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Disclaimer: You know the drill…
Blackbirds Singing In The Dead Of Night
I fly as fast as I can after Robin, knowing that every second I allow him to recuperate from my verbal onslaught means a greater chance of me- us loosing him to his own demons forever.
I need to make him feel again, and I know that at this point in this all encompassing numbness of his the only emotion that I can really call upon is rage. I have to make him impassioned enough that his own wrath will break down all the barriers he's built around himself since hearing of Batman's death. Once one emotion is triggered, the rest will inevitably follow. It's really just a simple chain reaction.
Plus, by playing the part of catalyst to all this, I'm giving him the enemy he can exact a certain amount of revenge upon. Bruce's death was an accident, no one is to blame, and I know that the idea that there is no way to avenge his surrogate father's death is secretly eating away at Robin. If I can temporarily play the part of villain, maybe he can feel like he did something instead of just accepting his sire's passing.
Or maybe I'm making one very large mistake.
As I draw closer to the gymnasium door, I slow my pace and attempt to center my thoughts on the task that is at hand. I know that I must have an unyielding grip on my emotions before I go in there, if I don't I may well wind up hurting Robin a whole hell of a lot more than was my original intent.
Unwittingly, a flash of the hurt faces of my only friends comes to mind and I am forced to draw from a well deep within myself to push the memory aside, allowing myself barely an instant to hope once more that when this is all over they can find it within themselves to forgive me. I'm doing this for Robin, I remind myself as I press the control panel access code into the gym. They will all understand once this is over.
The door swooshes open and I swiftly march inside, not bothering to make sure Robin is even in here before closing it once more behind me.
"Get out of here now, Raven," his voice attacks me before I have the opportunity to establish where he is in relation to me, and its severity makes me tremble.
He is absolutely livid and, as my eyes lock upon his, I can feel the barely restrained rage coursing through his blood. I'm terrified, utterly terrified, although I know I show no outward signs of being such. This is what I wanted after all.
It's not until he speaks again that I even realize I hadn't yet responded to him.
"I said, get out of here NOW, Raven," he over annunciates every syllable, making it feel more like a sentence of tiny daggers than actual words.
I mentally shake myself before I prepare to counter him. I raise one eyebrow, deliberately suggesting my own arrogance knowing it will anger him even more, "I don't see a sign anywhere saying 'Asshole's Gym' Robin, so I'm going to go on a limb and say that it doesn't strictly belong to you."
He gnashes his teeth and strides over to me at a frighteningly quick pace. I don't have a chance to react before he grasps my wrist with bruising force and thrusts me up against the wall using his body to pin me there. Shocked by how quickly I managed to get to him, I can not control the gasp of surprise that escapes my lips. His grip only tightens.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" He growls out at me in a deep baritone voice that I can scarcely recognize. He presses his body even tighter against mine and I find myself struggling to breathe evenly. His face is so close to mine I can see the tiny rivulets of perspiration running down his clenched jawbone…
Recovering from my initial shock, I hastily utilize my telekinesis and throw him off of me and halfway across the room, where he lands with a rather unceremonious thud on the thinly matted floor. He does a rather impressive roll and is back on his feet in seconds, showing no physical signs of having been more than gently tapped.
"Remarkable acrobatics, little Robin," I say, revolting even myself by how much I manage to sound like Slade. "Tell me, did Batman teach you that? 'Cause if he did, I'd want to watch out for crates if I were you."
My odious allusion to Bruce's death was not without penalty. Practically in the instant the words left my lips, Robin is on me. He flings himself across the room at me at lightening speed, an almost animalistic cry of battle resonating from him as he does.
I have no time to move, and wouldn't have even if I had, before Robin's foot connects with my stomach, knocking the wind out of me and driving me yet again into the wall. This time my head bangs painfully against the hard marble and it takes more than a concentrated effort to not pass out immediately.
I swiftly peel myself off the wall and stumble as I try to reclaim my footing. I reach my hand around behind my head and gently touch my throbbing skull to assess the damage. I feel the warm sticky liquid and grimace as I drag my hand away from my injury and stare at the deep crimson blood coating my fingertips. Yeah, that's going to leave a mark, I thought dryly.
Through the haze of my pain, I become aware that Robin is preparing another attack and I have only a split second before I will be hammered back once more. Relying on the combat instinct I have developed over the years, I promptly fall back on to my hands and thrust both legs in to the air, hitting Robin square in the chest and using his own momentum to send him flying in to the wall behind me.
He recovers faster than I, but I still manage to shoot to my feet in time to stop his fist from connecting with my jaw. I throw a punch of my own, but he is expecting it and he seizes my arm before flipping me effortlessly onto the cold ground. I groan as pain ricochets up my back, but I have no time to recuperate as Robin's fist comes barreling at me at unruly speed. I force one leg in the air in the general direction of his face in the vain hope of impeding his attack. My foot connects with his jaw just as his knuckles grind themselves into my nose.
The pain is so intense that all conscious thought leaves me and I scream out. Somewhere in the back of my mind I am aware that the punching bag has burst open because I have unintentionally used my telekinesis to propel Robin into it, but in that moment I could do absolutely zilch about it.
I can taste the blood, warm and metallic, seeping from my undoubtedly broken nose. I can scarcely breathe it burns so much. Oh God, Oh God, it hurts… I try to move, but my whole body protests and I give up.
I bring my hands up to my face and cup my nose gently. I can feel the hot tears streaming down my face and feel the blood slowly pooling beneath me from my previous wound. This is far worse than I thought it was going to be.
Through my delirium, I can sense Robin slowly shifting from his position on the floor next to the busted punching bag. I open my eyes and extremely slowly rotate my head to make certain of what he is doing.
He's sitting upright in a heap of sand from the ruined bag, holding his jaw as tenderly as I am holding my nose. Good, I think sadistically, I hope I broke it. I can see a stream of crimson trickling steadily from his lower lip and a long, thin cut has appeared across his forehead. His hair is sticking up in all kinds of off angles and his clothes are bloody and in disarray. If he looks that bad I don't even want to think of what I must look like.
My train of though ends abruptly as I realize that he has seen me and is now limping toward me. In a blind panic, I roll onto my stomach, ignoring the incredible throbbing of pain that erupts through my chest indicating the distinct possibility of a few broken ribs, and attempt to crawl to the door. My hands leave bloody tracks along the dark tile of the floor as I begin to wonder if Robin were capable of murder. Oh, God, oh, God…
I don't make it to the door. Two booted feet have appeared in front of me, blocking my only hope of escape. I blink back the tears in my eyes, knowing that I can't take another beating. I close my eyes and rest my head against the cool tile of the floor, begging it to sooth the pain pulsing through my head. I don't know what Robin will do, but I sincerely hope that I pass out before it.
A full minute passes, the only indication I have that he still hovers above me is the rasping sound of his heavy breathing. I slowly begin to lift my head off the ground, my own sheer tenacity being the only thing keeping me from curling into a fetal position and bawling my eyes out. I peer up at Robin from behind thick tendrils of crimson matted black hair and try frantically to keep the desperation out of my eyes.
Robin's face is blank, completely devoid of emotion. I failed, I think miserably, as I lower my eyes in shame. Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy hate me…And I failed Robin…I want the earth to open up and swallow me whole. I have no idea what I am going to do now…
But just as I began to seriously consider the option of giving into the swimming darkness that was flooding my brain, two knees drop heavily into my line of vision. Confused, I attempt to look up once again at Robin's face, but before I do, two hands ever so gently pull my body up and help me to lean against the wall in a sitting position.
Once settled, I turn my head and look mystified into Robin's masked eyes. His expression is still blank, and his breathing still labored, but this time I felt the hint of a profound understanding coming from a place deep within him.
"Robin?" I venture softly, my voice sounding strange and strangled through the coating of blood that still trickles out of my nose and mouth.
But he doesn't answer… he doesn't have to.
After a few moments of silence and searching, I see his swollen bottom lip quiver meaningfully. And then he fell into my waiting arms and cried.
To Be Continued!
ChocolateCurlz: Well I love you too! I hope this is enough blood for ya! )
Kay: Thank you for reviewing, I hope I made it clear what Raven was trying to accomplish in this chapter.
Shadown290: Thanks!
Cherry Jade: I sincerely hope the writers start to focus on a stronger relationship between the two of them, they are just so dynamic.
Witch01: Yeah, she's crazy… crazy like a fox! )
Arayal: I've updated, darn it! )
Jinx the sorceress: Your review had me glowing with more pride than I can possibly articulate. Thank you!
The Light of Darkness: Raven is very fun to play with, I agree. And yes, I too have had my own personal funeral for Batman… and I plan to show it in a future chapter! )
shschick07: Sweet. )
Lynx16: I hope you enjoy the ride.
Bobalina: Fabulous! )
DarkRavenCosmos: Oh hands down 'Birthmark' is the best episode. I've actual begun to watch the show regularly since it aired.
Azarathgirl: I wrote this chapter in record time, just for you. )
Animerox: I hope this was soon enough for ya! )
Chiclet2021: Batman's one of my fav's too… it's a shame I had to kill him off for this fic. Haha
Majestical: I promise to do my best to keep you interested and hopefully you won't have to worry about infrequent updates! )
TheRavenFlysBy: Yes Rob/Rae all the way! )