Black Magic
Chapter Two: Cat on the Street

"Hey." Robin stretched his aching limbs as he entered the kitchen. The night had been filled with endless searching on anything regarding the mystic blue sorceress that had attacked Raven. He tried to fall asleep, but found that he couldn't; the dark fear that something terrible might have happened to Raven kept growing in his mind. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

'Raven…' Robin thought slowly, his eyes turning to look at the dreary rain clouds forming in the east. The darkness reminded him of her, still sleeping soundly and softly in her own room.

He didn't want to admit it to any of the other Titans, in fact it felt like years before he admitted it to himself, but Robin was attracted to Raven. It was the kind of attraction where sarcastic comments turned him on, and dark, dangerous looks aroused him. Raven was mysterious, subtly sensual, and exotic. Being anywhere near her was like an endless ride of Tower of Terror. One moment she was serious and focused on the problem at hand, the next moment she could be joking (albeit dryly) with the rest of the team. It was always something new at every turn; something to always look forward to.

"Morning, Rob." Beast Boy yawned loudly, jerking Robin from his thoughts. He blushed, slightly ashamed about thinking such things right now; especially when he had more pressing problems at hand. Like saving the world and all. Beast Boy ignored the crimson on Robin's face and walked into the kitchen, searching blindly for something to eat. "Find anything about that chick that attacked Rae?"

Robin shook his head and turned on the coffee pot, knowing he wouldn't be fully awake until he had his normal jolt of caffeine, which could range anywhere from a cup to eighteen cups. "No…" He said, looking for a mug, and becoming slightly disgruntled when the only one he found said "I'm Going to be America's Next Top Gay Model". This had been a joke from Cyborg to Beast Boy, and no one had thought to throw it away. He glared at the cup before putting it on the counter and muttering, "Someone needs to do the dishes."

"It's Raven's turn. Don't look at me." Beast Boy said, holding up his hands in defense. "She told me she was going to do it today."

Robin sighed slightly, and gave in to using the last mug in the cupboard. He was too tired to do the dishes or to care. There was a long silence as the coffee pot brewed and steamed. Finally, he turned back to Beast Boy. "You know… I'm really worried about her. Something tells me that something terrible happened last night and something even worse is going to follow."

"You think so?" Beast Boy said idly, his head popping out of the fridge.

"I'm positive. Something happened to her last night…" He paused for a moment as he poured the coffee into his stupid cup. "I don't think anyone is really going to know what is going to happen next." He took a long drink of coffee before the cup shattered in his hands. He groaned slightly; there goes the last mug.

Robin looked up at the culprit of his lost coffee and sighed heavily. Starfire stomped into the kitchen, with a strange, irritated look on her face. She walked right up to him and put her face in his. Her eyes were normally calm, but today something told him that she was angry. Perhaps it was his forsaken coffee?

"Raven missed our traditional meditation on the roof this morning… She has never missed it and I am concerned. Do you know where she might be?" Starfire cocked her head to the side and stared at Robin relentlessly.

"Raven missed your meditation session?" Robin looked at the clock with slight shock. It was odd for Raven to miss a meditation session with Starfire. Raven swore up and down that the sessions kept Starfire's obscene happiness under control and she made sure that they had sessions at least every other day. He thought for a moment before turning back to Starfire. "No… I haven't seen her since she went to bed last night. I know she was upset about not finding that woman… maybe she over slept?" He thought for a moment, trying to imagine where Raven would have gone.

"I think I saw her getting a glass of milk last night." Beast Boy glanced up at the ceiling, as if that would help him remember. "I was up late watching a monster marathon where the Blob and the Things from Pink Lagoon-"

"Beast Boy," Robin interjected, eyes narrowing at his friend. "We don't care. Get to the point."

"Oh right, anyway, I think she stepped into the kitchen, got some milk and went back to bed." He shrugged and glanced over at Starfire. "I think. I was really tired… you know, with staying up late and all…"

For some reason, Starfire's face turned pink, but Robin was too worried to care. What Starfire did in her own time was not his concern. What was important was the fact that Raven had failed to see Starfire. "Did anybody think to check her room?" There was an odd pause as eyes met other eyes and everyone shrugged. Robin rolled his own eyes and sighed. "Okay, I'll go. Can someone get Cyborg up, in case we need to overrun her lock system."

"I will! I love pressing all his shinny buttons in the morning!" Beast Boy perked up before Starfire even had a chance to respond, and pranced off in the direction of Cyborg's room.

Robin shook his head and started off toward Raven's room, Starfire in tow. There was a strange silence that resonated between them, as if they both felt there was something they needed to say; or secrets that had been kept for so long they didn't really know each other any more. They were still great friends and very close, there was no denying that, but the teenage passion that had existed between them once seemed to have fizzled into cool separation.

"I am worried about Raven, Robin." Starfire finally spoke, breaking his thoughts. He looked over at her expression, noticing the concern sewn across her lips. "Last night must have been terrifying… Although Raven was not injured a spell could do anything to her… it may take days or weeks… but something must have happened to her last night… I know it."

"Mm." Robin couldn't do more than agree. Of course something bad had undoubtedly happened to her, but when the problems arose, would they be able to face it? Or an even worse thought was: what if something had already happened and they were unable to reverse it?

They had stopped outside Raven's door and Starfire pressed her ear against the metal, listening for sounds of moving inside. She looked at Robin and shook her head, her gaze falling toward the floor. "I don't hear anyone inside…" She rapped gently, and then a little harder, calling out for Raven. But silence greeted them both, and they stood in front of her door wondering what to do.

"Raven isn't coming out, is she?" Cyborg's deep voice called out from down the hall, and Beast Boy was right next to him in a very solid head-lock. He waved slightly and Cyborg released him. "You need me to get into her room?"

"Yes… I'm really quite worried about her…" Starfire stepped aside and let Cyborg through. He quickly touched the panel next to the door and pressed all the necessary buttons. With a pop and a slight hiss, the door opened. Everyone looked at everyone else, not sure what to do or make of the darkness that encased her room. It felt dark and sinister, but that was undoubtedly just Raven herself. Robin shifted slightly and felt his heart twist inside his chest as he saw the blackness of her room. What if something had happened last night? What if…

"Someone should turn on the lights," Beast Boy said, ripping Robin from his internal struggle. He glanced over at him and sighed.

Cyborg snorted slightly, looking over at Beast Boy with a raised eyebrow. "Does Raven even have lights?"

"Good point."

Robin ignored both of them and stepped into her room, letting his eyes adjust to the dark. "Raven? Raven? Are you awake?" As the darkness faded to the edges of his vision, Robin began to see all the things and keepsakes in her room. Her large book cases were overflowing with books, and a large ornate globe sat in the middle of the room. It looked… like Raven. It seemed to be all of her personality wrapped into a room just for her. Robin smiled slightly, slowly feeling at ease within the room; as if he almost belonged there.

"Raven?" He called out again, listening as the other Titans made their way into the room. They each looked around for something that would alert them to her presence or some kind of intrusion… but nothing. After several minutes of searching, there was not a single piece of visible evidence to suggest there was anything wrong… but where was Raven? If something had happened to her, there should be something to suggest foul play. Robin ran his fingers through his hair, sighing deeply. It just didn't feel right. What had that sorceress done last night? What if she made Raven disappear for all time?

Robin rubbed his temples gently, feeling a headache come on slowly. "Where are you…?"

The Titans started shuffling toward the light, trying to decide what to do next when they heard:

"Mew."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow and looked around. "Did I just hear…?"

"Mew."

The room stilled and everyone's gaze turned to the bottom of the bed.

There sat a small black kitten with a purple mark on her forehead.

YAY! I did it just as I promised… albeit with much more time than I needed. But I finally got the ball rolling on this story. I just hope everyone still finds it as interesting as it was several years ago. Please enjoy, and review. It really does have an effect.

Lots of Love!
Xaph!