Hey everyone! I hope you all had a happy Halloween and are looking forward to Thanksgiving (unless you have the same opinion of it as Jake Peralta from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. In which case, I'll respect your opinion). All that in mind, here's the epilogue for Black Star. And quite honestly, I'll admit that, much like this entire story at this point (considering my epic failure at everything involving Cometbolt/Ph'yzzon), this epilogue isn't perfect. But you know what? Is anything perfect? All in all, in a way, this story is something I can consider a learning experience on how to improve for when I hopefully move onto bigger and better stories after this one. All in all, I hope that you all at least found even a tiny level of enjoyment in this story despite its admittedly not quite as high quality in comparison to some of my other stories, that you leave plenty of feedback, and that you are able to look forward to the stories to come following this story. That being said, in this epilogue, now that Blackfire and Cometbolt have had judgment passed upon them, Wildfire is called up to answer some unanswered questions. And once these questions are answered and other loose ends are similarly tied up, it's time for the Titans to return home and for this story to come to an end.

A/N: Once again, I do not own Teen Titans or anything else DC-based. Having said that, onward with the fic!

Epilogue:

When the body had been removed, and the two generals had returned, all the occupants looked Wildfire's direction. The young prince nodded his head. "Yes, I promised that I would explain where I have been all this time." He took a deep breath, exhaled, and directed his gaze towards Galfore and Starfire. "As you are all aware, I was not present on Tamaran for the last Tamaran-Gordania war. In fact, I had disappeared from Tamaran not too long before the actual conflict began. Everyone on Tamaran. . ."

He hung his head. "Including, sadly, my parents, mostly believed that I'd been either captured or killed by the Gordanians." He lifted his head. "However, the truth was that, in the days leading up to the conflict, Galfore sent me into hiding on the planet Euphorix, where I spent the entirety of the conflict. King Primus and Queen Kalista were especially kind towards me, as was everyone else there. They even allowed me to receive combat training from their friend Tigorr of Karna whenever he and his team, the Omega Men, dropped by to visit.

"However, things changed when news of the war's outcome reached Euphorix. I was, naturally, concerned for Koriand'r's wellbeing. Upon learning all the necessary details, my first priority was to ask for the Omega Men to go after the Gordanians and save my sister. However, by that point, Tigorr and his allies had long departed Euphorix to take care of some business in another system where it would have taken weeks at best for a message from Euphorix to reach them. In the end, I got desperate, and stowed away on a supply ship that just happened to be travelling to the same system that the Omega Men had travelled to so that I could find them and ask for their help myself." He looked at Galfore, a guilty look on his face. "It was about a week after my unannounced departure from Euphorix that you arrived to visit and check up on me following the grieving period for my parents' deaths. For that, I apologize."

He took a deep breath, and then continued his explanation. "When I finally reached the Omega Men and informed them of the matter, we made straight for the Citadel home planet, as enough time had passed to realistically allow the Gordanians time to make it there and sell Starfire to them. While we did manage to cause quite a ruckus there and rescue many of the more palatable captives within the colosseum, it reached our knowledge during our time on there that not only was Koriand'r not there, but she'd in fact never made it to that planet.

"We then traveled to the outskirts of the planet that we'd learned was where Koriand'r had managed to escape to during her transport. But when I secretly came down to Earth to search for her, I discovered that she appeared to be quite happy, safe, and at home already. Upon learning this news, I decided that, as much as I missed her, the right thing to do would be to leave her where she was and let her be happy. So I returned to where the Omega Men were waiting for me, and we left to go back to Euphorix. However, it was while we were on our way back that Tigorr and his allies decided that, on account of the worthy traits I'd demonstrated in my efforts to save Koriand'r, perhaps I could join them as the newest member. I accepted after a moment's thought, and Primus and Kalista similarly agreed once we adequately discussed the matter upon our arriving back at Euphorix."

He hung his head. "But when the time came to decide whether or not to let Galfore or anyone else on Tamaran know about my whereabouts and current decision to join the Omega Men, I must admit, my more selfish side came into the play. I had always been kept overly protected on Tamaran because of my young age and being the logical choice of heir if something bad were to happen to my sisters. On Euphorix, however, I felt as if I had more freedom then I'd ever had on Tamaran; and part of me feared that allowing Galfore to know about where I'd been and how I'd now joined the Omega Men would only cause me to be forced to back down on that decision and rob me of all the freedom I'd had in the time following my departure from Tamaran. And I didn't want that. But instead of trying to talk about it with Galfore like a mature adult, I childishly chose to be selfish about it and force everyone from my home world to worry about whether I was even alive; and that is something I still regret even now.

"What makes things worse? Three years ago, after hearing of Starfire's almost wedding, I honestly felt regretful enough about my decision that I was tempted to go back on it. But at the same time, I felt so afraid of what Galfore would say and how disappointed he and so many others would feel about my selfishness if I confessed to it that I chose to continue keeping myself out of their lives. It wasn't until news reached my ears of Blackfire's joining up with the Umbrosians that I started to get an idea of something I could do to make things right."

He gestured over to Hanrac and the rest of the Thanagarians in the room. "I chose to go to Thanagar and form an alliance with them. This was partly out of logical reasoning on account of their strong military. However, there was also a thematic appropriateness to the idea. For it turns out, they were allied with Tamaran once before, right alongside the Gordanians."

At the sight of the stunned faces on the Tamaraneans and Gordanians, Wildfire nodded. "Yes, you heard me, and I speak the truth. How I know this?" He gestured towards Hanrac. "Unlike both my kind and the Gordanians, the Thanagarians were able to keep the entire intact story of this alliance and the previous invasion effort by the Umbrosians within their annals; and upon learning the full story and making the right connections between that time and now, I realized that the best way to truly defeat the Umbrosians would be to do things almost exactly the way they were done the last time."

"And how was it done the last time?" Galfore asked.

"Yes, how?" Greerak asked in agreement.

Wildfire took a deep breath. "As all three of our races' annals state, it was the efforts of Nightfire and Dayfire themselves that got the Umbrosians and Phosphorians involved. However, one thing that only the Thanagarian annals appear to keep intact about the story is just how and when the Gordanians and Thanagarians got involved. Similarly, the annals of Tamaran and Gordania keep vague the details of just how the Umbrosians were defeated, let alone how they and the Phosphorians were ultimately expelled from the combat alongside their respective gods. But while both my kin and the Gordanians have ultimately ended up forced to conclude a freak eclipse to be responsible for Dayfire's victory, the true hero of this equation was a very corporeal and deliberate being. For as few seem to remember or consider all that important in the grand scheme of things, there were three royal children of Tamaran during those times, not just two."

Starfire and Blackfire's eyes widened. Now that Wildfire had mentioned it, they remembered that detail very well. "Their younger sister," said Starfire.

"Yes Starfire," said Wildfire. "It was the young princess Dawnfire who ultimately saved the universe from being torn apart or cast into eternal light or darkness by the conflict between her two brothers. She knew how badly things would end for the world regardless of which side had a direct victory. She also believed that, if our kind were to have any chance at truly making a stand against Nightfire and the Umbrosians, we'd need more than just the Phosphorians on our side as allies. Her brother and the rest of our kind refused back then, as their pride was too strong to accept the idea that they'd be weak enough to need any allies apart from the logical choice of the Umbrosians' natural enemies.

"In the end, after her brother and the Tamaranean army had left Tamaran to fight Nightfire and the Umbrosians, she sneaked out of the palace, stole a ship, and left Tamaran under the cover of darkness to travel to the planets of the two races that she believed would be the best allies our kind could ever ask for if given the chance, the Gordanians, and the Thanagarians. And not only did both races agree to the alliance after initial reluctance, but the Thanagarians also helped her gain awareness and power over a powerful ability that would grant any who wielded it a significant edge over the Entities. This power? The ability to wield the light of the dawn."

He lifted his hands, gazing at them as if in remembrance. "The thing about such a power is how dawn, much like dusk or twilight, is a time where neither light nor darkness or in higher abundance. Therefore, those who wield the power of its light are both capable of harming beings of pure light and darkness and immune to attacks of such a nature. This, naturally, provided exactly the kind of balanced solution that Dawnfire desired, and so she accepted the opportunity to wield it."

He took a deep breath, and then exhaled. "With her new power at the ready, she came to the battlefield accompanied by the Gordanian and Thanagarian forces just in time to find her people fighting alongside the Phosphorians in heavy conflict against the Umbrosians while both of her brothers were similarly battling each other while possessed by the Entities. From there, the Gordanians and Thanagarians joined in and allowed the Tamaraneans to keep the Umbrosians and Phosphorians busy long enough for her to intervene between the dueling Entities, use her power over the dawn to gradually weaken them, and then finally expel them from her brothers and back to their respective homes alongside their similarly expelled respective worshippers. A scenario that I have now repeated in her footsteps."

He lifted his head. "I need not mention how things unfolded immediately after this event."

The Tamaraneans, Gordanians, and Thanagarians all nodded their heads in agreement. They knew perfectly well how the immediate aftermath of this victory had been Nightfire's trial and execution, as well as the proper birth of what had obviously been the old alliance between Tamaran, Gordania, and apparently Thanagar as well.

The titans, however, had one question. "Wildfire," said Starfire. "Please, at least tell us this; do the Thanagarian records tell of how the old version of this very alliance came to an end?"

"As a matter of fact, they do. As you all are probably aware, this alliance lasted for many years after Nightfire's execution. In fact, by the time it ended, Dawnfire had died peacefully of old age, and the 3rd ruler to follow her had assumed the throne. However, the Tamaran-Gordania-Thanagar alliance also made efforts to ally themselves with multiple other planets and their people, and the one time they met a race that didn't accept their offer, the results ended up causing the original alliance itself to fall apart."

"What race was that?"

Wildfire looked straight at his 2nd eldest sister. "A race we all know far more well then we'd wish; the Vernathians." The sound of Tamaranean snarling, Gordanian hissing, and Thanagarian shrieking was all Wildfire and the titans needed to hear.

"Vernathia," Galfore grumbled, clenching his fists. "I might have known."

"Why am I not surprised?" said Cyborg.

"I take it you are familiar with their kind."

"We've met one," said Robin. "And trust me, that's far more then we'll ever want or need to meet."

"I'll take your word for it," said Wildfire. "Nevertheless, as all of us can probably guess, the Vernathians not only refused the offer, but were also rather rude about it; nor were they afraid to show it. They considered themselves racially superior to Tamaraneans for not being as reliant on emotions for use of their powers, considered themselves morally superior to the Thanagarians on the account they believed themselves to be less 'barbaric' compared to them, and outright dismissed the Gordanians as little more than dumb animals on account of how comparatively animalistic they looked.

"As you might expect, the three founding races had their own divergent ideas on what to do after they left this ill-fated meeting. The Tamaraneans were all stunned, and some of them were nearly in tears, but were largely still hopeful they could somehow make peace with the Vernathians and get them to accept the offer of friendship. The Gordanians were angry and insulted and wanted nothing more than to vent it against the Vernathians, and preferably in the most violent way possible. The Thanagarians, meanwhile, were indecisive and had no idea what to say for once. For this meeting with the Vernathians was the first time any beings had openly dared to refer to them as barbarians. In the end, the Thanagarians chose to sit on the matter, and the Tamaraneans chose to search for a peaceful and friendly resolution. The Gordanians, however, were too proud and angry to accept either of these options, and they secretly sent a contingent of Gordanian mercenaries to try to beat up and kill a group of Vernathian politicians as payback. As you can probably guess, this did not end well; and in the end, the Vernathians only chose not to press charges or declare outright war for the rather backhanded reason of believing that doing so would mean 'stooping to the alliance's level'."

Wildfire shook his head, sighing heavily. "Wiser leaders would have talked things out and made amends between each other and their people. The leaders of this particular generation, however, were too proud to admit their own faults in this situation and resorted to yelling at and blaming each other for the incident. In the end, they and their people chose to split apart and wipe their hands of each other, shattering the long-lasting alliance Dawnfire had worked so hard to make possible into a trio of feuding tribes once more. And while Tamaran and Thanagar were able to at least keep relations between them rather neutral compared to before the alliance, Gordania once more became the sworn enemies of both of their former allies."

Wildfire raised his head. "But now, after a repeat of the very events that allowed us all to ally together before, we have the opportunity to finally restore our kind's past alliance to its full capacity." He spread his hands. "For many years now we have been split apart by enmity and bitterness. But now we have united together once again in battle against the Umbrosians! But let us not allow our current partnership to end with the defeat of our enemies. Let us continue to be comrades outside of battle! For if we were to continue to allow our past failures and emotions to force us apart once more after all this, we would only be proving the Vernathians right!"

"And how could we be certain that this new alliance you are suggesting wouldn't end badly and fall apart the way the previous one did?" Valdroth nodded his head. "As has now been made clear, my kin were responsible for that. My grandson may be wiser and more reasonable then his father and Sombragor, but others amongst our kind, not to mention some of my grandson's successors, could yet prove not so trustworthy."

"Who's to say the Gordanians wouldn't end up causing this new alliance to fall apart?" Everyone looked to Karras, who nodded his head and pointed at Blackfire. "She has proven multiple times now at this point to be very duplicitous and untrustworthy. And even if she does reform after this 3rd chance we've given her, there could be others like her in the future who may yet cause enough trouble to end our alliance."

"My kind are equally at risk of such a possibility."

Hanrac nodded his head. "There are many on Thanagar who still haven't forgiven the Gordanians for the atrocities they've committed against us both in recent times and in ancient times. Take the twice reincarnated and thrice disgraced Hro Talak for example. In just the past Earth decade, he led an entire roque squadron of Thanagarian soldiers to try to commit a genocidal preemptive strike on Gordania through creating an unauthorized hyperspace bypass. He and his men may be in prison now, but Talak could yet escape; or others like him could yet try similar shenanigans."

As one, all the room's occupants looked to Wildfire. "All valid points," the young Tamaranean prince admitted. "But don't you see? The fact that we each have individuals amongst our kind that could cause trouble for all of us doesn't mean that all of us are like that. And it could be all the easier for us to handle such narrowmindedness amongst our kind if we are all united together as friends to work things out and resolve matters peacefully. Let us be honest, all friendships are like this. There's always times where there are fights and disagreements between friends. But true friendships aren't about always being in harmony and never having discord between them, but about being able to work past those disputes and stay friends despite all the drama between them!"

At the sound of all this, the titans couldn't help but nod their heads in agreement, their eyes closed as they realized how genuine their own friendship was in how it matched the very description Wildfire had given.

"How are we to know that this alliance will be such a genuine friendship as the kind you've described?" Greerak asked.

The Tamaranean prince sighed. "The truth is, there is no way to know for certain." He lifted his head to face the young Gordanian king. "But it has been said that the worst failures come from never trying at all." He gestured at the entire room. "Look at us now. Together, all three of our races have accomplished so much! And my kind and yours were able to similarly work so well together before I brought the people of Thanagar into the mix! Even if a 2nd attempt at the old alliance in its full capacity were to fail in any way, surely such a failure couldn't be any worse then not even making any attempt at all and forever wondering how a 2nd attempt would have unfolded?"

The three rulers looked each other in the eyes, and all the others amongst their respective peoples started whispering to each other. The titans watched silently, half nervous and half in anticipation. Just how would things unfold now?

The three rulers reached their decision, turning their heads to face the assembled crowd. "Many crimes and atrocities have been committed against each other by our respective kin," said Galfore. "These crimes can never be forgotten, and many of them could very well never be forgiven."

"But all that said," Greerak broke in. "Maybe it is better that way. To forget those crimes, or any other part of our history? Zog knows how dangerous that would be. For as so many of my ancestors since the days of Sombragor were all too willing to deny, failure to learn from our history makes us doomed to repeat it. And how can anyone learn from their history if they don't know it, let alone if they are outright denied the full truth about it?"

"And as for forgiveness," Hanrac broke in. He sighed. "Regardless of whether it is possible or not, the simple truth is that the past, more often then not, is best left exactly that. In the past. To forever hold onto the past would only weigh us down and hold us back. To truly make progress in our lives, we must have the ability to let go of the past and move onward to the future."

The three rulers nodded their heads. "We have reached a decision," said Galfore, "and it is unanimous."

"On behalf of all of us," said Greerak.

"And with X'hal, Y'grath, and Zog as our witnesses," said Hanrac.

"We say yes to Prince Ryand'r's proposition," they all said in unison.

. . . . .

The titans stood within one of the main corridors of the Tamaranean royal palace. An hour had passed since the end of the trials and meeting, and they were still half bewildered, and half pleased with what had transpired. With all three rulers having agreed to Wildfire's idea, they had all gotten straight to the necessary work. As of this moment, the titans were still waiting for news on just how things had unfolded in that regard, as they had been dismissed from the throne room.

"Well," said Beast Boy. "We've sure had one hell of a week, haven't we?"

"That's one way to put it," said Raven.

"Don't know about all ya'll," said Cyborg. "But I'm definitely looking forward to returning home once all this business is over."

"You and me both."

Robin turned his head to look back in the direction of the throne room, and then back at his friends. "They're certainly taking their time."

"What did you expect?" said Cyborg. "It's politics."

"Fair enough," Robin admitted.

At the sound of footsteps, the titans turned their heads in time to see none other than Galfore and Wildfire walking towards them. At the sight of them about to stand at attention, Galfore extended his hand towards them in a 'halt' gesture. "At ease."

The titans relaxed. "What happened?"

"Things have gone the well," said Wildfire. "Surprisingly enough, everyone amongst those gathered appear willing to give my suggestion a chance. That being said, we've already begun work on several important tasks. The necessary documents for our alliance have been signed and validated, Blackfire's already been sent on her way to New Alliance, and everyone will soon be parting ways to return to their home worlds for now to rest and recover from everything that's happened. In fact, I myself shall soon very likely need to briefly go to Thanagar alongside the Thanagarian army. The Omega Men were staying there to keep Thanagar safe while the native army was busy, and they might very well need help from me and the Thanagarian leadership soon. Apparently, that rainbow razer you told me about ended up having to be driven off from Thanagar by the Omega Men and the Thanagarian populace wish to have an explanation for its sudden appearance in the planet's vicinity."

"After that?"

Wildfire raised his eyebrow at his sister, and then thought to himself. "To be the honest, I still don't know the for certain myself. Though I will say it is entirely likely that I will spend a good few years continuing to work as a member of the Omega Men. The Vega System may be free of the Citadel, but it will still likely be years before a Green Lantern ever gets assigned to it. And as long as the Omega Men thus remain necessary, I shall continue to work alongside them."

"Would doing so allow you time to visit?"

"My work with the Omega Men will certainly keep me busy," the Tamaranean prince admitted. "However, depending on how things unfold in the future, I may yet get the opportunity to take time off to visit at least once. I can only hope that this will be enough."

He thought to himself some more. "I suppose it would also be wise to consider visiting Tamaran again every now and then if I get the chance."

"Will that be all you will do?"

Wildfire sighed. "I wish I could say whether that will be the case Kori. It's been so long since I was here, so much has changed, and I'm so busy now working with the Omega Men. I don't know if I could ever settle down anywhere, let alone back here on Tamaran." He hung his head. "But I'll say this. Maybe someday, I will come back here and at least partially settle down. I don't think I'll stop working as an Omega Man. But regardless, maybe, just maybe, I will potentially allow myself to serve as heir to Tamaran." He lifted his head, a hopeful smile on his face. "X'hal knows this planet will need one once Galfore's time comes to join all the other virtuous Tamaraneans in M'ngwarl under the embrace of X'hal."

Galfore placed his hand on Wildfire's shoulder. "I am happy to hear that Ryand'r. More than I can say." He nodded his head. "I know that I cannot bring back your birth parents; and if I could go back and change the events that led to you being gone from Tamaran for so long, I would gladly do so. But know this, regardless of what you do, I will wait as long as necessary for you whenever you are gone with the Omega Men or anywhere else while I'm still alive."

Wildfire nodded. "That's all I need to ask of you K'norfka."

Starfire giggled and smiled, but Robin and the other Earthlings looked each other awkwardly in the eyes, wondering if perhaps they should leave the area. Then they turned and quietly started to walk away.

"Not so fast."

The titans paused, and turned their heads in time to see Galfore and Wildfire looking their way. "You cannot leave without Starfire," said Wildfire.

"Indeed," Galfore agreed. "Not to mention, there is something important that you specifically must be told, Robin."

The look in Galfore's eyes when he said this was enough to make Robin gulp, now feeling like he were two feet tall. The other titans looked at their leader, noting his current reaction and deciding it would be best they help Robin never forget whatever it was that Galfore was about to tell him. Starfire winced, and looked at Galfore and Wildfire, her face silently asking, 'is this really necessary?'

The Tamaranean emperor pointed his finger at the Boy Wonder. "I may not be her father by blood, but I might as well be her real father after how much I've cared and done for her when she was but a child." His eyes narrowed. "By time honored universal tradition, I will tell you this now. As her consort, you must treat her with the utmost respect, care, and kindness that she deserves. You fail to do this, and especially if you break her heart." He clenched his fist. "Then by X'hal, I will make sure that you die before you even have the chance to regret doing so."

Robin gulped once more, and then nodded his head. "I understand . . . sir."

"Good."

He patted Robin once on the shoulder, and then stepped back. Wildfire stepped forward, his own face sporting a similarly serious look. He pointed at Robin. "It may be tradition for the elder sibling to be the protective one," he began. "But since Komand'r is hardly in any position or hurry to take on the role, I shall substitute for her." He leaned his head directly into Robin's face, eyes narrowed and on the verge of glowing. "If by some impossible miracle, you are still alive once my K'norfka is finished with you in the event you break Kori's heart, make no mistake. I will finish the job."

Robin gulped once more. "Noted."

"Splendid."

"Glad to hear that."

The four Earthlings and two Tamaraneans turned their heads in time to see Greerak standing nearby. The young Gordanian king nodded his head. "It has been an honor to fight alongside you all, and to be your friend. But now, with the universe and all our planets safe, it is time for us to part ways."

He stepped forward, extending his right hand towards Robin. "It has been a great pleasure to fight alongside you Warbird."

Robin grasped Greerak's extended hand, giving it a firm handshake. "Pleasure's all mine. Farewell your Majesty."

Greerak chuckled, his orange eyes agleam. "Farewell to you Warbird."

He looked to Starfire, smile still on his face, and then offered her his other hand, which she shook with both of her own. "It has similarly been an honor to be your friend, Princess Koriand'r. I could not have asked for a better ally and friend."

Starfire giggled. "I'm glad to hear that friend. Farewell."

Greerak chuckled. "Farewell to you to."

He faced the other three titans in the area, nodding his head with a smile. "And farewell to the rest of you. I hope we shall someday each other again, titans." He let go of Robin and Starfire's hands, gave one last respectful farewell salute to Galfore and Wildfire, and then turned and walked back the way he'd come.

Galfore nodded his head. "I suppose it is now time we also parted ways soon." He looked back to Robin. "Stay as long as you need to prepare for your departure. But once you are all ready to return home, it would be wise that you do exactly that. There are many things Tamaran will need to do over the next few weeks now that the old alliance has been fully restored and the universe is safe once more from the Umbrosians. And no offense, but I do believe that you and your fellow Earthlings have done everything you can to help us."

"We understand," said Robin. "As soon as we are ready to return to Earth, we will go."

Galfore nodded, and so did Wildfire. "Farewell titans."

"I couldn't have been happier to finally see you again sister. Farewell."

Galfore and Wildfire departed, leaving the four earthlings where they stood.

Robin turned his head to face his fellow titans. "You heard Galfore. Shall we?"

Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg nodded, and the four Earthlings began walking in the direction of where the T-ship was parked. Then Robin noticed that Starfire wasn't following them, and he stopped walking in time to look back to find her still standing where she'd been. He raised his eyebrow at the sight of this. "Um guys." The other three titans paused and turned their heads. "On second thought, could you go ahead and get the ship ready without me? I think I'm gonna need to talk to Star for a little bit."

"Will do," said Raven.

"We've got that covered," said Cyborg. A smirk came on his face. "Enjoy your time with the missus as long as you want. We won't be in any hurry."

Robin mentally groaned, but chose to hold his tongue. "I'll be with you shortly."

Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg continued down the path towards the T-Ship, the two boys giggling and sniggering. The Boy Wonder rolled his eyes and walked over to Starfire. As she looked forlornly in the direction her brother had gone with Galfore, she briefly started in surprise when Robin placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Is everything ok?"

Starfire hung her head. "I suppose everything could be the worse. But it could also be the better."

"Well whatever's making you feel that way, you can tell me."

She sighed. "It is about Wildfire," she explained. "It is truly a delight to have seen him again after all this time. I just wish I could have been with him longer before going back to Earth."

Robin nodded his head. He could certainly understand why Starfire would feel this way. He also, however, had a feeling that the reason she'd given wasn't the only thing on her mind. "It would have been nice for your reunion to last longer than it did. I'll admit to that." He nodded his head. "But know this, at least now you know he's alive; and if fate so wills it, you may yet see him again within the near future."

"Well yes, I suppose that's true. But still, he's my brother, and he's been missing from my life for so long . . ."

"Well that's all the more reason why all the time you have had with him so far, or will have with him later, needs to be treasured." He placed his other hand on his girlfriend's other shoulder. "When you love anyone as much as you love your brother, or as much as you love anyone else you care about for that matter, you need to do the opposite of what Cometbolt did whenever they're not directly in your life. You can't constantly focus on the fact that those people aren't immediately with you. You need to treasure your memories of those people and their time with you, hold on tight, and never let them go."

He raised his finger. "Furthermore, if at all possible, you must also keep yourself in the company of others you care about, likely those who also care about and miss that absent person, and allow yourself to heal and feel happy despite the absence alongside them."

Starfire turned her head to look at Robin, noting the sage like look on his face. In that moment, she could tell that he'd seen right through her and guessed the secondary reason behind her current state. She hung her head once more and sighed. "I suppose this is also something our friends and I must do if we fail to save you from your deal."

Robin nodded, and tightened his grip on her shoulders. "Yes Star, it is. I know you guys are working your hardest to figure out some way to get me out of going through with all that, but you have to be willing to consider the possibility that there might not be a way to save me."

"I know."

"I'm not trying to discourage you," Robin explained. "Not at all. But regardless of what happens, as long as you follow this advice I've just given you, I can promise that you won't end up like Cometbolt."

"But Cometbolt didn't truly love me," Starfire rebutted. "He just thought he did. I genuinely love you." She sighed. "And to be the honest, I'm honestly surprised you still love me now despite having found out the second hand about what I used to have with Cometbolt."

"He may not have loved you the way we love each other Star, but he still could have avoided becoming the way he ultimately turned out if he hadn't isolated himself and fully devoted himself to searching for you and focusing on your absence. I know you're different than that. When you know you need help, you actively seek it out amongst people you know; and even if you weren't that type of person, I know that Cyborg and the others would never let you isolate yourself and become consumed with missing me the way Cometbolt did. And I know they'd keep you from trying anything drastic."

The Boy Wonder placed his finger under Starfire's chin, lifting it up so they could look each other in the eyes. "For all we know, maybe I'm wrong and you'll find a way to save me. But regardless, if you lose me in any way, you won't end up like Cometbolt. Not if you treasure the memories of our time together instead of focusing on the fact that I'm gone; and especially not if you keep yourself in the company of all our other friends who love you in their own way and know what to do to cheer you up and help you heal even though I'm gone."

He took a deep breath. "And you know what? I don't care about the fact that you had someone else in your life that you loved in that way before me. Like you said, you forgot about him. And even if you had deliberately kept him a secret from me, so what? We all have our secrets; and besides, whatever you had with him, that's all in the past now. What matters now is the present, and the present is you and me. I love you Star, not some idealized and twisted image that I want you to be."

He placed his left hand back on Starfire's right shoulder. "And as far as I'm concerned, having someone to love and be loved by in that proper way we do for each other is all we need in that regard."

Starfire thought to herself, nodded her head as if accepting that Robin was right, and then sniffled as if about to cry. "I suppose that's the true. But . . . I'll still miss you . . . just as much as Wildfire . . . if . . . not . . . more. . ."

Robin hugged his girlfriend, who returned with a noticeably bearable embrace of her own, laying her head on Robin's shoulder and crying. For several minutes they stayed this way, with Robin comforting Starfire as the Tamaranean princess continued to cry on his shoulder. Starfire finally got ahold of herself, and the two split from their embrace. Starfire sniffled, and nodded her head. "I am the ok."

"And for now, that will be just enough."

The Boy Wonder clasped onto Starfire's hand. "Come on Star. Let's go home. We've got 10 months left before I really have to worry about getting my affairs in order; and I plan for all of us to make the most out of those months whenever possible. Besides." He directed a half cheeky and half loving grin Starfire's way. "I do believe I still owe you a dance."

Starfire giggled, remembering how Cometbolt had prevented them from taking part in a planned romantic private dance back on Gordania. "Yes you do."

Hand in hand, the two lovers walked down the Tamaranean palace hall to follow the direction their fellow titans had taken to reach their ship. In that instant, Robin felt confident and happy that he'd helped cheer Starfire up. Starfire, meanwhile, still privately felt saddened and worried. But at the same time, she also now felt happier and more hopeful then she had before Robin's pep talk.

As much as she and the other titans wished nothing more than to prevent it, it was still very possible that they'd be unable to save their fearless leader when his time ran out at the end of the year. But now, she also felt reassured that she at least had an adequate support system to potentially help her through the loss. Unlike her past lover Cometbolt, she had friends who loved and cared for her. And not only would they be the first to come to her if she needed help, but she herself would gladly come to them for help if she knew she needed it; especially in the kind of situation that would arise if she lost her current, and very much genuine, lover. And for now, much like Robin himself had said, that would be enough.

The End

And just like that, this story is finally done! Once again, I hope that, despite this story's comparatively lower quality, you were all able to read, review, and enjoy it (and that I myself am able to have my planned stories that follow this one be much better). For that matter, if any of you still feel curious about Tigorr, Euphorix, the Omega Men, or similar elements of Wildfire's story, feel free to look them up on the internet (especially on the DC Wiki) to get further information (and perhaps ask me through PM or review for even further discussion). All that said, once again, I hope you were all able to enjoy the ending of this story (and this entire story in general despite, again, it's comparative lower quality), and that you leave plenty of feedback (remember, in order for me to allow the posting of so much as the BEGINNING of the next story (not to mention a little oneshot somewhat leading into said next story that I've been challenged into making by esteemed writers Bearhow and GolemXIV), I require a minimum of 2 reviews to be posted for this story's epilogue). All in all, hope everyone had fun with this story, find this epilogue at least passable, and that you all continue to read and show your support for the stories that follow ^_^

Next up on Teen Titans Season 6: Trident is once again on the loose within the ocean, and he plans to cause some serious trouble for Atlantis now that he's finally gotten past his brief flash freeze induced setback from his business with the Brotherhood of Evil. Fortunately, Aqualad is able to get the founding Titans, plus an additional Titans-based ally from Titans East, to tag along to help provide assistance for him and the Atlanteans in putting a stop to Trident's plans. However, when a subsequent underwater battle with Trident sends the teenage heroes off course, they soon find out that Trident could yet surprisingly be the least of their problems. Can the Titans successfully save Atlantis from both the obvious immediate threat of Trident AND this unexpected potentially even worse hidden threat they've now stumbled upon? Find out next time, on Teen Titans . . . Season 6.