Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.

Mindgames

Starfire and Beast Boy materialized in the air about ten feet above the ground. Both hit and rolled over, quickly standing and scanning the landscape. Beast Boy's jaw dropped. Instead of the "place where air fresheners are from", snow blanketed the earth. Trees, covered in sharp daggers of ice and bare of green, clawed viciously at the slate grey expanse of sky above them. No birds chirped; not an animal moved.

Beast Boy had trouble believing his eyes. Instead of bright sunshine and the million-kilowatt grin of Happy, grey clouds and tundra rank with a feeling of menace and despair met the changeling's gaze. Starfire instinctively moved closer to her friend.

"Beast Boy, where are we? This unpleasant place cannot be friend Raven's mind. And where is the Happy you spoke of?"

"I don't know, Star. We should be in Happy's, uh, land but it never ever would look or feel like this. We have to find her because she'll know what's wrong with Rae. Come on. It'll probably be easier to search from the skies." Beast Boy peered upwards, not liking the idea of flying in that dark sky but liking staying on the ground even less.

He shifted into his largest flying form, the pterodactyl, and launched himself into the air. Starfire hesitated before joining him. She liked the feeling of menace and hate far less than Beast Boy; for someone who thrived on emotions like unbridled joy and righteous fury, the oppressive atmosphere was like a weighted blanket, pulling her down.

They flew through the bitingly cold air, searching for any difference in the gray and white landscape, any small deviation from flat, snow-covered ground. Several times, they had to stop so Beast Boy could transform into a warmer form. He would stay a snow leopard or tiger long enough to warm up and then shift into the pterodactyl again. Neither he nor Starfire could understand why they felt so alert and wary but the size and ferocity of the pterodactyl reassured both.

For a long time, so long that even Beast Boy lost track, they searched and found nothing besides snow and ice. Disheartened, they set down once again for Beast Boy to switch. He huddled miserably in polar bear form, trying to trap heat as Starfire paced anxiously. The alien girl, able to fly through deep space without worrying about cold, was not worried by the snow and below freezing temperatures but she wanted to find Raven as soon as possible and the constant delays upset her. She understood Beast Boy's need for warmth but wished the delays were not necessary.

"Beast Boy, might you not track her, as you sometimes track those such as Cinderblock? With the smelling?" Starfire's impatience showed in her slightly pleading tone of voice and in her anxious stare.

Beast Boy nodded slowly, unsure, really, if he could. "I could try, Star, but I have no idea if I could get a scent in all this snow. Maybe a wolf?" He fell forward onto a wolf's padded paws and shook himself, settling his fur before scenting. Nose in the air, he strained to find the smell of Happy, of Raven, on the blisteringly cold winds. He caught a faint whiff of something not part of the endless white expanse. The scent of herbal tea and peppermint drifted almost undetectably through the air. Beast Boy made sure he had it and then raised his green snout to the sky and howled.

Starfire, watching apprehensively, jumped at the bone-chilling sound. Shifting back to his normal form, Beast Boy laughed at her expression, the tension gone from him because he had found her.

"I got her!" he exclaimed. "Found her scent. Never thought I'd like her stupid herbal tea but now-" He laughed aloud again in sheer exuberance. Relieved, Starfire threw snow at him. She had thought the worst when she heard the mournful-sounding howl.

"Where is she?"

"Close by. I couldn't really get a strong scent but I know it's her. Come on. Let's get off the ground. I keep getting this skeezy we're-being-watched feeling." Beast Boy leapt into the sky, relieved to leave the ground. The being-watched feeling lessened a little in the free openness of the air.

Starfire followed him gladly. The feeling of unfriendly eyes on her also disturbed her but the worst part, for Starfire, was the underlying feeling of animosity and malice in the eyes. It dampened and disheartened her.

Beast Boy circled in the air, waiting, hawk wings spread and ready to speed towards the horizon in the direction from which he had smelled Happy. Seeing Star, he flew into the wind and trusted her to follow his lead.

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She was farther than he thought. After what seemed like an hour, something different appeared. A pink glint sparkled in a lone ray of sunshine. The two Titans landed and could clearly see Happy, trapped in ice, a living sculpture. She stood legs braced, arms flung out, fingers wide apart, head bowed as if pushing against some unseen force. Her pink cape was frozen, rippling in some violent nonexistent wind and her hood was down, revealing short pink hair transformed into icicles, giving her the look of a rebellious teenager who spiked her hair.

Beast Boy cautiously approached the frozen emotion, wary of traps and unpleasant surprises. Nothing happened. He peered at her face, trying to see past the obscuring ice. No matter where he stood, at what angle he cricked his neck, the ice blocked his vision. Frustrated, he stood and knocked into the statue. It teetered and rocked as Beast Boy froze in horror. It fell-

And was caught by Starfire, inches from the ground. She gently replaced it on its feet, holding it for a second to make sure it wouldn't tip again. To her surprise, the shoulder under her steadying hand began to move. Alarmed, she took several backward steps and watched with Beast Boy as the ice on Happy seemed to disappear, simply vanishing from her body.

Happy stumbled forward, tripping and falling to her hands and knees. She jumped up almost immediately, ready to fight, eyes searching for an attacker. Almost instantly, she noticed Starfire and Beast Boy, who had both started toward her, happy that she was free.

"Hey, Happy!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Long time no see. How'd you get stuck in all that ice?" She stared at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously and he chuckled nervously. "Okay then. Don't have to tell me. But could you tell us where Raven is? It's really important."

When he said 'Raven', Happy's suspicious look snapped into anger and loathing. "You!" she hissed. "You're not getting to her." She attacked Beast Boy, surprising him. He went flying, propelled by a roundhouse kick.

Starfire, confused, avoided Happy's kick at her head and punched back instinctively, sending Happy stumbling back. Unwilling to attack again, Starfire tried talking to the pink-clad version of her friend. "Please, what is wrong? We simply want to find Raven. Why do you attack us? We are your friends!"

"Shut up!" Happy snarled. "You're not going anywhere." Once again she attacked, her hands a blur of punches and chops which Star barely blocked. A hooking sweep kick caught her behind the knees and she fell, hard, at Happy's feet. Happy sneered and kicked at Starfire who rolled out of the way, scrambling to her feet. She had no idea why Happy was attacking her but she didn't want to hurt her.

Happy cursed and dropped into a defensive stance. Starfire also crouched and they circled each other warily. Over Happy's shoulder, Starfire saw Beast Boy sneaking closer. He motioned for her to be quiet.

He had been watching Happy's attack on Starfire and waiting. Now he had the chance. Leaping onto her back, he grabbed her arms and pinned her down. She struggled as Beast Boy sat on her back. He looked at Starfire in amazement. "Her skin's like ice. She's freezing!"

Suddenly she stopped wriggling and lay still. Beast Boy glanced down at her and met her eyes. Her eyes glowed white and she smiled ferally. Beast Boy scrambled backwards but not fast enough. Once again he was flung into the air, landing hard on his back.

Starfire rushed over to him and helped him up with one hand, glaring at Happy. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "We have done nothing to you."

Happy merely gave another animalistic grin, her eyes sparking white. Raising a hand, she began to chant Raven's mantra. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." Beast Boy and Starfire ran forward, trying to stop her. They were almost to her when Happy's hands glowed with black power which flooded out, piercing them with what felt like hundreds of ice knives. Beast Boy and Starfire screamed together, falling to their knees, writhing.

Happy stood over them, laughing. "I told you that I would never let you get to Raven," she said, her voice going hard. The two teenagers at her feet began to go intangible, fading from existence. "Now you will pay for what you did." She turned away, her cloak swishing over the two almost intangible teens. "Good-bye."

As she turned to walk away, she felt a tug on her cloak. "What? No!" she cried, vanishing along with them. Beast Boy, through his pain, had grabbed onto her cloak, dragging her with him. His last thought before he succumbed to agony was "Raven, I'm sorry." He blacked out, still picturing a blue-cloaked figure fading from sight.

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Heat washed over three figures lying on burnt and stained gravel. They roused slowly, two of them, the green one and the one in purple, moving stiffly, as if hurt. The third one, the one wearing pink, shook her head woozily before pushing herself to her hands and knees.

She stood with difficulty, trying to get her bearings. Only then did she notice the heat. "No," she whispered. "No!" She raised a hand in front of her face and stared in disbelief as the fingers began to shrink, melting, the colors of her skin and her pink clothing swirling together. Dark beads of moisture gathered in her palms and dripped to the ground, hissing into steam when they struck.

Happy screamed, waking Starfire and Beast Boy up. They stared at the sickening sight in front of them. Happy's features ran together as she stood screaming, like a wax figure. Beast Boy wasn't sure what was worse: the screaming or its abrupt end when Happy's mouth disappeared. Still she stood in a gathering pool of dark pink water which steamed and bubbled in the blistering heat. Beast Boy couldn't tear his eyes away from her but Starfire could and did, retching violently

Finally it was over. Happy was gone, melted. Beast Boy could finally look away and noticed Starfire, huddled in a miserable ball. He silently helped her up and she wiped the tears from her face.

They looked around them in horror. They stood on a cliff overlooking an enormous cavern. Fire flickered, lighting scenes of torture and suffering. Demons wielding whips mercilessly flogged figures in tattered clothes who labored among the flames. A hot wind from below wafted the sound of brokenhearted sobs and anguished screams to the ears of the Titans. At the far end of the enormous cavern, a dais towered above the sea of torment, giving a perfect view of all the suffering.

For some reason, Beast Boy was convinced that that was where Raven was. He pulled Star cautiously down to the ground, avoiding whip-wielding demons, making his way to the dais.

He and Starfire walked carefully through the flames, which seemed to reach out to ensnare them. As they passed by, the souls near them stopped working to stare and clutch at their heels. They gobbled, moaning and trying to pull the two into the flames with them. The chains wrapped around their wrists and ankles clanked horribly, a cacophony of tormented metal. Starfire and Beast Boy shrank away from their skeletal grasping hands, hurrying towards the dais.

After an eternity of creeping along in the oppressive heat, they reached the bottom of the stone and stared up. There was no way up. No stairs and the dais loomed nearly thirty feet over their heads. They had to fly it. Beast Boy managed to shift to bird form and get into the air but Starfire couldn't even hover. The pain and torment of all the souls, seeing their suffering, had depressed her to the point where she couldn't summon the joyful feelings necessary to fly.

Beast Boy tried to help her but she couldn't. "Go without me, friend Beast Boy. Leave me here and find Raven yourself." He protested but she was insistent. Finally he circled away, catching warm updrafts to rise to the top of the dais. What he saw at the top both alarmed and excited him. He plunged downward.

"Star! I found her! She's up top! Come on, you've gotta come!" Beast Boy grabbed her hand and hauled her into the sky. She flew next to him, depression forgotten in a moment of hope.

They alighted and Beast Boy pointed. "There she is. But I couldn't get close before because of those guys." 'Those guys' were several nasty-looking demons, clubs with spikes in hand and long whips. They stood around a figure crouched at the base of a gigantic, bloodred throne. It was Raven.

Starfire, outraged on her friend's behalf, let loose a furious barrage of starbolts, peppering the demons with machine gun blasts. Beast Boy charged in, triceratops horn tossing demons left and right off the dais. Between the two of them, Star and Beast Boy soon had the area clear.

Throughout the entire fight, Raven had huddled against the throne, unmoving. Now her two friends approached her apprehensively. "Rae? Raven? It's Beast Boy and Starfire. We're here. You're okay now. Alright? So let's go home." Beast Boy reached out to her. She shuffled backwards. A clank made Beast Boy look at her hands. She was chained to the throne. Starfire silently blasted the restraints and held out her hand. Raven whimpered and edged away from her. Starfire and Beast Boy looked at each other helplessly. What were they supposed to do now?

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Raven remembered only a little of what happened after her father left. The heat and the hate and despair-that was constant. Sometimes she seemed to remember a little green man talking in a high pitched voice, "It's not your fault, Raven." But it was her fault. But she couldn't remember what was here fault, only that it was and she had hurt people she cared about. And then she'd remember her father and the souls dragging her down to where she belonged.

Then They came, the ones with the whips and the chains. They chained her to her father's throne. She remembered fighting Them, defying Them and how They had punished her. She remembered her futile show of anger and defiance. They had laughed at her and hit her with the whips until she couldn't stand any longer. Even then she hadn't given in to Them. Stupid. They didn't like defiance.

The screams of the poor souls They had tortured to break her still echoed in her heart and mind. She could feel their pain as if were her own, feel her flesh sizzle and tear, taste the blood and sweat and bile, know their despair and hatred. The hatred was worst. They hated her because they were being tortured. It was for her, her fault. No, no, I never wanted anyone to get hurt! she had wanted to scream. But then she could hear them saying, Well, someone did get hurt and it's all your fault! Demonchild scum! Then she had cried and They had laughed and chained her up again and left guards to torment her.

The guards had left for a while and that was good. But now there were two new demons and they growled at her. The short one had tried to grab her but she dodged it. Then the tall one had fired something at her and the chains broke. It growled at her, pointing and trying to grab her and drag her away. She refused to move, to go to more torturing. She'd rather die than sit through more torturing.

"Come on, Raven. Let's go!" The tall one spoke and she could understand it. She decided that she wouldn't care any more. I don't want to live like this. Better to die fighting. She stood and looked it in the eyes. Making her voice as calm as she could, she asked, "Are you going to torture me more?"

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"Are you going to torture me more?" Raven asked Starfire, scaring her friend with her cold uncaring tone of voice.

"Of course not!" Starfire exclaimed, shocked and distraught. "Raven, we are taking you home!"

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"Of course not! Raven, we are taking you home!"

Raven heard the demon's words and felt a pang. Home? Where was home anymore? "I don't have a home," she whispered, turning away. "Don't taunt me any longer, demon. Leave me alone."

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"Leave me alone." The words were like a slap in the face to Starfire. She reeled back, staggering as if Raven had actually hit her.

"What do you mean? We're your friends, Raven! You do have a home, with us in Titans Tower!" Beast Boy seized her wrist. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Raven whirled, her eyes red, hands filled with black fire. "I don't have any friends! I don't deserve them or a home. Don't taunt me any longer. I can't take it." Her voice trailed off, sadness and longing dripping in every word. "I can't take it."

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Raven couldn't believe that demons could be so cruel. How could they dangle the one thing she wanted more than anything in front of her when she couldn't ever have it? She remembered friends and home but she was never allowed to touch them again. She was condemned to watch forever, never being a part of that again, for her sins.

Now these two demons were tearing her apart. She wanted to go home, needed to see kindly faces and hear bad jokes and fix cars, but she couldn't. They would only be hurt for knowing her, loving her and being loved by her. It would be all her fault. Again. And she couldn't let that happen.

She hated them, these demons who tortured her emotionally, wrecked havoc with her psyche. She loathed them and their mindgames. "No more games. No more torture. No more feelings. Don't want it, any of it. Want to go home but can't. And it's all my own fault!" She lashed out in anguish, black tendrils grasping for the demons, searching for throats to encircle.

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Beast Boy and Starfire both took to the air as the writhing black tentacles reached out. They couldn't figure out what was happening. First Raven asked them if they were gonna torture her, then she denied having friends, and now she attacked them. Obviously something was wrong. Duh, great leap of logic there, Beast Boy, he thought. Now what? he asked himself for the hundredth time in a minute.

"Star," he shouted, "we've gotta get her to calm down. Can you hit her with a starbolt? Gently, I mean."

Starfire nodded dubiously. It wasn't like Raven was moving. She aimed carefully and shot, scoring a direct hit. Raven collapsed on the ground like a ton of bricks, black power abruptly disappearing. Her friends approached her cautiously. Making sure she wasn't about to wake up, Starfire carefully picked her up, carrying her limp form.

"Come, friend Beast Boy, let us leave this dark and dismal place," she said. He nodded in solemn agreement.

The three of them faded from view as below them whips cracked and laborers moaned, harried by demonkind and flickering malevolent flames.

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geez that took a long time. Sorry bout that. But the chapter's longer than normal so I hope that makes up for it.

Thanks to Moon's Darkness, Ravenara, and Lai-Ku for reading and reviewing.

And to you! For reading anyway.