~In the training room~

Robin's POV

"Guys," Beast Boy called us. He wanted to start training his mind to bond with the demon forms again, and he asked all of us to help.

"I'm going to try the fafnir first. I already got a feel of his mind the other day when I transformed into him for you guys. He was the second most difficult to tame in the past, so I'm going to need all of your help." We all nodded for him to go on.

"Raven, Robin, if I can't control him, you two will be his first targets, and he will strike to kill." Beast Boy cut straight to the point. Though I didn't show it, that fact terrified me.

"Why?" Raven asked with a slight tremor in her voice, the thought scared her too.

"The fafnir is a very proud, very dominant and territorial solitary being. You insulted him the other day by insinuating that I could tame him. You attacked his pride, and he won't forget that until I've mastered him again." Beast Boy looked at Raven straight in the eye, showing dominance where before there was compliance. Still though, there was something apologetic in his gaze.

"You, Robin, are the leader of this team," Beast Boy continued, striking me with his gaze. "The fafnir recognized this in your body language the other day. In his mind, no one can lead a being such as he, and he needs no minions. You, by assuming that you could be his leader was not only an attack on his pride, but an invasion of his territory. I don't know which of you two insulted him more, so both of you will need to be out of sight."

"We will not leave Starfire and Cyborg alone." I declared immediately. The fafnir form was dangerous, I would not leave any of my team alone with it until it was in complete submission to Beast Boy.

"I did not tell you to." Beast Boy answered calmly. "I said stay out of sight. The fafnir is very one track minded. As long as Raven and you don't move, the fafnir won't detect you."

"And if we move?" I asked, we needed to know all the risks before doing this. I wanted Beast Boy to be able to use his powers to their full extent, but not if it cost me another teammate.

"I'll kill you." he stated plainly. "I can control the fafnir for short periods of time as long as it is calm. If you two move it will detect you immediately no matter where you're hiding."

"Why will it only detect us if we move?" Raven asked, it was clear that she was the most interested of all of us in the demons Beast Boy could turn into, considering she herself was born to a demon and thus was partly a demoness herself.

"The fafnir's greatest sense is it's sense of touch. It's other senses are still much better than a human's but it usually relies on just that one to detect a threat, unless given a reason to be put on high alert with all of its senses." he paused, "It's like when someone's hand is a centimeter from your arm, and you feel the air moving and the warmth emanating from them. You feel that the hand is there, even though it's not touching you. The fafnir feels that, but the fafnir can feel it from approximately 20 meters away. If you don't move, it will only feel the heat and my mind is still strong enough to convince the fafnir that its not a threat. If you move, you make yourself a threat." Beast Boy clarified.

"Ok, so what do we do?" Cyborg asked.

"You and Starfire will stand in front of me. In clear view. The fafnir didn't feel threatened by your presences last time because neither of you insulted or threatened him. Don't look up at me when I transform, because it will stroke the fafnir's ego that he can lord over you two and that will make him harder to control. Also, don't look down, because that would be submissive and the fafnir will want to dominate. Don't move too much, because it will perceive you as a threat. Starfire, don't fly, because that will be seen as a show of dominance, and he'll be insulted. You guys need to make yourselves non-imposing. Lean on the wall or something, keep you eyes averted sideways, as that is just ignoring my presence, and will make the fafnir more inclined to ignore yours. Also, whatever you do, do not look into its eyes, because that will be seen as a challenge. If either of you mess up and I attack you, it is imperative that you both continue ignoring me, go back to leaning on the wall, not imposingly." Starfire gasped.

"Is that not dangerous? Friend Beast Boy?" he smirked bitterly.

"It's fatal. But if you try to counter my attack that will be a direct threat and I will kill you. Remember, I was able to stop it before it attacked Raven last time. You have to trust that I can do it again." he became nervous and slouched a bit, "can you guys do that?" he asked very quietly.

"Of course friend Beast Boy." Starfire said without hesitation, followed by a chorus of all of us declaring our trust in our green friend.

"Thanks guys" he smiled, then continued "that's also not to say you won't be protected. The fafnir is very one-track minded, as I said before. If he attacks one of you two, it'll give Raven and Robin a brief window in which they can move to incapacitate me while my attention is diverted. You and Cyborg must not move to help them until after they catch me by surprise and my attention is once again diverted." He directed Starfire and Cyborg.

"Also, you two," Beast Boy turned to Raven and me, "don't wait to see if I can stop the fafnir in time myself because if I can't, someone will die. The second you see me about to attack, jump in. Raven," he directed himself to her, "the fafnir is a mythical being, and thus has its own type of magic. Your black magic will work against him, but it will be much more difficult for you to maintain a hold on it. Remember that." He waited for her acknowledgement, she nodded at him.

"Finally, the fafnir has almost impenetrable, thick muscle covering every part of it's body and it's skin is harder than steel. The skeleton is as strong as diamond and the bone is thickest in its skull. Do not attack there, it's useless. The fafnir has two weak spots. The first is the wings, they are strong, very strong, but they are where the muscle is thinnest. Attack around the middle of the wing, it'll slow me down considerably." he looked at all of us for confirmation that we understood. We all nodded.

"The second spot is the front of the throat at the base of the neck where it meets the shoulders. That is where the muscle is almost non-existent, and all you have to get through is the steel-like skin. An attack that goes about a meter in from that point, downwards at about a 45 degree angle would hit my heart. It is the only way to kill the fafnir directly. Striking that way, but only half a meter in, would be enough to subdue the beast because it knows instinctively that trying to fight at that point might accidentally lead to the attack going further in and killing it. Once it's subdued I'll be able to turn back. Robin, while the others distract me by attacking the wings, you stab your bo-staff into my throat about half a meter in. The second you see me still, the fafnir has been subdued. Pull the staff out and get away quickly, I'll transform into either my human or wolf form. The injury will cary into that form, I'll bleed profusely, but I'll live and be good to go in about a day as long as I can rest to recuperate the lost blood cells."

We all stared at him blankly. He just asked me to go centimeters from killing him. He told me to do this as though it were something that happened frequently. How many times had Slade almost killed him to get him back into his human form? He new how this had to be done almost mechanically.

"What if I mess up and kill you?" I asked, how could I be calm enough to measure the attack so precisely while attacking one of my best friends while he was trying to kill the rest of my best friends?

"I trust you." he looked directly into my eyes and grinned. Damn, now I remember why he was considered the baby of the group. That plan is all based on the naive idea that we could control ourselves while fighting for our very lives. So many things could go wrong. Shit.

Author's note: Please review and tell me what you think of the story so far, all opinions are welcome.