As the sun slowly rose against the horizon, the stars began to disappear from the sky. Titans Tower gleamed in the sun against the sparkling ocean.
"Uhhnn.. Morning already?" Raven groaned as she put a hand on her pounding for head. She moaned as she put more pressure next to her jewel. "Damn it, I hate head aches."
The young hero slugged her way to her closet and picked up clean clothes. "Hmm.. I feel like blue today," she joked to herself before she hung the robes on her arm. /I wonder what Robin has been up to lately... He seems so stressed out, it just feels like he's not telling us something... and that really bugs me/
Raven opened the door to the bathroom and turned on the water on hot. She stripped her clothing down, folded it and set it on the counter before stepping into the steaming hot shower. Raven uncomfortably washed her hair as she let all the awkward thoughts pass through her mind. /Robin and Star have eachother, Cyborg has at least a handful of girls wrapped around his finger and BB can charm anyone in a heart beat and Terra.... And who do I have? My library? Uggh... I need to stop this I'm just being hormonal./ "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she clutched her hair and the shampoo bottle exploded.
"Hey Rae?" Beast boy knocked on the door frantically.
"Whaaaa!" Raven slipped on the slippery floor and fell on her bum. "WHAT Beast boy?" she spat.
"Could you please hurry up in there? I have to go!"
Raven groaned, "Could YOU please wait a few minutes? I've just gotten in the shower." She slowly rose from the shower floor.
"Rave I REALLY gotta go!" Beast boy was cringing in a twisted motion.
"Then just come in here! For the love of Azar!" Raven uncomfortably washed her legs when Gar walked into the room. Steam cleared and when Gar awkwardly stood next to the sink.
"uhhuhhh.. Rave, I think I'll just wait for a little bit." Gar's checks when hot as he began to turn around.
"Wait!" The changeling turned around embarrassed. "Could you hand me a towel?" Beast Boy turned around to find a white towel on the toilet seat and handed it to her. "Thanks Gar," she wrapped the towel around her body and stepped out of the shower, blushing deeply. She tried to hide her reddening checks under her black hair unsuccessfully. "Uhh.. See you at breakfast," Raven grabbed her robes and levitated to her room.
"Bye?" Beast boy whispered watching Raven hover away.
----------
"Aww man!" Raven's checks felt hotter than ever as she buried her face in her hands. "How could I let Gar see me like that?!" She sighed deeply. /Why do I always have to get myself into these situations where I make myself look like a creepy idiot?/ Raven Pulled her robes and shoes on before she opened her door.
"Hey Rae," Beast boy was standing stupidly in front of her doorway. "Uhh.. about earlier I-"
"Don't push it Garfield, please?" Raven stormed off towards the kitchen to greet the others.
"I was just gonna say you forgot your communicator.."
/Why do women have to be so difficult?/
"Titans," Robin's voice appeared over the intercom. "There's trouble downtown. Someone is threatening to kill atleast 25 civilians. A guy that calls himself Death."
Beast Boy ran past Raven, "Lets go!" She levitated quickly behind him.
They met Cyborg down in the garage. "Hey Victor, where's Robin and Star?" Beast boy said, jumping in the passenger's seat of the T-Car. "They're just about here," Cyborg was checking his built in map scanner on their location. "Seriously, ever since they started dating they won't stop sucking face. It's giving a little scary, you can get brain damage from that, man."
Raven smirked and Beast Boy burst out laughing.
Starfire and Robin arrived with their arms around each other. "Will y'all hurry up? You're taking forever!" Cyborg jumped into the front seat eagerly.
"Yeah, this guy is gonna cut people's throats if you don't hurry up and I'm not joking!" Beast boy yawned in a mocking motion as Star and Robin squeezed into the back seat. Raven crossed her arms and mummbled when they started talking about what they were planning on doing tonight. Her eyes saddened with loneliness and her mouth parted and she let out a silent shaky breath as she peered out the window. Gar glanced at her through the mirror and frowned. Raven caught his stare and he looked away.
"So Robin, this Death guy. Do you know anything about him?" Garfield Logan let out a sigh.
"Huh? Ohh... yeah. Supposedly he can take away a person's life force by a touch of the skin and contact with his eyes, but only when those two are a combination." Robin had a hand on Starfire's leg, he was rubbing it with his thumb.
"Damn.. Death stare takes on a whole new meaning with this guy," Cyborg's human eye widened. "Yes, so we must avoid both of those at all costs," Starfire smiled.
Raven curled her legs up on the seat and rested her head on her knees. "Yo, Rae! Watch the leather seats, man!" Cyborg panicked when he caught sight of her in the mirror.
"Oh, sorry, Vic," Raven mumbled quietly. /I wish this day was over, I just want to go into my room and meditate or sleep or something! Anything to clear my mind of this hormonal loneliness.. I swear, Robin and Starfire are going to make me sick./
"Raven is there something wrong? You haven't really said much today," Robin looked a Raven half heartedly.
"I'm fine, I'm just not in a talking mood today, that's all." Raven put a strand of her dark black hair behind her ear as she continued to look out this window. "A storm's coming," Raven turned to face all of her friends as the T-car came to a stop. "Now... are you ready for it?"
"What?" They all looked at Raven cryptically and confused. "Ready for what?"
"To fight Death, of course," the cloaked girl jumped out of the car and began to levitate to the top of the sky scrapper.
The teen shrugged it off and followed her path to the villain.
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"Ahahahaha!" the dark cloaked figure let out a bone chilling laugh. He seemed to slowly phase through time as he floated over a young woman. The figure put a fleshless finger on her chin, raising her head up to meet his empty eyes. "Do you fear death?" the girl shivered and tried to jerk away, but he put his skeleton hands around her head. "Are you prepared to take it as it comes? Will you take the sweet, sweet bliss of the oblivion and embrace it?" the cloaked figure spoke slowly and softly, each word more painful than the other.
The girl swallowed and whimpered, "Please, stop this." She broke down in hysterical tears.
Raven's shadow appeared behind the skeleton and she emerged from the darkness. The girl screamed out in fear as tears still streamed down her cheeks. The man hissed and jerked his cloaked head around, the girl fainted now pale and slowly breathing.
"Beast Boy, Now!" The changeling swooped down in the form of a green pterodactyl and picked up the cloaked skeleton. It slashed and clawed, groaned and stretched as it was flung into the cable box. Starfire flipped and flung her self at Death. She wrestles him and threw him into the water tower, "Oops.." The water tower began to crack and squirt out water. It burst open and water came crashing down on Beast boy and to the streets, if that water hit the ground, it could kill someone!
"Beast Boy!" Raven gasp, she flung herself off the building to him. She caught Garfield and the water with her levitation powers. She grunted and moaned, the water was very hard to contain. She slowly and carefully splashed the water onto the sidewalk and set down Beast Boy. Raven levitated down to and put her hand on beast boy chest and waist. "Garfield! Garfield!" she jerked him and shook him, but he was out cold. Raven took a deep breath as she put both hands over the center of his chest and tried to mend his bruises from the weight of the water.
"RAVEN!" Robin shouted from on top of the building. Raven instantly looked up. She could barely see Cyborg, Starfire and him, but she could tell they were having trouble.
"Ra-rave.." Garfield slowly opened his eyes. She jerked her head around to his face, her black hair whipped around.
"Oh thank goodness, you're okay Garfield," She sighed in relief. "Can you stand?"
"Yeah," the changeling said, getting to his feet. "I'm alright."
"Good," she began to levitate, "They need us."
"RAVEN! BEAST BOY!" Robin shouted, holding Death back with his metal staff. Starfire and Cyborg shot Death on both sides with their star bolts and sonic cannon. Raven and Beast Boy flew behind Robin, Death crippled to the floor. The Titans hesitated as the Cloaked figure cocked it's head up and store right at Raven's eyes. "Do you want it?"
"What?" Raven landed on the building behind Robin, Beast Boy right next to her.
"Do you want death? You want it all to go away don't you. He can come back, you know. At any time," the chilling voice of the skeleton filled her ears.
"No! He can't come back.. You're lieing!" sadness, anger and confusion filled her body. She threw anything and everything she could at Death with her powers, but she could not stop it. It began to walk towards her, slowly and carefully.
"Stay away from my friend!" Starfire flew straight towards Death with all of her strength, but she went right threw him. "Huh?" she looked down at her hands and back at the Skeleton that payed no attention to her. Robin braced her staff and struck Death in the head, the staff went straight threw him. Everyone back away except for Raven.
"What are you?" Robin asked fearfully.
"I am Death, Raven. You can not stop me. Not now, not ever." The cloaked skeleton hurled itself onto her, clutching her wrists and pinning her down. "Look at me." She moaned and struggled.
"Let... me... go...!" Beast Boy reached his hand out and called out her name, but it seemed like no one could hear it.
"LOOK AT ME!!" the voice of Death was raged and dangerous. She kicked and moaned, opening her eyes and looking over at Beast Boy and nothing else.
'Help Me' her lips read. But he could not, the Titans were in a trance. They could not speak, they could barely move. It almost seemed like Death was God. Shout and screams from the hostages filled the still air.
Death screamed the most terrifying and ear splitting scream and clawed his hands on her head, jerking it up to meet his eyes.
Raven's kicks slowed and came to a stop, she was slowly breathing and losing color. In seconds her breath became shallow and she closed her eyes. Death cackled and exploded, leaving no trace of him to be found.
"RRRAVEN!" Beast Boy and Starfire rushed to her side immediately. He put his hand on face cheek, feeling how freezing it was, "Raven..."
Cyborg's expression fell as shock filled his face, he slowly walked towards them. Robin watched them, empty. "We have to get these people down, now."
Beast Boy spun around defensively, "What about Raven?" Robin's expression remained hard.
"We have to focus on getting these people the hell off this roof and then we can worry about Raven."
"Do you even care?! One of our friends just died and you're acting like she's a stranger that you don't give a damn about!"
"I don't know if you remember, Beast Boy, but we all took this burden upon ourselves so that we could save the people, while knowing that we could die any second of the day. Raven is a person, she's no different from anyone else," Robin turned away slowly.
"You are such an ASS hole," emotions ran high inside of the changeling. He was hold Raven in disbelief, looking down at her face. "Do you FEEL anything, Robin?" he looked up at Robin, torn and lost. "I've lost everything I've had in my life, but I have never once acted like the shit head you are now."
Robin stood quietly, looking at the civilians. "I think you should go Beast Boy."
"What?!?! NO WAY in hell, bird boy! I ca-"
"Leave. Now." Robin glanced over her shoulder at Garfield. He slowly set Raven down and stood up, staring at her face.
"Fine. I was getting sick of taking your crap anyway," Beast Boy turned into a hawk and flew away in the city.
Starfire and Cyborg's eyes looked at Robin in disapproval. "Robin, how could you do that? How could you let us lose another friend?" Starfire's eyes were filled with tears.
"Star.." Cyborg put a hand on Starfire's shoulder comfortingly.
"You are acting rude and idiotic! Garfield is our very good friend, and he cares about Raven! Like I do," Starfire stood up.
"Like I do." Cyborg said firmly. "Look Robin, we appreciate your dedication, but you have to know that there's a line between saving the public and saving your friends."
A civilian stood up from 30 feet away, a tall dark haired middle aged man, "He's right, you know."
Robin turned around, glanced at Raven's body and then at the civilian, "I know," he said regrettably.
He began to run and jump of the side of the building, jerking his cape into a glider. Robin disappeared behind an office building.
"Robin.." Starfire reached her hand out.
"Let him go Star," Cyborg said cautiously. "We have to get these people down and, well.. Raven.."
----------
Beast Boy was sitting up in his room, alone, frustrated and lost. His face was hard and stern as he fiddled with his thumbs. The changeling's mind was empty in disbelief, he could not think of anything with out having a complete meltdown. His deep breathing and the sound of the fan was the only thing that could be heard. The green ones form was not broken when a loud knock broke the silence. "Garfield?" the alien's voice was strained with sadness. With no reply, she opened the door. "Are you okay?"
Starfire sat down next to him and rubbed his back, "It is okay.. We have brought her back to the tower. It seems as though she is healing herself." Gar Logan turned his head slowly to Starfire, not saying a word, he looked back down at the ground.
"I know that you have had many great losses in your life, but you must learn to let go my friend. If you allow these problems to burden you, it will only hurt you more." The alien weakly smiled when she gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. "I will leave you now," she slowly walked out of his room and shut the door, sighing before she continued down the hallway.
/She's right./ was all the changeling could think. He could not bring himself to move or to stand, he could only sit there on his bed letting everything pass him by.
"I've run an analysis check on her body and mind, she will be fine, but she'll be in a coma for a while. I really can't tell for how long," Cyborg was staring at the computer monitor in the infirmary. "I'm just glad she's alive."
Starfire was leaning on his computer chair watching back and forth between the monitor and Raven. After minutes of long silence, she sighed. "I just hope Garfield is okay. I told him that she will be fine, but he can not speak and he has been in his room all day. It is almost as though he is in a coma."
Cyborg nodded and twisted his lips, "Give him some time and his mood will pass. He's probably just in shock. I know I was..."
The alien groaned again and collapsed on the floor, staring at Raven's peaceful expression.
Robin was in his room, searching through files in his cabinets and computer. "Come on.. where the hell is it..." the boy wonder was picking through manilla folders like a vulture. He slammed the cabinet shut in frustration. Then it hit him, he needed to go into Raven's room.