Port-Of-Seas, Talon, Shigure Sensei
Disclaimer: I dreamed I owned Teen Titans once. It was a nice dream. Then I woke up. Telling you this because lawyers like that sort of stuff.
As always, thank you so much for reviewing. After Nighmare is finished, I might take it down, re-edit it, and then just post it all over again. Or I might not. This chapter is a bit longer than most, and I feel particularly glum and lazy, so forgive me if my skipping the last stage of editing left the chapter a bit icky. Feel free to berate, criticism is more than welcome.
Also, I'll be gone for two weeks, and probably won't post again until some time in August. So please, forgive me. Reviews show up in my e-mail, so really, if I forget, you can just remind me that way. Well, as always, Enjoy.
Chapter Six: Getting Help"Gimme back my arm you little-"
"Haha! Come and get it, Snotface!" Gizmo laughed, zooming around the vault with a one-armed Cyborg in pursuit.
"Azarath Metrion Zi-ah!" Raven was thrown against the wall. Mammoth chuckled and clapped dust off his hands. Then, just behind him, a gust of air blew at his hair. Mammoth turned around, only to come face to face with a massive green bull.
Starfire and Jinx were locked hand in hand, teeth bared, eyes and palms glowing. But they stopped and stared as Mammoth ran past, Beast Boy in hot pursuit, a shred of the hire-member's outfit on his horn. They blinked a few times, and then Starfire's hands heated up, throwing Jinx backwards.
Raven sat up rubbing her head and accepting Star's outreached hand.
"We don't seem to be doing so well without Robin," Raven admitted.
"Aw, how do you like that?" Cyborg yelled, whacking Gizmo with his removed leg (which must also have come detached). Gizmo chuckled and fiddled with his controller, and a huge metallic boxing glove came out and punched the half-machine, throwing him back against the wall. Along the way, Cyborg ran into Jinx who, much to Starfire's (who had been fighting her) delight, ended up underneath.
"Get off me!" the witch screeched, flailing her arms about and pounding as best she could on him. Cyborg scrambled to his feet, helping her up. Jinx smiled, "I knew you'd come a-hey!" A pair of strong handcuffs was securely fastened around her wrists.
"You didn't really think I'd help out a criminal?" Cyborg asked.
"Oh please, you so know you're into me!"
"I am not! Who told you-What gave you the idea that I'd even-"
"It's obvious."
"It is not obvious!" Cyborg yelled. "Nothing is obvious! I just felt sorry for you because your team was upstaged by me and Bumble Bee!"
"That insect? She is so not better than us!"
"Is too."
"Well you don't even count anyway, you were a spy!"
"A good spy," Cyborg said proudly, pleased that he had successfully gotten under her skin. "You were the one who was into me!"
"I was not!"
"Was too!"
Starfire, meanwhile, was casting beam after beam of Tamaranian power at the annoying Gizmo, who flew circles around her, sniggering, at least, until he ran into a large black wall of telekinetic power.
"Crud!" he cried as his faulty gadgets ceased to work.
Raven caught him in a dark sphere, watching as the genius pounded on its walls, yelling insults and curses.
Mammoth and Beast Boy (in the form of a bear) were locked in hand-to-hand combat or rather, their hands (and paws) were locked as they pushed against each other. Raven ended it by trapping Mammoth's wrists together with her power. Mammoth glowered as Starfire dragged him off.
"I was not for the last time!" Jinx fumed angrily as the police came and escorted them out the vault.
"We're getting better," Cyborg said proudly.
"That's just because you and Jinx argued half the time," Raven pointed out.
Cyborg glared.
"We would have had an easier time if Robin was here," Beast Boy pointed out. "Our only advantage is the fact that they're technically not training in school."
"I wonder where the rest of them are," Raven said, "and if they plan to strike or rebuild the school."
"That is not something to be worried about now," Starfire told them. "For now, I wish to know how Robin is!"
Cyborg checked the scanners in his arm.
"He seems fine. Bio signs look pretty stable."
"Let's get back," Raven instructed.
"Who wants to grab a pizza along the way?" Beast Boy asked.
"That sounds delicious!" Starfire exclaimed as they made their way out the cell door.
"I'm thinking extra cheese," Beast Boy started, "and-"
"Don't even say it!" Cyborg said sharply.
Robin crept out of his room, a blanket clutched around his shoulders. The sky was darkening outside the window. It was later than he'd thought.
Silently, he made his way into the storage room, pulling down the box containing all that was left of Slade. He carefully removed the lid, staring at the contents. This was it. The thing invading his dreams and ruining his life. Just some twisted metal and a cracked mask. That was probably what had done it, the mask. That had been all he touched last time.
For awhile, he just sat there, staring at it, trying to tell himself it was dead. But what about out there?
"Home sweet home!" he heard someone say. Quickly, he threw the lid back and rushed out the door, blanket barely in hand.
Back in the main room, Beast Boy was opening one of the pizza boxes, positively drooling over the inner contents. Cyborg whacked him.
"Man, how are we supposed to have movie night without pizza?"
"There is pizza!" Beast Boy insisted. "I just wanna eat it now."
Starfire giggled and Raven tapped her on the shoulders, gesturing toward the hall.
Star nodded.
Robin had just tucked himself into bed, feigning sleep when his door opened.
"Give it up, Robin," Raven told him. "We know you were out of bed."
"Come," Starfire insisted. "We will be festive this night with pizza, and the ice of cream, and movies…" She counted them off on her fingers.
"Sorry, I don't really feel like it," Robin sighed.
"You've been sick for over a week," Raven told him. "This obviously isn't working. Would it kill you to just hang out?"
Robin scowled.
"It might."
"Very well then," Starfire sighed. "You will simply remain in bed while we are out having fun."
They left, and Robin sat up with a groan.
"Oh man…" he muttered.
"Alright!" Cyborg exclaimed. "We got popcorn, pizza, soda, candy, and a movie! Let the ultra-super-spectacular-fun-night begin!"
"Why are we doing this again?" Raven asked. Cyborg and Beast Boy shrugged.
"I dunno, it's just fun," he replied.
"Okay," Beast Boy butt in. "Just so there's no confusion; we only got the coolest movie ever! It's a sci-fi horror flick with an action basis, frequent comedy and a romantic side plot. Something for everyone!"
The door opened behind them, and there stood Robin, pale, shaky, with his blanket draped over his shoulder.
"Robin!" Starfire cried. "You have come to join us!"
Beast Boy simmered.
"Am I missing something?" He demanded. "Why is he out of bed?"
"I hear there's a movie," Robin replied with a shrug.
"B-But you're sick!"
"Shut it," Raven said with a glare. Beast Boy humphed and sat down beside her. Grinning, Robin did the same beside Starfire.
"Let the movie-fun-night begin!" Cyborg announced, flipping on the TV and seating himself between Starfire and Raven. The lights went out (courtesy of their remote) as the mega screen flickered to life.
After approximately forty-five minutes, the group had gone through fear, excitement, confusion, amusement, and that warm fuzzy feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you eat something hot on a cold day (or when you find out Starfire lost her Tamaranian poetry).
Robin was severely tempted to drape his arm around Starfire's shoulders when the alien mutant slug beast exploded through the door in the movie; unfortunately, she seemed to be enjoying it now that the initial fight was over. (Oh well, he'd have to wait until the alien mutant spider beasts showed up again.) On the other hand, during one of the cheesy love scenes she did scoot really close to him. That was pretty nice.
He had to admit, it felt good to just watch the movie with his friends and forget how sick and worried he was supposed to be. And it worked pretty well, as long as he didn't look at the food. Near the end of the movie, Beast Boy and Raven started bugging each other, and BB came to sit between Starfire and Cyborg.
"Hey Robin," he hissed.
"What?" Robin whispered back.
"You haven't eaten anything all night. Here, grab some pizza, we've got plenty."
"I don't feel all that hungry."
"Dude," Beast Boy urged. "We've got a bathroom if you have to puke or something."
"No, really, the soup this afternoon was enough," Robin assured him. Beast Boy blinked.
"We didn't leave any soup today…" Beast Boy told him.
"Sssh!" Cyborg hissed.
"Just eat it, okay?"
Robin sighed and picked up a slice, nibbling slightly at it as the movie wore on. His stomach started to churn and hurt. He bit his lip and glanced around. Nobody seemed to notice. Sweat formed on his brow. Suddenly he really, really didn't feel good and only after a slice of pizza.
On the screen, the hero was giving a motivational speech about their stand against the enemy. Cyborg glanced at Robin, ready to share a good laugh.
"Hey, Robin, you all right?"
Robin groaned and rushed out of the room, his loose-hanging pajamas flapping behind him. Starfire picked up his blanket and stared curiously.
"Man, what was in that pizza you gave him?" Cyborg asked. Beast Boy lifted the lid of the box and sniffed.
"I dunno. Besides the fact that there's sausage on it, I can't see anything wrong."
"Just give him some time," Raven told him. "He is sick after all. He'll be back by the end of the movie."
Meanwhile, Robin was kneeling before the toilet, his arm resting on the seat, and his head on his arm. His breath was labored and he felt cold and clammy. Then, with another pain in his stomach, he seized the sides of the toilet seat and retched again. By the end of it, his stomach had finally settled some. Wiping his mouth on a piece of toilet paper and tossing it in, he flushed it and stumbled over to the sink. Why was he so weak? He wondered, looking over his reflection. What could have happened to make him this ill?
Sighing, he turned on the water and washed out his mouth.
"Was that not the greatest movie ever?" Cyborg exclaimed.
"Wondrous," Starfire insisted. "The slug beast was most humorous!"
"That was supposed to be scary," Cyborg explained. Starfire only giggled.
"It was pretty good," Beast Boy shrugged. They all glanced at Raven.
"It was corny," she drawled.
"I guess you can't please everyone," Cyborg sighed.
Starfire glanced at the door.
"Robin has not yet returned. Perhaps he is sicker than we first believed."
"I'll get him," Beast Boy offered, heading out.
Robin stumbled out of the bathroom, leaning heavily on the wall. His breath was coming in quick, shallow gasps and sweat dripped off his face. With the hall spinning like that, there was no way he could make it to his room.
"Hey, Robin," Beast Boy called, jogging down the hall.
Robin's ears were ringing, and through the black and white spots marring his vision he could glimpse the long corridor, a seemingly impossible feat. His legs buckled beneath him and he pitched downward. Everything got suddenly dark and silent.
"Robin, are you still in the bathroom?"
Beast Boy came upon a dark object sprawled across the floor.
"Robin!" he exclaimed, rushing forward and kneeling beside his friend and shaking him. "Get up!"
But Robin only groaned, his thin frame shaking at the effort. Beast Boy looked him over.
"Dude, you're a bean pole!" he exclaimed, eyes widening as realization dawned on him. Angrily, he hoisted Robin up, one arm draped around the shape shifter's shoulder, as Beast Boy dragged him down the hall. "You are in so much trouble Robin!"
Slade kicked him square in the ribs, sending him crashing into the wall. Robin gasped and tried to push himself up off the ground, but Slade got to him first, catching his neck and pinning him up against the rock.
"I do enjoy these little get togethers, Robin," Slade laughed. "They just seem to get more creative."
Robin clawed at the man's arms limply with his fingernails, but it did no good.
"Stop," he begged. "Please, just…go away."
"Oh but Robin, I'm not going anywhere."
Slade punched him in the stomach, and Robin yelled in pain.
Robin let out an awful cry, sitting straight up in bed, clutching his aching stomach. He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped.
"It's okay!" Beast Boy assured him. "It's just me."
"Beast Boy?" he rasped. "How did you-How did I-?"
"I found you unconscious in the hall!" Beast Boy snapped. "And that wasn't all I found."
Robin stared at him in confusion.
"You haven't been eating!" Beast Boy accused. "Admit it!"
Robin sighed and dropped his gaze to the blankets.
"Fine," he said. "How could you tell?"
"Without that blanket, you're pretty skinny." Beast Boy explained. "And just because the food is gone doesn't necessarily mean you ate it. I mean, it was kinda suspicious that you couldn't stomach a slice of pizza."
"Did you tell the others yet?" Robin asked. Beast Boy shook his head.
"No, but don't think I won't."
"Please!" Robin pleaded. "Don't"
"Sorry, but I have to. You did a pretty good job keeping it a secret, but it can't stay that way."
Robin sighed, resigned to his fate. BB sat down in the chair beside him.
"Why did you do it?" he asked. Robin shrugged.
"I didn't mean to…I would just wake up and not feel hungry."
"So what, you dumped it in the trash?"
Robin sighed and nodded.
"It kind of scared me, when I couldn't keep anything down," he admitted. "I guess my body couldn't handle it."
"Listen, Robin, I know you're worried about Slade, I mean, that's just what you do. But, you don't have to hurt yourself doing it," Beast Boy turned to leave, but just as he reached the door Robin called.
"Beast Boy."
He stopped and glanced back.
"Thanks," Robin said.
"No problem," he replied, and left.
"What!" Starfire demanded the next morning.
"What do you mean he's not eating!" cried Raven.
"You better not be joking man!" Cyborg yelled.
Beast Boy backed away from the three vein-pounding, angry faces right up in front of him.
"Chill, I took care of it," Beast Boy assured them. "He was just getting a little overworked…oh, again."
"This isn't good," Raven stated, backing off. "He's becoming self destructive."
"What about the sedative?" Starfire asked. "Has that not worked before?"
"I don't want him to get dependant on it," Cyborg explained. "He doesn't even know we're using it."
"But maybe we should let him know," Raven suggested. "If he realizes that it's gotten this serious, he'll try to calm down more. He's not the type to use something to get away from his problems."
"Or he could just make us quit using it," Cyborg argued.
"What we need is a quick fix," Beast Boy put in. "Something that can snap him out of it, fast. Something we don't have…"
"Batman!" Starfire cried. Beast Boy shrugged.
"I was going for monkey hypnotist, but that's…good, I guess…"
"Where are you going with this?" Raven asked.
"Batman was Robin's former guardian, yes? He would certainly know how to help!"
"Uh, Star?" Cyborg said. "Just one problem Batman's one of the most reclusive superheroes out there. I'm not sure he's willing to blow his cover just because Robin's having nightmares."
"Starfire might be onto something though," Beast Boy insisted. "Robin knew Batman way before he even met us."
"Psychologically, he might respond better to his mentor than his friends," Raven pointed out.
"Well," Cyborg said. "We can try. It's better than having to put him to sleep like that."
"I'll go try and find a way to contact him," Raven offered.
"Me too," Beast Boy said. "There's bound to be something in the phone books."
Raven just shook her head.
"Star, can you just go in and try to keep him calm for now?" Cyborg asked.
"Certainly," Star replied, floating off in the direction of Robin's room.
Robin lay to his bed, staring up at the ceiling when the door opened and Starfire floated in.
"Are you well?" she asked. Robin sat up (feeling rather dizzy) clutching his head.
"Star, what're you doing up?"
"Should I not be?" she asked. "It is morning, after all."
"Guess I dozed off a bit," he groaned. Starfire floated over and sat down beside him. Then, without warning, she hugged him fiercely.
"Starfire-"
"Be calm," she cooed. "I am here. Please, I should get you something to eat. Perhaps the noodle and chicken?"
Robin pushed away and shook his head.
"I don't want to."
"But-"
"Besides," he muttered. "I can't keep it down anyway. The only thing food does for me is make my stomach hurt."
"Then at least rest," she pleaded. Robin glanced at the floor.
"I really don't want to."
Starfire hesitated, and then offered:
"I could…give you some sedative. It will make you sleep easier, maybe without nightmares."
Robin stare hardened, as though he wanted to bore a hole through the floor with his eyes.
"You've used it before, haven't you?" he asked. Starfire was taken aback, before letting her gaze drop to the floor as well.
"We had hoped you wouldn't find out, but sometimes it is the only way to calm you down. It has helped before."
"I guess that might explain those times when I didn't dream," he sighed. "All right."
Starfire hugged him again, and this time, he didn't push away, but still resisted the urge to hug her back.
"You must sleep first," she instructed. "And do not worry, everything will be fine."
Robin's eyes closed and he drifted off slowly. Starfire ran her fingers through his hair and hugged him tighter. The fell of his prominent ribs broke her heart.
"You are so thin…" she murmured. "Oh Robin…"
He twitched visibly, and she set him back under his covers, tucking him in before going off to retrieve something to sooth the oncoming dreams.
The next morning, all the titans except Robin were gathered in the game room. Beast Boy was doing a bat impersonation while Starfire laughed and clapped her hands. Raven rolled her eyes.
"I don't think you should be impersonating Batman like that."
Beast Boy morphed back to normal and scoffed.
"Aw, c'mon Ray, I'm sure he's got a sense of humor."
"Well, I wouldn't do that when he get here," Cyborg warned. "I still can't believe we got a hold of him…or at lest his butler."
"Should we have told Robin?" Starfire asked.
"Are you kidding!" Beast Boy insisted. "We've got him relaxing for the first time in like, forever!"
"Uh, B?" Cyborg pointed out. "That's just because he's sedated. He still isn't eating, you know."
"I'm surprised he's been so calm when he found out about it," Raven stated.
"Guess he finally wanted a good night's sleep," Beast Boy shrugged. "Raven, shine this light on me!"
Raven sighed and shone the flashlight on him as he morphed back into a bat, making a stunning likeness of the Bat signal.
At just that moment, the outside door opened and a black-cloaked superhero stood inside. Taking a few steps in, he looked all the titans over one by one. Beast Boy morphed back, embarrassed.
"Told you so," Raven drawled.
Batman, however, showed no emotion.
"Where's Robin?" he asked sternly. They all pointed at the other door leading to the hallway. Without another word, he turned and left.
"Okay, that was uncomfortable," Beast Boy told them.
"That is Batman?" Starfire said. "He is…pleasant…"
"That's just how he is, I think," Cyborg explained.
"Didn't seem so creepy to me," Raven stated.
R&R, please.