Disclaimer: All copyright and credit goes to the original creators of the Teen Titans, Batman, and the DC Universe. This is for entertainment purposes only! I do not own any of the characters!

A/N: Hey everyone, here is a short one shot I came up with. It's a little on the sad side, but I think the ending is hopeful. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!

She stood.

Among the whispers of the darkness, she rose to her feet, immune to the intense cold that whipped across her skin. The night was dark and unforgiving, and it pressed around her lithe body in a wicked cascade of a gloomy haze and power. The young girl closed her eyes and lifted her thin fingers as a powerful energy radiated from them. The energy grew in strength and caused the wind to gather around her feet and move up her bare legs in a rapid blur of motion.

Faster and faster it traveled until the girl stood at the center of a whirling vortex that bled into her skin and body. The dark magic spread into the vortex, twisting and shifting it with a malicious power. The energy came from deep within her and flowed directly from her shattered, raw heart.

Her fingers shook and her breath was shallow.

A violet hood was blown off of her head, revealing a pale face. Raven colored hair whipped into the air and joined the crushing vortex of wind that surrounded her. The tornado of energy grew stronger as the girl grimaced in pain. The magic seeped into her bones and pulled out the last dredges of strength left in her body.

She wanted it gone. She wanted it all gone – all the energy, all the power, and all the emotions. The girl wanted to be free from the raw, unstoppable pain that left her a living shadow. It had been her fault. All of this had been her fault. And now there was nothing she could do to fix it. She was alone with the terrible sensation of despair. It ate her bones. It chilled her heart. It devoured her soul.

With a violent cry that grew into a heart wrenching scream, the girl threw her hands above her head and felt the wind rise to her command. Dark energy twisted and shifted around her and rose higher and higher into the inky sky. It tunneled above her head and morphed into a giant silhouette of a raven that dwarfed the girl's small outline in a haze of obscurity. Her scream rose in intensity as the bird clawed its way higher and higher into the air, until it was a large, haunting beacon that overshadowed the rooftop of the building.

Her hands dropped to her sides as a gasp fell from her lips, and the girl crumpled to her knees. The raven dissipated into the night sky and the air calmed, leaving behind eerie stillness that fell across the broken girl's body. With a terrible gasp, a tear drop fell from the closed pair of eyes and fell silently to the ground. A second one followed, and the cold girl wrapped her cloak around herself.

A hand, warm with strength, gripped her shoulder with a tender touch. The small amount of warmth trickled through her, pushing away the chill that ate her heart.

"It's not your fault, Raven."

Violet eyes blinked open.

The hand squeezed her shoulder and pulled her. She pushed back, wanting to be left to sulk in her own demise, but the hand persisted. It pulled her shoulder back so that her body was facing his. A second hand grabbed her free shoulder and more warmth coursed through her body.

"It's not your fault."

The words were spoken with a power so great, it shattered her own. The violet eyes looked up, and the boy offered her a small smile. His deep, green eyes softened as he squeezed her shoulders again.

The girl blinked and glanced away as her heart wrenched with a sudden emotion.

"But it is…" she whispered, her voice hoarse and raw. "I can't…"

The hands tightened their grips on her shoulders as the soft presence grew closer to her, bringing a gentle warmth to the icy air.

"You can. You will be okay."

The words broke the avalanche of tears that the girl was vainly trying to hold back. They streamed down her face in a rushing wave and fell onto the gray concrete.

"How can you be so sure? How can you be sure of anything anymore….I'm…" the girl broke off as her dry voice cracked.

In the space of a heartbeat, the hands grabbed her and pulled her into a strong embrace. His arms wrapped around her, cloaking her body in a gentle protection from the frigid night as he held her close to his heart.

"Because I'll make sure of it, Raven. I'll make sure of it."

His words pierced through her torn and shattered mind, and she delved deeper into his embrace. The arms tightened around her as she buried her head against his chest and allowed her tears to fall onto his uniform.

"Promise, Beast Boy?"

The arms squeezed her.

"I promise, Raven."