Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. Alright, I need to get this back on track, I feel like I've been slipping for the last few chapter.
"Dude, slow down!" Beast Boy whines, staggering after the speedy Nightwing impostor. "This isn't a race!"
"Yes it is!" Brave hollers, not even looking back. "Against time!"
"Time isn't a physical entity, ergo you cannot race it." Shadow muses as he runs alongside Brave, having much more stamina than his brother.
"Details, details." The Nightwing impostor huffs, leaping over a rock in his path.
"Generally it's the details that keep you alive." The pale boy points out, smashing right through said rock. "Right Raven?"
"Indeed." The empath agrees, flying overhead and narrowly avoiding the stalactites. "We actually have a few days to help everyone. It is simply a matter of their bodies not being able to eat or drink."
"Or go to the bathroom!" Beast Boy added, shifting into a bat to fly over top of several large stalagmites.
"Thanks for that Big Brother." Shadow says sarcastically, running through another blocking spire of rock. He shook out his cloak to free it of rocks. "I'm sure we all wanted to think of that."
"We all have to at some point, or we'd just explode!" The shapeshifter chirped cheerfully.
"Thank you for that imagery." Raven grunts, blasting aside another hanging spire. "Now please stop. I want to keep my lunch thanks."
"Just saying it how it is." Beast Boy chuckles, leaping over a large boulder.
"Next time can 'it' be a little less juvenile?" The empath asks dryly, giving the green boy a flat look.
"I got one!" The changeling cries, clapping his hands once and shooting her a grin. He turns around so that he's running backward and can face the half-demon properly. "What does an obsessed Robin and a toilet have in common?"
"Big Brother..." Shadow sighs.
"They're both full of sh-"
"Annnd that's quite enough." Raven growls, clapping a band of dark energy over the green boy's mouth. His is quite obviously still laughing despite his joke being cut short.
"Only you Beast Boy. Only you." Brave sighs.
A moment later the Nightwing impostor's eyes widen and he skids to a stop. Shadow pulls up short right beside him, and the last two Titans halt just behind the two darkly clad heroes.
"Great." Shadow grunts, "a dead end."
"Better get out my holy symbol." Beast Boy says, still grinning.
"That was bad." Brave sighs. "Even for you."
"Dead does not mean undead. Basic grammar." Raven deadpans.
"Well excuse me for trying..." The shapeshifter mutters.
"So, what's the deal with this?" Shadow asks, studying the flat stone wall. "Why'd you lead us here?"
"This is the entrance to Happy's place." Knowledge explains. "He thinks we spoil his fun, so he keeps us out the best he can."
"How do you get in?" Beast Boy inquires, rapping the wall with his knuckles.
"There's a different puzzle each time." Brave grumbles. "This one must be a finding challenge. There will be a hidden switch or panel somewhere around here."
"Or," Raven says, spreading her cloak wide and enveloping all her teammates. "We can phase through."
Darkness obscures their vision for a moment, and there is a sense of momentum. A few seconds later, the darkness dissipates revealing another dark cavern.
"Phase one complete!" Beast Boy chuckles. "Get it? Phase?"
"Hilarious." Raven deadpans.
"Is every room in Robin's mind a cave?" Shadow asks, glancing around.
"No... There's one that's not." Brave says sheepishly.
"Geeze, I guess Rae is the only one with complete different landscapes for each clone." Beast Boy mutters. "Mine were all just in a jungle according to her."
"I don't really have an explanation for that." Raven admits, looking intrigued. "I wonder why that is."
"Maybe it's 'cause you know magic?" The changeling suggests.
"Maybe..." Raven muses, trailing off with a distant look in her eyes.
"Happy?" Brave calls out, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the sound. "Are you home?"
"Nothing here but a worthless feeling..." A mourning voice muttered back from the darkness.
"Where is he?" Beast Boy whispers to the searching boy.
"Don't know." Brave admits. "Can't see through all this darkness, and I can't hear properly because the sound bounces."
"I can't see him either." Shadow says quietly. "He might have some sort of smoke machine, because my sight is blocked around the outer rim of the room."
"I know he does." Brave grumbles. "I got stuck on that puzzle for hours..."
"No use standing here." Beast Boy chirps. "I'll find him."
With that, the green boy shifts into a bloodhound. He sniffs the air for a moment, gaining Happy's scent, before darting off to a corner of the room.
Loud barking fills the air and carries on for a few minutes before stopping. The silence was only temporary, however, as the sound of cursing fills the air in its place as a large green gorrila drags over a Robin with a pink cape.
Beast Boy tosses the moping emoticlone at their feet and shifts back to human form, looking down at the pink boy.
"Happy." Brave says curtly, looking down at his counterpart. "You know that your depression is Mod's fault, right?"
"Yeah." The boy moans. "But I need this..."
"You need to feel sad?!" Beast Boy is greatly surprised, his eyebrows almost seem to leap off his face and his eyes are as wide as doughnuts. He turns to Raven, "Is that some-"
"No." Raven interrupts. "He's being irrational. He's Happy, he isn't supposed to be sad."
"But I need to know!" Happy wails, tears in his eyes as he looks at them pleadingly. "I need to be sad! How else will I understand?"
"Understand what?" Raven snaps, losing her patience. "Finish the thought."
"This way I can understand sadness." The boy whispers. "I'm always happy, so how can I help Robin when he's sad if I don't know what being sad is like?"
"That's... Incredibly selfless of you." The empath says, sounding slightly awed. Knowing this was just a manifestation of Robin, she couldn't help but feel like Happy was remarkably empathic. Robin would never have considered something like that.
"But you still need you to return to how you are normally." Beast Boy points out, looking apologetic. "Robin needs whatever happiness he can get. We all know he's too paranoid to be happy for more than a few minutes."
"I wish I could say you're wrong." Brave sighs, "but that's actually pretty true."
"But-"
"No arguments." Raven growls savagely, interrupting the Robin clone. "No more moping! Be happy damnit!"
Happy sighs in resignation. He whispers something to himself, looking serious. A few seconds later a small giggle escapes his lips, followed by peals of laughter.
"Only you Raven." Beast Boy chuckles. "Only you could command someone to be happy."
"Damn right." Brave smirks. "No one shall be allowed to brood but her."
"I do not brood!" The empath protests.
"You totally do." The shapeshifter teases. "You're all like: I'm Raven. I'm grumpy. Don't bother me or I'll throw you out a window." He puts on an exaggerated frowny face and crosses his arms as he says this.
"I am not like that..." Raven huffs, crossing her arms and glaring at him.
"Aha!" The green boy exclaims, pointing at her with a massive smile. "You're doing it! See? SEE?"
"He's riiiight~" Happy sings, all traces of depression already gone. "You're grumpy!"
"Got ya cornered Raven." Brave chuckles, leaning back against the rock wall. "Can't deny it this time."
The empath grumbles under her breath, spreading her glare from Beast Boy to include all other members of the party save Shadow, who watched on silently.
###
Something was watching them. Beast Boy could sense it.
It set his nerves on edge, causes his hair to stick up on end, and prompts him to constantly look around, trying to locate whatever it is.
The others don't seem to notice anything amiss. Happy and Brave are conversing casually as they lead the others to find Rude.
Raven herself is in deep contemplation. She has a vacant look in her eyes, and brushes off any attempts to draw her into a conversation.
Shadow just isn't doing much of anything. He walks along behind the shapeshifter with a neutral expression. The only significant action the pale boy makes is his eyes flicking to look down any other paths they come across.
"There it is again." The pale boy whispers, staring down the most recent split in the path. Beast Boy only manages to hear his brother thanks to his sensitive ears.
"You sense it too?" The changeling asks quietly, falling in to stand next to the hero of Blacksoak.
"I can see it." Shadow replies, glancing behind them. "It doesn't enter our path, but it's following us..."
"What does it look like?" Beast Boy asks, taking deep breaths and trying to stay calm.
"I can't tell." Shadow admits. "I have night-vision, but my actual eyesight is only slightly better than human standard. Whatever it might be is too far away for me to see clearly; all I know is that it has a humanoid figure."
"That's not reassuring." The shapeshifter mutters. "Should we tell the others?"
"No need to worry them too." The pale boy says. "If we plan to split up, we'll tell them. Otherwise I don't want to worry them. Fear is the mind-killer."
"Yeah, just me and you worrying constantly about our new stalker." Beast Boy mutters. He shivers slightly as he detects the stalker moving again, the vague sound of squeaking gives it away.
"I don't feel emotions unless they are severe, remember?" Shadow reminds him. "It's just you being nervous."
"That's soo much better." The green boy grumbles sarcastically. He watches warily as his little brother peers down another pathway. The sound of squeaking reaches Beast Boy's ears again as the figure moves away. "I don't want to know what sort of monsters lurk in Robin's mind..."
"With any luck, it's an emoticlone." Shadow grunts, though he nods his agreement. "But if it is a monster..."
The two share a look. Beast Boy's unease is clearly shown on his face.
"If it makes you feel better, I can go and try to chase it off." Shadow offers.
"That doesn't sound like a good idea." The green boy notes. He shakes his head. "Too dangerous. This is someone's mind, we can't risk something happening in here."
"If you say so." Shadow murmurs. "It's not like it could kill me. I regenerate you know."
"Still, I'm not going to send my little brother off to chase an unknown threat." Beast Boy says firmly.
"As you wish." He shrugs.
"Hey, you two!" Brave's voice calls from up ahead. The two brothers glance up, noticing that the other three are now several meters ahead of them. "Get your rears in gear; stop falling behind!"
"Yessir." Beast Boy salutes mockingly. He and Shadow jog up the group, settling into their position at the back once again. They continue to keep track of the stalker as it follows them, always at the end of a split in the path.
They progress this way for almost an hour. Beast Boy is constantly on edge, not able to calm down with someone watching them...
###
The figure smiles widely as it looks down the stone tunnel at the group. It chuckles madly to itself as it notices one of the cloaked figures staring back.
"Oh dear." It whispers quietly, still grinning. "Do you know I'm here? Are you nervous?"
A quiet, crazy laugh passes from its throat as it moves out of Shadow's line of sight and slinks down its own pathway.
"This is play time heroes..." The figure whispers to itself, peering around the next possible path to the party. "But some of your number won't calm down" It says, noting the hero of Blacksoak whispering with his big brother whilst still observing the figure.
The figure chuckles madly once more, stepping fully into Shadow's view, though the distance won't allow either of them to get a proper look.
"And so I ask you, hero:" It whispers, stepping out of the path and continuing its pattern.
"Why so serious?"
Chapter 11 complete.