Master of Beasts Chapter 1: Nightmares, a teen titans fanfic

Insaneiac: You know what; I should not be allowed to sleep after writing. Seriously. I came up with another fic idea, and being me, I couldn't help but write it down. Hopefully, this idea is as original as everything else I have written, but I might as well try. By the way, the events in this story are pre-Birthmark. Get it, got it? Good.

Disclaimer: Um… Nope, don't own them. The Titans belong to someone else who isn't me.

Everyone has nightmares. It's a fact of life, just like getting dumped by a girlfriend, and being fired from a job. It is inevitable that you will have a nightmare every once in a while. They remind you that there are scariest things are usually in your head. They also give you a chance to stand to your greatest fears, or to finally face something you've denied for too long. In many ways, nightmares are your brain's way of reminding you that bad things do happen, and worst things will happen. So, it only makes sense that you would get one every once in a while.

Not so for one member of the Titan, nor has it been for sometime now. Close to a month was more like it. Every night he would have the same, horrible nightmare. Every time he closed his eyes, he'd see the same white eyes he'd seen every night. He'd gotten use to the eyes by now, but he'd still find himself up at three in the morning, beads of sweat pouring down his small, green face. And tonight had been exactly the same as the last four weeks of his life.

"Who are you? Where's Beast Boy?" A fresh voice yelled, as her blue eyes locked onto the pure white ones of the monster in front of her. Slowly, the monster stepped towards her, his eyes softening as best they could, but to no avail, as the woman's eyes glowed bright yellow and her long blonde hair began to float upwards. "GIVE BACK BEAST BOY!"

A chunk of earth smashed into the beast, yet it had very little effect. At least, it had very little physical effect on him. His eyes turned from the softest possible he could provide, to just plain hurt. Slowly, the beast backed away from the woman, her glowing eyes still piercing into his the beast's purely white eyes.

"You can't have him back Terra… he's mine now… my little pet…" Another voice sounded, as Terra turned sharply to the sound. An instant later, a gloved fist smashed into her face, shattering it into pieces as though it were no more than stone, or glass. The fist retreated back to the darkness, and the beast's hurt and soft eyes turned to fury in a heartbeat. A bloodcurdling roar erupted from the beast's mouth, and soon the snarling beast was charging towards the shattered Terra.

"Tsk, tsk. I thought I told you to stay!" The voice said with a harsh tone, as the beast leapt at him. "It's your fault she died, Beast Boy…" The voice said again, as a single eye burned through the shadows and straight into the beast's soul. "My pets should learn to behave themselves, and listen to their MASTERS!" The voice yelled angrily.

Beast Boy shot up, stifling back a scream that he had wanted to let loose so many times before. His eyes were opened as wide as possible, and sweat dripped from his face. It had been the same one again. Every time, he watched as though he were a spectator, he saw himself. Not his real self, but the horrible freak of nature that resided deep within him. A horrible manifestation of his anger, and hate, and all the other emotions he hid.

He watched as Terra attacked him, never truly realizing who he was, and then he watched the same horrible image over and over again. A fist shattering Terra like glass, and a face that he knew all too well and feared not nearly enough. It had been a good month since the incident with the chemicals, and it had been a good month since they started.

"What is wrong with me…?" Beast Boy muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Why is Slade, of all people, in my dreams? Robin's the one that is obsessed with that freak!" Beast Boy yelled, staring into the darkness surrounding his bed. Slowly, Beast Boy got out of the bed, and walked to the door. Maybe some of Raven's herbal tea would help his mind.

The door opened, and standing in front of Beast Boy was the same face he saw in every dream he had had in the last month. "Hello Beast Boy… Going for a walk are we?" Slade muttered, grabbing him by the throat. Slade squeezed tightly, taking the air from Beast Boy's lips, and hoisting him to his face, so as to stare levelly with the green changeling. His one eye burning into Beast Boy's eyes, although it felt more like he was digging into his soul. In a quick movement, almost fluid, a collar was slapped around his neck, and a sinister laugh escaped Slade's mouth. "I always wanted a dog…"

This time, Beast Boy shot up out of bed, and screamed. He screamed until he heard pounding at the door, and then he screamed until he fell onto the floor of his room. His head was throbbing with mind bending pain, and even his throat hurt, though it could have just been from the screaming. The door was quickly wrapped in a black aura, and forced open, as Robin ran into the room, bird-a-rangs drawn incase something was there. There was nothing in the room though.

Nothing but the green changeling, curled up in the fetal position, rocking back and forth, muttering nonsense. Well, nonsense except for one constant word.

"Slade…"

Master of Beasts

Chapter 1: Nightmares

Few things truly scared Robin outright. Anyone could tell that the number one thing Robin was truly afraid of was Slade. You could tell even from his just glancing into his room, and seeing the massive amount of pictures and newspaper clippings hanging on the wall. While many people would fear rejection, or death the most, Robin was always fearful of Slade. No matter how badly he tries to show otherwise.

So it only made sense that when Robin heard Beast Boy muttering Slade's name among other nonsense, his mental red alert would spring to life in a heartbeat. However, something else had truly scared him this night. He had never once remembered Beast Boy screaming like that, ever. It had not only torn him from sleep, but it had nearly made his blood run cold. When the screaming continued, Robin found himself not only worried, but frightened and confused. He rushed out of his room in a heartbeat, and down to his teammate's quarters in no time, only to see Raven standing there, her eyes wide opened.

When they opened the door, their eyes had gotten, if possible, even wider. On the floor was their teammate, wrapped in the fetal position, shaking as though he had just seen the devil himself, and muttering nonsense. And as mentioned, Robin became even more worried when Slade's name was repeated over and over again by the changeling. The two had been joined by Starfire and Cyborg. Starfire had come later, as the screaming had effectively freaked her out beyond all measure, while Cyborg just sighed, as he just wrote it off as one of Beast Boy's little pranks. When they finally came there, Starfire's eyes became nearly watery, while Cyborg's eyes just adopted a look of confusion and fear, even if he would never truly admit to it.

Robin had kneeled beside Beast Boy, and shook his shoulder roughly as he looked into his eyes. Beast Boy's pupils had shrunken, and he just kept muttering nonsense as Robin checked him out. "Beast Boy? What's wrong?" Robin muttered, getting no response. Robin turned to wave Raven in, wanting her to take a peak inside Beast Boy's mind and see what was wrong, when a hand tightly gripped Robin's nightshirt, and yanked him back with surprising force.

"Help me…" Beast Boy squeaked, tears slowly sliding down his face. Robin was now well beyond being worried, and could almost feel Beast Boy suffering as he tightly gripped his shoulder, and effectively lost as to what to do. To Robin, it sounded as though he was choking, but everything else considered, his breathing was fine.

"Raven! Something is really wrong here!" Robin yelled, as Raven slipped into the room. From behind, Starfire and Cyborg were staring on in shock. This has never happened to Beast Boy before, and they all could honestly say they expected him to be the last person to go into a state of nervous breakdown like he had. Even Starfire had been expected to go into it before Beast Boy, which showed just how unlikely everyone thought it would truly be.

"What is wrong with friend Beast Boy?" Starfire stated worriedly. Robin could already tell she was effectively freaked out. He could also tell that in a matter of moments, she was going to start crying. As mind numbingly strong as Starfire was, at heart she was a kitten. An easily emotional kitten, but a kitten none the less. "Why is he shaking like a sick Garlanth?"

"I don't know." Robin replied, as Raven kneeled down beside Beast Boy. "Talk to us Beast Boy… what's wrong with you?"

Beast Boy opened his mouth to try and say something, but all that came out was muffled gurgling, and some sounds of choking. Both Raven and Robin looked at each other almost instantly at this, and one after the other, nodded.

"Listen to me Beast Boy." Raven muttered, her voice a little less stable as usual, but no one would blame her, considering the circumstance, and considering the sudden screaming fit at three in the morning. Still, considering it is Raven, her voice was pretty strong. "I want you to try and relax." Raven muttered, before pressing a finger to Beast Boy's forehead. Almost instantly, Beast Boy went slack, and stopped quivering.

"Whatever you did, it worked nicely." Cyborg said, though more than a little rattled, walking over and picking up his friend.

"I didn't do anything yet." Raven replied, her eyes now a little wider than they had been just a few moments prior. "He must have passed out."

"Friend Robin, why was Beast Boy screaming and lying on the floor shaking?" Starfire muttered, her voice audibly shaky. Robin could understand why it would be. Starfire was not only probably beyond scared, but she had never seen Beast Boy so out of it before.

"I really don't know Starfire. I truly do not know." Robin told Starfire, as he walked off. "Cyborg, put him in the medical bay, and hook him up." Robin shouted at Cyborg, who just nodded as he walked off.

An hour later ------

The Titans, sans Beast Boy, were sitting in the main room, being effectively unable to sleep again. Everyone admitted that they freak out Beast Boy had left them all a little more than shook up, even Robin. Raven had settled down with a cup of herbal tea, while the rest of The Titans just stared at one another, listening closely to see if anything else would happen.

Finally, Raven spoke, breaking the eerie silence that had taken a firm hold of the Titans. "What do we do about him?"

"What do you mean Raven?" Robin replied, almost on reflex.

"Well, no offense Robin, but you are the one obsessed with Slade. It's more than creepy that Beast Boy would be the first to snap." Cyborg replied, receiving rather vicious glares from the rest of the Titans.

"Raven, maybe you could see what's freaked him out that badly." Robin muttered, before the sound of an alarm rung through the Tower. The computer clicked on almost automatically, and the screen displayed the scene of a crime. "It's Cinderblock. He's going on a rampage downtown. Titans, go!" Robin yelled, as the four ran off to save the day. Within moments, the Tower was empty, minding Beast Boy. A lone eye in the darkness watched them flee to save the day, or in this case, the night.

'What better time than now to finally find out Robin's greatest weakness. What better time than the present to dig through the files the idiot Titans kept, and finally dig out the darkest secrets and the deepest regrets of the amazing Boy Wonder?'

Slowly, Slade made his way to the empty tower. Yes, the man was truly still alive, even though his survival was a miraculous one at that. Of course, Slade made a point to never test the limitations of his battle attire like that ever again. His suit was well capable of surviving the magma, but he lost a mask in the process. He was most sure that when next he and Robin met, Robin would be bowing at his feet.

Slowly, Slade slipped into the empty tower, and walked into the very den of the Tower. It sickened him that Robin held this pathetic display of justice in such high regards. It was greatly unbecoming of what he was truly meant to be. Slowly, Slade made his way to each room, checking to see if any of the Titan's had stayed behind. Finally reaching the infirmary, he stared in to see the changeling hooked up and being monitored. Needless to say, Slade found himself curious as to why the pathetic green pest would be in the infirmary. But that was unimportant right now. No, more than anything, Slade wanted information. They say information is a tool in the right hands, and a weapon in the wrong hands. Well, Slade preferred to think of it as both.

Slade made his way back to the main room, and accessed the main computer terminal. Within a few quick menus, he had reached the file database, where the Titans kept their most secret and personal information. Big surprise, however, Robin's wasn't there. Either he had erased his, or he kept it hidden. Slade felt like destroying the computer, until he saw something else. Something much different than what he had come to look for originally.

It was a file named 'Bestial Mutation.' With curiosity nipping away at Slade, he clicked on the file, and saw it open to a collection of photographs, and a small write up. Within the first few pictures, Slade's one eye soon opened wider. The pictures were of a wild looking beast, and by the scenes of destruction in each photo, he could assume it was quite strong. Closing the pictures, he turned to the write up, and for the first time in his life, found himself at a loss for words.

'Beast Boy, after exposure to dangerous chemicals during a fight with the villain known as Adonis, mutated into a horrible beast, capable of great destruction. His senses had nearly tripled in effectiveness, and both his speed and strength had increased dramatically. He easily beat us around, but eventually wound up tired after a fight with a mutated Adonis. After the fight, Cyborg managed to lock away the mutated form of Beast Boy with a solution, but Beast Boy himself has already become much more different.'

'Too bad it won't do me any good if it is locked away…' Slade mused as he read on.

'Beast Boy transformed into this "were-beast" when put under great emotional stress. However, he seems to retain some basic senses to him, and although he becomes much more violent, he still has a few shred of control over the form.'

'So the changeling isn't completely pathetic at all. If what this says is true, that child is more powerful than any of my servants in that state, and even more so than Robin…most interesting indeed. Maybe it's time I invest in getting myself a pet…' Slade once again mused, before closing the file, and turning the computer off. He should have left then, but he was curious now as to why Beast Boy was now in the infirmary. Slade made his way back to Beast Boy, and stared at him from outside.

"Well well. Who could have known you posses such power inside you." Slade muttered, staring at Beast Boy. Slowly, he walked into the room, and looked down at the green one. "Sleep tight, boy. I have my eye on you and that special little friend deep inside you." Slade muttered, before walking off, and leaving the tower, and leaving Beast Boy to his dreams.

Beast Boy shot straight up in the medical room, and stared into the darkness. Slowly, he raised his hands to his face, and rubbed his forehead. Slowly, Beast Boy rested back down onto the bed, and breathed slowly. "What do you want with me…?" Beast Boy whined into the open infirmary bay. "Robin's the one that has your picture everywhere. Why are you bothering me dude." Beast Boy complained weakly, looking off to the left.

"I want nothing with you, child. I want what's in you…" Slade muttered, his head coming out of the shadows, right beside Beast Boy's head. "You're just the worthless shell that keeps him from me." Beast Boy tried to scream, but a hand slammed down on his mouth, and kept him from screaming. Slowly, Slade drew a collar from his belt, and brought it to Beast Boy's throat. He laughed as Beast Boy's eyes grew wider than ever before, with muffled cries making it all the more sweet. In no great hurry, Slade placed the collar around Beast Boy's neck, and lowered his masked face until both faces were barely apart at all.

"You're my pet now, dog!"

Outside Titan Tower ------

The Titans had very little problem with Cinderblock, minding the fact that he was tossing cars at the Titans. Raven quickly dealt with the cars, and then the beat down began. At least until Cinderblock ran away.

"I just want to go to sleep now." Cyborg whined, his head hanging as the car was parked back into the garage of the tower.

"I know what you mean." Starfire replied, her eyes drooping. Even Raven and Robin were tired. The adrenaline from the midnight freak out had long since gone, and all four Titans wanted nothing more than to just get to sleep.

"Right, let's check up on Beast Boy, and we'll go to sleep." Robin stated, leaving the garage. It didn't take long for them to get to the main room after that, and although the four were pretty much exhausted, they managed the stairs quite well. Even Starfire, who was usually the most energetic one of the group, felt like she was going to fall asleep right here in the middle of the room. They were all genuinely tired and felt like just falling asleep and forgetting how the day had begun.

Which made it all the worst when the screams began again.

Insaneiac: First of, it is a plausible idea. Think about it, what could Slade accomplish when he has something that beat all four Titans? And the nightmares…well, Beast Boy never did come off as the one who'd go off on a tangent about how he was having nightmares, especially with Captain. Slade Obsession over there. Tell me what you think though, as this will get more interesting as it goes on.