Chapter 10:

A/N: Gods the weeks are flying like a spine-tailed swift (fastest horizontal flight speed of any bird alive)! I need a calendar to keep track of the time that's flying... not that I'd ever look at it.

Just short of Eleven Weeks! I'd moonwalk if I could (used to be good at it actually, but not AGT good) Got my internet and it is... suffering under my abuse. The only time it rests is when I work, or I rest. It's been begging for a holiday recently and I'm not sure if internet should get vacation. Henceforth, my internet shall be known as Gillroy, so if I mention "Gillroy", you'll know, I'm talking about my internet.

We're at thirty-one Reviews, thirty-seven Favorites (Another nice jump!), forty-six Followers (*coughs* on air, 'cause he is so excited), and over forty-four hundred views (*self-applied Heimlich Maneuver*). (P.S. I use this particular note as a kind of mile stone for myself). I am shaking my groove-thing right now. No... now I am.

Don't forget to post any QCC so I can post responses (Note to audience, the longer the QCC, the longer I'm compelled to make my response. Do with that what you will)

I am so sorry I needed to take an extra week. I feel like I abandoned you guys for a little bit (*crying tears of regret*). BUT it has not been in vain. I took several days (after work of course) to sit down and contemplate where I wanted the story to go, and I don't think you guys will be disappointed when I write it up. I hope this chapter, and the upcoming ones, was worth the wait.

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans deed may have eluded me for now, but I'm currently working on a heist to retrieve it for my nefarious purposes. Muuuhuhahahahaha! You shall not foil me this time DC... Warner Bros.? Who owns this thing? *sigh* back to square one.

Without further adieu. *Que the dimming of the lights*

Falling Apart:

Chapter 10-

The darkened room should have been comforting. The smell of jasmine and incense smoke, the familiar silhouette of her overfilled bookcases lining the wall, the white lines of the Enchanter circle etched and drawn perfectly into the floor, the desk in the corner organized with jars of ink and blank stacks of paper, the bulk of her interdimensional trunk, or the hooded raven head of her bed baring over her like a protective gargoyle.

But no. None of it brought so much as an iota of ease.

Raven was supposed to be resting. She had promised she'd try. Instead, she sat in the lotus position atop her bedsheets, her knee ticking nervously as she waited for news. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she tried to meditate, only for the ticking of her nightstand clock to audibly grow louder. Bit by bit, the ticking of her knee began to match the ticking of her clock as time… crawled… slowly… by.

Her present anxiousness was almost as bad as the eve of her sixteenth birthday. Not quite as world-ending, but it still struck a solid cord of irritable unease in her; less dooming dread than a sense of ebbing and flowing worry.

'This is unnecessary,' she tried to convince herself. 'We're heroes. Danger and life-threatening disaster is part of the job description.' But whenever the image of Beast Boy screaming in pain as his body morphed against him touched the back of her eyelids, her concentration faltered. The feeling of his body writhing underneath her fingertips left her hands trembling, as if each of the nerves in her palm could feel the depths of his affliction.

After two hours of pointless "rest" and attempted meditation, she gave up, her pose going slack in frustration.

"For the peace of Azar," she swore under her breath. Try as she might, she couldn't banish Beast Boy's plight from her mind.

She glanced at the demon-cast mirror resting temptingly on her nightstand, it's reflective surface trying to draw her gaze. While she hadn't needed it for meditation or to reach her mindscape in a while, it negated the cost of power needed to enter her own mind. And she was still really low on power.

Hesitantly, she wrapped her hand around the cold handle, regretting her decision to enter more and more. There would only be chaos, but if she didn't sort it out, then it would remain as such, and there would be no help she could offer Beast Boy.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she whispered, gazing into the mirror's reflective surface until she met her own eyes. Large, dark matter tentacles emerged from the mirror as if unfolding from the reflective surface, wrapping greedily around Raven as she was pulled in.

She had called it. Chaos. Absolute chaos.

Arriving in Rage's volcanic and trinitrotoluene infested world, Raven knew it was bad, but-

"DIE YOU BASTARD!"

Raven was just in-time to see Rage dive tackle Rude, black tentacles smothering the both of them at Envy's behest as Rage grappled Rude by her cloak clasp and tried shoving her in a vat of lava. It looked like a three-way brawl had broken out among them in earnest.

Sitting on a jagged stone of dark-reflecting obsidian, Knowledge was pouring over a stack of tomes, three floating around her as she was hastily reading through them. Her mouth read as rapidly as her eyes, effortlessly switching from one book to another, her eye twitching in irritation as a wail broke out.

The wail came from Timid, who was sitting with Happy and Passion in a craggy corner, all three of them bawling their eyes out, making incoherent noises that Raven could only attribute to the dying misery she would expect to hear from a stereotypical bawling teenage human female. It was loud, obnoxious, and completely devoid of anything sensible, decent, or dignified.

Brave, Hope, and Temperance sat in a makeshift circle (or triangle?), levitating several inches off the ground. Their legs were crossed in the lotus position, their hands clapped together just below their individual solar plexai in the traditional Naval Chakra meditation.

Suffering once more sat on Temperance's lap, the silver Raven's meditative stance wrapped almost lovingly around the sickly yellow emoticlone. She too seemed to be meditating, her four eyes closed intently and her nose flaring as she breathed deeply.

"Isn't the Naval Chakra typically done on one's knees?" Raven asked, ignoring her otherwise "engaged" emotions.

"That's what I told them," Knowledge fumed aloud, not looking up from her research, as she switched books once more. "But do they listen to me? No."

"You can also do the Throat Chakra on your knees t-" Rude shouted out before taking a pummelling from Envy.

"Doing it this way allows Suffering to sit on my lap," Temperance answered simply, one eye opening with a smile as she glanced at Raven. "She'd be lonely otherwise." Suffering nodded, not breaking from her concentration.

"That's reasonable. So what in Azar's name happened?" Raven demanded, returning her mind to her task at hand.

"Name any one you like," Brave growled, not bothering to open her eyes as she continued meditating. "First it was Beast boy, then it was Adonis, then it was Beast Boy, then it was Robin, and finally it was Beast Boy… again!

"We're at right mess because of that dupe."

"And you… were saying… how cute it was… when he… saved us earliuuuurr-hurhur," Passion bawled between sobs.

Brave's brows furrowed before softening, the image of Beast Boy amalgamic form stepping pointedly between her and Adonis touching Raven's mind almost reflexively. Happy's blubbering stopped for a moment before resuming as if undisturbed.

"What happened there?" Raven asked, gesturing to the trio of Happy, Passion, and Timid.

"Timid is really worried about Beast Boy," Hope stated kindly, "and it's hard to be Happy or Passionate when someone you care for is… well-" She didn't seem eager to continue. "It doesn't matter. He'll get better. I know he will. We'll see to that."

Temperance smiled in agreement. "We've been meditating to lend you what power we can. It isn't much, but we've pulled out a lot of stops last minute. Sorry we couldn't help more."

Suffering nodded reluctantly, her lower set of eyes looking down while her upper set glanced over at the incapacitated trio of crying emoticlones.

Raven nodded her thanks, glad that some part of her had an explanation for her sudden boughts of recent power. She raised an understanding eyebrow before turning toward the brawling trio. "And them?"

"Rude said-" Brave started.

"Beast Boy's gonna die!" Rude called out in her hoarse monotone, stepping away as Envy ran into Rage.

"I'll kill you, you little shit!" Rage shoving Envy away, a lava spurt suddenly spouting in response to her wrath. "The only one dying is your sorry ass!"

"That," Brave spat in affirmation. "Rage got pissed and decked Rude, and Envy joined because, and I quote, 'Death is a cold bitch, and she can't have him'."

"Snitch," Envy muttered, moving back to her feet with a touch of pink to her cheeks.

"Death is just attractive, pleasant, and perky. Things we tend not to think highly about ourselves. That doesn't make her a bi-" Rude started.

Black barbed chains shot from the ground, impaling into and lifting Rude clean off the ground before Rage could swing her fist. Where blood should have poured from the wounds, a dark swirling void enshrouded the chains. The Conspiracy of Ravens turned, glancing at the suspended emotion with shock, before turning to their maker.

Raven was angry. For the second time that day, she was proud of her Rage. She cast out a hand, and the chains elongated, propelling Rude toward her until they stood mere inches apart.

"He… will… not… die," Raven seethed, four red eyes blaring to life as her hand slowly found purchase around Rude's neck. Almost reflexively, she began to squeeze.

She grew, the chains elongating as they were lifted higher. Spears of dark energy surrounded the orange clad emotion, aiming pointedly at her vital organs, and incomplete shadowy apparitions began to take form around them, dancing like ghosts.

"If you ever say that again, I will personally end you myself!" Raven Raged, her voice fading into a demonic tone. "Nothing will happen to him, because you are gonna cut the shit, and give me every ounce of your power available. And you are gonna like it! Any questions?"

Rude's eyes were wide, starring at Raven with a contradictory mixture of her normal demon-may-care attitude, and fear. Her mouth dry, she tried to swallow, instead releasing an audible gulp.

"Good," Raven hissed, slowly returning to her normal size. Her grip didn't loosen from her throat, irritated that even a minute part of her could think like that; that she could think that he would-

'He's not going to die,' she thought insistently.

"Um, I know I can't be choked to death," Rude remarked, her voice gravelly, "you know: being a figment of your reality, and not needing to breathe. But that still hurts. Could you…?" She gestured absently to the hand around her throat.

"Sure," Raven said distantly, not daring to look at any of her emotions as the chains retreated into the ground, and her top two eyes closed. She glanced at the ashy ground, absently kicking a rock. "Any ideas on how to help him?"

"Contingency Three," Brave offered hastily, trying to dispel the weight of fear that was settling on the flock.

"You want me to make a deal with the Devil?" Raven asked. "Is it even that time of the century yet?"

"No, not that it matters since we can just open a portal to Hell or Los Angeles," Knowledge stated, barely glancing up from her books. "Besides I'd rather not owe Morningstar a favor. There's no telling what he'll ask for, and a blank check from a half-demon is…." She left the rest unsaid as she pushed up her glasses pointedly, the rest of the emoticlones mulling over her words. "Needless to say, I'd rather that remain among our final options."

"Other ideas?" Raven asked.

"Demonic powers?" Rage winced aloud, clearly not liking her own suggestion.

"Angelic powers?" Happy chimed in, jumping up from the cry-circle emotions.

"No, and No," she rejected. "The fewer supernatural beings involved the better. Soul bargaining and contracts take too long to read thoroughly, no matter which side you decide to choose. There would be too many loopholes to sort through."

"But a standard healing isn't going to help," Timid sniffled, rubbing the tears from her red-rimmed eyes. "We tried, and it exhausted us."

"We were already exhausted," Rude pointed out. "We only rawed our emotions… what? Three times for him? And healed him twice. I swear, where would that dullard be without us?"

Raven sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She was no closer to a solid answer than she ever was. She didn't seem to have a clue on how to help Beast Boy.

"Anyone else?" she asked, not sure what else could be done.

"You could always knock foreheads with him again," Passion answered suggestively, her tears gone in an instant, as though they had never been there. "That seemed to help."

Raven looked up suddenly, her pale cheeks now a deep flush of red, and four eyes glancing angrily at the emotion.

"Awwww!" Happy exclaimed. "Rae, you're so cute with 'six' eyes!"

"Flooding him with Hope is only a temporary fix," Knowledge pointed out, chuckling lightly to herself at Raven's expense. "It may be part of a long-term solution though."

"What… if we… create a…," Timid started, sputtering over her words. She tried for several seconds, but whenever she seemed to have it, it lost itself on her tongue. She squealed quietly in frustration.

"It's okay, speak up," Brave encouraged, beating a less tolerable Rage and Envy to the punch. There was still no response.

Swiftly floating over, Rage flicked her on the forehead, the snap echoing across the ashy world.

"…A SYMBIOTIC HEALING TRANCE!" she shot out. All eyes turned toward her in surprise, the reclusive emotion whimpering in fear as she enveloped herself in her cloak. "P-p-please don't stare."

"It's always the quiet ones," Envy muttered.

Knowledge's books slammed shut as she shot up. She bolted for the grey-clad emoticlone, grabbing her by the shoulders and lifting her up.

"You're a genius!" she exclaimed, quickly kissing both of Timid's cheeks, and just as quickly dropping her. "I'll get a shopping list!"

And with that, she vanished in a portal, her dark energy encased books following close behind as she went to gather the ingredient list for the spell.

"That might actually work," Raven thought aloud, noting Knowledge had jumped on it without her consent. "It's older magic, but viable. It contains plenty of risk, but with what little time we might have, it is the most direct spell to cast. But what about his emotional state? Any ideas how we heal that?"

"Knock your fore-hm hm hmhm," Rude said, a black band of energy now wrapped around her mouth. "Hmmm!"

"Besides Rude, and besides that."

"Soul Tuning," Temperance said, still in her meditative pose. "Couple it with a gentle Chakra Balance, and he'll be centered in no time."

"This is Beast Boy we're talking about," Happy smiled. "If he isn't operating under one emotional extreme, he's in another. He's so bipolar, it's cute."

"Soul Tuning is a solid foundation," Rage growled. "But his chakra would destabilize as soon as we balanced it."

"Maybe we can… help him through his… emotions?" Timid offered, her voice barely a whisper after her outburst. "Personally."

"I volunteer for the 'Walk Down Memory Lane'," Passion squealed, her arm waving enthusiastically.

"You want me to violate his privacy and enter his memories, so I can psychologically coach him through his issues?" Raven asked, her eyebrow raising in suspicion.

"Technically, we are you, so you want to violate his privacy," Brave snickered. "I'll admit, I'm just as curious. Might be an adventure."

"No," Raven chided, waving off their attempts.

"Why not?!" Passion whined. "You already saw Robin's memories, and he doesn't even know that we know a lot about him. I mean, his name is 'Dick' for crying out loud. We could do the same with Beast Boy."

"And that created a mental link to my head that he does know about," Raven stated, as if her emoticlones weren't already aware. "Last thing I want is Beast Boy of all people knowing what I'm feeling, when I'm feeling it."

"Or do you?" Hope said, her meditation levitating over until she was a couple feet from Raven. She stared eye to eye with her maker, smiling kindly as she waited for a response.

"What do you mean?"

"Denile," Envy coughed under her breath, covering her mouth as Raven shot her a glare. "Sorry, something about a green-eyed frog in my throat."

"Mmhmm," Rude nodded nasally.

Hope pointed to her own chakra, then pointed to Raven's. "We already violated his privacy by pulling him out of his despair. We dug into the deepest recesses of his emotional being without permission. The only thing we don't know is 'Why is it there?'

"You're already bound through me." The blue-clad emotion's cloak billowed windlessly as her smile brightened. "Both of you exchanged each other's hopes, even if you don't know what fuels it."

"Besides," Passion interrupted, her lips pursing and her index fingers fiddling nervously with each other, "we don't know a lot about him. I'm curious."

"I-I'll think about it," Raven stated, not leaving Hope's gaze. "But I want to avoid creating a mental link if at all possible."

Hope floated by, a hand resting on Raven's shoulder. "Don't think too long. His life could be in our hands, mental link or not. And don't worry about your power acting up for a while, I'll help keep the others in line until you can meditate properly."

"We will," Temperance stated boldly.

Raven nodded, gently reigning in the numerous emotions that were once again bubbling up. She didn't like how quickly she was letting her emotions out. She closed her eyes, breathing through her solar plexus, and up through her chest. She held it for a couple seconds before releasing it slowly. Her eyes opened.

The volcanic background had faded, now Nothing. An empty, and peaceful void. No emoticlones, and none of their self-imposed realms.

"Feeling better?" Temperance asked, still floating silently, Suffering now gone from her lap.

"Much," she answered, her brow furrowing in deeper thought. "Is this the right choice? I know what we… I can do to help him, but I-I'm scared. And not just about the possibility of a link."

"You're worried whether or not you will save him," Temperance stated knowingly, her legs dropping from her stance until she landed solidly on Nothing. "About whether or not his body will reject your attempts to help him."

Gently, she pulled Raven into a gentle hug, the Empath burying her face into the emotion's shoulder. "It's not your burden alone to bare, dear. We'll save him, just have faith."

"Is faith really all that Wise?" Raven asked with her infamous snark to her tone. "The belief in a result yet to be seen."

"Doubt is defined by belief in an unseen result as well," Temperance replied kindly. "Do you doubt you'll save him?"

Raven pushed away, feeling awkward. Physical contact from her emotion was "different" than with other people, but it still sent mild seizes up her back. 'One step at a time.'

"No. I just… I've never tried healing someone like this," she responded, rubbing her arm nervously. "I'm attempting the heal him physically and emotionally in one session, and few magic users have even conceived doing so, much less attempted. This is uncharted territory, and not something I can repair if I mess up."

"Then as the embodiment of your self-control and wisdom," Temperance stated, drawing Raven's attention, "you are full of Hope. But hope without action stagnates, slowly becomes Bitter at the people and the world around it. And if allowed to fester, chokes off any dreams and desires that remain."

"Who said that?" Raven asked, her mind baffled by the statement.

"You," Temperance smiled.

"Don't worry about whether or not you will succeed. Just bring your faith, your hope, and your care for him," Temperance stated, slowly fading away. "Let the spell do the hard work, while we look after him.

"And do your best. There isn't a single part of you that wishes for your friend to die. Not even Rude wishes her inconsiderate comments to come to fruition. We'll help however we can. Besides, what kind of life would we have if we were never graced with his dopey smile again? If for nothing else, that is what I want to see again."

A/N: Chapter 10 is out! Sorry again for the wait. All these ideas rushing through my head, Ya Can't Stop Me Now! I'm getting so excited for the approaching grand finale, turned launch for a sequel. *Thumbs up to my good readers* Please keep making me a better writer for myself and for you guys.

Forever again, if there is anything that needs edited, or is connecting in a weird way for you guys, let me know and I'll try to clean up the text. I do accept grammar and spelling errors too (PM these if possible, and I'll add them to my next Hard Edit)

As always (and I'll just keep posting this because its true), keep posting your constructive criticisms, as they will help me know what to look for in my future writings, and for the days I decide to do a hard edit. I look forward to growing as a writer for you guys and myself

Tamaranian Translations (Original Translation):

None this week!

(Review Response disclaimer: I ramble sometimes. That's just me being excited. If I don't ramble, I'm still excited, just calm. Also, I have a "different" sense of humor. I swear it's not you, it's completely and utterly me.)

And now for the new Reviews Responses:

- FF8cerberus: Hmm. You're right, this is never explained in the series. *Cry of outrage* One could use their "link" as an excuse, but it's a cheap excuse at that. I'll have to explore this thoroughly. A half-assed excuse like that won't cut it for me. I'll see what I can do. Warning: I may save this for a later conversation. Probably during the second arc

I felt that worrying more about his condition than his actions toward Adonis was something Raven would do. She never struck me as someone who worried about what might have been, rather someone who focuses on what is. I hope I met her character with sincerity. For Cyborg not mentioning it, I felt his big brother approach was most appropriate, even if it meant concealing the truth as he saw it.

Help me understand if my response is confusing. I answered based on my interpretation of your Review.

- Junior VB: Spoilers!

- wigglewolf27: *blushes profusely, while scratching the back of his head* Well...thank you, for the whole Review. There are too many Spoilers! for me to write in response to label them *wink*, so just keep reading, 'kay.

Personally, I love writing Starfire's character. It's so free. There's no roundabout or dynamic way to write her. Her personality is as straight forward as one can get. It's the sheer honesty and innocence in her character that makes her so wonderful to write about. It's almost liberating IRL.

Raven's quarreling with her emotions over her feelings for Beast Boy? I hadn't noticed. I can't remember what inspired Temperance and Suffering, but the more and more I envision them, the more and more they are at home in my vision of Raven's mind. I hope this chapter captured at least a little of that.

I'll do my best to live up to the standard you have suddenly dropped in my lap *currently with his own Suffering, wondering how he's supposed to live up to such compliments* Until next time.

*End of Review Response

Really excited for Chapter 11. I've started it, and I should have it posted by next week. There are still a few mellower chapters left before things get more interesting, so hang in there readers

Love ya guys (I'm totally being sappy right now)

Final Edit 10-14-2018