one is when the teen titans decide to go to the circus robin begins to get flashbacks of memories which bring out strong emotions within him and raven being an empath senses and sees the images

CIRCUS TIME

They had been planning the get-together for two weeks now. Starfire had never been to a circus, much to the amusement of Cyborg and Beast Boy. They of course tried to explain, to which she just stared at them with a far away look. They knew they had confused her more than helped her.

"This place seems horrible. Why would they whip the animals?"

" It's a show, Star. Besides, the animals get treated real good. "

" Believe it, Star. If BB says it's okay then they must be doing something right. "

Beast Boy nodded. Starfire looked confused, but smiled. Cyborg looked at Raven, who was deep in her reading, like always. Beast Boy on the other hand was scratching his head, before smiling.

" Hey, why don't we go to a circus ?"

" Hey, yeah! Raven, you haven't seen a circus, right ? "

" I think I'll stay in. "

" Nonsense! This will be a first for you and Starfire !"

The two boys were in full hyper mode, much to the annoyance of Raven who was trying to get out of it. Starfire walked towards her and smiled.

" Friend Raven, this shall be most fun, yes ?"

" Oh, goody. "

Raven rolled her eyes and shook her head. If she continued to say no it would only bring the others down and she did not want to dampen their enthusiasm. Yet she had to admit she was curious to see the circus. She had read about it and seen it on TV, yet she was a bit excited to go and see it live.

The leader of the Titans looked at his team in hyper mode and chuckled. Something must be up. Walking towards them, he saw that even Raven had a light smile, so this had to be interesting. They had actually piked her interest.

" What's up, gang ?"

" Hey, Rob, we are going to the circus! "

The surprise was seen all over his face. He was stunned. Looking at them, he noticed they were excited. He smiled and nodded, yet his discomfort didn't go unnoticed by Raven, who looked at him, a bit confused. Did he not want to spent time with them?

" You don't seem to be that excited. "

" I am really guys, you just got me off guard. That's all. "

He smiled and walked towards the control panel. Punching in some codes, he mentally cursed and Raven felt his discomfort. Something was up with Robin. His strong emotions were coming through clearly and she felt them, full force.

" The only circus in town is..."

" Which one, dude, let me see !"

Beast Boy rushed towards the control panel and noticed the circus. It was an old circus, but since there was no other one it would have to do. He looked at Robin, who just walked towards the others. Raven closed her eyes and held her head. A wave of sadness had hit her out of no where.

Looking around at the others, she try to pin point where the source was. It was no surprise when she found the source to be Robin. Looking at the others, she noticed that they were not aware of Robin's dilemma or emotional state. He was putting up a brave front but she could see past his façade.

" So it's Circus de Cirque. "

Beast Boy bounced back towards them, a huge smile on his lips. Cyborg smiled and high fived him. Star Fire and the others began to chat as they made the proper preparation for their day at the circus. They started the function at 5:30, so they still had time to go and see every thing before the show.

As the others spoke amongst themselves, Raven glanced at Robin, who was looking far off into space, his mind deep in thought. Walking towards him, she was determined to find out what was wrong and if she could be of help. Robin and her might not connect so deeply as with the others but they were still friends.

However, before she could even say two words to him Starfire was by his side, yelling and asking questions that made him uncomfortable. Not because they were hard but because even a child would know of these things. Raven once believed that Starfire pretended to act more naïve than she truly was.

" OK gang, so let's go to the Titan Van! "

" I'll catch up to you guys in a while. Still need to finished some research. "

Raven knew better. The others also knew he was trying to avoid it which made them have to force him to go, much to everyone's surprise. Raven's words left the young teen with little choice. She had cornered him.

" Research can wait, can it not? Or is it that you're avoiding spending time with us? "

" I'm not avoiding anything. I just... this is important. "

" If it's of such great importance, why wait until now to finish it ?"

" I ...fine. I'll go. "

Raven did not like the way she had cornered him and had forced him to go. Deep inside, she hated herself for it. He would always respect and give her her own space. He was the most considerate out of all the Titans and to do this to him... It felt like betraying him, yet she had to find out why he was so emotional.

In the Titan Car, the others, excited and happy, were discussing and telling Starfire about all the things she would see and what the show was about. Much to the surprise of the others, there were two grumpy people on the car. Raven was an obvious one, but Robin was a surprise.

" Hey, Rob, you OK, man?"

" Yes. "

Cyborg looked at Beast Boy who nodded. His turn to tag in.

" You ever been to a circus, Robin ?"

The others noticed his flinch at the words, but thought it was nothing much. Only Raven felt the true extent of how much those words had made him feel... How much they made him cringe and want to hurt the green teen who had asked the question.

" In this circus, what tricks do they perform? "

Raven stole a side glance at Robin. She noticed his shoulders slump down in relief. She smiled, it was the least she could do after forcing him to come with them and as beast boy's babble continued and Cyborg and Starfire's rants filled the car, Raven's mind wandered to the teen sitting quietly in the front.

THE AMAZING GRAYSONS

Reaching the circus, the others smiled and rushed alongside Starfire to view the animals and the performers as they practiced for the show. Raven stopped and turned around, placing a hand on Robin's chest. She stopped him dead on his tracks, much to his annoyance.

" What? "

His voice was rude and cold, much to her surprise. It hurt to have him talk like this to her.

" What is wrong with you? I've sensed your discomfort since we mentioned this place. "

" I didn't feel like coming, Raven. You know how that feels, don't you? "

Raven took a step back and looked at him in surprise.

" Robin, I— "

" No, you know what? I don't want to hear it. I thought you would understand. "

He shoved her aside and walked away. Raven was frozen on the spot. She looked at him. His emotions were so much anger, frustration, confusion, fear... all of them coming to her so strong and live she almost ran away. But the one emotion that rotted her to the ground was the great sadness she sensed from him.

" Something is not right here. "

His words were meant to hurt her and so they had, but his overpowering emotions had made it clear he was only yelling at her because he felt trapped and scared. Scared of what? She did not know and this brought on her own emotions. She had never felt such despair in another. She never thought some would find another.

She walked towards the huge tent that was the circus. Searching for him, she found him sitting beside the other Titans. Starfire and Beast Boy waved at her. She nodded and walked towards them. The show was about to start. The others chatted away and she stole quick glances at the Robin. He was nervous, she could tell. He did not want to be here.

" LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THE GREATEST SHOW YOU WILL EVER SEE! WE HAVE LION TAMERS, WE HAVE ACROBATS AND CLOWNS, ALL OF WHICH YOU WILL ENJOY !"

The ring announcer began his speech. The others began to cheer and applaud. Raven smiled and looked at Robin. A faint emotion of happiness emerged from him, nostalgia of what was happening in front of them, then great sadness once more. Raven searched her mind for answers. What was Robin reliving ?

The show continued on and the Titans watched in amazement. Robin was quiet and Raven too noticed this. Something familiar, she thought. Small glimpses into his mind revealed images of a circus. The ring master was much younger, the elephant, the girl with the tigers, everything was familiar to him. He knew the words, he knew what was coming next.

Raven looked more and more interest it at what was going on next. It seemed that every time a new performance started, a new emotion was released from him. A new experience, a new happy time in his life. Perhaps when he was younger he visited the circus. Her mind began to work on why he felt such a connection with these people, with the performers, with the circus itself.

Robin, on the other hand, was a mess. His emotions, his very self, were fighting within himself. He was glad, happy and sad. This place, the show, everything brought back so many memories. He stood up and was about to walk away when he stopped. The blood drained from his body.

" LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, IN HONOR OF THE FLIYING GRAYSONS WE ARE DOING A SPECIAL PERFOMANCE TONIGHT! TWO OF OUR TRAPEZE ARTISTS WILL HONOR THEIR MEMORY BY DOING ONE OF THEIR ROUTINES! A TRIBUTE TO OUR FALLEN FRIENDS!"

Raven closed her eyes and held her chest. Glancing towards Robin, she saw him standing there, his eyes opened wide. His whole body was trembling. He began to murmur something. Starfire and the others looked towards him. Starfire reached towards him.

" Robin, ar—"

" LET ME GO! "

He pushed her away and ran away from them. The others looked at each other and went after him. Raven sat in the stands. Her senses were opened, were focused on him. She felt his anger, his sadness. Such sorrow overwhelmed her, then she knew why she had seen what had happened. This was the place, this was the routine where everything changed.

" ....This is where it all happened... "

The world around her began to cloud over and she was back in that moment in time. She was seeing it all displayed before her eyes. The man, he was young. She saw them, the man and the woman. The Flying Graysons. They stood high above in the trapeze, flying, as it were.

" N...No. P—Please. N—No, get down... "

Her voice broke and she fell to her knees. She saw him, the boy standing on the one of the platforms, a smile on his face and then it happened. The screams of the audience, the scream of the two bodies as they fell to their death.

" ...No...no..."

She looked up to see the boy standing there, tears in his eyes. He saw it. He saw the man who had cut the ropes. He saw the man yet he did not stop him. He didn't do anything to stop them. His scream made Raven cover her ears and close her eyes. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want to.

" I—I'm sorry... I didn't know... I...I didn't know... "

CURTAINS DOWN

She woke to find herself in the Titan Tower. Strapped to her were monitoring equipment. She knew she had collapsed. She knew she had passed out. She did not know how much time had passed. Disconnecting the annoying cables, she walked towards the living room.

" Raven, you shouldn't be up!"

Cyborg rushed towards her, but she pushed him away and walked towards the control panel.

" What is going on ?"

She turned to a very annoyed Cyborg, who walked beside her and started to type commands into the computer.

" We're searching for Robin. The dude just freaked out and ran from the circus. "

" ..........."

Cyborg glanced at Raven, then turned back to the monitors. Something was up.

" Anyways, Starfire and BB are searching the city. No sign of him and knowing Robin, if he doesn't want to be found, he won't be. "

" I'll join the search. "

Before Raven could leave, Cyborg stopped her, much to the girl's annoyance.

" You're in no shape, girl. "

" I am fine. I heal faster than most of you. "

" Not the point now, is it? "

Raven turned around and glared at him. Cyborg rubbed his head in annoyance. It was true what BB said, both birds were as stubborn as each other.

" You collapsed in the circus, now unless you have an explanation of why, I cant let you go out there until at least you've had some serious rest. "

" I said I was fine. "

Raven summoned her powers and within minutes a dark portal began to open underneath her feet. She began to sink into it, banishing from Cyborg's sight.

" Hey, hold on a minute!"

He reached towards her, but only managed to grab hold of her cloak and hood. Much to his annoyance, the girl actually left without them. Mumbling something to himself, he returned to the monitors and threw Raven's cloak and hood on to the sofa.

" BB, Starfire, heads up. Raven is joining the search. "

Beast Boy stopped and looked at Starfire, who was equally as confused.

" Dude, I thought Raven was out ?"

" She woke up a couple of minutes ago. "

" Should you not have stopped her ?"

" I tried, OK Star. You know how she is. "

BB and Starfire nodded. As determined and stubborn as their leader. They continued the search. They tried to communicate with Raven. Much to their surprise, she didn't reply to their signals. Cyborg cursed as he remembered where her tracking device was. He glared at the discarded garments on the sofa.

On top of a building, Robin looked at the city and closed his eyes. He needed time alone. Time to just be at peace, to regain control of his emotions, of himself. The mask was in his hands and he stared at it, looking at it. The mask. It seemed to glare back at him, taunting him of what he didn't know. He didn't want to know. He threw it away and closed his eyes.

His mind wandered back to the place where it all started, to the time when it happened. He smiled sadly. In two hours his world had been turned upside down. His life changed, destroyed by one stupid criminal and his petty ambitions. Tony Suko. He hated that name.

Not far away, Raven walked towards the building. She knew where he was. Somehow she could feel his grief. She could sense him somehow. However, she had no time for this. She needed to find him and yet she was also afraid. What would he say ? Would he be angry, and why was she trying to find him? To help him ? She smirked sadly. How could she help him when she was as confused as he was?

" Helloooo, baby. "

Her head jerked towards the source of the voice. A gang of teenagers was, for a lack of a better word, drooling at the sight of her. She mentally slapped herself. This she did not need right now. She was messed up as it was. She didn't need to hurt some stupid boys.

" Long legs and big nice body. All and all, what do ya say, honey, want to hook up ?"

The gang now surrounded her. Her annoyance grew to anger as they began to insinuate about her clothing choice. Of course, a spandex leotard, a pair of boots and gloves with a matching belt did wonders for the male species. It didn't do much for her mood, however.

" Move, or I will hurt you. "

" Oh, I like it rough, honey. "

She waved her hand. Her powers reacted and they were all on the ground, five feet from where she was. The leader looked at her with anger. He rushed towards her and was about to punch her, when she punched him in the stomach and smirked.

" Sorry, I already have a date. "

The gang leader groaned and, together with his friends, rushed off. Raven rolled her eyes and decided to fly instead of walk. Her mind was not itself today and she knew why. She was too preoccupied with Robin to notice that she was walking instead of flying or teleporting. She hated to admit it, but seeing his most horrific memory messed her up.

Arriving at her destination, she noticed he was long gone. She cursed at the stupid gang and at the male species for being such narrow minded individuals. Then again, she was an attractive woman. She smirked and rushed off to the next location. She would find him. She was on his trail now. Small residual emotions lingered in the places he had been.

" Leave me alone, Raven. "

She stopped and looked at the building beside her. He stood there, his face hidden in shadows. Only three blocks had passed since the last place where he had stayed. She smiled. He was tired, that was why he didn't have the energy to avoid her. He was both emotionally and physically drained.

She flew towards him and stood in front of him, in the ledge of the building. His face remained hidden, but she could see he was crying and she closed her eyes. She didn't want him to be sad. She wanted to help him, to take it all away.

" I...I...I came to apologize. "

" For what ?"

" Robin, I never thought, I ...I didn't know what that place meant to you. It was never my intention to hurt you... I ...I saw what happened to your parents. "

He turned away from her, his shoulders slumped forwards.

" They died ...no big deal. "

She closed her eyes. He was lying. He was desperate to say anything that would make her leave, yet she wouldn't. Somehow she felt drawn to him. Taking small steps towards him, she embraced him from behind, letting her head rest on his back. Her arms circled around his chest.

" You don't have to hide how you feel. "

" ................."

" I understand, because I too saw. I...I was there. I never felt such sorrow. "

He let his head drop and brushed away the tears. Together they stayed like that, until nightfall came.

But that's another story.