Black Magic
Chapter Two

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"Hey." Robin waved at Cyborg, who was nursing a cup of coffee, and stretched his aching limbs as he entered the kitchen. Last night had been filled with endless searching on anything regarding the strange, pink sorceress that had attacked Raven. He tried to fall asleep, but found that he couldn't. T dark fear that something terrible might have happened to Raven kept growing in his mind like a poisonous weed, and he couldn't ignore it. 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. She fascinated him, like a unsolved mystery.

"Morning, Rob. Cy." 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 back on, 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 Love the Penis!" in Russian. 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 that his cup proclaimed he loved penis. There was a long silence as the coffee pot brewed and steamed. Finally, he turned back to Beast Boy and Cyborg, deciding to voice his concerns. "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.

"Raven in pretty strong, dude. Don't discredit her yet."

"I'm not. But I am positive that there is something more than some strange magic. 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 and I hate not knowing." He took a long drink of coffee before the cup shattered in his hands with a flash of green energy, spilling hot liquid all over his hands and the floor. He groaned in defeat. Well, 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 now-lost 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 overslept?" 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. "I think. I was really tired… you know, with staying up late and all…"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "You weren't sneaking booze again, were you?"

"No! Of course not!"

It really didn't matter what the hell he was doing at two o'clock in the morning, Robin was too worried to care about the details. What was important was the fact that Raven had failed to see Starfire this morning. "Did anybody think to check her room?" There was an odd pause as eyes met other eyes and everyone shrugged.

"You know her room freaks me out, dude." Cyborg shook his head. "I have bad memories from there..."

"Suck it up." Robin rolled his own eyes and sighed, waiting for any other response. "Fine, I'll go. Come on, Cy, you're coming with me, in case we need to overrun her lock system."

"Fine, I'll go," he grumbled under his breath. "But if she's in a pissy mood, this was your idea."

"Yeah, yeah. whatever." Robin shook his head and started off toward Raven's room, Cyborg and 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." 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, I know that a spell could do anything to her. It may even take days or weeks to manifest… but something must have happened to her last night. I know it. She would not have missed our time together for simply nothing."

"Mm. Let's hope you're not right, but " 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 bookcases 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.