Where do we go from here? [Raven/Rapture]

The air tasted bitter tonight.

It carried the scent of smoke and dust. An entire district of a city burned to a crisp. Many more damaged. The aftermath of a supernatural event, from the days before. Jump had seen worse. The rubble was already cleared out, the wounded brought to hospitals, and the dead - buried at the nearest cemetery. But ... consequences were not yet fully realized, for all sides.

Raven found herself at the top of the familiar building.

It was the one she cast her spell off of, that sealed the Giant Skeleton wrecking the city. It was closed off for repairs, due to being cracked in many places. All people evacuated. From here, she could see the T-tower in the distance. She could also see the wreckage, if she looked below. In less than two weeks, the ultimatum given to them by DOMA would expire. The Teen Titans, the protectors of the city for years, would be arrested for saving Jump once more. And then... who knows what would happen. That is...

If we submit.

It felt so... alien. Suddenly a place Raven grew to call home, felt cold and forlorn. Those people down below - not hers. Consumed by their own problems. It was a difficult, complex feeling, and not a very nice one. She knew to deal with feelings. And yet still, it was difficult. The tower in the distance, its windows lit in the night. So close, yet so distant. It was dangerous staying here. With that lunatic with a sniper rifle still on the loose. Raven doubted that prison would keep her for longer than a day. With her affiliations. Which was why she kept the guard up. And knew, when someone entered the zone. A familiar presence, in recent days. Breathing out into the cold air, the witch murmured:

"You can come out... Rapture."

Breathing in air that stunk of disaster was a familiar one for Rapture, especially the ever-present scent of that which had been burned. As she stood not-so-hidden in the shadows, the young woman was reminded of a similar atmosphere, far in the annals of her childhood yet close as fresh memory: her late father, the mighty and powerful Ragnarök, having completely leveled Parliament as she watched in wonder, proud and amazed by his awesome and terrifying power. But that was when she had been raised to think such things were normal, that the Ymirsson family could only do right. That they were heroes.

Heroes never became a clear-cut concept in Rapture’s mind, even with her many encounters. She did not believe in them, although heroic acts were a real possibility. Certainly, she did not consider herself heroic––only doing what needed to be done, no matter what side that placed her on. But this? The Department of Metahuman Affairs was forcing a new line of thinking, seeing that they certainly had their ideas of heroes and villains –– and how it didn’t matter which side or gray area you fell into so long as you were a metahuman.

Rapture viewed humans just as worthy and unworthy as metahumans, aliens, androids, et cetera; it was what they had to offer that mattered, and therefore, the logical line of thinking was to take no part in this matter. Of course, after what she and many others had been through, being logical was out of the question. Ryuuzaki carried three spirits within her, technically categorizing her as a metahuman. What really concerned her was the idea of registration.

That, she could not abide by, and for a very specific reason––such a plan had been tried and failed horrifically in Japan, with neither side left untouched and faultless. It had been a massacre, considered to be one of Japan’s most egregious errors in modern history. In the end, supers were left unchecked. And left unchecked, they checked themselves… and it worked.

This was history repeating itself.

Fully revealing herself, Rapture’s aura was that of darkness and doom. This would happen. She knew it. “Hard to hide with the spikes,” the petite powerhouse replied nonchalantly, then joined her fellow mage, scanning the aftermath of the battle against Gashadokuro. More solemnly, she turned to Raven. “This civil war will lead to nothing good,” her eyes, downcast. “No civil war does. Each side gets bayonetted, each side bleeds.”

Raven did not turn her head to face Rapture.

It was not needed. Just presence was enough. Her eyes slowly moved from the tower, and down to the wreckage below. As if Gashadokuro didn't do enough. They could do worse... much worse. And while the good guys are fighting, those with no reservations about using their own powers for evil would reign supreme. But does it mean we have to submit to evil? - Raven wondered. But was DOMA really evil?

"You are right." - she said, her feet paddling in the air slightly from the edge she sat on.

"I did not feel malice from most of them, when they came. They were confused, scared. Some were hurt and resentful. Those ones felt they were in the right, and that we were in the wrong. I've never even seen them before."

So many times in humanity's history, the greatest evils were born out of the desire to be safe and secure. These notions were used to justify the greatest atrocities. But ... was it right to let things play out? Was it right to cater to these weaknesses? Raven did not know. But she knew what was rising inside her, something she tried to suppress.

"Resentment." - she breathed out, closing her eyes. "These people are coming to force me out of my new home. They are afraid of what I might do. But in so doing, they will provoke me into that which they are afraid of."

Thoughts out loud. There were so many ways this would go wrong. And yet, Raven could not see a path for a positive outcome.

“Does this mean you are ready for war?” Rapture raised an eyebrow, incredulous. Raven’s mind was still new ground for her to explore, and the volatile Titan could prove to be the very tipping point, as she foreshadowed. “Will you partake in an event that will only lead to devastation?” Again, flashbacks from Japan. Humans, metahumans, no one’s safe guaranteed. Comrades fallen, murdered, special government ops wiped out and civilians mowed down in the process. Carnage, pure carnage… a fresh wound felt even now, haunting images behind Rapture’s eyelids made clearer as her galactic gaze flitted across the ruins.

“The opposition was called ‘HOPE’ of all things –– ‘Heroes Our People Entrust’. Sounds a lot nicer, doesn’t it?” Rapture nearly chuckled, the sickening irony of it all. “There’s no hope now,” she continued darkly. “But Raven? I’m ready for war, despite all I’ve been through. I played a pacifist role during the HOPE war and it has left me gutted. I am a being of blood and worry, flesh and vulnerability. Of course…”

In her mind, she held the lifeless body of her good friend and fellow super, Riptide. Memories were flooding in, unwelcome and cruel. Riptide’s shining ocean-blue eyes had glossed over, dulling as did her mortality.

“…I will not allow anyone to die, opposition or otherwise. Blood begets blood, and I’m quite frankly tired of exsanguination.” Looking at the quiet Titan, Rapture studied her unlikely companion and saw her in Riptide’s place, pierced through the heart and fading quickly. Such torment, so many ruthless reminders. It was strange to compare the two, seeing that Riptide had been so close and Raven still seemed so far. And even stranger still, Rapture had no fear of death; perhaps it had been a twisted policy obtained by growing up in the shadow of a fearless father, or perhaps she simply accepted the inevitable. Nevertheless, it would never be easier to witness the death of a comrade than accept her own.

The petite powerhouse sat down on the uncomfortable rooftop material, but felt a little less vulnerable in return. “I killed my father,” she said abruptly. “I felt no remorse. My brothers died before me, I felt no remorse. My mother died in my arms, and I felt nothing but remorse. So many others I have skilled… the yokai… they’re all sentient beings, and I feel no remorse. I am a murderer, and I feel no remorse. But I don’t want to kill anymore… at least not the living” she continued, “I cannot be my father’s daughter, as much as my body and mind screams for me to do so. Every day is a constant fight. Everyday, Ragnarök hangs over me like some lumbering beast, whispering horrid things and stoking my primal instinct… but now?”

She stood again, stretching. “Now? Now, I want justice.”

"War?"

A scary word. Raven would lie if she'd say she did not consider the possibility. It was a scary thing, and yet... Was what they were doing so far different from war? Risking their lives every day to protect the common people from various threats to their liberty and lives... Except now it seemed that the threat was coming from within. People who claimed to be fighting for the same thing as the rest of them, except having very different ideas of what constitutes "the common good". She shook her head.

"Your dad sounds a lot like mine, huh. My father would have liked that. It would be so easy. Just wave a hand and make their heads pop off. Part the reason I'm into this whole hero gig is to prove him wrong."

The bigger part.

Raven listened to Rapture sharing her story. About the people she had to kill. Including her father. They were similar in that. Two terrible children of two terrible fathers. In a way, they could relate. Something she could not truly do with ... even her closest friends. But was it the right kind of relation to seek out? Briefly, Raven shot a look at the spiky girl. Before diverting her eyes away.

"No. We will beat them the right way. As we do with every other villain. Find out whoever was it that approved of the DOMA program, bring it to light for the black ops mercenary group they are. I doubt the Congress stood for this."

It sounded like a good plan. Except for one 'if':

But what if they did?

“DOMA is not the villains here, Raven,” Rapture said flatly. “We are, so we can’t approach them like villains. This is just… a fucking colossal mess.” She shook her head, spikes gleaming in the fading sunset, just catching the dying vespers of light. Her strong facial structure seemed illuminated by the sun, her multiple piercings glinted as her inscrutable, always-blazing eyes. She seemed rather relaxed for someone discussing the prospects of war, but perhaps that was due to the familiarity. Counting the war her father began, the war in Japan, and now this impending fiasco… three major ones, not counting the conflicts she dealt with every day but never allowed them to peak through the cracks she had accumulated.

“…I don’t care for father figures,” she moved on, not wanting to speak further of the topic but appreciating Raven’s openness. “But I’m not fighting for him, nor am I against his legacy. I am a Ryuuzaki now, not a Ymirsson. I have three spirits inside me, trapped for who knows how long. The Golden Scorpion, The Mother Tiger, The Great Red Dragon… I fight for them. Their principals, their disciplines. We are harmonious yet occasionally contentious relationship.”


Stretching again, Rapture trained her gaze on Raven. “I am not one person, but four, sharing this infernal prison of flesh and blood and worry. But however many facets I have, there stands one mantra, something I hate to admit Ragnarök taught me but has served me well… until now.”
 A deep breath, a resolute expression. “Never hesitate. Use as little energy as possible. Lethality is a must. Now, I have to kick that last one out. It’s like tearing the fabric of my nature, or, or… removing a bone or a fucking limb.” A looming sense of dread seemed to seep through her bones, warming her in familiarity and a welcome chill.

‘Vulnerability is a weakness,’ came an unexpected voice. The Red Dragon’s, caustic. ‘Enough prattle with this mage. You’ve exposed yourself too much and…’ interrupting her spirit, Rapture spat back silently. ‘With all due respect, shut the fuck up.’

"I am NOT a villain."

For the first time in this conversation, Raven's voice rose. It did not sound musing, forlorn, or lost. It was resolute and firm in her conviction. She faced Rapture, and their gazes met and clashed, as if they were blades, with a metal pang reverberating through both of them. "And I have never been. Nor I intend to be. It is not about having power, it is how you use it. DOMA seeks to persecute us for things we have not done."

Her lips tightened, as a silent moment of confrontation went between the two. Raven felt it inside. The fire raising. The desire to reply to the perceived insult. But it was distant, somehow. As if it was no longer there. With an exhale, she let go. She listened to Rapture then explain what she was. A vessel for spirits. That somehow had its own will, instead of being a toy for all three of them to take turns playing. Remarkable. And it... explained a lot.

We are different after all.

Somehow, that was comforting. She would not wish another to be made in her image. One was cruel enough.

"I have to fight my heritage, lest it consumes me. And I think you still want to fight yours. Why would you bother not following his mantra then? Why fight for your spirits instead of yourself?"

Raven met her eyes again. But instead of a clash, it was more like a soft kind of power. She stood up.

"What is your purpose here, Rapture?"

“You are a villain to them,” Rapture clarified astutely. “So am I. It does not matter how you use your power, Raven; in their light, you, your comrades, and all metahumans are cast in a black spot." The petite powerhouse wanted to smack the teen, as if doing so would bring her up to speed with Rapture’s reasoning; this had already been done. HOPE paved the way for this type of senseless violence. The outcome, set. No winners, just losers, and to think otherwise would be foolish. For the first time, a sense of static unrest permeated the air, uncomfortable and unforgiving. She listened as the mage continued about heritage, further confirming that she had not been clear enough.

“And of course I want to fight mine!” Rapture snapped, a fury within her rising without warrant. “I fight the idea that I am my father’s daughter, and in doing so, I embrace my mother’s spiritual side. In fighting for my spirits, I fight for myself.” Fuming, she realized that ends of her hair had began to turn red as she felt her eyes change in colour to what had to be a sanguine hue; in protest, the Red Dragon pushed through the barriers as if to make a point. Rapture’s attire began to morph as blackness covered her body, only to dissipate and leave behind a more severe getup. Falling to the ground and hyperventilating, two sets of ivory horns sprang from her skull, completing the unexpected transformation into the Great Red Dragon.

Spoiler:

He forced Rapture to her feet unceremoniously, straightened, then slowly turned to Raven. Her aura had completely changed, now reeking of malice and raw power. A blend of four voices could be heard as Rapture replied to Raven’s final question.

"We have a use for the world, and the world has a use for us". The statement could not be clearer. Advancing, the spiritual stalwart left bloody footprints where she walked, an echo of the past bloodshed she had traversed. Now mere inches away from the mage, Rapture spoke, this time, in her own voice. “Raven… why shy away from rage? Why shy away from that which can fuel you? Without an extra catalyst, you will die in this fight, or worse––cower from conflict. I am telling you this as your comrade. See me as I am, and choose a side. You, too, are useful. Own it.”

When the question was asked, Raven could feel the girl ... change.

It was a familiar feeling. A burning heat in one's chest. A rage that made one's teeth clench and hands form into fists. The presence was... so very familiar. So overpowering. It resonated within her, urging to let it loose, embrace the rage. The words goading, provoking, tempting her to do it. A plethora of reasons to do so. Righteous anger, rage, hatred, desire to fight back. For a moment, Raven closed her blue eyes, which vanished in the darkness of her hood. But when she opened them again, there were...

Four.

And all were red.

The very next moment, Rapture would feel herself pushed back a few dozen feet at least, if not outright flung off, by an invisible force. Raven's figure would seem to have become larger, instead of one shadow there being four, in every direction, and each of those shadows seemed to be teeming with writhing tentacle-like appendages, which seemed to be moving towards the dragon girl. Raven remained still, four ruby-red eyes gleaming in the night, looking at her target, her victim, unblinking.

Before she suddenly clenched her teeth. Shaking in place, and bringing her hands to cover her face. The shadows wavered, and recoiled, sucked back into the one, normal shadow she had behind. Wavering a little from a sudden loss of control, Raven fell unto her knees, the cloak obscuring her features. Only her lower face still lit by the city lights around them.

"No... I cannot lose control. If I do... things will get worse." - she breathed out, eyes still invisible in the shadows.

"I should go..."

Rapture, in all that she had seen, done, and heard, had never expected the Raven she saw before her. Something nigh demonic, yet restrained enough by the confines of the mage’s tumultuous mind. The appearance did not shock her, nor did the raging inferno so hot she swore she could feel it. Growing in height? Nothing special. Tentacles? Unexpected, but fitting. Four glowing red eyes? Spectacular.

Rapture liked this Raven, and so did the Red Dragon. A kindred spirit of sorts, a vaguely familiar friend. Even as she was pushed back several feet, Rapture stood her ground, sanguine eyes wide in amazement and… adoration. Respect, yes, respect. The Red Dragon’s provocation had worked, the outcome welcomed with open, non-judgmental arms. As Raven shrunk back to size and fell on her knees, Rapture approached boldly, knelt down, and offered her hand. An expression of serenity and hope had settled ever-so-slightly within her harsh features, uncanny and unnerving. A tense bond held the two together, albeit dangerous. A bond that all men shared, something dear to Rapture.

“Akai ito,” she soothed, as if the words meant anything to the Titan. “A Japanese term and ideology translated to the ‘red string of fate.’ Every time you meet someone, or think of something, or do anything related to that person –– positive or negative –– you are connected by a red string, drawn from your heart. The more you engage with that individual in any way, the strong the string gets. Soon, there are multiple strings. Then there are braids. Rope comes next, which turns to steel fibers. Eventually, Akai Ito has the power to turn to steel. Usually,” the Icelandic-Japanese immigrant continued, “it takes years for that bond to forge. But not for us. We are already more than steel. We share yūgen, a profound sense of the universe.”


Every word, she meant. The flame of connectivity, although foreign, had certainly been lit. They had seen each other in their true forms, and could not go back. It was uncharacteristic for Rapture to be so open, but the words had already burst from her heart and mind. That wild, somewhat panicked fervor in her had taken on a life of its own.

“Take control,” she affirmed, resting her other hand on Raven’s shoulder. “Embrace whatever it is you need to, whether it be the teenager I see now or the teenager I saw just moments ago. Flip a coin, for all I care. I just need to know that you’ll take a stand.”

A hand?

An unexpected gesture, especially after such a violent outburst. Still, Raven took it, and got up. Winded, a tad. And disappointed. With herself. These past days, self-control started slipping. Mere words did not deserve this. Especially since a lot of what this girl was said was right. She spoke of a connection between them. And... maybe there was. Maybe I just need someone who can understand...

Fuck it, I'll take it.

Her hand closed around Rapture's, in a handshake, before letting go.

"I will take control, and I will take a stand. For better or worse... There will always be people who would see us in a different light." - Raven looked over her shoulder, at the tower, which seemed so distant with its gleaming lights, as the sun set on both of them, setting it to darkness. She looked back at Rapture. "Thank you for making me realize this. But..."

"What will you do? DOMA will not stop with us. If anything, we're only the beginning."

Rapture could not have hoped for a better response short of a war cry declaring the two of them should take DOMA down themselves. Of course, strategy and, albeit a rather banal notion, rationality would have to be put into practice. She had made it this far with Raven. She would not lose it already, especially with akai ito so strongly present. After shaking Raven’s hand, the spiky-headed superhuman nodded.

“Whatever light we are seen in, we cast the same shadow,” Rapture reassured. “We are always ourselves, no matter what the world perceives us to be.” A lesson she still had leagues worth to learn, but nevertheless true. Identity had always been a struggle for her, no matter where she went; but as she explained, she remained the same to herself, and that mattered more than anyone else’s perception.

“For one thing, I will not hide,” Rapture answered Raven’s question, “I never have… but that being said, I am not keen on lighting any fires, not yet. Not unless I can control them.” As if responding to her more pacifist answer, the Red Dragon faded as Ryuuzaki resumed her ‘natural’ appearance.  She referred to her past, where explosive actions resulted in explosive reactions, and there could be no denying Rapture’s untamed and cruel response. Could the metahumans and HOPE really have achieved peace? Yes, if all supers surrendered themselves. History, however, would not repeat itself in this situation.

“DOMA is outnumbered in power and talent,” she continued. “Unlike HOPE, which was very publicly backed by everyday citizens and several superhumans. In Japan, the smell of blood still pervades the air,” Rapture sighed. “I intend on taking out any metahumans that side with DOMA, Raven, for they are our true enemies. Humans, even with their firepower and power of rage, hatred, and misunderstanding, are just that –– only human. Sentient beings, soft-bellied and fragile. Just muscle and bones and blood and guts. I will not fight them, but I won’t concede. If anything…”

A pause as the last light fell beyond the horizon.


“…should a metahuman take arms with DOMA, I will be the catalyst for war. Peace with never be brokered, so I will break the peace.”

As Rapture talked of humans, and the inevitability of war, Raven looked at her own hand.

She too was soft and fragile. A stray 50-cal bullet reminded her of that well enough. Her body was now clad not in a leotard, but in hard scales of the armor Cyborg made of her. She frowned, as her new friend talked of humans. En-masse, sure, they were that. Weak, frightened, fragile. But Raven had Robin and Cyborg on her team. They were humans. And they were the strongest people she knew.

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth." - Raven spoke to herself, quietly, before looking at Rapture.

"You said you had enough bloodshed... If you are serious about it, I have but one request of you. Do not strike the first blow. If confrontation is inevitable, the moral victory belongs to the defender. If what you say is true, and these people won't stop seeing us as villains no matter what we do... the last thing we need is for them to find justification of their action, in the likes of others..."

With that, Raven levitated herself off the ground, briefly making way towards the tower, by air. But stopped, on the edge of the house they both were on.

"Thank you for being here."