Just a short Red/Rae oneshot that's been stuck in my head for a few days now. I got the idea after listening to Space Bound by Eminem. There are way too many words in his lyrics for me to put all of them in the story, but I strongly recommend, if you can, that you listen to the song before reading. :) Rated for character death. Hope you all like this!

~RukiaRae

Space Bound

Jason, better known as the notorious thief Red-X, sat at the edge his bed in his small, dingy, yellowing apartment with his head in his hands, trying to repress the horrible thoughts that clouded his mind. His girlfriend of a year and a half had just dumped him a few days ago. Normally, this sort of thing didn't bother him, after all, he had dated several people before her. However, she was always different.

She was unlike anyone he'd ever known. She was sarcastic and reserved, and yet beneath her hostile exterior was a person capable of great love. And she made him feel unlike any other. Every time he touched her, or was even in her presence, he felt a rush. She always took his breath away, she was remarkable. It was difficult to explain, he himself didn't completely understand how she had so much power over him, all he knew was that he trusted her. She, he could tell, had been burned in love before, and he trusted her not to do the same to him. After all, she had to know how much it hurt, but she had still done the same to him.

He sighed, his heart clenching as he remembered the words she'd told him. "It was a mistake..." she had mumbled, and he couldn't help but agree. He was mistaken in trusting her with protecting his heart. He loved her so much that it hurt, and now that he didn't have her, the pain was unbearable.

He squeezed his eyes shut, however, images from that night involuntarily snaked into his mind.

~Flashback~

He sat at the booth, sitting directly across from her. Neither of them were speaking, however, he could tell that she had something on her mind. He waited for her to compose her thoughts, busying himself with looking around at the scenery around them. They were in a cheap diner, with untouched food before them.

Some of the lights flickered, and he wondered if they were merely old or if it was his distressed girlfriend causing it. Finally, after a deep breath X turned his attention to her once more knowing that she was ready to speak. Sure enough, she began talking, getting straight to the point like she always did. She was never one to beat around the bush.

"Look, X, I think we should call it quits," she began, her voice shaky. He felt his heart ache, she hadn't called him X in a long time, and he knew this was a bad sign.

"What? Why?" he asked, astonished. He hadn't seen this one coming.

She, too, looked surprised, probably because she assumed he'd felt the same way.

"Because, there's no way this can work out," she explained.

X began to speak, but she continued, "Think about it. Where is this going? We're on opposite sides of the law, and as long as that holds true, this will go nowhere. I love you, but I think we should end it now before we get too involved and have to later."

"Who says we'll have to later?" he asked, grasping for a way to change her mind.

She glanced at him before looking away, guilt prominent on her petite features.

"I just don't see how this can work. It was a mistake to start this, really," she muttered, her gaze on her lap, where she was strangling a poor napkin.

X just sat there, dumbfounded. He could feel a crushing weight pushing on his chest, his heart felt like it was cracking.

"All this is going to do is cause more pain for both of us later," she finished, before swiftly rising, exiting the restaurant.

He quickly caught up to her and gently grabbed her arm, before admitting to her in a whisper, "I'd give it all up for you, you know."

She looked at him, surprise evident on her face.

"I couldn't ask you to do that," she began, once again cutting him off to continue, "Besides, you'll resent me later for making you quit. I know, trust me."

With that, she teleported away, leaving him with his thoughts. He laughed coldly to himself, noticing the irony. He was in this situation because he had trusted her. He looked up at the moon and noted how Raven's heart was like the moon. It was unreachable, but he still had tried, vainly thinking that he could attain it.

Eventually, stumbling on a bench, he sat there mulling over her parting words.

"...you'll resent me later..."

Would he really? Sure, X had always been a part of his identity, but could he ever hate the dark sorceress for anything, even if she made him give up X? The answer was, of course, no. So why hadn't he been able to tell her that? Instantly, the answer flooded into his mind, despite the despair that mucked up the rest of his thoughts.

Because there's no way to be sure that giving up X will make her stay. It's too late to save 'us' he thought bitterly.

She had burned him, and now he no longer trusted her.

~End Flashback~

Directly after the break-up, his became furious. He would've done anything for her, and yet she no longer wanted to be with him. He had let his guard down, telling her about his painful past. She was the only one who knew that he grew up from a poor family, with an alcoholic mother and a father that left shortly after his birth, how he began to steal from necessity.

He told her about his little sister, who died because he couldn't get enough money to cure her of her infection, which was later deemed to be toxoplasmosis infection. It went undiagnosed and untreated because his family couldn't afford a decent doctor. She was the only one who knew about all of this.

He'd opened up to her, and she'd just stepped on his heart, leaving him, abandoned and alone. He felt like strangling her, or just hurting her, so that she could feel the pain that he currently felt. He wanted to show her what it was really like to hurt, and he knew that he possessed the skill to hurt her with ease, and yet he also knew, no matter how angry and hurt he was, he would never be able to inflict any damage on her. He loved and cherished her far too much to ever mistreat her, even if she was no longer his. He laughed bitterly, feeling nothing but emptiness inside.

He finally stood up, and dropped to the floor, goosebumps appearing on his skin from the cold hardwood floor. He blindly reached his hand under the bed, feeling around until he felt the cool metal under his fingertips. Picking up the item, he examined it, contemplating if this was the right move. After all, everyone always said that time heals all wounds.

But she had always been different. She had made him cold and hollow. And he found that he no longer cared about anything, except for ending the pain. He briefly wondered if she would ever notice that he had committed suicide before silently aiming the gun at his temple and swiftly pulling the trigger.

Raven sat, reading her book and sipping a cup of tea, as Robin flipped through the channels. All of the titans noticed that she had been more reserved lately, and Raven was glad that they all had the sense to let her be. Robin, of course, had asked if there was anything she wanted to talk about, knowing through their bond that she was going through something, however, when she declined, he reluctantly accepted it.

Raven sighed, she had been on the same page for a while now, unable to focus on the pages before her. Each word reminded her of times she'd spent with Jason.

Raven silently recalled one of their first dates, as just Jason and Rachel. Closing her eyes, she allowed the flashback to enter her mind.

~Flashback~

It had been a clear night in June, and they had just finished eating dinner at their favorite restaurant, China Star. It was the first time he had taken her there, eager for her to try the authentic Chinese food that was served there. They had both left with smiles on their faces, trying to decide what to do next.

"Hm, we could always go see a movie," suggested Raven, looking up at Jason's shining emerald eyes, "Or just walk through the park."

He smiled, "I have a better idea."

With that, he took her hand and began leading her away from the glow of the red paper lanterns that marked the entrance of the Chinese restaurant they had just left.

"Where are we going?" she asked, curious about just what exactly he had in mind.

"Well, I just thought that since tonight was a night full of stars, we should go stargazing."

Raven paused, confusion written clearly on her face, "I like the idea, but what do you mean, full of stars?"

He chuckled, "Well, we did just leave from China Star, hon. And over dinner, you mentioned how going to Jump City's new planetarium was something you always wanted to do but haven't had time. Since it's closed tonight, I figured this would be a suitable alternative."

Raven flushed, saying, "Yeah. Thanks, Jason."

He then bent down and gave her a quick kiss. They both then set off for the largest hill in Jump City, which was close to the park. They arrived just as the last rays of the sun slipped below the horizon.

They both sat side by side in the grass, his arm encircling her petite frame, looking up at the clear sky, seeing several visible stars.

"There's something about being here, looking up at this grand universe on display, that makes you feel so...insignificant," mused Raven.

Jason looked over at her, awe and wonder on her face as her head was tilted back, gazing steadily upward, and said with a shake of his head, "You're not insignificant. In fact, Gorgeous, you're what makes my world go around, the center of my universe."

Raven could feel the heat that overwhelmed her face, and met his intense gaze. Slowly, they both moved together, kissing until they had to break apart for oxygen.

"I love you," he stated.

Raven gaped at him for a moment before responding, "I love you too, Jason."

~End Flashback~

Raven smiled slightly at the memory. Those were the only things that could make her smile now- memories. She was trying to cope with what she had done, silently telling herself that it was the best option. After all, she knew their continued relationship would eventually lead to more pain, and she had prevented that from happening by breaking up with him. So why did it all feel...wrong?

Finally, Robin settled on watching the news, but Raven wasn't paying much attention, much more preoccupied with her own thoughts.

At 7 in the morning, residents from Garden heights called the police after hearing what seemed to be a gunshot.

At hearing the name Garden Heights, Raven looked up at the news broadcast, eager to hear this story. After all, Garden Heights was the name of the apartment complex that Jason lived in. Raven was suddenly and inexplicably nervous, hoping that Jason was fine. Her heart beat faster as the story continued, she couldn't suppress the feeling of dread that permeated her mind. Anxiously, she watched the rest of the broadcast.

Police arrived at the scene a few moments later, along with an ambulance. After a through search of the building, police discovered what appeared to be a suicide. He had been shot in the head and was dead before the police even arrived. He left a note, which says, "Before I go, I want you to know this. I would've done anything for you to show you how much I adored you. But it's over now, it's too late to save our love. Just promise me you'll think of me every time you look up in the sky and see a star."

Information about the man has yet to be identified, but we do know that people who know anything about him are told to call the number at the bottom of the screen to help with the investigation.

A picture flashed on the screen, and Raven stared, stunned by the black and white photograph that held the all-to-familiar face of Jason Xander, his face prominently displayed on their large television. Raven felt herself begin to shake, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Quickly, she teleported to her room. Once there, she crawled into her bed, alone, and began to sob.

She knew that it was a hard decision to make, each day since the break up she missed him incredibly. She missed waking up with his warm body wrapped around her, missed the way her heart would flutter each time he looked into her eyes, missed the way he said her name. She missed everything, and yet, she thought that it was safer to deny herself of being around him. She thought they both would recover, that everything would eventually turn out okay.

But that photograph shattered all of her self control. He was gone, forever. And it was her fault. As the tears streamed down her cheeks, Raven could feel the hole that was eating itself in her heart. She was lost without him, and she realized that too late. She lay in bed for the longest time, unsure of what to do, and lacked the strength to care.

After all, what do you do when you know you're directly responsible for someone's death?

Just had to get this story out of my head. Sorry for all of the sadness, but I hope you like it despite that.

Please review!

~RukiaRae