by: RioN VhEnTeUnO

A/N: This is a good one. Nice and long. I hope to make more of these in the future. Enjoy...

Chapter 7

Salvation

(Raven)

I felt really weird. And annoyed. Why'd I become all mushy around him all of a sudden? The worst part of it is that I actually… like it. It's as if my body reacts faster than my mind…

"Can't sleep?" Robin asked me. What the?… I had my eyes closed the whole time.

"How'd you know that I'm awake?" I asked back without opening my eyes.

"Dunno," He answered with a shrug. "I just felt it. Kinda like a wild guess. It's how I found you."

"You just guessed where I was?" I pressed in disbelief. This wasn't possible. Unless this was a side-effect of our…

"…bond?" Robin finished my thought for me. I was gonna think 'mind-meld'. But that was so long ago…

I gave him a frown. "Oookay, as long as the side-effects of our 'bond' exists, don't go anywhere near my brain," I muttered grumpily. "Got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" He teased.

I gave him a good nudge on the ribs. "Oof! Okay! Okay!"

I… smiled? It's annoying how I even surprise myself these past few hours, days, whatever. We had completely lost track of the time and date at this point.

"Smiling suits you," Robin said. I blushed, he chuckled.

I gave him a deadly glare. He winced.

"Stop it with that look already," Robin said, smiling sheepishly. He then made a face. "I'm half dead, see?"

"Do you want a busted rib this time?" I asked, fighting down another smile.

"C'mon! Have mercy on the poor masked guy," Robin joked, smirking.

For a moment, our eyes met. I quickly broke my gaze. I must've looked like an idiot. Sure felt like one. Still, I couldn't help but notice how cheerful he was. It didn't exactly occur to me that he had a funny side. I… liked it. I think I like him. No, not just like. I…

Robin! Are you there? Please respond!

Robin's communicator startled us both. If we answered it now, the others might think we did something we shouldn't. Without thinking, I pushed Robin's head down the coats and answered the communicator.

"Raven here," I droned. Starfire's face appeared on the screen.

"Raven! It is truly wonderful to see you are well!" Starfire exclaimed, her face literally welling up with joy. "Are you injured?"

"Just a bump on the head Starfire, I'll be fine," I replied dryly. Starfire clapped her hands giddily.

"Glorious!" She exclaimed. "We are currently tracking the location you are situated in. We shall do the picking up once we get the fix."

"Uh, right," I simply said. Luckily, I was one of the few who could easily comprehend what Starfire says.

"Uhm… where is Robin?" Starfire asked. My heart skipped a beat.

"Well, he's… uh… sleeping," I muttered. She'll totally go crazy if she found out…

"Very well," Starfire replied, convinced. "Please inform him of my call. We shall see you in the near future."

"Right," I simply said. The communicator went blank. I suddenly remembered one tiny detail, and it was the most important of all…

Starfire and Robin are a couple.

Robin's head popped back out. Another emotion crept inside me. It felt like someone just stabbed a huge sword deep into my heart. I couldn't stand it…

"Raven what di-… Are you okay?" Robin asked. He had a concerned look on his face.

"I'm fine," I lied, hoping he wouldn't be able to notice. Why did I let myself forget? Starfire was almost a sister to me… "They're coming to get us."

"Raven…"

"I-I think my clothes are dry enough," I said, cutting him off. With that I pulled away one of the fur coats and stood up. "I should get dressed. You should too."

I could feel Robin's concern grow when he turned away. As I slowly put on my clothes, I felt tears well up my face. How could I be so stupid? What was I thinking?

Why does it hurt so much?

The soft swish of my cloak and the ruffle of the fur coat served as a signal that I was done. Robin turned to look at me, his cape and torn shirt back on. I determinedly avoided his gaze. There was a long, deafening silence.

For quite a while both of us didn't move. I just stood there on the opposite side of the bonfire. I put the hood of my cloak over my head. I didn't want to look at him. I didn't want him to know that I was crying over something so stupid…

I felt his hand touch my shoulder. I brushed it away.

"Robin, I want you to forget everything that happened during our stay here," I said fiercely. "Everything that I've said and done. I don't want to remember any of it. Neither should you."

Robin didn't respond. The sound of engines resonated from the cave's mouth. I spotted the familiar silhouette of a tall, red-haired girl outside.

"If you care about our friendship, just do it," I added. I knew by now that he noticed I was crying…

"Robin!" Starfire greeted from the cave's mouth. She hastily flew towards Robin and flung herself on him. "I am… delighted to see that you are okay!"

I turned on my heel and walked away, keeping my mind as thoughtless as possible. I didn't need this. Not now. Not ever.

Why did you have to be so nice to me?

"Hey Rae," Cyborg greeted. "You alright?"

"Super," I answered dryly. "Can we go now?"