Fear of Scary Things and Broken Relationships

Chapter 12.

Raven and Starfire watched the peaceful scene of the little activity in the bay. It was clear for the mayor part but across the bay it was partly covered by the mist coming from the Pacific Ocean and faded into nothing before it reach a small island not far from the strait in front of it. They let in the fresh air and enjoyed the peace silence for a while. After a few minutes Starfire turned to Raven. "Friend Raven, I do not know how to tell this on a proper way, and I do not want you to think that I am as what you might refer weird but I have a question that I would like to ask you."

Raven pulled her hood down as she raised an eyebrow. "Starfire, you know that you can ask me everything. After what happened this morning, I think that you have to talk about it."

"Yes, I know and I am thankful for your support." She then played with her fingers. "Robin told me that he and I are too different to continue our love relationship, that he have other interest and desires than I have. Do you know what his might be?"

Raven eyed the alien princes for a moment. "For starters, pink is not his color and he hate shopping, it's very common among boys. He like play videogames with Cyborg and Beast Boy, listen to music and watching movies, romance and musicals not included." Before she continue she was getting suspicious. "May I ask you why?"

"Yes, I am wondering if there is a possibility to regain the interest of Robin in me."

Raven resisted the urge to roll her eyes and slowly shook her head instead. "Star, I don't belief it's possible. We all know your feelings for Robin but he is more complicated than we all think. He's young but a crime fighter for many years already. I think you know now who trained him and I can tell you that his training was very harsh and has gained many enemies over the years. It makes him a hard but a proud person." She looked at Starfire's eyes. "I start to belief that he doesn't talk about himself quite often, does he?"

Starfire sadly shook her head. "No. I am afraid I do not know him very well as I previous thought. He rarely spoke about his past nor did he spoke about the Batman who did his training."

Raven turned to the bay. "Star, I've seen things that I'm never allowed to. It's too vulnerable to share, too dangerous, even with the rest of you. It's not just Robin or Batman, but his past. It's the safety of all of us we are talking about, not just for him or the rest of the team but also for his friends and family back in Gotham City." Raven closed her eyes. "It's too vulnerable."

Starfire cocked her head in curiosity. "Did you have seen things in the City of Gotham? We have never find any object in Robin his room nor did we in the garage that reveal something about his past or his time with the Batman."

"As far as I know he doesn't have a single object in the tower what's part of his past. If you want to know more about him you should travel to Gotham City." Raven turned to face Starfire. "But then you have to face Batman personally and he might tell you something about him of which I highly doubt. But I've also seen some of the criminals back there. Some of them are more dangerous than the criminals we have faced and one of them seems to be worse than Slade. If they know what I know, not only Robin's life could be in danger, but Batman's and ours too. That is something I cannot allow."

Starfire had a sad look on her face. "I do not like secrets but I understand. It is a secret that we must respect for the safety of our own and our friends and family." Her gaze went to her feet. "I now start to belief that these secrets are also a reason that Robin and I cannot stay together."

"Robin need someone who can be trust by telling his past and his secrets." Raven turned to the bay. "Someone who understand him and respect his interests and choices and give him the comfort to be himself."

Starfire felt a pang in her chest. Not for the idea of Robin no longer being able to be with her but for the idea of him finding another girl. Before she wants to ask, realization hit her like a lightning bold. New combinations of feelings took hold of her, anger and jalousie at first but also happiness when she thought that these two could he happy together.

Raven could sense the turmoil within her alien friend and turned to her to see her mixed expression. "Starfire, are you alright?"

"I..."

She didn't know what to say. She really wanted to be together with Robin but that was no longer possible, she already had realized it. But she didn't see the other girl that soon. She could see now that he would he happy with her and start to believe that this girl would be happy with him too. And not just a girl, but of all of the girls in the known universe that one has to be standing right before her. The one who was not able to show her emotions because of her powers. She start to realize that these two had a lot of things in common. They both have their darkness and secrets but they understood, respect and knew each other like no other she knew. She also knew that they were left alone at nights while the others went to sleep. No doubt that they would talk about themselves which was an addition to her realization.

"I understand. Not the inner demons that lies inside of Robin, nor his past which is dark and painful and the secrets he is carrying with him, but now I do understand that Robin need someone to trust him with all of it."

Raven could easily say that Starfire was holding more than the alien princess just said. She waited patiently for her to continue as she eventually did. "Robin need someone who is more like him. Someone he understand and he respect, someone he know and he can trust, someone he can talk to, no matter what kind of subject. He need someone he can be happy with and he want her to be happy to be with him." She turned her gaze away from Raven, didn't dare to look her in the eyes. "And I think I know who this female... his beloved might be."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "His beloved? Don't you go a bit ahead of time? He just broke up with you and you're still hurt."

She turned her gaze back to Raven. "Yes, but this is not about myself and my feelings, it is about you and your thoughts about Robin."

Raven raised a hand. "Hold on, what are you trying to tell me?"

"Well," Starfire nervously said, accepting the facts which were in front of her. "Now Robin is available, I want to tell you that I will support the relationship that you and friend Robin might develop in the future."

Raven's eyes widened. "What? Are you telling me that..." she then mentally recalled Starfire's words earlier in the common room. "You think that Robin is meant to be my beloved? And I'm meant to be his?"

Starfire nodded. "Yes, do I belief that I now. You and Robin share many things like no other among us. And since Robin and I are too different, it do not work out very well. I do believe that you and Robin are meant for each other and that the two of you will be happy." She start smiling. "And if you are happy, then as a friend will share my happiness with you."

Raven turned back to the bay as she closed her eyes. "Star, I can't. You know how my emotions work, so I can't. I can't risk our safety when I allow myself into a relationship like that. It's too powerful. I can destroy the Tower by the thought of kissing, let along doing it."

"Yes, but now I am no longer with Robin I start to see things in a different way and I do recall various moments that I have not noticed before. Like yesterday when the two of you returned from the City of Gotham, I remember the way you are together and the way you are looking at each other. It all become more clearly to me. I know that you can overcome your fear like you did before and I know that you will accept your feelings when the time have arrived. No one understand you and your powers better than Robin and I know that Robin will be able to open up your own emotions. I also know that Robin will always accept you as you are, despite that you cannot show your emotions like any other person can do. And I also know that you can be yourself when Robin is nearby, like Robin can be himself with you."

Raven was silent for a few moments as she let the words sink in. "You know, Robin is quite a unique person. I didn't told him much about myself like I did with the rest of you, yet he know me better than the rest of you combined." She turned to Starfire. "And since he didn't told you his secrets and past I can tell that I know more about him than the rest of you."

Starfire nodded. "Yes, I believe that too."

"Like I said, Robin needs someone who he can trust to share his secrets, his past, his friends and family, his issues and he can be himself with." Raven turned to the bay. "I can tell that he is ready to share it with me, but I don't know if I'm ready to share my past, my secrets, my whole being with anyone."

Starfire felt a pang in her chest by the sight of a nearly broken friend. She placed a hand on the shoulder for comfort "Raven, I know that Robin will listen to you and I know that he will do everything to help you with any problem. I know that you will learn to trust him enough and tell him all your secrets. If someone can live his own secrets for the majority of his life, then he will keep your secrets safe."

Raven eyes widened a bit, she had never thought in that way. She started to pounder to tell Robin her greatest secrets and fear, telling him about her father and the prophecy. Robin would never laugh at her, she knew that for a fact. He respect her as much as she respected him. But she also didn't want him to worry about the end of the world. On the other hand, Starfire could be right and Robin could be able to help her and fight her father and safe the world by stopping the prophecy. She turned to Starfire with a smallest form of a smile on her face. "You know Star, maybe you're right."

Raven turned her gaze at the roof's entrance as if she expecting someone stepping through the door. Starfire let go of Raven's shoulder and followed her gaze with curiosity. Within seconds Robin went outside, looking not very well. Both girls noticed his pale face and exchanged glances for a moment.

"Robin, are you all right?" Starfire asked.

Robin shook his head. "Not sure, I just need some fresh air after I've witnessed those two stuffing their faced for the second time this morning."

"What a surprise," Raven deadpanned.

"The surprising thing is that they can keep eating like that without exploding."

"That's a question I've asked myself frequently. Especially after Cyborg was infected with that virus, he basically ate everything he passed by without any sight of slowing down. After a day like that you would expect that he will slow down a bit, apparently we are wrong."

"I guess so." Robin joined the girls at the edge of the roof, watching the mist across the bay before turning to Starfire. "So how are things going?"

"I am still recovering, but I have accepting the terms of our new relationship as friends."

Rodin slightly nodded. "I understand. It isn't something small and it need time to recover. I can't tell you how long it will take, every person handle it differently and process it on his own way, but in time it will getting better. You seem to take it quite well and I'm glad that you accept it as it went."

"Yes. And I appreciate your honestly, not only at my direction but to your own as well. I understand that a functional relationship have to come from both side. If one of them cannot share the feelings like the other would like to, then the relationship is not a based on love and happiness. I thought that I was happy with having you at my side, but I cannot be happy when you are not. I see now that you are not happy with me the previous weeks, not even yesterday after your return from the City of Gotham when you have recovered from the dust of Slade."

Robin turned his gaze back at the bay. "Batman and I talked to each other after I give you and Beast Boy the antidote of the feargas. We talked about some events the Titans had the past few months, like Slade and Terra. Batman remain Batman, but he will give me some advice if I want to. He told me to have more faith in myself and in the rest of the team. That, along with the words of you guys in the past weeks brought me back in my senses." Robin's gaze went to Raven. "And to move forward."

"It's nice to know that my words finally hit home," Raven said.

A grin appeared on Robin's face. "I bet it is."

A slightest form of a grin spread across Raven's face of which get caught by Robin. Both of them turned back to the bay. The three titans watched the mist pouring through the straight. Enjoying the silence for once without the usual bickering of the other members of the team.

It was evening and after sunset already. The brown-red night sky was clearly visible through the windows. A man with a white streak through his red hear was reading a novel in his comfortable chair in a corner of the room. A soft breeze took his attention and he looked up to face a dark corner nearby one of the windows. "It's been a while since your last visit."

Batman stepped into view, holding a picture. "I need information. What can you tell me about a girl named Raven?" He handled him the photo.

Jason Blood raised an eyebrow as he placed his book on a small table on his side and took the photo to studied the hooded girl on the photo. "Nothing I am afraid. It is hard to see her face but despite that she is not familiar with me."

"She poses multiple powers. She can fly, levitate objects, moving through solid walls, floors and ceilings, read someone's minds and emotions and can grow, her cloak included. She have powers to create solid walls and shields She can create tentacles to grab someone and can shoot with her energy. She can also create portals to travel from one place to one other. All black colored and all without casting a spell or using an artifact."

"Sounds like a powerful person," Jason muttered while in thoughts. "Too powerful for a human, like a magician of a witch, they need to cast a spell to open a portal for example. If you ask me, she almost sound like a demon."

Batman handled him more pictures. "These are photos of her room. Can you tell me if you can see something what might be extraordinary?"

Jason Blood studied the photos for a while. "That mirror looks interesting," he muttered. He took another picture, showing nothing but books. A grin appeared when he recognized several books, one in particular. "Nice collection of books, and I see that she poses the Wisdom of Nol with the dragon Malchior. I saw it happened when Rorek captured that fell beast into his book. Funny how it survived the passing of time and end up in her room. It looks like that she can read ancient runes."

"A dragon inside a book? How did that happened?"

"The years after King Arthur's passing, England was in turmoil. Morgaine Le Fey unleased Malchior on the remaining knights and those who remained loyal to Arthur, which added more troubles in my quest to find her. Then the Vikings tried to conquer England but failed twice. With their third attempt, they had Rorek of Nol among them, a Nordic wizard who was able to defeat him and banished him in his own spell book. I had spent years to find that book but eventually lost hope when decades became centuries."

"Do you still want it?"

"Too keep it safe? Yes. I think that can buy it from her."

Jason continue to look at the pictures and spotted something what really caught his attention. "These masks... they have two pair of eyes. I have heard about a demon that have four eyes like that, but I don't think it's likely that she have anything to do with him."

"Who?"

"Trigon. He is an interdimensional demon who wants to rule all where he goes."

"By creating a portal?"

"Not really. He need a guidance who open the portal for him. I belief that this person have to be from his own blood. It's a one time job however, that person have to sacrifice himself to do so."

Batman's glare intensified. "Can you tell me more about Trigon?"

"Not really. All I can tell you that once he is released on Earth, he cannot be stopped. Only a related demon can defeat him."

"Is that all?"

Jason was in thoughts for a moment. "I have heard about a cult here in Gotham who worshipped him. Rumors said that they even tried to call him to Earth but that would only work for a brief moment, and that was about 16 or 17 years ago."

"Long enough to produce an offspring?"

"Yes." A shiver went through Jason's spine while taking another look at Raven's photo. "She looks like having the proper age, and if it's all true, they did succeed." He looked up at Batman. "What kind of person is she?"

"She is one of the Teen Titans, located in Jump City. A crime fighter who cares about her team members. She is smart, strong minded, straight to the point and have a strong sense of justice. As far as I can tell, she's a good person."

Jason nodded. "Which means that she have to be forced to sacrifice herself to open the portal. In this case we have nothing to worry about." He returned Batman the photos and turned to grab his book.

Batman accepted Jason's statement. For the most part that is. "I'll keep an eye on them. I will let you know if something is going on."

"Not surprisingly, but I don't think that will be necessary." Jason looked up to see that Batman had already disappeared. "Typical. I will never get to use to it. Not even in a thousand years."

The End.

It's my first multi chapter fanfic that has been completed. I hope that you guys like it, at least I did.

More stories of Teen Titans are on its way with the additions of some characters of Batman the Animated Series. I've several ideas of extending the series and hope that I won't run out of ideas or inspirations any time soon.

Should I add one more chapter to this story containing bloopers and outtakes? Please let me know in the comments.

Till then, see you next time.