Chapter 5: Post Blue

"Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell."

– Joan Crawford

Yellow sunlight seeped through the windows and a soft beeping reverberated throughout the hallways. With both eyes closed, Robin reached over his nightstand, grabbing blindly for his mask. His hand slipped over the edge and fell, lazily hanging over the bed.

"Robin?" The voice echoed and quickly, Robin's blue eyes flash opened. His hand returned to its searching position, snatching the mask off the table and plastering it onto his face. With a tap, he pressed the alarm clock to power off, and straightened up in his bed.

"Robin," The voice repeated.

"Coming," He responded acquiescently, motioning closer to the door.

The panels slid open and unexpectedly, a blonde girl stood by the doorway. Her hands previously placed on her hips in an impatient manner dropped down when she locked eyes with her leader. She was fully dressed in her usual get-up: black turtleneck crop top and yellow spandex shorts. Her goggles were lopsided and half-falling down the side of her face.

"Terra," Robin greeted, not attempting a smile.

"Look, Robin, I know you're tired so I'll cut to the chase," Terra said automatically, as though she had rehearsed the statement several times before. Her hands were trembling at her side and she was biting her lip every so often.

"Raven's been gone for five days and I know I'm new and all and I shouldn't be telling you what to do… and you probably don't want to hear what I have to say after everything, and you're probably still not over the terrible things I've done… but we've gotten no word about her—Raven, I mean—and I really hope… but she could be dead. And if we don't figure out a plan, then I think, if she's still okay right now, she might not be okay. And Robin, I just—I think we should take Red X's offer and hand over the xenothium in exchange for her."

She huffed at the end in relief and repositioned her goggles, waiting anxiously for an answer.

Having processed her barely coherent statement, Robin stepped outside his bedroom, sliding the door panels closed.

"I'm glad you're concerned, Terra, but I've got this under control," He said monotonously. "We're not negotiating with a criminal."

Terra quirked her eyebrow and crossed her arms unconvinced. "What do you mean? Raven's been gone for a week! When do you think it's time to act?"

"I've got this under control, Terra," Robin repeated more sternly this time, closing any room for argument.

They stood in silence as Terra tucked blonde hair strands behind her ear and folded her arms across her chest.

"You know, Robin, I had a lot of respect for you. I always thought you were a dependable and a cool guy—from the first day I met you. But I was wrong. You won't let go of your stubbornness just once to save a friend."

She stomped away, hastily grabbing hold of a shape shifter hiding behind one of the columns. Turning his green head over his shoulder, Beast Boy glanced once at Robin, flashed him an annoyed expression, and ran off with Terra.

Sighing, Robin headed the other direction to the gym. None of his friends understood and he was afraid to make them understand. Red X was not a person to mess with; he was not a person that Robin felt he could trust. He was impulsive, angry all the time, and could easily go back on his word if he was pushed hard enough. He knew all of Robin's moves. He knew all of Robin's strategies. He learned everything that Robin learned. And maybe he was better.

Or maybe Robin was letting this all get to his head.

Her head rested on her left hand, while her right hand was preoccupied with mixing the soggy cereal and milk in front of her. On the opposite end of the table was Red X, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes staring at her, observing her as if she was a caged animal at the zoo.

It only took a few more silent seconds before the silver spoon fell from her fingers, landing hard against the metal bowl. Its clang resonated throughout the house.

"Will you stop?" She asked bitterly.

"Stop what?"

"Stop staring at me," Raven muttered.

Red X leaned back against his chair, kicking his feet up onto the table, and rocking back and forth. "It's interesting."

"What's interesting?"

"You."

"In what way?"

"Yesterday night. What happened to you? You just… snapped," Red X said.

"It's none of your business," Raven responded coldly, pushing her chair back from the table and standing up briskly. Though she had mostly healed her ankle, there was still a bit of a limp in her walk as she headed towards the large windows.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere. Thanks for the concern."

Outside, the heavy rain pattered against the rooftop. It was loud, distracting, yet calming at the same time. Raven watched, mesmerized, as each droplet hit the window, sliding down the glass.

Taking a deep breath, she crossed her legs together, levitated herself into the air, and spoke her mantra softly and quietly.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath…"

BOOM!

A loud noise interrupted her, and she turned around quickly on impulse. Her heart stopped momentarily as she dropped onto the ground, fingers digging into the carpeted floors. Debris covered the area in front of her, large pieces of brick and wood continued to fall, catching fire and raising the temperature of the room. The once-porcelain kitchen floor was now black and scratched. Electrical appliances sparked a few times before fizzling out completely. Smoke grew darker, surrounding her body and encasing the room in an opaque haze. Careful not to step on broken glass, Raven inched closer to the source of the smog.

"Raven."

She turned abruptly, changing direction, and followed the croaking noise; pained, anguished, and barely audible. She coughed, waving the clouds of smoke in front of her face. Squinting her eyes, she could see a figure not too far ahead of her, lying on the ground.

"Red X?" She called.

"Raven."

Raven covered her mouth when she saw the boy. His uniform was torn up in the chest area and blood seeped from under the black fabric. His mask was ripped at parts, and it was now loosely covering his face and showcasing a tuft of dark hair from underneath.

Raven placed her right hand on his chest and cringed as the blood stained her skin. He flinched at the contact but remained still after. Closing her eyes, Raven breathed out a weak "Azarath Metrion Zinthos".

AH!

With a terrorizing scream, pain transferred from Red X's body into her own. Needles pushed into her chest and fire surged through her veins. Every muscle in her body was enflamed and she cried out again in agony, but refused to break the connection. Her heart pounded, rapidly going faster and faster as her left hand stretched and clenched itself in and out of a tight fist.

The air grew hotter and she was surrounded in a ring of fire. The flames rose higher and higher, catching onto the curtains and spreading farther around the room. Her vision distorted and smoke caused her to grasp at her throat for air. She couldn't breathe.

Panicking and desperate, she closed her eyes, tears sliding down her face. She coughed and choked on the musty air, mentally holding herself together as much as she could, but the walls were breaking. Grinding her teeth together, she screamed one last time before collapsing onto the floor, struggling for oxygen.

Blackness clawed at her mind, consuming her thoughts into empty space.

Strong arms snaked under her knees and body, lifting her from the ground and pulling her close. Her head fell back and she stared up at the crumbling ceiling, waiting to pass out, no longer fighting her inevitable fate.

She was moving faster. He was running, leaping over the fragments of wall and passing the blinding smoke. Raven couldn't feel her limbs, the stinging aftermath still washing over her body in waves of pain.

Rain hit her face, slithering down her nose and cheekbones. She curled herself into the boy's chest, her heart pounding through her ears as her eyes closed. Exhaustion crept up on her, pulling her into a deep slumber.

Fluttering her eyes open, Raven became very aware of the wet grass tickling her skin. The stormy clouds were fading away, and the heavy shower turned into a light sprinkle.

She rolled her head to the side to see the boy sitting by a tree. His elbows were resting on his knees and his face was hiding behind his hands. His hair was black like Robin's, which made Raven sit up almost immediately. However, her heartbeat regulated when she noticed a white streak damply sticking to the right side of his forehead. Definitely not Robin.

A/N: I don't know if it was ever showcased on the Teen Titans tv series, but I mentioned Raven's ability to absorb someone else's pain in order to heal them, so that's what she was doing with Red X. Also, the last line is a bit ironic for anybody who loves DC comics :P.

I'm pushing to write a new chapter by the end of the week, or maybe even by Tuesday. Writer's block is finally going away.