Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: Heh. I want to apologize in advance for the end of this chapter. It's clichéd as hell, but given the circumstances in the story, I couldn't resist. If there's a general uproar, I'll change it to prevent further backlash, but I think, in context, it's acceptable. And in case I haven't made it clear, thank you for the reviews! You guys are amazing. Any guesses as to what will happen in the next chapter? Any criticisms or complaints? Anything you want to see more of? Let me know. I'll do my best to accommodate.

Demon Hunters

Chapter 14: Soul Struck

Rain fell, pattering across Raven's hair. A dark figure walked in the distance ahead of her.

Beast Boy? she thought, and raced to catch up with him.

She reached out her hand to touch his shoulder, but the figure turned and instead of the kind green eyes and unruly green hair, there was the cold and dark image of Pax.

Raven tried to scream, but her mouth wouldn't open. She tried to back away, but she tripped over her cape and fell to the ground.

Pax loomed over her, kneeling down, grabbing her shoulder…

Pain, not sharp, but dull and deep, throbbed through Raven's shoulder.

Raven moaned.

"Raven! You are awake!" a familiar voice squeaked. "And alive," the voice added, almost as an afterthought.

Raven felt herself caught up in a fierce hug that could only come from one person. Her brain scrambled to make sense of everything as the image of Pax receded. The hug tightened and Raven grimaced.

"I won't be alive for long if you don't be more careful, Starfire."

Starfire squeaked apologetically and replaced Raven on the infirmary bed.

Rubbing her temples, Raven slowly opened her eyes to see her team surrounding her in the familiar setting of her room.

"Welcome back," Robin said resting a gloved hand on her shoulder,

She smiled gratefully, looking each Titan in turn with a nod.

She came to Beast Boy last. He was standing the furthest back, looking conflicted.

"What's wrong, Beast Boy?" she asked.

"I… Raven…" Some part of him either won or lost and he wrapped Raven in a tight hug that was over before she really started to appreciate it.

He coughed uncomfortably and said, "Well, uh, what do we do now?"

"Breakfast?" Cyborg asked, grinning at the bleary eyed girl.

"Breakfast sounds wonderful," Raven said.

Cyborg and Beast Boy raced off, arguing over what to make and leaving Robin, Starfire, and Raven to plan the Titans' next move.

"So what happened, exactly?" Raven asked. "The last I checked, I should be dead."

"We're not really sure. We found you on the floor of the cell, unconscious, but very alive," Robin explained in a matter-of-fact voice, hoping that just relaying the facts would make it easier for Raven to hear. "We brought you back and set you up in the infirmary. It's been about two days."

"What about the hunters?"

"We neutralized them before we found you."

"And now?"

"While we were collecting you, they escaped."

"Then we need to neutralize them permanently," Raven said, a glimmer of vengeance in her voice.

Robin nodded agreement. It was understood that Raven didn't mean by killing them.

Starfire looked uncertain for a moment, then raised her hand as though asking for permission to speak. "Please, I wish to remind you that they did not harm us."

Raven gave Starfire a flat look.

"Er… the rest of us," she amended quickly, glancing at Raven's bandaged shoulder.

"That still doesn't excuse what they did to me," Raven growled, but her tone was nowhere near as vehement as it could have been, given the circumstances.

"My apologies," Starfire stammered. "I simply meant that it may be important that they did not kill us even when they had the opportunity to do so. Even when it would have been easier and more certain."

"They did send an explosive in first," Robin reminded her, but seeing Starfire's hurt expression, he quickly added, "We'll think about it, though, Star."

Starfire looked at Robin with grateful eyes that seemed to speak volumes.

Raven coughed. "Do you think you guys could give me a minute alone? I think I'd like to take a shower," she said before the situation could get awkward. Or at least, any more awkward than it already was.

The two agreed without hesitation, promising to come get her when breakfast was ready.

Raven sighed with relief when they left. She appreciated everyone's concern, but it was just a little too weird to have other people in her room. Slowly, easing her aching body out of bed, she stood and limped to her closet.

She undid the clasp on her cape and let it fall to the floor. As she peeled off her uniform, she noticed that her shoulder was not the bloody mess she had expected. In fact, it was nearly completely healed. Raven made a mental note to ask someone later if she had been healing herself while she was unconscious.

With a shrug, Raven finished stripping off the rest of her uniform and grabbed a robe from her closet. A short journey down the hallway brought her to the showers. She let the warm, clean water run over her body, washing away the experiences of the past few days.

She tried to relax, but something felt horribly wrong. It felt as if something was missing. She finished her shower and wrapped herself back in her robe, toweling off her hair as she walked back to her room. Normally, she teleported, but she was too tired to try anything like that.

She was nearly to her room before she noticed the green figure standing in front of her door.

"Beast Boy," she stated, feeling very confused and sorely wishing that she had simply teleported back.

"Oh. Uh. Hi, Raven," Beast Boy squeaked, his face turning an elaborate shade of red, despite his normal coloring. "I guess you're… uh… busy. I'll come back later."

He dashed off before Raven could say anything. With a shrug, she went into her room and got dressed. She sat down on her bed, trying to think. Beast Boy had said he'd come back later. Would he really? He always seemed so frightened of her…

She tried to meditate, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that something had been taken from her.

After a few minutes of meditating, not waiting for Beast Boy, she assured herself, there was an uncertain knock on her door.

"Come in," she called.

The door slid open and a familiar green figure stepped in.

"So. Uh. Breakfast is ready."

Raven fastened her cloak around her shoulders and turned to follow Beast Boy, but something seemed so overwhelmingly wrong that she froze.

"Are you okay, Raven?" Beast Boy asked after she had stared silently at him for nearly a minute.

"Something's missing," she said, aware that she wasn't making any sense. "I'm sorry. I must sound crazy."

"Raven, you just spent the last few days kidnapped by some creepy hunter people who tried to kill you. I think you're entitled to sound however you want," he said with a hopeful grin.

Raven shakily returned a smile.

"It's okay, Raven. We'll figure it out," Beast Boy said reassuringly. He touched her hand, and she waited for the usual flood of giddiness that would take her breath away before she crushed it into a mild contentment that she could control… but nothing happened.

"No," she whispered. "They couldn't…"

Not that.

Anything but that.

"What?"

"Beast Boy, I need to be sure of something," she said numbly. She wrapped her arms around him, a dead look in her eyes.

He gulped nervously and awkwardly folded his arms around her.

She looked into his eyes, and then kissed him.