Prankster

Live Free or Die Trying

I'm back! And we get 2 more chapters today. Am I great or what?! Enjoy!
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Chapter 35:Be Free or Die Trying

It had been two days since a green changeling jumped off the tower and faced his ultimately death. It had been a day since they read their own letters wrote by their dead teammate. Robin was the first one who got up in the morning. Instead of training like he always did, he walked into the common room and sat on the crescent couch front of the window wall. He silently watch the city that his team had been protecting for the last four years. Robin got lost in his thought until he heard the door slide open. He turns to see Starfire standing there instead of floating like she normally would, with red and bloated eyes."Good Morning, Star.""Good Morning, Boyfriend Robin."'She had been crying all night.' Robin thought as he took a notice at Starfire's hoarse voice and her appearance. He sighs, "Come here."Starfire nods before she starts walking toward Robin who is reaching his arms out to Starfire, inviting her into his arms which Starfire gladly accepts. They watches the city in silence together.Cyborg lays on his metal bed, staring at the ceiling. He had been awake since before the sunrise, thinking about a dream he just had. Cyborg let the tears fall from his human eye as his dream replays front of him vividly.Cyborg was at the roof of the Tower, close to edge. It was nighttime since there are millions of stars in the sky along with a moon. There aren't any lights from the city or from the tower, and there aren't any clouds in the sky. It was clear and Cyborg could smell the ocean air. It was peaceful, and he wasn't along. Cyborg looked at his left and there was his best buddy standing close to the edge, closer than Cyborg was. Cyborg noticed that he isn't smiling and he wasn't looking at the sky as Cyborg was. He was looking at the shore below him. Cyborg had an uneasy feeling, so he decided to ask him…"Hey dude, are you feeling ok?"His best friend didn't stir or look at him, "I'm not sure what I'm feeling, Cy."Cyborg stares at him, "You can always talk to me, you know that right?"Finally he turns his head to meet Cyborg's and Cyborg noticed something that wasn't there before, his scar. It wasn't there when he was looking down at the shore, and now it's there, clear as day, in front of him.Cyborg snapped out of his thought when he heard him spoke, "I used to be able to talk to you, but things are different now."Cyborg could feel his heart drop, "I-I… It over now, we won."Cyborg shivered when he heard him chuckled bitterly, "Yeah, we won."Cyborg watches as he turns his head away from Cyborg and face the shore once again."Beast Boy…" Cyborg whispered nervously, "Talk to me."Beast Boy smiles without turning to face Cyborg, "You've always been here for me, you never left. You were the best friend I've ever had and…" Beast Boy paused to look at Cyborg, "I'm sorry."Beast Boy jumped off the tower before Cyborg could stop him. Cyborg watches as Beast Boy falls with his arms outreached.It was too late, Cyborg couldn't save him. All he can do is watch Beast Boy fall. He noticed two things.One, he was looking up, not to Cyborg, but to the starry sky.Two, Beast Boy was smiling. No scars. He looked like a guy who finally got out of prison. He was free.Cyborg watched as his best friend fell closer and closer to the ground. About one inch from the ground, Beast Boy transformed into phoenix and flew onward to the sky; leaving a trail of fire.Cyborg watched in awe how the fire seemed to brighten the night. The fire continue to gleam until Cyborg became blind.Then he woke up.'What does it mean?' Cyborg wondered, 'I understand the beginning, but the part where he transformed into phoenix. Why phoenix out of all birds? Phoenix doesn't even exist to begin with.'Cyborg sighs as he glances at the clock, eleven o'clock in the morning. He got up and walks out of the room with the lingering thought, 'Maybe I just want Beast Boy to come back, and phoenix symbolize resurrection. Makes sense.'Down the hall, past the common room, third to last door engraved 'Raven'Raven normally would have gotten up after Robin, just before the sunrise, but not this time. Her alarm rang long ago, four hours ago to be exact. Instead of getting up, she stayed under her covers on her bed with the curtains closed tightly, only slight of light glimmers through. She stares at the green feather with a note beside it; which rests on her bedside desk.Her mind hasn't stopped running. Her memories kept on flashing right before her eyes:The first time they met each other.The time when he went into her mind and faced her father together.The hug she gave to him after Malchior.The beast incident.The hug he gave her when she defeated Trigon.When he saved everyone and defeated Brotherhood of Evil.The day he disappeared.The day he reappeared as Prankster.The time he ate a man.His birthday.The kiss.Revived him.The last fight.A flash of green fell in front of the window.The letter.Raven tries to make sense out of those memories, trying to analyze and looking… The only problem was… Raven doesn't know what she is looking for. She gave up within' an hour before her alarm rang. She spent the rest staring at the green feather as her mind kept on flashing like a slide show.It was like time didn't exist. Raven doesn't know how long she stayed still, could be hours, days… Until the knock shook Raven out of her mind. She turns toward the door, "W-" She pauses to clear her throat, "Who is it?""It's Cyborg."Raven blinks as sense of time returns. She got on her feet and walks toward to the door, sliding it open carefully and revealed half robot and half man standing other side."Yes?" Raven whispers, loud enough for Cyborg to hear."Are you okay?"Raven stares at Cyborg with a dumbfound look. Cyborg chuckles uneasily, "I know you aren't okay, but, beside everything that had happened, are you okay?"Raven's dumbfound look fades, "I don't know."Cyborg smiles sadly, "I understand."Raven nods, "Thank you."Cyborg sighs, "Robin wants all of us in the common room. There is a last letter addressed to all of us."Raven gulps and sighs, "Ok."The half metal and the half demon walks down the hall together in silent, until they reach the door to common room."Cyborg…" Raven glances up to meet his eyes, "What was Beast Boy thinking?"Cyborg stares at Raven silently for a moment, "I had a dream." Raven's eyes widen with curiosity as Cyborg explain his dream."… I think he was thinking how long he had been trapped inside himself. How much he wanted to be free, but at the same time, he had a hope. A reason to stay. I don't know how, but he saw a hope in the pile of burden. I guess the pile gotten bigger and he couldn't see the light of hope anymore.""But we could have helped."Cyborg smiles sadly at Raven outburst, "No, we couldn't because we wouldn't.""What do you mean?""He knocked and apologized for two weeks, you never acknowledge him. He approached me, but I didn't pay him any attention. Starfire bawled every time she sees him. Robin ignored him. I guess he realized that his burden is too great for anyone and even him to handle it."Raven stares at her shoes, "It's our fault…""No it is not."Raven looks at Cyborg with a confused look, "How is it not?""It just isn't. We had hard time facing the fact that Beast Boy is not who we though he was. It's nobody's fault. Beside, Beast Boy wouldn't want us to blame ourselves based on his own choice."Raven nods slowly, letting tears fill up her eyes, "Of course he wouldn't let us to blame ourselves. He never wanted us to carry a burden."Raven looks back and realized that Beast Boy had lifted everybody on the team's burdenRobin's burden of being Batman's sidekick by seeing him as a great leader, never comparing.Starfire's burden of being different by consoling her that being different is good.Cyborg's burden of being more machine than man by telling him that he's only a human.Raven's burden of being a half demon by treating her like any other girl."That's right." Cyborg nods, looking at the door that leads to the common room, "Shall we?"Raven smiles sightly, "We shall."The duo opened the door to reveal their leader and his girlfriend."Hey guys," Robin smiling half way before returning to frown, "We have last letter to read."
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Ttyl!