Here is the first chapter of the rewrite! Funnily enough, when I wrote this story years ago, Divide and Conquer was listed as the first episode. To be fully honest, I was illegally streaming it at the time, so it makes sense that the episodes may have been a little out of order. Now, on Prime, it looks like Final Exam is the first episode. I will honor that, so the order of this story will reflect that.

Final Exam

(Raven)

Emotions could be controlled. By focusing on the inhale and exhale, the rise and fall of the chest, Raven could visualize her emotions, acknowledge them, and let them pass. It was a simple art taught to her at a very young age. After all, there were dire consequences if she ever let her emotions control her. It's why she's purposefully avoided other people. Around them, her emotions became more powerful, less predictable… dangerous. She preferred to be on her own where she could keep others safe from, well, herself. Take right now, for instance. The grip on her book was tight, her head was pounding, and her breathing was erratic. She tried acknowledging and releasing her anger, but it kept rising, hot and heavy, in her chest.

The reason?

Cyborg and Beast boy would not shut up!

They were fighting over a remote of all things. As though the world depending on the ability to change the channel without physically getting up. She suggested changing the channel manually, and they looked at her like she was crazy. As though the simple act of standing up was simply preposterous. They're too lazy, Raven thought to herself. It was ironic that she spent so long avoiding others only to live in a tower with four other superheroes, who were becoming more and more like family. Frankly, it was her worst nightmare. She knew her destiny. She knew it was inescapable. Yet why did she open herself up to such pain? Why get close to people when she knew the horrors she would inflict upon them?

"You in?"

"I'm not the hero type. Trust me, if you knew what I really am, you wouldn't want me around."

"I know enough."

And just like that, she fell in love. Foolish really. Was she so simple that a boy's hand on her shoulder, a confident smirk on his lips, and a simple acceptance without question would be enough for her to abandon every lesson she's ever known? To unwittingly follow her emotions and join a superhero team of all things? To be sitting here, on this couch, suffering through Cyborg and Beast boy's ridiculous arguments just for the opportunity to maybe see Robin walk into their messy little family room?

It seems that she was that simple, that foolish.

After all, she was not blind. Everyone on the team knew where Robin's affections were truly directed.

"And that is the secret to traveling faster than light!" Starfire's voice filled the room. Raven subtly turned her head, glancing at the door behind her. Starfire and Robin walked into the room, side by side as usual, grinning at each other. Well, Starfire was grinning. Robin had his trademark, handsome smirk.

Though it was quickly wiped off his face when he realized Cyborg and Beast boy were screaming at each other.

"Whoa guys calm down," he ordered, jumping over the couch to confront the two boys who were now inches from each other's faces. Of course, they instantly snapped their mouths shut, ceasing the fight entirely. Another hot flash of irritation spiked in Raven's chest. One command from Robin, and it was instantly listened to. A mere suggestion to simply get up and change the channel, and they acted as though she was trying to start a third world war. "What's going on?"

Wrong question. It prompted Cyborg and Beast boy to instantly start screaming over each other again, both trying to tell their side of the story. Raven internally groaned, pondering if it was too late to simply go back to her room and hide for the rest of the day. When Robin turned around and smirked at her, as though he was amused, she realized her internal groan was very much out loud. Luckily, she schooled her features into calm boredom instead of the blush that threatened to overtake her face.

Damn this boy.

The argument was once more halted when Starfire blasted the fridge. The team all stared at her, agape, and she smiled, blushing in that cute way of hers, "I saw the fuzzy blue stuff move!"

Robin sighed, "Let's get some pizza."

And thus, they were sitting outside arguing over what pizza to order.

"I said no meat! I've been most of those animals dude!"

"But I want pepperoni!"

"How about the lovely toppings of banana, pepperoni, and mint icing?" Starfire grinned, and Beat boy somehow became even greener.

"Starfire," Robin chuckled, "not everything on the menu is a pizza topping."

"Oh," Starfire blushed. Cyborg nudged Beast boy with his arm, snickering at the love birds. Beast boy wiggled his eyebrows in response, and Raven once again pondered the benefits of escaping to her room.

"What about you?" Robin asked her, interrupting her thoughts. "You've been awfully quiet today."

Raven paused. "I don't care. I just want everyone to stop bickering. It's annoying."

Robin laughed and grinned at her. Not a smirk but a full on grin. Her heart annoying sped up at the sight, and she turned back to the menu, hoping he didn't notice the slight blush that came to her cheeks. She could easily blame it on the heat. Though judging how he immediately started helping Starfire with the menu, she assumed she was safe.

If he wanted to go on a date with Starfire, he should have just asked her instead of dragging all of us along.

Jealousy. I am feeling jealousy. I've acknowledged it, and I will now let it go.

Starfire giggled and put a hand on Robin's arm, "Robin, you're so helpful!"

I need to leave before I kill someone.

Luckily, or maybe unluckily, a loud honking noise caused the team members to whirl around. A large bus was speeding down the street, which was concerning enough, but there was an abandoned stroller sitting in the middle of the crosswalk. The baby started wailing, and the bus was getting closer and closer.

"Titans GO!" Robin's voice spurred them into action, and they all raced towards the scene.

Starfire flew towards the stroller, pushing it back to the sidewalk, while Cyborg and Raven leaped in front of the bus. Cyborg slammed his fists against the bus, using his strength to keep it at bay, while Raven reached out her hand, feeling her magic tug in her gut. She pressed her magic against the brake and forced it into park, ceasing its movements. Cyborg panted for a second, releasing the bus with his hands and peering inside.

He frowned, "Don't buses usually have drivers?"

"And don't baby carriages normally have babies?" Robin pipped in response.

Cyborg and Raven frowned, turning towards the rest of their teammates who were crowded around the carriage. Robin was holding a stuffed green bear, whose yellow eyes suddenly glowed and its head whirled around.

"Are you pit sniffers normally this stupid?" A childlike voice came from the bear before it exploded, blasting Robin, Beast boy, and Starfire back into an alley.

Raven gasped, about to go to their aid, but she paused at the sudden noice behind her. She turned around, and the bus was suddenly above her head, slamming down towards herself and Cyborg. Quickly, Cyborg stood right behind her, thrusting his arms above his head to stop the vehicle before it hit their heads; however, the force was too powerful, and it made the ground crumble beneath their feet, creating a small pit.

"That was too easy!" The same voice from the teddy bear proclaimed.

"This isn't over!" That was Robin's voice.

Just then, Cyborg lifted his arm and sonically blasted the bus, knocking it over to the side. They both stood from the ground, wobbly but overall unhurt.

"Who are these guys?" Beast boy sounded dumbfounded.

Raven had never seen these villains before either. One was a large, muscular man dressed in mostly black. He had long, slicked back hair with a goatee. He was accompanied by a small bald child with goggles over his head. The last was a girl, with gray skin, like Raven herself, pink hair, a dark purple dress, and stripped tights. Something about the girl made Raven pause. Due to her powers, she could sense the personalities and wills of other people. From these two men, she sensed the yearning to hurt, to cause pain. Yet the girl… there was a pain inside of her. Not only that, she had dark magic. Raven was almost reminded of herself, like this could have been her fate if the wrong people found her.

"We are part of the H.I.V.E.!"

The who?

Still, Raven didn't have much longer to think. The three began to attack them, and naturally the pink haired girl ran towards her, blasting her magic at Raven. Raven conjured a shield, blocking any attempts of harm. The girl was powerful, but there was a discomfort with her magic. She could control it but not well. The girl glared at her and tired throwing stronger, more powerful blasts in her direction. Raven skillfully dodged them all, running towards the girl and sending her own magic to pin her feet to the ground. "We can help you," Raven whispered, grabbing the girl's wrists. "I can help you!"

How silly. Raven couldn't even help herself. Still, looking into the eyes of this girl, Raven couldn't help but want to save her. As though if she saved this girl, she could save herself. She could save her team, her friends, her family.

She could save Robin.

The girl screamed and pink overtook her whole body, expanding out and throwing Raven to the ground. She sat up, letting out a little groan of pain.

"Raven!" She heard a faint shout. It was Robin's voice! She glanced towards the alley, seeing Robin staring at her. A mistake, as this distracted him from the bald boy, who quickly fired laser bullets from his suit. Robin quickly dodged, throwing himself at the ground and rolling over. Starfire instantly leaped in front of him, sending her own blasts in the direction of the bald boy.

That was all Raven could see before something collided with her face, sending her back to the ground. "You can't afford to be distracted while fighting me," the girl snarled, her hands glowing pink.

"Who are you?" Raven asked, clumsily standing back on her feet.

"My name is Jinx," the girl's smile was cruel, as though she was excited at harming the person who offered her help. Any hope of saving this girl faded, and Raven knew she couldn't go easy on her. She concentrated the magic into her hands, and she resumed fighting Jinx, making sure not to be distracted by Robin's very own fight. Starfire will protect him, she thought to herself.

Suddenly, she heard a yell. Cyborg was flying through the sky, shouting in alarm. Starfire was racing after him, and Raven could only stare dumbfounded. A mistake, for Jinx immediately attempted to kick her, and Raven just barely dodged. She could feel the irritation of the day building again, of Robin and Starfire's flirting, of just wanting to go to her damn room. Instead of suppressing it, she released it into her hands, punching at Jinx with the magic tingling at her fingertips.

Jinx's eyes widened with slight fear, and she cried out, "Plan beta!"

She dodged Raven's punches and snarled, "You fight like a boy."

The comment didn't help with her anger. She managed to land a punch onto the girl, but the satisfaction was short lived.

"And you're about to croak like a frog!" The bald boy laughed. His backpack had sprung large spider legs, hoisting him into the air. In his hands, he held a device that suddenly glowed a bright orange. Before Raven could react, it slammed into her body, throwing her back in the air. Suddenly, she felt warm arms wrap around her waist, and she landed on something much softer than the harsh concrete of the street.

"I caught you!" Robin smiled. Before she could even process any sort of embarrassment, Robin rolled over, setting her softly onto the street, and he ran towards the fight. Beast boy was in the form of an elephant, being lifted by the large man as though he weighed nothing. Perhaps running towards the scene was yet another mistake because the man suddenly threw Beast boy towards Robin. Thank goodness Beast boy changed back mid throw, and it was only his tiny body that slammed into Robin.

Beast boy skidded a couple feet behind her, and Robin landed on his butt right next to her.

"Two for two," Raven deadpanned. "You're on a roll today."

Robin snorted, "Maybe I should have considered a career in baseball."

"You certainly have the body for it."

"What?"

Raven instantly wanted to crawl under a rock and die.

"Hey guys," Beast boy called, "is it just me, or are we getting our butts kicked?"

"It's just you!" Robin and Raven answered at the same time.

When Robin smirked at her, Raven couldn't help but send a small smile back.

"Listen," Robin announced, "I have a plan."

Raven couldn't hear the plan on account for being thrown back by another laser. Beast boy landed next to her, as apparently he was shot too. Raven sighed, wondering what was wrong with them today. Normally they fought with much more coordination than this. Then again, they rarely faced trained teams of this caliber.

"Uh oh," Beast boy whispered. Raven gazed ahead and paled. Robin was in a fighting stance, ready to take on the three of them without any help.

"Robin!" Raven shouted, lifting herself up and flying towards him.

That idiot! Don't take everything on yourself! Wait for us!

She's never flown faster in her life, yet it still wasn't enough. All three of the H.I.V.E. members directed their attacks towards the ground underneath his feet, as though they subconsciously knew they couldn't take him. They couldn't fight him fairly, so they took him out of the fight. The ground crumbled beneath his feet, and tears sprung to Raven's eyes.

No no no no no no no!

She reached out her arm, almost reaching him, almost there, when he collapsed under the ground. His eyes met hers as he fell, and he offered her a weary smile as though he was saying Oh well, what can you do?

"ROBIN!"

He landed in the water, but before she could jump in after him, a force of magic slammed into her, making her fall once again onto the street. She rose on her hands and knees, glaring at the three villains with malice. She was getting damn tired of being thrown around like a rag doll.

"You will pay for this," she vowed, rising slowly to her feet as her magic boiled around her. The air cracked with sudden electricity as though all the warmth was sucked into an endless void. Jinx gulped and stepped back.

"Guys," she warned, "we need to go."

"What?" The bald child said. "The fun is just getting started! We—"

He didn't get to finish. Raven hurled her magic at the boy, causing him to fly into the nearest building and hit the concrete with a painful SMACK. She turned towards Jinx and raised her hand.

Jinx paled, but she was saved by an unexpected source: Beast boy.

"Robin!" Beast boy yelled, peering into the edge of the new hole in the ground. Raven paused, gazing at him with hope that perhaps he found him, he saw him.

Jinx took that opportunity to round up her team members and run.

Raven didn't bother to chase after them. She flew to Beast boy's side, staring into the sewer. She could barely see, and the water reeked.

"I'll take the left, and you take the right," Beast boy said.

She agreed without argument, and they leaped into the sewer.

She searched for what felt like hours. Her throat was hoarse from shouting his name over and over and over again. The only thing she heard in response was the echo of her desperate voice. Still, she didn't give up, racing through the sewers for any sign of him. He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be. He didn't talk much about his past. In fact, he never talked about his past, ever. Yet, she knew some details. He was the most famous side kick to ever exist before he came to Jump City, so naturally she's heard tales and rumors. He's faced against some of the most notorious villains in the world as a preteen boy, and he had survived. Three teenage villains couldn't take him down. They just couldn't. Of course, as a kid, he had Batman by his side…

She shut her eyes and shook her head as though that would clear her mind. She couldn't afford to think like that. She reopened her eyes, focusing on steadying her breathing, when her eyes caught something. Bright yellow.

"Robin," she smiled, relief coursing through her whole body like a river. She flew directly into the sewage, landing on her feet and not caring about the smell or the filth of the water. She reached towards the item and yanked it out of the water. As she thought, it was his utility belt…

And nothing else.

"No," she panted, the exhaustion of the day catching up with her. "No, if his belt is here… he has to be here. Robin… ROBIN!"

She lifted herself up again, flying down the sewer and clutching the belt tightly in her hands, close to her heart. Time began to blur, but she kept looking. She thought of all the things she never got to tell him. Never her feelings of love, of course, but of her eternal gratefulness. He was the first person to ever take a chance on her, to not care about her past, to sit with her in peace and quiet…

"I know enough."

He was her best friend.

"Raven!"

She gasped, whirling around and shouting, "Robin!"

It was just Beast boy, grief and pity shining in his eyes. Raven lowered herself down into the sewer again, her hands trembling. She could tell by his grieved expression that he hadn't had any luck finding anything.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. His voice also sounded hoarse as well. "We need to go home. We have to tell Cyborg and Starfire."

Raven shook her head. "No, we have to keep looking! He could still be out there."

"No Raven. You're going to pass out before you find anything, and then we'll have to look for you too."

"I can still look for him! I can still—" She trailed off. Deep down, she knew Beast boy was right. Her hands and legs were shaking, and her magic felt frayed. The emotional and physical exhaustion was beginning to overtake her body, leaving her wanting nothing more than a hot bath and a deep sleep. She couldn't find Robin like this.

"Let's go home," Beast boy whispered. "Someone has to tell Starfire."

Raven nodded, suddenly not feeling much of anything anymore. She barely remembered leaving the sewers and flying home. There were no words exchanged as they flew towards the tower. Raven clutched Robin's utility belt like a lifeline, as though it would somehow manifest into the man himself. She still couldn't believe he was gone. It didn't feel right. It wasn't right.

Starfire was going to be so upset.

Thanks for reading! As always, comments are much appreciated. I will be posting a new chapter once every week or two. Because the story is already written and just needs edits, it will take significantly less time than writing new content. Once I catch up, the updates will most likely be a little slower. We'll cross that bridge when we get there!