Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.
Also, in this story I will focus on the Cartoon version of Terra, not the comic version. Please take note.
Through The Eyes Of The Innocent
Be-tray (bi-trê') verb:: To commit treason against, be a traitor to, to be disloyal or unfaithful to. To show, reveal, to lead astray.
A betrayer. That was what many people thought Terra was.
But those people never stopped to think-betrayal can't happen without first having trust. And yes, the Teen Titans trusted her. You might think that they were stupid to. But that's where you're wrong.
What is trust, really?
Trust (trûst) noun: Firm reliance, confident belief, faith. One in which confidence is placed, to believe.
Trust-
Nobody knows what it really is.
But we can all try to understand it, like we have all tried to understand trust some point in our lives. Who hasn't?
We can try to understand it, but some say we never will. Some say that because they have had their trust betrayed. Others say that because they are the ones who become the betrayers.
Everyone gets their trust betrayed once in a while, from the poorest man to the richest king, to any random person walking down the quaint, small streets of Jump City. I have been two-timed before. You have been tricked before. We all have.
Everyone gets their trust betrayed once in a while, and the protectors of Jump City were no exception.
They might battle giant monsters and evil villains, and beat creatures in the depths of the sea, vanquish dangerous enemies. They might be heroes with many superpowers, might be undefeatable, unbeatable, and might be able to do all of this in time for tea.
But they were still human. They were still like us, and it was amazing how many others thought otherwise. They had a heart, they had feelings, they had a brain…
And they had trust.
In a team of five superheroes, one learns the importance of trust fast. Trust did many things in such a close-knit team like theirs. Trust bound them together and tore them apart. Trust wrought their friendships in iron. They learned slowly that trust in others could save a life.
They learned that trust in others could ruin one.
And they learned it the hard way.
They learned it through Terra.
Jump City's population was divided into three. They were divided into Terra Haters, Terra Lovers, and those who didn't bother. I fit into neither.
I didn't love Terra, but I didn't hate her. I may not see the reason in what she did, but she tried to be a part of the Teen Titans. She didn't belong, she didn't fit in, but she tried. At least she tried.
I didn't love Terra, but the Teen Titans did. And for that, she holds my highest honor and esteem. For that, she is a heroine. And that is how I think others should see her as.
Yes, she betrayed the Teen Titans. Yes, she used them, used their trust in her.
And yet, yes-she sacrificed herself to save the city. She might have sacrificed herself because she felt the need to, and not because she wanted to, but in the end, she sacrificed herself whether willing or not. The fact that she sacrificed herself still remains.
To Beast Boy, she was an infatuation, a girl he could imagine himself with, the girl of his dreams. To Robin, she was a powerful asset and a good companion. To Starfire, she was another girlfriend, one who would do the 'talking of girls' with her, who would do things Raven couldn't do. To Raven, she was friendly competition, was a person she could confide in on one of Starfire's much-too-happy days. To Cyborg, she was a great help in his garage, and a new face besides he ones he saw every day.
To the Titans, she was a friend. A good friend.
And so they trusted her like they trusted each other.
When she broke that trust, Beast Boy's heart shattered, because she was his first crush, somebody that he could relate to. Somebody who listened.
Robin blamed himself for ever letting his team close to her. He blamed himself for not kicking her out when she came back. Blamed himself for not seeing through her lies.
Starfire couldn't understand why she betrayed them. Couldn't understand why she could break the bonds of friendship she had offered to her, the friendship she thought Terra had returned.
Raven cursed herself for even trusting her in the first place. She cursed herself for the tears that were threatening to fall, because she didn't want any to fall for her.
Cyborg furiously worked his T-car down to bits, imagining her reflection in the windows. He drowned himself by rubbing the reflections of her away.
But the shreds of trust never really disappeared. Somewhere deep down inside, the Titans still loved Terra. Yes, they had let her go, and yes, they had hardened their heart, but they still believed that she was never fully evil.
And when she gave her life for the city, they realized she never really was.
When she gave her life for the city, they lost a friend.
They lost a friend who was an enemy, a traitor, a betrayer, a friend who was a lover, a confidante, a companion. A friend who never could fit in anywhere but tried. A friend who was worth all the pain that she had caused. A friend like no other.
When she gave her life for Jump City, the Teen Titans lost a friend.
But they earned a heroine.
And they remembered their trust.
That, I believe, is the greatest example of trust. It's the kind of trust that nobody can break because it already has been broken, the kind of trust that is seamless. It's the kind of trust the Teen Titans share with Terra.
And as I stand before the granite statue, deep inside the caves of Jump City, the ground around it littered with dead flowers, covered in graffiti, I place a daisy at its feet.
Terra was a betrayer, but she still had trust. Trust that was so hard to earn and could never be replaced.
Terra, I honor you. I might not be a hero like the Teen Titans, but this is how I think of you. This is you through my eyes.
You are a true heroine. And that is what matters.
A/N: For a fanfiction challenge: Through The Eyes of The Innocent. Please offer constructive criticism if you can!