A/N: Read and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
She opened the door and quickly put a hand up to shield her eyes. The door at the top of the stairs to the roof faced east, and the brilliant light of the rising sun hit her with full force. She squinted from beneath her hand and saw a silhouette against the brightening horizon.
The new orange light felt warm against her skin; it seemed to cut right through the cool morning air as she walked over to the edge of the roof, and sat down next to the silhouette. They sat there together, in silence for a moment before he spoke.
"Beautiful view, isn't it."
"Yes, Robin," she looked over at him, he had stopped looking out and was looking right at her "I have always found the sunrises on this planet to be most enjoya—" he leaned over and their lips met, she was surprised for a moment, but responded to him enthusiastically.
"I wasn't talking about the sunrise." He breathed as they broke for a moment before he brushed aside her hair and they kissed again. She heard something in the background, music, but it was hard for her to concentrate on it, something about Good Vibrations.
Starfire's eyes fluttered open groggily, she felt a chill run through her and realized her blanket was only covering the lower right half of her body. She could hear the alarm clock on the headboard clearly now, softly playing "Good Vibrations". She made a mental note to find whatever beach it was those boys lived on and kill them.
She continued to lay in her bed, unwilling to move as she tried to retain her extremely pleasant reverie, lest further stirrings jar the rest of the dream out of her mind. After a few minutes, she realized nothing more would be coming back to her, and as she figured her chances of returning to the dream were almost zero, she decided to get up with her alarm clock for once after all. She sat up and turned around to turn off the two other alarms she had set to go off in succession; she always ignored at least two of them, and had become annoyed at having to hit the snooze button on one clock so many times in the morning.
Her legs swung off the bed and she stood up. The blinds on her window were open and she looked out over the bay to the city she was charged with defending, many of the lights still on, or just turned on by people up even earlier than herself. The night was passing but the sun still wasn't up, leaving the air and sky over the city a pale gray hue.
She showered and dressed quickly, forgetting to brush her teeth as she walked out the door, but then turning back to finish once she'd remembered. She walked down the hallway towards the kitchen; she passed Robin's room. She stopped and walked over to it. She raised her hand to knock, but then reconsidered it and turned back towards the kitchen. She didn't want to wake him, not that he probably wasn't already up, he was always up before everyone, but she didn't want to risk it.
Just before getting to the large combination living room and kitchen, she decided to go upstairs. She turned down a side hallway and walked to the end, stopping at a door with stair symbol on it. She climbed quickly up the three flights, stopping a moment at the door, then opening it determinedly.
The warm rising sun splashed across her face and she had to shield her eyes. She squinted to where she imagined Robin to be, but there was no one there. No silhouette to observe the sunrise with her. She turned around, crestfallen. She'd been stupid to give into such hopes. It was only a dream, but still, it felt…it felt so real to her; she had so desperately wanted to believe it had happened. Or would happen. Things just hadn't been the same after they got back from Tokyo last month. For a few days, everything was wonderful, but it seemed like after that, he didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to do. It seemed to have fallen away, and things had just gone back to normal, only, things weren't back to normal. The few exchanges she'd had with Robin since then had been awkward at best, and they'd gotten virtually no time alone together because they villains of Jump City had seemed to find new purpose in their work and were now robbing, ransoming, and destroying the city on a daily basis.
But because of how she felt, and how she thought he must feel, she couldn't just forget anything had ever happened. Perhaps today was the day. Yes, today she would set things right again, make it all work again. She immerged from the stairs and made her way back to the kitchen.
"Morning, Starfire." Robin greeted her as he poured a cup of coffee then replaced the pot.
She let out a small 'eep' and responded as happily as she could manage in her surprise at being shaken out of her thoughts by the very person she had just been making strong determinations about.
"Would you like a cup of coffee?" He asked, pulling down a mug from an open cabinet.
"Yes, please." Her reply was muted as she looked at the floor.
"Star, I've been wanting to talk about—" just then he saw Beast Boy and Cyborg walk through the archway and into the living room.
"Morning Guys!" Beast Boy called, waving his arm wildly, as though he was much more than ten feet away, and wanted to make sure they could see him.
"Good Morning, Friends!" Starfire cried, happy to be distracted. Later, she thought, she wasn't ready now, but she would definitely do it later. Definitely.
After Raven joined them, there was the usual fight about who would be making what, and whether or not it would be in its normal form, or the vegetarian version. Eventually, Cyborg and Beast Boy agreed to each make half of the traditionally large Saturday morning breakfast, and all five Titans eat well, save for the two eyeing each others creations with marked contempt.
Robin got up to start clearing the table and took a few plates over to the sink. Starfire jumped up from her own seat to help and walked up next to him.
"Robin, I—" But she was cut off by the blaring of the alarm. Robin turned from her and ran over to the computer consol, where Cyborg was already at work, trying to find out what the situation was.
"Will somebody please shut that thing off?" An annoyed looking Raven asked, her fingers plugging her ears.
"I've got it, I've got it." Cyborg responded, not taking his eyes off the computer screen as he typed furiously, Robin leaning over his shoulder. The deafening sound stopped, but the flashing red lights remained on throughout the room.
Starfire was still standing, looking at the place where Robin stood only a few moments before. She looked down at the mug she was twirling absentmindedly in her hands, sighed heavily, and tossed it into the water-filled sink, where it splashed and landed on the metal bottom with a plunk. She walked over to the computer terminal where the other four Titans were trying to figure out what it was that was about to ruin their perfectly relaxing Saturday morning.
"I've got video coming in now…" Cyborg continued to type furiously "looks like some guy with high-tech armor and a ray gun is destroyin the city." He stated this fact calmly, as if people with super-armor and ray guns wreaking havoc weren't much more interesting than the weather.
"Alright guys," Starfire watched as Robin's features hardened and his expression somehow became even more serious as he drew himself up, she always loved watching him go into leader mode "you know the deal. We've got to stop this guy before he hurts anyone. You know what to do." The other Titans all confirmed his statement and they started moving towards the elevator.
Only a few minutes later, the T-Car and R-Cycle stopped. The Titans all got out and looked around. The entire street was destroyed there were large holes in virtually every building and car, and the trees and streetlamps that used to line either side of the street all seemed to be missing.
Starfire watched as some of the storefronts burned, while others had all their windows smashed out. It struck her as odd, every window in the area seemed to be broken, but there was no glass lying on the ground, like the windows were never there. Her and the other Titans picked up their pursuit of the cause of the destruction on foot, simply following the obvious trail of destruction. They quickly caught up with their target. His gleaming armor looked like something straight out of comic book, and he had the scary-looking weapon to match.
He seemed to not have noticed the Titans yet, as he was still just firing randomly at cars, and buildings, and anything else he could set his sights on. People were on the streets, fleeing from his advance, but he seemed not to be interested in hitting any of them. Thank god, Robin thought as he soundlessly motioned his team to take up positions around him at different angles before he noticed them.
He and Cyborg started advancing right up the middle of the rode, while Raven and Beast Boy each took one side of the street and Starfire flew overhead. He though they'd catch him by surprise when the man hoisted the barrel of his large gun up onto his shoulder, and fired directly back at them. Cyborg and him dove and rolled to either side to avoid the beam and when Robin got back to his feet the man was already turned around and engaging Raven.
She encased a nearby mailbox in black energy; rending it from the ground and hurling it at him, only to watch it disintegrate when he shot it with a bright white beam. She brought up a shield as a second beam streaked toward her, it seemed to stop for a fraction of a second before she realized what was about to happen and dove out into a smashed storefront as the beam shattered through her defense. The man raised his weapon to shot at her hiding spot when a sonic beam struck him in the chest and exploded.
He staggered backwards, his movements, heavy and metallic, the servos of his screeching madly. He turned to attack the source when disc exploded on the visor of his enclosed helmet, covering him in smoke. He sent shots wildly in the two teens' directions, many of them more accurate than they should have been without visibility.
"His helmet must have infrared vision." Cyborg called to his teammates.
"What you mean like the Predator?" Beast Boy asked, and received a few beams in his direction for it.
"Beast Boy, you wanna get back in the fight!" Robin yelled angrily, drawing his bo-staff.
"Yeah, right, sorry." Beast Boy responded sheepish. He transformed into a tiger and started charging at his armored foe. The man took aim as the smoke cleared, and Beast Boy only narrowly avoided the beam sent at him by transforming into a fly.
Starfire picked now to attack, while he was distracted with Beast Boy. He hadn't seemed to notice her before now, but she would make sure he knew she was there now. She flew down at breakneck speed, a starbolt charged around her drawn back fist; she flew up to him and struck her fist into his chest, releasing the starbolt from her hand on impact, causing it to explode on his armor. She felt the armor fall away from her hand, even as it was obscured from her eyes by the smoke and dust of the explosion.
She saw it out of the corner of her eye. A massive metallic hand swinging right for her head, it was too late, she didn't have time to block it, no time to dodge it. She steeled herself for the hit. The clenched metal fist rammed into her with more force than she'd ever remembered being hit. He eyes swam in tears and lights popped as she tried to lift her head, but only managed to roll it slightly on the hard concrete floor.
She tired again and managed to sit up. She didn't even remember flying the fifteen yards from him to he sidewalk where she was sitting, but she tried to stand up and staggered backwards on unsteady legs a few feet and fell into a windowless storefront. She looked up the armored man again, and watched in slow motion as he raised his gun. She could clearly see him pull the trigger as she looked down the elaborate barrel. She watched, unable to move as a pinpoint of white light began to travel down the barrel. She saw the birdarang fly straight into the weapon and continue on through the other side, dragging wires and metal with it.
She watched as the beam emerged from the gun anyway. As it barreled through the air at her, disintegrating each molecule as it went. She watched as it passed through the empty, windowless frame of the storefront; as it encompassed her and all she could see was white light, and then nothing but blackness.
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For the second time in as many minutes, Starfire found herself on the ground. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt like lead weights, and stubbornly resisted her every effort to open them. He head was pounding, why was she like this? The beam. The light. The dark. Maybe she was dead…no, no, she was sure being dead wouldn't hurt nearly as much as her entire body did right now. Every joint and bone ached, every mussel shouted agony. The weight of her eyes seemed to lift somewhat. She managed to crack them open.
She was lying under a wooden door, she could see it was propped up a few inches above her face by strewn rock and concrete and other debris. She tried to lift her arms to push the door away and instantly regretted her decision. Her body screamed at her as she lifted them only a few inches off the ground, she let them drop back down, and found out that also caused her a great amount of pain and she let out a small, involuntary moan.
"Guys, hey guys, I think there's a person buried in this rubble!" A nearby voice called out from somewhere behind her. She knew that voice. "I'll get you out of there, don't worry." It was Robin.
She groaned again and managed to squeak out "Robin…", she didn't try to move again, but she could tell the pain was subsiding quickly. She felt him drawn nearer, and could tell he was crouching down next to her. He grabbed hold of the door, lifted it up and threw it aside. He looked down at her and she heard a sharp intake of breath. She managed to open her eyes a little bit more and saw him stagger back a few steps.
"Starfire?" Robin's voice cracked as he whispered his question. She could see the shock heavily on his usually stony, reserved face, clearly evident, even behind the mask always attached to his eyes. He dropped to his knees and helped her sit up. "Is it really you, Starfire?"
"Yes…of course it is me, Robin." She responded, very puzzled at the look on his face and his question. She glanced away, over his shoulder and saw the other three Titans standing there, similar looks of shock on their faces.
"What is wrong, my friends?"
There was a long silence. Robin was still crouched next to her, his hands holding one of hers as he stared at her. Starfire looked from one Titan to the next, searching their faces for an answer, or at least an acknowledgement.
"Starfire…" Raven stepped forward regaining her composer and shaking off Beast Boy's hand on her shoulder "you're dead."
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Robin stared in disbelief at the spot where the beam had hit. The spot here Starfire had been sitting. But now it was just a small crater. Now she was gone.
"No…" he whispered, shaking his head "No. NO!" His cry of rage echoed up and down the street as he ran towards the armored man. His vision narrowed and blurred, he cried louder as he lunged into the attack, swinging his staff with a ferocity none of his teammates have ever witnessed him fight with before, not even against Slade. His blows all seemed to be finding their marks hard. Fury boiled at inside him, angry, rage, hatred. A lust, a pure lust for this man's blood. He was going to rip that armor off his back and strangle the life out of him with his own bare hands.
The man withered under the blows and crumpled to his feet, unable to shield his head and chest with his arms any longer. Robin cracked his chest plate, he smashed his visor, the small bespectacled face stared up at him, terror in his eyes as he beheld the raging Titan. Robin's staff snapped on the thick armor. He abandoned it and continued with his fists. He pounded on the man, in every spot he could reach without armor; he started getting his hands under it and pealing it away, striking at the revealed flesh. He punched and punched, striking into the man with everything he had, his mind held no thoughts, nothing other than one simple command to send to his mussels…'kill'.
Someone called him. Huge steel hands gripped his shoulders, dragging him back from his target, then pinned his arms to his sides as he struggled madly. Why were these hands stopping him. He had to punish the man how did this, He had to be punished, for…for, killing Starfire. The hands were shaking him. A voice was calling. Calling him, his name 'Robin'.
"ROBIN!" he blinked and saw Raven's dark eyes staring into his, tears silently streaming down from them in thin rivulets, he slumped in the massive hands still holding him fast, Cyborg stopped shaking him at once and relaxed a bit, but still held Robin tightly.
"He…he killed her Raven," Cyborg let go and Robin sunk to his knees, a deep sob escaping and racking his chest "why didn't you let me kill him?" He asked, staring into the asphalt.
She knelt down and drew him into a hug, as much for her sake as his as her own crying intensified.
"Because we knew you would regret it. We know you don't want to be a killer. That you aren't a killer." Robin looked to his left and saw Beast Boy sitting on the sidewalk, leaning against one of the few remaining trees, his head in his hands.
There was a series of coughs from a few feet behind them, each worse than the last. "She might not be dead." He choked out, coughing again as spitting blood onto the ground.
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Starfire shook off Robin and got to her feet
"Well as you can clearly see, I am very much not dead." her own sense of shock and confusion deepening every second. The other Titans were just staring at the exchange between their two female members. Robin had gotten to his feet but still hadn't moved from the spot where he'd found her.
"Yes, you are…or, were…" She sighed and took another step toward the pink haired girl, who stepped back an equal distance "We all saw it happen. It was, it was months ago, Starfire. We buried you."
A/N: Hope you liked it. More to come.