Chapter Nine: Guardian Angel
"He just won't be talked out of it," Cyborg complained to Beast Boy, who had taken Raven's place shotgun in Cyborg's car at Cyborg's request. "Ever since Raven healed him, he's been completely different about her... It's almost weird, don't you think?"
Beast Boy gripped the dashboard in front of him to keep from slipping sideways as Cyborg braked hard, causing a loud squeal as they rounded the corner, chasing after the small R-cycle, upon which Robin drove like a mad-man. As soon as they were flying down the side street, Beast Boy sat up slightly. "Different? He's gone crazy for her! He's going to get us all killed if he can't wake her up!"
The statement, although true enough, did not earn a reply from Cyborg as he rounded another bend, still following the ever-crazy Robin. Suddenly, he slammed on his brakes, trying to avoid a head-on-head colision with the R-cycle, which had somehow spun around the entire way before the black-haired boy jumped off it and landed before the four assembled villans- Past, Present, Future, and the real reason Robin was here, Slade.
"You're going down!" Robin hollored, staring straight at the villans with a fire on his face that could not be easily erased. "You're going to pay for everything you've ever done to our team, do you hear me!"
"Well, hello Robin," Slade said, with a fake air of pleasentness in his mocking voice. "After your defeat last time, I really didn't expect to see you come back so soon to take another hit, namely not after the little bird girl's accident... Speaking of which, where is the little girl?" The smirk was not just on his face- It was in his voice too, and Robin, although he tried to avoid it, was getting more and more worked up by the second.
"Why don't you just shut your mouth, Slade!" Robin hollored, anger coming quickly unto the surface and refusing to go back to it's hiding place, face contorting with the anger even as he tried to avoid it.
"The child is deeply injured by the loss of the girl," Past observed, although her voice did not cotain the same mocking note as Slade's did. "This is solid proof that what you take from your Past will affect your Future."
Future, however, did not speak with mocking confidence, but a loose and misty air. "Future dares not to speak on the outcome of this battle, but instead leave it to the fate of the Present."
Present gave her sister a rather long, confused look, but then turned her head resolutely away and looked over at Slade. "Will you give us the challenge of a new dawning and another attack, Master Slade?" Her eyes looked rather bleak, but she promised herself she would not be further affected by Future's words, that she would take a chance on this battle. It may be the way back to freedom...
Slade pretended to be contemplating the battle, but everyone could tell what he was thinking. "Yes," he said, carefully and deliberatly, so as to mock the Titans further. "And while you're at it, please finish them."
"As you wish, Master. Come, my sisters, let us finish this battle once and for all." Present rose, and Past and Future rose with her, so that all three rose above the Titans, ready for an attack.
"Titans, go after them!" Robin yelled, dodging Past as she zipped along next to him- His interest was only in Slade. Bo-staff drawn, eyes narrowed, Robin let out a cry of rage and attempted to strike Slade, who seemed to welcome the challenge with a small knock of his own staff against it. "You're going down, Slade!"
As the two began to spar in the usual fashion, a hopeless whirl of legs and arms, punches and kicks and wacks with the staff, the other Titans were each taken out by one member, singled out and driven away from their usual stratagy of teamwork by the Time sisters.
"I'm sorry to say that the battle will soon be done for you," Present said to Starfire. Instead of responding, Starfire rose to the air and attempted to throw a starbolt at Present, who dodged it.
Present reeled for a moment as a second bolt caught her in the middle of a smart remark, then stood up and resumed the fight. The pair of them danced around in circles (although neither touched the ground with their feet) and sparks flew. Although Starfire was much slower than Present, she had more accuracy, and one last starbolt sent the other girl to the ground.
"So this is what my sister meant... Are we truely doomed to a life of powers and servitude? I thought we would get out of it, I thought we would make it..." But even as she tried to rise, Starfire knocked her back again.
"I will not let you escape after what you have done to friend Raven!" Starfire yelled.
"I see the lie now... A fool I was..." This time, Present made no move to rise, and Starfire thrust one last starbolt, which did what it needed to do: Both Present's eyes closed, and the girl fell into unconcious silence. Ignoring and stepping over the other figure lying on the ground, Starfire made her way toward the grunts and groans she heard. "Friend Beast Boy..."
By the time Starfire reached Beast Boy, he was in more trouble than usual, a small mouse trying to ignore the large wooden crates that Past hurled at him with all due speed, missing his small green tail by inches. "You have been defeated in the past. Past will decide the future. Why do you not just give up and let me defeat you?"
Instead of answering, Beast Boy made a swift transformation into a large green elephant. He rammed into her with amazing force- Past fell back in spite of herself, vainly trying to regain her balence. "I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else!"
"Why atone for the past now when you've already lost so many people?" She rose to grapple with Beast Boy again, and the battle seemed to be sliding- The blood going down his leg would not permit for him to stand forever, and so he made the most of one of the few shots he had left- He looked almost certain to fall.
"I suggest you give up now!" Starfire yelled, stepping out of the shadows and thrusting a starbolt at Past, who responded with an angry grunt. However, the two teammates easily outmatched her.
"Why do you not give up?" Starfire asked, bending over her. "Perhaps there is some way for us to help you and your sisters to..." Starfire did not get to finish the sentance, and heremerald eyes lit up with shock as a silvery blade punched into her exposed stomach, breaking the skin.
Beast Boy was unsure of what happened, but when he came to he was running, Past laying in a pool of her own blood behind him, her eyes closed in submission to the beating, Starfire in his arms. "I have to get help..." With that, he ran off in the direction of a loud blasting noise- Destruction or not, he needed the help.
Beast Boy arrived at the battle scene just in time to see Future pummeling toward the ground, tired and dead-looking. Cyborg stepped over her, running toward the crimson-stained Beast Boy, who was clutching Starfire in both his arms as though he might not ever let go. "What happened?" Cyborg asked finally, shock wearing off.
"It's a stab wound..." Beast Boy managed to get out, but his voice broke there and Cyborg reached out to take Starfire from him. Beast Boy burst out into tears, still clutching the girl, and moved back from Cyuborg's outstretched hands. "Cyborg, please don't tell me... you can't help her?"
"Friend Beast Boy..." Starfire gripped his hand in her own and, although it was a weak grip, Beast Boy felt his face, tears still stuck to it, split into a wide grin, and his arms wrapped more tightly around her. Cyborg smiled to hear her voice. "I am fine."
"Beast Boy, come on, let me see that cut," Cyborg said, and relucently Starfire moved out of his arms and toward Cyborg, although she stood away from him, emerald eyes still facing Beast Boy.
The cut wasn't as bad as it had seemed for the blood it had spilled- It was less than three inches deep, and Cyborg stood up with relif. "You'll be fine, Starfire, as soon as we can get that patched up."
"I was so afraid you wouldn't..." Beast Boy bit back on his lip to keep from blubbering anymore, from crying over an injury that was not affecting Starfire. Instead of staring at him blankly, however, she brought her arms gently around him and they stood for a few moments like that.
Cyborg was the one to break the silence, looking at a nearby roof with a look of shock and horror. A battle involving two figures had managed to move up onto the roof- And Slade seemed to be pushing Robin back. "We've got to get moving!"
And so, with Starfire holding onto Beast Boy's hand, they ran toward the battle, unsure of what they might find if they didn't reach them quickly enough.
"Give it up, Robin," Slade said to the battered boy, who's breath came in short puffs and blood dripped from his destroyed uniform, the battered material moving around in the wind. "It's a known fact you're going to be defeated, so why do you prolonge your suffering? It really is fortinate I found those foolish sisters. Shallow, easy to manipulate, and they've played well into my plans." Slade gave a faint chuckle.
"You're always manipulating people, Slade!" Robin let out a gasp and tried to strike Slade with the bo-staff, but he missed by several inches, and Slade laughed at the weakened attempt as he pushed Robin back, toward the roof's edge.
"So what, Robin? So what? If people want to fall for trickery, let them fall for trickery. After all, decit is something even you've practiced."
Robin swung again, but this time could not bring the staff back to himself- Slade caught it with a smirk, and held it there, looking at Robin with pure menance in his eyes.
"Are you quite done now? I honestly expected a little more fight out of you, given Raven's condition and your shattered team, but you're as weak and pathetic as ever." Robin felt the anger rising within him but did not speak up, did not fight back or strike out. "After all, I know you're done for... Oh, and goodbye. Victory really does feel sweet in my hands, in case you were wondering."
Starfire watched Robin's metal boot sliding back, back toward the edge, and screamed as they saw him begining to fall. The green gloved hands caught on the edge, but his fingers left it and he was sliding down, down... He closed his eyes against the fall.
It wasn't supposed to end like this... I can't die, I just can't... Raven, I never told Raven how I felt... "Raven..."
He waited for the concrete to rush up and meet him, but it never happened. Instead, he heard a second person breathing hard, felt arms around him. "Robin..." The voice was cracked from lack of use, but there was no mistaking it. "Robin, are you okay?"
"Raven!" Robin opened his eyes and faced her. "I'm okay... Raven, you're here... How did you... Why would you... Are you sure it's okay for you to be here? I mean, you're hurt, and... How did you...?" Great, I'm babbling like an idiot when she comes to help me.
"Everyone needs a little help sometimes," she replied. Although Robin couldn't quite understand the reply, he was grateful none the less-Grateful for her, the saftey of her arms, and the rescue- and whispered choked thanks, which she blew off with simple replies, usually 'don't worry about it.'
She's like a guardian angel...
Even as they arrived on the roof amid the chaos of Slade departing, the Time sisters along with him, Raven collapsing as her wounds began to bleed again, Robin felt numb, taking her in his arms. "It'll be okay, Raven," he whispered to her unconcious form as he set her down in the back seat of Cyborg's car, kissing her lips.
I have a guardian angel.
Raventhedarkgoddess: R+R, flames ignored.