Chapter Three
Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire looked at the park grounds with pity in their faces. Robin lifted the eRing from the ground and showed to the other titans.
"She took it off," he said, "Her eRing is no longer with her. Without her eRing, she can't be tracked. We've lost her."
Starfire shook her head, tears flowing from her huge, green eyes, "No, it cannot be! We must find her, Raven is our friend. What if something bad happens to her? Or if Slade finds her first?"
Cyborg crossed his arms, "And she can fly, she could be long gone by now. Miles, even."
"We must search for her," Robin said, "First the city and then slowly outwards. If you find her, contact us on the eRing," he dropped Raven's eRing, "We must convince her we really are her friends and whatever is messing with her is wrong."
The titans all moved out except Beast Boy. He kneeled down on the ground and picked up Raven's eRing.
"Hey, I'm Beast Boy, I can turn into a dog," he said. He quickly transformed into a dog. He panted hard as he sniffed the eRing and pointed himself into another direction, "And I can sense Raven, I can find her..."
Raven flopped herself down onto the futon and covered herself with her black bed sheets. The futon was hard and the bed sheets were cold, like the hearts of the Teen Titans. She would just have to get used to it...she would be here for a long time.
She had thrown away her eRing, less much would anyone care. Who cared about her anyway? That was it for her, she was the only thing that would take care of herself. Sooner or later she would forget about the Teen Titans.
Raven, you should have seen it earlier. Everything I said was true.
She sighed and rested her head on the hard pillow, "You have given me this lecture already many times before I came here. Give it a rest for once.!"
But I thought we had a deal.
"What deal?"
You and I were to become partners.
"I never made that deal. You kept trying to get me to be that way. However, I will never."
Very well then.
Raven heard a clang on the floor. She shot up in an instant on the futon. A small knife was slowly floating towards her. It stopped only inches from her face, still floating.
Now, if I remember correctly, you had to make this kind of decision a long time ago, when I first came to you. Didn't you? Perhaps now you'll have the courage to do it. Maybe now you'll see that you no longer have anyone to come and find you and mourn for you, can you? Do it, my Raven. Do it quick.
Raven sighed and took the knife. The cold blade would soon brush upon her and she would be no more. Like she wasn't anything before anyway.
Beast Boy came across a small shack. It was old and the front porch lights flickered lifelessly. He could smell Raven all over the door, all around him. He was sure that she would be here...he hoped. He transformed back into human.
He knocked on the door. Once...twice...three times. No answer. He thought he heard a little yelp on the second knock.
"Raven?" he asked slightly loud for whoever inside there was to here. Still, no answer. He placed his hands on the door knob and opened it a small crack. It was too dark for him to see, no doubt Raven probably was in there. He looked around and found a flashlight sitting on the floor. He banged it couple of times to get it working. He flashed it into the room. Moving it about, back and forth, he spotted a small futon laying on the floor. A large figure was wrapped in the dark sheets and a head full of dark brown hair was puffing up from above it. A forehead, he could see, with the chakra jewel embedded in the middle of it, "Raven!"
He ran to her placing a hand on her shoulder, "Go away," she said from under the covers in her slow, glum voice, "You're just another thing I'll hate for always."
"Raven," Beast Boy said, "I don't know what's messing with your head, but we are all still your friends."
"No..." she said, "I thought you were my friends. But you betrayed me."
"No, we didn't. Raven, we did not betray, we wouldn't betray you. You're our friend."
"Leave me alone," she said.
"Please, snap out of it, Rave."
"Leave me alone!" she said more loudly this time, "Just leave me alone...leave me alone so I can die in peace and not with an enemy around."
"Stop it, now!" he drew the dark sheets back and exposed Raven's entire body. Her arms were at her sides, palms facing up. And Beast Boy gasped once he saw her wrists. They were cut deeply and gushing with blood, "No, Raven, don't do this."
Raven's eyes closed slowly, waiting for her body to finally let go.
Very good, Raven. You'll finally rest in peace forever.
Beast Boy shook Raven by her shoulders, "Please, Raven, don't let go. Hold on, I'm gonna get help," he quickly took out his eRing and held down a button, "It's Raven, track me and quick!"
He threw his eRing across the room, "No, why, Raven? Why listen to that voice in your head...he's lying to you. Do you hear me? He is lying to you!" he buried his head into her chest, "I never told you this, but...Raven...I love you. I loved you I think even before I met you. Please, Raven. You can't die. I don't want you to die."
Raven was in darkness now. She wasn't dead, yet. But she soon would be. For some reason, though, she didn't want to die.
"Okay, listen. You have my blood now. Can you please stop the illusion to Beast Boy? I think he really means what he said."
This is no illusion, Raven. You really are going to die. You are experiencing real pain, real blood is exiting your veins, Beast Boy is saying real things he really means.
"Wait...so you lied to me? They really were my friends after all?"
Yes. You see, it's better now that I am inside your mind. Because I can also make illusions in your head that really isn't there. You see, to get you back for what you did to me four years ago, I planned to have you killed. I wanted to kill you right there, when I had the chance when I first entered you. But I like this better...you finally deciding to kill yourself.
"Azrac Metzion Zinthos!" she screamed, "Power of chakra, I invoke stronger power of you. Power of chakra, I invoke stronger power of you...I invoke stronger power of you...I invoke...I invoke..."
She felt an urge of great power flood her as she brought her palms to the sides of her head. She pressed hard, "Send him away, please...send this evil incarnation to hell, where he belongs."
Ha, ha...the power of chakra cannot take effect on me anymore. You are nothing now. Nothing can save you.
The three other titans all arrived at the same time to the old shack. They knocked on the door frantically all at once. Beast Boy answered it, his eyes red and shriveled.
"Whoa!" Cyborg yelled, "Is that Beast Boy crying?"
"It's not funny, Cyborg," Starfire said, "He's being serious for once."
Robin stared at Beast Boy, concerned, "Wait...Beast Boy, what happened?"
Beast Boy didn't say anything. He only pointed in the direction of the futon, where Raven lay motionless. Robin gasped and ran to Raven's side.
"No, what happened?" he asked. Beast Boy sighed.
"She committed suicide," he said very slowly.
Cyborg gasped and also ran to Raven's other side, "No, she's still breathing, we can do something, it isn't too late."
Starfire shook her head in confusion, "What's suicide?"
"It's when someone tries to kill themselves," Beat Boy explained slowly.
"No, she wouldn't!"
"I told you, someone's messed with her."
Robin shook his head, "Just shut up and let me think," he said, "We need to stop her wrists from bleeding to death. Beast Boy, you didn't do anything to help the ten minutes you were here?"
"I was too scared to even move!"
"Okay, okay," he said. He took the black sheets and wrapped them around each of her wrists, bonding them together, "That should control the bleeding, but only for a little while. Okay, Starfire, you know how to stitch up wounds, right?"
She smiled and nodded, "Only the best."
"Run home and grab a needle, lots of thread, and some bleach. Go!" Starfire dashed out the door in a blink of an eye, "I'm going to dash to a nearby store and get some ice. Beast Boy, run to the medical clinic and get some medicines to stop bleeding. And Cyborg...just...you've got greater strength then all of us so I need you to stay here with Raven and hold her wrists together as best as you can. Okay?"
Cyborg nodded, "What ever you say, Robin," he said, grabbing Raven's wrists and squeezing them with 100% together, "You can trust me with Raven, I won't let her die on me."
Robin smiled at Cyborg and ran out the door, leaving now only Beast Boy and Cyborg along with the dying Raven. Beast Boy approached Raven and Cyborg slowly.
"Please, Cyborg," he said, "Do not let Raven die. I know I can trust you but you and I both know she can't hold forever if she keeps bleeding. Please keep it at your 100% always, okay?"
Cyborg smiled, "Would it make you any happier I go over 100?" Beast Boy looked at the ground sheepishly, "I'll make sure she doesn't bleeding any more than she is now. Hurry, you're medicine's the most important out of everything we're gonna get. Go, BB. I'll watch Raven."
Beast Boy nodded and turned to walk out the door, "I'll turn into a cheetah and I'll run to and from here faster than ever."
Cyborg waiting until Beast Boy was halfway out the door before he said, "You like her more than a friend, don't you, BB?"
Beast Boy stopped dead, "If you let her die I will kill myself and join her, that's how much I would do for her."
He transformed into a cheetah and ran out into the night.
Raven was starting to get very light headed. She was afraid maybe she wouldn't make it. She could feel someone wrapping and holding her wrists together with tremendous strength. And she could also hear Cyborg's reassuring voice. Cyborg was here?
"It's going to be alright, Rave," she heard him say, "The other titans and I are going to help. We are your friends and we do not want you to die."
Raven smiled, "Cyborg...my friend..."
Your holding on too tight now, you might as well just give up, they'll never reach here in time to save you.
"Cyborg is here. He will control the bleeding until they get back. When they get back they'll save me, you watch. I can holding until then."
Besides the chakra, you never really were an easy girl to have control over power. You are weak, useless...and pretty soon you will die.
"I won't let myself die...my friends won't let me die."
Then I will go and slow each and every one of them down so they can never get to you on time.
"No...you better not, I'll kill you, you fool...I'll really kill you!"
I will, and watch me.
She felt him trying to leave her mind, but she held onto him as hard as she could, "Azrac Metzion Zinthos! Power of chakra, I invoke even stronger power than you've ever given me...ever! Hold him...do not let him leave me. I'd rather live a hellish existence with him tormenting me inside out then watching my friends in death suffer the same. Please, power of chakra, in the words of Cyborg, give me your 100%...please, chakra. For my friends..."
She knew the power of chakra had listened. Because she could still hear his voice lingering in her head while she ignored it and continued to hold on.
Robin and Starfire returned with their things they were assigned to get. They had to wait about ten minutes, though, before Beast Boy came with the medicines.
"Sorry I'm late, it was dark and I had to sneak in," he said. He handed Robin a pouch of power, "But I got it."
Robin smiled and took it. He looked over at Cyborg, who was still holding her wrists together now with over 100%. He nodded at Cyborg, "She still alive?"
Cyborg nodded a little, "Barely, but if we hurry we can save her," he said.
"Let go of her wrists and unwrap them," Robin said as he knelt down at Raven's side. Cyborg stopped pushing on Raven and slowly started to unwrap the sheets from her wrists. Immediately blood started to rush out again. He sprinkled the powder Beast Boy got on each of her wrists and rubbed it into her small veins. After a while it stopped bleeding.
"Yes!" Starfire said, jumping, "We can stitch her up now!"
Robin cleaned the needle using the bleach and threaded it. He handed it to Starfire, "Give me your best."
Starfire nodded and started individually stitching each wrist so that her skin would stay together. Robin took the ice and laid in on Raven's head to keep her cool. In about ten minutes Starfire finished stitch up her wrists.
"I'm done...they should heal up nicely."
Beast Boy sighed, relieved, "What do we do now?"
Robin sat there, watching Raven, "We wait until she wakes up, then we'll let her decide."
Raven was smiling now. Sure, she had made a mistake. But at least now she knew she wasn't going to die.
"I should be gaining full conscious now. You can do nothing to stop me."
Do not talk to me in such a way.
"What? Are you mad I finally beat you? Overpowered you?"
No.
"There's something you never knew about me. You think my only way of attacks is the power of chakra. But you are wrong...the one power I use everyday of my sad, miserable life...is friendship. Friendship overpowers evil, overpowers the chakra. It's better than having powers."
What are you saying? Friendship is a very dissipated thing. Why throw away power just for friendship?
"Because look...I'm not going to die. And I didn't use my powers to do that. It was my friends that kept me alive. Look, they are all waiting for me to awaken, which I soon will. I will only awaken when I want to."
Then awaken if you're so eager to stay alive. I can still kill you with my bare hands.
"I am only staying here to say one thing to you."
And what is that?
"You have always gone up against the Teen Titans, but this time you do not have an escape plan. They will defeat you."
They cannot...especially that Robin of yours.
"He is stronger than you, as so am I."
No...no...
"Good bye...I will go with my friends now."
Everyone gasped once they heard Raven moan. She stir a little and then turned to her side. Robin got a little onto his knees.
"Raven?" he said, a slight bit of hope.
Raven turned back to her other side and opened her eyes slowly. She saw a blurred silhouette of a person wearing a mask over his eyes, "Robin?" she asked, weakly, "Is that my Robin?"
She lifted her hand out and grabbed his. Robin smiled, seeing she was okay, "It's me."
"Where's everybody?" she asked, looking around. It was too dark for her to see anything, "Where's the other titans?"
"They're here."
She blinked her eyes a couple of times to adjust to her sharp night vision. She saw her fellow Teen Titan members surrounding her. She smiled and sat up slowly from her futon.
"Listen," she said, "I'm so sorry for worrying you. I wish I could explain."
"How can you not?" asked Cyborg, leaning on his other leg now that his left was numb.
"He's gone, the voice in my head," she said, "You guys all remember my father, and how he tormented me?"
"Yes," the all answered.
"He came back. He told me that you guys weren't my friends and I almost tried to kill myself because of it, but now I see. If you guys weren't my friends you would have let me die. But you didn't, you really and truly are my friends."
"We will always be your friends, Raven," Robin said, "Now tell me, who is your father? I really want to know."
Raven looked down at the ground, "He's...Slade..."
Robin stood up, "No, he isn't!"
"He is. I've known for a long time now. That's why I back off on every fight with him. I can't stand fighting my own father. I'm still fearing him."
Robin looked at the ground, "So he's gone?"
"Yes."
Robin stomped on the floor. The Titans would have to have another chance to defeat Slade. But now only Raven mattered. She was still very weak and she needed her own time to heal. But at least they had another reason to catch Slade. Yet...where would he strike next time?
To be continued...
Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire looked at the park grounds with pity in their faces. Robin lifted the eRing from the ground and showed to the other titans.
"She took it off," he said, "Her eRing is no longer with her. Without her eRing, she can't be tracked. We've lost her."
Starfire shook her head, tears flowing from her huge, green eyes, "No, it cannot be! We must find her, Raven is our friend. What if something bad happens to her? Or if Slade finds her first?"
Cyborg crossed his arms, "And she can fly, she could be long gone by now. Miles, even."
"We must search for her," Robin said, "First the city and then slowly outwards. If you find her, contact us on the eRing," he dropped Raven's eRing, "We must convince her we really are her friends and whatever is messing with her is wrong."
The titans all moved out except Beast Boy. He kneeled down on the ground and picked up Raven's eRing.
"Hey, I'm Beast Boy, I can turn into a dog," he said. He quickly transformed into a dog. He panted hard as he sniffed the eRing and pointed himself into another direction, "And I can sense Raven, I can find her..."
Raven flopped herself down onto the futon and covered herself with her black bed sheets. The futon was hard and the bed sheets were cold, like the hearts of the Teen Titans. She would just have to get used to it...she would be here for a long time.
She had thrown away her eRing, less much would anyone care. Who cared about her anyway? That was it for her, she was the only thing that would take care of herself. Sooner or later she would forget about the Teen Titans.
Raven, you should have seen it earlier. Everything I said was true.
She sighed and rested her head on the hard pillow, "You have given me this lecture already many times before I came here. Give it a rest for once.!"
But I thought we had a deal.
"What deal?"
You and I were to become partners.
"I never made that deal. You kept trying to get me to be that way. However, I will never."
Very well then.
Raven heard a clang on the floor. She shot up in an instant on the futon. A small knife was slowly floating towards her. It stopped only inches from her face, still floating.
Now, if I remember correctly, you had to make this kind of decision a long time ago, when I first came to you. Didn't you? Perhaps now you'll have the courage to do it. Maybe now you'll see that you no longer have anyone to come and find you and mourn for you, can you? Do it, my Raven. Do it quick.
Raven sighed and took the knife. The cold blade would soon brush upon her and she would be no more. Like she wasn't anything before anyway.
Beast Boy came across a small shack. It was old and the front porch lights flickered lifelessly. He could smell Raven all over the door, all around him. He was sure that she would be here...he hoped. He transformed back into human.
He knocked on the door. Once...twice...three times. No answer. He thought he heard a little yelp on the second knock.
"Raven?" he asked slightly loud for whoever inside there was to here. Still, no answer. He placed his hands on the door knob and opened it a small crack. It was too dark for him to see, no doubt Raven probably was in there. He looked around and found a flashlight sitting on the floor. He banged it couple of times to get it working. He flashed it into the room. Moving it about, back and forth, he spotted a small futon laying on the floor. A large figure was wrapped in the dark sheets and a head full of dark brown hair was puffing up from above it. A forehead, he could see, with the chakra jewel embedded in the middle of it, "Raven!"
He ran to her placing a hand on her shoulder, "Go away," she said from under the covers in her slow, glum voice, "You're just another thing I'll hate for always."
"Raven," Beast Boy said, "I don't know what's messing with your head, but we are all still your friends."
"No..." she said, "I thought you were my friends. But you betrayed me."
"No, we didn't. Raven, we did not betray, we wouldn't betray you. You're our friend."
"Leave me alone," she said.
"Please, snap out of it, Rave."
"Leave me alone!" she said more loudly this time, "Just leave me alone...leave me alone so I can die in peace and not with an enemy around."
"Stop it, now!" he drew the dark sheets back and exposed Raven's entire body. Her arms were at her sides, palms facing up. And Beast Boy gasped once he saw her wrists. They were cut deeply and gushing with blood, "No, Raven, don't do this."
Raven's eyes closed slowly, waiting for her body to finally let go.
Very good, Raven. You'll finally rest in peace forever.
Beast Boy shook Raven by her shoulders, "Please, Raven, don't let go. Hold on, I'm gonna get help," he quickly took out his eRing and held down a button, "It's Raven, track me and quick!"
He threw his eRing across the room, "No, why, Raven? Why listen to that voice in your head...he's lying to you. Do you hear me? He is lying to you!" he buried his head into her chest, "I never told you this, but...Raven...I love you. I loved you I think even before I met you. Please, Raven. You can't die. I don't want you to die."
Raven was in darkness now. She wasn't dead, yet. But she soon would be. For some reason, though, she didn't want to die.
"Okay, listen. You have my blood now. Can you please stop the illusion to Beast Boy? I think he really means what he said."
This is no illusion, Raven. You really are going to die. You are experiencing real pain, real blood is exiting your veins, Beast Boy is saying real things he really means.
"Wait...so you lied to me? They really were my friends after all?"
Yes. You see, it's better now that I am inside your mind. Because I can also make illusions in your head that really isn't there. You see, to get you back for what you did to me four years ago, I planned to have you killed. I wanted to kill you right there, when I had the chance when I first entered you. But I like this better...you finally deciding to kill yourself.
"Azrac Metzion Zinthos!" she screamed, "Power of chakra, I invoke stronger power of you. Power of chakra, I invoke stronger power of you...I invoke stronger power of you...I invoke...I invoke..."
She felt an urge of great power flood her as she brought her palms to the sides of her head. She pressed hard, "Send him away, please...send this evil incarnation to hell, where he belongs."
Ha, ha...the power of chakra cannot take effect on me anymore. You are nothing now. Nothing can save you.
The three other titans all arrived at the same time to the old shack. They knocked on the door frantically all at once. Beast Boy answered it, his eyes red and shriveled.
"Whoa!" Cyborg yelled, "Is that Beast Boy crying?"
"It's not funny, Cyborg," Starfire said, "He's being serious for once."
Robin stared at Beast Boy, concerned, "Wait...Beast Boy, what happened?"
Beast Boy didn't say anything. He only pointed in the direction of the futon, where Raven lay motionless. Robin gasped and ran to Raven's side.
"No, what happened?" he asked. Beast Boy sighed.
"She committed suicide," he said very slowly.
Cyborg gasped and also ran to Raven's other side, "No, she's still breathing, we can do something, it isn't too late."
Starfire shook her head in confusion, "What's suicide?"
"It's when someone tries to kill themselves," Beat Boy explained slowly.
"No, she wouldn't!"
"I told you, someone's messed with her."
Robin shook his head, "Just shut up and let me think," he said, "We need to stop her wrists from bleeding to death. Beast Boy, you didn't do anything to help the ten minutes you were here?"
"I was too scared to even move!"
"Okay, okay," he said. He took the black sheets and wrapped them around each of her wrists, bonding them together, "That should control the bleeding, but only for a little while. Okay, Starfire, you know how to stitch up wounds, right?"
She smiled and nodded, "Only the best."
"Run home and grab a needle, lots of thread, and some bleach. Go!" Starfire dashed out the door in a blink of an eye, "I'm going to dash to a nearby store and get some ice. Beast Boy, run to the medical clinic and get some medicines to stop bleeding. And Cyborg...just...you've got greater strength then all of us so I need you to stay here with Raven and hold her wrists together as best as you can. Okay?"
Cyborg nodded, "What ever you say, Robin," he said, grabbing Raven's wrists and squeezing them with 100% together, "You can trust me with Raven, I won't let her die on me."
Robin smiled at Cyborg and ran out the door, leaving now only Beast Boy and Cyborg along with the dying Raven. Beast Boy approached Raven and Cyborg slowly.
"Please, Cyborg," he said, "Do not let Raven die. I know I can trust you but you and I both know she can't hold forever if she keeps bleeding. Please keep it at your 100% always, okay?"
Cyborg smiled, "Would it make you any happier I go over 100?" Beast Boy looked at the ground sheepishly, "I'll make sure she doesn't bleeding any more than she is now. Hurry, you're medicine's the most important out of everything we're gonna get. Go, BB. I'll watch Raven."
Beast Boy nodded and turned to walk out the door, "I'll turn into a cheetah and I'll run to and from here faster than ever."
Cyborg waiting until Beast Boy was halfway out the door before he said, "You like her more than a friend, don't you, BB?"
Beast Boy stopped dead, "If you let her die I will kill myself and join her, that's how much I would do for her."
He transformed into a cheetah and ran out into the night.
Raven was starting to get very light headed. She was afraid maybe she wouldn't make it. She could feel someone wrapping and holding her wrists together with tremendous strength. And she could also hear Cyborg's reassuring voice. Cyborg was here?
"It's going to be alright, Rave," she heard him say, "The other titans and I are going to help. We are your friends and we do not want you to die."
Raven smiled, "Cyborg...my friend..."
Your holding on too tight now, you might as well just give up, they'll never reach here in time to save you.
"Cyborg is here. He will control the bleeding until they get back. When they get back they'll save me, you watch. I can holding until then."
Besides the chakra, you never really were an easy girl to have control over power. You are weak, useless...and pretty soon you will die.
"I won't let myself die...my friends won't let me die."
Then I will go and slow each and every one of them down so they can never get to you on time.
"No...you better not, I'll kill you, you fool...I'll really kill you!"
I will, and watch me.
She felt him trying to leave her mind, but she held onto him as hard as she could, "Azrac Metzion Zinthos! Power of chakra, I invoke even stronger power than you've ever given me...ever! Hold him...do not let him leave me. I'd rather live a hellish existence with him tormenting me inside out then watching my friends in death suffer the same. Please, power of chakra, in the words of Cyborg, give me your 100%...please, chakra. For my friends..."
She knew the power of chakra had listened. Because she could still hear his voice lingering in her head while she ignored it and continued to hold on.
Robin and Starfire returned with their things they were assigned to get. They had to wait about ten minutes, though, before Beast Boy came with the medicines.
"Sorry I'm late, it was dark and I had to sneak in," he said. He handed Robin a pouch of power, "But I got it."
Robin smiled and took it. He looked over at Cyborg, who was still holding her wrists together now with over 100%. He nodded at Cyborg, "She still alive?"
Cyborg nodded a little, "Barely, but if we hurry we can save her," he said.
"Let go of her wrists and unwrap them," Robin said as he knelt down at Raven's side. Cyborg stopped pushing on Raven and slowly started to unwrap the sheets from her wrists. Immediately blood started to rush out again. He sprinkled the powder Beast Boy got on each of her wrists and rubbed it into her small veins. After a while it stopped bleeding.
"Yes!" Starfire said, jumping, "We can stitch her up now!"
Robin cleaned the needle using the bleach and threaded it. He handed it to Starfire, "Give me your best."
Starfire nodded and started individually stitching each wrist so that her skin would stay together. Robin took the ice and laid in on Raven's head to keep her cool. In about ten minutes Starfire finished stitch up her wrists.
"I'm done...they should heal up nicely."
Beast Boy sighed, relieved, "What do we do now?"
Robin sat there, watching Raven, "We wait until she wakes up, then we'll let her decide."
Raven was smiling now. Sure, she had made a mistake. But at least now she knew she wasn't going to die.
"I should be gaining full conscious now. You can do nothing to stop me."
Do not talk to me in such a way.
"What? Are you mad I finally beat you? Overpowered you?"
No.
"There's something you never knew about me. You think my only way of attacks is the power of chakra. But you are wrong...the one power I use everyday of my sad, miserable life...is friendship. Friendship overpowers evil, overpowers the chakra. It's better than having powers."
What are you saying? Friendship is a very dissipated thing. Why throw away power just for friendship?
"Because look...I'm not going to die. And I didn't use my powers to do that. It was my friends that kept me alive. Look, they are all waiting for me to awaken, which I soon will. I will only awaken when I want to."
Then awaken if you're so eager to stay alive. I can still kill you with my bare hands.
"I am only staying here to say one thing to you."
And what is that?
"You have always gone up against the Teen Titans, but this time you do not have an escape plan. They will defeat you."
They cannot...especially that Robin of yours.
"He is stronger than you, as so am I."
No...no...
"Good bye...I will go with my friends now."
Everyone gasped once they heard Raven moan. She stir a little and then turned to her side. Robin got a little onto his knees.
"Raven?" he said, a slight bit of hope.
Raven turned back to her other side and opened her eyes slowly. She saw a blurred silhouette of a person wearing a mask over his eyes, "Robin?" she asked, weakly, "Is that my Robin?"
She lifted her hand out and grabbed his. Robin smiled, seeing she was okay, "It's me."
"Where's everybody?" she asked, looking around. It was too dark for her to see anything, "Where's the other titans?"
"They're here."
She blinked her eyes a couple of times to adjust to her sharp night vision. She saw her fellow Teen Titan members surrounding her. She smiled and sat up slowly from her futon.
"Listen," she said, "I'm so sorry for worrying you. I wish I could explain."
"How can you not?" asked Cyborg, leaning on his other leg now that his left was numb.
"He's gone, the voice in my head," she said, "You guys all remember my father, and how he tormented me?"
"Yes," the all answered.
"He came back. He told me that you guys weren't my friends and I almost tried to kill myself because of it, but now I see. If you guys weren't my friends you would have let me die. But you didn't, you really and truly are my friends."
"We will always be your friends, Raven," Robin said, "Now tell me, who is your father? I really want to know."
Raven looked down at the ground, "He's...Slade..."
Robin stood up, "No, he isn't!"
"He is. I've known for a long time now. That's why I back off on every fight with him. I can't stand fighting my own father. I'm still fearing him."
Robin looked at the ground, "So he's gone?"
"Yes."
Robin stomped on the floor. The Titans would have to have another chance to defeat Slade. But now only Raven mattered. She was still very weak and she needed her own time to heal. But at least they had another reason to catch Slade. Yet...where would he strike next time?
To be continued...