A/N- Finally back. This whole high school thing is killing me. But I couldn't let you guys wait any longer either. So, review response time: General thanks to Moving Mountains, SRC, Tsuki-hime Neko, Shizuku Tsukishima749, Animagus95, chessvain and Mwahahahaha18. And the more specific:
buddybuddy96- Slade will be just in the background, I believe. I figured that he would mostly be present as one of those distant factors that bother but sometimes fade into the background.
SevenScars- For whatever reason, I dislike scenes where Raven converses with her emotions. I find them just a bit too clichéd somehow. But thanks for the idea!
Infernal Damnation- I'm most likely going to make it one of those should-be but never will relationships, with sappy moments but an overwhelming impossibility of ocurrence.
Disclaimer: Never owned the Teen Titans, or no way would the show have ever stopped.
Battle Scars
Chapter 4: Overworked
It had been a full week and the tension in the air had only just begun to thin. It had taken the Titans a good few days to notice it at all; Raven stayed in her room even more often than usual. Only when the cloaked titan reluctantly joined her friends at dinner did the other three notice that something was amiss. Her eyes were furiously darting about, refusing to settle in one place. When Robin approached the table, her body went so suddenly rigid that even the least perceptive, Beast Boy, noticed.
Robin's eyes continually seemed to stray towards Raven, and she would not acknowledge it. His face was drawn, and more ominous than the titans had seen in several weeks. His expression constantly changed from desperate to angry. He wanted to apologize-no-he wanted to hit her for not looking him in the face-what was happening to his thoughts?
The meal was quiet despite Starfire's twittering attempts to start a conversation and Beast Boy's feeble jokes. When it concluded and Raven rose, Robin did as well. She slowly looked him in the face, her own face suddenly unreadable.
Robin's voice was a deadly calm. "Raven, come out into the hallway. I need to speak with you."
For a moment she attempted to calculate this request, but coming up unfruitful, followed him cautiously out the door.
All Raven saw when she stood facing him in the corridor were his accusing masked eyes. It was very hard for her to keep a straight face when his emotions were rampaging around so strongly and changing so abruptly that it greatly pained her. He must have seen the pain in her face- he knew her so well.
His hands were on her shoulders. "Raven," he said quietly, "I know that what I did was wrong."
The cold girl couldn't help herself as she snapped, "Thank you, but I don't exactly hear an apology." They were the wrong words. Robin's grip on her shoulders became tight and he roughly forced her against the wall, pinning her arms to her sides. It echoed dully in the hallway, and she was shocked speechless. Her hood had fallen down, revealing a worried face and startled violet eyes.
"Never speak to me like that again," he growled. She blinked rapidly, not comprehending how suddenly his emotions had changed. Something was very, very wrong. She was too confused to defend herself and she didn't want to hurt Robin although he was hurting her. Again she was reminded of their position in the Med Bay. He had hurt her then, and she hadn't retaliated. Was she getting weak?
His hot breath was in her face now, her arms breaking into goosebumps. If it had not been for the pain their stance would have almost been…sexual. Their breath mingled in the air. And he dove.
Robin's lips crashed upon hers, smothering any dream of breath or escape. He felt hot and sweaty and masculine and she felt inferior beneath his crushing lips. One hand had left her shoulder now and pushed dangerously against her defined curves. She tried to call out, break him from this odd turn in mood, but his emotions combined with hers were making her quite dizzy. His hand was grasping at her body roughly now, and she just couldn't help arching into his warm body. Her mind was spinning, but not from the pleasure. It felt dangerous, she was slipping, her head was pounding like the rampant heart in her chest. It hurt it hurt it hurtttt…
Cyborg entered the hallway then, his jaw clacking open at the sight he saw. "Man, what the hell are you doing?!" His scream was impossibly angry. After all, the leader had gone much too far. In his surprise, a startled Robin let go of Raven, and she dropped to the floor with her head in her hands. Raven's eyes were squinted tightly and her face was drawn and pale.
Cyborg rushed to help the frail female to her feet, but was interrupted by the screeching alarm. Her eyes scrunched further upon the offending noise, her pale fingers tightening to a bone white around her forehead until Cyborg felt his own head hurting. The cybernetic teen knelt at his friend's side and gently encircled her in his arms, helping the girl from falling backwards. "Man, what is wrong with you?!" he roared.
They were interrupted by the entrance of a green boy. The teen quickly glanced about and was unable to decide the situation, so he worriedly blurted, "We have to go. There are a still few criminals that weren't brought back to Arkham." Beast Boy didn't want to know why Robin looked so furious, why Raven looked so broken. He knew better than anyone that sometimes ignorance was the best path.
The team left the tower in an odd formation. Beast Boy took to the sky, eager to be away from any possible problems. Robin sped away on his motorcycle, dangerously fast. The T-Car then set out with Cyborg and the two female titans within. Any consistent enemy of the titans would have immediately noticed the dysfunction of the team; it was terribly obvious.
When the titans arrived at the scene, Robin's motorcycle loudly halted and his face, just for a moment, seemed fearful.
Standing amidst the rubble and throngs of mindlessly scattering citizens stood an enemy that Robin knew quite well; The Scarecrow. To be truthful, he was one of the few that Robin had ever really feared.
"Titans," Robin's voice was tight and controlled, "Don't listen to anything he says, and don't inhale any smoke or anything around him." The Teen Titans were confused by this order, but their leader had rarely been wrong before, and so they intended to obey. However, that was not such an easy task.
First the underprepared Beast Boy rammed into The Scarecrow in the form of a rhino, missing his leader's desperate but late call of, "Beast Boy, no physical contact!" The instant the green boy came in contact with the villain there was a flash of smoke and he seemingly dropped out of his rhinoceros skin and into his normal form, curling up into a fetal position and screaming cries of bloody murder. Sweat was mingling on his face with tears. Robin took a look at the faces of his teammates then; they suddenly seemed to understand the fear that was turning his stomach. He saw Starfire attempt to go to the boy's aid, then said just loudly enough for her ears, "Star, no one can stop it. It has to run its course." Robin seemed to have lost his hope, and although Raven had by no means forgiven him, she pitied him.
Cyborg shot angrily at the villain, his screaming friend giving him a reason for an unleveled hatred. The Scarecrow chuckled and dodged the blast effortlessly; in his rage, Cyborg had acquired terrible aim. The villain raised a pistol then, and Cyborg at first was not concerned; after all, he could easily dodge a bullet. But from the pistol erupted a green gas, and Cyborg couldn't help but breathe it in. The large teen fell to his knees and then to the ground with a cry of anguish.
Robin looked for his two remaining teammates. "No! Starfire!" he called, his voice suddenly hoarse. The alien girl had knelt next to Cyborg and placed her hand on his chest. Immediately her eyes went blank- a look that chilled even Raven to the core- and the girl seemed to no longer be living.
Robin knew that it would be redundant to inform Raven that Starfire had contracted the gas's chemical infection by touching Cyborg's chest. Looking at Raven pained him now; he had never before seen her so shocked. Her eyes were opened so widely that he could have sworn that she was already imagining the fears she would experience.
"Raven, stay calm and stay behind me." She nodded almost imperceptibly at his order. He saw that her hand trembled as she withdrew it inside her cloak. That shouldn't have seemed so significant; Robin's hand was shaking as well when he pulled it from the handle of his R-Cycle. For a moment the two shared a glance, then both swallowed hard at the screams of their friends so loud in the background.
A silent agreement passed between them, and Robin ran forward, his bo staff extended. Raven hovered in the rear, hands lit. Robin leapt from place to place as he swung at the Scarecrow, attempting to avoid contact. As he ducked and rolled around the Scarecrow, Raven attempted to use her powers to restrain his arms behind his back. She was having some trouble with this, as she was having trouble getting to the quickly moving Scarecrow due to the possibility of hitting Robin.
The Scarecrow, who had done no physical attacks the entire battle, surprised Robin by raising a fist and punching it to his stomach. The boy fell back in his surprise, and the villain picked the boy up by his spiky black hair, throwing him backwards. Raven then flew towards the Scarecrow, hands encased in her glowing black aura. But as she raised her blackened fist, the villain caught her wrist easily and thrust her back to the ground. Raven got up quickly, disgruntled, but before she had a moment to blink, the corpse-like hand gripped tight around her throat.
And as Robin's eyes cracked open from where he lay on the ground, he saw his strong friend tearing helplessly at the hand tightening on her windpipe. He was afraid for her then, but then saw the black aura creeping over the Scarecrow. It jolted him, and he let out a cry, throwing the girl's body to the ground and vanishing between a set of buildings. Robin heard Raven groan, and he sat up slowly.
"Raven," he called, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she rose slowly, quietly cussing at a stabbing pain in her leg. The ground was littered with broken shingles from rooftops, and she had cut herself deeply upon her fall.
The two standing heroes took a look at their friends; to Robin's horror, the three titans were still screaming and convulsing. It was a truly horrifying sight.
Raven's pale hand was at her mouth, and in a swift movement she knelt first by Beast Boy's side. As she pulled out her hands, Robin interrupted her, "Raven, don't do it! What if-"
She gave him a cold stare. "Would you rather them stay like this forever?"
He was about to argue, but instead just sighed. "Alright. You can try to heal them. But if anything goes wrong, you'll have to stop."
Raven placed her hands on the green teen's chest.
A/N- Yeah, so…I don't know too much about the Scarecrow, and therefore he was very lame in battle; so sorry about that. Next chapter will be just as action-packed. I'm amazed that I wrote a chapter this long, and I may update again pretty soon.
Until next time,
Ignite the Airwaves
