Raven closed the letter, sobbing quietly on her bed. She wiped her tears from her face, stopping herself from losing control of her powers when her emotions took over. She slid the letter and photograph back inside of the cover of the book, putting the book back in its spot behind the others, not wanting to bring up any more painful memories of her troubled childhood living on Azarath, all the other inhabitants were always living in fear of Raven, fearing that that the Prophecy would be realized while she dwelled upon Azarath.

"I must meditate to bring balance back," Raven commented, going to her usual spot in the middle of her room, taking her position she meditates in.

She attempted to bring forth the balance powers, but her thoughts clouded them, asking herself of what needs to be done in order to heal this wound that has plagued her for her entire life. She continued, trying to meditate, only to have memories flash throughout her mind. Her face became twisted with anguish, turning into anger. Her eyes snapped open, stopping what she was beginning to become the very thing she must prevent.

"Damn it," she cursed, not being one to usually do so, "It is decided, I must visit Azarath and mend the severed ties between my mother and I."

She got up from her floor, going to her closet. She moved all of her outfits, the same black leotard, to one side, looking for what few sets of regular street clothes she still possessed.

"What of the others though?" she thought, stopping what she was doing. "I must tell them, it isn't right for me to just up and leave; they must know what is going on."

Raven continued to remove clothes from her closet, packing them into the same large duffle back she came to be with the Titans that had her few possessions. She also used a backpack to transport her other belongings that wouldn't fit in the duffle bag, including a few of her most precious books, her communicator, and the group picture of the Titans.

"I must do this," Raven kept telling herself, "things will never be normal if I don't."

Raven had already changed into street clothes, a pair of black pants, the same boots she wore when she moved into the Tower, a dark blue tank top that exposed her midriff, also allowing her tattoo of a raven across her back to be visible. She also wore a black leather jacket over top of the tank top. The jacket was the same as the tank top, allowing her tattoo to be visible. She lifted her feet awkwardly, not used to wearing actual shoes, let alone boots.

"This is definitely different," Raven commented, walking to her door with her bags.

The door opened and she began walking down the corridor to the main room, where the movie had just been concluded by the looks of things. She slowed her pace, continuing to think about what she was doing.

"Dude! That was like the best ever!" Beast Boy exclaimed, jumping off of the couch.

"It looked like another monster flick to me, B.B., nothing special about it," Cyborg commented, getting up off of the couch.

"Aw, come on man, you have to admit, it was pretty amazing, especially the part abo-"Beast Boy attempted to sway them in his favor.

"Actually, Beast Boy, I swore I saw a zipper on the back of the monster, plus, it wasn't really that scary, stupid, honestly," Robin said, lifting his arm from back around Starfire, who didn't know it was there the entire time.

"I must agree, Beast Boy," Starfire added, who was usually scared to death of his movie selection, "it was quite the stupid."

"You guys don't know what you are talking about," B.B. defended.

Robin noticed Raven in the shadows of the corridor, her just standing there.

"Hey Raven," Robin called out, no sooner than he did, she stepped forward, seeing her carrying her bags and in street clothes.

"What's going on, Raven?" Robin questioned, causing the other Titans to divert their attention to Raven as well.

"I must leave," Raven replied, attempting to control her emotions, "in order for things to be normal, I must return to my home in Azarath."

"What?" Cyborg exclaimed, confused, "Why? Aren't you happy here with us?"

"It's not that, Cyborg," Raven attempted to explain, setting her bag down, but still keeping her backpack on, "Something has come up and I must go."

"Is it something we did?" Beast Boy questioned, expecting her to say yes, "if it is, I am really sorry for whatever it is that I di-"

"None of you have done anything to me to cause this," Raven interrupted, trying to stop them from coming up with theories on her needed absence.

Robin remembered the conversation they had had earlier that day in the elevator.

"Why are you needing to leave, friend Raven?" Starfire questioned in her usual manner, wanting to know what was wrong with her.

"My emotions are becoming relentless," Raven started, "I can no longer submit them with meditation, and I need to return home to fix the source of this. The source is caused from being homesick, I miss my childhood friends, the ones I actually had. I miss my mother, who I need to come to terms with. And I miss Azarath, the very planet I grew up on." Tears began to form in her eyes, the loose objects in the room began to rattle from her expelling of energy. "You see? Things like this will continue to happen and get worse if I don't go. You must understand, I will no longer be able to control my powers if I don't go and those who I care for around me will get hurt and there will be nothing I can do about it. I must go."

The tears rolled down Raven's face, the objects began to rattle more, some of them, such as ceramic cups in the kitchen area, shattered, sending bits of debris everywhere.

"Raven, calm down," Robin said, concerned, walking towards her, "I understand, this is what you talked about with me in the elevator, wasn't it?"

Raven nodded, keeping her head hung low, the objects beginning to subside in movement.

Robin placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Look at me, Raven," Robin said in the same tone.

She did, her eyes still watery from her tears that she had shed.

"If you must go, then so be it, we can manage while you are gone," Robin consoled, "just remember us and come back, we will be waiting for you."

"Thank you, Robin," she replied, gently hugging him, feeling his warmth.

Beast Boy, still not believing what he was hearing, stepped in front of Raven, stretching his hands out as he was trying to block her.

"Raven," Beast Boy pleaded, "don't go, I know it was something I done and you were just looking for a reason to leave, please, don't go."

Beast Boy's eyes began to water, causing the emerald color of them to shimmer. Raven wrapped her arms around him, embracing him in a hug. Surprised, B.B. wrapped his around her, returning it. Her head was next to his ear.

"I promise you Beast Boy," Raven whispered, "it is nothing you or any of the others have done, this is something I must do. I promise you I will return, I promise."

"Just don't forget about me," Beast Boy replied silently with a slight laugh.

"How could I?" Raven added kindheartedly.

He let go of her, allowing her to release him as well, but she held her embracement a little longer, not wanting to turn loose, causing B.B. to blush a little.

Raven turned to the others, picking up her bag again.

"Farewell friends," she managed, not wanting to start crying again, "I promise you that I will return, I will let you know before my arrival."

"Later, Raven," Cyborg replied, his heart sinking, seeing his friend walking towards the elevator.

"Raven will return, I am sure of it," Starfire stated, watching her grow closer and closer to the door of the elevator.

Their voices trailed off as they usually do when Raven begins to think to herself, but this time, this time was different. She wanted to hear their voices, but she knew this had to be done, otherwise it would spell disaster for them as well as Jump City.

The elevator door closed, beginning to descend down the Tower.

"Now the easy part is out of the way," Raven commented, sniffling and wiping her eyes, "the hard part can begin now."

The elevator stopped at the bottom, the doors opening, revealing the hall and the main entrance doors.

"I have came this far, no sense in turning back now," Raven told herself, attempting to tell herself everything is going to be ok as she walked down the hall, each step becoming harder and harder to take.

She exited the tower, watching the doors close behind her, knowing it would be the last time she would see the Tower, Jump City, and her friends for a long time. She turned to the ocean, watching the sun just above the horizon beginning to set and bring nightfall upon Jump City. She walked to the edge of the island, her bags still in her hands, thinking. She stood upon the rocks, contemplating her situation at hand. Raven knew the others were watching her from the Tower, waiting for her to leave or change her mind and come back, but they knew as well as she did, it must be done.

"I will return," Raven said quietly, lifting up into the air and beginning to travel across the bay, close to the water.

The Titans watched from the window in the central room of the Tower, stricken with sadness and concern.

"She…she left," Beast Boy said in astonishment, a tear trickling down his green cheek, "she actually left."

Cyborg rested his hand on B.B.'s shoulder, comforting him.

"It's all right, man," Cyborg informed, "She'll be back, I know it."

"Cyborg's right, Beast Boy," Robin added, "worrying about her isn't going to help any, so we will wait patiently until she returns."

"That could be weeks, months, even years, Robin," Beast Boy replied, tears flowing from his eyes, "don't you realize that? We could be well into our adulthood before she comes back for all we know."

"I am worrying for friend Raven as well, Robin," Starfire said in a rarely used saddened tone. "What if friend Beast Boy is right, what if her return takes the weeks, months, or years?"

Robin kept his composure, not wanting the Titans to see his true feelings.

"We will just have to wait and continue being the Titans in the meantime, guys, that is all I can say," he managed, turning back to the window, thinking:

"I really hope you are safe and will return to us, Raven."

"I mustn't turn back, I will not allow myself to do so," Raven kept saying over and over to herself, preventing her feelings from telling her what to do as she continued her way across the bay at a fairly fast pace.

"I must go into seclusion and clear my mind of the abnormalities and distractions that plague me on Earth, especially at the Tower, before I can make the proper passage to Azarath," she said to herself, telling herself what must be done.

Her dark violet-amethyst eyes scanned forward across the water, still shimmering from the diminishing sunset on the horizon to the west, the bay bridge in front of it creating a tranquil scene.

"I promised," Raven thought, nearing the other side of the bay onto land, "I promised them I would return, I didn't say when, but I promised I would return, they trust me, don't they?"

Raven thought about that for a moment.

"No," Raven told herself out loud, "don't think about that, they are my friends, they will trust me no matter what."

Her violet hair fluttered in the wind as she flew through the air with ease, her eyes trained on the area ahead of her.

"My friends understand, they must," Raven said, trying to keep her heart at ease.

She slowed down, continuing to decelerate, eventually coming to a stop, landing softly upon the shore of the suburbs of Jump City. She glanced back at the Tower, standing in the middle of the bay as a symbol of justice and protection, the lights still on, knowing that her friends were still watching out of the window, watching where she was going. Her eyes began to become mystified yet again, her conscience not used to so much expelling of emotions in one day, causing her to have an uneasy feeling, a lot worse than normal.

"I must clear my mind soon before someone gets hurt," Raven stated, walking to the road that was only about 100 feet away.

"It isn't stated anywhere where I need to walk to a secluded place," Raven thought, hailing a taxi that was passing by.

The yellow taxi stopped, popping the trunk to allow Raven to put her belongings in. She shut the trunk and walked back around to the rear passenger's door behind the driver, sliding in, and closing it behind her in a fluid motion.

"Where to, Mi-" the driver started, looking in the backseat with the rearview mirror, seeing Raven of the Titans, "hey, aren't you Raven?"

"Yes," Raven replied, looking him directly in the eye with the aid of the mirror. "Please take me into the forest, I'll let you know when to stop."

"Yes, Ma'am," the driver obeyed, putting the cab into drive.

The car slowly took off, reaching the speed limit just as slowly, heading into the forest on the twisty 2-lane highway. The canopy created by the treetops high above blocked out the remaining sunlight from the setting sun in the west, causing the driver to turn on the headlights of the cab in order to see the difficult road ahead of him.

"I saw you had quite a few things with you," the driver noticed, trying to strike up a conversation with Raven. "You going on vacation or something?"

Raven turned her head back to his attention.

"In a sense," Raven replied, telling the truth, "but I'd rather not talk about it, not to be rude though, but it is quite a touchy subject for me to dwell on right now, I'm sorry."

"I totally understand," the driver respected, "did something happen at the Tower?"

"No," Raven reassured, not wanting anyone from the public even suspect that the Titans were disbanding, "everything is fine, there is something I just need to do on my own right now."

The driver kept to himself after Raven's last response, not wanting to make her mad. They continued going over the numerous hills in the rolling countryside that was plagued by forest. After nearly 10 minutes of silence, Raven broke the eerie calm.

"This is far enough," she informed, the cab rolling to a stop. The driver popped the trunk once more, allowing Raven to get her belongings out of it. She stepped up to his window and prepared to pay the fare.

"Ride's free, Miss," the driver said with a tilt of his hat, "just make sure you stay out of trouble out here."

"Thank you," Raven replied for the man's gratitude, "I will," she added, heeding his warning of what possible dangers lurk in the forest at night.

The cab turned around and drove back towards the city. Raven squinted and could faintly see the lights of the city, she was even able to make out the lights of the Tower as it stood by itself in the middle of the Bay.

"Now," Raven said to herself, "time to find a suitable spot for me to stay at within the forest, away from all distractions."

She stepped off of the roadway into the forest, making her way through the dense foliage at the edge. Raven pushed low hanging branches and limbs out of her way, keeping them from scratching her face.

"I'm glad I don't have to do this on a regular basis," Raven commented to herself, only to have one of the bigger branches she was holding back come loose.

The branch snapped back, hitting her right in the face across the bridge of her nose.

"Oww! Dammit!" she cursed, rubbing her nose, which now had a red mark shaped like the branch across her face.

Raven continued on her journey through the forest, the last remaining light of day now dissipating, causing it to be nearly impossible to see into the forest.

"For the love of-" Raven grumbled, starting to trip over the roots sticking out of the ground.

She stopped, taking her backpack off, and opening it.

"Where is it?" she questioned, rummaging around in her pack, "Ah! Here it is," she added with triumph, pulling out a flashlight.

Raven pointed it forward, clicking the button.

"Let there be light," Raven commented, attempting to lighten her mood a little.

The flashlight illuminated the area ahead of her, making it easier to traverse the forest.

"I must get as far as I can from the road to prevent distractions, I must have complete concentration in order for me to make the journey to Azarath," she thought, watching the road get farther and farther away, becoming less visible with each step she took away from it.

After 15 minutes of travel deeper into the forest, she stopped, looking around. It was an opening in the forest, about ten feet wide by ten feet long, irregular in shape.

"This seems like a suitable location," Raven commented, poking the ground with her boot to see if it was saturated with water.

She began setting up a makeshift shelter with her powers for herself at one end of the opening, having no idea on how long this would take, it could be a matter of days, even a week, depending on how long it would take for her to empty her mind of distractions of Earth.

"I may be no master builder," Raven said, finishing the roof of the shelter, "but I am quite pleased with this myself, hopefully it will hold up if it decides to rain."

She then moved her belongings inside of it, using her powers to open the door she had constructed, merely sliding it to one side. Raven crawled in with her flashlight, making sure there weren't any roots or rocks sticking up from the makeshift floor.

"Now," Raven said to herself, "I can begin."

The Tower was unusually quiet, the central room wasn't host to the regular evening of video games, the kitchen to whosever turn it was to make dinner, or even the garage, no one was heard anywhere. Robin worked diligently on his computer, scanning the city for illegal activities, out of boredom and sadness of Raven's absence. He rested his head on his hand, nearly falling asleep. Cyborg came into the room, carrying a large, brown paper sack.

"I know we're all bummed out about Raven needing to leave," Cyborg stated, Beast Boy and Starfire coming into the central room from their respective hallways, "but I got something that always make us laugh, no matter what."

Robin's eyes snapped open with attention, hearing Cyborg's statement.

"Please tell me you didn't ge-" Robin asked, pleading with him.

"Chinese!" Cyborg exclaimed, pulling out cartons of food, tossing chopsticks to each member of the Titans.

"Dude," Beast Boy stated, catching his chopsticks, "this is going to be great."

"Robin and Cyborg are going have that flatulence of the posterior and the running of the-" Starfire began to say out loud.

"Star," Robin stopped her, "We know, it is probably for the better that you don't say that out loud."

"Yeah," Beast Boy added, "you remember what happened last time?"

"Yes," Robin replied, solemnly, "It still haunts me."

Cyborg set the rest down on the table, the other Titans coming into the kitchen to consume the Chinese food that plagues Robin and Cyborg.

"I'm going to prove to you that nothing will happen to me," Cyborg stated, looking for the carton he ordered for himself.

"Wanna bet?" Beast Boy challenged, looking for his special carton that had tofu in it.

"You're on," Cyborg accepted, opening the carton. "I win, you have to polish my boots for a month."

"And if I win," Beast Boy added, "you have to clean my room."

Cyborg cringed at the thought, but outstretched his hand.

"Deal," Cyborg stated, waiting for B.B. to seal the deal.

Beast Boy firmly grabbed a hold of Cyborg's, shaking it.

"You all saw it," B.B. stated out loud, "so he can't deny it when it comes time to clean my room."

"Just get the polish ready, man," Cyborg replied confidently.

Starfire rose from her place at the table and made her way to the refrigerator.

"Would you like a beverage of some kind?" She asked her friends.

"Soda please," they all replied, B.B. wanting something out of the ordinary for once.

Starfire collected 4 cans, 1 for each of them. She carried them back to the table, sitting down next to Robin again. Robin noticed Starfire was a little less enthusiastic than normal.

"What's wrong, Star?" Robin asked, gently resting his hand on hers on the table.

"Nothing at all, Robin," she replied, surprised by Robin.

"I can tell something is wrong, you can tell me," Robin stated, still holding her hand.

Starfire thought for a moment, still looking down at the table.

"It is about Raven," she started, "I have the feeling of she is in grave danger, as if something is going to happen to her."

Robin was at a loss of words, he didn't know what to say to her, he had already attempted to tell everyone it was going to be ok.

"Starfire," he said reassuringly, "I promise you that Raven is going to be ok, nothing bad is going to happen to her, she will return safe and sound when she has completed whatever it is that she must do, just trust me."

"I hope you are right, Robin," Starfire replied, looking him in the eyes, "you really do make everything sound as if it is going to be ok no matter what."

"Just always remember that," Robin added, "and nothing bad will happen."

The shelter was pitch black, the absence of light evident. The flashlight had found its way back into the backpack, which was propped against the door of the shelter, along with the duffle bag. Raven was in the center, levitating inches above the floor of the shelter, which was actually just the cleared off dirt. In the dirt thought, was runes and glyphs inscribed in it with what appeared to be a stick, Raven having set the scene for her canceling of distractions. She was chanting in the language of Azarath, using words that no inhabitant of Earth had ever heard or would understand. The runes and glyphs in the dirt began to glow with energy, phasing from white to purple to black and then back to white in that order in a strobing effect, picking up speed as she continued with the chanting. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing her eyes doing the same effect as the runes and glyphs. The shelter surged with energy, and then it dissipated as if it weren't there.

"Rachel," a feminine voice called, "Rachel."

Raven snapped her eyes open, but still levitating in the air.

"Who are you?" Raven questioned the voice; fear could be heard within it.

"Rachel, it is I, Arella," the voice replied in the same tone, "your mother."

"Mother?" she questioned in a surprised, anxious voice, "Is it really you?"

"Yes, Rachel," Arella replied, "You are attempting to come to Azarath, aren't you?"

"Yes, mother," Raven stated, "I must, my powers are beginning to grow out of control, and I can no longer contain them through meditation."

"That isn't the entire truth, is it, child?" Arella questioned, trying to get Raven to tell her everything.

Raven thought for a moment, thinking if it was meant for her to be told everything.

"I am homesick, mother," Raven added, solemnly, "I haven't visited you or Azarath since, since…"

"The Prophecy," Arella finished, "ever since you stopped your father from taking over, you haven't been back."

"I thought that it would be ok if I were to come since he was defeated, mother," Raven said, tears forming in her eyes. "I feel as if I need to do this to make things right."

Silence had taken over for a moment, Arella thinking of what to say.

"Rachel, you are always welcome home to Azarath, you hadn't need to ask my permission, it is the others that are in fear of you because of the Prophecy," Arella said, consoling her.

"Mother, the Prophecy has been stopped, I stopped what I was destined to become, Trigon cannot use me as a portal no longer, he hasn't a way to this plane," Raven informed, tears flowing down her light gray skinned cheeks.

"To the others, you are still the portal," Arella admitted in a solemn tone. "I, on the other hand, I know better, as I have said, you are welcome, just finish making the journey and I will await your arrival, Rachel."

"Yes, mother," Raven replied, "but why have you contacted me, how did you know I was making this journey?"

"You are in grave danger, Rachel," Arella said in a warningly tone, "I sensed this danger, you must be on your guard Rachel, there is darkness on the horizon of your future, you must heed my warning."

"What do you mean, Mother?" Raven asked in a frightened tone, thinking she had already defeated the greatest evils of her life.

"You will find out, child," Arella said, her voice trailing off as if she was breaking off contact, "I will see you soon, Rachel, I love you."

"I love you, Mother," Raven replied, her tears growing in numbers, frightened and alone in the pitch black shelter.

Silence enveloped her, only the sound of her sniffling and her tears landing in the dirt.

The Tower's lights dimmed, turning off, all but Starfire's. Her light remained on, allowing her silhouette to be visible in front of the window. She looked out the window, the moonlight basking the city in front of her, creating a peaceful scene. A knock was heard at Starfire's door.

"Who is it?" Starfire questioned, coming to the door, attempting to break her concentration of what of Raven.

"It's me, Star," Robin's voice replied as the door opened.

"Oh Robin," Starfire said with a smile, "how can I help you."

"Star, it's two in the morning, you really need to get to sleep," he stated, yawning.

"I can't sleep, Robin," Starfire replied, "Something's wrong with Raven, I feel it."

Robin looked a little aggravated by Starfire's persistent worrying of Raven.

"Starfire, just let it go," Robin stated, gently grabbing her arms, "it will be ok, she knows what she is doing, trust me, I wouldn't have let her go if I didn't think she was going to be safe."

Starfire pulled Robin closer into a hug, forgetting about her alien strength.

"Too…much…hugging," Robin managed, Starfire crushing his rib cage.

"Sorry, Robin" she apologized, loosening her grip on him, "could we please do the tracking of her communicator to see where she is at?"

"We would be invading her privacy, Star" Robin said, "That isn't rig-"

"Please, Robin, I beg you, I must know," Starfire persuaded, attempting to sway Robin in her favor.

Robin thought about it for a moment, thinking about what course of action he should take, listen to Starfire, or to continue doing what he thought would be right for the situation.

"Ok Star," Robin finally agreed, walking towards the central room, her tagging along, "only to see where she is at and that is it, got it?"

"I am very grateful of your decision, Robin," Starfire said quietly, not wanting to wake the others.

The two of them reached the room, Robin activated the computer. He typed in Raven's communicator frequency number and performed a search for it in the vicinity.

"Right there, Star," Robin pointed to a spot that was nearly off of the map, way up in the left hand corner, a flashing red dot.

"She is a good distance away," Starfire commented, looking and seeing she was nowhere near civilization.

Robin turned the computer off, shuffling back to his room.

"Thank you, Robin," Starfire said, passing him in the hallway and going into her room.

"No problem, Star," Robin replied, opening his door.

He heard the toilet flush down the hall, watching Cyborg come out of it, holding his stomach.

"I knew it, I knew it," Cyborg said to himself, Robin hearing him, "now I gotta clean that green half-pint's room tomorrow."

"You lost the bet, I presume?" Robin asked with a smirk about his face.

"I'd rather not talk about it right now, man," Cyborg replied, "I'll be back, I think I gotta go again."

"Don't make a mess, Cy," Robin said with a laugh, going into his room.

"Lords of Azarath," Raven called out, the energy surging once more, "am I cleansed and allowed admittance into my homeland?"

"You are not cleansed of the evils of Earth, child," a deep, throaty voice replied, "You will know when it is time to make the journey."

"I shall continue with my ritual then?" Raven questioned the voice, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, when the time is right, you will know it is time," the voice beckoned, dissipating into the shadows of the shelter she had constructed.

The brush around the clearing rustled outside with vigor, causing Raven to snap her head to the sound, focusing on it.

"Who's there?" she called out, scrambling to retrieve her flashlight she had put away, making sure she didn't disturb the runes and glyphs she had marked into the dirt.

Raven opened her bag and retrieved it, turning it on, illuminating the shelter. She slid the door open after moving her belongings, the rustling started again.

"Show yourself!" Raven demanded, knowing someone or something was there.

A silhouette of a rabbit jumped out of the bush, still darkened by the shadows cast by the moonlight.

"Beast Boy," Raven said aggravated, "why did you follow me? You mustn't be here, you need to go back to the Tower, now."

The rabbit came into the light of the flashlight, revealing it was a normal rabbit inhabiting the forest.

"I am getting overly worked up over this," Raven thought, hearing a branch snap behind her.

Her focus shifted again, shining the flashlight in the direction of the sound.

The footsteps grew louder and louder, nearer and nearer to Raven. Raven's pulse began to increase, frightened by whatever was out there in the forest. An eerie mist blanketed the floor of the forest, creating a very creepy environment. The footsteps stopped, silence enveloping the area once more.

"Wh-Who's there," her voice quivered, shining the flashlight around frantically.

A slight chuckle was heard by Raven, freezing her solid with fear.

"If a mere animal frightens you, child," a very familiar voice beckoned, "then what will you do when you see me?"

The figure stepped forward, looking up, and the light from Raven's flashlight shining off of the bronze half of a mask.

"No," Raven denied, "No, that's impossible, you can't be here, you're d-"

"Dead?" The figure finished her sentence for her, "Child, you cannot kill what is-"

"-already dead," another figure finished the first's sentence, looking exactly the same as one another.

"This is some kind of trick," Raven called out, backing up away from the figures.

"Is it Raven?" a third in the same exact voice behind her called out, "or is it your reasoning in an attempt to not allow yourself to be afraid?"

"Leave me alone! You're not real, none of you are!" she yelled, looking around her, being surrounded by the three figures that resembled what she had grown to hate.

Another stepped forward, just the same as the latter 3.

"You will be coming with us Raven," the 4th informed, "one way or another."

"Your shallow threats don't scare me," Raven protested, beginning to channel energy to her hands.

"Now, Now, Raven," yet another warned, coming up from her left side, "if you play rough, we will play rough right back."

All five of the figures that looked and sounded the same laughed the same way as the first did when it first appeared.

"All of you can go to hell!" she exclaimed, energy now formed at her hands, ready to attack.

"Sorry Raven," the first spoke, "I have already been there, not as bad as people make it out to be honestly, wouldn't mind going back."

"Allow me to do the honors then!" Raven yelled, using her powers to pick up a large tree that had fallen.

She threw the tree at the first 2 that had appeared. The remains of the fallen tree hit the 2nd one, the first had dodged it. The tree splintered around the 2nd figure, but it didn't budge, only stood there, staring Raven down even as it made contact.

"You are going to have to do better than that, child," warned the 2nd figure, stepping forward into the moonlight, Raven now realizing what she was up against.

"Whatever you are up to Slade," Raven warned looking around for something else to attack with, "it isn't going to work, you won't get away with it."

"I will succeed Raven, I have already won," mocked the first, who had moved right in front of her, faster than her eyes could see.

Raven raised her fist to strike him, but the Slade-esque figure was already thrusting forward, hitting Raven on the bridge of the nose, shattering the fragile bone within it. Blood came forth from her nostrils as well as the wound of split skin on her face, running down the contours of her face. Raven felt the trickling blood, knowing that these things meant business.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted, using her powers to grab a hold of the unsuspecting figure, pulling it into the moonlight, noticing that it looked like the same as the first as well. She squeezed her hand into a fist, her powers crushing the figure into a million pieces and parts.

"Just as I thought," Raven commented, seeing the damage she had wrought upon the figure, "new toys for Slade."

"Units, Attack!" the first ordered, the others lunging for Raven.

Raven used the debris and parts as shrapnel, throwing it at two of the remaining robots, piercing their fragile shells, splintering them into riddle piles of junk. She focused on the remaining 2 robots, both of which attacked at the same time, trying to catch her off guard. Raven used her powers to form a force field around her body, blocking herself from the blows the bots attempted to strike her with.

"You are only delaying the inevitable," the 1st warned, "You might as well give up while you still can."

"You are nothing more than machines," Raven replied, blood still trickling down her face, following the contours of her face. "Machines have limitations, I don't."

"All things have limitations, child," the 2nd added, "We merely need to find yours."

"You won't have to search long," Raven snapped back, preparing to attack, chanting in the same manner as before, the same unknown language.

Still using the force field as cover, she disabled it, and in a split second, attacked with a tremendous blast of energy that shot outwards in all directions, clearly visible from miles away. The robots were sent crashing into the forest, allowing Raven enough time to run.

"These things are way too powerful for me take on alone," Raven thought, running through the trees, jumping over rocks and roots, attempting to flee her superior enemy.

"We only want to play Raven," called the 1st, hopping from clearing to clearing with ease at blinding speed, the 2nd not far behind it.

"I must get the others' help," she continued to think, glancing back to see the servants of Slade catching up, her face continuing to throb with pain from her sustained injury on top of the foliage striking her in the face as she passed it, scratching her bare, pale gray skin, and even ripping her pants and jacket as they became hung up for a second.

The view of the road grew closer and closer, the robots closing in on Raven.

"My way out," Raven thought, triumph filling her thoughts, not noticing the large tree root sticking out of the ground in front of her, only to get her foot caught in the loop of it while running at full speed.

Raven lost her balance, her foot still stuck in the loop, causing her body to crash forward to the earth below her, slamming into the ground with tremendous force. Her head landed upon a flat rock on the ground, only to amplify the unforgiving fall by knocking her unconscious. Her wound from the fall on her head, just above her left temple region, began to bleed, oozing upon the very rock that had caused it. Her body lay motionless.

"It appears she has done our work for us, 001," the 2nd commented, looking at Raven's unconscious body.

"It appears so, 002," 001 replied, "retriever her and we will inform Slade of our success."

"Yes, Sir," 002 obeyed, scooping Raven up in his arms, throwing her limp body over his shoulder.

"Please confirm if she is still alive, 002, Slade wants her alive, no sense in taking back a corpse," 001 ordered, walking back into the forest.

002 stopped and slid its hand manipulator down to her neck to check for any signs of life.

"Her vital signs are stable, 001," 002 informed at his request, "she is in well enough condition to be delivered to Slade."

"Good," 001 praised, "Master will be pleased with our "catch."

"Indeed," 002 replied, Raven hanging over its shoulder, following 001 through the forest, back to where Raven was originally located.

"Hold here one moment," 001 called out, reaching into the makeshift shelter that Raven had constructed.

It grabbed her belongings, leaving the runes and glyphs within the shelter undisturbed, keeping them intact.

"She must to have appeared to have already made the journey, correct?" questioned 002.

"Yes," 001 replied, "the Titans won't come looking for her then, they will assume she is already home and will come back at a later date, how fortunate for us."

An evil hiss of a chuckle came forth from 002, knowing that this in some way was way too easy, or a matter of timing, whichever, it has landed in Slade's favor.

Starfire tossed and turned in her bed, drenched in cold sweat. She thrashed about, faces of pain and anguish came across her visage. She convulsed violently, and then her eyes snapped open in a frightened manner, her body lifting up as she did so from her bed.

"RAVEN!" she yelled out, only to readjust to her surroundings, seeing that she was in her room and everything she had just witnessed was a nightmare. She heard running footsteps down the hallway, growing closer to her room. Her door slid open, Robin standing in the doorway.

"What's the matter Star?" Robin questioned, seeing if she was ok.

"I had the nightmare," Starfire replied solemnly, "it was of friend Raven, something terrible had happened to her."

"It's ok Star," Robin reassured, walking towards her, "it was only a dream, and dreams can't hurt people."

He sat on her bed and gently took hold of her hand, letting her know he was there for her.

"But Robin," Starfire started, "you were haunted by Slade, and he wasn't there, weren't you?"

Robin's eyes snapped open with surprise, remembering the awful events that had taken place then.

"That was different, Star," Robin replied after a moment," everything is ok, I even showed you were Raven was at last night, she is fine, trust me, ok?"

A smile crept across Starfire's face.

"Ok," she stated, "I just seem to m-"

"Miss her," Robin finished her statement, "yes, we all do, we may not show it, but we do, more than you think."

Robin still sat there, holding her hand for reassurance.

"Anyways," Robin said after a moment of silence, "Cyborg has fixed breakfast and we are waiting on you, so come on."

"Cyborg's breakfast is most wonderful," Starfire commented, lifting up from her bed, following Robin in the air behind him.

Life seemed to go on as usual at the Tower, but deep down inside of all of them, the absence of one member, no matter who it was and for what reason, pained all of them. They knew she had promised to return, but they didn't know when, she could possible return when there wasn't a Titans left, or would she return soon, being the normal person the loved as a friend?