Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, else I would be fired. I do own Fayrii Lijaro. Warning: This is a sequel. To understand this, you will have to read Never Too Late. To understand Never Too Late, you will have to read Of Devotion and Love. To understand Of Devotion and Love, you will have to read A Simple Boy. I think I write too many sequels, don't you?
Chapter I: Nightmares are Alive
Starfire lay asleep in bed, next to Robin. But while she looked peaceful, nightmares were enveloping her dreams.
"Where am I" Starfire cried, alone in a wasteland. "Lover Robin, where are you?"
Starfire looked ahead and saw Robin lying there, then he disintegrated. Starfire gasped, and turned around from the horrid scene. Cyborg was there, lying in pieces and being destroyed. To her right was Beast Boy, burned to ashes. Raven was next to him, crying. She suddenly died of emotional heartbreak. Starfire wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in her knees.
"Fayrii, are you there?" she asked. She heard a moan to her right. Fayrii was on the ground in a puddle of blue blood, his throat cut and the knife buried in his stomach. Starfire looked ahead, and saw an evil man coming to get her. Starfire screamed.
She sat up in bed, fully awake and sweating. She looked at Robin next to her, alive. It had only been a dream, she thought to herself. I do not like that dream.
Robin woke up and sat up as well. He immediately sensed her fear, then her relief.
"Did you have another nightmare Star?" he asked. Starfire gave a little jump; she had not heard him get up. She nodded.
"It is the same one I have been having for the week, Robin. Does it mean anything?" Starfire asked. Robin thought for a bit.
"Well, there was that one movie where every one of the heroes died. Is it anything like that?" he asked. Starfire shook her head.
"No, all of our friends die," Starfire was almost starting to tear. Robin's soft expression softened even more, and he held her for a while. He knew Starfire very well, and he knew that to her, losing her friends was the end of her world.
"Don't worry, Star, I'll never let anything happen to us. I promise," Robin answered reassuringly. Starfire stopped crying, and smiled at him. Robin kissed her, then laid back to sleep. Starfire slept as well, this time without any nightmares.
Morning found Titans Tower surprisingly quiet. BB and Cyborg weren't fighting about what to cook. Raven, as usual, was quiet and sipping her tea. Robin was reading the paper, and Starfire was eating.
"Guys, have you noticed how quiet it is?" Beast Boy finally said to break the silence.
"What's so bad about it?" Raven asked, taking another sip from her tea.
"How often is it this quiet? It's like something bad is gonna happen," BB said. He had said what everyone was thinking.
"Then how about we get rid of it," Robin said with a grin. "Titans, I have something planned." The boys and Starfire cheered.
"When you say planned, do you actually mean planned, or you just came up with it?" Raven asked, her voice masking a bit of humor. Robin glared.
"Fine, you don't have to come," Robin said, standing up with that ever evil smile of his. He had challenged Raven.
Before Raven could answer back, BB answered for her, "Of course she'll come! Do you want to settle this outdoors?"
Robin's smile grew wider. He had achieved what he'd wanted. "Why not?" he asked. The two boys walked into the living room, looking evilly at each other. The three remaining Titans walked in and sat on the couch. Robin and BB were in fighting stances, on different sides of the room. Robin shouted go, and the two boys lunged. Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire closed their eyes, only to hear game sounds.
When they opened their eyes, Robin and BB were duking it out on the game station.
"This is your fight?" Raven asked. Starfire and Raven were making faces at them for making a joke like that.
"Hey, this way no one gets hurt," Robin said. Robin raced past the finish line, leaving BB last. Robin got up and did his victory jig. Angry, Beast Boy jumped up and tackled Robin. The two rolled around on the floor. Robin pinned Beast Boy down.
Starfire whispered to Raven, "While we love them, they can be strange, right?"
"You spoke my mind," Raven answered back. Starfire smiled and looked down the hallway. She saw a figure standing there. It looked like the man from her nightmare.
Starfire screamed, and flew behind the couch. About the split second she screamed, Robin was up and in front of the couch, two birdarangs in each hand. The other titans shuffled over.
Starfire, what is it? Robin asked mentally. He felt strong fear from her. He hadn't felt this much in a long time.
Lover Robin, I saw the evil man from my dream Starfire replied back through thoughts.
"Is that all?" Raven asked coolly. Robin and Starfire blushed from being overheard; after all, Raven is a psychic. BB and Cyborg dropped their guard. Apparently Raven had let them overhear as well.
"I'm still gonna go look," Robin said. He silently walked down the hall, and looked around. He saw no danger, and put his birdarangs away. He signed to the others, who walked over.
A shadowy figure jumped out and smashed into Robin, sending the two down the stairs. Starfire shrieked, and flew after him. The other Titans were on her heels. Downstairs in the gym, Robin was on the ground wrestling with a dark figure. Starfire recognized him. It was the evil man from her nightmare, alive. She gasped and shot starbolts. It hit him, and he grunted.
"Yo! Leave my buddy alone!" Cyborg yelled, and lifted the man and threw him into the wall. He shot his plasma cannon at him. Raven tossed a porcupine Beast Boy at him, sending Beast Boy's spines into the man. The man grunted again, and raised his hand.
More figures come from downstairs. The four Titans surrounded Starfire, Robin with a look that said if you come anywhere near her you'll be dead quicker than you can blink.
"Titans, let's get out of here!" Robin shouted. The five ran upstairs. More figures waited for them. Robin opened the door to his room, and threw everyone in. He jumped in and slammed his door shut. Inside, Robin pressed a button on his door. He looked at the Titans. Maybe he had thrown them a little too hard. They were lying on the floor. Starfire stood up and sat on the bed. Cyborg found an electrical outlet, and BB tried to comfort Raven.
Raven was horrified. Oh God help me, I'm in a pink room. Oh no there's orange and green and red. By Azurath, it's fuzzy! Help me! No, I'm on fuzzy stuff! Must...find...black, Raven thought. She looked at a corner and found a black painted corner. Immediately, Raven flew over and hid in it. She found to her horror that it was fuzzy too. Raven screamed, and the other Titans watched wide-eyed. She used her psychic power, and melted the black fuzzy stuff into plain black. She wrapped her cloak around her and rocked back and forth, mumbling, "The fuzzy colors are going to get me. The fuzzy colors are going to get me."
Beast Boy sighed, and went over to her, trying to calm a wide-eyed, scared Raven down. Cyborg found his outlet and plugged in. Outside the door, the figures could be heard screeching in pain every time on touched the door. Robin had planted an electrical defense the day he moved into Starfire's room.
Robin smiled at Starfire, who eventually smiled back. He went and sat next to her, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Soon she had fallen asleep. Robin smiled to himself. With all this going on, it was hard to remember that there were figments of Starfire's nightmares out there.
When night fell, however, every Titan was awake and wide-eyed, shivering at the constant zapping of the door, and the howling from outside the tower.
Chapter I: Nightmares are Alive
Starfire lay asleep in bed, next to Robin. But while she looked peaceful, nightmares were enveloping her dreams.
"Where am I" Starfire cried, alone in a wasteland. "Lover Robin, where are you?"
Starfire looked ahead and saw Robin lying there, then he disintegrated. Starfire gasped, and turned around from the horrid scene. Cyborg was there, lying in pieces and being destroyed. To her right was Beast Boy, burned to ashes. Raven was next to him, crying. She suddenly died of emotional heartbreak. Starfire wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in her knees.
"Fayrii, are you there?" she asked. She heard a moan to her right. Fayrii was on the ground in a puddle of blue blood, his throat cut and the knife buried in his stomach. Starfire looked ahead, and saw an evil man coming to get her. Starfire screamed.
She sat up in bed, fully awake and sweating. She looked at Robin next to her, alive. It had only been a dream, she thought to herself. I do not like that dream.
Robin woke up and sat up as well. He immediately sensed her fear, then her relief.
"Did you have another nightmare Star?" he asked. Starfire gave a little jump; she had not heard him get up. She nodded.
"It is the same one I have been having for the week, Robin. Does it mean anything?" Starfire asked. Robin thought for a bit.
"Well, there was that one movie where every one of the heroes died. Is it anything like that?" he asked. Starfire shook her head.
"No, all of our friends die," Starfire was almost starting to tear. Robin's soft expression softened even more, and he held her for a while. He knew Starfire very well, and he knew that to her, losing her friends was the end of her world.
"Don't worry, Star, I'll never let anything happen to us. I promise," Robin answered reassuringly. Starfire stopped crying, and smiled at him. Robin kissed her, then laid back to sleep. Starfire slept as well, this time without any nightmares.
Morning found Titans Tower surprisingly quiet. BB and Cyborg weren't fighting about what to cook. Raven, as usual, was quiet and sipping her tea. Robin was reading the paper, and Starfire was eating.
"Guys, have you noticed how quiet it is?" Beast Boy finally said to break the silence.
"What's so bad about it?" Raven asked, taking another sip from her tea.
"How often is it this quiet? It's like something bad is gonna happen," BB said. He had said what everyone was thinking.
"Then how about we get rid of it," Robin said with a grin. "Titans, I have something planned." The boys and Starfire cheered.
"When you say planned, do you actually mean planned, or you just came up with it?" Raven asked, her voice masking a bit of humor. Robin glared.
"Fine, you don't have to come," Robin said, standing up with that ever evil smile of his. He had challenged Raven.
Before Raven could answer back, BB answered for her, "Of course she'll come! Do you want to settle this outdoors?"
Robin's smile grew wider. He had achieved what he'd wanted. "Why not?" he asked. The two boys walked into the living room, looking evilly at each other. The three remaining Titans walked in and sat on the couch. Robin and BB were in fighting stances, on different sides of the room. Robin shouted go, and the two boys lunged. Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire closed their eyes, only to hear game sounds.
When they opened their eyes, Robin and BB were duking it out on the game station.
"This is your fight?" Raven asked. Starfire and Raven were making faces at them for making a joke like that.
"Hey, this way no one gets hurt," Robin said. Robin raced past the finish line, leaving BB last. Robin got up and did his victory jig. Angry, Beast Boy jumped up and tackled Robin. The two rolled around on the floor. Robin pinned Beast Boy down.
Starfire whispered to Raven, "While we love them, they can be strange, right?"
"You spoke my mind," Raven answered back. Starfire smiled and looked down the hallway. She saw a figure standing there. It looked like the man from her nightmare.
Starfire screamed, and flew behind the couch. About the split second she screamed, Robin was up and in front of the couch, two birdarangs in each hand. The other titans shuffled over.
Starfire, what is it? Robin asked mentally. He felt strong fear from her. He hadn't felt this much in a long time.
Lover Robin, I saw the evil man from my dream Starfire replied back through thoughts.
"Is that all?" Raven asked coolly. Robin and Starfire blushed from being overheard; after all, Raven is a psychic. BB and Cyborg dropped their guard. Apparently Raven had let them overhear as well.
"I'm still gonna go look," Robin said. He silently walked down the hall, and looked around. He saw no danger, and put his birdarangs away. He signed to the others, who walked over.
A shadowy figure jumped out and smashed into Robin, sending the two down the stairs. Starfire shrieked, and flew after him. The other Titans were on her heels. Downstairs in the gym, Robin was on the ground wrestling with a dark figure. Starfire recognized him. It was the evil man from her nightmare, alive. She gasped and shot starbolts. It hit him, and he grunted.
"Yo! Leave my buddy alone!" Cyborg yelled, and lifted the man and threw him into the wall. He shot his plasma cannon at him. Raven tossed a porcupine Beast Boy at him, sending Beast Boy's spines into the man. The man grunted again, and raised his hand.
More figures come from downstairs. The four Titans surrounded Starfire, Robin with a look that said if you come anywhere near her you'll be dead quicker than you can blink.
"Titans, let's get out of here!" Robin shouted. The five ran upstairs. More figures waited for them. Robin opened the door to his room, and threw everyone in. He jumped in and slammed his door shut. Inside, Robin pressed a button on his door. He looked at the Titans. Maybe he had thrown them a little too hard. They were lying on the floor. Starfire stood up and sat on the bed. Cyborg found an electrical outlet, and BB tried to comfort Raven.
Raven was horrified. Oh God help me, I'm in a pink room. Oh no there's orange and green and red. By Azurath, it's fuzzy! Help me! No, I'm on fuzzy stuff! Must...find...black, Raven thought. She looked at a corner and found a black painted corner. Immediately, Raven flew over and hid in it. She found to her horror that it was fuzzy too. Raven screamed, and the other Titans watched wide-eyed. She used her psychic power, and melted the black fuzzy stuff into plain black. She wrapped her cloak around her and rocked back and forth, mumbling, "The fuzzy colors are going to get me. The fuzzy colors are going to get me."
Beast Boy sighed, and went over to her, trying to calm a wide-eyed, scared Raven down. Cyborg found his outlet and plugged in. Outside the door, the figures could be heard screeching in pain every time on touched the door. Robin had planted an electrical defense the day he moved into Starfire's room.
Robin smiled at Starfire, who eventually smiled back. He went and sat next to her, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Soon she had fallen asleep. Robin smiled to himself. With all this going on, it was hard to remember that there were figments of Starfire's nightmares out there.
When night fell, however, every Titan was awake and wide-eyed, shivering at the constant zapping of the door, and the howling from outside the tower.