He loves her and no one else. These words lingered on her mind that hung onto every minute and refused to let go. He loves her and no one else. The words seemed to bore into her, sinking the immunity he'd taken from her.
He loves her and no one else. Those words pursued her actions and affected her pride and dignity that fleeted her greatest loss. The love was killing her slowly, deeply drowning in the midst of the publicity.
Robin was killing Raven without being slightly aware. He and Starfire had become a couple back in their mission in Tokyo, and she felt herself murdered slowly without acknowledgement.
Raven loved Robin, her similarities they shared, the bonds they housed. The past that was alike in every way, being orphans and struggling to find an outlook of life. Robin had accepted her in the world, welcomed her, greeted her, and saved her from her prophesized destiny.
She had no intentions of dreaming he would fall in love with her. She knew it was beyond impossibility that Robin would disobey his loyalty that was devoted to Starfire. His allegiance towards her was a bond stronger than her relationship with him.
When Robin and Starfire became the couple of some nameless dread, Raven moved on, fleeing from the pain that was still murdering her in the worst way. It was a pain that couldn't be cured.
She'd moved on, away from it all, her life distancing away from her concentration on them. He loves her and no one else. Raven knew those words would never change.
XXXXXXXXXX
Raven yawned eerily in the broad moonlight, stretching her arms above her. She was at the ocean bay, on her nightly shift for monitoring the city. The other Titans were out as well, with the exception of Starfire and Robin, who were watching a movie.
Beast Boy was monitoring downtown, also presumably to catch a teenage girl that he could hang out with. Cyborg was standing guard over the west side of town. Over the years, Raven's hair had grown down to her shoulders, and she wore a different uniform.
She wore tight leather pants with slits that cut across her thighs. She also wore a sleeved leather shirt that exposed her stomach. The sleeves stopped at her elbows. She wore ebony gloves with open fingers, but she wore the same shoes. A gray hood was attached to her shirt, but she never used it, due to her long hair.
An oceanic breeze flew through the air, bringing an aromatic scent of fresh pastry and pasta. Raven inhaled deeply, her mouth watering. She was ravenously famished, she realized. Being ignorant of her needs, she continued to stroll down the bay beach, her hair wildly ruffling around in the breeze.
She folded her hair down, pinning them with her hands. The full moon illuminated her path, and she paused, contemplating deeply. She released her hands that held down her hair and she continued her walk down the beach when gray clouds rolled in, blocking the bright light.
Raven sighed in disappointment, feeling a raindrop caress her cheek. The rain finally collapsed, colliding against her skin. She felt the bitter cold and she clutched her arms in attempt for warmth.
She enjoyed the rain, its lightning, its thunder. The rain expressed her feelings. Thus, she felt no need to hold a telekinetic shroud to shield herself from it, because she welcomed it. Despite being rained on, she felt tears well up in her eyes.
The emotion hut her like a bullet, unexpected, though she kept walking, tears rolling down her cheeks. She bit her lip tightly, clenching her jaws to keep herself from sobbing. The memory that Robin could never be with her, always haunted her, finally expressed.
She wanted to be with him, to be sitting warmly against him, rubbing shoulders, watching a movie with him in a public theater, even with the damned paparazzi. Instead, she was out in the rain, where her memories were held with it.
Flashback
"Raven?" Robin hollered. Raven whirled around, tears in her eyes. Beast Boy had broken her heart, claiming he didn't love her, he only thought of her merely as a friend. Though Beast Boy and Raven had been dating for months, he'd been lying to her.
His confession was painful to Raven. She didn't take it lightly. Beast Boy even confessed his love would be forever devoted to the beautiful blonde, Terra, the girl embedded into stone.
She'd been at the top of the tower, sobbing, her heart scarred. Robin came up behind her when she didn't reply to him.
"Raven, are you okay?" He inquired over the sudden flash of lightning, and thunder echoing across the sky afterwards. Her amethyst eyes glanced at him, tears rolling down her face.
He surprisingly reached out and rubbed away her tears, with a stroke of his hands. He cupped her cheek, her eyes wide in wonder.
"Raven, its not your fault." He said softly, placing his other hand on her shoulder. He stepped closer to her. "You don't have to do this. I hate seeing you like this." He admitted, stepping so close their faces were inches apart. "Please, don't." He stroked away more of her tears.
She bit her lip at the time, swallowing her sob. Robin smiled at her.
"I love you, Raven." He whispered. At the time, Raven had no persistent way of knowing if he meant it. But his next action surprised her the most.
He leaned in, parting his lips and his mask closing slightly. Raven leaned forward, in a welcoming meet. And their lips met, the rain colliding with them, they closed their eyes, and he wrapped his arms around her, and she placed an arm on his shoulder.
At the time, they both meant it, and it was for sure. Afterwards, they began to date, always taking advantage of the rain to relive their first kiss. But as time progressed, Starfire had admitted that she loved Robin more than anything else.
She also said that Raven was her best friend, and even though she bid them a friendly welcome, she became more demanding from her best friend, and more insistent on Robin. Robin and Raven knew what had to be done. Hearts molded to stone, they parted for Starfire's sake.
They parted, their love, their relationship, only to be replenished back to a simple bond. They also parted for Beast Boy's sake. Ever since they became a couple, Beast Boy had been less team working, always attempting solos.
So Robin and Raven no longer were two birds of a feather. They destroyed their loyalty for each other for the bond of the team. Raven thought she could handle it. She couldn't.
End flashback.
Raven swallowed, tears rolling down her face. This time, Robin wouldn't be there to wipe her tears, or to press his lips against hers in a fatal attempt to remember their first. They were no longer "you and me". They were "Raven and Robin."
Raven's shoulders trembled, and she fell to her knees, shivering from the cold, and being beaten by her loss for him. She couldn't get over him, somehow, he got over her. If he really loved her, would he really love Starfire and act like she was only a friend?
He didn't love her. He loved Starfire. He loves her and no one else. She bitterly reminded.
It was then that in the faint light that a shadow was cast over her from behind. She didn't glance behind him, for fear it could be Robin. She completely avoided eye contact, whether it was her beloved teammate or an enemy.
"What do you want?" She whispered, gasping weakly between breaths. The shadow laid a hand on her shoulder. She felt fleeting warmth from it, an aura that she wanted to stay there. "Who are you?" She weakly inquired.
"I hate seeing you like this." Came a raspy voice. The voice was somewhat familiar, muffled by a mask and interpret differently. From the corner of her eye, his glove, his gray, X marked glove.
"Red X?" She hissed. She jerked her shoulder away from his hand, and she planted her hands onto the ground. She supported herself up, tears still coming down her cheeks. "I'm not in the mood. Get the hell away from me before I do it for you." She growled.
She tried to repress a sob, and she collapsed back on her knees, her back still facing him. She brought her hands in front of her, her palms implanted in the ground. The tears fell onto her hands, and she watched them.
From behind her, Red X watched her with deepened pity. He had no idea what he was doing to be honestly rash.
"Raven?" His voice whispered. He walked around so he was standing in front of her. Raven gazed up at him, tears in her eyes. He knelt down and he gently reached out. She winced, making no attempt at fighting him; she was too weak for that.
He placed one hand on her forearm and another on her shoulder. He leaned across her and used his foot to support the both of them up. And they stood like that, until Raven wrapped her arms around him in a thankful embrace.
Tears were still caressing her cheek, though her sobbing ceased. Red X was suspended in surprise, yet he found himself wrap his arms around her waist.
"Thank you, Red X." She whispered in his ear. "But…" She hesitated. "Why are you doing this?" She softly inquired. Red X held her slightly tighter.
"Because I hate seeing you like this." Red X repeated, and they simultaneously let go of each other. Wonder was held in her eyes.
"Why me?" She queried. Red X paused, hesitant.
"Because I…." He had no idea what to say. For him, it was instinct to destroy his loyalty as a thief and help her. It wasn't even part of his nature. He gazed away, deeply pondering. He had no idea why.
"I don't know, Raven. I don't." He honestly replied. Raven's lips twitched slightly into a faint smile.
"Thank you." She whispered. He reached out a hand and, he delicately stroked a tear away from her face. He gently wrapped his hand around hers. They simultaneously stepped towards each other and she buried herself in his arms.
That was when an ear-splitting ring broke the maudlin silence. Raven's communicator. Red X withdrew silently, and his masked eyes met hers.
"I'll see you around." He said. With that, he pressed the stud in his belt, and he vanished. Raven smiled, as the rain continued to fall, she retrieved her communicator. The gray static faltered and cleared to show the dim outlines of Robin.
"Raven? Are you okay?" He inquired. Raven's smile fell to an impatient frown. "We've all reported back to the tower. Where are you?" He continued.
"I'm coming, and I'm fine." She growled. Robin was taken aback.
"What's wrong?" He queried.
"Nothing, Robin. What's with you?" She hissed. Robin gazed away.
"Sorry. Just come back to the tower, our shift's over." He reminded. Raven nodded and shot her communicator. She glanced up, a faint smile across her expression. I'll see you around. Those words were bittersweet to her.
A raven surrounded her in a telekinetic shroud, and with an intake of crisp air, she appeared in the living room, her smile hesitant. The oceanic breeze gave a final blow through her, the four titans gazed at her in wonder.
"What happened?" Robin immediately inquired, concern etched across his face.
"Yeah, you're usually the one who gets here first." Beast Boy reminded. Cyborg administered a clout on Beast Boy's head.
"I just felt like taking extra seconds. Its no big deal." She insisted. Robin finally backed off. "So how did your hot date go?" Raven darkly asked. Starfire and Robin's faces alit to deep crimson.
"Why are you mad?" Robin stammered, a hand behind his head. Raven raised a brow.
"Of course I won't be mad Robin." She said sarcastically. "We monitor in the rain while you neglect your duties." She added painfully. Robin held his head, slightly ashamed.
"Well, it's not my problem. You two are a couple anyway." She flashed a fake smile on her face. "Anyways, I need to meditate for now. Goodnight." She turned her back to them an disappeared behind the double doors of the living room. Robin glanced at Starfire, who merely shrugged.