I went a little metaphor-happy in this chapter, but that's okay. shrugs I like metaphors. So sue me. For this chapter, StormySummers suggested Robin have a talk with Cyborg. I liked the idea, but when I sat down to write it, Robin wanted to do it his way, and to hell with what I wanted. Then he started ranting – so now the scene isn't so much a talk with Cyborg as it is a Robin monologue with Cyborg in the same room. Wonder Boy might be a little OOC, but if he is it's his fault, not mine. I still like it though, and thanks to StormySummers for the idea. I hope you like it too.
Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to StormySummers and Insanity for Dummies for their helpful ideas – and a special thanks to everyone else who reviewed. I won't list people here, because I'm afraid I'll leave someone out. You know who you are!
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Raven woke slowly, struggling up through the dark waters of sleep, drifting towards consciousness through wisps of forgotten dreams. She opened eyelids still heavy from sleep, sitting up with a yawn and peering around her room. Everything seemed as she had left it – but she remembered being afraid, upset, worried about something. But what –
Memory returned in a rush, saturating her mind with images of black lightning, fear and rampant emotions, a realization somehow connected to Robin, his eyes –
The little-used light bulb above her head shattered – not so much exploding as cracking apart, the pieces of glass dropping straight down to land on the bed before her because there was nothing left to hold them up. Raven shut her eyes tightly, clenching her hands into fists, cursing at herself for this lapse of control. Okay. So I can't think about Robin – at all. Not too hard.
She laughed, a bitter and mirthless sound. Relaxing her hands, she opened her eyes and looked at the closed window. "Liar." Not thinking about Robin would undoubtedly be one of the most challenging tasks she had ever faced – far more difficult than any battle.
Trying to push her worries from her mind, Raven glanced at the clock that ticked sedately away on her bedside table. The white face gleamed back up at her, the dark hands resting at 6:18.
Damn. Dinnertime. Looking down at herself, Raven grimaced, realizing she had fallen asleep in her clothes. Better change, at least. I don't think the others would recognize me if I came down looking like this.
Thinking about the rest of the team led invariably to thoughts of Robin. Raven tried to silence them, but it was too late – a glass case cracked and wobbled on its nearby stand. Scowling at everything that came within her view, she rolled out of bed, casting a cursory glance at the door before stumbling off to shower, dreading the challenges that lay beyond that shadow-shrouded portal in the main room far below.
When Raven stepped into the main room and saw the scene about to play out at the table, she almost turned around and went right back to her room. No one would have noticed – Cyborg and Beast Boy were too busy shouting down one another's throats, and a very irritated Robin was trying to get rid of Starfire, who was clinging to his arm.
You've fought monsters, madmen, and demons, she told herself wryly. I'm sure you can handle your own teammates – I hope. Strengthening her resolve, she walked over, ducking a misthrown piece of silverware and boldly sitting down across from Robin and Starfire.
"Hello, friend Raven!" Star said at once, looking up without releasing her grip on Robin. "I trust you had a pleasant day?"
"What? Oh, sure, Star," Raven replied absently, warily watching Cyborg and Beast Boy out of the corner of her eye. "It was wonderful."
"Excellent!" Starfire turned back to Robin, oblivious to the full-blown war raging at the other end of the table. "And friend Robin, was your day pleasurable as well?"
"You should know, Star," he growled angrily, trying not-so-unobtrusively to escape the pretty alien's grip. "You've been following me around for the past four hours!"
"Oh. Yes. Well, I am glad you had fun, then!"
Raven looked up from her food, meeting Robin's eyes for a brief moment. She looked down again quickly, trying not to laugh at the look of utter desperation on her leader's face. She sympathized; four hours with Starfire was more than enough to drive anyone insane.
"Hey, Star," Raven said innocently, "Beast Boy and Cyborg are having an argument. Why don't you go and try to calm them down?"
Star smiled, and lifted out of her chair, drifting over to the opposite end of the table, where Cyborg held a struggling Beast Boy in a headlock. Robin stared after her, his mouth hanging open in surprise that Star had been gotten rid of so easily.
Raven turned and smiled at him, a gleam of laughter in her eyes as Robin leaned across the table and grasped her hand. "Thank you," he breathed, sincere gratitude written in every line of his face. "I thought she'd never leave. I can't feel my arm anymore."
They sat in silence for a moment, smiling at each other, oblivious to Starfire's shrieks, which had been added to the general din caused by Cyborg and Beast Boy. Raven found herself looking directly into his masked eyes, despite the fading protests of her rational mind. She found herself imagining the gleam of those golden eyes again, shifting and changing in a sun-struck sea……….
An empty glass rose in a haze of black energy, throwing itself between Raven and Robin to lie in shattered suicide on the floor beyond the table. Feeling a wave of cold break over her, Raven jerked her hand out of Robin's grip, standing up so quickly it sent her chair skittering backwards, grating on the hard floor. She mumbled something that might have been an excuse, her white hands tracing explanatory gestures in the air. Then she fled, leaving a baffled and bewildered Robin staring after her, seemingly unaware that Starfire had returned and was sitting beside him, clutching his arm and whispering something into his ear.
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Cyborg clanked productively around the disaster zone that had once been the kitchen, doing his best to clean the casualties of his battle with Beast Boy. Splotches of nameless foods colored the floor, littered with pieces of broken plates, bent forks and knives, chipped glasses, and other miscellaneous bits of material that he didn't really want to know the names of. The half-robot worked his way around the table, sweeping, picking up, throwing away, kicking, and blasting with a small cannon on his arm that he had specially modified to spray water. He hummed as he went, some tune he had heard on the radio a few days ago, and that echoed in the empty main room, throwing his own toneless voice back to him.
The relative silence was suddenly broken as the doors hissed open, with an unmistakably malevolent tone to the sound they made as they slid over the carpet. Even with his back turned to the center of the room, Cyborg swore he could feel the air thicken as someone incredibly angry stormed in from the hall. And he didn't have to turn around to guess who it was.
The words Hey there, lover boy, rose to his mind, but he managed to keep from blurting them out and earning himself a fist in the nonmetal part of his face. Instead, he continued to hum, trying not to laugh as he pretended he hadn't heard the sounds of someone storming over to the sofa and throwing themselves onto it.
"Is it me?" The voice floated over to him, its tone a jumbled mix of sorrow, despair, joy, gratitude, and every other conceivable emotion Cyborg could imagine. The half-robot barely managed to keep himself from falling to the floor in laughter.
"Is what you?" he asked, still without turning around. "Did you mess up another battle? Let a criminal escape? Or could the great Robin be having girl trouble?"
Cyborg felt rather than saw Robin's eyes widen in surprise and his entire body tense as he wondered just how much his metallic friend knew. "How……how did you guess?"
"I didn't guess, bird boy," Cyborg chuckled, retracting his cannon and strolling over to the sofa, where Robin lay sprawled across several cushions. "I never guess. I know. So, tell me, what's got you down? Is it Starfire?"
Robin winced at the mention of the pretty alien's name, his face twisting into a grimace. "No. Well – not entirely. I swear, Cyborg, she won't leave me alone! She's everywhere! I turn a corner, or go into the training room, and there she is, asking me to do something or saying 'Hello, friend Robin', all happy and –" he shuddered. "Don't get me wrong, she's my friend and I like her company, but –"
"But there's only so much of Starfire one sane man can take," Cyborg finished for him, grinning. "I had a feeling that wasn't it. You aren't as mysterious as you'd like to think." Seeing the stricken look on Robin's face, he laughed. "Chill out, man, jeez. It's always obvious when a guy falls for someone. And you, my friend, have got it bad."
"Thank you, Cyborg," Robin groaned, rolling over and muffling his face in a pillow. "That makes me feel so much better."
"Glad I could help."
Robin ignored the comment, turning onto his back and staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. Emotions and sensations were building up in his chest, pressing on his mind until he thought he would burst. He had to say something to someone – and Cyborg seemed willing to listen.
"I think I might be an idiot or something," he said vaguely, ignoring Cyborg's laughter and sarcastic comment. "I think I'm missing something. What's going on? Does she hate me? Did I do something?"
He sighed, rubbing the edges of his mask with one gloved hand. "She's avoiding me. I can tell. When I walk into a room, she walks out – or runs out, really. Like she can't stand to be near me. It's been a week since that night on the town, and I've maybe seen her once since then. It's driving me insane – I walk down the hall, just in time to see the edge of her cloak whipping around a corner, or I go up to the roof, and get pushed aside as she runs down the other way."
Cyborg nodded knowingly, hearing the utter desperation in his leader's voice. You've got it bad, he repeated to himself, but didn't interrupt Robin's narrative.
"I'm burning, Cyborg," his leader continued, the blank white of his mask concealing the fact that he had closed his eyes, lost in own thoughts. "I'm burning all over, every inch of my skin is on fire, because she hasn't touched with her cold fingers in a whole week. I haven't even heard her voice – I'd give anything just for that much, to hear her voice loud enough to drown out this ringing in my ears. I think I'm going to die from this crazy fever, just burn up into ashes because there's no ice or shadow to drive it away."
"Wow," Cyborg chuckled softly, glancing over at Robin, "That was some speech. Never knew you were so poetic, Wonder Boy."
"Poetic? Is that what I am? God, Cyborg, I'm going crazy. I can't take much more of this. Is it my fault? Did I do something wrong? Because if I did, I have to know how to fix it – to atone somehow, just so she'll forgive me and let everything be back to the way it was. Even the way everything was before would be better than this – this addiction. Yes, that's exactly what it is – an addiction. I'm hooked, Cyborg, addicted to her skin, her voice, just – everything."
Cyborg shook his head silently, getting the distinct feeling that Robin had completely forgotten his presence. That was probably all to the good – the Boy Wonder needed to get this off his chest, and he would just be self-conscious if he realized that someone was actually listening to his frenzied ramblings.
"I mean, after what happened last week – what if she thought it was a mistake? What if she hated it? What if she hates me now? God, if that's what it is I wouldn't be surprised if she never talked to me again. And I'll just be wandering around, asking why, over and over, and she'll go through the rest of her life remembering me as the tactless idiot who gave in to his crazy dreams and kissed her in the rain. God. I've been hearing that rain, that storm, beating inside my head ever since then. I haven't had a moment's peace or one night's dreamless sleep for seven days – I keep looking out the window at the moon, only to have it turn into her face, and the shadows in my room turn into her eyes – and I'm going crazy. I think my heart just might implode from the strain and the effort to keep beating when I can feel that blue gaze on the back of my neck and I turn around and no one's there. God. I'm crazy, aren't I? Completely crazy."
"Listen, Robin," Cyborg said slowly, not entirely sure it was safe to speak but feeling he needed to help as much as he could, "I've seen completely crazy, and you are not it. Mumbo is crazy. Mad Mod is crazy. You – you are just head-over-heels in love."
Robin stared at him, his gaze blank, unbelieving. "Love? Is that what this is? It hurts. I keep putting my hand to my heart and expecting it to come away bloody. This isn't love. You'd better lock me up, Cyborg, before I turn dangerous. God knows I feel like breaking something right now."
The half-robot tried to keep himself from laughing – and failed miserably. Much as he disliked seeing his friend and leader in pain, he found the whole situation just too funny. "I hate to admit it, Robin, but I've dreamed of this day – the day that the almighty Boy Wonder, Defender of Justice, second-best crimefighter in the world, falls from his throne and starts rambling about a girl. And out of all the girls you could have had, which one did you have to pick? You –"
"I had to pick the one who can drive me over the edge by not even talking. I'm insane, Cyborg, insane!"
Cyborg ignored him. "You had to pick the one that would be the hardest to convince to admit she loved you back. Any other girl would have thrown herself at your feet by now – but not Raven, no. You're always the detective, going after the mysterious one. You just can't resist a challenge, can you?"
"No," Robin moaned. "No, damn it, I can't. Is that why I feel like this around her and only her? I don't think it's just the challenge, Cyborg. Maybe that's how it started out, but not anymore. It hasn't been about that, not for a while now. And especially not since last weekend."
"I've been meaning to ask about that," Cyborg said with a grin. "I heard you got some lip-action. What happened?"
A pillow flung itself at his face, but the half-robot brushed it aside with a sweep of his hand, laughing softly. "All right, all right, calm down, man, I'm just poking fun at you. But if whatever happened affected you this much – ranting to me isn't going to get anything done, Robin. You need to talk to someone about this, but I am not the one. If she's avoiding you, hunt her down. You know her better than anyone. You won't get anything resolved until you talk to her."
"Talk to her? I can barely handle thinking about her. What the hell am I supposed to say?"
"Tell her everything you just told me – without the part about you being insane. I think she's already figured that out for herself."
Robin rolled off the couch and clambered to his feet, ignoring the jibe. "Thanks, Cyborg," he sighed. "You're right. I should – I have to. I have to go find her. That's how I fix this. That's how I make this go away, this crazy fever of mine. Thanks." And with those words, he turned and walked purposefully away, smacked into the doorframe, took a few steps back and wandered off down the hall, a sheepishly goofy grin on his face.
Cyborg shook his head, watching his departed leader stagger down the hall as if drunk until the doors hissed shut, concealing him from view. "Good luck, Robin," he muttered, "You'll need it." Then, much more softly, with a hint of laughter in his voice, "There goes a brave, brave man."
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Starfire drifted through the halls of Titans tower, hovering six inches above the carpeted floor, taking corners at random as strange thoughts chased themselves around her head. Her large green eyes were glazed, unfocused – so much so that she did not see the swiftly moving shadow rushing down the hall until she was nearly on top of it.
"Raven!" she yelped, tumbling sideways just in time to avoid a collision. "Why are you rushing so quickly? Has there been an alarm? Is something wrong? Do you seek someone?"
Raven stopped for a moment, looking at the pretty alien with an expression of pale surprise, as though she had only just noticed Starfire was there. "Hmm? No, Star, nothing's wrong. And I'm not looking for anyone. I just –" She paused, casting a nervous glance over her shoulder. "I'm trying to get away from someone, actually."
"Ah." Star nodded understandingly, keeping her feet on the floor instead of returning to her former height, the better to talk with her friend. "You are fleeing Cyborg and Beast Boy, yes? They are being annoying?"
"Yeah, that's it," Raven said hastily. "Cyborg and Beast Boy. Yeah. They're playing that stupid game again, and it's driving me insane. Listen, have you seen Robin around?"
Star frowned, wondering what Raven had to do with Robin. "No, I have not seen friend Robin," she replied absently. "I was just looking for him, in fact. Do you know where he might be?"
"Somewhere back there, I think," Raven answered vaguely, waving a hand in the direction she had come from. "In the main room, maybe. I don't know. I have to go now. See you later, Star," she said hurriedly, pulling the familiar cloak tight about her and pushing past Starfire, towards the other end of the hall. The pretty alien turned to ask her a question, but it was too late – the dark girl had already disappeared around the corner.
Starfire shook her head, bewildered by her friend's strange behavior. I do not understand friend Raven, she thought to herself, rising back into the air and starting down the hall again, taking the turn that would lead her to the main room. She seemed – nervous, and that is most unlike Raven. Perhaps I shall ask Robin about it when I find him.
For the second time in as many minutes, Star caught sight of a dark figure barreling down the hallway – and for the second time, barely managed to avoid crashing into them.
"Sorry, Star," Robin panted, halting his headlong dash long enough to wave a hand in her general direction. "I'm kind of in a hurry right now. Have you seen Raven around lately?"
Star blinked. "Um, yes. Friend Raven went that way, up towards the stairs that lead to the roof. She seemed to be, as you say, 'in a hurry' as well. Do you wish to speak with her?"
"Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I need to do. Maybe I can catch her on the roof – thanks, Star. Thanks a lot. I'll see you later, I guess." And with that, he was gone again, pounding in pursuit of Raven. Star watched him go, more confused than ever.
There are so many things I do not understand about this planet, she thought resignedly. These earthlings are all so strange!
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The shadows in the corner of the room stirred almost imperceptibly, as though moved by the hand of some silent spectre, or rippled by a sound just below the edge of hearing. Wisps of darkness extended like tongues of flame from the depth of the shadows, grasping hungrily at anything within their reach, snaking out to lick at the empty air.
A tall silhouette stepped out from their midst, trailing tendrils of dark mist from his arms and legs like silent chains, that twisted and twined about him of their own accord. He raised a hand, extending his open palm into the void of empty space that stretched before him, his breath streaming in vapors from the well of shadows that hid his face. A spark danced to life in his palm flickering with a light that was somehow sinister rather than comforting against the darkness.
"What tidings do you bring for me?"
The voice echoed out of the darkness both before and behind the mysterious figure, resounding off walls that had no meaning, growing louder and more powerful in the distorted fabric of space. Every syllable brought an intense stab of pain into the figure's skull, every word a sense of sickness with the sheer evil and malice contained in the tone. The man knelt, beaten into submission by the indomitable, hypnotic power of that voice.
"All proceeds as it should, my Lord. They are easy to manipulate, and the breaking shall come soon. Then it will be easy for Your Excellence to pick them off at your leisure."
"You have done well so far, my servant. But I am curious – have you fulfilled your assignment?"
"Of course."
"Show me."
The dark figure rose to his feet in one smooth motion, bringing his free hand up to join the one that still cupped a flickering flame. He clapped both hands together, arching his fingers into the shape of claws, making strange grasping gestures, as though trying to draw some virtue from the very darkness around him. Shadows answered his beckoning, white-rimmed wisps of darkness following his hands, allowing him to tease them into any shape he pleased, fountaining into the form of a stylized raven, wings outspread, eyes glowing a photographic white.
A laugh roared out of the darkness, low, rough, and rumbling, like the clashing together of slate boulders with an overtone like the screeching of damned souls. "You have done well, slave, very well," the horrible voice growled, sounding pleased. "Now, when will this breaking take place? I have waited long for this day."
The shadow-cloaked man fell quickly to his knees again, allowing the spectral raven to dissolve into darkness. "Soon, my Lord, soon," he assured the hulking shadows. "It will not be long, this I swear."
"Good. I grow impatient. Is there nothing you can do to hasten its progress?"
"My Lord, I assure you, it will be well worth it when the time comes. By waiting, we allow the situation to simmer, to fester like an open wound. It will give my Lord so much more pleasure to see his enemies torn apart by the inside out than to merely kill them."
"Very well – but I grow tired of waiting. I shall be watching you, slave, so do not fail."
The voice rumbled into silence, and the shadows thrashed once, stirring themselves up into a frenzied storm of dark energy before subsiding. Once they quieted, it seemed that some looming presence had been lifted from the room, leaving the dark figure kneeling prostrate on a bare concrete floor.
Then, looking up to the bare walls around him, the strange man rose back to his feet, raising his hand again and watching the tiny spark that wavered and danced there. Transferring the small flame to his finger, he tossed it into the shadows, listening as it extinguished itself with a hiss against the cold floor.
"Very soon," he whispered, though the presence to which he had been speaking was gone from the room. He could still feel its pressure, its slimy touch on the back of his mind, an unbreakable chain that bound him to its will. It was a servitude he bore willingly – for now.
"Very soon, Titans, you will be mine."
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Guys, I need help! I need ideas! I don't know where the heck I'm going with this! HELP ME PLEASE! And there will be action again soon, I promise. The boring stuff is almost done. Either the exciting stuff will start up again next chapter, or the chapter after that if I come to a good ending place. Review, please!
