Chapter 3: Explanations

A moment of reverential silence in honor of that one time Lain the Fluff Master reviewed my story and I had the biggest fangirl moment ever in 2005…

Onto chapter three!

"See him?" Cyborg asked the other two Titans as they watched the villain from a rocky patch at the bottom of the hill.

"Dude! He's freaky! And I thought Thunder and Lightning were weird!" Beast Boy hissed.

"Yes, friends, I am of the agreement. That was quite freaky," Starfire whispered as she watched the light and sound show take place above her.

"Alright, team, what's the plan of attack?" Beast Boy asked the others in a mock Robin tone. A vein in Cyborg's head throbbed, but he didn't say anything.

"Beast Boy, turn into something small, other than you," Beast Boy punched Cyborg's arm, "and sneak around him to the backside of the hill. Starfire and I will conduct a frontal assault and we'll give you a signal to come in from the rear. Got it?" Cyborg faced the younger Titans. Starfire looked a little confused.

"So this is a combination of the sneaky attack and frontal assault?" the orange-skinned girl asked. Cyborg nodded. Starfire beamed at him to show she understood and the metal man motioned for Beast Boy to go. Without delay, he morphed into a field mouse and began his struggle across the sodden ground and tall grass.

…

Robin chewed his lower lip as he watched Raven. Her face was no longer as white as before and her normal ashy coloring was returning to her face. Glancing at the board behind her, he checked her vital signs for what seemed like the umpteenth time since the others had left the tower. He was itching to go fight the man who had hurt Raven, but he dared not leave her side while she was still so vulnerable. Her heart rate was almost back to normal. Sighing despairingly, he sank down into a chair next to the bed.

Her eyelids felt like they had been injected with lead and her body ached. Raven heard a sigh that wasn't hers and she tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn't budge. She felt so tired, but she was determined not to fade back into the peaceful darkness again. The sound of a chair scraping across the floor rang outside her head. She focused on her surroundings. The hospital wing, perhaps? Soft beeps came into focus in her mind. She felt someone's presence, worry and care flooding off in waves. Robin.

Gathering all of her energy, she forced her eyelids open. The shadowed medical room of Titans Tower greeted her. Blinking a few times, she slowly turned her head to see the top of Robin's head next to her. The panic in her abated despite the pain that still seared through most of her body. He would make everything okay, just like he always did for her. Her best friend, the one who knew everything about her. But where were the others? She tried to turn her head to see beyond him, but the movement sent a new wave of pain rippling down her neck. A whimper escaped her and she squeezed her eyes shut again.

"Raven?" Robin breathed out, head shooting up from the bed. His mask was slightly skewed and Raven resisted the urge to reach out and touch his face, if only because she knew pain would follow the movement. Everything hurt.

"What happened?" she said weakly. Robin let out a breath and dipped his head towards the bed again, one hand finding Raven's and the other going to her face.

"Raven," he repeated, as if he was sending thanks up for her open eyes. He lifted his head back up and locked eyes with her. "I was hoping you could tell me what happened."

"What?"

"When we got home, you went back to your room, so I went to watch the storm in the living room by myself. I kept the lights off, and one minute you weren't there and the next you were. I went to turn on the lights, and," Robin paused and Raven felt him squeeze her hand ever so gently as he swallowed. "Let's just say you weren't in the best of conditions."

"I'm starting to feel that," she managed. She tried to shift her head and her shoulder screamed in protest. Robin helped her to a sitting position.

"There was blood everywhere, your clothes were torn, there were burn marks, and you were soaking wet," Robin said. "Do you remember anything that happened when we got home?"

Raven considered him for a moment, thinking. They had gotten home and he had invited her to sit with him in the living room. He had held her hand then, too, but nerves had gotten the best of her and she had retreated to her room. True, she was most comfortable around Robin, but she liked it to be on her own terms. She was still getting used to him inserting himself in her daily schedule. Usually she allowed it, even encouraged it at times, but after the motorcycle ride and everything, she had decided it was best to meditate. But she couldn't say that to him.

"Well, kind of," she started. "After we got to the tower, I wanted to meditate, so I went up to the roof. I heard something behind me, but I thought it was just the storm. I checked it out but couldn't find or sense anyone. There was a big lightning clash that startled me again and I opened my eyes. There was someone in front of me." The memories were starting to come back, and Raven flinched involuntarily as she remembered the piercing silver eyes in front of her on the roof. This did not go unnoticed by Robin.

"Who, Rae?" She did not dispute the nickname.

"He was tall. Silver eyes, long silver hair, black coat. He had a scar on his face. I was startled and fell backwards, and when I stood to fight, he hit me." Raven slowly lifted a hand to her face to touch the tender bruise. Her elbow protested at the movement. "I landed back by the door and tried to open it to get back inside, but he threw something and the door was stuck. I think it was a sword." Raven closed her eyes, remembering the blurry scene. "Yes, a sword. With gold designs on the hilt. It must have pierced the door and lodged in the frame. I tried to throw something at him, but it was hard to see. I might have hit him a few times before he was there again. It was like he moved with the rain, or the light. I felt him grab my wrist and he was holding another sword, but all I remember after that is how much it hurt. There was fire and that sword, then nothing." Raven squeezed her eyes shut again, trying to draw any more memories of the roof to mind. Robin realized she was shaking. He carefully placed a hand on the back of her neck where he knew there were no injuries. He gently squeezed her, standing and settling his head against hers. He was so thankful she was awake, talking, remembering. He felt Raven tense slightly beneath him, but her hand squeezed his and he knew this was okay. Stepping back, he sighed. How he wished he could kiss her bruised lips. Instead, he sat back down in the chair and pulled it close to the side of the bed.

Robin gently turned her hand upwards to reveal the underside of her left wrist. She gave him a questioning look as he unwrapped it. Slowly taking off the bandages, he revealed to her an angry brand in the shape of a lightning bolt, outlined in neat cuts. Raven's mind slowly processed the mark as she looked from it to Robin's stony face.

"Who?" was the single word she said to him.

"Tempest. That guy," he said, pointing out the window to a lone shadow atop a hill with lightning spitting from his fingertips.

…

"Do you believe friend Beast Boy has arrived at the far side of the hill?" Starfire whispered to Cyborg. Her companion gave a short jerk of his head as he readied his cannon.

"You ready?" her murmured to her. Starfire responded with glowing green eyes. "Let's go."

Oops, more short chappies. Just going off the original backbone, sorry y'all! More to come in the next few days.