A/N: well in spite of staggering amounts of Econ homework, I have completed chapter 8. PLEASE REVIEW THIS ONE EVEN IF ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY IS A MONOSYLLABIC WORD!

Chapter 8: Cicatrice

"Something is wrong with Gar," Starfire said as she came into the common room where the Nightwing and Cyborg were waiting. "He seems angry, and is calling himself, the Changeling."

"And there's something else," Raven started before any of the others could react. "I saw a ring of candles in his room, I think he was…" she paused uncertain if what she was saying was true, "…meditating."

"Beast Boy was meditating?" Nightwing repeated, unsure if he had heard correctly. "Our Beast Boy, you sure it wasn't…"

"No, Beast Boy's gone, I'm Changeling now." Gar was leaning against a wall, it appeared for balance. "And yes, I was." It was obvious Garfield had changed, not just mentally but physically as well. His shaggy green hair now fell to the end of his shoulder blades, he seemed to be as tall as Kori, and his muscle mass had nearly doubled. Tiger stripes could faintly be made out on his arms and face.

"Where did you learn how to meditate?" Vic asked his green friend.

"He asked me to teach him after he transformed into that… whatever-it-was, a few years ago after fighting Adonis," Raven explained. "But he gave it up after a couple of days."

"Yeah, but I didn't forget how," he said as if taking offence.

"Ok that answer's the how now how about the why?" Nightwing asked apprehensively.

"You all saw what I turned into," he yelled, as if it was obvious. "When I became that… that… thing, I couldn't control myself. I was acting on pure instinct. It scared me," he said the last part weakly.

"You don't have to be ashamed Gar, we all have our dark side," Raven attempted to comfort him.

"No… It wasn't that." His voice was shaking. "I enjoyed it; I enjoyed hurting him, every goddamn second of it." By this time, Gar had sunk to the floor as tears poured down his face. The others moved to comfort him, but he raised his hands, motioning them to stay away. "I don't want to hurt you," he said explaining himself, "just leave me alone." They all backed away apprehensively. Raven however stood where she was, unlike the others she knew all too well what he really meant to say: "I don't want to enjoy hurting you."

"I'm going back to my room," he said before getting up and heading out of the room.

"So much for breakfast, huh?" Vic said sarcastically.

J'onn J'onzz, AKA the Marian Manhunter, casually stood at the control panel of the Watch Tower computer. Though it appeared he was simply standing there, he was actually scanning hundreds of transmissions simultaneously. However J'onn was now focusing on something else, something he wasn't receiving from his psychic interface with the machine: nothing.

That is not to say that the alien was simply not focused but that something was transmitting an aura of nothingness. If the mind is a book then the words J'onn was trying to read were written in invisible ink, he feared that this nothingness was being consciously emitted. J'onn J'onzz is one of the most powerful psychic minds on earth, despite the fact that he was not human. Whoever emitted this had to have been even greater.

"What's up John?" he heard after a short low-volume sonic boom. The Flash had a tendency sneak up behind you and completely obliterate whatever thought you were thinking at that time.

"I am fine, Flash," J'onn said in his deep monotone. "I think I shall take some time for personal use on Earth though."

"A vacation! That's great. Where you going? The Bahamas are nice this time of year." Like in Jump City, the Earth as a whole seemed to be taking a vacation from evil, overtly anyway.

"That's private," he told his intrusive teammate. "I did say it was for personal use, did I not?"

"You've been working hard on upgrading the Watch Tower, John. I think you deserve a vacation." This came from the man who had founded the group and who remained the Justice League's most powerful member - Superman. J'onn did not wish to alarm his teammates with his reason for leaving, but he had to find out what was causing that empty aura.

"Uh, shouldn't you at least tell us where you are going? I mean, what if something happens and we need you here?" Flash objected out of concern.

"If you need me here, I should think I would find out about it rather quickly. News of calamity does usually travel fast." The Martian went into a small alcove, labeled "Transporter," and vanished in a beam of light.

Flash ran to see what he had put in as a destination, but was quickly stopped by Superman. "He said it was private."

"I'm curious. So sue me."

"Raven, what does the sign say?" Gar asked from the other side of his door. Raven was mere seconds away from knocking; she hadn't even noticed the sign. She was wondering how he knew she was there but decided to read the sign before she bothered with that.

It read:

Warning

My room is now off limits

for your own safety.

If I'm in here,

you don't want to be.

'My own safety?' She thought to herself. She opened the door in spite of the warning. "Get out of my room!" he yelled. He had his back to the door, presumably so he would not have to see her reaction to his cruelty.

"No," she said calmly. "What are you afraid you're going to do, kill me? Even if you do transform, you still wouldn't be a match for me, Gar."

He sighed. "I'm not afraid I'm going to fight you, I would never do that," he said, in an uncharacteristically enigmatic tone.

"Then, what?" she asked suspiciously. "What's with you? You're acting like… like… like me."

"I don't want to have to say it, just go," he said. "If I go into that… state, I guess you could call it, I lose all control to my instincts."

"So?" she said with out truly understanding his meaning.

He sighed again. This was not going to be easy for him to explain. "The drive to reproduce is an extremely strong instinct."

"You mean you…" she stopped suddenly realizing the end of the sentence. "Oh." She found the implication both offensive and flattering at the same time.

She turned to leave, but stopped; she felt compelled to comfort him. However, before she could turn back around, arms wrapped around her waist as Gar put his chin on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just that I'm in a lot of pain right now. It hurts just to keep human form, this is the best I can do with the pain being unbearable," he told her indicating his new look. She tried her best not to blow anything up, but the feeling of tears streaming down her shoulder seemed to still her emotions.

Some time passed as Gar held her as a child would hold teddy bear. He was the first to break the silence. "What did he mean when he said, 'without your chakra you are little more than a puppet'?"

"My Chakra is the jewel that used to be in my forehead. It's what I used to focus my power." Suddenly she realized something. "How did you know he said that? You weren't there." He let go.

"I… I… I don't know." He backed away slowly, the pain in his head sudden got worse. "Please… leave… now…" he struggled to say. She did as he asked.

Gar fell down on his bed, weak from the pain. 'How did I know that,' he thought to him self between waves of agony. "What's happening to me?" the entire tower heard him scream.

A/N: those of you wondering about my title, Cicatrise means forming scar. If you're still wondering, well I can't help you. REVEIW OR ELSE

"or else what?" you ask, or else I'll be sad, that's what.