Author's Note: Been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for the INCREDIBLY long wait. I started a new school (Art Institute) and I don't get a minutes rest. Anyway, this is the last day of my Spring Break and I decided to, at least, finish one chapter of this story. I've been getting a lot of favorites with this and that makes me REALLY happy! You have no idea how happy I am about it. I didn't realize how popular it would become.

Anyway, if you hate this chapter, I wouldn't blame you. It went through SO much work I'm surprised this much is left. If I get a review saying, "You killed this story," or "This chapter sucks," I'll re-write it. But keep in mind, if I have to re-write it only slows down the release of the next chapter. Enjoy!

Jewel of Africa

Chapter Four: "Africa's Memories"

Upper Lamumba, Africa

"This place is absolutely beautiful." Starfire sweetly said over the intercom of the T-Ship. During the entire trip, they had heard from Beast Boy how pleasant and breath-taking Africa was. They figured he was glamorizing it though. But now, they could see for themselves that the boy was not exaggerating or fluffing it up. It was indeed a sight of pure beauty. Green practically covered their view.

"Wow. I didn't think it'd look like this." Cyborg said in awe.

"I guess it all depends on where you look." Robin joined in.

"This is just as beautiful as Tamaran." Starfire chimed. Beast Boy wasn't sure whether or not her comment was an insult. But she considered her home world to be one of the most beautiful planets in the universe, so he figured it was meant to be a good thing. Besides, he (in a way) thought her home was somewhat charming.

"I never realized just how peaceful Africa is." Raven said. She had meant it to be an internal thought, but her mind seemed to be elsewhere. The changeling looked at the dark magician on his right.

"If you like Raven, I could show you a really peaceful place. It's got a quiet stream and little waterfall." He said with a hopeful tone.

"You know a place like that here?"

"Sure. I did used to live here before. I would always go exploring with this guy named Zareb."

"Zareb?" Cyborg interrupted.

"Yeah. See, my parents were always busy and didn't really have a lot of time for me during the day. So, they asked one of the villagers to look after me, and Zareb volunteered. He would always keep me company and do cool stuff with me."

"He didn't care about your skin?"

"Well, he came in before then, when I was normal looking. After I got sick and my skin turned green, he didn't seem to care. He just told me that he was glad I was all right."

"What about your ability to morph?" Robin asked.

"He thought it was strange at first, but after a while he got used to it. Besides, my dad didn't want me morphing. I only transformed my shape I think twice around dad and mom." Beast Boy said. He never understood the reason his parents gave him, and he especially didn't even want to remember it. It always seemed to irritate him, which he thought was bizarre. He looked at Raven. "What do you say Raven? Want to see that place?"

"Sure. I'd like that." A smile grazed her lips.

"I'm hungry!" Cyborg practically screamed through the COM link. They had been flying for a straight eight hours and it was starting to affect them. Well, Cyborg mainly. "Let's land and eat already!"

"How's everyone else?" Robin asked.

"All my stomachs are making a strange, yet angry, noise. I believe that is the sound for hunger, yes?" Starfire responded.

"I could eat." Raven answered.

"Same here." Beast Boy agreed.

"Alright. There's a clearing up there on the top of that waterfall. We'll land there and break out the food." Their leader announced, earning a cheer from the others, as well as a small dance from Cyborg.

Peaceful. That was the only word that the Titans could think of. They had chosen a clear spot next to the top of the waterfall. The luscious green jungle stood behind them, making pleasant noises. The animal cries seemed to relieve them of any negative feelings. Starfire, Robin, Raven, and Cyborg were completely engulfed by the sights and sounds. The jungle appeared to be calling to them, begging for an exploration, for an adventure. It took nearly twenty minutes to pull themselves from it, and soon, they were too busy filling their stomachs to notice anything else.

"So, where to now Beast Boy?" Robin asked, taking a bite from his turkey sandwich.

"I don't know. I guess we should go to that temple, but I can't remember where it is." The green boy answered after swallowing a bite of his banana. He reached for his bottle of water.

"You don't know where it is!" Cyborg shouted. He had just bitten into his bacon steak burger and screaming only seemed to cause little chunks of meat to go flying onto the young changeling's face.

"EWW! GROSS DUDE!" Beast Boy yelled, wiping the pieces off his face. He stood up and walked over to the river to wash his face, all the while grumbling. Cyborg watched his young friend, feeling guilty for his sudden outburst. As the changeling kneeled down and removed his gloves, he could see his reflection in the water. The rushing water distorted the image, making it appear to be in motion. Shrugging it off, he dipped his hands in the water, cupped a large amount, and splashed it onto his face, washing the meat chunks off. He hated meat. The only thing he hated more was meat grease. It splattered everywhere, and it never seemed to come off entirely. Cyborg's bacon was a perfect example. Every time he cooked bacon, the grease would practically cover the entire stove. Of course he always cleaned up, leaving the stove spotless from top to bottom. But there was always that one molecule that managed to stay behind and mock the changeling's strong dislike for animal products. No matter how many times he cleaned or sanitized, it would always make him gag or throw up (it had happened once before).

The cool water on his face brought him back to the present. He kept having a sense of déjà vu when he looked at his reflection in the water. Only this time, his reflection didn't even really look like him. The water made his face look older, much older. The strangest part of the reflection though was the color of everything. Beast Boy wasn't sure if it was the water or the sun, but there in the water, staring back at him, was an older man with deep blue eyes, blonde hair, and white skin. The reflection's eyes flashed.

"Garfield. Fly away."

"Honey, please go."

"I'll always be with you. Whenever you need me."

"Mommy! Daddy!"

A tear had managed to fall from his eyes as he suddenly remembered this place. The last time he was here, they were too. It was his fault. He let them down; let them die. He should have saved them. Instead, he flew to safety and watched his own parents die. More tears started falling from his green eyes as his mind played that tragic scene over and over as if it were on a loop. It seemed as though his mind was purposely replaying that day because it loved to watch the boy in pain.

"Beast Boy?" A soft voice called to him. He looked at the four Titans behind him; each one had a look of concern in his or her face. Had they seen him crying?

'Great.' He thought, wiping his wet eyes with his ungloved hands.

"Beast Boy? What's wrong?" Robin asked, kneeling next to him with a comforting hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"Nothing."

"Beast Boy?"

"Nothing's wrong. We should get going. Got to find that temple right?" Beast Boy stood up and started making his way to the T-ship, only to stop in his tracks. Visions of his past, a temple, animals, and rocks were tormenting him. All his senses seemed to vanish as he became engrossed by these visions. It was such a strange experience. He could no longer feel his body, could no longer hear his friends calling his name. He instead found himself deep within a jungle. Everything was running past him; the trees, rocks, branches, vines, everything! He noticed his breathing changed and his heart was pumping fast, yet, he could not 'feel' it. Everything stopped as he appeared before a temple. Every animal had gathered around it, each one crying and howling. His attention turned to the temple in front of him. It was quite ancient but something about it seemed so beautiful. It resembled something from an Indiana Jones or Jungle Book movie. The entire thing had been constructed from large, brown bricks and was now covered in vines. Vegetation had grown on it from the years of solitude. A light shone from within and Beast Boy soon found himself inside.

A throne lay before him. It was big and grand like a King's throne, but minus the fancy chair. At the top of it sat a pedestal with three large diamonds on top, each as identical as the other. Taking a closer look at the stones, he could see no flaw in them. A scratch, a chip, a dent, discoloration, smudge, nothing! These were perfect, genuine diamonds. Until, their colors started changing. The diamond on his left had become a deep blood red; the right had turned to a majestic blue, while the middle had melted its color to become a sunset yellow. Mounted on the wall behind the pedestal and stones was a strange design with four empty holes. His fingers gently grazed over the design. It had appeared to be burnt into the brick wall. The holes started glowing a different color. The hole pointing up had a red glow, the left became yellow, the bottom turned blue, and the right was a royal purple. The gems soon started glowing themselves.

"Beast Boy?" The green boy blinked and his vision was gone. His senses had come back and felt two large hands on his shoulders. The titans looked in concern at their small friend while Cyborg (who was equally concerned) stood in front of him.

"What happened?" Beast Boy asked.

"You were walking to the ship and saying how we should get going."

"Oh! Yeah. Let's go." The changeling said, again walking to the ship.

"B, can I ask you something?"

"Uh… sure.

"How'd you do that with your eyes?"

"What?"

"Well, your eyes got all glazy and turned completely green. Even the sclera turned green." (For those who don't know, sclera is the white part of the eye.) Beast Boy just looked at his mechanical friend.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Must have been a trick of the light."

"Hm. Maybe." The Titans looked at each other, not believing a word from the green boy while Beast Boy's thoughts were lost on Cyborg's question.

'Completely green eyes? I wonder if it's-' His thoughts were cut short by the screams of several men who surrounded the Titans. The men had jumped down from the trees and were dressed in mostly bold primary colors; their faces had been painted the same. Their dark skin and hair only seemed to make the colors brighter. Standing in front of the Titans, they pointed sharp spears at the young heroes. Robin had pulled out some exploding discs and held them between his fingers, ready to strike at the first sign of attack. Starfire and Raven had readied their powers, while Cyborg's sonic cannon was fully charged and itching to be fired. Beast Boy, startled by the screams, hid behind his best friend. The young heroes tensed as a large but serious looking man walked up to them. Robin figured him to be the leader of the group. His expression hardened as he looked at the teens.

"Kuua." ("Kill") The man said. The other men moved closer, their spears ready.