The Apprentice.

Chapter six

"Please, don't leave me." I begged, "I need you."

"You don't need me Raven." He smiled down at me sadly, tears pricking the edges of his blue eyes, "You don't need anyone."

"But I love you." I argued, anything to get him to come back.

"And I love you." And he faded away.

"No.No! Come back!" I screamed and felt arms come around me, Cyborgs.

"We need to go Rae." He said, "We need to stop Slade."

"We can't just leave him here." I turned to him, punching him but the sobs made me weak, "We have to bury him. Properly."

"And we will." He said, "But right now he'll want us to stop Slade."

"Right," I breathed, "Right. Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

"Are you sure you're alright to come on this-" Cyborg asked but I cut him off.

"Slade is going to pay." I said, now deadly calm, "And God be damned if I'm not the one who makes him."

It turns out Slade was easier to find than we thought now that Robin had blasted a hole through the wall. Even when he was hopeless he had a sliver to hold onto.

"That sliver was you Rae." I turned to look at him again.

I knew he wasn't here, he wasn't real. My grief was just taking his form and saying what I wanted it to say

"Don't lie to me." I said, turning away from his piercing blue eyes, the only part of him that still held colour, "You're just saying what I want to hear."

"I'm only saying the truth Rae." He said as he came over, so close but we could never touch, "Now take that hope and make sure Slade pays for what he did to the team. What he did to you."

I steeled myself and walked through the door into his hideout, finding the team had already fanned out and were looking for him. I began to walk along, the ghost of Robin following me, looking for Slade. I heard a scream behind me and whirled around, already running towards the source of the noise to see Starfire being dragged off. I tried to follow her but as soon as I turned the corner there was nothing there.

"Star." I called out in a whisper, "Star."

"HELP!" I turned around and ran towards Beast Boy's voice and saw him as he was being dragged into the shadows.

"Beast Boy." I yelled and leapt forward, grabbing his hands and pulling as hard as I could.

But as hard as I pulled his attacker was stronger and he slipped from my grip into the shadows.

"What's going on?" I asked no one in particular.

"Slade's playing his games." Robin replied and I turned to face him, "And he hates to lose."

There was another yell followed by a crash then, Cyborg. I sprinted as fast as I could but there was no sign of him anywhere, just knocked over desks and gear everywhere. I was starting to fill with fear as I continued to walk around the pitch black hideout, Robin's aura giving off enough light to just see by. Suddenly I was blinded as a spotlight turned on me and I covered my eyes from reflex. Robin now gone.

"Welcome, Raven." I tried to locate the voice but beyond my spotlight of light it was dark, "I was wondering when you'd turn up. Especially after what I did to your boyfriend."

"Show yourself." I shouted, readying myself to attack.

"In due time dear Raven." He taunted, "Everything comes in due time. Your friend Robin was due to die almost six years ago. But it has caught up with him now."

"Because of you." I screamed, my hair flying in a wind of my making as my eyes began to burn black.

"No, not because of me Raven. Because of you." He stepped into the light and I faltered, "He died to save you. I'm not the one that made him pull the trigger, you are. If you had stopped for one second you would have seen that."

"No. No, he died because of you. You killed him. You hit the button." I screamed at him, tears starting to fall again.

"Maybe, but the probes would not have been in him had he not loved you." He said as he came closer, showing no fear of my power, "You killed him Raven. It was all you."

"SHUT UP!!" Suddenly I was immersed in my power again and I couldn't stop myself.

I heard Slade scream as his body was shredded into a million tiny pieces, heard the hideout start to give way as I blasted its foundations, and I saw myself as if from different eyes. I used to have such control of myself, but now, now I was broken inside and out and I was never going to come back from that.

"You will come back, and you'll be so much stronger." Robin said and I looked over to him as he floated beside me, "You're Raven, nothing stops you. You are the most hopeful person I know, you were born to destroy but instead you save. You see the best in people and give them chances to improve their lives. You're more than your emotions, you're more than what anyone thinks you are. You are indestructible, you are Raven. And you can beat anything."

"But I can't beat death." I said, "I can't save you."

"But don't you see?" He asked, "You did save me. My love for you gave me the strength to stand up to Slade. To stop him from hurting you and so many others. Maybe you can't beat death, but we all die at some point, and once you've lived a full life I'll be right here. Waiting for you."

I couldn't say anything to that, instead, I just held out my hand and he hovered his over mine. Unable to touch each other but still finding strength in each other. I reigned in my power, getting a hold over my emotions as Robin faded again. I landed on the floor and looked down at the ashes that used to be Slade, but I would not gloat over his death. I was not so cruel to disgrace the dead.

I was brought back to reality as I heard the gears above me give way. I quickly leapt out the way as it fell but now I could hear something else. Muffled shouts. I ran towards the noise and found the rest of the Titans tied up and a gear falling towards them.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." I yelled as I caught it and ran towards my team and untied them, only releasing it once we were well out of range, "Come on, let's go home."