NOTE: Nobody has reviewed my story yet, but I'm tired of waiting... hehe... so, here's the next chapter.

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The True Meaning of Sacrifice

by: IHOP

Chapter 3 – Collapse

Upon hearing the loud shout and crash, the other four Titans rushed to Beast Boy's room. As they burst through the door, they found the room totally devastated. The old magazines, clothing, and various garbage that normally covered the floor were shredded and scattered about the room like a horrifyingly disfigured blanket of snow. And in the center of the room lay Beast Boy, beaten and unconscious. His clothes were partially torn and he was covered with scrapes and bruises. He wasn't moving. Raven felt her heart stop.

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The shocked Titans immediately rushed Beast Boy to their medical room and began scanning for any possible ailments.

"The reader isn't picking up any physiological problems," Cyborg reported.

"I do not understand," Starfire murmered worriedly. "What could have happened? Why would we find Beast Boy in such a tragic condition?"

Raven drew back at the Tamaranian's statement. Suddenly, an alarm rang out and a red light flashed.

"Trouble!" Robin exclaimed. He prepared to run out the door.

"What about Beast Boy?" Starfire asked, reaching for Robin's shoulder.

"I'll stay with him," Raven said assertively. The others gasped, wide-eyed, for they were still largely oblivious to what had recently happened between Beast Boy and Raven.

"Well... okay," Robin answered in a confused tone. Then he, Starfire, and Cyborg rushed to address the emergency.

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Raven stepped up to Beast Boy's bedside and gazed ominously at him. Her pulse quickened as she examined his injuries. She had a premonition, and although she was almost certain it was correct, she needed one final shred of evidence. She grabbed his left hand to inspect it, and when she found nothing, reached for his other hand.

There it was: the Mark of Scath, the symbol of her vanquished father, Trigon. It was true; Beast Boy was afflicted with the very darkness she herself had tried so hard to restrain. Suddenly she had difficulty breathing. She slid into a chair to avoid fainting from her sudden lightheadedness, and she felt a small, hot tear escape her eyes.

Just then, Beast Boy began to stir. Slowly his eyes slipped open, and the first thing he saw was the distraught face of Raven, who was now standing beside him.

Suddenly, he remembered what had happened. "Raven..." he struggled to speak.

Raven simply lowered her head. "You don't have to say anything. I know what's going on," she said softly, with uneasiness in her voice. "And... I'm afraid it might be worse than you think."

Beast Boy suddenly became more alert, and a look of concern escaped his face. "What do you mean?"

Raven took a deep breath as she prepared to explain her premonition. "You've absorbed what was left of Trigon's darkness, and now it's acting as sort of a parasite. It's trying to use you as a host. It wants..." Raven had difficultly speaking her next words. "...to destroy you and take over your body."

Beast Boy stared at Raven in disbelief. His expression traveled from utter shock to cold fright to overpowering sorrow. He felt a strange combination of fear and guilt, as he realized he had brought his affliction upon himself. "Raven, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone into your room and touched that gem."

"No. Don't be sorry," Raven said kindly, noticing Beast Boy's grim expression. "What we need to worry about is finding a way to save you."

"But... what can we do?" asked Beast Boy.

"I'm not sure," Raven admitted, "but I'm going to make sure you're okay. I won't let anything happen to you." She uttered these last words assertively, trying to sound optimistic, but knowing that she was not succeeding. In a display of pure emotion—and not knowing what else to do—she wrapped Beast Boy in an vigorous but affectionate hug. The changeling fondly returned the embrace.

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Meanwhile, Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg patrolled the streets of Jump City. The emergency signal led them to the oldest part of town, which was almost a century old. As they neared the site of the crisis, the signal went haywire, then suddenly stopped.

"The signal's gone!" Robin exclaimed.

"That's strange," Cyborg remarked.

The three turned a corner and saw the old Town Square. It had long been abandoned when Jump City was urbanized, but it had always been in relatively decent condition, considering its age—until now. Everything—the buildings, sidewalks, trees, even the stone fountain—was charred to an ash-gray. It was as if a layer of black snow had fallen and blanketed the entire Square.

Cyborg scanned the soot. "The damage is recent," he reported. "Very recent; from just a few minutes ago."

"What could have caused this?" Starfire wondered.

"And why did whatever it was just suddenly disappear?" Robin lowered his eyes.

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A few minutes later, in Titans Tower, Raven still watched over Beast Boy in the medical room, both contemplating a solution to their dilemma. Just then, Beast Boy felt another attack of pain strike him, this one much worse than the last. He could feel the darkness stirring within him, and it felt like it was literally eating away his insides. He convulsed madly as he felt the darkness consuming him, all the while emitting shrill groans of pain.

"Beast Boy!" Raven rushed to his side and tried to restrain him with each tremor.

"I... feel it..." Beast Boy moaned through clenched teeth. "The darkness... trying to take over... I—I can't control it..." he added, referring to his tumultuous spasms. He slammed his eyes shut, for he could feel them starting to glow blood red.

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Suddenly, the Town Square turned an otherworldly shade of black, and a tremendous, blinding flash appeared. The three Titans instinctively covered their eyes, and when they opened them a moment later, their jaws dropped in astonishment.

The Square was now filled with an army of flame demons (like those from The End Part One) that set the area ablaze yet again.

"No way!" Cyborg shouted in disbelief.

"But, how?" Starfire asked.

"We'll have to figure that out later," Robin answered as the army advanced toward them. "Titans, go!"

Each of the Titan proceeded to attack the flame demons. Cyborg blasted them with his sonic cannon; Starfire directed her starbolts and eye beams at the creatures; and Robin tossed exploding disks at the ground, kicking up dirt, to try to extinguish the flames. When the dust cleared, there were just as many of the flame demons as there were before, and they continued to assault the shocked Titans.

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Raven placed her hands on Beast Boy's shoulders and held him steady. She slowly but urgently chanted:

"Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos... Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos... Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos..."

As she chanted, an icy blue light formed around her hands and mildly engulfed Beast Boy. Gradually, he felt a soothing presence fill him; his tense muscles relaxed and his pain seemed to melt away. He regained control over his body as the darkness within him became dormant once more.

After shaking off the last spasm, Beast Boy looked up gratefully at Raven.

"Thanks."

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Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg were completely exhausted; they had given their greatest effort, but still had not managed to destroy even one of the flame demons. The creatures now encircled the heroes and prepared for one final attack.

All of a sudden, the flame demons stopped in their tracks. Another blinding light flashed, and the creatures disappeared just as mysteriously as they had appeared. The three Titans simply looked a each other in utter confusion.

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Hmm. This one seemed pretty long. But hey, that's what I was aiming for.

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