Raventhedarkgoddess: Time to try another chapter of this. I'm sorry any of my updates are slow. Ever since I got kicked off, I've been in a mood that doesn't include writing...

Chapter Nine: Sometimes

Raven sighed, laying across her bed with a book open next to her, head bent down as if reading. The words blurred before her eyes with supressed tears, and she was at once thankful she was alone so that the tears did not show in her eyes and reveal her feelings. One hand reached over and slid itself around her cup of tea, but then she remembered it had been empty for several hours. She fought with her thoughts for a moment and once again decided not to get up. Finding that her legs would not allow her to get up anyway, Raven stared harder at the ever-blurring words until a single tear dropped onto the page and the light above her blew up in a blast of black energy.

The shattered glass landed all around the dark goddess, who groaned slightly as a single shard forced itself into her hand. She yanked it out and watched her blood flow, down in a tiny stream over her greyish skin. Not recoiling or even blinking, Raven waited for it to stop. When it finally did, Raven stood up and headed out of the room, not bothering with the lightswitch hung on the wall. Why bother stopping the blood that will flow again? She thought silently. Anything I might have lived for is gone, she added to herself, heading down the steps.

Both feet hit the floor in the main room with quiet thuds. Everyone turned to face Raven, shocked that she had bothered to show herself after the long hours she'd spent away from them. Robin looked up into her eyes, which were red-rimmed from her supressed tears. Immediatly noticing the trail of blood and the way she stood, clutching her cloak around herself like she could protect herself from the others eyes, an unusual position for her, he decided not to say anything at all.

Slowly, carefully, almost as if afraid Raven would bite him, Robin moved carefully up to her side. He took her hand and looked at the stopped blood, studying her eyes for a hint that this was done by herself. Seeing no hint in her eyes, he wiped it away with his gloved hand. "Raven," he said, unable to stop the flow of words, "I....You and me...."

Starfire watched Robin, her eyes reflecting nothing she was feeling. "Robin," she cut in suddenly, an underlying determination in her voice, "Are we not going to search for Slade now that friend Raven has come back?" Her naive nature hide everything else, including the underlying torrent of emotions and thoughts. Let this work, she prayed. Do not let Robin apoligize to Raven, she added, almost bitterly, pulling back against Beast Boy with a fake smile on her face.

Robin dropped Raven's hand with a sad look on his face. "Later, okay?" He whispered. Raven heard something behind his voice and nodded, knowing that he meant that they would pursue this conversation soon enough. Cyborg caught her eyes locking with Lecita, although they gently slipped up to Cyborg's hand. He pulled it out of Lecita's hair with a slight blush on the robotic half of his face. Raven, although she was feeling really down on herself, managed a vauge smile at Cyborg and Lecita. Anna also noticed this, although her face darkened as she moved her eyes back and forth between the two.

Lecita also felt Cyborg's hand there. The atmosphere between them had changed completly. Cyborg felt less tense around her, and Lecita turned to smile at his blush. "Come on, guys," Beast Boy said slowly, as Starfire watched Robin again, "Let's go find Slade." Everyone nodded slightly and prepared to leave. Beast Boy rose into the sky as an eagle, wondering why the freedom of flight had so completly left him as he soared among the other flying group members. Starfire's hair caught his eye and he let out a miserable noise.

Both of Cyborg's front wheels grabbed the road as he spun a tight corner, trying to keep up with the airborn groups. Anna cursed as her head smacked off the window and a bit of her hair landed gently across her face. Lecita didn't even bother to look back at Anna, deep into her conversation with the robotic man next to her. Anna's expression changed from a scowl to sheer venom at Lecita's sudden change in attitude. At least she used to pay attention to me, she thought sadly, with a little bitter edge on it. Quit acting like a little girl, she told herself then, but the bitter thoughts about Lecita and Cyborg still came into her head anyway.

Raven stopped, the map she herself had generated indicating that the stop was just below them. Cyborg slammed on the brakes as the three landed from the sky and Robin's motorcycle stopped itself behind him. The boy wonder stood next to Raven, causing a half-growl, half-sigh to come from Starfire's throat. She has no right to be so close to Robin, thought Starfire furiously. Yes, she does and I know it, she added to herself, then shook her head hard again and followed the others into a group cluster.

"We're just going to have to go in and look around," Robin said to the others. "Stay in groups, keep low, and yell as loud as you can if you find Slade or those goony people in black." Everyone shifted and Robin whistled with both fingers in his mouth. "Hey, hey, get in groups of two first!" Robin shifted to Raven's side, Beast Boy took Starfire's hand instintivly, ignoring her gaze toward Robin, and Lecita and Cyborg bumped into each other. "Anna can come with us," Lecita said. "I'll keep an eye on her. Don't worry too much, Robin." Everyone else started in ahead of the sisters.

Gee, thanks, sis, Anna thought sarcasticly, shuffling along behind the group. Stupid Cyborg, consuming her life....What about me? What about me? The bitter question kept rolling itself around in her head. I'm so sick of Cyborg, I wish something bad would....She caught herself in mid-thought as Lecita pushed her gently through the door. She tripped down the steps straight onto Beast Boy, who groaned but said nothing else. "Need a hand?" Cyborg whispered, pulling her to her feet. Anna smacked his hand back. "I don't need your help," she muttered venomously.

A sudden shreik cut out all else. Everyone ran toward the sound, straight into danger. Raven wished she hadn't shreiked as she stared straight into Slade's eyes.