Chapter 3: Affection…or obsession?
The shape-shifter arrived with a mixture of defeat and hope at the Tower in the afternoon. He tried to escape the confrontation with his teammates by morphing into a mouse and scurrying quickly to his room.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side today and right before he managed to get past his door, Robin's voice echoed through the hallway – and it sounded like he was angry.
Beast Boy ignored the voice but didn't dare to move and waited for him to start his ranting so he could get over with it sooner.
"Why didn't you answer your communicator? We needed you," Robin's voice came from behind him.
The shape-shifter heard approaching footsteps, when he remained silent.
"Why did you turn it off? We were in need for some back-up," Robin continued but the mouse didn't move from its spot, still facing the door. "Beast Boy!"
Robin's angry shout got some reaction out of the green teen when the mouse turned around and a human replaced it.
Beast Boy stared back with equal anger at his leader.
"So now you're ready to talk?" Robin asked, crossing his arms.
"So I'm only some 'back-up' to you? Is that it?" the green teen growled, his hands turning to fists.
"No! You're part of our team. And you weren't there when the team needed you."
"And where were you when I needed you guys?"
Robin's expression turned to surprise.
"Don't pretend, Robin! I know you thought that I was seeing things. That I just imagined Terra being alive. But let me tell you that I wasn't," Beast Boy said angrily, his eyes narrowing at the Titan leader.
"But that doesn't mean you should abandon your team for a girl that has changed – that is not the way you remember," Robin said, his anger diminishing slightly.
Terra's words echoed inside his head, only increasing his anger at Robin – at Terra – at Slade.
"Things were never the way you remember them…"
"So you think that I've lost it? You really think that I just…imagine that she's alive? What about the missing statue? What about-" Beast Boy suddenly stopped when he remembered the Slade replica. He hasn't told Robin yet and he wondered how he would react, knowing that Slade was back – even worse, seemed to have some plan on his mind.
The leader scrutinized Beast Boy's confused expression and unfortunately misinterpreted it. "I know you're confused about…Terra. But I think that you…think too much into it. Maybe she's right. Maybe it's better if you forget her."
Beast Boy's confusion vanished and a frown appeared on his face. "What?"
And Robin suddenly realized that Beast Boy had drifted farther from the team than he had thought.
"You're obsessing over her."
Raven appeared beside Robin and Beast Boy found himself…accused of the team's shortcomings.
"Unlike you…I care for her," the shape-shifter murmured.
"If you really care for her…then you should let her go," Raven replied and Beast Boy looked at her in surprise.
But how could he let her go if Slade apparently has set his sights on her again?
How could he let her go…if he knew that she didn't choose this life?
"How can I if I know she's not happy?" he replied but neither Raven nor Robin were impressed with his statement and their worried glances made it obvious.
And suddenly he began to lose his trust in them and he clenched his teeth angrily at their ignorance. "I knew her better than anyone and I know that she did not choose this life! I know she's not happy!" he shouted at them.
"How can you know? How do you not know that this is not…something you want to believe – that all of this is not really made up inside of your head?" Raven questioned him with a serious stare and for a split second, Beast Boy felt something close to…hatred for his former team.
"You know Slade is still out there. And he definitely wants Terra back!"
"Are you sure?"
"How can I not be sure when…I've seen him just a week ago?"
Robin's eyes opened wide. "You've seen him?"
"In a way – I fought a robot lookalike."
Raven remained silent for a moment. "But that doesn't proof…that she's really Terra…or why you should still walk after her after she told you personally to leave her alone."
"No, Slade's forcing her to say things like this – she's forcing herself to stay away from us."
"But we know how it feels when it is hard to let go of someone very important to us…but the most considerable thing that one can do for that precious person…is to let her go."
Beast Boy turned to the voice and saw that Starfire joined Robin and Raven and smiled sympathetically at him.
"None of you know anything about Terra!" he screamed, suddenly feeling that they were lying to him only for their own gain – for the supposed 'success' of the team.
He turned away from them and walked towards his door of his room before his steps suddenly felt heavy, like something was trying to pull him back – like his body wasn't his own anymore.
"Raven?" Starfire murmured worried, seeing that her eyes glowed white.
"That's not the way to make him see that he's doing a mistake," Robin said, watching as Beast Boy cringed as he fought for self-control.
"R-raven…" he groaned as he managed to look over his shoulder, seeing that she had put him under a spell.
And Starfire and Robin watched in shock as Beast Boy's eyes turned purple.
Images of a blonde-haired girl appeared as she stepped away before Beast Boy turned and ran in the other direction.
In the next moment, a sizzling robot with a broken Slade mask lied under his feet as Slade's recorded voice echoed one sentence over and over again.
"She doesn't want to see you anymore…"
Another image appeared just as fast as Terra turned a corner after throwing his communicator at him. Raven also turned the corner and after bumping into someone, found herself facing an Asian girl.
And while the next events passed before her eyes, she felt a strange warm feeling spreading through the shape-shifter's body – understanding, hope?
And the half-demon found herself wondering who that girl was as she placed a comforting hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. And suddenly the images vanished into a black void and Raven suddenly felt that both, her control and her concentration were slipping.
"W-what's going on?"
"Raven! Get out!"
Raven turned around, having heard faded voices but was still faced with darkness.
"Please leave his mind!" Starfire shouted worriedly as she watched as Beast Boy cringed in pain, landing on his knees.
"R-raven…get…out…" the shape-shifter growled, his hands grabbing the sides of his head.
He wouldn't let her read his mind – not after they had left him alone!
If they thought that Terra was just one of his fantasies, then they had no right to see anything about her!
The purple color gave way to green once again before his anger showed itself in a scream, alarming the leader. "Raven!" he called to her, before he shot his grappling hook that tied the shape-shifter up.
And that act was the final straw!
Beast Boy's anger gave rise to his transformation into the Beast, forcing Raven's soul out of him. The wire simply snapped after the shape-shifter grew in size and with a ferocious roar, lunged towards the half-demon.
Cyborg stepped in front of the still unconscious half-demon, causing the wild animal to slash cleanly through Cyborg's chest and the force of the attack sent the half-robot flying halfway through the hallway.
He approached the half-demon who had woken up from her trance and was struggling to get up but suddenly he felt hands tug at him from behind – hands that were strong enough to pull him backwards.
"Beast Boy, that is not the way to let go," Starfire groaned, trying to restrain the green animal from attacking more of her friends.
Seeing that pulling against her was of no use, he simply moved with her pull, causing her to lose her footing. With quick reflexes, the Beast managed to get up behind her and with a swipe of his paw, sent the alien against the wall, causing a big crack to form from the impact.
Raven got up on her feet only to see that Beast Boy had already lunged at her and she just managed to form a shield.
The Beast rammed against the black wall full-force, causing it to shatter on the 2nd impact, Raven being rammed along with it.
She landed on the ground close to Cyborg, but managed to get on her knees before she saw that her former friend had already approached her and had his claws aimed at her. Suddenly she saw that wires spun around the huge frame but before the animal managed to slash through the restraints, the hallway was filled in a white light as lightning traveled through the wires.
The Beast howled in pain before taking Robin by surprise as it managed to pull the wires and the leader was flying towards him.
With quick movement, the green animal sent his paw against the Boy Wonder before it fell onto the floor.
Robin slowly stood up, pain shooting up his body after being sent crushing through the ground and saw that Beast Boy replaced the wild beast, screaming as the volts continued to speed across him.
But I didn't take long for the boy to drop unconscious onto the floor and Robin managed with some difficulty to stop the flow of electricity and retract the wire.
He was sure that Beast Boy managed to break at least a rib by the way his chest hurt every time he took a deep breath.
Robin glanced across from him and saw that all seemed to be conscious…but the mere fact that Beast Boy had attacked his own team because of…a misunderstanding caused him to lose trust in Beast Boy.
"What do we…do?" Raven asked, flinching from the pain inflicted to her by the painful fall.
"Making sure…that he doesn't endanger the team or himself again," Robin said with determination.
But how could they do this if he didn't even want to forget Terra?
Raven's eyes wandered over to the green boy that lied peacefully on the floor…as if he had not even attacked his friends just moments ago.
If he had gone so far as to attack them because of her…what would happen if he found out that they were trying to make him forget on purpose?
And suddenly she remembered the Asian girl.
And why…did she help him?
Who was she?
The shape-shifter arrived with a mixture of defeat and hope at the Tower in the afternoon. He tried to escape the confrontation with his teammates by morphing into a mouse and scurrying quickly to his room.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side today and right before he managed to get past his door, Robin's voice echoed through the hallway – and it sounded like he was angry.
Beast Boy ignored the voice but didn't dare to move and waited for him to start his ranting so he could get over with it sooner.
"Why didn't you answer your communicator? We needed you," Robin's voice came from behind him.
The shape-shifter heard approaching footsteps, when he remained silent.
"Why did you turn it off? We were in need for some back-up," Robin continued but the mouse didn't move from its spot, still facing the door. "Beast Boy!"
Robin's angry shout got some reaction out of the green teen when the mouse turned around and a human replaced it.
Beast Boy stared back with equal anger at his leader.
"So now you're ready to talk?" Robin asked, crossing his arms.
"So I'm only some 'back-up' to you? Is that it?" the green teen growled, his hands turning to fists.
"No! You're part of our team. And you weren't there when the team needed you."
"And where were you when I needed you guys?"
Robin's expression turned to surprise.
"Don't pretend, Robin! I know you thought that I was seeing things. That I just imagined Terra being alive. But let me tell you that I wasn't," Beast Boy said angrily, his eyes narrowing at the Titan leader.
"But that doesn't mean you should abandon your team for a girl that has changed – that is not the way you remember," Robin said, his anger diminishing slightly.
Terra's words echoed inside his head, only increasing his anger at Robin – at Terra – at Slade.
"Things were never the way you remember them…"
"So you think that I've lost it? You really think that I just…imagine that she's alive? What about the missing statue? What about-" Beast Boy suddenly stopped when he remembered the Slade replica. He hasn't told Robin yet and he wondered how he would react, knowing that Slade was back – even worse, seemed to have some plan on his mind.
The leader scrutinized Beast Boy's confused expression and unfortunately misinterpreted it. "I know you're confused about…Terra. But I think that you…think too much into it. Maybe she's right. Maybe it's better if you forget her."
Beast Boy's confusion vanished and a frown appeared on his face. "What?"
And Robin suddenly realized that Beast Boy had drifted farther from the team than he had thought.
"You're obsessing over her."
Raven appeared beside Robin and Beast Boy found himself…accused of the team's shortcomings.
"Unlike you…I care for her," the shape-shifter murmured.
"If you really care for her…then you should let her go," Raven replied and Beast Boy looked at her in surprise.
But how could he let her go if Slade apparently has set his sights on her again?
How could he let her go…if he knew that she didn't choose this life?
"How can I if I know she's not happy?" he replied but neither Raven nor Robin were impressed with his statement and their worried glances made it obvious.
And suddenly he began to lose his trust in them and he clenched his teeth angrily at their ignorance. "I knew her better than anyone and I know that she did not choose this life! I know she's not happy!" he shouted at them.
"How can you know? How do you not know that this is not…something you want to believe – that all of this is not really made up inside of your head?" Raven questioned him with a serious stare and for a split second, Beast Boy felt something close to…hatred for his former team.
"You know Slade is still out there. And he definitely wants Terra back!"
"Are you sure?"
"How can I not be sure when…I've seen him just a week ago?"
Robin's eyes opened wide. "You've seen him?"
"In a way – I fought a robot lookalike."
Raven remained silent for a moment. "But that doesn't proof…that she's really Terra…or why you should still walk after her after she told you personally to leave her alone."
"No, Slade's forcing her to say things like this – she's forcing herself to stay away from us."
"But we know how it feels when it is hard to let go of someone very important to us…but the most considerable thing that one can do for that precious person…is to let her go."
Beast Boy turned to the voice and saw that Starfire joined Robin and Raven and smiled sympathetically at him.
"None of you know anything about Terra!" he screamed, suddenly feeling that they were lying to him only for their own gain – for the supposed 'success' of the team.
He turned away from them and walked towards his door of his room before his steps suddenly felt heavy, like something was trying to pull him back – like his body wasn't his own anymore.
"Raven?" Starfire murmured worried, seeing that her eyes glowed white.
"That's not the way to make him see that he's doing a mistake," Robin said, watching as Beast Boy cringed as he fought for self-control.
"R-raven…" he groaned as he managed to look over his shoulder, seeing that she had put him under a spell.
And Starfire and Robin watched in shock as Beast Boy's eyes turned purple.
Images of a blonde-haired girl appeared as she stepped away before Beast Boy turned and ran in the other direction.
In the next moment, a sizzling robot with a broken Slade mask lied under his feet as Slade's recorded voice echoed one sentence over and over again.
"She doesn't want to see you anymore…"
Another image appeared just as fast as Terra turned a corner after throwing his communicator at him. Raven also turned the corner and after bumping into someone, found herself facing an Asian girl.
And while the next events passed before her eyes, she felt a strange warm feeling spreading through the shape-shifter's body – understanding, hope?
And the half-demon found herself wondering who that girl was as she placed a comforting hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. And suddenly the images vanished into a black void and Raven suddenly felt that both, her control and her concentration were slipping.
"W-what's going on?"
"Raven! Get out!"
Raven turned around, having heard faded voices but was still faced with darkness.
"Please leave his mind!" Starfire shouted worriedly as she watched as Beast Boy cringed in pain, landing on his knees.
"R-raven…get…out…" the shape-shifter growled, his hands grabbing the sides of his head.
He wouldn't let her read his mind – not after they had left him alone!
If they thought that Terra was just one of his fantasies, then they had no right to see anything about her!
The purple color gave way to green once again before his anger showed itself in a scream, alarming the leader. "Raven!" he called to her, before he shot his grappling hook that tied the shape-shifter up.
And that act was the final straw!
Beast Boy's anger gave rise to his transformation into the Beast, forcing Raven's soul out of him. The wire simply snapped after the shape-shifter grew in size and with a ferocious roar, lunged towards the half-demon.
Cyborg stepped in front of the still unconscious half-demon, causing the wild animal to slash cleanly through Cyborg's chest and the force of the attack sent the half-robot flying halfway through the hallway.
He approached the half-demon who had woken up from her trance and was struggling to get up but suddenly he felt hands tug at him from behind – hands that were strong enough to pull him backwards.
"Beast Boy, that is not the way to let go," Starfire groaned, trying to restrain the green animal from attacking more of her friends.
Seeing that pulling against her was of no use, he simply moved with her pull, causing her to lose her footing. With quick reflexes, the Beast managed to get up behind her and with a swipe of his paw, sent the alien against the wall, causing a big crack to form from the impact.
Raven got up on her feet only to see that Beast Boy had already lunged at her and she just managed to form a shield.
The Beast rammed against the black wall full-force, causing it to shatter on the 2nd impact, Raven being rammed along with it.
She landed on the ground close to Cyborg, but managed to get on her knees before she saw that her former friend had already approached her and had his claws aimed at her. Suddenly she saw that wires spun around the huge frame but before the animal managed to slash through the restraints, the hallway was filled in a white light as lightning traveled through the wires.
The Beast howled in pain before taking Robin by surprise as it managed to pull the wires and the leader was flying towards him.
With quick movement, the green animal sent his paw against the Boy Wonder before it fell onto the floor.
Robin slowly stood up, pain shooting up his body after being sent crushing through the ground and saw that Beast Boy replaced the wild beast, screaming as the volts continued to speed across him.
But I didn't take long for the boy to drop unconscious onto the floor and Robin managed with some difficulty to stop the flow of electricity and retract the wire.
He was sure that Beast Boy managed to break at least a rib by the way his chest hurt every time he took a deep breath.
Robin glanced across from him and saw that all seemed to be conscious…but the mere fact that Beast Boy had attacked his own team because of…a misunderstanding caused him to lose trust in Beast Boy.
"What do we…do?" Raven asked, flinching from the pain inflicted to her by the painful fall.
"Making sure…that he doesn't endanger the team or himself again," Robin said with determination.
But how could they do this if he didn't even want to forget Terra?
Raven's eyes wandered over to the green boy that lied peacefully on the floor…as if he had not even attacked his friends just moments ago.
If he had gone so far as to attack them because of her…what would happen if he found out that they were trying to make him forget on purpose?
And suddenly she remembered the Asian girl.
And why…did she help him?
Who was she?