Selfish or Selfless

Selfishness was a sin, and Raven knew that.

It was sometimes called greed. But this very selfishness - this selfishness that let her love and feel feelings freely - cost her her powers.

She knew that there was no choice. She wanted Robin, wanted to be with him, but she wanted more to be a hero.

And she knew that he, had he been under the same circumstances as she was, would have done the same for the world.

Yes, she was a pretty good fighter in hand-to-hand combat, whenever it was necessary. But the dark, mystic power that glowed from her hands as she chanted her mantra was her real strength. It was her main asset; it was what made her so powerful.

And she knew that without it, she was nearly useless to the team. She wasn't as good as Robin was in hand-to-hand combat and villains were sure to exploit this very weakness in her.

Yes, he could teach her everything in the world, but nothing could beat her dark magic and her empathic powers.

Though her heart was aching and crying inside, begging her to go back to him, Raven knew not to dwell on her heartbreak, for the situation was already hopeless and there was nothing more she could have done about it.

Sometimes, it just so happens, people aren't meant to be. Even with the right chemistry and the right people, circumstances can drive them apart.

It would take a long time before Raven could fully regain her powers - as well as see Robin - again. Sometimes, years after their failed romance, when the Teen Titans had finally gone their own ways, Raven would reflect on those times. She would wonder how it would have been different if she didn't lose her powers out of sinful, selfish love.

Oh, the game of life was never fair, could never be fair. But that was the way it was. She had the choice to either be happy and powerless, or emotionless and powerful.

What did she choose? She chose to be emotionless and powerful. For thousands of other people's happiness were worth more than her own.

And though she could no longer love, her only hope from that day forward was that Robin - Dick - would find another woman who would give him what she couldn't.