A/N: Woohoo! My first post in, what, almost a year? More? I can't remember. Well, anyway, this is my second fic not of the Digimon fandom, so please be kind. I hope you like it, as I think it turned out rather well. And, amazing as it seems, this was actually written in two days [a record!], so \/\/007 for me!
Disclaimer?: Of course. You all do realize that I own nothing but the socks on my feet, correct? Good. Teen Titans is property of DC, Cartoon Network, and some other people. I only do this to inject you with my twisted ideals and any subliminal RavenStar I can possibly manage.
Summary?: The girls have a late night talk and some tea to help relieve Starfire's nightmares. [subliminal Yuri]
Notes?: Yeah, I use some elements from the comic (such as Kynasf'rr and the Initiator). Nothing huge, just enough to fill in the plotholes. And, you see that Tamaranean phrase down there? I made that up. Completely. If I see it anywhere else, I'm going to have to sic my genetically-altered attack-kiwi on you.
Er, also, for those
who don't seem to know, or missed it completely (because my Beta Reader of
Sorts sure did): Blackfire is Starfire's sister.
This fandom uses the term "yuri"
right? No? Damn. Well, yuri is the anime fic term for girl-girl
relationships. And when I say that this fic is "subliminal yuri" I just mean
that I'm sweetly implying the RavenStar and cackling evilly as I do.
Aside from all that, this is just a
short n' sweet little One Shot. Enjoy~!
~*~*~
Starfire awoke to find herself drenched in a cold sweat. Her heart was racing, beating so rapidly that she could almost hear it pounding against her chest. She shuddered, sitting up in her bed and looking around the dark room fearfully. Starfire shrunk back into her covers, wishing fervently that the sun would rise and banish this darkness.
The alien princess tensed, pulling her blankets tightly about her, refusing to close her eyes again. If she did, it would come back. Yet, the darkness of the room was so familiar that she didn't need to close her eyes to return. It was there— dank, empty, shrouded in nothing but shadow. There was no comfort here, not from the sun, not from her parents, and never from Blackfire. It was so lonely... so bleak...
Starfire scrambled from her bed, floating quickly from her room and out into the hallway. Even here, in Titans Tower, there was no escape from her nightmares. Memories of Okaara, the planet of warlords, haunted her mind; their tunnels stretching far into the earth, away from the gentle sun, tearing away her hope and leaving her to die there in that horrid place.
Starfire wandered blindly down the hall and into the kitchen. She felt along the wall, to the counters, to the small refrigerator. She pulled open the door and felt relieved at the light that flowed from its depth. She had once again escaped her fate—the Ritual, Kynasf'rr, deep in the tunnels of Okaara— for now.
Starfire reached for a water bottle at the back of the fridge, hoping that something in her stomach would settle her fears.
"I would not recommend cold water; you may not be able to go back to sleep."
Starfire gave a startled yelp and whirled, her hands glowing bright green with a ready Starbolt, prepared to defend herself from—
...Raven? The empath stood solemnly at the kitchen entrance, apparently not at all fazed by the fact that she had just come very, very close to being fried. Starfire sighed in relief, the Starbolt's light fading from her fist. "Oh, Raven, it is only you. May I inquire as to why are you up so late?"
"I could ask the same of you." The sorceress replied blankly.
Starfire smiled uneasily, "I only came down for a light portion of victuals in the middle of the night."
Raven walked over to one of the cabinets and opened it, taking out a steel teapot and filling it with water. "You don't need to lie to me, Starfire."
The alien princess flushed, "Why would I need to lie–?"
Raven set the teapot on the stove, turning to Starfire with a calm expression. "You forget that I can sense a person's true emotion, and I am sensing now that you are trying to hide something from me." Raven then turned back to the kettle; from over her shoulder, Starfire could see the stove's little gas flame come to life to heat the teapot. "Besides, I could sense your distress from my room. I take it you had a nightmare, Starfire?"
The Tamaranean nodded slightly, "Yes... Please forgive me for my untruthfulness. I did not wish to burden you with my sleeping fantasies."
Raven reached into a different cabinet, retrieving a box of herbal teabags and picking one from it. She glanced back at her teammate, "You are my friend, Starfire. One of the few that I actually care about..."
Starfire's original joyous smile returned, "Oh, Raven! I knew that deep inside you—"
"You did not let me finish."
"Please forgive my rudeness, Raven! I did not mean—"
"Starfire..."
The princess flushed again and bit her lip. "Please continue," she murmured in a subdued voice.
Raven gave a nod, "Thank you. – As I was saying, because you are my friend I will put aside my own issues to listen to yours. I would appreciate it, and so would you, if you sat with me and talked about your nightmare."
Starfire quickly shook her head, "That is not necessary, Raven! I am truly pleased that you care so much, but I cannot possibly ask you–"
Raven turned a sharp look to the alien. "You are not asking me. I am doing this of my own free will. I shall even go so far as to say that I am curious as to what your dream is about."
Starfire did not reply. Her expression was at once shocked, touched, and confused.
Raven sighed, "I already know that you've had this dream before. I sensed this same panic from you a few weeks ago, and every few nights since then. I did not say anything at first because I was not worried. I thought that it was a passing phase, but obviously it is not. It would be wise for you to face this nightmare now, before it affects you later. It would disadvantageous for the team were you to falter during a mission because of this restlessness. Do you understand, Starfire?"
Slowly, the Tamaranean nodded. Raven gently took her by the arm and led her to a stool near the kitchen counter. The empath could feel the alien tense at the sudden, piercing whistle of the teapot. Raven lifted a hand and levitated the pot up from the stove, dropping the teabag into it and mentally placing the pot down on cool part of the range as the tea set.
Raven glanced coolly at Starfire. "Would you like some herbal tea? It will soothe your nerves far better than pudding."
Starfire giggled. Had Raven actually attempted a joke? She wasn't sure, but she nodded quickly. "Oh, I don't know about that, Raven, but I would very much enjoy some tea."
Almost immediately in answer, a cupboard door swung open, and two mugs floated out and set themselves in front of the girls. The teapot followed, first filling Starfire's cup to the brim, and then pouring out the remainder into Raven's.
Starfire noticed that Raven's cup was barely half full, while hers was close to overflowing. She gave her dark friend a puzzled look, "Is that enough for you? I would gladly let you have some of mine–"
"This is not about me, Starfire. Now, please, begin."
The golden alien nodded mutely. Starfire brought the cup to her lips and carefully sipped the hot liquid. She shuddered at the feeling of it trickling down to her stomach, the warmth instantly spreading throughout the rest of her body. Raven was quite correct— she felt more at ease, now. Starfire set down the cup, staring at the ripples in the tea as the liquid leveled. Raven watched her quietly, showing no sign of impatience with her delay.
Starfire cleared her throat. "I am unsure how to begin, but... for a while now, I have been having visions as I slumber. They are always of the Okaara, the moon of my planet. Since I was a child, I have always feared their tunnels, and its darkness still freezes the blood in my veins… and even now I cannot help it." Starfire became silent, staring at the cooling tea before her. She grabbed the cup and gulped down a good portion before her nerves had the chance to unravel themselves.
Starfire paused when Raven touched her hand. The sorceress' face was still unreadable, but her voice was calming. "Take your time."
The alien set down her cup, nodding. "Every child must go to Okaara– it is an undisputable tradition. My people are warriors by nature, and it is on Okaara that we embrace this fact and realize our true power." The Tamaranean lowered her face, staring at her lap, "Blackfire did not cry when she went. Blackfire was strong– she went willingly into the Ritual. I did not. I cried, begging for my parents not to let them take me. I... I kept thinking that if I were more like Blackfire..."
Starfire looked up at Raven, as if expecting her to start laughing. Raven only closed her eyes and shook her head, "You cannot expect yourself to be like Blackfire, Star. You are not her, and you never will be."
The alien nodded slowly, "I know. It is silly of me to think it, but..."
"You are Starfire." Raven stated, clearly and without hesitation. "You cannot compare yourself to Blackfire because you are not like her. You have different strengths, different weaknesses... and different fears." Before Starfire could reply, Raven halted her, "Please, continue with your dream."
The alien took another sip of tea, now suddenly aware that her hands were trembling. "I never performed the Ritual. I had reached my Dstynka, the age at which my people must undergo the Okaarin training, but I never did. I was sent to Earth before I could become Tamaran, before I could become a warrior like my sister."
Raven quietly sipped what little tea she had. "I see... But that is not all, am I correct?"
Starfire nodded, "It is not only thoughts of the Ritual that haunts my slumber. The Initiator often visits me, as well. He is the one who leads my planet's children into the deepest tunnel of Okaara. He is a fearsome being, many times the size of a normal Okaarin, with a staff that is decorated with the skulls of others. I hear his terrible voice over and over, calling to me, reminding me of what I've yet to do..." Starfire trailed off. She glanced up, her bright emerald eyes meeting Raven's deep blue ones. "I am sorry, Raven. I did not mean to keep you up so long. You must think that I'm such a m'lnip now..."
Raven's eyebrows perked as Starfire began murmuring to herself in fluent Tamaranean. "I've never thought that about you, Star. I never will."
Starfire smiled at the sincerity in the sorceress' voice. "Thank you, Raven. I really must recite to you the Poem of Gratitude..."
"No, that's quite all right." Raven quickly replied. "Right now we ought to be sleeping."
Starfire downed the rest of her tea and nodded. "Yes, of course. But... I am not sure if I can go back to sleep. What if I have the dream again?"
"I am sure that it will not bother you for a while, now that you have talked about it." Raven replied as she quietly finished her tea. "But, if you are still worried... I may be able to assist."
Starfire blinked curiously. "Really? How?"
Raven shrugged lightly, "I am a healer– it is only a matter of soothing the mind."
The alien appeared to be amazed, "How wondrous! May I humbly request that you sooth my mind, Raven?"
The sorceress' face turned a light shade of red, but she nodded her consent. Immediately, Starfire gave a squeal of joy, grabbing the empath's hands and dragging her along. Once back in her room, Starfire crawled back under her bed covers without delay and smiled up at Raven, who still seemed a bit shaken from being towed by the alien.
Once Raven had composed herself, she walked over to Starfire, who was all wrapped up in her bright pink sheets. Raven reached out and gingerly touched her fingers to Starfire's forehead; the Tamaranean princess smiled under the contact and closed her eyes. She could hear Raven taking a deep breath, and then felt a comforting tingle that began in her head and made its way down to the rest of her body.
Starfire fought to reopen her eyes, to get a last look at her friend. The Tamaranean smiled drowsily at the dark blur standing over her, "As we would-" Starfire yawned, "-say on my planet..." she gave another yawn as her eyes closed, sleep forcibly dragging her into its peaceful world. "Y'hov l'orka, Raven."
The sorceress raised her eyebrows, "And that means...?"
Starfire sighed serenely as she turned onto her side, "Mmm... Love you." And then the girl was lost to the waking world, settling easily into a dreamless sleep.
Raven remained at Starfire's bedside for a long while, her hand still resting on the Tamaranean's forehead. Finally, the empath allowed herself to seal that little phrase into the depths of her memory. Before she turned to leave, Raven brushed a few stray locks of hair from the Tamaranean's face, and watched as Starfire smiled in her sleep.
As Raven came to the door, the sorceress turned back and took a last look at the gold-skinned alien, murmuring, "Sweet dreams, Starfire."
~*~*~