The room erupted in a buzz of energy. Raven felt everything crash over her in a wave of emotions not her own. Anxiety, excitement, bloodlust. Her chest tightened as she closed her eyes to refocus, her body jostled as her friends stood around her. Her fists were clenching the fabric of her cloak. She could vaguely hear the panicked tone of Beast Boy as he spoke with the other Titans. Just before Raven had settled her mind, she felt a strong hand grasp her bicep as she was pulled to her feet and whisked away from the table.

Raven opened her eyes just in time to see a wall of bodies separate her from the other heroes. A crowd was forming as the contestants all rushed to enter the doors the Master of Games had opened, and through the swarm, Raven just barely caught the eye of Robin as he saw her get pulled away. Based on the angry panic in his expression and the tight leather grip on her skin, it was obvious who was pulling her.

"What are you doing?" Raven spat at Slade, trying to pry off his large fingers.

Slade ignored her, tightening his hand and yanking her closer as he pushed through the wave of what Raven realized was mostly villains. She felt their hard stares on her as she was pulled along, and more than once, she caught them readying themselves to either trip or shove her. She also caught the dangerous look Slade shot in their direction, and Raven found herself reluctantly keeping herself in close distance of her "partner".

The pair made it to the doors which opened into a massive arena. Plush seating had been set up all around a large, enclosed fighting ring. Instead of going to the seats, though, Slade veered off away from the crowd and into a dark hall behind the raised seating areas.

Raven tried digging her heels in, preferring the crowded space surrounded by villains over any dark corner alone with him. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful, and Slade simply dragged her along. When they were out of view, Slade swung her around and put her between himself and the wall. Staring down at her with a cold glare, Raven instinctively shrunk away, finding only the cold metal of a wall.

"Let me guess," Slade hissed out. "The League wants you to throw the match."

Raven forced herself to meet Slade's eye. "What does it matter?"

Slade scowled behind his mask, his blue eye narrowing. "To me? It doesn't. I could win this without your help, but unfortunately," Slade clicked his tongue, leaning down to invade her personal space further, "if you die, I lose. So. I now have vested interest in keeping you alive. And as I've told you, if you don't fight with me against Bane and Scarecrow, they will kill you. And I would bet," Slade's voice was low and dangerous making the hair on Raven's neck stand on edge and goosebumps run down her arms, "the League knows that. They don't care about you, Raven. They would let you die to keep me out of this fight. And do you know what the worst part of all this is?" His mouth was right by her ear, and Raven felt her breath frozen in her lungs.

The metal of his mask pressed against her cheek, the slits for his mouth were touching her ear. "You know it's true." The chilly contact vanished from her skin as Slade jerked away, his eye icy as he glared at her again before stalking further into the darkness, towards a set of rickety metal stairs.

Raven's jaw worked, her teeth grinding. She told herself he was trying to get under her skin, trying to get her on his side. It's what he did, but… hadn't she just thought the same things? Frustrated, she turned in the other direction, walking slowly back towards the entryway. By the time she got to the edge of the shadows, the area was clear, and it seemed everyone had taken their seats.

Raven hesitated there for a long moment. Her mind was being consumed by Slade's voice. It was infuriating. Ever since appearing here, it was like the villain had taken a permanent residence in her head. She couldn't shake what he told her, and it felt more and more difficult to distinguish between her own thoughts and what he said to her. The idea that they seemed to understand people in the same way… that they knew the truth behind what others said… it unnerved her. She hated that she and Slade could be anything alike, in any capacity.

"Our first fight!" an announcer boomed, shaking Raven from her thoughts. "Beast Boy and Mento versus Scarecrow and Bane!"

Like thunder had rolled through the arena, the room shook as the crowd roared. From the obscenities and visceral howls, Raven knew it was the villains making most of the noise, and they weren't hiding their disdain for the Titan and Doom Patrol leader. It curled Raven's stomach to hear what they were saying, but sensing their thoughts made her blood freeze.

Leaning against the wall, still hidden by the shadows, Raven steadied herself before emerging into the open, her eyes trained on the arena floor. The Master of Games was lording over the fighting ring, standing on a hovering disc while the two pairings were ushered to opposite sides. As they found their places, the Master of Games beamed over his domain, his deranged eyes lighting up wildly as the moment approached. Raven felt his emotions, and an unease wrapped around her heart. It had been years since the first tournaments, but she had never felt madness from him, not like she did now. Before, he had been arrogant and manipulative, but when she stared at him, when she absorbed the roiling emotions consuming him, she felt the strings of an unhinged mind.

Her eyes dropped to Beast Boy, shifting his weight anxiously as Bane stared at him. Scarecrow was cackling, dancing at Bane's side with his own brand of insanity on display. Mento looked on brashly, ignoring Beast Boy's unease completely.

"Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for!" the Master of Games boomed. "The first round! Contestants! Arm yourselves!" With a snap of his fingers, beams of light shot down on a pair of stone tables next to the teams. When the light vanished, arrays of weapons and armaments were left in place. Raven didn't fail to notice the canisters and gas mask on the table next to Scarecrow. Beast Boy's table was notably empty. Bane had a plethora of weapons including guns, grenades, and sets of knives. As they grabbed gear and prepared for the blast of the horn that would announce the beginning of the round, the Master of Games floated higher into the air. With a clap of his hands, the arena below shuddered as structures shot from the ground, transforming the once plain ring into a hodgepodge of cement blockades, crumbling walls, and steel fences. To Raven, it looked like a warzone, and as the lights over the audience dimmed and a deep tone began to tick down, it felt like that's exactly where she was.

Each tick of the countdown raised Raven's nerves. She kept her eyes on Beast Boy. He was trying to put on a brave face, smiling weakly at where Raven guessed the other Titans were sitting, but with each thrum of the beat, she saw him flinch.

"Let the match begin!" the Master of Games shouted just as the final beat rang out and a horn blared over the arena.

Bane wasted no time. He launched himself over the nearest barricade, firing a pistol straight at Mento. Mento created a shield as Beast Boy transformed into a tiger, charging straight for Bane. Raven heard Mento shouting, clearly unhappy BB hadn't waited for an order, but Raven's focus was on her friend. His aggressiveness had caught Bane off-guard, but only momentarily. The mercenary dodged and struck out viciously at BB's side. Raven cringed at the whimper Beast Boy let out, but felt a swell of pride as he pressed on, never letting up even when Bane began slashing at him with a knife. Mento was running to help, ripping concrete blocks from the ground with his telekinesis and aiming at Bane. As Mento flung them at Bane, Bane began evading the onslaught, dancing backwards towards where he'd started.

Raven felt her chest tighten. Slade's voice rippled in her head.

"Bane and Scarecrow won't attack together. Scarecrow isn't a good enough fighter, he will stay back, waiting, while Bane brings their prey to the slaughter."

"Oh, god," Raven muttered, her eyes searching for the other half of the villain team. She spotted him, lurking in the cover of one of the structures, his eyes on Mento and Beast Boy. Her heart froze when she realized they didn't see him, they were too focused on Bane.

Just as Raven was about to shout to warn them, to do something, Bane took another big step backwards bringing Mento and BB right where he wanted them. Scarecrow jumped from his hiding place as he unleashed a cloud of red gas. Mento was closest, and he got the full blast. Beast Boy, with his sharp senses managed to catch the flash of movement as Scarecrow moved, and he changed just in time to avoid being covered with it. His body shrank into a bird, and he darted upwards taking in the chaos below him. He landed on top of one of the concrete walls, changing back into his human form.

"Mento!" he cried out, looking frantically into the cloud of gas that was concealing his partner.

Raven felt his panic and fear, and the shadows around her reacted to her own fear. Beast Boy was distracted looking for Mento, trying to spot his form; BB didn't notice as Bane crept along the perimeter, a pistol in his hand. Time slowed, she felt every beat of her heart, every particle of air she drew in as Bane raised his gun, pointing directly at Beast Boy's head.

"Beast Boy!" she cried, her voice lost in the noise. Just as Bane was pulling the trigger, a flash of light hit his eyes and he flinched. The shot rang out, and Raven watched in horror as Beast Boy spun and fell from the wall, landing with a thud on the ground below.

"NO!" Raven shouted, her voice echoed by others from the crowd.

Raven's eyes were on Beast Boy's body, and tears were flowing freely.

No, it can't be. He's… he's not—

"Argh!"

Raven sobbed. It was BB. He was alive. He writhed on the ground, his hand clutching his shoulder spouting blood. Beast Boy's eyes widened as he spotted Bane, who was furious and raising his gun again for a second shot.

"YIELD!" Beast Boy yelled. The moment the word left his lips, two beams of light shot down. One to Beast Boy, the other inside of the gas.

"Winner! Bane and Scarecrow!" the Master of Games shouted as the villains of the crowd shouted and jeered.

Raven's legs were unsteady as she used the wall nearest for support. Her chest was tight and stomach in knots. Her eyes were stinging with salty tears. She couldn't look at Bane and Scarecrow as they celebrated their victory. Instead, her eyes went upwards, past the Master of Games to the rafters where she spotted a familiar orange and black-clad man leaning over a catwalk, watching the action below. Vaguely, she heard the Master announce the next round, calling the combatants to the arena as Bane and Scarecrow did their victory lap. Slade wasn't facing her, but like he felt her eyes on him, he looked down at her. They held eye contact for a long moment, before Raven's eyes were blinded, and she flinched away. When she looked back, she practically felt his smirk. In his hand was a small mirror, the glint of reflected light visible briefly before he tucked it away and turned from her again.

Raven blinked, trying to process that information. Did… did Slade save Beast Boy?

A/N: I know it's been a little longer than my normal update schedule, so sorry to keep everyone waiting! Hoping to get another chapter out quickly, and that everyone is still enjoying. Thank you for the comments, kudos, likes etc! I love any kind of feedback and interaction 😊