Heh, be prepared for lots of fluff in this chapter (along with a lot of Beast Boy being WAY OOC ;), guys Tis the last chapter, what do you expect?
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.
-UR-
Plop. Plop. Plop.
Robin watched the stone sink in the dark water before he bent to pick up another pebble, his eyes narrowing as he flung it smoothly towards the bay. It skipped several times, sending ripples throughout the water, before it sank like the rock before it. The Boy Wonder sat down on one of the large rocks bordering Titans Island, letting out a small sigh as he tilted his face towards the sky.
A soft rain began to fall, splattering against his face and tugging at his hair. A light smile jerked at the corner of his mouth, and though Robin knew it was probably dangerous to be out here by himself, what with the whole Raven-trying-to-kill-the-Titans thing, but it was relaxing, and he needed to think. He had to think of a way to protect them; not just his friends, but the entire city. Cyborg was in the hospital, Beast Boy was sleeping up in the infirmary of the Tower. Who knew what Raven would do if she got to Robin and Starfire?
Robin's cerulean eyes narrowed behind his mask. She's NOT going to get us, he thought firmly. I won't let her. It was a difficult situation, that much was certain. Raven was like a sister to him, and he definately didn't want to fight her. He also didn't want her attacking the rest of his friends, however, and he knew that in order to keep her from doing so, he had to fight. Robin shook his head, reaching up with one gloved hand to brush his damp hair out of his face.
He had made a promise to the city, and to his friends, when he became a Titan. He had promised to protect them. That was his job. But how could he protect one of them, while not completely protecting the other? "There has to be a way," he mumbled, staring up at the darkening sky. Surely there was some sort of way that they could return Raven to normal without hurting her? It wasn't her fault, he knew that. Robin scowled, and he closed his eyes, letting the rain wash over him.
"Robin?"
The Boy Wonder's slowly opened as he turned, his smile returning as he saw the red-haired alien walking towards him. Starfire sat down next to him, returning his smile with a small one of her own. "Hey, Star," Robin greeted her quietly before he looked out at the water, his eyes narrowing once more. The Tamaranian tucked her legs up to her chest, resting her hands on her knees. "Robin..." she started, trailing off as she looked down at her feet. Robin looked back over at her, and she darted a glance over at him before hestitantly continuing. "I am worried," she mumbled. "Friends Cyborg and Beast Boy appear to be recovering, but I do not understand what is wrong with Raven."
Robin's shoulders slumped as he watched her, his expression softening. "If I said that I did," he murmured, "I would be lying. There are a lot of things that we don't know about her. Maybe this is like when you had that Transformation thing; maybe Raven's just going through a phase. It could just go away on its own." Starfire nodded slightly, her auburn hair plastering to her head and shoulders. "I hope so," she sighed. "I do not like seeing our friends hurt each other, and I most certainly do not like having to fight our friend." She looked up at her companion as he reached out, resting a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "We'll figure this out," Robin assured her, making sure to sound as determined as possible, no matter what his true feelings were. "We'll figure out a way to get her back to normal without hurting her." Starfire watched him for a moment, as though she was trying to see how honest he was really being, before she wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder. Robin curled his own arms around her shoulders, placing his chin on top of her head and closing his eyes.
"We'll figure it out."
-UR-
"Changeling."
Beast Boy brow furrowed slightly, his eyes still closed as he rested on the cot in the infirmary of Titans Tower. His side ached, and he immediately wished that he hadn't been awoken from the nap he had fallen into several hours ago, upon returning to the Tower and having his injuries treated.
... Wait, who had woken him up?
The changeling's emerald eyes flew open, then immediately widened as he looked up at four crimson eyes mounted rose-colored flesh. "R-Raven?" he stammered, quickly scrambling into a sitting position and wincing from the sudden movement. Raven stared sullenly at him, and something about her appearance made Beast Boy stop and stare at her, though more out of curiousity than fear. She looked... lost, like a child seperated from its guardians. Beast Boy's expression softened as Raven looked down at the ground, reaching up with one hand to brush her violet hair out of her face. "I'm going to kill you," she mumbled, all four eyes closing as she sighed softly. The olive-skinned boy froze, his eyes widening again before he pushed back the blankets of the cot and eased off the bed.
It wasn't like it was the first time he had hear the threat, but why didn't she seem as malicious as she had before? Beast Boy tilted his head slightly with confusion as Raven reached up, pulling her hood up over her head. "I'm going to kill you," she repeated, as though she were trying to convince herself of it. "I am." Beast Boy took a step closer to her, watching her silently. You know, he thought dryly, most people would run when there's a demon-chick standing in front of them telling them that they're going to die. Then again, Raven wasn't exactly a 'demon-chick,' he supposed. He took another step closer to the girl, bringing the space between them to about six inches. Raven's eyes shot open as Beast Boy reached up to remove her hood from her head, and she stepped away, curling her hands over the clasp of her cloak. "Don't touch me," she hissed, her voice wavering as she backed another step away. "Why are you here?" the changeling asked, slowly walking towards her. The empath backed up against the wall of the infirmary, looking rather like a cornered animal.
And then, in the bright light of the infirmary, Beast Boy noticed something rather strange.
Her skin's not as red, he noticed with alarm. It looks more like it normally does. Was she turning back to normal? The changeling walked closer to her, closing the space between them. Raven glared menacingly at him, wrapping her arms around herself. "Don't come near me!" she shouted, her voice quivering once more. "I'll kill you! I'll tear your throat out!" Her lips curled into a malicious grin as she tilted her head to the side, watching Beast Boy. "I'll rip out your intestines," she twittered, sounding oddly pleased with herself, though she still seemed meeker than she had before. "I'll strangle you with your own entrails. You'll drown in your own blood. You'll die."
Just watching her, the answer suddenly hid Beast Boy like a truck. Every time someone tries to get close to her, she gets scared, he marveled. Showing feelings for her scares out the demon.
For once, Beast Boy was incredibly proud of his logic, and made a mental note to give himself a pat on the back when this was over and done with. "Really?" he asked lightly, arching an eyebrow. "Then why don't you?" Raven's eyes widened as she stared at him, and she swallowed. "I will," she snarled. The changeling's lips twitched into a smirk. "I don't think you really want to kill me," he whispered, his two jade eyes staring into her four crimson ones. Raven pressed her body against the wall, glaring coldly at him. "Of course I do," she snapped. "You're a Titan. You made me kill my own father. Everything is your fault!" The shape-shifter backed away with surprise, his emerald eyes widened. Made her kill her own father? he thought, repeating her words in his mind. "Is that what this is about?" he asked incredulously, his gaze riveted upon the dark-haired girl in front of him. "You want to kill us because of that?"
Raven's hands curled into fists as she glared at him, shaking slightly. "Of course," she growled lowly. "My father is dead because of you Titans. You all made me kill him. He left me all alone!" Her last sentence came out louder than the others, and she was now visibly shaking. "My father was great," Raven snarled. "He was going to rid the world of every pathetic, meaningless mortal. He was going to wipe out those who were unfit for life. He let the weak die, and left the strong to grow stronger. You ruined it!" To Beast Boy's surprise, Raven looked as though she was about to cry. The changeling walked back over to her, and before he knew what he was doing, his arms were wrapped around the telepath's shoulders, and he had pulled her into something of a hug. "Let go of me!" Raven shrieked, struggling against him. Beast Boy's eyes widened as pain shot through him, his side throbbing painfully.
Don't let go.
"Release me!" Raven screeched, the volume of her voice rising. "Let go of me right now!" Beast Boy tightened his grip around her, squeezing his eyes shut to keep from crying out in pain as Raven's struggles returned the pain to his ribs. "Nope," he hissed quietly, removing one arm from around her to grab one of her wrists. The Azarathean jerked away, her crimson eyes wide, and Beast Boy mentally congratulated himself when he saw that her skin had paled further. He reached out, grabbing her other wrist. "Raven, I'm trying to help you," he said gently. "I know you're in there. I'm doing the most that I can. You have to fight it, too." To the shape-shifter's surprise, Raven slowly shook her head, suddenly looking as though she was going to cry. "I can't," she whispered, and Beast Boy knew immediately that it was Raven speaking, not her demonic side. As soon as the words were out, however, the malicious grin returned to the violet-haired girl's face, and she grabbed Beast Boy's wrists before flinging him across the room. The boy let out a small cry as he crashed against a small table of medical supplies, spilling medicine and bandages to the floor. He drew in deep breaths, a small patch of moisture on his side telling him that his wound had probably reopened.
"You are a fool," Raven snarled as she approached him, leaning over him as she smirked. "And for that, you must die." She reached into the pile of medical supplies, and Beast Boy's eyes widened as he realized that she had extracted a scalpal. Raven tilted her head slightly as she knelt down next to him, resting one forearm over his throat as she carefully positioned the scalpal over his chest. Beast Boy had just a second to realize what she was about to do before Raven dug the tool into his chest, and he let out a loud cry of pain as she draw the scalpal through his skin. Crimson blood seeped into his now-torn uniform as Beast Boy struggled to free himself without preventing himself from breathing at the same time. Raven sneered as she jerked the scalpal from his flesh, then moved it farther up and pushed the device into the skin over his heart. Beast Boy's eyes widened as he gasped at the agony tearing through him, and he drew in deep, sharp breaths.
Uh, hey, dumbass? Might now be a good time to, oh, maybe, turn into some sort of animal AND GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THE GIRL WHO'S DOODLING ON YOUR CHEST WITH A SCALPAL?
Beast Boy's body shrank as he shifted into an olive mouse, carefully darting away from his attacker. He changed back into human form several feet away, and he sat hunched over on the floor, his blood dripping on the linoleum floor. His eyes widened as he watched the crimson pool grow larger and larger, and as he sat up, he let out a small, strangled cry when he realized what Raven had carved on his chest.
"The Mark of Scath," a cold voice announced, reminding Beast Boy that he wasn't along in the room. The changeling looked up as Raven slowly approached him, the bloody scalpal still held carefully in one hand. "Even if my father can not complete his plan, the least I can do is to finish it for him." She pressed her foot against Beast Boy's shoulder, sending him sprawled on the floor, and hunched over him over more, the scalpal poised menacingly.
I'm the only one who knows what to do. If she kills me, everyone dies.
Nothing like a bit of pressure to make Beast Boy get his butt in gear. Without even thinking, without paying any attention to the agony tearing at his torso, he reached up, grabbed the back of Raven's head, and pressed their lips together. Immediately, Raven let out a muffled screech, pressing her hands against Beast Boy's chest to push herself away. Her hands stung his torn skin, but Beast Boy did not move. The empath pounded her fists against him, struggling wildly to pull herself away, but still Beast Boy did not move. Finally, he let go, and dropped to the floor. His eyes slowly closed, and the last thing he saw was a pair of wide, blue eyes.
She's back.
