"And that makes the… fifth time… you… lose!" Beastboy exclaimed, pulling off an epic finishing move in the game he and Cyborg were playing. "Looks like you'll be doing my chores for the rest of the month." He said as he sighed, leaning back on the couch and closing his eyes.

Cyborg, utterly humiliated and confused at his five straight losses, said the one indignant thing everyone says when they lose: "You cheated."

Beastboy laughed, holding his hands out to his side. "If you think being a better player than you is cheating, then yes. I totally cheated." He gave a toothy grin when Cyborg's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Dude, there is no way you're a better player than me. I have the frame data memorized!" Cyborg said, tapping the side of his head. "I can beat you skinny green behind any day."

"You haven't today." Beastboy told him. "And besides, you're the one cheating if you have data pulled up while we're playing." Beastboy pointed a finger at Cyborg's face, then pointed the thumb back at himself. "It shows how bad you are if you lose while you're cheating."

"Oh, you did not just say that!" Cyborg grabbed Beastboy's remote and handed it to him. "One more round. Loser does the other's chores for a year!"

"Game on!" Beastboy gave his best battle cry, and once more the common room was filled the sounds of grunting, taunting, buttons being mashed, and loud explosions from the TV as the two faced off in their game again. For about three minutes this continued, until a victor was decided. "A-ha! I'll let Robin know about our little bet." Beastboy said, blowing raspberry's at Cyborg.

"That's it greenbean, show me where you're hiding the cheats!" Cyborg grabbed Beastboy's legs and started ringing him out in the air similar to a towel in an effort to find out how he'd been beaten six times in a row.

"Du-u-ude, let me go! No-o one li-i-ikes a sore lo-ose-e-er!" Beastboy's voice warbled as old phones, toys, empty wallets, a few "misplaced" birdarangs, cards, potato chip bags, and various other gadgets fell from his person. His eyes turned to spirals as Cyborg continued his inspection.

"I know you're hiding something BB, don't lie!" Cyborg scanned all the contents that were falling from Beastboy onto the couch, floor, and coffee table. He frowned when his scans revealed nothing, but he wasn't convinced. It wasn't impossible to suffer one or two losses when playing a game, but six? In a row? Nuh uh. Statistically, for someone with Cyborg's skill, that was impossible. "What have you got? A game genie? Did you hire Gizmo? Or did you go into my room and mess with my systems just to give yourself an edge?"

"Would you two shut up?!"

Cyborg and Beastboy froze, turning to look back at the dining table where the voice had originated from. Raven was there, glaring so intensely that the gorgon Medusa would've been scared to look at her. She had stood up from her chair, one hand balled into a fist on the table top. She must've hit it with some amount of force, because her teacup had fallen over and was soaking into her book.

"Um… hey Raven…" Beastboy offered casually, trying to defuse the situation. "How long have you been here?"

"I was reading in here long before you two showed up and started acting like idiots." She barked back. She held up her hand, and a magical aura separated Beastboy and Cyborg, who both let out cries of surprise. "Be quiet, or go somewhere else!"

"Um… there's nowhere else in the tower we can hook up the GameStation to… heh…" Beastboy said meekly.

When Raven's glare deepened, Cyborg gave him the "when she sends us to Valhalla I'm kicking you straight back down to earth" look. Beastboy in return gave him the "what have I said this was a mistake please save me" look. They both looked over to Raven, and for a second her hand twitched as the magic shadow that covered it intensified.

They were saved when Raven's teacup rolled off the table and fell to the floor, shattering and distracting her. "Perfect…" She muttered. She looked higher, to the tabletop, and saw that the spilled tea had soaked several pages and the back cover of her paperback novel. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and no one in the room moved.

Then suddenly, the coffee table rose several feet into the air and came crashing back down. Quite literally, since it was made of glass. Beastboy and Cyborg covered themselves protectively as shards flew everywhere. When everything had quieted down, they slowly turned and looked back up at Raven. Beastboy opened his mouth again, but Raven cut him off.

"Leave me alone. I need to meditate." Then she grabbed her book and stormed out of the room, leaving behind both the broken coffee table and the mess at the dining area for the other two to clean up.

"What was that about?" Beastboy thought to himself. His animal instincts had flared, warning him of danger. Normally, his alpha male tendencies would come out, encouraging him to fight back. He was a hero, after all. But something about her just then had been… terrifying.

"Hey." Cyborg said as he walked to the supply closet and grabbed a broom, while Beastboy grabbed some paper towels from the kitchen. "Doesn't she seem a little… I dunno, angrier than usual these past couple of weeks?"

"Tell me about it!" Beastboy answered. "She avoids us all the time, never talks to us when we try and figure out what's wrong, and then whenever she finally starts coming out of her room it's like she wants to pick a fight over everything!" He carefully picked up the shattered remains of Raven's cup, throwing them into the trashcan.

"I don't know what's going on." Cyborg admitted. "But we need to find some way of helping her."

They both looked at the door with a forlorn expression, wondering if the old Raven they knew would come walking through it.

"Maybe we should just give her some space." Beastboy said. "I don't want to end up shish kebabbed on a flagpole for sneezing too loud." He shuddered.

They were both concerned for her. Raven had been incredibly distant for far too long. Now it seemed whenever they tried to get close, to help in some way, any way they could, it was like sticking their head into a fireplace. There was no way to approach her without getting hurt in some way. But shouldn't a fireplace be a source of comfort and warmth, not pain?

~Hollow~

A few weeks later, Raven was sitting on the roof. Sitting above the roof, floating as she closed her eyes and meditated. Well, tried to meditate is a more accurate description. Something was distracting her; what it was exactly, she couldn't say. There were several things that were preventing her from concentrating: the foul smell from the harbor being carried on the wind, the lack of moisture in the air, the seagulls annoying calls as they circled above, the way the sun seemed unusually bright for no particular and hurt her eyes even when she closed them… maybe it was all these things combined. Maybe it was none of them. The stairwell door creaked open, and Raven sighed. She could hear the other four Titans claiming it to be a nice day out, forming teams for a game of volleyball.

Of course.

No one said anything to her. Raven tried ignoring them as long as possible, which was about twenty minutes. For twenty minutes, Raven listened to the taunts, the victory cries, the strategies being shouted between teammates. It wasn't until Beastboy called out to her, warning her of the wayward ball travelling at 90 miles an hour, did she finally react to them.

Without turning around, Raven used her magic to catch the ball and stopped it a few feet shy of her person. She debated ripping it up and telling them to go away, but that would start an argument, and the last thing she wanted to do was talk to anyone right now. A wish, it seemed, that would not be granted. She dismissed her magic and let go of the ball so it fell to the floor, but she heard someone catch it before it could bounce.

"Hey Raven, you wanna come be referee?" Robin asked.

Be quiet.

She shook her head. There was something violent coiling inside her, a demon tensing up as it got ready to attack.

Starfire appeared in front of her, looking at her with wide, curious eyes. "Please? Surely you must be bored by yourself." She held up her hand, and Robin threw her the ball. "This sport is most entertaining; I beg you, come volley the ball with us!" She said with a smile, bouncing it on her hand a few times.

You took him away.

"No." Raven told her, trying to keep her voice even and neutral. It was getting pretty difficult. She could feel that demon inside her ready to snap. She took a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders.

All the Titans gathered in front of her, giving her a wide smile. "Pleasssee?"

"I said no!" Raven used her magic to send the ball far out to the sea, and everyone looked at her stunned. "What part of that don't you understand?" There was a loud rumbling, and the ground shuddered beneath Raven, sending cracks out in various directions. "Leave. Me. Alone." She warned, planting her feet on the ground and walking away.

She made it down the stairwell and was almost halfway down the hall before she sensed another presence following after her.

"Raven! What's wrong?"

You have no right to ask that. Not now.

She debated not responding to Robin. Ignoring him and continuing to her room would be the safest, easier route for the both of them. But a part of her knew that he'd follow. A small part of her hoped he would follow and make sure she was okay, like he'd once done, like he was doing now. But the demon roared at that hopeful part of her and forced her to turn around, to make her realize that he wasn't there for her. He was there for himself, to ease his troubled mind because he could not ease hers.

"I thought I made it clear to leave me be." Raven said, her voice cold and uncaring.

"We're worried about you." He said, taking a step forward. He stopped when she glared at him.

He did this.

"Oh really?" She asked.

"Yes, really!" Robin said, frowning and letting a bit of frustration slip into his words. "I don't know what's going on, Raven but I don't want to see you upset like this anymore. I want to help you."

He made me cry.

"That's rich, coming from you, of all people." She turned and started walking away, but his grabbed her arm and held her in place, preventing her from moving.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She heard him ask.

After everything we've been through, you left me to cry on the floor of my room like some pathetic weakling who couldn't live without you.

Raven turned around punched him the jaw, knocking him to the ground. He looked up at her in total shock, hand coming up to cover the spot she'd hit. "It means you should know why I'm upset, without having to ask! You should know what's bothering me because it should be bothering you, too!" She looked down at him, at the confusion written on his face as plain as day, and the sudden realization left her feeling cold. "Oh Azar. You have no idea, do you?" She asked quietly, almost to the point where he didn't hear it.

He doesn't know that the bond between us is gone.

Robin watched as her eyes widened, and for a second he thought he could see sorrow or guilt in them. But that thought left his head when she spoke up again. "No, I suppose not." She sneered down at him, turning and walking away. Just before she disappeared around the corner, he heard her mutter, "How could you when you never cared?"

Robin was too stunned to go after her. It was several moments before he picked himself up off the floor and went to the kitchen to grab an ice pack.

~Hollow~

Starfire had flow out over the sea and searched for the volleyball, but it was long gone. The three Titans on the roof headed inside after Robin didn't return for a few minutes. So much for their plan to cheer Raven up. Nothing had backfired quite that badly in some time. In hindsight, maybe including her in a game of volleyball wasn't the best solution. Maybe they should've left her alone, like she'd been saying for so long.

Defeated, they went into the common room, glad to be in the air conditioning once more. It was awful outside.

"Robin? What is the matter?" Starfire asked.

Beastboy and Cyborg turned to him, and they saw that Robin was in the kitchen holding an ice pack to his jawline.

"It's nothing, Star."

"It doesn't look like nothing." Cyborg said. He walked over and grabbed the ice pack out of his hand, ignoring Robin's protests. He didn't need to scan him to see the bruise that was forming. "She hit you?"

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?" Beastboy and Starfire cried out at the same time.

"..." Robin shook his head, picking up the ice pack again. "I don't know what happened." He admitted, looking down at the ground. "I was trying to help her, and she just…" Robin scowled. "Whatever. It was her choice. If she doesn't want help, she won't get any." He turned around and rested his elbows on the counter, with his back facing towards the others. He rested the ice pack against his flesh, grateful for the cooling sensation. Whether he admitted it or not, Raven had one hell of a right hook.

There was a sudden gust of wind, and Beastboy and Cyborg called out, "Starfire!" Robin turned around to see her flying out of the common room, throwing the ice pack on the counter as he ran beside the others. They caught up to her when she stopped outside of Raven's bedroom. Everyone had a sinking feeling when they that Starfire's eyes were completely green.

"Raven!" Starfire forced the door open, and they could see Raven staring out her window from in the hallway. "Apologize, now!" No one had ever seen Starfire this angry before, but Raven was angry too.

"And if I don't?" She asked casually, not looking over to the others. "What will you do? Attack me?" If it had been any darker they wouldn't have seen Raven smirk, as though she wanted to deliberately provoke Starfire.

Starfire growled and levitated into the air, and if they had been any slower the resulting battle might've brought down Titans Tower. Cyborg just barely managed to wrap his arms around her waist, and Beastboy turned into a squid, wrapping two tentacles around her legs and using the others to latch onto the wall and the roof. Robin jumped in front of her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders and pushing her back.

"Starfire!" He grunted, bracing his legs as he tried to stop her from attacking Raven. "This isn't going to help!" He tried reasoning with her. He looked into her eyes, and her gaze softened. "Stop this." He asked.

Slowly, she relaxed and settled back onto the ground. Everyone let go and exhaled, relieved that she'd come to her senses. Starfire gave one last look at Raven, mixed with confusion, anger, and empathy, before turning around and leaving. Robin followed after her. Beastboy looked between Raven and the other two, then left as well.

"Raven…" Cyborg said. He didn't know what he wanted to say. He didn't know if there was anything he could say. "I'll be back in a moment to fix your door." He eventually settled on, rubbing the back of his head, walking away to get his tools.

When he came back, Raven hadn't moved. But the look on her face now seemed almost… pensive.

~Hollow~

Once Cyborg had left, Raven sat down on her bed and crossed her legs beneath her, using her powers to levitate her mirror to her hand. She looked into it, focused on it, blinked once… and Nevermore surrounded her.

Her emotions were gathered around her, and Raven approached Anger. "What have you done?" She asked, her voice threatening.

"What you were too scared to do." Bravery responded, causing Raven to turn around. "He deserved it. So would Starfire, if the others hadn't stopped her."

"You made me attack my friends!" Raven cried out. "It doesn't matter how much I hate what's happened, that's a low I should've never stooped to."

"It all comes full circle." Anger said. "They did this to you. They were the ones who hurt you. Why are you so hesitant to hurt them back?"

"Because they're my friends." Raven said. "And I will never do something like this again."

Anger laughed, and Bravery smirked as it came to stand beside it. "How do you plan on accomplishing this?"

"Simple." Raven held up a hand, and the two emotions in front of her frowned.

"Ooooh, so you'll send us away like Happy?" Bravery rolled her eyes.

"Haven't you learned anything?" Raven turned her head to the left, where Wisdom was approaching. "Locking us away won't change what's going on outside." Wisdom sighed, holding up a hand. "No matter what, Robin will love Starfire. Sealing us away isn't going to change that."

"Maybe not." Raven agreed. "But at the very least, I can face the others without fear of blowing away furniture or beating up the people who care about me." She floated into the air, and all the different facets of her personality appeared beneath her. "I'm sick of feeling depressed. I'm sick of being angry, and being in love. I'm sick of feeling!" Raven said, holding her hands out to the side, where the shadows started arcing out to the ground. "All of you are going away, until I'm ready to feel again."

The shadows around her hands fell to the ground, and the pieces of her personality cried out as they started getting pulled into the shadows, into the dark vortex that were so intrinsically linked to her soul.

"You will regret this!" Anger cried out, trying to fly up to meet Raven. The shadows held it down, and Raven looked down at it with apathy.

"Stop this!" Wisdom cried out. "If you do this, you may never recover!"

Raven ignored them. She focused all her power on sealing the emotions away, so she could be free of the burden they carried. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" She could hear the emotions screaming beneath her, but they all faded away and the darkness took her as well.

~Hollow~

Raven wearily opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling. It was dark out. She must've fallen asleep. Yes, that explained the sudden time jump.

But what was she doing before she fell asleep?

She remembered something about seagulls… no, the others were playing a game on the roof… and what had she been doing?

Raven sat up, and a clinking sound brought her attention to the bed.

Her mirror lay shattered, and the glass had fallen out of it. Raven carefully picked up a shard, turning it over in her hand. Slowly, she got out of bed and looked at all the fragments that were on her mattress.

Oh, that's right. She'd gotten into a fight with Robin. And then Starfire had come along…

Raven frowned. Something was still missing. She must've gone to Nevermore to find out why her emotions had caused her to attack Robin and come within a hair's breadth of fighting Starfire.

"Odd," She thought, "Because I feel fine now."

She remembered why she'd attacked Robin. But she didn't feel that same hurt right now.

No, she didn't feel anything at all. There were no more emotions inside of her, nothing to feel with. She was empty.