(It's been forever since I updated this, I know. It always got pushed to the back of my mind, other things taking up its time. I actually wrote most of this months ago and recently found it stashed into one of my many notebooks. I have this notorious habit for slow updating, which I hope to change. The good news is that I've probably grown as a writer in the months between my last update and now. So here it is, at last. Chapter Three: Away)

Shards of liquid diamond poured from the clouds; the delicate mix of rain and ice forming in Terra's own heart. The silent cold froze her tears and emotions, binding them together in a knot of numbness. Should she just end it now? She couldn't live this way anymore; she needed forgiveness.

She gazed at her messenger bag thoughtfully, then, a look of determination flooding her eyes, she pulled out a small pocketknife. Almost on an impulse, she gently slit her finger, biting her lip against the pain. She watched intently as a tiny crystalline drop of crimson edged beyond the skin and dropped with a gentle plink into the clear water of the lake she was crouched over.

Once within the crystal liquid, the little drop shed it's solidified form and began to branch out. It elongated; wisps of blood fully immersed in their new environment.

Terra watched it desperately, fighting to be one with that drop. If only she could shed her body, shed it and soar with the wind. To become the essence of time, to go beyond all worldly boundaries…

She gazed at the sparkling platinum of the blade and fought the desire to hold it against her neck, to feel the warmth of her blood coursing down in a crimson necklace of death.

She held it, held the knife in her trembling hands and knew she never could. She couldn't sentence her beloved Beast Boy to a life of misery; after all he had done for her. After the way he had loved her. Her choice could destroy his life. She couldn't.

A small sigh that mingled with the breeze squeezed through her lips as she pocketed the knife and gazed into the lake in front of her. Her reflection stared back at her, the waves of indigo color in her eyes frozen with hatred.

It's all your fault. You almost killed them. You can never be good Terra. You were born to be evil. Do not fight your own destiny. No one can stop what is destined to be.

"No!" she cried, splashing at the cruel image that both was and was not her own. Even though her reflection was shattered, reduced to mere ripples, the voices continued.

They hate you, Terra. You can see it in their eyes. They know you can never change. They will never forgive you for what you've done. It is too horrible to be forgiven. You are evil. Evil. Evil. Evil.

"No," Terra mouthed, her voice frozen. She wasn't evil. She couldn't be. Her world began to spin, dazzling her with myriads of whirling color. She wasn't…

"Evil," Terra murmured as the dance of colors slowly faded to waiting darkness.

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Pain. Beast Boy knew it well, most of all his heart. He felt it now, throbbing deep in his core. An emptiness that throbbed with anguish, a hurt that couldn't heal. A hurt that only Terra could cause.

A gentle shuffling rattled his eardrums and he looked up, green eyes sad but tinged with hope. The tall alien princess hovered near his desk, her lamp-like eyes fearful. She opened her mouth to say something, perhaps a condolence, but thought better of it and flew out of then den.

Beast Boy sighed. He couldn't blame the Titans for acting the way they were. After all, Terra had almost gotten them killed. Attempted murder is not an easy crime to forgive. He had only accomplished it because his love for her smothered any other emotions he might feel towards the blonde earthmover. If it had been a different Titan, perhaps he would feel the way he was sure they felt now.

At least they had the decency to look chagrined after Terra's early morning flight, Beast Boy thought, flicking a piece of green hair out of his mossy eyes. Even Raven had apologized, though somewhat reluctantly. The happiness that blossomed in his heart at their apologies wilted as he realized that they were for his benefit rather than Terra's.

Anxiety flickered through his troubled oculars, rippling throughout his whole body. Where was Terra? Was she okay? Was she hurt? Where had she gone? These questions tormented him, bouncing through his mind. Was it his fault? This question troubled him the most. The thought of Terra's life ending because of him was enough to make his own heart skip a beat.

Anger washed into his eyes like water rushing over a floodgate into a dry riverbed. Terra would be fine! She was strong. She didn't need him trailing after her wherever she went! If she wanted to leave the Titans, leave him, then fine. That was her choice.

He sighed for the millionth time that day. His eyes were weary and premature wrinkles creased his forehead. His heart ached, ached for its medicine. Ached for Terra.

He transformed into a little green mouse, a squeak echoing from within him as he dropped to the floor. His color was slightly duller than usual and his eyes lacked their normal luster. He scurried across the enormous wooden planks and under his bed.

The familiar musty smell of pine and dust enveloped his sensitive nostrils. Beast Boy scurried over what seemed to be mountains of junk until he finally reached the entrance. He scurried through the little hole; eagerly awaiting what he knew would enrapture him.

A dim light in the corner was the only thing that penetrated the dark vastness of the small interior. A picture of Terra, grinning for once, encased by a gilded frame was the centerpiece of the shrine. A lock of her blonde hair was splayed on the floor, serving as a bed for the weary mouse. Beast Boy scuttled over to it, settling quickly into its loving warmth. He took deep breaths, trying to catch any lingering scent of her. His Terra.

Gazing at her bemused smile, he thought of the day the small shrine had been constructed. Cyborg had been rewiring Beast Boy's electricity when Beast Boy had made the strange request for a small hollow area big enough for a mouse. Cyborg obliged and, at that point, Beast Boy had placed his sacred artifacts of Terra within, before the robot closed it up. He had mentioned it to her and it was sort of a game between them to see if Terra could figure out where the shrine was.

A small smile echoed in the eyes of the grassy mouse as memories misted over his vacant eyes. Terra. Her eyes, her vainglorious circlets of pure indigo gazed down upon him, willing him to jump into the picture with her.

His thoughts filled the room, bouncing off the corners, metamorphosing into daggers, stabbing him mind as they rebounded back. Terra. I can't find you. I'm lost. Help me, Terra. Find me.