An Author's note: Oh, my aching hands! I got some sort of red rash thing and it hurts like crazy! Darned cream the doctor prescribed isn't doing a darned thing at all! In fact I think it is making it worse.

Ouch! And they are puffy too! Gotta find a hand expert or something like that. In the meantime it's Advil for me! (I do not own the Advil company! But the meds are helpful.)

Oh, and Cheese, if you are reading this know that this chapter may contain some OOCness on Raven's part and maybe even some of my "corniness". Hope you can stomach it. Just thought I might warn you.

This is the chapter where we all get to see just how crazy Sanath really is.

On with the show...

Chapter Twenty-One

Building Some Chaos

After Beast Boy had left to find the others Raven walked over to the bed and checked underneath one of the big fluffy pillows. Sure enough, there was the candlestick, ready and waiting. She really did not have much of a plan; it mainly consisted of her asking Sanath what she needed to know and then trying to bludgeon him into either unconsciousness or death, though the death part was highly unlikely.

There was nothing she could do but wait. She hated waiting, especially when she believed her friends were in danger. She desperately wished for her powers…but maybe it was better that she did not have them. The last time she had faced Sanath with her powers she had lost control and had almost done something horrible. She did not know precisely what that something might have been, but it must have been horrible since it involved her demon form.

She was, after all, a monster. You can only expect horrible things from monsters.

Eventually, she once again heard the now familiar footsteps approaching her. She felt her stomach flip-flop. Why she was so nervous she did not know. Sanath was crazy, it was true, but he was no crazier than some of the other villains she had faced in her life. But for some reason the thought of him filled her with more fear than any one else had ever done, including her father.

He opened the door and looked at her, that strange vague look still on his face. She hated that look. He had never looked like that before the night he killed Hadiran. Before that night Sanath had always seemed intelligent and thoughtful and always aware of what he was saying and doing. He had never had this bizarre disconnected expression before. Perhaps that was what scared Raven so much. It was as if someone else had replaced the Sanath she had known with this strange emotionless doll or puppet. It was like he was possessed by his own demon, and she had no clue what to do about it.

"The wedding will be in two days, my bride." He said, and Raven tried not to cringe at that word. She needed to convince Sanath that she was willing and able to work with him in order to get him to open up.

"Two days? I thought it would be tonight." She said, trying to sound disappointed about the delay.

"One night is not enough time." He said. "I want it to be perfect for you Raven, and two days is the soonest that can happen."

She blinked. It was so strange. He had killed the man who had been like a brother to her, kidnapped and threatened her friends and was basically forcing her to do his will, but on the other hand he seemed like he honestly cared for her. She had once compared Sanath to Malchior, but she knew now that was a false impression. The dragon had only wanted to use her. But Sanath, though a madman, did seem to care for her in an insane, possessive way.

Hoping that he would not get suspicious, she sat down on the bed and secretly positioned herself so that she could easily reach a certain candlestick under the pillows. She invited him to get in with her, desperately praying that he would not think of this as an invitation to do…that. She didn't think she could handle…that.

"You are not fighting me anymore?" Sanath said as he relaxed beside her.

"What good will fighting do? All that would happen is that Robin will die. I'll help you with whatever you want, Sanath. And, besides, we are going to be married, so I might as well get used to this." Raven stared into Sanath's mad eyes "I'll help you with your revolution, ruling your kingdom, anything you wish. Fighting you will gain me nothing, but helping you will."

He seemed satisfied with this answer. Raven tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. Now, if she could just get him to talk.

"Sanath?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Tell me more of your plans. I want to help you." She said softly.

He smiled. "There is not much left that I have not told you. Like I said before, next will come the Nazlar kingdom. I plan on overwhelming their palace with my monsters and slaughtering the royal family, then making myself the ruler. That will be even easier, now that you will be my wife. You are, after all, a member of the royal family. Soon, you will be the queen. Think of the kingdom as your wedding present."

"But I'm still a priestess, how will they accept me?"

"The Nazlar have accepted Makhar rulers before, they will do it again. Or else."

"The Nazlar are fierce, Sanath. Where will the troops come from?"

"I have been summoning the monsters through a portal in the Scratch. It is near the Nazlar kingdom, and it is the only place they are being summoned from. The monster army is gathering there waiting to strike on my command. It will only be a matter of weeks before they are ready."

Raven tried not to leap for joy. She knew about the Scratch, a group of canyons that were arranged in the basic form of claw marks in the ground. It was a very distinctive landmark, and now she knew exactly where the Uglies were coming from. Now all that was left to do was to get out of here and rejoin the Titans.

Sanath was staring at her chest. At first Raven dismissed this as typical male behavior, but then Sanath reached over and grabbed a certain necklace and brought it up to his face. He looked at it with critical eyes, and Raven once again became very nervous. Gently he pushed the locket button and stared at the picture of her friends inside.

"You." He growled. His eyes had changed. Now instead of slightly vague they now seemed to glow with madness and rage. "It's all a lie isn't it?" he growled.

"No, I-" Raven tried to repair what she could already tell was the beginnings of a disaster, but Sanath cut her off by slapping her across the mouth. His blow was so forceful that she was thrown from the bed to land on the floor with a thump. He was on her in a flash like a lion.

"YOU FILTY LYING BITCH!" He roared as he grabbed her by the throat. "You think I'm some sort of fool?! I can see right through your lies, you little monster!"

"Stop-"she started, but Sanath's hands tightened around her neck, cutting of her air. He lifted her up of the ground and stared into her eyes. Any shred of sanity he might have once had was gone now, replaced by a horrible rage. Was this how he looked when he murdered Hadiran? Raven thought it was. She gagged and gasped for air, but none came. She tried to struggle out of his grasp, but it was useless. Soon her struggles ceased, and she just hung there in Sanath's hands.

It was so strange. It was so much like her dream…it was almost surreal. Or maybe the surreal ness was due to the lack of oxygen to her brain. She could feel herself dying…and while her throat initially hurt now it was like fading away.

It was almost peaceful.

Out of the corner of her eyes Raven saw a tinny green speck out the window. Said speck then shifted to a green pterodactyl. Beast Boy. With a shriek the young shape shifter dove through the glass of the window and began to claw at Sanath's back. Without a thought for himself Beast Boy lashed out at Sanath, wings beating and talons raking.

Growling, Sanath dropped Raven and grabbed for Beast Boy. His hands caught the green dinosaur by the wings, and Sanath attempted to pull Beast Boy apart. Swiftly Beast Boy shifted to a snake and slithered from Sanath's grasp. He coiled around Sanath's legs and struck. It was too bad he was not a poisonous snake. Nevertheless, Beast Boy managed to hit Sanath on the knee. The huge Halfblood stumbled back. The two combatant's eyes met.

Beast Boy the snake paused at the look on Sanath's face. It was just so…angry. Sanath stared at Beast Boy and then began to-

Giggle?

Now, Sanath had a very deep, one could say manly, voice. It was not the voice one used for a giggle. It was just too bizarre to hear giggles coming out of the mouth of a huge creature like Sanath. It almost as strange as it would have been if Slade dropped into the Tower, wearing a pink tutu, singing The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Music.

It was just plain weird, and wrong.

Beast Boy shifted back to human and asked "Dude, what is your problem?"

"So…so you're the one? Her little green lover?" Sanath giggled again, Beast Boy wished he would stop doing that. "You're the little Fullblood trying to steal her away? Where was she hiding you? In the closet? In the dresser? Under the bed?"

Beast Boy started at the nut job. Had he really known that Beast Boy had hid under the bed, or was this just the result of being a maniac?

"I can hear them, you know?" Sanath whispered the strange vague look back on his face. He just stood there, swaying back and forth like he was being buffeted by a strong wind that did not exist. Beast Boy could only stare at Sanath in fascination. He had never seen anyone act like this before. "They think you should die, you filthy green mutant. They say I should kill you and put you up with those fools swinging in the wind out there…and you know what? I AGREE WITH THEM!"

At the last sentence Sanath lunged for Beast Boy, his huge hand balled into a fist. All the while Sanath was screaming "FULLBLOOD LOVERS NEVER DO ANYTHING BUT HURT! HE TAUGHT ME THAT! HE TAUGHT ME THAT!!!" Beast Boy shifted to hummingbird and zipped above Sanath, whose fist connected with wall creating a huge dent.

"Nothing but hurt!" Sanath growled. "Nothing. Nothing." Beast Boy shifted to a ram in midair. While airborne he kicked Sanath in the back and vaulted towards where Raven lay. He stood in front of her, horns up and stance firm. He was ready to defend.

"They rape them and they leave them." Sanath muttered, apparently now talking to the wall. "They kill them and leave young Halfbloods alone in the world to be abused. Oh Moooooooooootttttttheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

At this last scream, for that was what it was, Sanath turned and focused on Beast Boy, who now was so terrified of this guy, he really just wanted to run. Beast Boy did not move, however. He would defend Raven.

"Raven…you'll do the same to her, won't you? I know what you really want, Mutant." Sanath charged towards Beast Boy. "ALL YOU WANT IS WHAT THEY ALL WANT! I WON'T LET YOU!!!!"

Dude! He thinks he is DEFENDING her! He really cares about her! What happened to this guy? Beast Boy did not hesitant even as he thought this. He charged at Sanath, as if he wanted to lock horns. Instead he leaped into the air, shifted to kangaroo, and gave Sanath a mighty kick. Unfortunately the madman snagged his tail and started to fling Beast Boy around like a club. Poor Beast Boy felt like he was used to hit every single wall in the room. He could feel something wet and sticky starting to run down the back of his head, and he smelled blood.

His blood.

A flash of dark blue, and suddenly Raven had leapt on Sanath's back. She had something long and golden in her hands. She used it to choke him, pressing it aggressively against his neck. Roaring in rage Sanath flung Beast Boy away and shook Raven off. Snarling he used his claws on her head, practically ripping her forehead open to the bone. It was a minor miracle that her chakra was not damaged. She fell to the ground and he stomped on her leg, breaking it. She shrieked in pain and writhed on the ground.

Soon, however, her screams stopped. She locked eyes with Sanath, even though she was nearly blinded by her own blood. But blood was not the only thing that blinded her; there were tears in her eyes as well. They were even running down her face, mingling with the blood and making it pink.

"What happened to you?" She asked Sanath weakly, the sobs she could no longer contain making her voice sound thick. "You were nice once. You used to be so kind to me."

Sanath never looked away from Raven, but his face…started changing. It twitched and contorted, as if something was fighting to get out.

"You…you taught me how to fish Sanath." Raven said "You were so kind and gentle. How could you do this?"

"Raven?" Sanath muttered, as if he was seeing her for the first time. Once again the look in his eyes changed. Rage turned into horror in an instant. The insane look faded, replaced with a sane one. "Raven? Oh dear Azar, what have I done?!"

He dropped to his knees, looking at Raven as if he was just now seeing her for the first time.

"The voices…they took over didn't they?" Sanath said "They took over…and they hurt you, Little Raven. What have I done? What…" he looked around the room "Where am I?"

Beast Boy limped over to Raven and stood protectively beside her. Sanath looked at Beast Boy as if he was also seeing the other Titan for the first time.

"Who are you?"

"You crazy jackass!" Beast Boy bellowed "You just tried to kill Raven! You've been killing everyone you meet! You killed Hadiran, and the king, and you were going to kill our friends! How dare you act like you don't know what is going on!"

"What! Hadiran is dead! How!?" Sanath looked shocked.

"Dude, you killed him. Didn't you hear me! You murdered him!"

"No, he's a friend. Why would I…the voices must have-"

"You coward! You can't blame your actions on voices!"

"I…I…" Sanath dropped his head and started pounding on it with his hands "Shut up! All of you shut up! Leaver her alone! Alone I say!" Sanath then raised his head to look at Beast Boy.

"Listen to me." He said "I can't control them. They are taking me over, and I can't stop it. Take Raven and run! Run as far and as fast as you can!"

"Sanath." Raven said her voice still weak. "It's really you this time, isn't it?"

"Little one, I know you probably can't forgive me…but I am sorry." Sanath's expression was so filled with grief that it managed to cut through Beast Boy's anger. It was true. For the moment Sanath was sane. But who knew how long it would last.

"I...forgive the man you were, not the voices that control you." Raven said, and that seemed to satisfy Sanath. He noticed the chain around Raven's leg, and he reached over and snapped the chain in two with almost no effort.

"Go." He said "Run, they are coming back."

Beast Boy gently picked Raven up and cradled her in his arms. She was so weary that she did not object once; although normally she would have probably complained and made sarcastic comments. She just might do that afterwards, but right now she was too tired. Sanath watched them with an almost envious expression. Beast Boy could tell it was time to leave.

As he headed for the door he heard the real Sanath speak one more time. "Who are you, green one?" He asked.

"Beast Boy." Beast Boy answered.

"Take care of Little Raven for me, I can't save myself, but you can save her." Sanath said with a shaky voice.

Beast Boy nodded and left, trying to hurry and be careful of Raven's injuries at the same time.

After they left, Sanath closed his eyes and tried to keep the voices away. He fought a battle in his own mind. A battle he was destined to lose, but he fought anyway to buy Beast Boy and Raven time. The voices consumed him and drowned him out, banishing him back into darkness.

Eventually he stood up, the mad look back in his eyes. The voices had won again.

Just as they always had.

Cyborg watched as Beast Boy shifted from fly to dinosaur. He growled, what was the grass stain thinking? He was supposed to be sneaking around, not crashing thru windows like a commando!

Cyborg focused his red electronic eye. That eye was a pretty useful thing, and one of its many talents was that it could work like a small telescope. He focused the telescopic eye at the window that Beast Boy had smashed. He saw Beast Boy fighting a big, black…err…minotaur? Cyborg supposed that the guy was a minotaur or something like that. Could this be…?

"Hey, Arcktos, what does Sanath look like?" Cyborg asked.

"He's big, he has black fur, and he looks a lot like a minotaur, why?" the prince said.

"I think Beast Boy is fighting him up there." Cyborg said, now really irritated at the grass stain. Why couldn't Beast Boy hold his temper?

"If they are fighting then there is only one thing to do." Arcktos snarled. "We must follow your leader's plan and attack!"

"Huh?" Cyborg was only able to get that one word out. Arcktos had already leapt out of their hiding place and was running towards the palace gates screaming a war cry. Shaking his head, Cyborg charged after him, wondering how in the world he managed to associate with such idiots. They were followed by Starfire and the dwarfs. All of said dwarfs had war hammers and axes, but more likely they had both.

Cyborg watched as Arcktos skillfully climbed the gates. Cyborg was there a few moments later and simply crashed thru the gates with his big fist. With one blow he destroyed the gate completely. He heard the blowing of horns and the shouting of guards. Technically, because he was part-robot, he no longer really had an adrenalin system anymore. However, he still felt eager and ready for battle, and he wanted to smack everyone who dared hurt his friends.

Guards rushed towards Arcktos, who leaped on one, hit him over the head and flung him away. Then Arcktos punched started punching another one. Cyborg joined him. He picked up a guard and simply used the guy as a club for a while. Star and the dwarfs arrived a few seconds later, Star stunning guards left and right with mild starbolts, and the dwarfs literally mowed over anyone stupid enough to get in their way.

Soon the guards had been pounded into submission and unconsciousness. Cybog's ears picked up a very angry whinny. Turning, Cyborg noticed a big stable. Grinning, Cyborg charged towards the stable and burst through the doors.

He was right! It was their night horses, all of them. Cyborg felt something nudge his arm, and he looked over at Gigantus, who snorted at Cyborg as if he was glad to see him. Cyborg looked around and spotted a very irritated looking Mithrah. The night horse's fangs were bared and he looked ready and willing to bite. Hard. Very hard.

A nasty glint in his eye, Cyborg slowly walked over to Mithrah, who gave him a dirty look. Mithrah looked ready to kill something, and while Cyborg did not particularly like Mithrah, he remembered that these guys had homing instincts. Maybe they could be used to find Raven.

"Hey boy," Cyborg said, trying not to show fear. "You wanna help me find Raven?"

The big creature snorted, looking quite ready to find his mommy. Making sure his body was pointed away from the door; Cyborg eased the stall door open. A split second later Mithrah was out the stall door and charging outside with a bloodthirsty howl. Cyborg really hoped that no one would be dumb enough to get in his way. Acting quickly now Cyborg opened the rest of the stall doors, even the ones that did not contain one of their night horses.

Now, when night horses see another night horse apparently on a rampage, they will naturally want to join in. As soon as Cyborg had released the other night horses the
Titans had been using followed Mithrah, ready to do some damage with him. The other night horses in the stables, seeing a group of night horses on a warpath, started smashing anything they saw that was dumb enough to get in their way. Fortunately, the dwarfs knew how to avoid angry night horses, so they were okay. Arcktos did not seem to have any problems avoiding them either. Starfire simply flew over the resulting chaos.

Cyborg knew that the best thing to do was to follow the night horse path of destruction. He was certain that Mithrah would seek out Raven, and lead them right to her.

He only hoped that she was okay.

"Okay, what is going on out there?" Robin asked.

Jinx peared through the grate above his head. "Looks like they are starting the attack." She said.

"Now! But it's to soon!"

"Well, that is what they are doing." Jinx said "Something must have gone wrong. Murphy's Law I guess."

Robin gritted his teeth. "Okay, get me out of this so we can look for Raven and Beast Boy."

Jinx nodded and hexed Robin's and Winterwing's chains. Robin was more than happy to lose those chains, they were starting to hurt. Winterwing growled happily and bared his sharp teeth, ready to sink them into a certain Halfblood.

"Aright," Robin said, going into leader mode. "We have to head upwards and-"

"Hey, Boy Blunder!" Jinx bellowed at him.

Robin winched, he hated being called that! "What?" he growled.

Jinx pointed in the general direction of, well his boxers. "You going to go like that, or are you going to find some clothes or something?"

Robin turned a bit red. "Ummm, yeah, I probably should find some clothes."

"What is it with Deaf Ones and their clothing?" Winterwing flicked his ears.

Jinx hexed the lock on the cell door and let them out. Robin was thinking of rescuing the other prisoners, but there were no other prisoners…alive that is. Robin tried not to look at the contents of the other cells too long. He could not afford to be sick at this juncture. There was only one doorway out of here, so Robin headed towards it. The others followed him with very little hesitation.

Before Robin got to the door, however, it opened and admitted the rat-man Winterwing had called Glare. Robin did not wait; he drop kicked the startled Halfblood. To his credit, Glare put up a pretty decent fight, but when you are being attacked by a kid in his boxers, you tend to be…distracted by the urge to laugh. That is probably why Glare ended up in a cell.

After finishing Glare, Robin walked through the door and found more guards in what looked like an office, but only two of them. He and Jinx dispatched them quickly. Still looking out for his uniform, Robin rummaged through several trunks and finally found it, along with a certain sword. Whistler.

Robin quickly slipped on his uniform, and then reached for Whistler. The blade did not move an inch. It was as if the sword had made itself heavy on purpose. Robin could not budge it.

"What is wrong with this thing?!" he growled.

"The sword had a mind, Prey-Bird." Winterwing said. "It will only obey you if you prove yourself to it?"

"How?"

"Talk to it with your mind." Winterwing suggested.

Robin stared at Winterwing, and then decided to give it a shot. He looked at the sword and crossed his eyes, trying to think at the sword really hard.

Come with me. He thought at Whistler. This time it did move, but it was more like a dog trying to shake something off he didn't like.

Ummmmm, please? Robin tried.

The answer, apparently, was still no.

Why not?

The sword gave him a general felling of dislike. So…the sword did not like Robin?

What's wrong with me? Robin asked.

A strange feeling of nostalgia…and loyalty flowed thru Robin. The sword must be rejecting him because he was not Raven.

If you let me, I'll help you find Raven.

A thoughtful pause from the sword.

I promise.

The sword seemed to pause for a moment, then the sword became light and easy to lift. Without any further delay Robin took the sword. He would give it back to Raven when he found her.

"How are we going to find her, this place is huge." Illeria asked.

"I…" Robin paused. At first he was at a loss. He had no idea how to find Raven at all, and that worried him. He wished there was a way to track…wait! There just might be a way to track Raven! The time she went into his mind left a permanent impression. If he could tap into that residual connection maybe he could locate Raven.

He concentrated. He concentrated as hard as he could. He thought of Raven and how her mind had felt against his own. They were actually very alike, and that might have helped as well. He began to faintly sense Raven. He could tell that she was barely conscious and badly hurt, but oddly content were she was at the same time.

He knew were she was now, and he could find her without many problems. Motioning for the others to follow him, Robin led the way out of the dungeons, and in the direction he hoped Raven was in.

Outside the castle another figure lurked, watching the chaos with a stern expression. She frowned. This was going to be harder than she thought. However, that would not stop her. She had to find Raven, because…it was important.

The figure was consumed by a flash of light, replaced by a matching ball. Swiftly the light shot towards the castle, determined to complete the mission.

Failure was not an option.

An Author's note: I do not own the Sound of Music, nor Murphy's Law, nor Teen Titans