Author's Note: I do not own Wolf's Rain or Teen Titans in any way, shape or form.
Hey, everyone. I know it has been awhile but I hope everyone enjoys this story. There is one note I would like to make. All the main Titans are OC at the beginning of the story but I hope I get them more in character later. There is slight bashing of all of the main Titans except Beast Boy but they do redeem themselves later and their behavior is not a representation of my opinions of the characters.
Wolf's Path
Raven groaned miserably. Something had been wrong with her since she touched Beast Boy's mind. The scent felt so familiar. The name of it was Lunar Flowers but Raven hadn't gotten that from Beast Boy's mind. She got it from her own even though she had never heard of, seen or smelled them before. In addition to that, now she also dreamed of wolves and a strange old man she felt fond of but didn't recognize.
With a sigh, Raven headed to the Titan's Tower roof. She hoped meditation might help her slumber. She was almost deep enough in her mind to meditate when the scent of Lunar Flowers hit her nose. She was caught by surprise as memories surged to the surface and her body stood up. Without conscious thought, she flew off the roof and followed the scent to a small apartment complex even as the memories continued playing through her mind. Her name was Blue. She had been half wolf, half dog and she had died trying to reach paradise with Cheza, Kiba, Tsume, Toboe, Hige, Hubb Lebowski and Cher Degre. It all made sense. Raven teleported into the little apartment and landed right in front of Cheza. Kiba tensed but a whispered, "Hello Blue," from Cheza stopped him.
"Blue?" Toboe asked.
"Yes. I just remembered." Raven hesitated. "Did you find Hubb and Cher?"
"Yeah. They're on a date." Toboe answered. "We almost have everybody. Hige's the only one left. We saw him but he disappeared."
"He doesn't seem to remember." Tsume added.
"Yes and no. He remembers but he's not well." Raven said carefully.
"He's fighting the memories." Cheza agreed.
"Why?" Kiba asked.
"And why is he scared of Tsume?" Toboe asked.
"He remembers how he died but not the context."
"So he remembers -.
"-your fangs reaching out to tear out his throat."
"He is different." Cheza interjected.
"There was some kind of accident when he was a child. He can change into any animal in the world but it left his DNA in flux. Cheza, if he stopped fighting the memories, would he stop having problems transforming." Raven asked.
"Yes but his primary form will always be the wolf." Cheza answered.
"Could he use the human projection he used before?" Raven asked.
"Yes but he would have to relearn it. His body is different."
"But first he has to stop fighting his memories, right?" Tsume asked.
"Yes."
"Can we help him accept the memories?" Toboe asked.
"Actually, let me handle it." Raven answered. "There are some things we need to work through before he's ready."
"Alright. You know where to find us when he's ready." Kiba agreed.
Raven said her goodbyes and left the apartment. She reached the Titan's Tower's roof and sat down. She finally had the answer to what was wrong with Beast Boy and how to help him but even if she told him, he might not believe her. At best, he'd believe her but react badly. She had to figure out how to repair the relationship. She stayed on the roof all night thinking of ways the Titans could show Beast Boy that they did consider him a friend. She stayed away from memories of Blue's and Hige's relationship. Hige and Blue had loved each other very much but even if Beast Boy did accept Hige's memories, he was unlikely to ever forgive her. She practically abandoned him. Strangely enough, it hurt knowing they would likely never be as close they had been then and a part of Raven not even connected to her newest batch of memories hurt at the thought. Much like the laughter she suppressed at Beast Boy's jokes, she had suppressed her fondness and what she suspected might be love for the green teen.
"Friend Raven, would you like to join us for the dining of the morning meal?" Starfire asked from the building access.
"N-will Beast Boy join us?" Raven asked.
"Sadly no. He has returned to training." Starfire answered.
"Where's Aqualad?"
"In the den."
"Talk to Cyborg. Tell him to make tofu and no meat for breakfast."
"But Friend Ra-"
"No, Starfire. Tell him we need to stop thinking of ourselves and start thinking of Beast Boy. He needs our support and we need to try to reconnect to our friend." Raven argued passionately.
"You are right, Friend Raven." Starfire agreed and rushed down the tower steps to tell Cyborg.
Raven made her way down to the den. Through they called it the den; it was the living room of the tower. Aqualad was sitting on the couch.
"Aqualad, I need your help. Star's talking to Cyborg and making tofu instead of meat for breakfast. Will you help me convince Beast Boy to join us?" Raven asked.
Aqualad looked startled at her request but he agreed. It took a great deal of convincing from Aqualad. Beast Boy agreed but he did threaten to leave if he detected any meat near him on the table.
The three entered the kitchen of the tower where meals were held when they ate together. Beast Boy was obviously hesitant walking in but Starfire had convinced Cyborg to leave meat out of the meal entirely. Raven was surprised to note he didn't seem upset at all. Beast Boy was shocked too and even more so when a simple thank you from him caused Cyborg to smile happily. Robin had carefully arranged the seating so there were three empty seats together but the three team members already in the room were not sitting but standing by their chairs.
"Wherever you want to sit, Beast Boy." Robin offered and the three moved away from their chairs.
Beast Boy made his decision quickly and gestured Aqualad and Raven to sit beside him with a hesitant look at Robin who nodded and moved to one of the other chairs between Raven and Aqualad. Cyborg and Starfire followed his example.
Conversation was strained and awkward as Beast Boy wasn't sure what to make of this changed attitude. Robin and the others were afraid to say the wrong thing and upset Beast Boy. Even so, Raven considered it progress and Aqualad seemed happy about the attempt as well.
Robin surprised everyone after the meal by suggesting Beast Boy take a break from his shifting training and spar with him. When Beast Boy hesitated, Aqualad suggested he join them and make it a three-way match. Both Robin and Beast Boy agreed.
Starfire continued the trend by suggesting a movie night with Beast Boy's choice of film.
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Through relations had improved between the Titans, Beast Boy was getting worse. It worried everyone, especially Raven. She finally got up the courage to suggest Beast Boy try to spend a few hours in wolf form to see if it would help. In the end, Beast Boy tried her suggestion at Aqualad's urging. It didn't eliminate his problem but it made his shifting easier, if only slightly. It did have another effect that Beast Boy did not mention to the others, even Aqualad. His dreams expanded. Most of them didn't change much though he learned the names of his wolf dream companions. The most surprising dream was the one of the fangs reaching for his throat.
Beast Boy had never noticed how numb he felt in the dream. He now felt the pain flooding his body and the weight of a head in his lap. His surroundings had been distant as if he were at the far end of a tunnel. Only the mouthful of fangs had seemed close, rushing at his throat. The first time he dreamed with the pain and weight he couldn't look down but he heard whispering almost right in front of him. It took two times dreaming it with the new sensations before he could understand the whispering. He was shocked to hear only one voice begging for it to end; begging for death and it was only just before the fangs closed over his throat that he realized it was him begging for death. The realization shook him so badly he didn't even leave his room for three days. He claimed it was the old dream which had stopped for a while and suddenly started again when asked what was wrong. Beast Boy knew none of them believed him but Aqualad was the only one who could convince him to tell him the truth and only after a promise to not tell the others. It was Aqualad who suggested he look at the wolf's eyes next time he dreamed it. Both were realizing they were missing part of a picture which could change everything. What Aqualad didn't tell Beast Boy was his suspicion that Raven knew more than she was letting on. The next time Beast Boy had the dream he focused on the wolf's eyes and saw they held a deep sadness. After the dream, Beast Boy and Aqualad concluded their next move was to find the man Beast Boy had seen the image of the wolf over. They didn't tell any of the others the plan. Beast Boy had considered it but then he had the dream again. This time it started earlier so he could actually look at the weight on his lap. To his surprise, he found Raven's blank dead eyes staring back at him. It was her dead body in a blue trench coat in his lap. Waking from the dream he believed it was just his subconscious fears of losing Raven, the girl he had come to love, but when he mentioned her presence in the dream to Aqualad, the Atlantian explained his suspicion of the half-demon Titan. Beast Boy knew the other Titans would tell her what they planned even if he asked them not too.
The two places Beast Boy had seen him were both in Jump City so the two planned a trip to the city. Robin was reluctant but agreed not wanting to upset Beast Boy. The two spent hours searching the city before finally catching sight of him. They watched him enter a simple and slightly rundown apartment building. It was getting dark so the two decided to return and confront him the next day now that they had an idea of where he might live.
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Beast Boy felt strange as they approached the apartment the next day. The smell was back. Thankfully, Beast Boy had been at least slightly prepared for that possibility and managed to keep control; however, he couldn't deny how familiar it felt or that a part of him was drawn to it. Aqualad noticed his struggle but said nothing. They both knew Beast Boy needed this. It took everything he had but Aqualad calmly knocked on the door of the apartment. The brown-haired boy from their previous encounter with the man answered the door.
"Hige?" he asked hesitantly upon catching sight of Beast Boy behind Aqualad.
"Actually, this is my friend, Beast Boy, but he's having a difficult problem which we think one of your companions might be able to help him with."." Aqualad answered easily.
"You mean the memories. She said you were fighting them and Cheza said it causes you pain." The boy agreed. "Doing so." He added hastily at Beast Boy's confusion.
"Memories?" Beast Boy finally asked.
"Yes. You are Hige; just as I'm Toboe through I was reborn as Tommy Litock this lifetime. We all died and we were all reborn. We all regained our memories except you. Even Blue got hers though she only got them back a few weeks ago." Toboe answered.
"Blue?" Beast Boy asked.
Toboe was about to answer but the other older man that had been with the boy before interrupted.
"Toboe, you should invite them in. Cheza wants to talk to Hige."
"Yes, Kiba." Toboe agreed. "Sorry guys, come on in." he continued and moved out of the doorway so the two could step into the apartment.
The two followed Toboe and Kiba to a small room with a dingy gray couch and two soft flowered armchairs in black and white. The pink-haired girl from before was in one and the man they had come to find was leaning on the wall behind her.
"Welcome back, Hige." She said softly.
"Who was Hige?" Beast Boy asked curiously.
"Our friend." Kiba answered.
"A wolf." The other man said gruffly.
"Tsume." The girl rebuked gently.
"A traitor." Beast Boy added softly.
"What?! Beast Boy, what are y-" Aqualad demanded angrily. They had just started making headway in helping Beast Boy.
"Not in the end. Besides, it wasn't your fault. You didn't even know you were doing it. Jaguara used you. It's her fault." Toboe burst out angrily.
"Toboe, calm down." Tsume said coming to stand behind the brown-haired teen and putting his hand on Toboe's shoulder.
"But he's right. It wasn't Hige's fault." Kiba agreed.
"How do I retrieve my memories?" Beast Boy asked.
"I can help you but you must not fight me." Cheza answered opening her hands to the green teen.
Beast Boy hesitated but finally moved towards her. Aqualad started to protest but Beast Boy stopped him.
"I can't explain it Aqualad but I trust them. I need to do this. I need to understand. Please." Beast Boy begged.
Aqualad stopped and nodded but moved closer to Beast Boy to show he would be close if something happened. Cheza enveloped Beast Boy gently into her arms as he came to her. He breathed in her scent at her instruction and let his mind wander. In that moment, the first memories flowed in. The more he breathed her scent, the more memories he experienced. It took only half an hour for the important memories to come but it felt longer for Beast Boy. The green teen extracted himself gently from Cheza knowing all the memories would return now that the process had started. For the first time since he found his body trying to force the wolf shape, he felt calm and unafraid.
"Beast Boy?" Aqualad asked cautiously.
"I'm okay, Aqualad. I remember and they're right. I am Hige."
"But how?"
"That will take a while to explain. Where's Blue?" Beast Boy finally asked excitedly. He couldn't wait to be reunited with the woman he loved before his death. He had begged Tsume for death so he could be with her. While a part of him still loved Raven, he would love Blue in every lifetime.
"She came by a few weeks ago. She didn't mention it. I figured she would, being your teammate and all." Toboe answered in confusion.
"My teammate?" Beast Boy asked.
"Could it be -" Aqualad started.
"She said her name was Raven." Tsume supplied.
"Raven?" Aqualad questioned.
"Raven is Blue?" Beast Boy questioned angrily.
"Yes." Toboe answered, still very confused.
Beast Boy didn't say anything else. He turned and ran out the door. Aqualad followed ignoring their calls to Beast Boy easily. He was as furious as Beast Boy. Raven had known and never told them but he could tell there was something else he was missing. Beast Boy changed into a sparrow once he got out of the building. Aqualad followed as best he could on foot but he knew Beast Boy's destination, Titan's Tower.
"Robin, where's Raven?" Aqualad sent the message through his communicator.
"The roof." Robin answered wearily." What's wrong?"
Aqualad didn't bother answering before changing the channel to Raven's.
"Beast Boy's coming and you have some explaining to do." Aqualad sent angrily.
"I don't know what you mean Aqualad." Raven answered back calmly, floating to the shore just as Aqualad and Beast Boy reached her.
"Yes, you do, Blue." Beast Boy disagreed angrily. He ignored the other Titans who had come to see the commotion.
"You stopped fighting them." Raven said monotonously.
"Yes, Cheza helped. Why didn't you tell me?" Beast Boy demanded.
"Would you have listened? I only remembered after you collapsed and I scanned your mind. The scent in your memory caught me and then I smelled it on the roof. I followed it and found Cheza and the others."
"You're Blue. I never thought anything would tear us apart. I followed you in death because I couldn't face existing anymore without you. I still love you but you don't even care about me. Not anymore. I guess I am a fool to think I could ever have a happy ending." Beast Boy said sadly. He turned back to the sea, unable to face the memories their home provoked now.
"No. You're wrong." Raven shouted and everyone flinched as a rock exploded down the beach. Raven stopped briefly but ignored it as she finally let her emotions out. "You're not a fool. I love you. I've loved you as Beast Boy and I loved you as Hige. I want nothing more than to spend this life and every life after with you."
"Then why?" Beast Boy asked quietly.
"Because I was afraid to let myself experience that emotion. My powers go out of control if I feel too strongly. I didn't know how to let it show. I was afraid to let it show or let you see how much you meant to me. When Aqualad told us you might die, I was scared of losing you even though I never actually had you. I've been trying to figure out a way to make it up to you but I know nothing will ever be enough." Raven finished ignoring the rocks floating and chipping further down the beach. Right now, all she cared about was making sure Beast Boy knew how she felt and that she'd never considered him a fool.
"She's right. She's the one who insisted on the entirely tofu breakfast for you." Aqualad agreed, no longer angry at her.
"Yes, Friend Raven reminded us that you are our friend and if we ever wanted your forgiveness we needed to start thinking of what you needed and not what we wanted. We have all made a terrible mistake in how we treated you, Friend Beast Boy but I have seen Friend Raven. She truly loves you and has for a very long time even before she was willing to admit it to you." Starfire spoke up.
There was silence as Beast Boy processed what had been said. He had turned back around and now he stared into Raven's eyes seeking the truth. In them he saw the love he had once seen in Blue and the sadness and pain she felt at what she had done.
"You really care that much about me?" Beast Boy asked cautiously.
"Yes. I love you Beast Boy." Raven answered.
Beast Boy suddenly grinned. "Does that mean you'll laugh at my jokes?"
Everyone groaned but Beast Boy noticed Raven fighting a smile as she gave him an irritable no. Sensing the two needed some time alone, the others left. Beast Boy walked over to Raven and cautiously hugged her. To his surprise and delight, she pulled back and kissed him. It was passionate but neither pushed too hard. Raven stopped it when they heard a loud splash down the beach. Beast Boy laughed as Raven looked sheepishly at the large boulder her powers had flung into the sea a few feet distant from them.
"We'll work on that." Beast Boy said cheerfully as his laughter subsided. Raven smiled too, knowing everything was alright between them now. She knew she could never make up for the pain she had caused her love but now he would give her lifetimes to try.
Aqualad returned to Titans East a few days later. He had passed on the improvement of Beast Boy's health to all the Titans. Everyone had been happy to hear it, even the Doom Patrol who Robin contacted to inform them of Beast Boy's return to good health. Robin himself had come to Beast Boy two days after the confrontation with Raven to talk and mend the friendship he had failed to see falling apart so badly. No one but Robin and Beast Boy knew what was said and done in that meeting as all the Titans in Titan's Tower had agreed to respect their privacy but the two got along much better after that. Starfire pushed her way back into Beast Boy's good graces with many hugs, tears and Tamaranian rituals of forgiveness. Aqualad came to suspect Beast Boy forgave her because he couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculous things the rituals of forgiveness required. Cyborg's method was simpler. He pulled Beast Boy into video games, working on the T-Car and any other activity Beast Boy would do with him.
Meanwhile, Beast Boy and Raven had explained the entire story to the Titans and Hige's old friends. Beast Boy and Raven had enjoyed reconnecting with their old friends. Cheza helped Beast Boy learn how to use the human form mirage in his wolf form and Beast Boy had taken to spending half the day in his wolf form unless there was an emergency requiring his human form or shape shifting abilities. Cheza had even been able to help Raven with her control. Raven still had to be careful about emotions she let out but she could let more out without exploding things than she could before.
As the months passed, each and every one of them could say things were getting better and they weren't worried about where things would end up because they now knew that no matter what, they would always have each other's support, friendship and love. That was all any of them needed.