Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, but not my first writing experience. I recently got back into the Teen Titans fandom and decided to start a story. I'm hopeful that I can be consistent and stick with the story through my school work.

This story is aimed to be RaexStar but I do not intend for it to get to a serious relationship. This is rated what it is for any future adult themes that may occur in the story line. This chapter does not contain anything major. Also, I do not own the Teen Titans (sadly).

"The gem was born of evil's fire,

The gem shall be his portal.

He comes to claim,

He comes to sire,

The end of all things mortal!"

"Raven!" Starfire cried out for her friend from behind Raven's telekinetic shield. Her eyes filled with hot tears as she saw Scath's warning tear from Raven's body and encircle her. She cried out again and pounded her fists on the wall as the portal started to open.

"Starfire, stop!" Robin grabbed her arms and tried to pull her back; Starfire lunged out of his grip effortlessly with her Tameranian strength. He tried again, desperately trying to calm the alien down, but she was too much for him to handle. Finally, she grabbed Robbin by the front of his uniform and tossed him away effortlessly.

Cyborg and Beast Boy tried to do the same, and received the same cruelty from their actions. Raven's shield started to come crashing down, and Starfire took flight. Robin, recovered from the throw, attempted to grab Starfire's ankle as she began to ascend, but narrowly missed. "Starfire!"

"Forgive me, friends," Starfire whispered under her breath.

Beast Boy transformed into a pterodactyl, but Robin put his arm back to stop him. Beast Boy transformed back. "Dude, she's gonna get-"

"Let her go." Robbin narrowed his eyes as he continued to watch Starfire ascend. All the other Titans could do was watch.

Starfire...

Raven's voice rang through Starfire's mind, bringing her to a sudden halt. "Raven..."

Save yourself, Star. It's over.

"No! It is not over, Raven! We will defeat the Trigon and-"

Trust me, please...

"No!" Starfire cried out as she continued to watch her friend be devoured by a blinding light. She wanted desperately to help, to save Raven, but she found herself descending. Her feet touched the ground, and she stood there as the portal came crashing down.

Robin reached out to grab Starfire by the hand, but was knocked over by the portal's impact with the library floor. Cyborg and Beast Boy tried to shield themselves from the immense light, but soon too fell to their knees. Robin watched in horror as Starfire remained standing amidst the blinding light, fire, and ash; he again screamed for her, but his words were lost to Trigon's final ascension into the world. Trigon's words of victory rang through his ears, and then he knew nothing. Not Beast Boy. Not Cyborg, not Raven or Starfire.

Raven...

Raven's eyes shot open in the dark. She sat up and looked across her room, then plopped back down on her pillows as she saw nothing was out of place.

"It's just another bad dream," she said to herself. "Trigon is gone." Raven turned over and stared out of the huge windows. Jump City's lights adorned the bay's shore like fireflies. She lay there motionless, several thoughts running through her head. She sighed as she became more and more awake, deciding to go to the top of the tower to think things over and maybe do some meditation.

Raven rose from the bed. In two quick flicks of her wrists, she summoned her cloak from the floor to wrap around her and opened the door to her room. She checked out in the hall to make sure no one was there, and then ventured out in direction to the top of the tower.

The crisp September morning air nipped at Raven's nose. She pulled her hood up and wrapped her cloak around her tighter as she walked forward nearly to the edge of the tower. Jump City; it sleepily nestled against the shore. Bright lights of the night slowly became dimmer and dimmer. The normal bustle of the big city was calm, as if it were the hour of deliverance.

Raven sighed and dropped to a sitting position. She held her head in her hands, rubbing her temples gently. "You're gone." she whispered out into the night. "The city is safe. Nothing's going wrong..."

Almost everything had gone perfect, actually. It had been over a year since Trigon's defeat. The world was safe; the Titans were safe; she was safe. Crime had gone down considerably, leaving the Titans with little to worry about. Jump City had become so void, even, that most of the Titans took on hobbies or odd-jobs. Cyborg had his mechanic hook-ups in the city; Beast Boy tested new video games, and Robin had a Jujutsu class twice a week. Starfire...Raven wasn't sure where she went or what she did, just that she was out of the tower most nights of the week.

Raven fell back and stared at the cloudy night sky. "And what does poor, pitiful Raven have?" she said out to the stars. They didn't answer her back, and she was disappointed as if she expected them to. "I have nothing, unlike everyone else." Raven gritted her teeth in anger and turned on her side, curling up inside herself against the cold concrete. "That's all I'll ever be; nothing."

"Raven?"

The sudden voice nearly shook Raven out of her skin. She quickly sat up and drew her cloak around her. "Beast Boy, I already told you-" Raven stopped as she realized it was not in fact Beast Boy, but Starfire. "Oh, it's just..." Raven paused and swallowed hard, "You."

Starfire just stared at her with her head slightly tilted.

"...How long were you standing there?" The question came out strained.

"Friend Raven, why do you put yourself down?"

Long enough then, Raven thought to herself. "Look, Starfire," She pushed herself up and stood, brushing off her cloak. "I'm just going through some stuff right now. Everyone else is out of the tower doing other things, and I have nothing to do."

Starfire looked confused at Raven's words. Raven sighed and walked closer. "I'm alone here a lot. It gives me too much time to think, and you know as well as I do how dangerous it is for me to think."

Starfire shook her head. "That is not what bothers me, friend. You are not always alone, yes? There are others here?"

"Well, sure, usually in the day anyway."

Starfire smiled brightly and grabbed Raven's hands as she gushed. "Then perhaps you could partake in activities with the others! Beast Boy and Cyborg would be glad to play against you in the game of-"

"No."

Starfire's face fell for a short second, and then rose back up again. "What about combat practice with Robin?"

Raven sighed and pulled her hands away. "Robin and I have totally different fighting styles. Besides, he's not as tough as he thinks he is." Raven coldly walked past Starfire to the door leading back inside.

Starfire's mood again fell as she watched Raven leave. What could she have done wrong? She only wanted to help; Raven was her closest female companion, after all. Starfire initially knew Raven would change after Trigon's defeat, but she never imagined it like this. It was almost as if she were as terrified as before Trigon's ascension into the world, and this greatly troubled Starfire. "Dearest friend Raven..." Starfire thoughtfully looked at the door leading inside. "I did not even mention the things we could do together while I am here."

Raven opened her door, careful not to let her frustration make too much noise. With a low growl, she closed her door, locked it and plopped down on the edge of her bed. "Why do you always do this, Raven?" Candlewicks around the room sparked to life as her voice rose, her angst and emotions strong and apparent. "Why, why why?" With each word the flames and Raven's emotions grew higher. Raven finally noticed and instantly became a few degrees calmer; the flames died down to normal.

She sighed and unclasped her cloak to let it fall on the mattress. She soon followed it, kicking her blankets away to grab them again and wrap them around her. Raven could feel the bad emotions slowly subside within her with each breath she took and eventually, one by one, the candles all went out. She couldn't help but keep thinking about it, her sudden flare of emotions. It wasn't that she didn't have anything to do like the others that made her so upset, but the way she reacted to Starfire and how she hadn't told her what was really going on, about the nightmares of her father. The more she hid it, the worse it became.

Raven decided not to think about it for now. Maybe if she slept it off, she'd feel better in the morning. Maybe Starfire would forget about what happened, and Raven could make up for it somehow. She sighed at this thought; she knew Starfire better than that. She never forgets. Perhaps they could meditate together, or Raven could teach Starfire the ins and outs of chess...No, Raven was afraid she'd confuse Starfire.

"But maybe...Starfire is a nice person." Raven started, thinking aloud, "Maybe she'll forgive me over a slice of pizza. Or better yet, a trip to the mall." It was a hopeful thought, one that Raven clung to. It was almost a weekly agenda for Starfire to invite Raven to the mall; she had always politely declined, instead opting for the sanctity and privacy of her room. She hoped that surprising Starfire with the invitation would help ease the tensions of the night's affairs. As she started planning out what they would do and at what point would be appropriate for Raven to apologize, sleep washed over her like waves crashing to the shore. Raven didn't dare fight it, and soon she drifted off to sleep.

Starfire managed to make it back inside fast enough to watch Raven storm into her room. Her heart just kept sinking lower and lower; Starfire was beginning to wonder just how much lower it was going to sink.

Starfire opened her room door, entered, and shut it behind her. She walked to her bed and turned on a small lamp; she sat down on the edge of her bed and put her head in her hands. Her mind was still pouring over what had just happened: Starfire had heard a noise, went outside to investigate, saw Raven and heard her negative words, tried to help, and was coldly denied. It almost didn't make sense. Starfire knew Raven well enough to know that she was a very secluded person and she gave some consideration about what had happened.

She was only trying to help Raven, and Starfire was certain Raven knew that as well. Maybe she just wanted to be alone with it, she thought. Maybe it is something very personal and dear.

Starfire knew Raven needed help, whether Raven wanted to admit it or not. "Raven is my dearest friend," Starfire softly whispered. "I need to help her in whatever ways I can." Starfire let a slight smile cross her lips as she turned the lamp off and stretched out on her bed. "I am certain she would do the same for me."

Author's Note: I intended for the first chapter to be a bit longer, but I could seem to drag it out a couple hundred more words. What do you think so far? Comments and reviews would be great. I will try to work on this in my spare time. :)