BALANCE

The darkness surrounded her and she felt herself being suffocated by the sheer confusion and desperation of not knowing where she was. But, as the darkness began to grow, she found a source of light and she shivered as four red eyes stared back at her.

" You are my daughter. You will rule by my side. "

" I will not! "

She shivered and tried to hold her ground, yet she was afraid. How could she not be when before her stood the face of her father? Of the demon called Trigon? The one who haunted her each and every day.

" Your soul is mine. "

" No. "

She stepped back and his laughter filled the darkness. Her legs moved and she ran. She was afraid. She knew that she shouldn't be, she should fight him, but she couldn't. He was every thing she feared and hated.

" You're mine, little Raven ! "

The floor she was running on gave way and she began to fall into the darkness. She couldn't fly or move. She was too frightened to move, to think, to do anything, but as she fell she found herself landing on something soft.

" The universe has a balance, Raven. "

She was startled but gazed at the figure of Azar, her teacher and mentor, the ruler of Azarath. She was a giant and held her within the palms of her hands. Raven tried to speak but her voice didn't work.

" Good and evil, darkness and light, all things must be balanced. "

" H—How...can I…? "

Her voice broke and she fell into tears, and once again Trigon's laughter emerged from the darkness. The old woman looked at the darkness and smiled sadly at raven.

" Have hope, Raven. "

The old woman closed her eyes and raven screamed in horror as Trigon impaled the woman on his scepter. His four eyes taunted her and she clenched her fist, but she wouldn't give in to her anger. She knew better. She turned away.

" You cannot escape me. "

Low sobs escaped her throat and as the cold hand of her father touched her, she cried silently into the darkness.

" Help..."

" No-one can help you. They fear you, Raven. "

"N—No, you're wrong…"

" You almost destroyed them. How could they trust you? "

His voice was filled with joy, joy at seeing her in pain and anguish, at seeing her quiver like a scared child and as he continued to taunt her, her mind wondered one last time. Her mind, her heart, her essence needed to say goodbye.

Yet he would not give her up.

" You think of the boy? Do you honestly believe he cares for you? He loves the Tamaranian girl, child. No-one cares. "

" You're wrong. "

The voice broke through the laughter, through the darkness and through the malice of her father. She no longer felt the cold hands on her shoulders. She no longer felt surrounded by the overwhelming darkness, and she opened her eyes.

" H—How?"

" You called out to me. "

" Impossible! What possible connection could you have with her? "

The boy didn't reply. He did not notice the demon standing beside the girl. His concern was for her and only her, and as she gazed into his eyes, she found herself not afraid.

" I…I wanted to say goodbye. "

He helped her to her feet and she leaned against him. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her body as she began to cry. The demon cried in anger and grew forty times its normal size.

" Who are you, boy? "

He did not answer and Raven smiled. She understood.

" He is someone who cares. Someone who understands the loss, the pain and the darkness. Someone who is kindred to my own sorrow."

Her words started timid and in a whisper, but as she continued to talk they became strong and determined, filled with courage and determination. She was not alone, she never was. She had him.

" W—Why did you come?"

She asked him and he smiled. Leaning towards her, he rested his head on top of hers .

" Because you are my strength. "

The darkness banished and she opened her eyes, this time to be awake in a dark room. Yet this time she was not afraid and she knew she had to be strong, if not for herself then for the teen lying beside her.

" You are mine also. "

She caressed his face and he wrapped his arms around her. She reached out towards his mask. For a moment he pulled back, and he looked nervous. Afraid that she'd offended him, she moved away her hand, but then he reached out and took it. Lifting it up to his mask, he nodded, "Go on."

She had permission to see what had previously been denied of her for so long. Slowly the mask was removed.

" T—Tonight on the rooftops… W—Why didn't…? "

" I was afraid. "

She gazed into his almond-coloured eyes and knew he was afraid, she could sense it, but not afraid of her. Afraid to be human, to be Dick Grayson; afraid to face his past, his own demons, his hurt and sorrow of confronting the past.

" You don't have to be."

" It's hard… Robin was born to avenge Dick Grayson's loss. It was created from the darkness and hate of my mind, from the loneliness and despair I felt. It was formed from all my pain and sorrow. I hid behind the mask… I hid from the pain and..."

He couldn't continue. He closed his eyes and tried to move away from her, but she held on to his arm and wouldn't let him go. He sat on the bed and looked away from her. He didn't want her to see him like this. He was weak like this, yet she slowly turned him to face her.

She could still felt a sense of loss and despair eating at him.

" Tell me."

So he spoke. His life was always hard, ever since he was little. He was pushed to become a trapeze artist. Even though it was fun to live in a circus, it never gave him a sense of being normal. His parents practiced and worked almost all of the time, leaving him alone or in the care of other circus people.

Yet he was happy because he had people who loved him and yet in an instant that small amount of happiness was taken away, ripped from him and taken by a man whom he never even met in his life. He was changed and from then on sorrow filled and molded him.

His life had been forever changed by two unknown men. One had taken away that shred of happiness without knowing he had taken away the only two people he loved, the other had given him a home, had taken him in and tried to help him, but it never stopped hurting.

Until he was given a purpose. A chance, a way to make the hurting go away. To stop him from feeling sorrow, from feeling guilty, he was given the chance to avenge his parents. When he became Robin, he felt as if he could do something about his guilt and pain.

"It never goes away."

She whispered and he nodded. He had been told that many times, yet he lied to himself and tried to believe otherwise. Only to be confronted by the truth.

The pain, sorrow and the chance for a normal life had been banished and in some level he resented the man who had trained him and made him into what he was. He had taken away his childhood and his life.

" We are different, Robin. We fight because we can make a difference, so that no more innocent lives are lost and no child has to suffer the loss of a parent. "

" You were only a kid also. "

" I had a reason. We both had lost our parents, I understood that and that was the reason I did it. While we dealt with our pain and doubts it kept us fighting.

" But it never stops hurting. It never left him, it never left me, the ever present reminder of how I was just different, just a teen named Dick Grayson who lives hiding behind the mask of the hero called Robin. "

She understood his pain and anguish. She stayed and held on to him because she had seen things inside his mind. The guilt, the sorrow… His mind had such conflicting emotions. She remembered all too well one particular image and she closed her eyes, holding back tears.

" Your mom and dad… I'm sorry."

The man in the shadow spoke to the child.

" Will it ever stop hurting?"

The little child spoke and the image faded.

She closed her eyes and sat beside him on his bed. She should not know this thing. She shouldn't have gazed inside his mind, yet she did. Now she had to deal with what she saw and felt and knew and it scared her. She didn't know if she could help him.

" I will be here for you. "

" As will I for you."

They held each other and stayed in each other's arms for the rest of the night. They might not know what the future holds for them or what cards it will deal them or if they are kindred souls, but for now they don't care. They have each other.

For Raven and Robin that is enough because…

he would be there for her and she would be there for him…

Raven and Robin…

For evermore?

ARCHANGEMON SIDE NOTE : A thank you to lady moon for beta reading this and also

All fanfiction done by me is now being posted at H.O.A check my profile to get the link

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