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Robin: Ooooooooooh, sweet. Looks like it's fight time.
Cyborg: Place your bets, grab your popcorn and settle in ya'll!
Raven: Ten bucks on Terra getting her ass beat. Er... did I just say that out loud?
Everyone: (sweatdrop)
Theme Song fun!
When there's trouble you know who to call. Teen Titans!
From their tower, they can see it all. Teen Titans!
When there's evil on the attack
You can rest knowing they got your back
'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol, Teen Titans GO!
With their superpowers they unite. Teen Titans!
Never met a villain that they liked. Teen Titans!
They've got the bad guys on the run
They never stop 'till the job gets done
'Cuz when the world is losin' all control
Teen Titans GO! Teen Titans GO!
If your heart is black you better watch out
You cannot escape the team
When they catch you there won't be any doubt
You've been beaten by the teens
Beaten by the teens
"Beast Boy, if you can hear me... I'm sorry too. Sorry I ever brought her out," Raven said, jerking a thumb at the blonde-haired girl behind her. Terra spluttered in protest, but the truth was that she couldn't deny the pain she caused Beast Boy. As Trigon rose from the seat, a small army of his hellfire soldiers materialized from the ground.
"I... I was thoughtless. I always have been, to you. I-," She was cut off as Trigon swung the first punch. Raven dodged, and as the battle began she continued. "I always treated you like crap. You're the only person that never gave up the cause of making me feel... human." She dodged another flurry of punches, unrelenting in her speech. She sliced through a few demon soldiers with an Azarathian energy blade and continued.
"You were always there, trying to make me laugh. You were there when I needed someone to lean on, and you were there every time I was about to get hurt. If you had your own body right now, I know you'd be back to back with me so you'd be able to protect me," She said, grabbing two demons and slamming them together with her bare hands. "I am so sorry it has to go down like this, Beast Boy. You will always be the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about before sleep takes me." She rolled to dodge a barrage of swords.
Closing her eyes, she said "Goodbye, Beast Boy." She turned to the battle, focused 150 percent on it and fueled by pure fury. Yet... she didn't grow her usual four eyes. Or go into tentacle mode. Instead, a calm, cold rage settled into her heart as she leapt directly through a line of demon soldiers, ripping them apart with her bare hands as he flew towards Trigon.
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The others had a real fight on their hands. The common room's lack of flat surface to fight on was causing troubles for those who couldn't fly. Robin couldn't get enough room behind him to get a decent flying kick working, while Cyborg's sonic cannon was recoiling too much for him to be able to use it without ramming into someone or something else. The only truly flat area was centered in the middle, and with all the demons plus Trigon, that area was not staying cleared off.
Slade was having similar problems to Robin. He couldn't get enough space to break out his best moves. Instead, he mostly blocked incoming blows with his staff, taking out demon soldiers when he had the chance. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded. He could try to swing his way through, but he would be toast before he could even try a spin move. He was a goner. Well, at least he would have been, if not for a pair of green eyes in the sky.
"HAH!" Starfire yelled. She blasted a demon at her six with one hand and blew a circle around Slade with the other. When the dust cleared, Slade was finishing off the two demons that had survived the Tamaranian's assault. Starfire saw this and flew off, smiting demons left and right with her starbolts.
Terra launched herself at a demon, throwing a hard left hook... and passing right through him. "What the...?" She wondered, looking at her hand. She tried again, and the demon simply laughed at her. Suddenly, the soldier was struck down by Brave, who looked down at Terra with a knowing look.
"You're a spirit right now, Terra. Your body is still in stone." The green-clad Raven said. "So I'm useless?" Terra asked, looking downward. "Figures. The one time I could really prove my apologies to the Titans and I can't even fight," Terra thought with bitter irony.
"I didn't say that. Get out of here and find your body. It's in a cave about two miles out of here. When you get there, say our usual words: Azarath Metrion Zinthos. If you're heart is true," Brave said, looking intensely at the blonde, "you will be restored to your former self." Terra nodded and ran.
The blonde geokinetic was panting by the time she reached the cave. "I didn't even know spirits got tired. Bummer," Terra thought, entering the cave and winding her way up the trail. When she got there, she was shocked. "Terra. A true friend. A Teen Titan," She read aloud. She looked up at herself. "Alright, let's do this," Terra told herself. She was suddenly nervous. What if it didn't work? She gritted her teeth against that thought. "Screw it! AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!" She yelled loud enough that her potential kids probably heard it. Her body, both spirit and physical, began to glow yellow. Slowly, Terra's spirit self began to sink into the stone. And slowly, the stone gave way to flesh and blood. Finally, Terra was left standing on her podium, alive.
Elated, she moved her arms and legs. Pleasantly surprised at the lack of stiff joints or sore bones, Terra examined herself. She had been preserved perfectly. And she was wearing that god-forbidden armor of Slade's. "Oh, no!" She cried. She remembered Slade telling her that the armor was part of her skin. But that was not the case anymore. She stripped herself of every bit of that hated suit, leaving her bare. "Shit. Now what am I supposed to do, walk back and fight naked?" As if in reply to her thoughts, she looked to the side of her former resting place and saw the clothes she had been wearing the day she met the Titans neatly folded next to the podium.
Dressing quickly, she tried out her powers. She raised a rock, hands glowing yellow, and jumped up onto it. Then she grabbed a set of smaller stones and threw them at the armor pieces, grinding them to dust. "Excellent. All systems go. Get back there and show 'em hell," She told herself, speeding back towards the Tower.
Raven was going toe to toe with her "father," sending energy-infused punches left and right. Trigon easily blocked each blow, laughing and taunting her. "What's the matter? Can't you at least get in a decent shot? I thought you would have more of a drive to destroy your green pest than this," He said, smirking in the most twisted way. Finally, Raven lost it and did exactly what she told herself she wouldn't do. Her body crackled with black power bolts. Her hands were engulfed in black flames. Then, suddenly, every ounce of power she had unleashed itself from her hands, blasting Trigon directly and blowing a hole through the wall. Robin and Cyborg narrowly escaped it, and the same couldn't be said for the demon soldiers.
The green body on the floor twisted, mutating. Slowly it lost its Trigon-like features. And suddenly, it was Beast Boy's body laying on the floor, unmoving. The REAL Beast Boy's body. "Beast Boy!" Raven cried, running forward. She stopped dead when she heard laughter. Trigon's laughter, to be exact.
"You thought you could destroy me while I was fused because I was weak, did you? My dear daughter, you are quite foolish. Did you not realize that the two of you were separated when I stepped in? Do you really think that I would put my whole being into such a pathetic form? Ah, but he served my purpose well," Trigon laughed.
"What the hell are you talking about!" Raven screamed at the sky. She didn't know where the voice was coming from, but everyone could hear it. The others were all looking around as well, trying to locate the source of the vile sound.
"Oh, how clueless. I fused very briefly with that worthless creature. What you just fought was simply the after-effects of my connection. I needed a physical form in which to store my power. And so, I used your friend's body as such. When I left, a residual of my power remained within, but the connection that magician made with the two of you was broken. Did you not notice Rage disappearing? Or the fact that you had appeared in your own, human form?" Trigon was now taunting her.
Raven looked around wildly. Rage was, indeed, gone. She remembered now that the only reason she could have two out was because of the Fusion connection. "Trigon LEFT HIM! That means... Oh, Azar. We didn't just destroy Trigon. We destroyed a possessed Beast Boy!" Raven fell to her knees. "We could have saved him..." she whispered.
"What?" Robin put a hand around her shoulders, comforting her. She looked up at him, voice trembling. "Trigon left him when the battle started to heat up. All he wanted from Beast Boy was a body to keep himself in so we couldn't attack him in Nevermore while he regained strength. And since he was done with that, he left Beast Boy," Her voice cracked.
"But if he left Beast Boy, then why was Beast Boy still Trigon-like and attacking us?" Cyborg scratched his head in confusion. "Because a demon as powerful as Trigon leaves an aura behind him. It's like being wet. The wetter you are, the more you drip as you move. He left a residual of himself in Beast Boy, enough to keep up the transformation and the intentions. But we could have waited it out..." She buried her head in hands and cried.
"A sad, sad story indeed. But I have yet to regain my full power. I would enjoy the time between now and when I return while it lasts. For when that time comes, your existence will be complete. And no one, not even my daughter, will be able to match me. This time, the end will be permanent. There will be no sudden final attacks. There will be no way to stop my return. I will return to claim my place as master of this dimension. And you will be finished. Until then, have fun with my children," Were the last words of Trigon's voice before the Titans were surrounded by demons.
"Raven, get Beast Boy outta here!" Robin shouted as he engaged three soldiers at once. Raven barely had time to get her arms around the changeling's body and get it out into the hallway before...
CRASH!
It seemed as though the front wall decided it wanted to give everyone a big group hug. The entire thing just came crashing down. Raven used her powers to shield her friends; there was no way she was going to be able to support that wall with the amount of power she just used. Even the shields were straining her.
The dust cleared to reveal 5 titans, one emotion and Slade covered in dust. "Er..." Terra sweatdropped as she released the boulder she had used to bash in the front of the common room. She was floating on a rock a few feet up from the group. "Kinda didn't think that one all the way through." She scratched the back of her head.
Despite the situation at hand, Robin smiled. True, the only reason they weren't dead was because of Raven's shields, but they would have probably not won against that army either. "Don't worry, you just saved our lives with some help from Raven," he called. Terra leapt and landed gracefully onto the common room floor. Then she saw Beast Boy.
"Oh, God no. Please tell me he's going to be alright. PLEASE!" Terra was almost yelling at Raven. The Azarathian shoved Terra back from her advancement. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up. You cared NOTHING for him! EVER! And for your information, I think I probably just killed him!"
"Raven, get him to the med lab. Cyborg, go with her, run ever pertinent scan and test you can. Starfire, could you and Terra work on putting that wall back up?" Robin asked with a smile. Terra looked embarrassed. With a "hmph," Starfire pushed the wall back into place and welded it there with her starbolts. She evidently didn't want or need Terra's help. Robin sighed. "Ok, change of plans," The Boy Wonder said. "Terra, as deadly as this is going to seem, I want you to go talk to Raven. Alone. The two of you have to reconcile with each other. I've got the weirdest feeling that somehow, some way, the two of you will need to be able to willingly work together as one for Beast Boy," He finished.
Terra looked at Robin skeptically. "You want me to drag Ms. Ender of the World '07 out from Beast Boy and try to say 'I'm sorry for betraying you and trying to kill you'? I mean, I could go buy a .44 and get the same result with less drama," She said. Robin face-palmed and gave her a clear "shut up and do it" look. "Fine, I'll go commit suicide. Yeesh," Terra walked away for the med lab.
Raven was sitting at Beast Boy's bedside when Terra walked in. Raven resisted the urge to imitate Starfire and simply sat there as if no one else was there.
Terra cleared her throat and Raven looked up at her venomously. "What in Azar's name do you want?" Raven asked coldly. Terra raised her eyes heavenward and shook her head.
"I told Robin it was a bad idea. Forget I even showed up." Terra began to walk out, but felt a hand shoot out and grab her shoulder. A black aura surrounded a spare chair and moved it in front of the blonde girl. She took this as an invitation to sit down, so she did so. "Talk," Raven said in a far softer tone than Terra had expected.
Terra eyed Raven suspiciously. "Is this the part where you seem nicey-nice until I start talking and then you throw me out the window?" Terra asked nervously. Raven smirked slightly. "No, Terra. I know right now that Beast would want me to hear you out and not blast you for everything you've done. So, talk," the pale girl gestured for her to being.
Terra took a deep breath. "Ok, I want to say first of all that I am really, really, really time infinity sorry for what I did. I was confused. My entire life, I've had powers that I couldn't control. You know what that feels like," she began. Raven nodded and smiled sadly. "When Slade offered his help in exchange for my apprenticeship, I didn't realize his intentions. And before I knew it, I was conformed. I began to see things through his views. And in the end...the true me came through. The kid backpacker came back. I... I tried to kill you. All of you. And I exploited the weakness that your father cursed on you. I had no idea... You can take a few whacks at me if you want," Terra added, trying out some humor.
To her surprise, Raven laughed. "Terra, I can't stay mad forever. You did terrible things. You brought the city to its knees. You served our worst enemy. You betrayed us. But in the end, you're right. You were confused. You didn't know who to trust, but you knew who helped you ultimately control your powers. It was only natural to side with him. I... I forgive you. God, this is so out of character for me. But yes, Terra. I do forgive you," She finished.
"So...friends?" Terra asked. To Terra's absolute and utter shock and amazement, Raven reached forward and dragged Terra into a hug. Terra's brain slowed way down, processing the information that Raven, the girl that she half-expected would kill her, was hugging her.
Raven released the poor, confused geokinetic. She laughed again at the look on Terra's face. She looked down at Beast Boy and said "I guess love really does make you do crazy things." The words were barely out of her mouth when a sudden burst of energy flooded her head.
"Raven?" Terra cocked her head. Raven put a hand to her gemstone. "Terra, what color is my chakra gem?" Raven asked slowly. Terra looked up, ready to answer "Red." But when she looked, she saw it glowing, and not glowing red.
"Er...It's green, Raven. And glowing." Terra said uncertainly. Raven's eyes flew open. Her face lit up, animated. Her lips curved up into a smile large enough to possibly stunt her face permanently. "Uhm...Raven? You look like someone told you you've won a million dollars. What gives?"
Raven grabbed Terra by the wrist. 'Oh shit. This is where she kills me. I knew it," Terra thought. But instead, the Azarathian asked, "Do you trust me?" Terra furrowed her eyebrows. "Sure," she replied. Raven was breathing heavily.
"Terra, my gemstone can sense souls. Especially strong ones. I... I feel cold. My chakra is telling me that there's a soul nearby, and that it's very weak. Somewhere in the recesses of the mind, in a 'cold' place. And if it's green..." Raven finished excitedly. Without waiting for Terra's response, she took one of the blonde's hands in hers, and placed the other hand squarely on Beast Boy's forehead. "Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" She chanted.
"...Where are we?" Terra asked.
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