by: RioN VhEnTeUnO

A/N: Okay... Hope you find this a good one. If the characters seem to be a bit off, it's because Robin and Raven aren't exactly acting like their normal selves. The other Titans will get affected by this, more or less. Enjoy...

Chapter 8

Guilt

(Robin)

It was almost dark when we reached the tower. I never noticed how badly my body hurt until now. I slumped down on my bed and tried to take in what Cyborg explained to me on our trip home.

Turns out Slade's weather controlling super-weapon wasn't a machine at all. It was a bio-engineered creature that he forced Dr. Chang to create. A mind control chip implanted on its brain kept in check. According to Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire distracted both Slade and the creature long enough for him to disrupt the mind control chip. The result was it became self aware, turning on Slade in a matter of moments.

'The way that thing kicked Slade's butt, I'd say he'd be down for a few years, if he survived,' I remembered Cyborg say. 'It didn't just kick his butt, it gave him a good thrashing!'

Slade's survived similar situations before, but it seemed that my mind didn't have any concern for him at the moment.

Why did Raven act that way?

Why do I keep thinking about her?

I shifted on my bed. Has it only been three hours since we got stuck on that cave?

I felt the tear on my shirt. For I moment I thought of the cave… of Raven… I shook my head, stood up and put on a new one. If she wanted me to forget it, then I will. It seemed really hard though.

Why does the thought of forgetting it make me feel so sad?

My stomach growled. That's right, I didn't have anything to eat since… then. I got up and walked briskly out of my room.

As I made my way to the living room, I came across Starfire. A smile formed on her face when she noticed me. I smiled back.

"Oh Robin!" She said excitedly. "I have been worried about your safety when you were gone. You are okay now, yes?"

"Yeah Star, I am," I said, placing my arm around her shoulder. "I'm… really hungry though."

"Come, Robin," She replied, wrapping her arm around my waist. "We shall fetch you a meal of your liking!"

"That sounds good Star," I said.

We reached the living room. Beast Boy must be out in the city again. Cyborg must be recharging his power cell. Raven was surely in her room. As I expected, it was relatively empty except…

Raven instinctively looked up to see who entered the living room. For a fleeting second our eyes met. She hastily turned her attention back to her book. A sharp pang of guilt gnawed at my chest.

I suddenly lost my appetite.

I continued looking at her. Now I know why she wanted to forget. Why she acted that way. It's because of this. Of my relationship with Starfire. How could I be so heartless? How could I hurt her like this? Why did I even made her hope?…

I hung my head. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was. I wanted to at least ease her pain… It was all my fault. Mine and mine alone…

For the very first time in my life, I felt weak.

"…Robin?" Starfire asked, a concerned look on her face.

That snapped me back to reality. "Uh… yeah Star?" I asked. She was holding a box of leftover pizza open in front of me. The slices seemed to have assorted toppings on them.

"I was asking you on what you would like to consume," Starfire said. "Then you did not seem to be yourself. Is something wrong?"

I cleared my throat. "No, I'm… fine," I lied. "I'm… not hungry."

"Whazzup y'all!" Cyborg called out from behind. "The Chrome Dome is back online!"

I chose not to say anything.

"Hey man!" Cyborg greeted, laying a hand on my shoulder. "How're you doing?"

"Super," I answered, brushing his hand away. "I… need to be alone."

With that I hastily went out of the living area and headed straight to my room.

"Hold up, what's gotten into him?" I heard Cyborg ask Starfire from a distance.


A/N: Well, yeah Robin used a bit of Raven's sarcasm in the end of this chapter, but it's purely unintentional. Hope you liked it. Thenext two chapters will be up after this.