Thanks a lot guys! I really appreciate all the wonderful reviews! I've finally hit the 300 mark! I can't believe it! So kudos to all you awesome writers and readers out there! By the way I've retired my old s/n Fatcat11388 and am from now on to be known as Lastrael Noir. I've used Fatcat11388 since I've joined the site back in 2003 and I figure I'd lay it to rest. So if you're confused, that's why.

Chapter 26: Whispers

RAVEN'S POV:

I was lost in an infinite darkness, so suffocating, so silent. My body, writhing with swollen emptiness was charred and helpless as I left it behind. My beloved crimson vitality was burning, spilling thick liquid stains that would forever dwell in the endless chasm of my fading imprisoned consciousness. I couldn't be sure if I was truly entangled within this miasma of blackness. This obscurity was beyond the dark of night, beyond the unbound stretches of time itself. It was unnatural. I tried to open my eyes, and it was then that I realized I not only had no eyes, but no lips, no nose, no anything. I had left my entire body behind me.

A strange tunnel of colors suddenly burst forth, it was blindingly bright, yet I needed no shield. And as my body began to once again compose my blurred vision became defined into an appalling sight and I found myself wishing that I was once again without a body.

I was in a room, my room. Deep shadows painted themselves along the entirety, but I couldn't miss the two unmistakable figures sprawled out on the floor, helplessly. A step closer and I realized I knew the couple well. It was Robin and Red-X, dying. Their endless amounts of blood draining from the cessation of life, stretching farther and farther to every dark corner of my malicious room. Their breathing was labored, yet their veins retained enough life for them to reach out to me, whispering my name pitifully.

I was frozen. Robin, my friend, yet he had become so much more than that. He was calling for me, he was dying for me. How could I not run to him and sooth him during his last moments? How could I stand there and not know whether to reach out towards his open presence?

I was spellbound by my own retched emotions. My eyes shifted towards the other nearly motionless figure, Red-X. Although his face was covered I could still see his eyes pleading for me. His hand clutched his side, where the blood poured over, staining it in a sickening color. Which one should I go to?

I made a solitary step forward and, to my relief, the room, as well as Robin and Red-X, became a blur and suddenly I was left in utter darkness once again. But something was different this time. There was a sound, subtle at first, but it soon began to crescendo into a jarring tone that was so high pitched it clearly rang throughout all my senses. Then it began to even out into short bursts of sound.

The blackness began to brighten and it was so unbelievably intense that this time I did need my eyes to be shielded. But I couldn't, something was covering my hand.

A few fingers on Raven's right hand twitched slightly but not before her senses were filled with the overpowering whiteness that was the infirmary. Not quite having the strength to move yet, her vaguely blurry gaze fell over each section of the room. To the right, shiny steel cabinets and countertops were littered with open bottles and heaps of red stained gauze and bandages. She squinted at the mess in confusion, usually Cyborg kept this area firmly and eternally sanitized and clean. She turned her head to the left agitating the numbing headache she had and her gaze widened when she realized the restraint on her hand…was Robin.

He lay sleeping, his forehead resting on the edge of the infirmary bed in such a way that when he awoke, he was guaranteed to have aches in his neck and shoulders. His gloved hand lay over hers, clasping her fingers ever so slightly, and that's when it all came back to her;Red-X, the fight, everything. But how long have I been sleeping?! She wondered, knowing that her healing capabilities would've cut the normal time in half.

Her stare was unwavering as she took in Robin's whole form. She had betrayed him. She had betrayed everyone, at least she thought so. What if they had seen her with X?! She wished with every fiber of her being that they had not seen him scamper into the woods after pulling the tree trunk off…and then it dawned on her. Red-X had saved her life. A heavy glaze pulled itself over her eyes as she fought to remember every detail, but the pain had been so constant at the time, that it had been hard to focus on anything else. As she blocked out her headache small flashbacks began to run through her mind. The explosion, the pain, his pale hands running through her violet tresses, and his frantic whispers and how it had somewhat numbed the agony.She heard it in his deep beautiful voice that would now be engrained in her memory forever. The authoritativeness that was so clear you could practically see the trademark smirk of a 'class A rebel,' and yet it had subtle, so subtle that it was possible that only she picked up on it, undertones of concern and distress that coursed through it, it was seductive. He cares. She realized and found it equally disturbing that she smiled and her heart rate jumped at the thought. Blinking a few times, she locked away her emotions and the normal flat affect was slapped upon her face and it was as if the slip up had never occurred.

"R-Raven?" she heard a familiar sleep filled whisper. The sudden break of silence made her ears tingle and a chill went through her spine at the sound of his voice. She turned her head and the pain she had tried to resist resurfaced ten-fold. She gasped and gripped her forehead a small moan of anguish escaping her dry throat.

"Hey, take it easy," his voice conveying the anxiety he tried to mask. "You've been out for a while." It appeared he regained his composure in his speech, yet the exhaustion he felt was written all over his face.

"How long?" she asked through gritted teeth. The pain was slowly dying away as she willed her power into it and she opened her eyes once more. After getting over the initial shock of the brightness of the room she found Robin closely, perhaps a little too close, leaning over her, his eyes scanning her entire body as if he was weighing up an enemy. She felt slightly unnerved by his gaze and repeated her question. "How long?"

He narrowed his eyes, giving her another once over and turned away from her. "A few days."

"Days," she repeated, trying to force the shock out of her voice. She peered at Robin who seemed to be deep in thought, pacing at the foot of her bed. Then he did the most unexpected thing…

He turned to her the exhaustion on his face replaced with anger. "Yeah, days," he said impatiently and then turned on his heel and stormed out of the room as if they had just gotten through yelling at each other. But they hadn't. She had remained utterly silent, confused and stunned by his odd behavior. What exactly had she done wrong? She continued to stare at the door as if it held the answers, but in turn she was greeted by the coldness of steel. Something was wrong and she didn't have the slightest clue what.

ROBIN'S POV

I couldn't take it anymore, I had to leave. Her eyes explained it all to me. She was entirely clueless as to what had happened. I grounded my teeth causing a slight pain in my jaw, but the anger trumped it. She had said his name. I knocked over a decorative plant as I stomped down the hallway, hearing the pottery break and echo loudly. I had avoided the others somehow, luckily. I wouldn't be able to face their stares. They still questioned me relentlessly about why we were out in the woods. I wouldn't have been if she hadn't! My breathing came out in ragged gasps and the anger boiled inside me. I strode down the endless maze of the tower; I wanted to find the training room. I had to find the training room. I stepped into the room finally, glad to see it completely empty. I didn't bother wrapping my hands up in cloth as I angrily threw my gloves aside. I walked over to the punch bag dangling from the wall and went at with everything I had. A few tears broke along the sides, but I didn't care. It was either this or him. I gritted my teeth as I thought back to the incident:

I watched as she crept out of the tower, she had always done it, she needed her space and I understood that, but with all that had been going on, something wasn't right and I was going to find out why. She walked through the industrial side of the city as if she were searching for something. That's when I saw it…him. The darkness of his costume had given him stealth, but he suddenly appeared in a ray of florescent light. I stopped abruptly. Raven, she was following him. I climbed a hefty stack of boxes, my prior years of ruthless training making it impossible for me to be seen. Then they veered off to the right, heading towards the forest. What is she doing?! I thought, completely stumped. I breathed with the winds and slid in between the mass of shadows that covered the blackened grass.

They stopped near a cliff top and I stopped a few hundred feet away from them. They look like they were arguing at first, but then they sat down together… and talked! Their voices were just murmurs and I desperately wanted to get closer, but I wouldn't compromise myself. So I strained my ears as best I could. I heard her ask who he was. Huh! She was with this guy and she didn't even know who he was! I blocked out the fact that the team also had never found out his identity, I didn't want to see all the hypocrisy in my logic. Their chatting seemed to go on forever and I had just about had enough. I was ready to jump out from amongst the trees and take her back to the tower, even if it was against her will, a thought that I couldn't and wouldn't even begin to process. But something had happened, they had argued it appeared. His hands gripped her wrists and I ground my teeth and glared at the sight, nearly losing it completely right there. I'd love to break those hands of his, I felt like his touch was poison to her. How could she even be with him right now anyway?! His back was to her then, just like a defiant child! I thought. By now my fingers were screaming for blood and I released my hands that had been curled into tight fists for the entirety of their little conversation. Before I knew it I could hear what they were saying, I looked on, he was yelling at her. I heard him say my name. They were talking about me?! I was close to snapping, but I had to find out what this was about. I inhaled deeply and focused on Raven, a girl I had feelings for, I thought I did. I wasn't sure anymore. Raven seemed to break down after his rant; I could see her hugging her knees. If he hurt her… I decided not to go down that path.

Then I heard a rustling in the trees about a hundred yards away from them. Raven and Red-X had heard it too and they were looking in the same direction curiously, just as I was. The next thing I saw was X pushing her and himself off the cliff, I sprang from my hiding place but was then thrown a few feet back into a rotted old pine tree courtesy a tremendous explosion. Raven! I wanted to cry out her name. I pushed the slight ache in my back aside and leapt to my feet, but my vision was stunted by the blinding dust that filled the clearing. I coughed and a few particles filled my throat. I couldn't see them anywhere! Then I saw the culprit, Dr. Chang! I swore under my breath and ran head on into the dust storm. I could vaguely make out two people fighting but quickly realized that neither had the slight frame that she had. Raven! I have to find her! I saw Red-X jump off the cliff for the second time after a barrage of explosions sounded from below. I eyed Dr. Chang; he was advancing on the two. Although the prospect of my protecting Red-X sent a wave of fury through me, I still had to protect Raven, even if she had no clue what she had gotten herself into. I stepped into Dr. Chang's line of sight and began throwing relentless punches and kicks. It was good that he wasn't a 'hands on' villain and I left him unconscious, slumped against a tree a few moments later.

RAVEN! I had shouted, no longer caring if Red-X found out about me or not. I wave of nausea hit me when I look upon the gruesome sight that awaited me. It was Raven. She was bruised, beaten, and bleeding. As the nausea passed I felt a deep pang of concern, concern that she might not make it. It looked so bad! I surveyed the meadow below in full, a moving black shadow caught my eye, but I didn't even remotely care about hunting him down. I leaned over Raven, she was still awake, somehow, but I could see it wouldn't be for much longer. Raven?!I practically shouted, trying to keep her awake. Then she said it. It sent me completely over the edge, X? She mumbled and her eyes closed and her head fell to the side. I stopped for a moment, only a moment. I couldn't believe what I was actually thinking. About leaving her there, leaving her there to die just because she had said his name and not mine. I immediately shoved the thought from my mind, it was crazy. She may have been with the enemy, but she wasn't the enemy. She was still a titan, and I still cared about her, I still loved her, though I could barely admit it to myself. I scooped her up in my arms and without another thought called the others on my communicator and ran towards the tower before it was too late.

That's it. I thought, sweat pouring down my face as I continued to beat the punching bag. I looked at my hands, they were undoubtedly bruised, even a few cuts had emerged, but I didn't care. I just wanted to get my hands on him, on Red-X.

END OF CHAPTER 26!

Did you enjoy?! I REALLY liked right the Robin's POV part, agh it was fun! Anyways..I want another vote since things might've changed as the story has progressed..So (in the form of a review of course :P) who do you want Raven to end up with?