A/N: This chapter is a bit short but it kind of needs to be. If I went to the next part I wanted to do it would probably get too long and I prefer it to be another chapter. I should have an update for this story as well as my other story by Sunday or so. I usually don't write much during the weekend. Ya know.

And to my reviewers which were more than I though considering I put out the last chapter not that long ago:

Cherry Jade: Nightwing is supposed to be that way. He's borderline nuts and has been twisted into basically a monster. I doubt Cyborg or Raven will be getting a thank you or apology from him any time soon or well ever. Slade is always fun to write because he's like the best villain. Not incredibly strong himself but cerebral and knows how to pick a person apart. Well anyways, thanks for the review and hope you enjoy the speedy update.

zadeon: Thanks for the review and the good words. Always good to hear.

evilsangle: You've read every one of my stories so I figure you'd be able to figure out what I'm planning to do. You;re good like that. Hopefully I'll be able to surprise you some with what I come up with.

They Call Me Sweetsnow: Thanks for the two reviews for chapter 3 and 4 and I always like enjoy seeing hw you describe my chapters. Awesomely awesome. Another good one so thanks.

mysti-eyed: Don't count on too much good stuff from Nightwing. He's technically not one of the good guys but hopefully you'll like what I'm planning on doing with his charcters.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans so lets not try and sue me since I don't have anything to sue for.

Finding Hope Again

Chapter 5

By: Finalitylife

I used my powers to levitate Cyborg into the T-car after helping Nightwing into the passenger seat. He was slowly slipping into unconsciousness due to lack of blood. I put on the autopilot of the T-car and it zoomed toward the tower. While we were driving I did my best to try and close the wound in Nightwing's shoulder but every shift by me would cause unbearable pain in my chest from my rib. It was ruining my concentration. I knew that I would have to heal myself before I could work on him which meant I had to hurry. My healing powers had increased following my freedom from my Father's presence and I was now able to heal bones if they were not broken too badly. Thankfully, my rib didn't seen to be in terrible condition though I knew I would be sore for days to come. I felt the warmth touch of my own healing power as I went to work. The bone painlessly returned to its original position after about a minute of work. I took in a deep breath and found only a small bit of discomfort. I mumbled to myself.

"At least something is going good right now." I turned back to Nightwing just as I watched his head slump over. All I could do was panic. Even if I healed the wound now, he still had lost far too much blood for me to do anything about it. He needed a transfusion immediately. Thankfully, we had just arrived at the tower but I still had no idea if we even had his blood type anymore. He hadn't lived in the tower in nearly five years. I pulled him into my soul self and transported to the infirmary. I used my mental powers to turn off the security system, a nice little feature that Cyborg had built in so that I wouldn't be annihilated when I phased back into the tower. After a few seconds, we appeared in the infirmary and I levitated Nightwing's prone form on to a bed. I ran over to where we kept our emergency blood and pulled open the cold compartment. I looked in and couldn't help but smile. There were still samples, all perfectly labeled, for me, Beast Boy, and Robin.

"Thank you Cyborg." I grabbed one of the blood sample labeled 'Robin AB-' and rushed back over to Nightwing. I set up what I needed to deliver the blood but knew I had to finish healing his shoulder wound first. I used my powers to cut off the top of his uniform so I could get a better look at this torso and couldn't help but gasp in shock. The wound on his shoulder was horrific. I was sure I could see bone visible in the gaping hole. Nightwing had probably done more damage when he clumsily ripped out the metal pipe than Slade had done when he had attacked. It was a bloody and jagged wound. I quickly went to work healing the wound, pouring as much of my healing power into him as quickly as I could. I could feel myself becoming a little light headed from the extreme use of this particular power but I knew I had no choice. I tried not to look at the rest of his body as I worked because as bad as this wound was, the rest of his body was not something I could look at and keep my concentration. There were several scorch marks from when he was electrocuted which I would get to later but also, his body was a maze of jagged scars and cuts, and even a few spots that looked like bullet holes. All of them most likely memories from his time fighting crime as well as his time with Slade. Eventually the wound closed up but I knew I would have to spend more time healing it to completely repair the shoulder joint on the inside. I hooked up the blood transfusion and let out a deep sigh. There was only so much I could do now but hope that he would pull through.

Remembering that Cyborg was still in the T-car, I decided to use this time to go help him. I transported myself down to the T-car and then transported both of us to his room. I placed his body on his own personal repair station and instantly machines came to life and spun around his body. I stood there for a few seconds watching the machines work. I was still in awe of how simply Cyborg could be repaired while someone like Nightwing, if it had not been for my powers, would have simply died from the fight or at the very best, taken weeks to heal completely. Eventually the machines stopped and a robotic voice was heard from one of his computer.

"Massive disruption to power core and most viable systems. Central brain unit undamaged. Full recovery in 53 hours." I blinked a few times.

"53 hours!" I placed my hand over my mouth, slightly embarrassed at the outburst. It would take slightly more than two days for Cyborg got back on his feet. He had never been that damaged before, ever. I inwardly cursed Slade for hurting my 'big brother' and left Cyborg's room briskly heading back toward the infirmary. The machines would take care of Cyborg but Nightwing needed more help from me. I entered into the infirmary and again found myself trying not to stare at Nightwing's scarred form. All those wounds had to be before and after the Titan's were together because my healing touch did not leave scars. Unless Robin had hid injuries from me which I wouldn't have put past him. He never did want to admit to being injured. I carefully sat next to him and gently started healing his jaw which had swollen greatly on the right side. The soft glow from my hands went to work mending the fractured bone. I noticed that his breathing was completely regular and not labored as it had been, a good sign that he would recover. I was surprised when his metal right hand suddenly shot up and grabbed my wrist, just as he had done when I went to check his pulse following the battle with Slade. However, this time it was not rough but rather gentle. I could not tell if his eyes were open because of his mask but I sensed his eyes on me. His voice came out very soft, barely above a whisper.

"So warm, so very warm. I had forgotten what your healing touch felt like. I had forgotten what compassion felt like." I'm sure my face showed visible shock. His voice was so unlike what I had come to hear from Nightwing. It was kind, not filled with anger. I subtly scanned his mind and found what I expected. His mind was in chaos because of the lack of blood still in his body. He was being slightly delusional, not being himself at this moment. Or maybe he was finally being himself? I really didn't know anymore. I gently removed his hand from my wrist and placed it back at his side though he continued to mutter.

"So warm Raven. So very soft Raven. So very beautiful Raven." I felt myself blush at his comments even though I knew they were the words of a person who probably didn't even know where they were right now.

"Shh Nightwing. You don't need to talk right now. Just rest while I heal you. You need to rest."

"Richard. Call me Richard." I felt my entire body freeze, my heart stop beating. Did he just tell me what I think he just did? Did he just tell me his real name? As if realizing his mistake, his body jumped slightly and his face cringed in pain. The voice that came out was the cold, angry voice that I had learned to associate with Nightwing. It was almost a growl.

"Shut up you fool. I will not allow you to make me weak. I will not allow you to make me vulnerable. Do you want to suffer more? Do you want them to suffer? Haven't enough died already because of you?" Again his body shook but then lay completely still. His breathing returned to normal, absolutely no other movement from him. I sat there, letting out the breath I had probably been holding since he told me his name was Richard. I realized that he had not been talking to me in the end, but had been talking to himself. I felt a tear slide down my cheek though I made no effort to wipe it away.

"Oh god, what has happened to you? How far have you fallen away my friend?" I pushed away my sad thoughts and went back to work healing his remaining wounds and finishing up on his shoulder, by far the worst injury that had been inflicted on him by Slade, as well as himself. As I worked, I couldn't stop my mind from wandering back to what had Slade had said to me, that I would be Nightwing's downfall. It didn't make any sense. If there was anyone who could help him right now, I knew that it was me but what if Slade was right. What if my presence was dangerous for Nightwing? I gritted my death as I inwardly yelled at myself for allowing something Slade had said to get to me. That monster knew nothing.

I studied Nightwing's face as he lay there. His face was not locked in an unemotional mask but rather seemed to be at peace, something I had not seen for a very long time. I couldn't help but realize just how handsome he had become and despite his torso being scarred, it was still muscular and toned. Of course physical appearance mattered nothing to me. I wasn't blind to the fact that Nightwing was incredibly good looking but I found it hard to be attracted to someone I knew was so destructive on the inside. Nightwing was not a benevolent being but rather one built on hatred and rage, just like my father. Of course I still knew there was something else there inside him and he now had a name. Richard. His humanity had not been completely ripped from him yet and that meant there was still a chance for this tortured man. If there had been hope for the daughter of the devil, then there surely was hope for him. My musing carried on for quite some time as I finished up his healing. By the end of it I found myself being very tired and could barely keep my eyes open. My limbs all felt like dead weight. The last thing I remembered was crawling into the small bed with Nightwing and curling up tightly next to him with my cloak wrapped tightly around me with one last thought going through my head.

"I will help you Richard. I will free you from your darkness."