A Strange Turn of Events

Pain.I can feel it coursing through my body. Pulsing and radiating in time with my heartbeat. If I take another breath, I'll explode into thousands of pieces hurling off in a thousand directions, a thousand probabilities in the vast darkness I'm currently inhabiting.

But it doesn't make sense because I'm dead. I'm absolutely certain of that. It had been so cliche too. I had seen the stereotypical white light right before I woke, if that was what it is called, here. Why couldn't I have flashes of memories of the awesome life I had? It would have been so much cooler than a flash of white light.

Except, something's nagging me about the light. There was something more to it. Something I'm forgetting…

Dr. Light… the Teen Titans and I had been fighting Dr. Light. The fight had been going terribly. I'm not sure if it was because Dr. Light's idiotic plans had, like 12 monkeys typing on a computer, finally became something worthwhile, or if it was because the team had been in a foul mood before the fight had even started.

Technically, it had been my fault even though it hadn't been intentional and they knew it. Starfire had decided to start a new tradition at breakfast where everyone had to eat at the table and bond, just like in the movies. Like most of her phases, it probably wouldn't last the week, but until she was satisfied, she'd pester all of us until we relented.

Robin, aka Mr. Perfect, was already downstairs eating while I was trying to get a few extra zzz. I may have stayed up till 3 in the morning playing Plants vs. Zombies but I'm a pro at cat napping. I can transform into a cat after all. Apparently, catnapping is frowned upon because right when I slipped into that daze state, someone rudely shook me awake.

Prying my eyes open, I was greeted by the glowing green eyes of Starfire. "What?" It came out slightly harsher than I wanted it to, and Starfire flinched in response. I sensed Robin stiffen behind her. "Sorry," I yawned as I sat up. "Something you need?"

Starfire returned to her perky happy self. "Can you get Cyborg and Raven? It's time to eat."

I was tempted to ask her why she hadn't ask Robin but the last thing I wanted to do was cause Starfire to be disappointed. Her disappointment is worse that someone yelling at me. The guilt that follows presses down on you like a vice.

So, I reluctantly, sat up. "Yeah. Yeah. I'll get them."

Starfire clasped her hands in front of her as she hovered slightly above the ground. "Most wonderful. Thank you Beast Boy."

Even though I'm sleep-deprived, I couldn't help but smile. I made Starfire happy. She only hovers like that when she's excited. I could feel Robin's eyes bore into me as I left the room. If the the guy ever developed a funny bone, he'd be a pro at dead-pan comedy. I can never tell what he's thinking.

Trudging down the hallway, I decided to visit Cyborg first. He can be grumpy when he first wakes up but at least he doesn't hurl stuff at me like a certain someone when I accidentally interrupt her meditation.

I didn't even have to knock when I reached Cyborg's room. The doors whooshed open as soon as I got close which means Cyborg was awake. I couldn't stop the evil grin that spread across my face. If he was awake, then I could totally prank him. It was only natural since last week, Cyborg tricked me into having a bucket of water fall on me.

Needing to be stealthy, I transformed into a cat. Despite the stories that say transformation is painful, it never is that bad for me. Whenever I transform, there is always a pleasant buzzing sensation. Maybe it's endorphins rushing through my body, but I always get an adrenaline rush afterwards.

As always, when I slip into another animal skin, I'm briefly flooded with flashes of memories. The feel of grass brushing my skin as I stalk through grass. The wonder at a rolling ball of yarn or a moving light. The satisfaction of killing a mouse.

Of course, these aren't my memories. They're of the memory of the animal I transformed into. No one has ever been able to explain to me why this happens. It's not like me and the animal are separate entities. The animal is simply a form my body can change into. Still, these memories always feel familiar. Like it was experienced in a past life and it has passed down through my DNA.

Shaking the momentary haze that follows, I slunk into Cyborg's room. Knowing Cyborg, he was crouched over his computers completely immersed in a new project. Scaring the living daylights out of him would be so entertaining.

As I rounded the corner, I transformed again. The buzzing sensation and the flashes of memories hit me quickly.

I'm among my pride scanning the Savanah. Anticipation hits me like pin pricks all through my body as I watch a gazelle graze. The feeling of pure joy overwhelms me as my pounce sends me soaring through the air.

Finishing my transformation, I roared. From the corner of my eye, I saw Cyborg jump and enjoy the feeling of satisfaction that rushed through me. Only to have it ruined later, when a loud crashing sound mutes my roar.

I had been wrong. Cyborg hadn't been hunched over his computers. He and Raven had been in the process of attaching a rather large machine into the wall. I had done such a good job of scaring him and Raven, that the machine was now on the ground completely ruined.

I quickly shifted back to human form. "Eh, heh, sorry, dude."

Cyborg groaned as he rubbed his face. "Do you realize how hard it is to get another one of those?" His right eye was glowing. It only does that when he's angry and is trying not to show it.

Raven, on the other hand, floated in the air, arms crossed, and with a glare that could have melted a diamond if she had the power.

I rubbed the back of the neck as I tried frantically to come up with a good response. "It was a joke?"

I immediately regretted the words before I finished uttering them. Why couldn't I be as cool as Robin or as smart as Cyborg? Either one of them wouldn't have said something as idiotic as it was a joke.

Raven let out a frustrated sigh. "Beast Boy. Why don't you grow up already? Sometimes I wish you would just…" She stopped, apparently realizing she had expressed her emotions.

Usually, it makes me happy to see her let loose. Show some emotion. Except, this wasn't one of those times. Because what she said… what she was going to say… that hurt. It hurt a lot more than I thought it would.

Cyborg looked like a deer caught in headlights. Poor guy, first he lost whatever he was building, and now he's in the middle of the most awkward fight ever. If anyone had a right to yell at me, it was him. Not high and mighty Raven.

She put her mask up so I can't tell what she was thinking. The anger inside me is simmering. Maybe it was the remnants of the lion, but it took all of my willpower not to growl.

"Beast Boy…"

"Whatever, " I said as I turned my back on her. No point showing them I was angry. No point showing them I was hurt.

"Everything all right?"

I looked up to see Robin standing in the doorway. Starfire stood behind him, watching us with concern.

Luckily, Cyborg decided to answer. "Yeah. We'll be down in a minute."

Robin shakes her head. "Forget about breakfast. Dr. Light's back."

It's funny that that morning I can remember clearly but the battle itself is a blur. I guess I can thank that to my shape-shifting abilities.

Images of Robin dodging Dr. Light's attacks while Starfire and Cyborg blasts Dr. Light are intermingled with images of running in a pack, raising my trunk and trumpeting to the herd that I found water, and settling down into my nest on a warm tropical night.

Despite this, I was still aware of the important parts. I was back in human form, slowing getting to my feet after being hurled into a wall when I heard the shout.

Looking up, I saw Raven drop to the ground like a lead ball. She opened her eyes weakly but made no attempts to move. The others were still recovering from the previous blast. They were slow to their feet. To my horror, Dr. Light, with a smirk on his face, turned back to Raven and discharged a beam of light.

She wasn't going to get her shield up in time. I could see it in her eyes. Before I knew what I was doing, I was a cheetah racing toward her.

Maybe it was a good thing that the memories of pure joy as I ran through the savannah were racing through me as I approached Raven. It helped to suppress the fear. The fear that came with the realization that I wasn't fast enough. Only a Flash would be fast enough to get her out of the way in time.

So, I did the next best thing. As I transformed back into being human, I jumped between her and the light.

I was facing her right before it hit. Her eyes were wide with horror as she reached out to me. She was trying to say something but I couldn't hear her over the roar of the light beam.

It was about to hit me. I could feel the heat of the beam searing into my back. I knew I needed to say something courageous, something to reassure her. But, I'm not cool like Robin or smart like Cyborg. With my mind drawing a blank, all I can do is smile.

Then the beam hit, and my world was nothing but white and pain….

Until now.

This place is disorienting to say the least. It's like I'm floating in dark water with no sense of up or down. To make matters worse, I can't see my body. I can feel it, but it feels like an amputee feels with a phantom limb. It's there and yet it isn't.

Thankfully, the pain's gone. It's now more like a traumatic memory.

So, this is death…. I can honestly say…

I absolutely hate it.

All superheroes come to the grim acceptance of death. I mean, it comes with the job. And the whole dying part isn't that bad. Sure, it was painful, but I don't regret my decision. It's the after that's the problem.

I thought after, I would be somewhere, good or bad, with people. If not that, then I would just cease to exist. Cease to care.

But this… this trapped in an endless dark void… all alone… This I can't accept. I can't be okay with.

I'm having a panic attack. My breath, at least I think I'm breathing, is coming out in short spurts. I need to get out of here. I need to do something.

For some strange reason, the image of me as a cheetah running through the savannah pops into my mind. I want to run. And, since none of this makes sense anyway, that is exactly what I do.

For the record, it is hard to run when you can't see or technically feel your body. I will one foot in front of the other but I never feel them connect to the ground. I think I'm pumping my arms, but I can't feel them brush against my body, or anything for that matter. I don't feel the breeze whip by me or see a change in the scenery.

The only thing that makes me think I'm running is a feeling. A feeling like the world is shifted. It's kind of hard to explain. It isn't the darkness that's changed, but more like my perspective has. An absolute clarity that what I'm looking for is forward. That if I keep going, if I keep willing myself, I'll get there.

And suddenly, there is in front of me. A strange circular purple haze that stands out from the darkness. There's nothing solid about it. It's more like a fog if anything. Still, that clarity is telling me that what I'm looking for is there. I just need to have the courage to step through it.

I let out a deep sigh. Again, is it really a sigh if you don't have a body? Whatever it was, it gives me motivation to will myself into the haze.

Purple tendrils shoot out and wraps themselves around me. They embrace me like a mother embraces a child. Like my mother used to hug me. It's warm and comforting, just like I remember it. I can't help but sob as relief washes through me.

I throw caution to the wind and let go. Let the purple tendrils pull me in. Pull me to wherever I'm supposed to go.

A loud obnoxious shrill startles me. I just want to sleep, but it's persistent, determined to wake me up.

With a groan, I pry my eyes open and am greeted by an alarm clock. In angry flashing lights, it tells me it's 7:15 am. I hit the off button as I sit up.

A smile creeps across my face. A dream. All of that had been one messed up, horrible dream. I'll go downstairs and everyone will be at breakfast. They'll be no fights and everyone will tease me for staying up so late.

With more energy than I thought I had, I'm up on my feet, taking in every detail of my room. Happy that I'm back where I belong…

Except I'm not where I belong. This isn't my room. Glancing out my window, I realize I'm not in the tower.

With growing dread, I begin to realize that maybe this isn't over after all.

L.A.: So, this is a shorter fanfic that I plan to update once a week (preferably not at night time when everyone is asleep).

Amu: (snickers) Once a night owl always a night owl.

L.A.: This is set during Teen Titans not Teen Titans Go.

Amu: We do not speak of the other except for the few occasions when they were funny and we became hypocrites.

L.A.: Anywho you know what to do. Read and REVIEW!