Broken Identity Chapter 8: Right Here, a teen titans fanfic

Chapter Eight: Right Here

I know I've been mistaken,
But just give me a break and see the changes that I've made.
I've got some imperfections,
But how can you collect them all and throw them in my face?

Raven was laying on her bed, eyes turned toward the ceiling, ignoring the fact that it was three AM and dark, ignoring the fact that her body needed sleep if she was to even continue living like this, eating only one meal a day and hiding in the wreckage of her room. She picked up a book off the floor nearby and tried to read by the light of the single candle, but failed to read anything, mind refusing to focus.

"Robin..." She whispered, sitting up and drawing her knees to her chest as she stared out into the night, pushing the book to the floor with a burst of mind energy that came up unbidden with the name. The tattered curtains over her window moved, shifted, and then quickly died back down, revealing nothing, unable to cover the silvery clouds slidng past the windowand the light shining inthrough the darkness.

"Robin, this is all just a big mistake..." She looked around the wreckage of her room. Books and scrolls lay everywhere, the single candle lighting her room with a glow that seemed to say less about who she was than who she had been. "You're right, I was a fool, but can't you just forgive it even once?"

The only answer was a cold howl of wind through one of her open windows. She sighed and it slammed shut, ringing against the empty shelves where her books, now on the floor, had been.

Raven could almost still see herself standing there, looking over at Robin from across the alley, actually trying to hurt him. He's right, I was being so stupid then... I should have just tried to figure something else out, should have done SOMETHING besides let Slade get the best of me...

But I didn't. I let Slade get the best of me, let him talk me into hurting Robin... She looked over to the door- Part of her was expecting Robin to come up the steps again and try to reenter her room. Although she wanted to see him, she didn't want to face his words and would hold the door closed while he yelled to her to come out, ignoring him.

She sighed to see that he wasn't coming and lay back on the bed again. At the same time she felt regretful and miserable, however, there was a strong surge of anger within her. Did he really have to take it all and shove it in my face? I understand how much I messed up... I know I'm not perfect, but he didn't have to go off on me like that...

She snuffed the candle out, killing the light and warmth around her, the only light that had penetrated the darkness the past three days. "He and I will have to get this sorted out one way or another... Even if he hates me for what I said, I have to get this off my chest... I'm still right here waiting for him..."

Her left hand clentched into a fist as she thought it through, unable to decide if she was more hurt or angry at Robin. Slowly, carefully, Raven closed her eyes- Avoiding reality was something she was getting quite good at.

But you always find a way to keep me right here waiting.
You always find the words to say to keep me right here waiting.
And if you chose to walk away I'd still be right here waiting,
Searching for the things to say to keep you right here waiting.

I hope you're not intending
To be so condescending, it's as much asI can take.
And you're so independent.
You just refuse to bend so I keep bending till I break.

Robin looked down at the screen before him, his eyes turned away from his teammates, who's very presence was infuriating to him these days, seeing as he was on edge and had a very short fuse, temper just under the surface. He banged his fingers into the keys, vainly searching for some kind of villan report, anything he could take the pent-up rage out on, but there was nothing.

He forced himself to brush some of the hair away from the eyeholes of his mask: There was no point in his fustration, yet there it was, a boiling sensation of anger at both himself and Raven and a pain stemmed deep within his chest he couldn't explain, that of a broken heart. He could still hear his accusations on the roof, could still see her taking them the wrong way and turning away from him. On his back still resided marks from the battle, and on his mind lay emotional scars- His sleep had been hindered and his misery still showed on his face.

The other three sat silently on the couch, away from Robin. Beast Boy choked back a quiet cough- He didn't want Robin's attention, least of all now with the mood he was in. He watched Robin sadly move away from the computer screen, seemingly unaware of how late at night it was- The others had been awoken by his movements about downstairs.

"Um, Rob, don't you think we'd hear the alarm? That is kind of why I installed it..." Cyborg ran one hand over his head nervously- The last thing he needed was for Robin to start screaming at him again, having spent enough nights with him to know that that comment had probably hit Robin hard in the chest.

Robin's mind was reeling and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from going spaztic on Cyborg. "Fine," he snapped, slamming the power switch a bit too hard so that the computer snapped off with a nasty, loud crack and Cyborg moved forward to check the system- Robin could only sigh before disappering through the side door of their home and out into the night.

Why do I stand here and look at her windows like I'm waiting? He asked himself, looking up at the windows where the tattered curtains blew in an unseen breeze. "Raven..."

Raven what? If she would just talk to me... He picked up arockand threw it toward the window in slight fustration, although it fell several feet short, landing instead with a harmless thud against the lower part of the tower and then on the ground, where it bounced out of his sight.

"If I could just say something to have you back, I'd do it..." Kicking furiously at air, he snapped. "SLADE! You're going to DIE for this!" Hair flying wildly as he began to sweat, he moved again and again toward whatever demon was inside him, whatever only he could see. "You crushed my life, and I'm going to crush you... YOU...!"

Robin was cut off, however, by the sound of his communicator- Cyborg's face appeared in front of his, although the expression did not change to see that Robin was covered in sweat and quite tired-looking. "Robin, it's Slade. We've gotten Raven out of her room- Come on and help us and you'll get to see her."

At the mention of Raven, all the confused emotions lept from his chest to his throat. "I'll be there," he managed to force out before snapping the communicator shut and stepping back, running toward the tower with everything he had left in him, just in time to see Raven come out behind the rest of the team and climb, shotgun, into the T-car next to Cyborg. Her eyes met with his for a few seconds, and then she was gone, the door slamming shut and Robin moving, on auto-piolet, to straddle the R-cycle.

The speed came to him unbidden as his R-cycle began to speed away from the tower in the darkness, the image of the swinging cloak and the cold face within his mind, burned there perminatly.

Slade smirked to even see them in the same general area as one another- Now to do his work, to manipulate minds and hearts and destroy the thin bond that might have had a chance of holding them together. "So nice to see you, Robin."

"YOU!" Robin shouted, leaping forward with a cry, trying to force his leg to give him a little more leverage on Slade in order to give a bit more of a high kick to the head. Slade merely stepped back, however, dodging both Robin and the rain of starbolts Starfire was firing at him with a chuckle.

"Nice to see you remember me, Robin. How are things between you and the other bird?" He pretended to spot Raven, who hovered off to one side at Cyborg's shoulder. "I notice that the pair of you aren't speaking. What's wrong, Robin, did you do something to upset her?"

"You know perfectly well what's going on! If you hadn't made Raven go against me, none of this would have happened!" Robin tried to punch him, and Beast Boy tried to ram him from behind, but both were dodged and the sonic cannon shot missed by inches.

"Touching, really. Raven just stands there, ignoring while I crush you..." Robin felt his feet go away from under him and Slade was suddenly standing over him. "I guess I was right, wasn't I, little girl?" Slade paused to look at Raven while kicking Robin in the jaw. "Love really can't conquer everything, now can it?"

Raven tried to avoid becoming angry, but it wasn't working- Seeing Robin on the ground, the blood starting to run from his jaw, other members of the team falling back. "Shut... UP!" The beautiful violet eyes split unexpectedly, and four red ones looked at Slade, stared at him in total and complete anger.

"I'm going to kill you!" The words could not have sounded much more serious if she had wanted them to- And then she backed them by moving forward.

I've made a commitment,
I'm willing to bleed for you.
I needed fulfillment,
I found what I need in you.

Slade let out a small show of his shock, for he was startled by the gothic's angry outburst, and he could tell she would stop at nothing- Her emotions had reached an obvious boiling point. The other three backed off- This was to be Raven's battle. She would obviously not permit interference, least of all in her current state.

Robin stared up at her, looking at her with slight fear on his face. Starfire had turned to bury her head in Beast Boy's shoulder, and Robin ran one hand over his jaw, trying to ignore any and all emotional pain to get up and get out of the way. He did manage, with great pain, to roll over, just in time to see Raven and Slade face one another, hatred in Raven's face.

"Don't ever touch him again! Dont' ever make this team come after you again! Don't ever mess with my life or Robin or..." The sentace didn't complete itself as she kicked out, missing Slade by only inches due to a quick last-second move.

Slade could tell this was skating on thin ice- Time to let her work out some of that anger before departing, now that he could no longer work the two apart."It's almost touching, after you abandon people who are down, you help them." Slade tried to strike back, but Raven was actually too quick for him.

"I don't think you understand, Slade," Raven hissed coldly. "I never abandon the people I care about."The attacks were swift and quick, and Slade could quickly feel the battle slipping out of his control- He would have to run soon if he wanted to escape with his life, which wassaying something for him.

"Trust me, little girl, the harder you fight it, the truer it becomes." Slade moved out of her way, preparing to make his escape, but the kick came out of nowhere- Robin had managed to rise to his feet while Slade was distracted. The pair of them stood over him, pure anger in both faces, everything between them forgotten.

"That may be so," Raven hissed, slowly but surely calming down, "But that doesn't mean I can't fight it anyway."

Seeing his chance, Slade rolled away from her, landing swiftly on his feet and using his bo-staff- Landing on a roof about twenty feet away, he sprinted off into the dying night. "Should we pursue?" Cyborg asked Robin, who had fallen slightly down on his left leg in a kneeling posistion.

"No," Robin replied. "He'll be back." That was when he noticed just how hard Raven was breathing, blood trickling from a few cuts in both of her arms. "Raven, are you okay?"

"This is nothing, Robin." And with that, she turned and walked away from him, wounding him deeper than any knife ever could have.

As the sun came up, Robin settled himself down on the roof to watch it, gazing upward into the sky. "She was so committed back there..." Briefly, he wondered if anyone had even seen her since they had come home.

"Robin?"

Why can't you just forgive me?
I don't want to relive all the mistakes I've made along the way
But I always find a way to keep you right here waiting
I always find the words to say to keep you right here waiting

But you always find a way
To keep me right here waiting
You always find the words to say to keep me right here waiting
And if I chose to walk away would you be right here waiting
Searching for the things to say to keep me right here waiting

Robin wheeled around in time to see Raven coming over to him. "Robin, can we talk?" Without waiting for any real answer, she sat down beside him, trying to find the words to say, her heart pounding in her head. I have to tell him how I feel before it's too late...

"Raven, why did you defend me like that back there?" He asked her suddenly. "You and I... I thought we were done, but you defended me like that and... Well, I'm just curious. Why'd you do it?"

"Because I love you. How could I not want to protect you? These past few days... Robin, I'm sorry."

"You're not the one who should be sorry. I'm the one who messed up... I'm the one who should be asking you to forgive me... I didn't mean to hurt you, Raven... It's just that, when you said I might be better off with Starfire, I..."

She silenced him, placing her fingers over his lips. "We've still got a lot to do, Robin. Slade needs to be found and brought down, and the team needs to be pulled back together." She paused, catching her eyes with his, holding his chin up and forcing them to lock eyes. "But you can do it. You're a strong person and a good leader."

"But what if I can't, Raven?" He asked, his voice suddenly small and pathetic. "What if I can't pull the team back together? What if I can't make everything better for the team?"

Raven simply shook her head. "Then you'll have your team to back you up." She gave him a hug, gentle and understanding. "I want you toknow I'm always going to be here for you, okay? Whenever something goes wrong, I'll be right here waiting for you."

Robin gave a small smile and Raven touched his lips to hers. "I love you," he whispered as they broke apart.

"I love you too."

Raventhedarkgoddess: Right Here, by Staind. Kind of a crap chapter, sorry, I didn't get in until 12 from the football game last night. Not that you care- Enjoy, and remember I will use flames to light my homework on fire.