Day 3 - Inner Demons

The Titans were down. All save one: Raven. She stood alone against their foe, a nameless alien behemoth who was apparently determined to destroy them and their world. Raven believed that he could. He was immensely strong, even stronger than Starfire, and his advanced technology gave him an even larger advantage. The largest of these machines was the means of the Earth's demise, ugly and dangerous. Raven stood, ready to fight to her last breath. To her astonishment, one of her disabled comrades struggled to his feet. It was Beast Boy. To her dismay, his voice warped along with his body. His desperation had caused him to transform into the Beast they all knew and feared. Raven could only hope it attacked her foe and not her. To her relief, it faced the alien and roared... but then, in a flash, it gathered her up in its arms and bounded away at incredible speed. Her fists hammered at its great chest.

"No! Beast Boy, stop! Stop! Put me down!" she said, over and over. Eventually, the Beast obeyed, setting her down. "Beast Boy, look at me. Look. At. Me." The Beast focused its eyes on her face, watching. Raven fought down an inappropriate blush at what she was about to say. "I know you want to protect me. To hide me away somewhere safe from the danger... but nowhere is safe!" The Beast grumbled and Raven, driven by desperation, grabbed its face and held it in front of her. "I know you can't understand why but... the big man. He has to be stopped. He has to be stopped! And we're the only ones left to fight him. Stop him, Beast Boy. Stop. Him." Raven stared into his eyes, hoping beyond hope for a glimmer of comprehension. There was none she could see and she felt despair creeping in. Then, suddenly, the Beast reared to its full height and roared to the sky, so loud Raven had to cover her ears. In one great leap, the Beast Boy came crashing down on the alien, punching, kicking, biting and clawing at his enemy.

Raven took a few moments to come to her senses, then flew after him. When she arrived at the battle, her heart soared. The Beast was hammering their would-be destroyer with every ounce of the incredible strength it had... but it wasn't enough. The alien was starting to fight back. He needed help. Raven felt her own strength at its lowest ebb - she couldn't help. Not as she was, anyway. Squeezing her eyes shut in disgust at what she was about to do, she consoled herself that there was no other way... and let her inner demon rise to the surface. The alien turned when she shrieked, a tall, amorphous black shadow concealed partially by a blue cloak, though four red eyes and glittering fangs were visible beneath the hood. Whips of solid darkness lashed out and gripped the alien, slamming him into the ground where the Beast could pile on, battering his enemy's defenceless body. Together, the savage duo threw down their opponent and, in the aftermath, were replaced by an exhausted green boy and shivering grey girl. When the others were revived, the alien was taken into the custody and the five heroes returned home to recuperate and heal. Raven said she got lucky fighting the alien and refused to elaborate, even to Beast Boy. A few days later, the team mostly healed, Raven found him blocking her path in the corridor.

"I remember, Rae," he said, simply. Raven's eyes widened and her skin paled even further.

"I'm.. sorry," she whispered, then gasped as the boy embraced her

"Don't be sorry, Rae. You saved me. You saved the whole world! And I know how much it hurt you to do it," he replied. Her secret exposed, Raven finally wept on her only confidant's shoulder.

"You don't hate me?" she asked. Incredulously, Beast Boy strengthened his grip.

"I could never hate you, Rae. Not you..." he said. Raven pulled away, dabbing at her tears.

"Why?" she asked. Beast Boy only smiled.

"You're a smart girl, Rae. I'm sure you'll work it out eventually," he said, tucking a stray lock of purple hair behind her ear before walking away. Her gaze followed him, a blush of realisation staining her cheeks as she finally found her smile again.

There we go, Day 3. Have it. Read it. Enjoy it. Review it. That is all.

-Jack