A/N: Hey guys! Here's chapter nine! Please enjoy and tell me what ya think!
Review TIME! (squeals) My favorite part!
Zaire: Thanks, and no problem, I won't stop writing anything soon.
The Wings of a Raven: Yeah those two do work, it's better than Robin/Star and Raven/BB at any rate.
Evilsangle: Robin might tell her this chapter…or he might not, you'll have to read to find out. NA!
raggedywings: Thanks! I like favorite's lists!
Chica De Los Ojos Café: I KNOW! Someone shooting me would have better. You might be confusing the stories. Robin doesn't know at all…but he confronts her about it in this chapter!
IceAngel46: 8! That's my favorite number. Yep! I want that many reviews too, 888….I'm not that much of a review whore….I don't even want 1000. (I need to lay off the stuff)
miraculasacies: Thank you, I have to admit though, sometimes I use the Thesaurus, but only sparsely.
rubianca: SORRY! Yeah, if you thought that this chapter was emotional then this one should be crazy then. THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEW!
CelticHeiressFiona: BWAHAHAHAHAHA! God I'm evil…I don't mean to be evil…I was born that way, sorry.
SporkWoman: No problem! It's my favorite part and I enjoying responding to reviews…especially long ones.
haley: Hi Haley!
Chibi-Ra-Chan: REALLY! (pouts) June 4th is so far away! Thanks, I love your reviews!
AriesFalcon: You hate me? (cries) You love me? (dances) Wait a second…you're throwing mixed signals here! I'm so glad you've updated! I love "Getting an Education", awesome stuff.. (I'm stealing your song, hope you don't mind, I read it and thought it went perfectly with this chapter.)
Mysti-eyed: As we all know, curiosity killed the cat…no that's not a threat, lol. You'll probably never find out. I don't say exactly what he says, I only hint at it. Let's see if you can't figure it out.
CeruleanAngel: Long time, way long read! I've also have had urges to slap some freakin' sense into Starfire…dumb alien. Yeah, I can't wait for the sequel to December's Secrets to come out, I finished catching up on the rest of it and it was awesome! But most of it was during school, cuz my internet didn't work and so I had only a limited amount of time to read so I didn't review, sorry.
Whatever Star: That's an interesting idea, I might just take it in to consideration and start a new fic…I have everything planned out for this but the end.
Alena-chan: I know it was evil, and I apologize, truly I do, but it keeps you coming back don't it? (laughs maniacally)
K.C. Raven: I know, evil right? It's definitely going to be Robin and Raven but not so sure about Star and BB, despite the conversation they had. You'll have to wait and see.
kittykat: Actually you got it right! YEAH! A PUPPY FOR YOU! Well, maybe another cat, cuz kittykats and puppydogs don't get along, lol.
Erin Harfield: Thanks for the compliment and here's your update.
Me: Hi me! You must have very good taste if you love this story...Sorry about the ego trip, just kidding.
Hell's Fury: The Beginning
By: Amber Myst
Chapter 9: Torrid Confrontations
When nobody hears you scream
I'll scream with you
You'll be safe here
Close your eyes
Dry your tears
'coz when nothing seems clear
You'll be safe here
From the sheer weight
Of your doubts and fears
Weary heart
You'll be safe here
--Rivermaya(something other than Evanescenceand Mariah Carey…wow)
Raven was a miserable wreck, she was too scared to go asleep, fearful of Slade in her dreams and too nervous to stay awake, afraid someone might come to her room and demand that she give them an explanation she didn't have in her to give.
She sighed as she cradled her aching head in between shaking palms. "I can't believe Cyborg thinks I did this to myself." At first she was filled with rage at his hasty allegations, but then after she realized what Cyborg knew, which was absolutely nothing, that rage subsided into shame. She would have thought the same thing if she were anyone else. She shouldn't have left her friends in the dark for so long and she regretted doing it but she just couldn't tell them. She was determined not to be selfish! Slade would not hurt them, not if she had anything to do with it.
Soon, as Raven laid on her bed, tired eyes staring at the ceiling, she drifted into a barely aware state only found between sleep and cognizance. Her eyes were only half open, heavy lids drifting downwards further and further with sleep. As she felt herself falling asleep, she forced her eyes open, only have them to drift again to their previous position. Raven didn't want to succumb to lethargy, but she was afraid that this was a battle she simply couldn't win.
Raven was in such a stupor that it took her a while to realize that there was a dark figure looming above her. As soon as her brain registered the crucial information she yelped in shock, her amethyst eyes widening, and used her powers to blast the perpetrator across her room. She shot up, becoming entangled in her cape, as she took a defensive stance. "Who's there?"
She heard a familiar groan and a voice cough before stating it's name. "It's me, Robin."
"Robin?" She asked aggravated, as her shock gave way to annoyance and her heartbeat quickened, which it was prone to do when the Boy Wonder was around. "What the hell are you doing in here?"
Robin stood quietly and dusted himself off before walking over to wall where the light switch was situated and flipping it on.
Raven blinked harshly and looked away as the bright lights flooded her eyes. 'They must have fixed the lights.' She mused, but for some reason, the anger that usually flooded her at the thought of someone going into her room was inexplicably absent. "Now, he turns on the light, after making me jump out of my skin." She said sardonically as she watched him warily. What did he want anyway? Robin respected her need for space more than anyone else, he would have to have a pretty good reason for entering without knocking. Furthermore, why didn't she hear him? She cured herself silently, she really needed a repose.
Robin didn't respond and he was on her before she could blink. He roughly grabbed one of her hands into his own and yanked up her sleeve.
She was shocked beyond words and couldn't even react accordingly to the violation of her person.
Robin's jaw dropped as he took in the condition of Raven's arm. His heart started to pound painfully in his chest and his breathing constricted to the point where it hurt to breath, even shallowly. His stomach churned and he felt the sudden urge to throw up. The charred flesh around her wrist wasn't that gruesome and he could tell from the peeling that it was indeed healing, but the shock came from the state of the flesh above her burned wrist. Her arm was completely covered with ugly, twisting scabs. Some were black, deep punctures as if someone rammed a red, hot poker into her skin and others were long, jagged wounds they reached from her wrist up to the crook of her arm disappearing under her sleeve where he was sure they continued. Other areas it looked as if skin had been gorged out completely. Robin could barely see any area of delicate, gray skin, as her whole arm was covered with the gruesome scars.
Raven watched speechless and trance-like as he place a soft kiss on the inside of her wrist.
'Why did he just do that?'
Raven was jerked from her revelry when a tear splashed onto her arm. She jerked her arm away from Robin and pulled the sleeve down angrily as tears spilled down her face, she didn't even know why she was crying as she wiped away the drops of moisture. "How dare you!" She demanded to know scathingly, although there was no real anger behind the words. She just didn't have it in her to be mad. At the moment she felt more ashamed and she didn't even know why, it wasn't as if she did it to herself. Maybe it was Robin's tenderness, or maybe the anguish and geniune care etched into his face.
Robin just stood there, trying his hardest not to tremble. Suddenly he lunged out for Raven and drew her quaking body into a tight hug. "Raven…" he muttered. "Who did this to you?" He knew that Cyborg thought that she did it to herself, but Robin wouldn't believe that…he couldn't, not if he wanted to keep his sanity. Raven would never hurt herself to this degree. It was tearing him up inside. Those wounds looked so painful, and he felt that pain deep down in his soul. She must have endured hell and no one knew…she wouldn't tell anyone. 'Well, that ends today!' Robin thought determinedly, angry scowl in place as he held Raven to him, her trembling causing his own to come forth.
Inside he was furious. Furious she didn't tell him, furious someone dared to do this to her in the first place and simply furious because he wasn't there to stop it.
He held her, and suddenly she burst out in tears, her sobs were heart-wrenching. He didn't do anything to stop her crying, she needed to let it go, and know that he was there for her, that he had always been there for her and always will be. She was mumbling incoherently into hisneck where her face was burrowed and he strained to hear what she was saying but it all seemed like gibberish to him. The wet tears slipping down his neck felt slightly uncomfortable but that was the least of his problems. He rubbed her back soothingly with one hand and stroked her hair gently with the other.
As he thought back to the night she screamed and he found her trembling in her bed he froze. How long had this been going on and no one knew? How long did she have to endure this agony?
"Raven," He urged again, this time more desperately. He needed to know who had been doing this is her if wasn't herself. And if it wasn't her, then why wasn't she telling anyone? It just didn't make any sense and he hated being perplexed.
"WHO is DOING this to you!" His desperate demand came out as a hoarse cry, not even close to expressing the agony he felt in histhrobbing heart.
She mumbled again and Robin shook his head, before pushing her back gently to look down at her face, removing wet streaks of hair from her face gently, "Say that again please?"
She didn't raise her tear-streaked face to his, but just lifted up her both her sleeves. Robin sucked in his breath, painfully. On her other arm there were almost identical scars. She held her arms together so that the insides were facing up, her splayed palms facing the ceiling. Robin studied the scars, barely controlling the urge to cry, and could make out a name cut into her flesh only when her arms were held together. His eyes widened impossibly, the white and black mask taking even more of his face, and he felt his heart constrict with anger and his uncontrollably trembling increased tenfold, barely realizing that he was growling deep in his throat. Every thought was consumed with anger and rage as he took in the name cut into her skin from the crook of her arm to her wrist, imbedded in her forearm. Slade.
His mouth was dry, as if it were filled with cotton and it took him a moment to speak past he lump in his throat. "When," his voice was hoarse and low and he cleared his throat, licking his dry lips. "When, did this happen?"
Raven's voice was low when she answered. "The night I screamed." Her face was turned away from his. She couldn't look at him. She wouldn't be able to stand the look on his face. She didn't know what to expect but it was definitely the worse her imagination could come up with. And she had the darkest imagination of anyone she knew. Except Slade, who has proven over and again how much of a sick bastard he is.
"How, is that possible?" Robin's brow furrowed when he tried to rationalize what he thought was impossible. There was only a window of about fifteen seconds before he heard Raven scream and rushed to see what was wrong and beat the hell out of anyone who shouldn't have been there. There was no way in hell that Slade could havecompleted all this in such aninsignificant amount of time.
Almost as if she could read his mind she explained. "Slade…" She paused in frustration, how in the hell could she tell him? She closed her eyes and sighed. "Has been coming to me in my dreams."
Robin shook his head, not understanding. "Raven, it's a dream. He shouldn't be able to hurt you if it's a dream."
"You think I don't know?" Shesnapped, irritated. She took another deep breath. Robin didn't deserve her anger, not when he was just trying to understand what she could barely understand herself."Sorry. He hasn't been able to hurt me, not until less than a week ago. He's been coming to my dreams since my birthday, tormenting me but never did it leave wounds. But then one night I woke up and these burns," She indicated her wrists. "were just…here. And on my ankles too."
Robin sat her down on the bed without an explanation and pulled off her boots gently, he hadn't even noticed when she begun to where them and became angry with himself for being so oblivious. He pulled off her socks and examined the scorched skin delicately. The marred area was about three and a half inches thick, completely circling her ankle. He placed gentle butterfly kisses to the blackened skin of each ankle. He stood up and Raven was watching him with hooded eyes, tears still silently slipping down her face. He favored her with a small smile of his own, at least he was making her feel better despite the low way he felt. But why didn't she confess to him earlier?
"Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded, shaking terribly as tears ran down in his pale face in rivulets. "Why can't you trust me? I can't-is it because I'm weak? Because you know I couldn't help you right?" He whispered bitterly, hands clenched in self disgust as he berated himself harshly.
Raven was suddenly alarmed, 'why is he saying these things! He means the world to me.' "No Robin, never. I just didn't want anyone to be hurt over me, please don't. I-I Everything I said in the kitchen that night was true. Please…don't do this, not over me…"
"Raven, your worth so much, never say anything like thatagain. If you could only see yourself through my eyes…you would never doubt your worth again, ever!" He chastised her, outraged in her defense, even against herself.
Raven stared at him with shocked, widened eyes, tears still slipping unnoticed down stained cheeks. Suddenly she felt very faint. He didn't possibly mean that.
A discomforting silence passed and Robin cursed himself. 'Now I've made her uncomfortable. God, I'm such an idiot.'
"But, I still don't understand," Robin said, changing the subject, trying to draw it away from his feelings and back to the matter at hand. He almost let it slip, he just couldn't tell Raven that he loved her. "How can he get into your dreams to do so in the first?"
"The day of my birthday," Raven said after a few seconds passed as she shook off her stupor. He didn't mean anything by it, he just wanted her to stop crying, she assured herself self depreciatingly, glad for the change of topic. When would the tears stop? He must think that she was such a baby. "When he delivered the message for my father he created a bond to me." Briefly, Raven was wondering why nothing was exploding and why Jump City didn't resemble a junk yard but she didn't dwell on it, just glad that shestill had some resemblance of control.
"Sometimes…I can feel your pain Raven. Is that because of our bond?" Robin asked tentatively. He lips twitched wryly before he exhaled heavily. "At least, I think I feel your pain. I'm going insane."
Raven nodded mutely, before a dry, ironic smile crossed her face and she closed her eyes. "Actually you're the only thing keeping me sane."
"What?"
Raven sighed and patted the space next to her, inviting Robin to take it. "Better sit down for this. "
Robin took the seat and drew her hand in his. His warm palm against hericy one calmed her considerably. She composed herself and drew in a large breath, releasing it slowly. "Where do I start?" She asked herself out loud. "You and Slade both have bonds with me, right?"
Robin nodded.
"Slade could suddenly harm me in my dreams because I had isolated myself enough for him to strengthen his own. When I was not around my friends, the bonds I had with them were weakened. So when wehad our conversation in the kitchen and our lips met, yours was strengthened and his weakened and he couldn't harm me that night…you understand?"
Suddenly it dawned on him and his eyes widened. "So…that's why Slade appeared that night. He had to strengthen his bond again by touching you….ah."
They sat there in comfortable silence, Robin's thumb making soothing circles on the back of her hand. "So," he started. "I guess his bond has been weakened again?"
Raven's eyes widened when she realized that Robin was speaking the truth. "I guess." She said almost content. Her smile soon faded away to be replaced with barely concealed horror. "That means he going to be coming back Robin…"
Robin's grim face showed that he had also realized that fact after he had stated that Slade's bond had been weakened. "We'll be ready for him!" Robin said determinedly. "We'll think of something…don't worry about it now."
The silence continued once more but they didn't feel the need to complicate it with needless chatter; just being in the presence of the other was enough. But the interlude didn't last long as Robin glanced at the clock that was still miraculously on Raven's wall. It read 2:30 a.m.
Robin sighed as he stood reluctantly, he didn't want to leave her, but he knew Raven probably needed her sleep. Besides, at least he would sleep comfortably knowing that Raven wouldn't be plagued with nightmares…that is, if he could get to sleep. "I better go."
Raven looked up at him with despondent eyes, hey ashen, small hand lingering in his own. "Stay with me…please?"
Robin looked down at her and gave her a small smile, "you sure?"
Raven nodded as she pulled Robin down onto the bed, crawling under the covers and scooting over to make room for him. "I would feel...more comfortable if you stayed. We're just going to sleep." She knew she loved Robin, so much it hurt but she also knew she wasn't ready for anything other thanhis friendship and his support.
Robin pouted adorably and snapped his fingers. "Damn."
Raven laughed slightly as Robin settled in and pulled her into his arms. He gently ran his fingers up and down her back drawing soothing patterns, causing Raven to shiver. "Stop…" she murmured sleepily. "Or I'll never get to sleep."
Robin doubted that from her already drooping eyelids but stopped anyway. "Well at least we wouldn't be bored…I'm sure we'd find someway to keep ourselves occupied." He grinned wickedly, a smile that almost stopped her heart and caused her to catch her breath, and wiggled his eyebrows, causing his mask to move up and down.
Raven gave a sleepy chuckle. "Stop it or I might have to take you up on your offer." She yawned hugely and nestled as close to him as she could get. The full length of her body was pressed up against his, her arms circled tightly around his waist, holding him as closely to her as possible. In Robin's arms, it felt as if she was safe from the world. For the first time she could remember, she didn't have to worry about her father or her destructive, demonic destiny. She felt free to just be. To sample life and all it's wonders, instead of standing by passively as an idle spectator. Her heart was beating so hard, it was painful; however, she wouldn't trade the feeling for anything in the world.
Robin kissed her forehead, unknowingly returning the same favor she did for him when he was sleeping beside her infirmary bed. When her soft, rhythmic breathing deepened, indicating she was asleep, he nuzzled her neck lightly, pressing a soft kiss below her ear and whispered softly into it. "I love you." Maybe he couldn't tell her it to her while she was awake, but he could tell in it to her beautifully slumbering face and scream it in his heart over and over again until the day he died. Or maybe when he became worthy of her affection, when he was brave enough to give himself fully to another human being. But until then, he could and wouldwatch over her as best as he could. She was his dark angel and he would brave hell and back, just to see her face.
Raven smiled softly in her sleep as if she had heard him and maybe somewhere in her heart she did, as she buried her face in his chest, mumbling unconsciously.
(Cries) Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It was a B to write. I had the whole chapter written out before, decided I it wasn't good enough and trashed it. Hopefully this was up to everyone's standards. Ciao!
Spread your wings and fly….Butterfly.