[]=thoughts

Chapter 6

-And into an entirely new area. Beastboy looked around. He had tumbled into an ice-covered mountain range. But instead of the picturesque beauty one would normally associate with this view, it had an eerie, haunted aura. It made Logan feel edgy. Biting winds chilled him, and he transformed into a polar bear. [Well, at least I'm warmer now...] Picking up the salamander in his muzzle, he ambled off in an attempt to find the Raven of this place.

His nose picked up a odd scent, the one he had detected when he had first come here, but this one was much stronger. He sniffed the air. [Wait, this smells like-]

"Tears," answered a voice behind him.

He whirled. It was a Raven. This one was clad in a deep, soul-crushing black robe. Beastboy didn't like this.

"I'm not Trigon, Garfield," she said in a voice that made Timid's seem like an excited five-year-old's. "By the way, I can read your mind. No need to shift back and freeze yourself."

[What emotion are you?]

Just for a second, she seemed to smile. "You would call me Depression."

P.O.V. Shift

Raven struggled against her anger.

"She betrayed you! She was going to kill you!" shouted the emotion, throwing out red spears.

"I know that!" she roared, evading the spears, and throwing out onyx beams of her own.

Trigon dodged them. "The shifter put her up to it! It was his fault! He wanted this!" Trigon grabbed her body and flung it against the dome that trapped her in this fight.

"NO! I don't believe it!" She righted herself and wished once more that she could call on her other emotions. Raven hurled a cloud of black projectiles at the construct.

P.O.V. Beast boy

[Depression? That would explain your robe. So is this entire mountain range made from tears?]Beastboy cocked his head to the side.

"Yes. All the sadness she has ever felt, feels, and will feel comes here. It is a barren place, not even your current form will keep you warm much longer."

[What a happy thought] he said, acidly. [Do you know where Raven is?]

"Which Raven?"

Beastboy thought that an strange question. [The original Raven, of course. Who else would I ask about?]

She glanced to the left, for just an instant.

[What was that?]

"What was what?" she said, rather defensively.

He eyed her strangely. [You just glanced to the left. That could mean one of two things. You're lying, or that she's in that direction].

"Don't be stupid. Raven's over there!" She shouted, flinging her arm to the right.

[You're lying!] he snarled.

"No I'm not! I'm a part of Raven! Why would I want her to die?!"

[Because you represent Depression!]

"What does that have to do with it?!"

[Depression is anger directed at oneself! How can I trust you not to commit suicide?!]

She stopped. Her face no longer flashed anger, but resignation. "How did you know that about depression?" she asked quietly.

[Come on. People commit suicide from depression everyday! Why are you surprised that I know this?!] Beastboy felt the wind starting to chill again.

"No, not the suicide. The anger. How did you know that? You're the first to have known."

[We don't have time for this. I need to find Raven and I can feel my morph slipping!]

"Tell me!!" she shouted.

[Alright, you win. But you'll have to pick it out of my mind. It's the only way we'll have time.]

She nodded. Beastboy brought forward memories of his father's, then his mother's death, his constant nights of self-introspection, his anguish. Then he recalled his next step, accepting their deaths and attempting to move on. [I guess I didn't do such a good job at coping with it...]

"Don't worry. I think you did fine." Her voice had changed again. So had her image. Raven's robe was now a pure, gemstone red. "Come on. We don't have much time." She lifted off the snow and flew in a direction towards the left.

[Thanks!] called Logan, racing after her, ignoring the growing cold in his body. But tell me something. [Who are you now?]

She laughed, a warm silvery sound. "That's easy. I'm Love."

P.O.V. Shift

"What's going on?!" shouted Robin, skidding into the infirmary, followed closely by Kory. Black energy had started to grab certain things and hurled them around Raven's and the shifter's gurneys.

"I don't know! I was just sitting here this all started up!" replied Victor, dodging flying debris in order to reach the door. Raven's aura enveloped Beastboy's gurney and brought it towards her.

"What is she doing?!" cried Starfire at the event, moving aside to let Cyborg out.

"I think she's trying to protect him. Look! That huge piece of junk just slammed into the spot where his gurney used to be!"

"But why is she doing this? She was so calm before! Ahh!" she shouted, firing a starbolt at an approaching piece of debris.

"Be careful!" Cyborg rolled his eyes at this. "But I think we should fall back for now. Titans! Retreat!"cried Robin.

"Did he really need to say that?" Victor whispered to Kory as they ran down the hallway.

P.O.V. Shift

"Look!" shouted Love. She was pointing at a large black dome in the distance. It was transparent, two figures were fighting inside of it. "Change back! I'll carry you!" she called.

[Are you kidding?! I'll freeze!]

"Just trust me!" she said, swooping low to pick him up.

[Fine...] He leaped up and changed back to human form. Love caught him and created a shield to deflect the wind.

"Phht!" Beastboy spat the dead salamander into his hand. "That tasted really bad..."

"We're almost there! Hold on!" The construct killed her speed, dived, and landed just next to the black shield.

"Raven!" he shouted, pounding on the wall. Logan changed into a gorilla and slammed his fists into the barrier. No effect. Then a tiger. Nothing.

"You won't be able to bring down the shield like that, Beastboy," Love said softly.

"Then how can I?!" he said, whirling to face her. "Raven's going to die in there if I can't reach her!"

"The salamander is a clue. But it's the second one."

"What does that mean?!" he demanded.

"Think. What does the salamander represent?"

"I don't know!"

Love paused. "Then, perhaps I should start praying..."

"What? What does that-" The wheels in Beastboy's started turning. Prayer. Salamander. Elements! The asteroids represented Earth, Happy's domain was Fire, Analysis's maze was Air, and the Mountain Range signified Water! The Tengato!

She smiled. "Ah, I see you understand now."

"How did you know?" he asked confused, and strengthened by the knowledge he had just gained.

"Weren't you the one who said we had no time?"

He stiffened. "That's right!"

"I'll just watch," she said, stepping back.

Beastboy made an upside-down triangle with his hands. "Do!" Flipping it up, he said, "Ka!" He put his index fingers across the triangle, making a line. "Kaze!" Inverting it, he finished. "Mizu!" He felt a surge of power flow through his body, combined with something unknown. "Tengato!" shouted Beastboy, punching the shield. Cracks spiderwebbed from the point of impact, and spread throughout the barrier. It shuddered once, then shattered. Unfortunately, it exploded outward. Love shot in front of him and erected a crimson shield. "Thanks," he breathed. For whatever reason, the biting cold had stopped registering.

"No problem. But I think Raven could use some help."

Barely nodding thanks, Logan raced out towards the battlefield. The empath was looking with half an eye at the wall no longer there. Trigon was even more aggressive, apparently destroying the shield had only made him angrier.

"Raven!" shouted Beastboy, running towards her.

"Garfield?!" exclaimed Raven, whipping around and paying for it by getting stuck on the back.

"RAVEN!" He shifted into a cheetah and shot towards where she had landed. "Raven!" Logan said, changing back and kneeling besides her.

"Beastboy? What in the Ninth Hell are you doing here?!" she said.

"Can I answer that later? Because Trigon's coming and he doesn't look happy."

She shook her head and nodded. "Can you hold him off for a couple seconds? I need to call the rest of my emotions."

"Already done, Ravie."called a voice from behind them. They dodged one of his attacks and looked behind them. Love, along with all of her other emotions, stood in a phalanx beside them.

"Don't call me 'Ravie.' But thanks." Raven turned to Beastboy, ducked an energy bolt, and said, "I still need that few seconds. Can you manage that?"

He nodded. "No problem." Logan shifted to a pterodactyl and flew towards the demon's face.

Raven's emotions formed a ring around her and started spinning.

Beastboy climbed higher in the air and dived towards him.

The circle closed on her.

He shifted into a tiger and raked furrows in Trigon's brow.

Both were blinded by an explosion of light.

The high priestess of Azerath stood before her father. Her hands started to glow with black energy, and she sent an immensely powerful lance towards the self-proclaimed Satan.

He responded in kind, and his narrower beam was slowly cutting through it. [She's not strong enough,] Beastboy realized.

"Raven! Move!" shouted the changeling, and she just barely dodged the beam as it tore through hers.

Trigon threw a red curtain at Raven, who blocked it with an onyx wall of her own.

"Beastboy! I need your help!" she called, evading a massive flurry of energy.

"How?!" he asked, confused.

"Use the prayer! I'll use my chant!"

"Right!" He began the gestures. "Do! Ka!"

"Azerath!"

"Kaze! Mizu!" Trigon was apparently preparing for his own attack as well.

"Metrion!"

"-Tengato!"

"-Zinthos!" They shouted in unison. A beam of energy the size of a redwood trunk erupted from her hands. A smaller beam leaped from Beastboy's hands and spiraled around Raven's beam, turning it from black to white. Trigon abandoned his attack and crossed his arms in front of his face, creating a shield. Which was kinda pointless, since it ripped through his defenses like paper. The image of him shattered, and in it's place was the Raven representing Anger. Angry Raven transformed into red lighting and streaked towards her, reabsorbing into her consciousness. The scene blurred and the mountain range turned into the place where Beastboy's first battle with Trigon.

"Wow,"said the shifter. Raven returned to her normal state. And collapsed, much like the last time. Luckily, Beastboy was there to catch her.

"Why were you here?" she asked weakly.

"I didn't want to lose you a second time. After Terra stabbed you, I was kinda not myself," he said, walking towards the gate, holding the empath in his arms.

"What aren't you telling me?" She eyed him suspiciously. "And don't tell me it doesn't have something to do with her," Raven said, pointing at her love aspect.

Geez, she's perceptive!

"Put me down." Beastboy obeyed. "Now, tell me the real reason you came here. And don't bother lying, I can read your bloody mind."

"Um... well, it's like this... Uh, how can I explain this? You see, I kinda, sorta, y'know, maybe, possibly-" He was interrupted by Raven's finger on his mouth.

"You always did talk too much, Beastboy," she said, pressing her lips against his.

So, is that ending any better? I dunno, it still doesn't have that ring to it. Guess I'll be working on it for a while... Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, especially Arredi, whose reviews are well thought-out. Oh, while I'm on the subject, warprince2000? Start leaving real reviews, those
"Cool story! can't wait to see what happens in the next chapter (update soon plz)"things are REALLY annoying. Either leave actual reviews, or stop reviewing my stories. If you ignore this post I will block you. You have been warned.