The Sixth Titan | Teen Titans

Chapter Seventy-One - Trouble in Tokyo, Part Five

    My breathing is laboured from the hours spent running away from what I'm beginning to believe is everyone in Tokyo. I don't know how it happened—actually, I do; I just don't know how it happened so quickly—but I'm starting to get really, really sick of running. My training with Bruce hasn't done enough for my endurance.

    From the other side of the street and up ahead, Robin peeks around a corner and uses his free hand to signal something. Beast Boy flies into the air briefly, doing a somersault before landing as a bloodhound. His nose kisses the pavement as he sniffs the way ahead, and the rest of us follow him.

    "Can't you sniff any faster, man?" Cyborg questions cautiously. "It's a matter of time before somebody jumps us again."

    I do my best to elbow the Titan, but my bone makes contact with the metal on his sides and I clutch it in agony. "Don't rush him," I get out, gritting my teeth. "He's trying his best."

    "I'm not rushing him," Cyborg replies. He definitely is, but I choose to pretend I believe him.

    Robin looks up and calls out to the bloodhound ahead, "Beast Boy! You can stop. I know where the trail leads."

    The Boy Wonder turns his body and simply stares up at one of the isolated buildings on the skyline. I observe the building for a moment, before finally remembering where I've seen it before.

    Cyborg beats me to asking the question. "Brushogun's hideout is the comic book factory?"

    Beast Boy reverts to his human form, crossing his arms over his chest. "Told you we shoulda taken the tour."

    Everyone ignores the shapeshifter as they walk past, but I grab his ear playfully. "It was closed, remember?" I challenge with a grin.

    I waltz off before he can reply—I don't think he even had a remark at the ready—but can hear the faint slap! of Raven's hand against his face. Turning around, Raven stares ahead neutrally, leaving behind a gaping and wounded Beast Boy, who grabs at his head painfully.

    My eyes turn blue and a few blocks of ice fall into the shapeshifter's hand. He looks up, and I turn away before he can spot my eyes on him. I look around until I find Raven and fly over to her curiously.

    "Raven."

    "Ember," she replies smoothly.

    I wait for her to continue, but she says nothing more. Frowning, I point a finger up matter-of-factly. "I need to ask you something."

    The cloaked girl turns her head but continues her strides. "Yes?"

    "I... uh..." I groan as the words escape me. How do I say this without it sounding like I'm going crazy? "... don't know how to phrase this."

    Raven arches an eyebrow. "Sometimes it helps to just say it."

    "Okay. Here goes," I mutter, before speeding through the words: "I think I'm going crazy 'cause I can hear your voice in my head and I don't know why but I don't wanna tell the others 'cause they'll think I'm crazy and I don't want them to think I'm crazy and I don't want you to think I'm crazy but—"

    "Ember."

    My ramble halts. Raven stares at me with an expression that's a mix between realisation and pity, and her hand grips my shoulder in a firm grip to force me to stop talking. She sighs, telling me that she did understand what I was saying.

    "Calm down."

    "Am I crazy, Raven?" I whisper.

    She shakes her head. "No. You're not." She purses her lips. "Remember when the world was about to end? I entered your subconscious in a dream and you saw what it would look like."