"He screamed at me."

Raven continued to hold him firmly, to keep him from hurting himself anymore than he already had.

"Some of his stitches... they broke and he started bleeding again. He reached for a shard of glass..."

She almost choked up at this.

"But I used my powers to scatter them away. I broke all the mirrors. He just... he gave up."

She ran her hands up and down his arm and side. He only trembled at the gentleness. He's not used to such tender affection, especially from someone he can barely recognize.

Robin inched closer, using his foot to skid the bird-a-rangs away from him.

"Beast boy..."

Robin knelt down, holding his hands up to indicate he's not a threat. Beast boy only mumbled on. He barely seemed to register what was going on.

"Beast boy," he tried again.

He inched closer, slightly grimacing as he saw Beast boy's face. Some of stitches were almost broken, and blood flooded out of his "smile," out of his mouth. Him attempting to talk only seemed to make things worse. The pain was so viceral he started squirming in Raven's arms, but he was too weak.

"Beast boy."

He wasn't listening. He is wide-eyed, scared beyond his mind. Raven only held firmly as he continued to shake her off. She just shook her head at Robin, mouthing, "Don't."

He got the message and backed away.

"Please..." Starfire was near tears. Cyborg only covered his face with his hands, backing off momentarily. Batman, however, remained stoic. It's clear Arkham Asylum has made him very familiar with the mentally ill.

"Robin... give the two some time alone."

Robin looked up at his mentor, staring through him.

"I'm not leaving him."

"I understand that. But the boy is psychotic and it seems the only person he is comfortable with is Raven. Too many of us are here and that in itself is distressing him. Look at him."

Robin stared back at Beast boy, who had stopped struggling. His giggles and sobs almost tore at the Boy Wonder's soul. He looked into his eyes. The pupils were contracted and his ears twitched repeatedly, as if he were seeing or hearing things that aren't there.

"He's hallucinating."

He turned to Raven.

"Can you get through his mind? Can you break through his illness?"

Raven only looked up, helplessly, and said, "I can try. I've healed physical wounds, but, I don't know if I can help him emotionally."

As Raven spoke, Beast boy seemed more relax. He nuzzled his head upon her shoulder. Shocked, Raven looked down at him. She felt this peace within her, in spite of the pain, seeing him so broken, so fragmented.

Batman walked up to Raven, keeping himself at a good distance away from the broken shapeshifter and said,

"You've saved him from killing himself once, Raven. I have no doubts here you can save him again."

Raven couldn't help but smile sadly at the Dark Knight. Cyborg let his hands drop and grumbled,

"I'm gonna kill that bastard."

Robin only clenched his jaw, and balled his hands into fists. Just thinking about the Joker was enough to spiral him into homicidal rage.

"Robin..."

Batman's voice grated through him, reminding them of the oath he took. He sighed and stared once more at Beast boy. He whispered at them,

"Hear... hear... they buzz... zippers... buzz... he cried..."

He kept pointing at himself when he said "he."

"He... he cried..."

He then laughed suddenly, only to cough, holding his side. Bloody phlegm came out. One of his broken ribs had punctured a lung.

Raven, noticing this, turned to her teammates and said,

"Go. Find the Joker. Take him into custody. I'll be with him," she looked back down at Beast boy, who was covering his ears with his hands, mumbling a prayer in Swahili.

"... Just give me some time with him. Alone."

Robin nodded at her and said, "Please... heal him."

He waved at his teammates to huddle up so he can break down their newfound plan.

"Cyborg, when we make it to the control center, you will hack through and shut down every booby trap, every hidden device, every little hindrance, found in these tunnels. While we go through the control center, if there are any sudden attacks, don't hesitate. Once every trap is dismantled, we will find the Joker and take him down. Got it?"

Everyone nodded. In turn, Robin pointed at the dark hallway and yelled,

"Titans, GO!"

They all ran at the end of the hallway, and disappeared into the black. Batman however stopped momentarily and stared at Beast boy, at his eyes.

He was a man who usually kept his emotions in check but just glimpsing at him almost made him break down and cry. He knew that look, that wide-eyed stare, that panic, that guilt, that feeling of dirtiness. He'd seen it before in people who were captured by the Joker and left beyond broken. It amazed him still, how Beast boy managed to keep living, but he had this inkling that things will not go well in the end. Behind remorse was rage, and he knew that this, for Beast boy, is his breaking point.

As he ran through the hallway, he found himself, unwittingly, praying to whatever powerful force, if it existed, to keep Raven safe and heal Beast boy.

Raven healed his ribs, visualizing the punctured lung, suturing everything up naturally as she utilized her powers. Beast boy's breathing was no longer ragged. He sighed in relief. At least some pain was gone.

She then moved slowly, to his left side, to touch his face. As she raised her hand, he backed away suddenly, his bottom skitting across the floor, only for him to yelp, and stop moving entirely. He lifted his hands up at her to keep her away.

"Beast boy..."

He raised his hands up again, and said,

"Kuacha."

She stared, dumbfounded.

'Jesus, of all the languages I learned, why didn't I learn this one?"

She raised her hands up as well to show she's not a threat.

"Beast boy... It's okay..."

She reignited her healing powers to show the blue sparkle emanating from her hands. He gasped audibly, mesmerized. He slowly tried to stand up only to fall back down. Raven rushed to his side, and hugged him again. She held him as he cried softly, quietly. After a few minutes, she then proceeded to touch his face. He grimaced at first, but then relaxed when he felt his cheekbone being healed, his nose gently being bent, back to normal. There was no pain at all. His nose stopped bleeding. His cheekbone stopped throbbing.

He sighed again, staring at her. She couldn't help but let a few tears out, seeing him this way. The blood running down his cheeks looked like sharp stripes or, whenever he brushed his hand across his cheeks, like a giant red stain upon his green skin. Some of the blood dribbled down on the floor. He looked down, shamefully, not wishing to look at her.

"Beast boy?"

This time, he turned away completely and said,

"I'm just... too... torn."

He couldn't even say the last word without feeling the stitches stretch, ripping his skin. He kept still, his eyes widening as he looked down.

"What?"

She placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him gently so she could see him.

"What is it?"

He shook his head, and said,

"Leave... please... the buzzing... his laugh... don't..."

He shook his head more vigorously, pushing her hands away, yelling,

"Get away!"

A burst of pain spreads through his cheeks but he ignored it. He stood up, way too quick.

"Get AWAY!"

The pain was too much. He held his cheeks, gritting his teeth. He groaned, his back against the black screen of a shattered mirror. He slid down to the floor, holding his face. His gloved hands were drenched with his blood, along with the Joker's.

Raven ushered the bag full of water and food to her and walked up to him with it. She took out a container with a slab of tofu in it. She took out a water bottle. Beast boy kept shaking his head, praying rapidly in Swahili.

Unable to take it anymore, Raven said bluntly,

"Gar, I know you're hurting but you have to stop running away from me. Please. It's the only way I can help you."

She held his hands, brought them down to his knees and said,

"Let me help you."

"Stop."

She needs to stay away. God, keep her away. I don't know her. Get away! I'm too torn up inside for her help. I don't need help. God, just let me go.

Just do me a favor and let me—

"I'm not letting you die, Beast boy," she said firmly. "Please..."

"No..."

He shook his head. Raven held his cheeks, and tried to heal him, but he held her hands and said,

"Hurts..."

She only looked on sympathetically.

"I know it hurts. But you have to let me help you."

His ears dropped at this. He mumbled out,

"I've lost... "

"No."

"Everything... You don't know..."

"I know..."

"You don't..."

"I know..."

He slackened completely as she held his cheeks again and said,

"I'm taking the stitches out with my powers, okay? This might hurt, but if you let me do this as quickly as possible, it'll be over. Do you understand?"

Beast boy said nothing. He looked down, and felt, unwittingly, his mind giving a response,

'Do... whatever you have to do.'

She untangled the stitches, the sutures seeming to slip away from his skin effortlessly. Even though she was careful and quick, he still felt pain. He clenched his teeth so hard he was half-certain he broke a tooth.

"Okay..." she said as the final remains of the sutures were undone. "I'm going to heal your face."

He only held her wrists as she ran her hands gently across his left cheek. He felt the skin being grafted into place, the pain receding tremendously. He felt somewhat relieved, though he was hurting in places he can't even mention.

"Alright..." she said as she ran her hands through his right cheek. She noticed a hole in the skin. As she inspected it, her eyebrows furrowing, she asked,

"Did he... did he cut you anywhere else?"

Again, Beast boy let his mind speak.

'My gums...'

That was all she needed to hear. She gently lifted his right cheek, all healed up, to inspect his gums. Sure enough, they've been punctured. She carefully placed her finger on the puncture, healing the rupture entirely, ignoring the blood—his blood—on her hands and cloak. The moment she finished, he sighed audibly, closed his eyes, and slackened himself on Raven.

Thought I was gone. I was so done. Done with life. Done with you. Done with me. Then, you revived me and I am now...

I'm not okay. I'm just not okay. You don't know what he did. You have no idea and I want you to have no idea about what he'd done.

I still hear them, Raven. Please, take them away. The flies. They keep buzzing inside my ears. I don't know where they're coming from. Please. Just take them away. His smile flashes through my head. His laughter is just too much. I'm crying and I can't get him out of me. Please, please, please...

"Why do you keep loving me?"

The statement surprised me. It just ran out of my mouth without me realizing it. I realized I wasn't as... crazy... as before. But I still heard the buzzing, though much more muted than before.

She continued to hold me. A silence. Then she replied, caressing my hair,

"Because love... love is unconditional. The love I feel for you is real. I've gone through hell and back, through your mind, just to get through to you. I will always love you. Now and forever. Beast boy. Please..."

She held me as she looked down at me.

"Just let me in..."

Before I could protest, the wall within my mind crumbled under and everything was revealed.

'Raven?'

Gar?

'He beat me up.'

Okay... What else?

'Huh?'

What else did he do?

'He tried to... "fix me up," as he said. But he's not a very good surgeon, to put it that way.'

I can see that. I'm sorry he subjected you to such...

'It's not your fault.'

And I'm letting you know... whatever happened to you... it wasn't your fault either.

'What?'

I see him.

'No...'

I know now. Beast boy...

'You weren't supposed to see!'

It wasn't your fault.

'No...'

It's not your fault.

'No.'

You didn't ask for any of it. You resisted.

'Rae...'

Gar... You didn't deserve this.

'Raven.'

Not your fault.

'God...'

It's not your fault.

I started sobbing. Not crying softly or simply letting out a few tears. Sobbing, bawling like a newborn, hiccuping, barely getting the words out.

"He... Raven... he... r... no..."

I couldn't bear to say it. Then, a memory.

I am standing in the middle of a forest. Leaves of autumn surround me. Trees stand tall, bearing witness. It is an ominous place, shadows haunting me.

The zipper. It is loud, crackling through my head. I hear boots crunching on leaves. I breathe real hard, start crawling into the ground, trying to get away. I felt his laughter rumbling through my being. I hear his cackle ripping through the silence. He was that close. He was just too near to me and I wanted him out.

Then, the flies acted like a blindfold. They zoomed across my face, but that didn't stop me feeling everything. Every violation, every invasion of dignity, privacy, chastity. I was torn inside and out, because I felt him, buried deep within me.

I am a part of you and you are a part of me.

'Raven?'

Gar...

'You may've found me... but I am lost...'

How—

'I don't know who I am anymore.'

Beast boy...

'I've lost myself. Please... help me find me.'