MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
Disclaimer: I do not own "Teen Titans", "The Beatles", or anything else in this story either outright mentioned or parodied. I only say I wrote the story; that's it.
Story: takes place after "Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo"
Summary: After an accident during a stakeout mission, Raven has to venture into Beast Boy's mind to save him.
Pairings: Beast Boy + Raven, slight Robin + Starfire
Rating: PG-13 / T to be safe
"I'm bored," Beast Boy yawned. He was sitting on the rooftop of an old factory, letting his feet dangle off the side of the building. "Raven…I'm bored…"
Raven groaned and angrily looked at him. She remained floating in the air a few feet from him. "Tough."
Beast Boy sighed. "This is so boring! What's the point of a stakeout mission when there's nothing to stakeout?"
"Would you rather be with Robin and Starfire fighting Cinderblock on the other side of the city?"
"No…"
"Would you rather be with Cyborg getting the T-Car fixed?"
"No…"
"Then stop complaining," Raven responded. "All we have to do is make sure nobody visits Professor Chang's abandoned laboratory."
"I know, I know," Beast Boy said. He sighed and started tracing circles with his finger on the rooftop. "I just thought we could do something fun if we were together on a mission…" he muttered.
Raven slowly lowered herself until she was standing next to Beast Boy. "Sorry, I don't do 'fun'."
"I bet you could if you tried!" Beast Boy said while grinning.
She rolled her eyes.
"I always try to get you to have some fun, Raven. Make you laugh and stuff."
"Really? Hadn't noticed," she dryly responded.
"Even though they're battling Cinderblock, I'm sure Robin and Starfire are having fun being together right now…" Beast Boy muttered.
Raven sighed. "But we're not Robin and Starfire, now are we?"
"No… we're much cooler!" he said with a smile.
Beast Boy started humming and drumming with his fingers. Raven glared at him. "What are you doing?"
Beast Boy grinned. "Just humming some awesome music."
"The Clash of the Planets theme?" Raven asked.
"Yup!"
"No humming the themes of Clash of the Planets, Astral Trek, Astral Trek: The Following Generation, Space Portal: SP-1, 4001: A Galactic Adventure, A.B.: The Alien Being, Return to the Future, Close Meetings of the Alien Kind, The Eliminator, TechnoCop, A Timework Violet, Battlespace Galaxia, Lightning Bug, The Grid, The Grid: Remapped, The Grid: Resolutions, The Y-Files, Taffy the Vampire Hunter, Jericho 6, Jupiter 4, Quantum Jump, The New Moon Zone, or SpectreBusters," Raven said while counting off on her fingers. "No humming sci-fi. Got it?"
Beast Boy thought for a moment then started humming again. When Raven lazily looked at him, he only responded with "Never said I couldn't hum the Professor Who theme song." He grinned. "I know you like that song. Don't lie."
She rolled her eyes. "Just because I like it doesn't mean I want you to hum it."
"Hey, I know you enjoy my charming company."
She suppressed laughing at that comment. "Oh, you're so charming. What would I do without you?" she said sarcastically.
"See? That's the spirit! Now it sounds like you're having fun," he said.
"If by 'having fun' you mean insulting you for your bad jokes, then I am indeed getting much enjoyment out of that," she said dryly.
He winked. "That's what friends are for."
She was about to respond herself when she heard something coming from inside the laboratory. "Trouble. Let's go." Raven coated herself in dark magic and flew off.
"Sweet! Some action!" Beast Boy transformed into an owl and silently flew into the sky.
The two landed near the opening where the giant telescope was peeking out to the stars. Raven looked and saw a shadowy figure rummaging through some of Professor Chang's storage. She turned to Beast Boy, who nodded in response. The two flew down to meet the thief.
Beast Boy transformed back into his human form. "Stop it right there, bad guy!"
Raven lazily looked at Beast Boy. "Really? You've been waiting to fight for the whole night and the best you can do is 'bad guy'?"
He grinned sheepishly. "Normally Robin does that kind of stuff…"
The two teens turned to the thief. He took a step forward so that they could see him.
"My name is not 'bad guy'! I am Dokudoku!" He was dressed in dark violet and silver. He had numerous pouches and weapons on his person. The bottom half of his face was covered.
"Dude… you're a ninja!" Beast Boy said.
"Wonderful…" Raven muttered. "A ninja… Just what we needed…"
Though they couldn't quite tell, it appeared as if Dokudoku was smiling. "I am indeed a shinobi. I am skilled in the art of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and dokujutsu! My strong attacks and skillful techniques are unmatched in the world of ninja!"
"I don't know…" Beast Boy said. "I'm sure Robin's fighting skills are better than yours. Besides, there's also Bushido and Katarou."
Dokudoku laughed. "Bushido and Katarou are weaklings compared to me!"
"Do you even know who they are?" Raven asked.
"No!" Dokudoku shouted. "I do not need to know who they are to know that I am better! Now both of you should leave me be or else my shinobi wrath will be most severe!"
"I bet a pirate could beat you up," Beast Boy responded with a smile.
"Why a pirate?" Raven asked.
"Because pirates and ninjas totally hate each other!" he responded.
Dokudoku laughed. "No pirate can defeat me, Dokudoku! Yet the green boy speaks the truth! Pirates and ninjas are indeed mortal enemies! My forefathers and their forefathers have been at war with the pirates for many generations! Much blood has been spilled in the names of our ancestors!"
"Somehow, I don't believe that…" Raven said. "Anyways, can we get back to the 'you breaking into the laboratory' thing so we can just kick your butt and call it a night?"
Beast Boy cracked his knuckles. "I've been waiting for this! So here's how it is, we can't let you get away with stealing… uh… whatever you're trying to steal…"
"Xenothium!" Dokudoku said.
"Of course," Raven said dryly.
"Xenothium is strictly on our no-stealing list," Beast Boy said.
"Give up before we have to get rough," she said. "Last chance to surrender."
"A shinobi's pride commands him to accept any and all battles! I will challenge you, green boy and cloaked girl of the Teen Titans! Prepare to meet defeat at the hands of Dokudoku, master shinobi of poisons!"
Dokudoku reached into a pouch near his heart and threw a smoke ball at the teens. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven coated them in a dark magic shield, protecting them from the gas. When the smoke finally cleared, Dokudoku had disappeared.
Beast Boy caught something shiny at the corner of his eye and saw two needles headed their way. He leapt and quickly transformed into a turtle. The needles hit his shell and harmlessly fell to the ground.
Raven looked behind her and saw something move behind a nearby column. She quickly levitated a nearby wooden crate and flung it. The box smashed against the column. Dokudoku leapt out from behind the column, holding a kusarigama, a handheld sickle chained to a weight. He held the sickle in his right hand and slashed at Raven. She once again put up a shield and blocked the attack. Dokudoku flung the chained-weight at Raven before she could react, hitting her in the stomach.
She fell back and slid along the ground. Dokudoku then ducked just in time to avoid having Beast Boy in his tiger morph pounce on him. He tossed a kunai at Beast Boy, who morphed into a bat and dodged the blade. As Beast Boy flew higher into the air, Dokudoku tossed another smoke ball at his feet. Dokudoku had managed to vanish once again once the smoke had cleared.
Raven held her stomach in pain, hoping this would be the worst injury she would receive this night. She looked up and saw Dokudoku in the air, falling towards her, with a blade pointed right at her chest. He was just about the stab her with his sickle when a green trunk tightened around Dokudoku. Beast Boy had transformed into an elephant and threw Dokudoku towards the wall.
He neatly jumped off the wall and dived at Beast Boy. But instead of pulling out a blade, Dokudoku threw a small explosive at Beast Boy's feet. A dark gas immediately surrounded Beast Boy. Shocked by Dokudoku's attack, Beast Boy accidentally breathed in some of the gas. He instantly started to feel dizzy and was having a hard time staying focused.
"Ha! Behold the poisons of Dokudoku!" He turned to Raven. "And now, to finish the battle!"
Dokudoku pulled out a giant shuriken and flung it at Raven. She quickly rolled to the right and evaded the spinning blades. Dokudoku pulled out his kusarigama again and aimed the blade at Raven, ready to throw it at her.
Raven was about to conjure up a shield, but she then heard a giant crash and saw that Dokudoku had been crushed by Beast Boy in his elephant form. Though the ninja seemed relatively uninjured, he was definitely trapped by Beast Boy's massive weight.
"This is most humiliating!" Dokudoku shouted. "Being defeated by an unconscious elephant!"
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She levitated Beast Boy's unconscious body and floated him off of Dokudoku. She then pulled two metal bars from the wall and wrapped them around Dokudoku, restraining him from moving.
"You okay, Beast Boy?" she asked.
The green Titan had morphed back into his regular form, but other than that, he failed to make any response. Raven listened closely and heard that his breathing was short and strained. He was sweating, too, which Raven knew was not a good sign. Dokudoku chuckled. "The green boy has been poisoned! Both his body and mind are at the mercy of my dokujutsu!"
"How do I help my friend, Kudokudo?" Raven asked.
"That's 'Dokudoku'!"
"Whatever…" Raven angrily responded. "How do I cure Beast Boy?"
Dokudoku laughed. "There is no cure for my poisons! I am the most proficient poison-user! Even all of my weapons are coated in my special poisons! There is no antidote to wake him! The Teen Titans will very soon be only four members! And this is all thanks to the might and skills of Dokudoku!"
Raven grew angry and used her dark magic to pull a large brick out of the wall. "If you're not going to be helpful, be quiet!" she said angrily. She then flung it at Dokudoku's head, knocking him out.
She floated over to Beast Boy and coated her hands in magical energy. She hoped that her magic would be able to heal him.
But even after a few minutes, Beast Boy hadn't woken up. Raven wiped her forehead. She had used her magic to remove all the toxins plaguing his body, but she could feel that there was still something in the poisons that was affecting his mind. She knew that in order to save Beast Boy, she'd have to heal him of the poisons in his mind as well. But the problem was that she could think of only one of her magic skills that could heal his mind.
"Perfect," she said to herself. "A journey into Beast Boy's brain. I've really been dying for that." She closed her eyes and focused. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven's soul-self lifted out of her body and dove into Beast Boy.
Raven opened her eyes and saw that she was standing in Beast Boy's room. "Robin's mind is a cave infested with bats and Beast Boy's mind is his room. And the sad thing is, I don't know which is cleaner," she muttered. Though, after looking around, she wasn't sure if that was an accurate assessment. It looked somewhat like Beast Boy's room and she could see his clothes thrown around everywhere, but it wasn't exactly as she remembered it to be. First off, there was no bunk bed, only a normal one. Second, the closet was in a different location and had different doors. Third, the window frame was different.
Then she saw some picture frames on Beast Boy's desk. She saw Beast Boy with Elasti-Girl at a picnic, him and Robotman watching the TV, one of Beast Boy and Negative Man playing checkers, and Beast Boy standing at attention next to Mento. In all of the pictures, Beast Boy was wearing his Doom Patrol mask and appeared at least seven years younger. Raven assumed that she was standing in Beast Boy's Doom Patrol room, not his Teen Titans one.
"Now what?" she asked herself. As soon as she spoke, the door flung open. A bright light shone from outside of the room, making it impossible for Raven to see what was there. This must be the way to heal him, she thought. She calmly walked out the door.
As soon as the light cleared, Raven saw that she was in a prison room.
"Jeepers! Who are you?" a startled voice asked from behind her.
"Uh… Beast Boy?" Raven asked.
"You can't be Beast Boy because I'm Beast Boy!" It was indeed Beast Boy, but much younger. He was about seven years old, and still a member of Doom Patrol.
"That's not what I meant. It's me, Raven."
"Uh… sorry. I don't know a 'Raven'," Beast Boy responded.
"Stop joking. It's not funny," Raven said.
Young Beast Boy cringed. "Sorry, but I don't know who you are!"
Raven thought about what was going on. She must have entered one of Beast Boy's memories. And if he did not know who she was at that time, then the Beast Boy that she was talking with now wouldn't know her.
She sighed. "Well, I'm Raven. I'm a friend." Beast Boy nodded in response, though he still looked a bit confused. She continued. "Anyways, why am I here? And why are you here?"
Beast Boy chuckled. "Wowsers! You must have a bad memory if you don't know why you're here!" He saw that she was not smiling, so he decided to answer her. "I got separated from the rest of Doom Patrol and I got captured by Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man."
Raven snorted. "What? 'Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man'? Are you serious?"
He nodded. "Of course. Isn't that how you got here? Didn't he capture you?"
"Sure… let's go with that…" Raven said, not wanting to go into any details about diving into his memories. She started thinking again. "Okay… if I'm here… then I probably have to do something in order to help you…"
"I don't really get what you're talking about, Raven," Beast Boy said.
"Just tell me what you need me to help you with," Raven said somewhat impatiently.
"Well… I guess since we've been captured, you should help me escape."
"Makes sense," Raven said. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" After waiting a few seconds, nothing happened. "Great… my powers don't seem to work while I'm in your memory."
"Uh… my memory?" young Beast Boy asked.
"Never mind. It's complicated." Raven scanned the prison cell. She saw a small window. Though it was sealed, she could see through the glass. "Look. If we can break down this wall, we can escape."
Beast Boy smiled. "Gosh… It sounds so simple when you say it like that…"
"You know what to do, Beast Boy," Raven said.
"I sure do!" But he didn't move. "Uh… I do?"
Raven sighed. "Transform into a rhino or something and get us out of here!"
"Transform into a rhino? That's crazy!"
Raven raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? You're Beast Boy. That's what you do. Transform… Into beasts… Hence your alliterative name."
"Well, yeah… but I can't transform into big animals."
"What're you talking about?" she asked, afraid she was going to dislike his answer.
Beast Boy sighed. "I can change into any animal smaller or equal to my size. But transforming into a bigger animal is out of the question. I can't do that yet. It's way too tough."
"What?" Raven shouted impatiently. "You have to be joking."
"Sorry," he replied grimly. "Mento says I need to practice more. Negative Man says not to worry and I'll just be able to transform into any animal when I'm older. But right now I'm kind of weak." He sighed sadly. "I'm just not very strong."
"You're plenty strong, Beast Boy!" Raven yelled. "This is going to sound really weird but I know you can do this. I've seen you transform into a gorilla and battle a dozen villains. I've seen you transform into a cheetah and chase a speeding car in hot pursuit. And even though I've tried to erase that memory from my mind, I've even had the experience of being in your mouth when you were a whale. You're capable of so much more than what you think you can do."
Beast Boy just sat down and pulled his knees close to him. "Why? What makes you so sure that I can actually do all these things?"
"I know you can do these things, Beast Boy. Please. Trust me. Like I trust you."
He looked at her, and she nodded. Beast Boy stood up and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and focused. "Think big…" he said to himself. Though nothing happened at first, his body soon started to grow. In seconds, he was as tall as Raven. Then he was at least twice her height. A long tail sprouted off of his back and his legs grew much stronger. His arms shrank and became tiny two-clawed hands. His head grew and his teeth became large and razor-sharp. Raven heard a low growl that shook the room. Beast Boy had successfully transformed into a Tyrannosaurus.
He let loose a loud roar and reeled his head in a bit. Raven felt her body involuntarily shake as she heard one of the most terrifying sounds, an angry Tyrannosaurus. Beast Boy then charged forward with all his might and smashed through the wall. The wall could have been made of cardboard, as it put up almost no resistance to Beast Boy's assault. Beast Boy took two steps outside and roared again in triumph. He slowly transformed back into his human form and grinned. "Thank you," he said. Raven smiled and followed him outside.
She was suddenly blinded by a bright light and couldn't see. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was no longer at the prison.
Raven had returned to Beast Boy's Doom Patrol room.
"Why am I still here?" she asked herself. As soon as she said something, the door flung open again. "I guess one more time…" she muttered. Raven walked out the door and was met with a familiar bright light.
When the light cleared, she saw that she was now at Titans Tower. Actually, she was standing next to the sofa in the common room.
"Where have you been?" She turned around and saw Beast Boy, looking slightly frantic. "The Professor Who Season 4 marathon is about to begin! You said you'd watch with me!"
"I did?" Raven raised an eyebrow. "But the Professor Who Season 4 marathon was last week…"
"Hello! Today can't be last week if today is today!" Beast Boy said.
She sighed in response. "I guess I'm going to be watching with you then."
"Sweet!" He turned on the television and pulled out a bucket of popcorn. "Season 4 is awesome because of the Professor's new associate, Dana Royal. She is so funny! Right, Raven?"
"Yeah…" Raven said dryly. "Hilarious…"
He glared at her. "What? I thought you liked Professor Who. I thought it was the one show we actually both liked."
She shook her head. "It's not about that. I've just been… I guess you could say… in my own little world…"
Beast Boy shrugged and turned to watch the television.
"Thank you for watching HI-LO Network. The Professor Who Season 4 marathon will start at 3:00. Up next is the 2:55 HI-LO News Update."
Beast Boy groaned. "I hate those five minute News Updates. They just keep me from watching the shows."
"This just in. Overload has just been apprehended by Titans East," the news anchor began. "Authorities said Overload was trying to flee the scene of the crime when Titans East defeated him. For those of you who haven't been following the case, this was the third crime Overload has committed in the past two weeks. Could this be the work of Slade? More on that later tonight. In other news, Centauri police Cron and Kai are currently visiting Jump City. They are hoping to establish better diplomatic ties with the human race. The last time the two visited Earth, the Teen Titans helped them capture the intergalactic criminal Blackfire, ex-Empress of Tamaran. We will continue to cover Cron and Kai's visit for the next several days. In non-criminal local news, Murakami School has just been ranked as the number one academic high school in Jump City. This is the first time in five years the high school has achieved such a ranking. Rumors from rival high schools have claimed assistance from Brother Blood, though these rumors have been proven false. When we come back at 3:55, we'll have more news to report. From Adonis to XL Terrestrial, HI-LO Network is Jump City's number one most-trusted news source. Remember, we're balanced and fair."
Beast Boy turned off the television. "Stupid TV…"
Raven looked at him, confused by his actions. "I thought we were going to watch Professor Who. What's wrong?"
"I don't feel like it anymore…" Beast Boy said quietly.
"Need to talk?" Raven asked him. She had assumed that if she could help Beast Boy again, it might cure him from the poison affecting his mind.
Beast Boy grunted. "Not really…"
Raven sighed. "Come on. What's going on?"
"I don't like being reminded of Murakami School."
"Why?" she asked.
"Terra."
"Oh," she said quietly.
"Or I guess the girl who looks like Terra but isn't Terra because she doesn't want to be Terra," he said sadly. "If I were to be more precise…"
Raven looked at him. "You're letting her get to you again. Her refusing to accept herself is not because of something you did. It's not your fault."
Beast Boy sighed. "I know… it's just… even though I tried to get her to come back to us… come back to me… I just couldn't."
"Beast Boy…" she began.
He sighed. "Raven, I failed at saving her…"
Raven closed her eyes. "Terra was our close friend. It hurts to have her leave us."
"But it's not just that she's leaving us. It's that she's ignoring us. She doesn't want to be with us anymore. She doesn't want to be with me," Beast Boy said.
"Beast Boy," Raven said. "You can't beat yourself up about this."
"But then why do I feel so bad about it?"
Raven sighed sadly. "It's okay to feel bad, but you can't just let that sadness dictate how you live your life." She looked Beast Boy in the eyes. "Look at what happened to me. I believed that my fate was sealed because of my father. So my life was lonely, depressing, and filled with pain. But then I met you guys. I became a Teen Titan. I made friends. Good stuff happened to me because I refused to give in to letting the bad consume my life."
Beast Boy smiled a bit. Raven continued talking. "A good friend once helped me mend a broken heart. I felt so alone and he was there when I needed him. And that really meant a lot to me. So I want you to know that I'm here for you too."
"Really?"
"Yup. As long as you don't ruin this moment with your 'Beast Man' thing too."
Beast Boy laughed. "How'd you get so good at emotional conversations, Raven? I thought you said you always had trouble with your emotions."
She smiled and shrugged. "Books, I guess. And years of practice with your stupid jokes." Beast Boy grinned as he turned the television back on. She turned to him again. "I mean it though. I'll be there for you. You can depend on me. Like I can depend on you."
Beast Boy stopped watching for a moment and smiled. "Thank you," he said.
Raven was then blinded by light again. The light cleared and she saw that she had returned once again to Beast Boy's Doom Patrol room.
The door had opened for a third time.
"I've already helped Beast Boy's fears of the past and his fears of the present, so my guess is that I now have to help him with his fears of the future," she said to herself.
She walked into the light and stepped onto some dirt. The room had vanished and she was now surrounded by a dark forest. Not only was it night, but the numerous tall trees prevented what little light the moon normally provided from even touching the ground. There was a sign up ahead with a button on it. She pressed the button on the sign and a hologram of Cyborg appeared. He was twenty years older, with some signs of disrepair and technological improvements.
"Yo, this is Cyborg. And if you're here, then we have a problem. You've somehow managed to stumble into restricted territory. Now, how you managed to make it to this solitary little island surrounded by an electric fence is beyond me, but I recommend that you get out of here. Now. See, this area is restricted because it's dangerous. So you should head on out while you still can. Good luck."
The hologram of Cyborg disappeared back into the sign and Raven was left alone in the forest.
Raven closed her eyes. She tried to use her powers, but once again came up with nothing. But even though her powers weren't working, she needed to stay in this area no matter how dangerous. She wouldn't have appeared here unless there was a reason for it. Beast Boy needed her help here, so she would just have to figure out how to help him. Even without her powers.
She heard a soft rustling above her. She looked up, but couldn't see anything. But it was too dark to really tell. She hoped it was just the wind.
"Beast Boy," Raven called out. "Beast Boy. It's me, Raven."
Raven heard something behind her. She turned around, but once again saw nothing. Now she was getting worried. "Beast Boy!" she shouted again. In the previous memories, Beast Boy was right there when she arrived. But he wasn't here now. And Raven didn't like that. Especially now that she was in some kind of a restricted territory.
Then she heard something again. Before she could turn around, she felt something grab the bottom of her cloak. Whatever it was, it soon pulled her up into the air until she was hanging at least two feet off the ground.
Thinking quickly, she forced her cloak off of her. She fell to the ground, leaving her cloak to be dragged further upwards. Raven looked at what had attacked her and couldn't believe what she saw.
It was Beast Boy. But not as she was used to seeing him. He was in his were-beast transformation, a form she had rarely seen him use. He clung tightly to the tree, grasping her cloak in his free hand. He looked wild and angry, but worst of all, powerful enough to easily kill her if he tried.
"Beast Boy…" she said. Beast Boy responded with a load roar and leapt at her.
Raven rolled away and narrowly avoided Beast Boy landing on her. She felt the earth under her shake slightly due to the force of his impact. She quickly tried to get up, but Beast Boy slashed at her before she could get away. His claws just grazed her right shoulder, but they easily sliced through her skin. Tears welled in her eyes, though she kept herself from screaming in pain. Though not a serious injury, her shoulder was now freely bleeding.
"Beast Boy, stop it! It's me! Raven!" She put her hands in front of her, desperately trying to conjure up a shield. But she still couldn't manage to use her magical powers.
He growled and lunged at her. She sidestepped to the right, letting him jump right by her. However, his right foot managed to scratch her left hip as he leapt. She winced in pain.
"Beast Boy, this isn't you! This is only your nightmare, your fear. This isn't a real memory!" Beast Boy roared and charged at her. She turned and ran as fast as she could. She dove behind the nearest tree and used it to keep Beast Boy at a distance.
"Calm down. Let me help you," Raven said. But Beast Boy ran around the tree and clawed at her leg. This time, he managed to cut Raven's right shin, causing her to fall. She could not help but cry out in pain this time.
Beast Boy walked over to her and picked her up. He growled and angrily threw her. She landed hard and rolled into the base of a tree. The landing injured her left leg and colliding with the tree had severely hurt her left arm. She turned over in pain and lay on her back. She could barely move even if she wanted to.
Before she could even attempt to get up, Beast Boy landed on her. His weight and strength pinned her limbs to the ground. Raven struggled to get up, but knew that without her powers and in her injured condition, there would be no way for her to get him off of her. She was trapped.
He bared his teeth at her. Raven nervously swallowed, knowing that Beast Boy could very well attack her freely now that she was completely defenseless.
"Beast Boy, calm down. Let me help you…"
He growled. His grip around her arms tightened. She could feel his claws begin to dig into her skin.
"In your past, you were afraid of being weak. In the present, you're afraid of being a failure. And now… in the future… you're afraid of being a monster."
Beast Boy howled. He then bit her collar bone. His giant fangs easily ripped through the fabric of her leotard and cut into her flesh. She screamed in pain. Raven tried hard to focus and compose herself. Now isn't the time to give up, she thought to herself. At least for now, Beast Boy was still just toying with her. As much pain she was in, and despite the bleeding, all of his attacks on her were nonfatal. She had a chance of getting to Beast Boy as long as she kept trying.
"Beast Boy…" she barely managed to say. "You've always been afraid that your powers were unstable, especially after you were doused in those chemicals. What you fear is a primal, uncontrollable you who will not even hesitate to attack his friends."
He growled a bit, but did not otherwise react. She looked at his face. His eyes looked to empty and devoid of spirit.
"But when you first transformed into a were-beast, you said that you would never hurt me. I still believe that. The real you would never hurt me, Beast Boy. You're afraid of nothing."
Beast Boy howled and angrily swiped his claws at her chest, leaving behind bloody marks. She kept herself from shouting despite now feeling very weak. Her breathing had slowed considerably, and she was starting feel lost in her pain.
"Please… Beast Boy…" she whispered.
He slowly loosened his grip on her and got off of her. He stared at her for a few moments and then mournfully howled at the sky. Raven painfully sat up and leaned against the tree.
As he roared, his body began to change. His entire stature shrunk and reformed. His fangs retreated into his mouth and his claws became normal human nails. His fur turned into skin and his limbs shrank. After a few seconds, Beast Boy returned into his human form. He collapsed to his knees.
"Raven… I'm so sorry…" he managed to say.
She sighed in relief. "The point is you're okay now."
"You're really hurt though… And it was me who hurt you…"
"But you stopped yourself…"
He looked at his hands in disgust. "I almost couldn't. I almost killed you."
"But you didn't. You stopped yourself from killing me, Beast Boy."
He looked at her injured body. "Shouldn't you be healing yourself?" he asked frantically.
Raven almost laughed. "I can't use my powers at the moment. It's complicated. Extremely complicated. Don't worry about it though; it's not as bad as it looks. Your attacks were surprisingly nonfatal."
He nodded and then turned to her. "So you knew that I wouldn't kill you? Why did you have so much faith in me?"
She smiled. "It's because you're Beast Boy. No matter what animal you are, deep down inside you're the same person. A good person."
"Yeah right," he said quietly. "A good person wouldn't have done this to you…"
"Beast Boy, you are a good person. I like that about you," she said quietly.
He halfheartedly grinned. "Raven?" he asked. "What are we?"
She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? We're Teen Titans."
He shook his head and stared at her. "No… I mean… what are we… you and me… us…?"
Raven forgot all about her injuries for a moment. "Oh…"
Beast Boy sighed. "Are we more than just friends?"
She could feel herself blushing a bit, which she thought was impressive given the amount of blood she had lost in the past few minutes.
"We don't always see eye to eye… but we've always been there for each other," Beast Boy said. "Like that time I first transformed into the were-beast or after we defeated Malchior, it felt like… I don't know… we were the closest of friends."
She made sure to choose her words correctly. "I think… I think we're best friends."
"Best friends?" he asked.
"Yes." She looked away. "Like Robin and Starfire…"
"I guess so… Robin and Starfire like each other," he said nonchalantly.
She didn't really know what to say. "They do…"
"Best friends… I see…" He smiled and then sighed. "It's a shame I'm not going to remember any of this."
She widened her eyes in shock. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't have to avoid the issue anymore, Raven. I figured it out. I got it." He looked around the forest. "This is all just a dream, isn't it?"
She closed her eyes. "Not exactly… It's more of a fear… A scenario you've hoped would never come true in the deepest part of your mind. But how did you figure this out?"
"I'm not as dumb as I act," he said as he laughed. Beast Boy then sighed before continuing to speak. "I keep seeing you in certain memories and it just feels out of place. For some reason, I see you there that time I was still in Doom Patrol and was captured by Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man. But you shouldn't have been there since I didn't know you back then. So that's wrong. Another memory keeps popping up in my head too. I remember talking to you on that day I wasted thirteen hours watching the Professor Who marathon. But I also remember watching the marathon without you, as you instead went to the bookstore that day. I shouldn't have two different memories of the same event. And now, you look like you haven't aged a day from when you were sixteen. That doesn't make much sense, considering I'm thirty-five now. Also, it's weird that your powers aren't working. There must be a reason for that." He pointed to his head. "You're in my mind, aren't you?"
She nodded. "I am."
"So what does this all mean, Raven? Why are you in my head?"
Raven sighed. "You were poisoned and I entered your mind to cure you. Once the parts of your mind that were poisoned get better, it would be like I was never there. You should forget everything about me being in your head. Not that time in Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man's prison, not the day of the Professor Who marathon, and not tonight."
"So I won't remember having this conversation with you now? Is that what you mean?"
She shook her head. "No. Not at all."
"I see." He sighed. "It's a shame. I'm not going to remember that you admitted that you like me."
"I never said anything like that!" she shouted, well-aware she was blushing even more now. "I only said that we were best friends!"
"Like Robin and Starfire though?" he asked, grinning ever so slightly.
"You're twisting my words!"
He laughed. "Sure…"
"This is just another one of your stupid jokes…" she mumbled to herself. "You're not funny…"
But then Beast Boy looked her in the eyes and smiled. "Raven, thank you."
The forest was soon lit up with bright light. Raven closed her eyes and felt everything disappear again.
Raven opened her eyes and saw that she was back at the abandoned laboratory, meditating near Beast Boy's unconscious body. She looked around and saw Dokudoku was still there, struggling to get out of the metal bars wrapped around his body. Apparently, she had been in Beast Boy's mind long enough for Dokudoku to have regained consciousness.
She looked at Beast Boy. His breathing had returned to normal and he had stopped sweating. He then slowly opened his eyes. "Raven… what…"
Raven patted his forehead. "Easy, Beast Boy. You were poisoned by Dokudoku. You should be okay, but you'll still feel a little weak for a bit. Here, let me help you up."
She helped to get Beast Boy on his feet again. "Ow… my head…" he muttered. "It feels like Plasmus just exploded in my brain…" He rubbed his head and then shook it. "So, what happened exactly?"
Raven cleared her throat. "The poison affected both you physically and mentally, so I had to use my magic to heal your body and enter into your mind. You should be fine now; you just have to take it easy for a little bit."
"Okay…" he said as she helped him walk. "That makes sense… I guess…"
Glad to have her powers back, she levitated Dokudoku with dark magic. "Put me down at once! No silly teenager can ever defeat the mighty Dokudoku!" he shouted. She used her powers to pull Dokudoku's mask tighter, keeping him from saying anything further.
The two Titans, and Dokudoku floating next to them, left the laboratory.
Beast Boy turned to Raven. "So… you were in my head?"
Her grip against his body tightened slightly. "Yes…" she said slowly.
"Ah. Anything interesting happen there?" he asked.
She swallowed nervously. "No…"
"You're lying. I can tell," Beast Boy said.
"No I'm not," Raven responded louder than she would have liked.
Beast Boy groaned. "I did something stupid, didn't I? What was it? Did you hear me singing like an idiot at that karaoke bar in Tokyo? Or see me accidentally drinking Cyborg's motor oil instead of my orange juice at breakfast two weeks ago? Or did I say something stupid? I didn't mean it if I told you Aqualad's kelp burgers are good! Also, I promised Wildebeest I wouldn't tell anyone that he thought Pantha was cute. And I'm really sorry if I said that I notice it when your leotard clings to your–"
"Beast Boy!" Raven shouted, now very red in the face. "Please stop talking!"
"Oh…" He blushed a bit. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away."
"You think?" she said as she rolled her eyes.
"Sometimes I forget that I shouldn't say everything on my mind. It's hard when I'm around you."
"And why is that?" she asked, her cheeks still a bit red.
"Well, we tell each other a lot so it's tough to remember to stop talking sometimes. Like that time I first transformed into the were-beast or after we defeated Malchior. Like you said back then, we have 'moments' where we can tell each other anything."
"I guess you're right," she responded quietly.
"We're always there for each other. Like we're best friends."
"'Best friends'?" She froze up. "What?"
"'What' what?" he asked.
"Why did you say that? Why did you specifically say 'best friends'?"
"I don't know… I'm confused…"
"Oh god… you do remember…" she said slowly.
"Remember what? What's going on?" Beast Boy asked with a perplexed look on his face.
"You're not going to let this go are you?" Raven asked. "What I meant when I said 'best friends' is all I really meant. Okay?"
"Let what go? What did you really mean? What's going on?" he asked.
"Just because I compared our friendship to Robin and Starfire's doesn't mean… Just because they like each other doesn't mean… I didn't say that I liked you! Stop twisting my words!"
"Uh… when did you say… or not say that stuff…"
"In your head!" Raven shouted.
"Raven, I'm sorry but I have no idea what you're talking about…" Beast Boy responded.
"Huh?" She felt herself blush again. "Oh… really?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Right now I'm more confused than I normally am. Whatever you said or did, I don't remember."
She nodded slowly and looked away.
"Although, now I'm curious. How about you explain this whole 'liking me' thing?" He grinned.
She tensed up. "How about we pretend I never said that?"
"Aw…" Beast Boy groaned.
"We should keep the embarrassment to a minimum for now," she said.
"And here I was afraid that you were going to say that it was me who told you that I like you," he said with a blush. Then he seemed to realize what he had just said. "Never mind! Maybe you're right. We should both stop talking about this." Beast Boy groaned, uneasy to say whatever he was thinking about. "This is getting complicated…"
Raven sighed, but then she smiled. "How about we go get a light dinner? I think we'll both think better on a full stomach."
He grinned. "Really?"
"Sure."
"But won't this kind of be like a… you know… a date?" he asked.
"No." She turned away slightly. "But even if it was… I don't think that it would be so bad."
"Okay." He smiled. "I'd like that."
Raven smiled as well. "Okay…" She moved her face closer to Beast Boy's. Their faces were soon only a few centimeters from touching. She then pulled Beast Boy into a tight embrace. "I was worried about you, Beast Boy. That's for coming back to me."
Beast Boy absentmindedly scratched his head as Raven pulled away from their hug. Raven pulled her hood further down to conceal her face. "Alright, let's drop off Kudokudo at the prison first," she said.
The ninja struggled to loosen his mask. "That's 'Dokudoku'!" he shouted.
She levitated herself and the villain and they flew off into the sky. Beast Boy smiled. "I can't wait for our next stakeout mission." He then transformed into an eagle and flew off after her.