Chapter 2
Damn… I wanted this to be a one-shot, but I have ideas that need to be at least 3 or 4 chapters… Probably a lot longer… Oh well, I've got nothing better to do than to write.
"What? Where am I?" Beast Boy asked groggily. He moaned in pain as he sat up, and he looked at Raven, not comprehending or remembering.
"You're back at the tower… and it's been a year," she stated, walking to sit down next to him.
Suddenly everything came back to him, and he fell back onto the bed, "You're dead! I killed you and… I'm dead, too…"
Raven actually laughed at this. After a moment she spoke, "No, you didn't kill either of us."
"But… I attacked you, and killed the others!" he said, images of the violence flashing through his mind, "Why are you treating me like a friend?"
A familiar voice spoke to him through the intercom, saying, "Dude, you are your friend… Raven's told me what happened, and she's spoken to the others. We forgive you."
Beast Boy stared in horror at the walls and ceilings for a moment, and began to shake violently. The voice had been-
"Cyborg, thank you," Raven said, "but don't you think you should have waited before revealing yourself to him?"
"Ok, what happened?" Beast Boy asked, "I remember killing you all, and then your curse-thing killed both of me."
"It didn't kill you, Beast Boy," Raven said, "If it had, you wouldn't be here. Secondly, Cyborg was a part of the tower. He will never fully leave it. He exists both here and in the afterlife now. And finally, you never killed me. That spell healed you, as long as you didn't fight it. You thought it would kill you, so you gave in to it. And lastly, it tied me to you. If you die, I'll die. And if you feel pain, I'll feel pain."
Beast Boy stared at him in incomprehension for a moment, "But… why'd you want to save me?"
"Simple," Cyborg said through the intercom, "She needs your help. It's been a year without the Titans, B, and one hell of a hard one."
Cyborg opened the blinds that covered the window, and Beast Boy looked out the window. The city was nearly leveled. Only a large courthouse-looking thing was undamaged. It was hard to see everything for sure; the windows were covered in dust.
"What happened," Beast Boy asked after he had gotten a view of the destruction. He noticed that all plant life had died.
"Slade," Raven said. When he looked at her in confusion, she elaborated, saying, "He wasn't really dead. And neither was Terra. The stone figure in the cave, the figure you destroyed, was just a statue. Terra and Slade had planned the entire thing. And once they figured we were all destroyed, well…" Raven gestured out the window.
"They've won…" he mumbled in horror, looking at the window, "They've destroyed the city."
"No," Cyborg said, "They've destroyed the world. All that is left is a part of the eastern US, and that is being conquered bit by bit everyday."
Beast Boy shook his head, "But I still killed you all. I deserve to die!"
Raven nodded, "Yes… you do. And when we've defeated Slade and Terra, I will personally kill you for what you have done."
Beast Boy stared at her, hurt by her words. He did deserve to die, but to hear her say that she would kill him, and to say it without any grief at all…
She seemed to have read his mind, "Beast Boy, please understand. I don't mean you deserve to die as a bad thing… entirely. You've killed them, yes, but you were forced to do it by Slade… and Terra," she said, rubbing her stomach gently. Looking down, he could see scars under her shirt, which he just realized were civilian.
"Why… why me?" he demanded.
"Because you were the least expected, B," Cyborg said.
Raven spoke again, trying to comfort him, "Life has been hell, Beast Boy. You've been almost dead; Cyborg is limited to the tower- literally. Star and Robin are both dead, and I can only communicate with them on a limited basis…" Raven sighed sadly.
"They're on their way, Rae," Cyborg said. Moments later, faint apparitions of Starfire and Robin appeared next to Raven, looking down at Beast Boy. Contrary to what he expected, both of them were smiling at him, although somewhat timidly.
"I'm uh… glad to see you awake Beast Boy," Robin said.
"Hello Beast Boy," Starfire said, "You are well since your violent mind-control by Slade, correct?"
Beast Boy almost fainted.
"Anyways… What I said about feeling your pain… It works the other way to," Raven said miserably, looking away from the green teen, "and since I want to really be with the others… We're both gonna have to die."
The others looked away, uncomfortably. Beast Boy looked at her, just as miserably, "I don't deserve to be with you… to be with any of you."
"No, you do!" Starfire shouted, "You did not mean to hurt us… although it was most painful, we do forgive you."
He looked at them all, unable to believe them, until Cyborg made an odd sound. The intercoms seemed to be attempting to clear their throat.
"Raven… We've got an incoming transmission."
Raven ran up to the control room, leaving Beast Boy with the people he had murdered; with his friends.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Nearly an hour later, Raven walked back inside Beast Boy's room. He was in a fitful sleep, and the spirits were nowhere to be found.
She looked at him, wondering why she had worked so hard over the past year. It seemed impossible that they would win. Slade was taking over. But, strangely, she had to give hope to the others. She had to save the world, and she needed Beast Boy to do that.
Unfortunately, he could never understand the sacrifices which she had been forced to make to save them both. None of them could. She began singing as she thought.
Now I will tell you what I've done for you…Maybe she would tell him… It might be easier for him to understand everything else, especially the things she would be forced to do later.
50,000 tears I've cried;
Screaming, deceiving, and bleeding for you.
And you still won't hear me.
I'm going under…
In the end though, despite the fact that she needed him, it all rested on her. No matter what happened, she would have to make the final move. And she hated being teamed with a traitor, even one who was being mind-controlled. She didn't really need his help, did she?
Don't want your hand; this time I'll save myself…
No, she did need his help, as much as she hated to admit it. There was one good thing though; her spell allowed her to feel her emotions without any real danger to anyone.
Maybe I'll wake up for once (Wake up for once);
Not tormented daily; defeated by you,
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom…
She had learned to speak (and sing) many different things at once. It allowed her to do many of the harder spells she knew. The memory of the training it had taken to perfect this skill made her smile momentarily.
"You're very beautiful when you smile," Beast Boy said, obviously awake. He was watching her, listening to her beautiful singing.
I'm… dying… again…I'm going under (going under);
Drowning in you (drowning in you).
I'm falling forever (falling forever);
I've got to break through.
I'm going under…
She could feel his emotions, another bit of the spell. She could also feel his pain. Every bit of pain he felt was multiplied exponentially when the spell transferred it to her, while it would decrease the pain when it transferred it from her to him. This had been an act of friendship she had given as he attempted to murder her.
He spoke again, saying, "You have a very good singing voice… How do you sing different things at once, Raven?"
Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies,
(So I don't know what's real) so I don't know what's real and what's not (know what's real and what's not)
His words stirred feelings in her; feelings she couldn't risk feeling just now. They confused and scared her more than anything that had happened so far.
Always confusing the thoughts in my head (oo-oooh)
So I can't trust myself anymore.
It wasn't his fault that this had happened. None of this was, but he would have to pay for what happened.
I'm… dying… again…I'm going under (going under);
Drowning in you (drowning in you).
I'm falling forever (falling forever);
I've got to break through…
Beast Boy began weeping bitterly, and Raven felt his despair flood her body. She fought the sadness and the pain he was feeling.
"I'm so sorry Raven," he moaned, "If I could kill myself and bring them all back, I would in an instant! I don't deserve friends like you!"
I'm… so go on and scream;
Scream at me.
I'm so far away;
I won't be broken again…
Raven fought his despair with extreme difficulty, feeling a tear run down her cheek as she continued singing.
I've got to breathe,
I can't keep going under…
She couldn't break down, especially in front of Beast Boy. She needed him to defeat Slade and Terra. She reached out and clasped his hand tightly, trying to comfort them both, and felt him grip hers back.
I'm… dying… again…I can't keep going under (going under);
Drowning in you (drowning in you).
I'm falling forever (falling forever);
I've got to break through.
I'm… going under…
Raven began a slight decrescendo, getting steadily quieter as she sang. After a moment Beast Boy fell asleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. She could feel his pulse through their hands; oddly, it had the same exact beat as hers. It was probably an affect of the spell.
I'm going under (going under);
Going under (drowning in you)…
She closed her eyes. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed Beast Boy- and probably even more help than he could provide. She murmured the last couple words of the song, then fell silent and slept, still desperately clutching Beast Boy's warm hand.
I'm going under…………………………………………………………………………………………………
They awoke several hours later, hearing a slight laugh from the intercom. Raven stood quickly, letting go of Beast Boy's hand, and glaring at the speakers.
"Yeah?" she spat venomously at them.
The laughter quickly stopped, even though it was doubtful whether Raven could do anything to Cyborg or not… who would be stupid enough to take that kind of risk?
"I was just wondering when the two of you were planning on leaving," Cyborg said to them, "I mean, the attack is scheduled for tomorrow, after all…"
Beast Boy sat up, feeling a bit calmer, "What attack?"
Raven looked at him, then sat sadly next to him, "Ok, we got a transmission from the resistance."
"The one on the East coast you guys talked about?"
"Yeah. They found some spies that, well…" she didn't know exactly how she should tell him this. The thought of the tragedies that had occurred could put him in a severe depression.
Cyborg spoke bluntly, "They found out that Slade is moving in on them. Keep in mind that over 90 of the world's current population is part of the resistance, the rest being mostly slaves to Slade. And about 60 of the worlds population from last year is dead as a result of the war.
Beast Boy stared at Raven for a minute, being unable to stare at Cyborg. She nodded slowly to him.
"Beast Boy… under no condition can we allow the resistance to fall. Slade isn't looking to conquer. He's made it clear that he will kill all that oppose him tomorrow."
You know something weird? I wrote this, and after I finished I realized that the song fit in perfectly. I barely changed anything. By the way, the next chapter is working out similarly. It's kinda freaky…
And for anyone who knows Toby Keith or Willie Nelson… next song is Beer For My Horses.
Finally, I'm having some trouble with part of the next chapter. It's going to have an actual battle, but I don't have any idea how to have Beast Boy and Raven be in that kind of battle. If I pull it off the way I want, I'll be surprised.
So I'll start to write that, and you can review. And you WILL review… Fred Flintstone had told me so…