphins breeched the surface in an aquatic version of leapfrog, Beast Boy looked like he was in heaven. "Is that how its suppose to be for us, no worries about money or power, no evil, I envy Beast Boy, he gets to at least leave the world behind for a while" Raven thought to herself.

The game carried on for many miles, Raven could not help but join in by shooting under each dolphin as it arched into the air. With a final burst of speed the green one broke the surface leaping high into the air. Raven caught Beast Boy just as he changed back into his human form, hauling him up by his waist, his arms and legs dangling down as both of them laughing with joy as she did a slow corkscrew into the air.

They were over the Australian outback when Beast Boy asked, "how do you know where this dude lives?" "I can't tell you that" Raven said, "I just know where it is." They were flying much slower now and had just passed over a large corrugated steel water tank for cattle, a rusty windmill creaking slowly with the slight breeze. About a half-mile further they saw a ramshackle house with another windmill beside it. "This is the place," Raven said setting them down about one hundred yards away. "Are you sure about this Raven, I don't like the looks of this place" Beast Boy said nervously. "I am sure this is it" Raven said. "Umm you want me to come with, just in case I mean" Beast Boy volunteered. "No its ok, its safe" Raven said "but thanks for offering to protect little old me" she added batting her eyes trying to look like a damsel in distress. "Go have fun, but keep out of trouble" Raven said over her shoulder. Beast Boy had already changed into a green kangaroo and seemed to be pointing to his chest with stubby arms and winking as if to say "who me?" "Yea you" Raven replied waving him off.

As she approached the house she noticed that it looked as though it had not been painted in years. A rickety covered porch provided shelter for a dog perched on its top step, the animal looked as old as the house. As she approached, the dog thumped its tail a few time, seeming to think that was far more effort than was necessary for a stranger. As Raven reached the top step she bent to scratch the dogs head, "don't get up for me old man," she told the dog "I will just let myself in." She walked over to what might be called a screen door; if it had any screen left and actually prevented anything from getting in. Raven lightly knocked on the doors frame hopping that the hinges would not give way. "Amos" she called not sure she really wanted anyone to answer. From deep within the bowels of the dark house she heard a voice call out "your late, what you been doing chasing boys?" Raven paused not sure what to do next. "You will have to forgive me Miss Raven if I don't come to the door, I'm an old man you know and moving in this weather just make me feel older" the voice bellowed with sarcasm.

Raven gently pulled the door open and entered the house, the door banging against its frame as she walked down the hall. The house was a mess; books stacked everywhere, old pictures on the walls in dirty frames. As she moved further down the hall toward a room lit by a bluish light she saw several items that she thought looked like ceremonial cloths and staves but she could not be sure. When she finally came to the doorway of the dimly lit room she had to stop and look back to make sure she was not dreaming.

"Huh, not what you thought you would find am I?" A man that Raven could not be sure was her friend Amos said. The man was defiantly aborigine and could pass for 50 if not 100. The only thing he wore was coveralls, and those seemed to be having a hard time holding his large belly at bay. The man was sprawled out on a broke down couch facing a television that would be considered old in the late eighties, empty beer cans on the floor beside him. "Yes its me, what did you expect a half naked, under nourished bush man?" Amos said. "Well sit down," he said waiving to what might be called a love seat, though it had not seen tender loving care in many many years. This room was much like the rest of the house, other than the television, and an ancient stove next to a sink that was probably put there fifty years ago. The man seemed to be watching a rerun of the honeymooners with the sound turned down, though Raven was not entirely certain that this was not the original episode. She had a strange feeling time stopped a long time ago here or maybe that time did not matter in this place.

"You are the person I talk to, right?" Raven said more to convince herself than to get an answer from the man. "Yes it's me you goof, we talk in the other world, of course I don't look as good there as I do in real life, I look much uglier there" Amos said with a wink. "But your english is perfect" Raven said sounding as if she were accusing him of lying. "Oh I'm sorry, would you rather I call you a shelia and crush beer cans on my forehead" Amos said "I usually only talk like that for tourists, I went to Yale and was about to get a doctorate in mass consciousness when my people called me back here" he continued. "My father was the tribal leader and when he died I had to take his place" Amos finished. Feeling like a heel Raven said "I'm sorry.... its just.. " "No worries, I get it all the time" Amos laughed. " Enough banter you come out here for a reason, you must have, nobody would actually come out here because they wanted to" Amos said, he seemed to be just a little depressed that he himself could not leave. "Boy trouble wasn't it" Amos asked. "NOOOO" shot Raven "I came to see you!" "Oh that's right you came all this way to see an old fat man that you can talk to every night, I believe you, really I do" Amos said, his laughter causing his belly to shake violently. "Come one now you don't have to lie I have already talked to you know who" he said with a wink.

Raven was speechless and could only look at Amos in utter terror. Amos said "come on then" as he heaved his bulk off the couch "you got plenty of time for boy later, now is time for another lesson." Raven could only follow behind him, still speechless. "Our friend tells me you are having trouble deciding things, well I have a cure for that" he said. "How did you talk to her" Raven finally said "I mean she's... and your". "What? In different worlds, oh child you have a lot to learn" Amos completed her sentence. "We are in different places and in different times true enough" he continued as they walked into the bush toward some low hills. "Location and time don't mean a thing in the spirit world love" Amos said. "Before there were people to notice time and place what was there?" he asked her not expecting an answer. "There just was, time is an illusion that you weave for yourself to make you feel like your life matters" Amos finished as they arrived at the mouth of a small cave.

"Here we are then" Amos said. "What is this place?" asked Raven. "It's a special place we don't talk about. It's a place where you find your place in the world." Amos said as he entered the cave. Raven followed him into the pitch black trying to figure out where this was going. Amos lit a match and put it to a gas lantern. The cave lit up revealing white images on its walls. There were spirals, animals, humans and some things Raven could not even identify. "This is our sacred cave and now its yours" Amos said. "In here you don't have to fear the world outside, or the world inside" he said tapping her head lightly. "Now just sit down and start meditating" He said. Raven sat before the caves walls and closed her eyes. "No no no not like that" Amos said "keep your eyes open like the Buddhists". Raven opened her eyes just a little. Amos said in a soft voice, "just let time slip away, you always have time enough in here." His voice was mesmerizing to Raven and the images on the wall started to vibrate.

Raven was not sure but it looked as thought the images came right off the wall and were hovering before her. Slowly she saw a creeping shadow slip in from the side and she held her breath with fear. She knew what that shape was, it was one of her demons set free. "Don't fear it, it cant hurt you in here" she heard Amos say from what seemed like miles away. The demon started to drift towards the big spiral then it stopped. Its start to move away again but seemed to be slowly pulled back toward the spiral. It started to move with a more panicked motion but it was to late the spiral had it. It was getting suck in and it was just then that Raven noticed she too felt the pull of the spiral. Before she could stop it she felt herself being dragged quickly toward the center of the spiral that had grown huge in front of her. Raven felt like she was falling into it and could do nothing to escape.

In the next instant she was no longer in the cave. It took he a few seconds to realize she wasn't even on the planet anymore. Raven was somewhere in space, but she was not cold and could still breath. The universe was on display before her and it made her feel small and insignificant. Compared to the vastness of the universe she was a nothing and her life was not even a speck on its grand scale. Raven thought that it was so strange that before this moment her life was all about one problem or another. Now she saw that any problem she had was a nothing but an instant compared to all the moments that were happening in the universe. Maybe time didn't matter and maybe she should take more time for herself.

Just as quickly as she had arrived in this other world she was back in the cave. She felt hunger pangs in her stomach and could smell smoke from somewhere outside. As she got up she could feel that all her muscles were cramped as if she had been sitting for a very long time. She stretched and slowly made her way to the mouth of the cave.

Outside the mouth of the cave someone had lit a small camp fire and place a basket of fruit by it. Raven plopped down next to the fire and grabbed the nearest piece of fruit. It was strange but she felt like this was the first time she had actually tasted fruit. The sweet liquid filled her mouth and seemed to dance on her tongue. That was not the only thing she noticed that seemed different. The smell of the wood burning, the brilliance of all the stars in the night sky and even the breeze on her skin felt as though they were all new and fresh. She had never felt so relaxed in her life.

At that moment a green rabbit slowly hopped out of the under brush. Raven smiled at it and said "hi Best Boy, you here to keep me company". The rabbit hopped oven to her and settled onto her lap. Raven absentmindedly stroked the rabbit's fur, feeling its silky smoothness under her fingers. Time passed slowly and no words passed between the two. Raven finally said, "How did you know I was here". Beast Boy changed back into his human form, his head resting in Ravens lap. "When I didn't see you for two days I went to talk to the old dude," Beast Boy said. "He said you would be here and that you would probably be hungry so I brought some food" he finished. Raven could not believe she had been gone from her body so long. "Thanks for caring" She said still stoking his hair. The two stayed that way for a long time, just watching the stars Beast Boys head in her lap, Raven stoking his hair.

Finally Beast Boy broke the silence, "umm Raven can I tell you something". Raven answered with a quit hum. "Promise you won't get mad at me" Beast Boy said sounding nervous. "I promise" Raven Said "I have got time enough to listen". Beast Boy screwed his face up tight, eyes closed and blurted out quickly "I love you, I have since I first met you". Time stopped for Raven and she felt like she was in space again. This time she was not an insignificant speck but one moment among many, all the moments making up the whole of the universe. She felt like she was no longer outside the world but a part of it. She was back with beast boy, not a second had passed. For the first time in her life she knew exactly what she wanted, and knew exactly what to do. Bending slowly she kissed Beast Boy. No a kiss of passion and lust but a kiss of love and tenderness. Raven could feel the tension leave Beast Boys face as her kissed her back. She broke the kiss and looked up at the start. Quietly she said, "I have time enough for you, I have time enough for love." She bent again to kiss Beast Boy before he could respond. At that moment they were just a boy and a girl, no wars to fight, no problems to solve, just two lovers under the stars.

Authors note: Maybe this a good place to leave out two friends, miles from civilization, under the vast canopy of heaven.

Let me know what you think