Hello, once again. Things might be a little weird for a few days; my computer at home can't access the Internet, so I have to use this retarded, really outdated computer (I can't do anything but write and play solitaire on it), and then save my work on a disk and update my story from school. Hectic, no? It's driving me absolutely nuts…I gotta get my own personal computer/laptop sometime soon…

Alexnandru: Heh, heh, heh…yeah, I'm very evil. But it's fun. Why do you think so many people do it to their readers? It gives you this very smug, satisfying feeling, even if you receive death threats from your readers. Ahem-speaking of which…

Pickles12 and Spud: For Spud: hey, it's the least I can do. Besides-I like talking to people. According to the description of Aquarians, we have a problem not being able to shut up…yeah, that sounds like me…sort of. Pickles12: I'm really glad that you still like this.

Anzu: (Grabs Anzu by the throat and begins beating the crap out of him.) AHHHH! WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU! I told you not to call me that, you little-!

Kazzy: Thanks; oh, BTW, I didn't get sick (Hurrah!) but I appreciate the concern. Hope you like this chapter!

Well…honestly, I can't think of anything else to say. So, on with the story! This is the major Slade and Robin confrontation that you guys have all been waiting for, so I hope you like it!

Chapter Nine: Your Fault

Robin-

"You look surprised, Robin. I'm disappointed."

Robin could only shake his head, trying to fight off the numbing horror that was griping him.

"You didn't honestly think I'd forgotten about you, or your little friends, did you? A shame; a former apprentice of mine should have known better."

That got him: Robin opened his mouth to respond angrily, but Slade delivered a swift kick to his body, sending him crashing into a desk, knocking the wind out of him.

"After all the plans of mine that you've foiled, destroying all my chances for control, you didn't think I'd just walk away, did you?" Slade asked in mock innocence, taking a slight step towards the teen's crumpled form.

Robin managed to cough enough air into his lungs to respond with:

"I always knew you'd come back. Not-" He struggled to inhale. "-Not that-stupid…"

"I didn't think so."

Robin pushed himself up, using the desk for support, and stood facing his enemy, swaying a bit.

"Hm. I thought you could take a bit more than that; that's twice you've let my expectations down, Robin. I taught you better than that."

Robin answered by snatching a mug from a nearby coffee machine and hurled it at Slade with undeniable force. It passed through the man and hit the interior of the elevator wall, leaving a noticeable dent. Robin blinked.

"What the-"

"Careful, Robin-" A fist caught him in the back of the head, sending him to the floor. "-You should be a bit more careful than that."

Robin turned to face the real Slade-or was it? The image flickered and died in front of him, a strange sort of emptiness replacing it.

Great. Now Slade was experimenting with holograms. Just what he needed.

A soft clink made him whip his head to the left. He could pursue it-unless it was just another chance for Slade to pummel him.

Robin bit his lip, before reaching over and picking up a second mug, hefting it between his hands to test its weight; he paused, then stretched his hand back, poising the mug for flight…

Another quiet step came from far left, and Robin released the "weapon," sending it spinning into the shadows…He waited nervously, trying to hear a grunt of pain, or at least the rattling sound telling him that he'd missed…Nothing. Complete silence…

Uh oh.

He'd known that it'd been coming, but he hadn't expected it so fast; this cost him, as white ceramic connected with his jaw bone, making a sickening crack as he dropped to his knees, spitting out blood between shallow gasping for air.

Slade emerged from the shadow, contemplating him as he flexed the fingers of his right hand.

"Not a bad throw. Good force behind it, but you need to be faster; you would have had me a moment earlier."

Robin knew it wasn't the truth, but rather just another one of the man's stinging taunts that annoyed him so damn much.

"Shut-up. Just-shut-" Robin spit blood and saliva on Slade's shoe. "-up. I-hate-you."

Slade shook his head as if he were a teacher reprimanding a 3rd grade student.

"Words are only words; only actions make a difference."

Robin glared at him.

"So they do."

And he attacked.

Slade's moves were quick and smooth, his limbs only blurs as he swiped and kicked at Robin's form. The teen though, had been ready for a fight between the two of them for what seemed like ages; after his little experience with a certain dust, he'd been pushing himself constantly in training to match Slade's skill. He'd sworn to himself that he'd never appear that weak and helpless to Slade ever again.

One more sign that he was totally obsessed.

Holocaust-

The demon watched from the rooftop, a sadistic smile playing across his face as he watched the kid-Cyborg-being loaded into an ambulance. He'd been the one who'd called the hospital: Slade's orders. Personally, Holocaust would've just let him lay there until he died…or at least waited until he was close enough to death, before sucking the misery (and life) out of him.

He was guessing though, that Slade wanted to see how the other Titans would react to another friend's injuries. Holocaust had better things to do though, than spy on teenagers, even if they were super-powered…teenagers. Couldn't stand the lot of them; snotty, angst filled brats, convinced that "their life sucked, and they might as well die." Or turn Goth. He didn't care, either way.

Holocaust thought it would probably be smart if he stopped by Slade's lair to share the news of his success and thank him for the holograms; not that he needed them, but they had proved to be rather useful in his mission. The enormous city clock struck, and he glanced at it; 3:00am.

Well…Slade could wait. After a hard day's work, he need a drink or two. Of course, then he'd after to blow the entire bar to kingdom come.

Holocaust smiled beneath his mask and set out for a bar he'd seen earlier. This night hadn't been too bad.

Robin-

Whack!

Robin fell against a cubicle's wall, touching a lump that Slade had so kindly given to him. He should've known that he'd pay for that punch that had cracked off barely an inch on his mask. What was his problem? Sure, Robin knew what it was like to be touchy about his mask, but Slade seemed to depend on it.

Why?

Robin wondered how Starfire was, and if the others were still mad at him…

"You seem distracted," Slade commented, breaking his thoughts as he stepped before him. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Starfire, would it?"

Robin froze and received another vicious blow from Slade, sending him into another desk.

"H-How did you know about that?" Robin demanded, face pale.

Slade returned his question with a small, dark laugh before saying quietly:

"My dear boy-I know everything."

With a smart backhand, Robin flew back another few feet. Instead of returning to his feet however, the boy crept carefully beneath the leg space of a desk in the corner, checking to make sure that he was completely concealed by shadow.

"Are we playing hide and seek, Robin? Don't tell me you're afraid…"

Slade was just trying to get to him, to make him respond. He wouldn't give Slade that satisfaction, so Robin swallowed his pride and remained silent.

"A pity, about the little alien girl; I suppose you must feel awful. If only you had been there to help her…but I'm sure dedicating your time and effort to me is much more important…"

Was it?

"Yet I must admit-from an outsider's view, it would seem to appear that you are the reason she now lies in the hospital…"

That wasn't true, that couldn't be true…could it? He hadn't seemed to care much about his friends when he'd seen Slade's haunting figure everywhere in darkness. He even threatened him…he hated himself for that…

"You know it's true, you know your the reason why she's hurt…hide in fantasies all you want…you can escape from the reality that binds you…"

Stop…

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you have an obligation as a leader to protect them, and to have responsibility for them? As a friend?" Slade spat the last word out, as though it were a bad taste in his mouth.

What Slade was true, though. That was one of the first things that Batman had explained to him before he left Gotham. But even if the Dark Knight hadn't, it wouldn't have made the slightest difference in his relationship with the Titans as it was now: just by spending time with them, he had automatically adopted that way of thinking, without even knowing of it. Friendship did that to you…

The same rules applied to obsession.

Robin could hear Slade's boots clicking against the floor, as he drew nearer and at the same time farther from his hiding place. He just had to be careful and not blow it.

"Look what you've done…"

It was his fault…he'd been so stupid, so shallow not to acknowledge that simple fact…he was a fool. What was his problem? But had he really caused it? What if he hadn't gone to Slade's lair? Would anything be different? What if Starfire hadn't been hit, but another one of his friends, or even an innocent bystander? Would he still feel this awful if it had been a stranger?

If Robin had been paying closer attention, he might have noticed that Slade's footsteps had ceased and that an eerie quiet was creeping over the office. The teen noticed dimly that his breath was coming in short, frightened (and extremely loud) gasps…

Slade's hand locked on his wrist and flung him out from beneath the desk, smashing him against the wall. Robin growled, the excitement of battle returning to him in an instant as he pushed himself up and sent his fist crashing directly into Slade's single eye.

The man growled and flung him from him, clutching at his eye; a cover of mist was sliding over his already impaired vision-damn that boy…

Robin staggered back into another window, the force cracking a single spiderweb in the thick pane of glass. He could already feel bruises forming on his back; there'd be about a billion blotches of purple covering his body like a suit the next morning.

No time to think about that. Robin whipped his jumpcord out of his utility belt and dashed towards the broken window from before, aiming carefully-

A black, muscular arm slung itself around his neck, choking him as he was dragged backwards a few feet. Then a voice whispered in his ear:

"Remember this, Robin-everything that happens next will be your fault. All your fault…"

"SHUT UP!"

Robin wrenched Slade's arm away and turned to slug him in the stomach-

Nothing. No one was there. Robin strained his ears, listening, half-expecting the man to leap out from the shadows. Nothing happened.

What had Slade meant when he said, "it would be all his fault"? He didn't like the sound of that, whatever it meant…but if something else was his fault, it wouldn't matter. He'd already made Starfire-no! That wasn't his fault either! Or was it? Slade had his head spinning so fast, he didn't know what to think anymore…

Robin sighed and headed for the stairs. He'd had enough heights for one night.

Beast Boy-

He didn't mean to make it look like he didn't care. He just didn't feel he'd be much help in a situation like this. In a sense, Robin, Raven, and Cyborg were the "adults" of the team. He relied a lot on their decisions, but when it came down to him, he wasn't as quick or precise in his choices. It made him nervous, the thought that something, like the fate of the entire world, might depend on whether he took the left or the right path.

The other three were better at that; he didn't think he'd ever be able to go through with something like Robin with Slade, or Raven with her father. All in all, he wasn't very brave-even he knew it.

Beast Boy curled up tighter in his seat, wrapping his arms firmly around his knees. Where was Cyborg and Robin? They should have been back almost a half an hour ago. How long did it take to find one another in a city they all knew like the back of their hand?

From outside he heard an ambulance blaring as it skidded to a halt-no doubt depositing another victim from the fire. Raven, still in her position by the window, stiffened though, and turned towards the door, lips taut with concern.

"Rae? What is it?"

"Come on. Let's go."

The Goth pushed the door open and drifted into the hallway. Beast Boy, unhappy with her brief answer, followed obediently. What was up with Raven today? She was ticked at Robin-and everybody else it seemed. Just because she was having a couple mood swings didn't mean she could act like a total-

At the end of the hall, the double doors suddenly burst open, allowing several doctors to enter, pushing what seemed like a very familiar form on a stretcher…

"Cyborg!"

Beast Boy ran over, heart thudding wildly in his chest as he took in his friend's broken body and scorched flesh.

"What happened?" He asked one of the doctors furiously, voice cracking with grief.

"We think he might have been caught in one of the remaining fires around the city, and fallen out of the building…or do you know someone who would do this?"

Yes…

"We have to take him to the emergency room. We'd appreciate if you could wait before you see him. It's hard to understand, but thank you."

The doctor was off in a whirl before either of them could speak. Beast Boy turned back to Raven, tears in his eyes.

"How did this happen?"

The girl though, was not looking at him; her eyes were still fixed on the doors, and from the sadness in her gaze, he could already guess who it was. Beast Boy, with a weary sigh, turned to face Robin, standing behind them, oblivious to all other activity around him, an expression of horrified shock on his face.

Robin-

"Remember this, Robin-everything that happens next will be your fault. All your fault…"

To be Continued…

Rah. Robin suffers and we love him for it. I find it so interesting, how we all claim to love the show, yet whenever we write fics, we put our favorite characters through as much miserable angst as possible. Interesting, no?

I've finally pieced together the end of this story (though I can't guarantee it any time soon,) and I know what's going to happen…which leads me to another thought…Hmmm…

Over and out:

Rebel-Aquarius