CHAPTER 7 - LOVING
Robin dared not struggle. He was one of the 5 bravest heroes of the city, but he was still human, and most humans are afraid of guns. He watched with saddened eyes as Starfire's hands stopped glowing, as Beast Boy transformed from tiger to man, as Cyborg lowered his sonic cannon, as Raven… lay in pain.
"You taught your team well Robin." Tarot smiled as he glared evilly at the 3 Titans in front of him. "But not well enough!". Before they could defend themselves, Tarot had sent them flying towards the wall with his magic. Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire all groaned as their backs collided hard with the bricks and they fell to the floor where they lay awake but paralysed.
"No!" Raven shouted to Tarot as she witnessed her friends hurt, he was doing the same thing to her a moment before, and she knew it hurt.
Tarot, who still had a strong grip on Robin, strode over towards the empath and stared at her blankly, then he slapped her around the face. The scream made the other's wanna kill this villain. Robin tried harder than ever to get free, not worrying about the gun anymore, but more about Raven's safety.
"You bastard!" She shouted, holding her reddened cheek. Tarot merely laughed.
"Little goth, you are powerless against me. At least you will be in a few minutes!" Tarot threatened. For a moment, Raven looked confused.
"I'll never give you my powers! I'm not the sort of girl to brake promises." Raven muttered, sadly. At those words, Robin looked at her. She was beaten, broken, scarred. Bruises were appearing on her body, her cheek was blood red, her eyes showed nothing but determination being cheered on by sadness. He'd done that to her.
'Raven. I'm so, so sorry.' Robin sighed mentally.
"Maybe not… but promises can be broken under different circumstances!", And with that, Tarot broke off into a run, Robin still over his shoulder. Suddenly Tarot stopped and looked back. "If you want your friend to die, then I suggest not following." Then, he disappeared.
"ROBIN!" Raven screamed, immediately regretting trying to get up. Her body couldn't take the pressure, but she needed to save him, her… one true love. The boy who had helped her out of so many situations and saved her life on numerous occasions. Raven needed to go after him. She strained as she got up, leaning on the wall for support. She walked over to her friends who were also getting up.
"Whoa! Dude who knew he was that strong." Beast Boy said as he dusted himself off and stretched his back.
"Yes, it seems we underestimated the full extent of the Tarot of Tattoos powers. And now he has Robin!" Starfire cried. Cyborg put his arm round her.
"Don't worry, we'll get Robin back. Titans…."
Raven held out her hand, stopping Cyborg in mid sentence. They all stared at her, waiting for some words, although they all knew what she was about to say.
"No!" Cyborg stated clearly. "We're a team and we're doing this together."
Raven sighed. She knew that she had their support, but this time, she didn't want it.
"Don't you get it! It's me he wants! I'm going alone." Raven cried, a single tear coming down her face, one of the only times she'd shown emotion. "I'm not gonna let you guys put your lives at risk for me, I'm not worth it."
Everyone stared in disbelief. They couldn't believe that this is how Raven had sunk, completely doubting her existence. But, none of them knew how she felt, being the cause of all the trouble. Cyborg walked up to her and let his hand rest on her shoulder.
"Raven. After everything we've been through, you've grown stronger. I can't believe you would even consider saying that about yourself. You are a hero, a good person who would sacrifice everything in an instant just to make others happy. You say you're not worth it, but you are, and so much more, especially to me, BB, Star… and Robin. He loves you and would never want to see you like this. You put our lives at risk for us, so why wouldn't we do it for you?"
Cyborg stared at his dark sister, looking in her eyes for some kind of emotion.
"I love him too." Raven sighed and ran into Cyborg's arms. Cyborg just held her as Starfire and Beast Boy looked on. Raven let go. "Which is why I'm going alone Cyborg. I caused this. I let my guard down, got branded by his tattoo and now he wants me, and he's using Robin as bait. I'm not letting you come with me, team or no team, this is my mission."
Cyborg understood. As much as he didn't want to, he knew she wasn't gonna back down. "I know Raven. Robin can look after himself, and it's a trap, but I know what love feels like. If you're not back in 30 minutes, we're coming after you."
Raven smiled and wiped away another tear, a tear that secretly said thank you. She turned to face Beast Boy and Starfire, who had remained quiet for a while.
"You won't need to come after me. I'll get Robin back. Tarot is hardly a villain anyway and all he's got against Robin is a gun." Raven said before turning around and rising off the ground, about to fly off into Tarot's direction.
"If he isn't much of a villain then why are you dying?"
Raven stopped and turned back, tracing the sound of the voice. It was Beast Boy's. Raven smiled and flew off, not replying with an answer. She had to find Robin and Tarot. She knew he wouldn't hurt Robin because he wanted her dead, and Robin was the way he was gonna get it. Using her mental bond with Robin, she flew towards them. Sadly, Tarot had had a head start and Raven's body needed rest. But she refused to give up.
Urgh! Where are they!' she screamed mentally. Then her communicator went off. She opened it to see Starfire's face.
"Friend Raven. Robin and the Tarot are near the beach on the tops of the cliffs. You must hurry before it is too late!" Starfire rushed, hating this predicament of being on the sidelines.
"Don't worry Starfire. Tarot won't hurt Robin until I get there. He's safe."
"Raven, it is your safety I worry for too! Please, please be careful and be safe." Starfire smiled. Raven returned the smile. "I will." Then she closed the communicator.
'Azar always said that everything happens for a reason.' Raven said as she scanned her back with her finger. 'I guess my real destiny is to die for love'. She stopped and realised her goal, to find her love. She dashed as fast as her small frame could carry her towards the cliffs at the beach.
