Chapter 3

Beast Boy let out an unearthly growl as he landed on top of him in the form of a tiger. He headed strait for Marthox's throat. His voice sent shivers down Beast Boy's spine as the man spoke.

"I thought I told you not to get comfortable, you can never escape me, you knew I would always come back for you." The titans heard the conversation, but couldn't make anything of it, how had Beast Boy known this man? Marthox threw Beast Boy off of him and jumped back into a back flip with grace that could rival Robins. The man was a monster. Charging savagely into battle once again, Beast Boy ripped and tore at the mans chest and body, trying in any way to hurt him, but any injuries (as Beast Boy knew) healed instantly. The rest of the Titans stood away from the fight in shock as the usually timid Beast Boy acted like what his name suggests; a beast. His eyes flashed red as he slashed through his chest, never drawing blood.

"I will never go back with you." The dam inside Beast Boy broke, his severe loathing for this man was unleashed and his body was shrouded in a pitch black aura; his eyes glowing a violent red. "You can't control me, I am him!" He let out a cry that was so inhuman, even the titans cowered before their friend. Even though he was the same size, Beast Boy had let something out that hadn't been out in years, and his magical power consumed him, with a flick of a wrist, he threw Marthox backwards into a wall and leapt over to him, flying through the air and landing with his claws to his throat. "You don't own me Marthox, you never have." Beast Boys words were laced with growls his voice coming out much deeper and louder than before, Marthox looked at him for the first time with fear in his eyes. He pushed Beast Boy back and stood up, prepared to fight. But before he could react, Beast Boy seized an opportunity and flipped over his head, landing a punch to his back and a kick to the back of the knee. Marthox fell to the ground and Beast Boy threw a punch to his face, Marthox rolled out of the way and kicked Beast Boy in the back, Beast Boy twisted around and grabbed onto his leg, twisting it the wrong way and jumping up into the air, he spun around and kicked Marthox underneath him and crashed him into the ground landing on top of him with his foot on his face, completing a move that even Robin couldn't do.

"It seems you learned some new tricks scum, and I liked your pretty lie. So I kept you on a tight leash did I, I would have hoped I did better than that, seeing as how you had no choice." As quick as he had appeared, Marthox vanished with a terrible roar from Beat Boy; disappearing like Beast Boy had done all those years ago. The titans stood by watching the whole scene unfold, they were shocked, they had know idea who this man was and why Beast Boy was beating him to a pulp, who knew he had that much in him. To there dismay, as soon as the man vanished, Beast Boy reverted back to his old self and collapsed. Raven flew over and quickly checked his vitals, cringing when she scanned his brain.

"He seems ok, but his mind is going crazy, he hates this man more fiercely than anything I can even imagine. More than I hate Trigon." The other titans gasped, they weren't aware that the little green changeling could hate anything, much less hate so much. Cyborg stepped forward and picked him up, Robin ordered them all to the medical bay, he wanted them all to be there when he woke up.

"Is friend Beast Boy going to be alright?" Starfire looked at Robin with great concern in her eyes.

"I hope so Star, for his sake."

Three days later

Beast Boy's mind was reeling, all he could remember was seeing Marthox, fighting him, and his taunting words, but he couldn't remember how the battle turned out. As he opened his eyes, he noticed the beeping of the heart monitor and felt the med bay sheets under his fingertips, he inwardly groaned, he must have lost to him again. But if he had truly lost wouldn't he be with Marthox once again? No, he couldn't have lost, something happened, and he needed to know what.

He sat up in bed and looked around him; all four other titans were in the room fast asleep in a chair, or in Ravens case, floating above it. As soon as he ripped the IV out of his arm and the stickers off his chest, the monitor flat lined and all the titans shot out of their seats. Their panicked expressions faded to ones of slight worry when they saw that the changeling had woken up and they all rushed over.

"Are you alright Beast Boy?" Raven was the first to speak, Beast Boy nodded, unable to make his voice work, what had happened after he blacked out, he couldn't remember anything. He looked up at Raven and beckoned her closer, she leaned in and he whispered his question in her ear. She hesitantly glanced at the others. "His voice isn't working properly after the… erm, incident." Beast Boy gave her a frustrated look. "Also he wants to know what happened after he blacked out." She looked around at the other titans and Cyborg spoke up.

"Well dude, we carried you in here and here you've been asleep for nearly three days." Beast Boy's eyes widened, three days! He had been asleep for three days? But he shook his head and tried to speak.

"That's not what I mean." His voice came out rough and forced. "What happened after that… man, after he pushed me into the TV? All I remember is what he said, and I don't know what actually happened." Robin looked at him quizzically; "you mean you don't remember the fight?"

"Or how you beat him to a pulp with your super cool secret powers? Or the way your eyes glowed red and your body glowed black?" Cyborg was gaping at him and the other Robin shot him a pained expression.

"Cyborg." He ran his hand through his hair, "You forgot to ease him into it." Robin looked back at Beast Boy, whose face had gone blank, he was muttering to himself.

"Red eyes… black body… powers?" His face suddenly contorted into one of extreme horror and he backed up in the bed until he was pressed up against the headboard. "You mean… I, or he was… but I thought I…" Raven came up to him and placed a hand on his knee. He flinched and yanked his leg away from her, "Get away from me!" Raven and the other titans took a shocked step backward, what was up with Beast Boy? Suddenly, he turned into a cheetah and leapt through the door, crashing into the hallway and running to his room. 'I can't believe he came out, I kept him at bay for so many years, and now, who knows when he'll come out, what he could do to me, or to my friends! I need to get out of here, once they realize what a monster I am, they won't want me around.' Thinking to himself, he hurriedly gathered the essentials for a trip (extra change of clothes, snacks, sleeping bag etc.) into a duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder. He heard a crack and looked down to the ground. Sighing, he picked up the broken picture of his parents and pulled out their picture and the hidden picture of the titans and shoved them into his bag. 'Why did he show up here? Why now? I have to get away from the Titans! And besides, the last time Marthox found out I had friends… I need to leave.'

Suddenly, he heard noise coming from outside his door; the titans were on their way up. Determined to get out before they could see him, Beast Boy took to the air once again and started on his journey far away from the titans' tower.

"Why on earth would friend Beast Boy leave like he did?" Starfire was confused; nobody knew what had gotten into Beast Boy, obviously something about himself was scaring him.

"I don't know Star, but we will find out, let's go up to his room and get some answers." Robin's determination set in and he marched up the stairs. But just as they were coming up to his door, Raven stopped. "What is it Raven?" She looked around with puzzled eyes.

"I don't sense him. He's not in the tower." Her usual monotone voice was tipped with emotion. Robin frowned as Beast Boy's door slid open. They all gasped. His room looked even worse than usual. Clothes looked like they had been thrown out of drawers, the contents of his closet was dumped on his bed and looked like it had been rummaged through and some of the handles on the drawers and cabinets were either crushed, or ripped off entirely. Raven was beginning to get worried. He had been acting strange that morning, and then the fight… Beast Boy hates that man for what he did to him, but what could cause him to react like that? Beast Boy had never told any of the titans about his past, so naturally they assumed he had come from a great family with a good life. After all, he was cheerful and goofy all the time. 'But not this morning.' Ravens mind continued in its battle over Beast Boy while the other titans searched the rest of the tower.

"I told you guys, he's not in the tower." Robin shook his head in frustration.

"Why would he leave without telling us? Raven, can you scan Jump city and its perimeter for any sense of Beast Boy?" Getting into her meditation pose on the floor, she nodded her head and started chanting.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos, Azarath Metrion Zinthos, Azarath Metrion Zinthos." After a while, her eyes shot open. "I know where he is, and I know where he is headed." The rest of the titans looked at her expectantly. "Though I don't know why, he is heading to Africa, and he is right outside the city limits.