The Demon's Assassin (Damirae)

Chapter Five

Raven tossed and turned the whole night, not getting much sleep.  The wound she had sustained from Deathstroke had taken a lot of energy out of her, not allowing her to meditate as much as normal; the consequences being intense dreams.  Dreams so vividly awful it would drive any human insane.  Luckily (or unluckily) for her, she was used to them and she also wasn't quite human.

It had been years since Raven had trapped her father in the gem, but she could still feel him fighting her everyday.  Viciously trying to corrupt her thoughts and control her body.  No one understood what it felt like; to have the Devil inside of you.  So much pressure to stay in control, never knowing if evil thoughts belonged to her or her Father. 

When Raven heard Damian had gone after Deathstroke, she couldn't help but wish for a second he would finish the job.  The job that no one wanted to take on.  Maybe it was the devil inside of her, or maybe she was tired of seeing her friends die and innocent lives being destroyed.  So many lives had been impacted by Deathstroke, and Raven being an empath felt physical pain when she thought about him.  He was evil.  

But, she knew it wasn't right.  And she also knew that Damian shouldn't sacrifice all the progress he's made over a madman.  Damian had been fighting what he'd been taught as a child for years.  He had grown so much, whether it be his restraint during a battle, or the way he treated the victims he saved gently and carefully.  His heart was pure and noble.  Many times, the hearts of heroes are ones of hubris and self-gratification.  They want glory.  But Damian is different.  He needed to help people even if it hurt him.  He was more of a hero than anyone Raven had ever met.  He just didn't know it yet. 

After awhile, Raven decided to get out of bed, knowing there was no way she was going to get anymore sleep.  She headed over to the common room and thought about going to check on Damian since their healing sessions started today.  She knew it would be easier on her body to intermediately heal him, but she was a little nervous about spending so much time with him one on one.  They had become friends over the years as he learned to trust his teammates, but Raven still felt a bit... blind around him.

Although Raven had over time gotten to understand his heart through his moments of extreme sacrifice and selflessness, Damian still hid his emotions unusually well when they were together one on one.  Raven felt empathetically blind around him.  She feels the same way around the other members of the Bat-family, too.  Dick is kind and funny and caring, but whenever Raven is around him, she has a hard time picking up on his emotions too.  It must run in the family.  Heroes trained to never be exploited by the enemy, or even by friends.  She shivered at the thought of Batman.  He must be a steel wall.  In fact, she doubted she could pick up on his emotions if her life depended on it. 

Raven decided to make her way to the rooftop to try and meditate for an hour before she checked on Damian.  When she arrived, she noticed she wasn't alone.

"Why are you up so early?" Raven asked walking towards Damian. He turned around unsurprised by her company. He obviously knew she was there before she spoke. He was Batman's son after all. It was impossible to sneak up on him.

"I could ask you the same question," Damian retorted, turning around and walking towards Raven. 

Raven looked at him as he approached.  Damian was shirtless, only slightly being covered up with wrap around his torso where his wound was.  Still, he looked perfect; with his tanned skin and toned body being extremely noticeable no matter how hard Raven tried not to look.  He had also grown taller than her these past few years.  Significantly so.  His black hair had also grown a bit, messily framing his tan face.  His eyes were a piercing green shade, intense and sharp.  The way he moved was confident and graceful, and Raven couldn't help but be a little self-conscious about how she looked.