Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans
Lost in Thought
Open your eyes.
The black cape swirled in the rain as he walked through the shadows; it seemed to twirl with a life of its own… The voices were still there, calling him… He couldn't go back… Not now… Not after everything that had happened… He had to keep walking… away…
Open your eyes.
Failure was a cold cruel thing. He had never liked the taste of it… Here he was again – failing again… He always failed in the end…
Open your eyes.
Were his goals and dreams of so little worth? Were all the things that he had said or done for not? Of course they were - he was no hero… He was a fake… He was just a scared little boy… Dreaming big… Losing bigger…
Open your eyes.
Screaming… That was the word… That was what he was doing…
OPEN YOUR EYES!
"Robin come on! Open your eyes! Open your eyes damn it!"
The sirens were everywhere. The sun baked the ground, blistering with its heat. It was no longer possible to breathe with ash choking the air. Cyborg called to the paramedics… They weren't coming quickly enough. Robin's form still cradled in his arms, he ran towards them and the rest of the rescue teams. As he ran he could see Beast Boy leading a group of firemen into one of the collapsing buildings, and Starfire blasting a path for them. Raven was holding a bombed out bus above a group children who had previously been occupying it. But none of this was registering with him, the only thing he could think about was the utterly broken bird he was carrying.
Why hadn't he seen it? Why hadn't he realized what was going to happen? He had read Robin's vitals… He had seen how tired Robin was… He had known how Robin's reaction time had degenerated… But he had just followed him… He hadn't stopped him, or told him to take a breather…
As the emergency personnel took Robin from him, and the rest of the Titans began to see that something was amiss, Cyborg saw what he had failed to see before, what he had forgotten: Robin didn't have a body made of metal, he couldn't change into any animal at will, he wasn't super strong, powers of levitation weren't part of his resume. Cyborg had failed to see what was so important, and what Robin had done everything to hide. He had forgotten that Robin was human…
Every rib, both arms, both legs, all were broken. Fractures riddled his left hand, and his skull was cracked. He'd lost over a gallon of blood. By all rights he should have been dead. Instead he was in critical condition, with a coma. The doctors had told them that it was a miracle. Raven knew different. She knew that he wouldn't go without his say-so; she also knew it was all her fault…
"Raven it's not your fault…" Cyborg trailed off…
She said nothing. The waiting room was dotted with chairs and couches, a few ferns and pictures were all that interrupted the otherwise all white room. It only took an instant to take it in. She tried to distract herself with the titles of the magazines on the table next to her – it didn't work.
You wore him down, her mind told her. If it weren't for you he would have been able to get out of that building. If it weren't for you he would be here, he would be fine… You forced him to help try to find it… All because you had a 'bad' feeling…
"Hey guys, the doctors say that his condition has stabilized," BB stated as he walked into the room.
Cyborg said something after Beast Boy's announcement, but Raven wasn't listening. She was still too preoccupied with her own thoughts. The large metal doors opening got Raven's attention. Starfire came walking in (she had said her emotions were too unstable for flight Raven recalled) sat down and said in a small voice, "Friend Robin will be ok won't he?"
Cyborg and Beast Boy quickly assured her that Robin would indeed be fine, but once again Raven said nothing. She knew that Robin may indeed never be fine, she might never hear him tell her that she had done a great job after a battle, or see his cocky grin, or… She couldn't do this. Raven stood up to leave, but the commanding stare that Cyborg gave her told her under no uncertain terms that she was to stay inside the building. She nodded slightly and walked out of the room.
Beast Boy watched her leave with a certain anxiety. He knew that she blamed herself for what had happened to Robin, though he didn't know why. What worried him most was the prospect of her withdrawing from them to enter her own 'creepy' world. Beast Boy might not have been as observant as some of the other Titans, but he could tell when something bad was happening.
"Cyborg? Could I talk to you for a minute?"
Cyborg seemed to note the uneasy expression on Beast Boy's face as something serious. "Sure BB."
"Thanks," Beast Boy said as they walked away from a sleeping Starfire.
"Sure, what's up?"
"I'm worried about Raven. I think we need to keep a kinda close eye on her," Beast Boy stated sheepishly.
"Hm… I don't like the thought of spying on one of our friends, but you're right... We definitely need to do something."
"Alright... So… Should I follow her?"
"Yeah…" Cyborg sighed, "You probably should…"
It was so dark. He couldn't see his hands. All he heard was whispering. He tried to call out, but his mouth wouldn't work. He tried to move, but his muscles didn't respond. But suddenly he was moving anyway… downward…
He could see the outline of something, it was coming toward him (or was he going toward it?). It looked like a hospital room, but suddenly he was pulled up – away from the light. He struggled in vain as he was pulled back to the darkness…
I don't really know where this is going, or if I should continue it. I would be appreciative of any suggestions though.