The Magical Dreamer
Prelude: Of Roses and Rhapsodies

By Azareth Sakura

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans and stuff. Just the plot and any characters I end up creating later on in this story.

Click..click..click.. It was now midnight, the witching hour, and all five denizens of the seemingly serene tower were fast asleep. Cyborg, half-man half-robot, was plugged into a large machine in the wall so that his power cells could charge after the long hard day playing hero. Beast Boy, the green comedic changeling, moved around in his bed, restless like the half-beat he was. He kicked at the blankets, making the majority fall to the floor before he too fell, snoring all the while.

The dark empath was in such a deep sleep, that it was almost impossible to tell she was alive. She slept stilly, like a log, wrapped in dark sheets, surrounded by sweet smelling candles to calm her subconscious. Her breathing was even and slow, and this was because for the first time in many moons, no nightmares of her demonic father plagued her dreaming self.

In the room at the end of the long hallway on the second floor, lay the slumbering leader of the fearless team. Robin turned over three times before settling deep under the covers. He was a normal human, plagued by nightmares of the night his parents died, the smell of the fire after their murder still present after all these years in his memory. More pleasant dreams came as well, ones where he was young and working with the Dark Knight. The best dreams of all, however, were the ones where his beloved Starfire had been kidnapped by one of his many foes, and he single handedly saved her. While expressing her immense gratitude for his saving her life, she confessed to the dream Robin that she loved him, resulting in hugs, touches, and kisses like no other. If only he had enough confidence in himself to believe that Starfire could- and did- love him as he loved her, those kisses would become a reality.

It was not the perfect moment for Robin to come out yet, so he anxiously waited while the emotions built up inside him. In the meantime, Starfire was content to wait, for her alien ways did not know just how she was to express the emotions she felt for Robin on Earth.

But where was Starfire that night? What deep paths did her subconscious explore as she slept on, her body quickly healing herself of any injuries sustained from the battle that occurred just previous to bed? The Tamaranian princess too was asleep, neatly sleeping under the cute orange and pink covers of her large, soft, and comfortable full sized bed. Her flaming hair surrounded her face in a halo, and her breathing was deep, easy and calm.

She was hovering above a stone path that led into a dark forest. Starfire suppressed a shudder as she slowly made her way into the creepy woods. Arms wrapped around herself as if to shield herself from nonexistent winds, she tried not to let her fear manifest itself. After all, this was her dream, and in this alternate universe she did not know how badly the manifestations of her troubled mind would affect her real self.

As she passed a rather tall, and gnarled tree, there was a rustling from the bushes by her ankles. Starfire let out a shriek before shooting up into the air, hands aglow with green starbolts ready to fire. She hovered above the bush and inched closer and closer to see what made the noise.

Starfire was just barely above the bush when she reached out and poked it tentatively. She let out a strangled cry as tentacles shot out of the bush and wrapped themselves around her thin frame, pressing her hands tightly together behind her back to inhibit her starbolts from firing at them.

Tighter and tighter they squeezed her slender body, cutting off her circulation, and lessening her oxygen intake. Her attempts at escape were growing weaker as each second passed, and her arms slowly drooped down to her sides. She closed her eyes as she felt each laborious breath inhaled and exhaled, and thought of that which was dearest to her heart.

Of course her friends, Cyborg and Beast Boy, her best female friend, Raven were all important to her-wait- where were they? And where was Robin, her m'rya, the Tamaranian word used to describe a man, the one man that a Tamaranian girl had lost her heart to. A sudden, panicky feeling made itself known to the inner recesses of Starfire's mind. Inside her, a surge of fear, worry, and anger at the thought of harm done unto her friends bubbled within her.

It bubbled up until finally, with one giant, mixed up ball of emotion, all her power blasted the tentacles away from her. The neon green glow of her eyes waned and the starbolts fizzled away as she looked around for any signs of the horrid monster that had tried to capture her. She saw it lying dead on the ground, burned by the immense blast of power.

Satisfied, the alien princess looked around her once more, before accepting her new, seemingly nomadic fate, and continuing down the path. A whirl of rose petals suddenly surrounded her in a rapid gust of wind.

They were a deep, bloody red color, the ones symbolizing love, Starfire recalled from a conversation she once had with Raven about the meanings of Earth plants. She supposed it was odd that love petals had appeared out of nowhere, but since this was a dream, anything could happen.

"They are for you…"

The winds subsided, and the Tamaranian quickly turned to face the person who had spoken. There was no one there but the darkened sky and shrubbery of the creepy forest. Releasing a breath she did not realize she had been holding, Starfire turned back around to continue on her journey, only to bump into a tall figure.

"I am sorry, I did not-

"They are for you…" he said again, stepping back to hand her a beautiful, newly torn crimson colored rose. "They are all for you…"

Starfire's cheeks colored slightly as she looked the man over. He was taller than she was, a rare sight, but not an unwanted one. He wore dark clothing, black baggy pants, and a dark grey t-shirt that stretched across his form, drawing notice to his muscular frame. He had spiky, black colored hair, and a slight smile graced his lips. Starfire wanted so desperately to see his eyes, but they were hidden by the shadows of the night.

He stepped out of the shadows and held the rose out to her again. "For you, my lovely…" he said.

His eyes were no longer hidden. They were a magnificent color, a beautiful, clear cerulean blue color that instantly captured Starfire's own twinkling emeralds. Lost within the depth of his gaze, she moved closer to him and accepted the rose. "I thank you.." she replied.

He said nothing, but lifted her hand and gently brought it to his lips. Blushing and uncomfortable, Starfire retracted her hand from his grip and turned to him once again. "Please, where am I?" she asked. "And of my friends, do you know where they are?" He started to speak, but she wasn't done. "And who are you?" she asked finally, smiling shyly.

Sighing softly, he led her over to a clearing by a small lake that glistened under the starry night sky. He gestured for her to sit down under a flowering tree, and she readily obliged. He too sat, and sighed again.

"Do my questions bother you?" she asked him, worry and embarrassment fighting for dominance in her visage.

"No." he said,. "Nothing about you could ever bother me. I just don't know how to explain this to you- I don't want you to leave me here, Starfire." He looked into her eyes. "I love you."

Star's eyes widened and his words reverberated around her, in her mind, and in the solitary clearing. His voice seemed more familiar to her every time it echoed in her imagination. Realization dawned upon her, and she found herself speaking out in shock to the mysterious stranger. Except now, he didn't seem like such a stranger anymore.

"Robin!"

Author's Note: Welcome to the writing corner of my mind  I wish that you all enjoyed this prologue, but I'll warn you in advance- I'm not very good with updating quickly, so I apologize. Also, I'm not fully sure on just how I want this story to turn out, or just what will happen later on, so I guess we'll just play it by ear. It will be RobxStar though, and it will be AU and not very canonical. Thanks for reading!

3 Azareth Sakura