Perfect Tragedy

Months pass in the forgotten tower, the Boy Wonder gripped by his obsession. After an outburst at the only one who cared about him, the team leaves the boy to save himself. Five years later, depressed Richard Grayson falls in love with Kory Anders.

Many thanks to the people who made this story happen!!! Many thanks to Harry Potter Fan 1994 and Saoirse Waveglow for being my two wonderful beta's.

This entire story is dedicated to my wonderfully supportive father. He took days to go over the story with me, pointing out little mistakes and making my story ten times better. This wouldn't be the same without him!!!

I have already written all of the chapters for this story. It was going to be a really long oneshot, but I decided to make it a chapter story due to the fact that there is over 50,000 words in the whole thing. I will post each chapter every 2 days, so you won't be waiting long. But if I don't get very many reviews, then there will be a longer wait. The more reviews, the shorter the wait!!!

Constructive criticism is welcome!!!

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Footsteps echoed down the long hallway, feet clacking against the hard floor. Each sound grew shorter, eventually coming to a complete stop. A young teen stood alone in the hallway, a food tray in her hands. Her long crimson hair flowed freely to her waist, the fiery strands entangled. She stared down at the tray, as if it would give all the answers to the questions pulling at her mind. But all it held was a paper plate, a ham sandwich, and a single rose.

She glued a fake smile to her face, and continued walking towards the end of the long hallway. She stopped at a sliding silver door, concern clouding her emerald eyes as she stared at the engraved words. Robin. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her worried mind, and raised one trembling hand to knock. Her hand froze an inch from the door, quickly remembering how he had told her yesterday that knocking only wasted his time. She sighed, So much is gone…so much will never come back. She opened the door.

She stepped quietly into the room, giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. The room was still, the only sound was the scratching of a pen, and her nervous breathing. She knew there was a closet to her right, and a bed ahead of that. Luckily, his desk was only a few feet in front of her. She could see him scribbling down something onto a paper that lay among many others. His masked eyes dashing quickly over his desk, not even noticing that she was present. He never did.

She sat the tray down next to him, balling her hands into fists and quickly pulling away, so as not to disturb him. She stared at the hand that was furiously scribbling on the paper, her face anxious to say something. But every time she opened her mouth, she closed it and bit her lip. She knew she shouldn't be speaking.

She finally broke the tension in the room by walking up to him, the sound of her purple boots muffled by the dense carpet coating the floor. She warily put a hand on his back, rubbing his back in a soothing motion; wanting to give him the comfort he had been deprived of for so long. Maybe it would make him loosen up enough that she would get the answer she was hoping to hear.

"Robin," she said softly, her naïve tongue trickling through her carefully composed speech, "I believe it is unhealthy to be trapped in your room for such a long period of time. You have been working on this case for over two months."

He made no move to answer her, ignoring the fact that she was even there. Finally, he stopped writing, but kept his eyes firmly planted on his work. He was possibly going over what she had said to him, or maybe just thinking about what he should write next. It was the first time anyone had said anything to him in weeks; surely he was shocked to hear a voice.

"No," his firm words cracked, due to his voice being isolated for so long. She waited for more words to come out of his mouth, but none came. She figured that if he did not speak, then she would make him.

"Robin, you need to get out of this room," she said in a much firmer voice. "Your friends miss your presence dearly. There hasn't been an attack on the city for a while now, not even a simple bank robbery. Surely you can take one day away from your work to consult with others, possibly tell us what you have achieved."

"No," he said again, his voice firmer as well, "there will be an attack soon, and when it comes, I want us to be ready."

"But Robin—"

"NO!" he yelled, his masked eyes finally looking up at her. His face was hard, his eyes narrowed behind his mask, his face menacing, and it was easy to feel intimidated by it. He made it clear that he wanted nothing more to do with her. Even though all of the crime had ceased, Robin still seemed to hang onto the one fact that the villains' threat remained in the city. It was the only thing that kept him in work-mode, and the one thing that chased him deeper into the dark waters of his obsession.

"Very well," she said, bowing her head in respect before turning around. She stopped in the door way, her tall figure casting a dark shadow against the bright light of the hallway. "I shall come tomorrow."

She walked down the hall, picking up the empty tray that was left outside his room the night before. She had known it would happen, every word of it. It just somehow made the hope blossom inside her, thinking about him standing up and embracing her in his arms. She had always hoped for a day like that to come, but her hope was slowly diminishing, along with her forced smile.

Months passed in the forgotten tower, and the world was slowly turning their backs' to the Titans, scarcely remembering that the tall tower still held the cities' once cherished protectors. And all the while the Boy Wonder was enclosed in his room, suspended over his obsession. Not a single villain had made an appearance since the day Robin had hid his face from the world. The last combat had been with the teams arch foe, and they had lost the gruesome battle. With that loss, Robin seemed to realize that this villain still proposed a threat, and this threat still lingered in the city. He had started working on the case of Slade, their arch foe, and had worked himself into a dark corner. He had yet to come out of that corner.

There was no longer a leader to keep the titans in shape or keep their powers from diminishing. Each day the team would continue to dig deeper into the rut of their regular routines, taking pleasure in the order that the standard schedules presented them. The Robot and the Changeling would play video games with each other, their eyes watching the TV with carelessness, no longer taking pleasure in the pride of winning. The Dark One would read quietly in a corner, taking breaks to eat or meditate. When they happened to talk to one another, the conversation would be dry and shallow, absently talking about random things which no one bothered to listen to.

The three of them never bothered to show interest in the Boy Wonder, often forgetting that he was still in the tower. But each day they would watch in awe as Starfire prepared his sandwich and walked into the dark hall with a tray in her hands. Each day she would speak less to them, eventually not even bothering to say hello. The once innocent and happy gleam in her eyes was gone, and the emerald pools only held hurt and loss. They all knew the reason for that lifeless look in her eyes, for she had lost the only thing of importance in her life. Although no one could hear her when she got into his dark room, they all knew the words she spoke to him. Eventually she gave up trying to convince him to come out of his room, or trying to give him any affection. She would only set the tray beside him, walk to the door, and say "I shall come tomorrow."

But everyone knew that the comfort they took in the order their lives held could not stay forever. Someone had to step out of line, shattering their delicate world. When that day came, he would finally crack, and her frown would finally turn to tears. Finally, the day came.

The beginning of the day was the same as the previous days. Everyone took to their normal placements, and watched in trepidation and admiration as Starfire carried the tray down the hall, and into the room they had all begun to fear. All of the Titans stared into the hallway, waiting for her to bring back his empty tray from the previous day. The air was tense, and the room was silent, for they all knew that the day had to come, he had to break.

On that particular day, Starfire had decided to change into normal civilian clothes, inadvertently stepping out of line. She had assumed that since there had been no crime for months, it would be safe to change out of her crime fighting uniform. Every Titan remembered the day that Robin had informed them to always wear their uniform, because he had wanted them to always be ready if crime was to strike. And each Titan feared for the girl, because somehow, someway, he had to break. And this seemed to be the perfect time.

Finally, the tension in the room snapped. Starfire appeared in the hall doorway, and moved silently towards the vacant couch, no tray in her hands. Her rosy cheeks were stained with tears, and her emerald eyes were clouded with pain. But she was walking with a strange confidence, her back straight, her head high, her feet stomping assertively on the carpet. Each of the Titans turned to another, concern plain on their faces.

"He yelled at me," Starfire said softly. "Then he told me that I was not permitted to change out of my uniform. He was saying how I will never do anything right."

"Star, you know that's not true," Beastboy said, watching Starfire hug herself, "Robin just has a stick up his butt."

Despite Beastboy trying to lighten the mood, the air remained tense. "Starfire, he will never change," Raven said, disgust filling her voice. "He is completely devoted to stopping crime, even if there is only a mere threat. No one can pull him away from this, he can only save himself."

"But if no one cares, then he will surely die!" Starfire blubbered. "There shall be no one to bring him food or water, and he will remain in his room and never come out!"

"It's not our problem anymore," Cyborg said, his husky voice filling the room. "Robin's made his choice. There's nothing we can do, except leave."

"Cyborg's right," Raven said. "He has to save himself, we can't do anything more. It's time for us to go."

"You mean break up the Titans!" Beastboy's shrill voice cut in.

"There's no crime for us to deal with anymore. The police can handle it if the threats develop into attacks", Raven stated simply.

"But what about Robin…" Starfire whispered, concern clouding her voice. "He will surely starve if he is left alone."

"He'll come out soon enough," Cyborg said, getting up from his spot and striding towards the hall way.

"He has to."

And with that, the decision was made. Their bags were packed in a simple hour; most of their bags already packed prior to the outburst. Raven did most of Starfire's packing, since she was quietly weeping, and her mind couldn't seem to process the whole situation. But with the Titans ready to go out the door, they all realized they had absolutely nowhere to go. Thinking over the problem in silence, they each finally came up with individual solutions.

"I can stay with my uncle," Beastboy said in a hopeful voice. "He lives close to here."

"My friend has a house of his own," Cyborg stated. "I could probably stay with him."

"Me and Star can pull together our money and rent a place," Raven said, staring hopefully at her trembling friend. "We could both get jobs, and eventually live a normal life."

Everyone, besides Starfire, smiled tenderly at each other. They could be normal teens now. They could go to college, since they had been tutored in the tower and knew all of the high school standards. They would graduate, get a job, and be normal citizens. It was a hard thing to adapt to, but provided they had a place to stay and food to eat, they could move on.

"We all know how to reach each other, and we could always get together sometime," Cyborg said.

"No matter what, we'll still stay friends," Beastboy said, smiling brightly at the people that surrounded him.

"This is our new beginning. Never again will we have to deal with what we dealt with before, and we can finally lead normal lives," Raven said, pausing to stare at each of her friends. "And no matter what, there is no turning back."

And with those words, they all walked out the door. When everyone was in the car, Starfire stared ruefully at the door of the tower, moving her eyes up to stare into his dark window, letting one last sob escape. And before the Titans' car pulled away from the tower, Starfire whispered her last words.

"I will always love you", was all that escaped her mouth before she finally broke down sobbing. And with that, the life she held so dear was gone without a trace. Her world was broken, and nothing on earth could possibly mend it now. A numb feeling moved over her body, clouding her vision. A dark pool concealed her in its depths, taking her down into a dead world. She did not resurface.

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His stomach turned and twisted in a pit of emptiness, and he cringed in pain as he scribbled something down on the paper in front of him. His pencil stopped suddenly, and a thought occurred to him. Why am I hungry? he asked himself, trying to remember the last time he had eaten. It's been… three days now..? Why on earth would Starfire stop bringing him food? Had something happened to her?

When he thought of something horrible happening to his precious Starfire, he bolted out the door. It was excruciatingly painful to run so fast, after sitting for so long. He had trained not long ago, but sitting was not good for his muscles. Stopping suddenly, he turned around to check the outside of his door. His empty tray lay untouched on the floor outside his door, in the exact spot he had left it three days before.

Robin ran quickly to the end of the hall, heaving open the door. No one was there. The room was silent, and the air was stiff, indicating that no one had been there for a while. Robin glanced over at the clock on the oven; it read in big block numbers '4:53'. It was about the time when everyone would be in the living room, watching TV or socializing with each other. It was quite possible that they had gone out to see a movie, but Starfire usually left a note… well, she did before his obsession took over his life.

He began scanning the room for some sign of a message. He scanned the sandstone countertop, the gleaming appliances, and then…the door. In the middle of a silver sliding door that lead to the elevator, was a note. It was neatly typed, so Robin assumed Raven must have left it. He walked over to the door, cringing as his legs tightened in pain when he stepped down the two short steps. Grabbing the note from the door, Robin's eyes widened.

Dear Robin,

No one ever thought it would come to this. We all knew that you would eventually snap under the stress of your obsession, but we never thought much further than that. You have crossed the line, seeing Starfire cry like that made us realize how far you've gone. We can no longer save you from your obsession, so we must leave you here to save yourself. You were once our friend, a great leader, and truly loved. But you no longer fall under those categories. You are in too deep, and you are the only one who can stop yourself from drowning in it all. We've all decided to lead normal lives now, and have nothing to do with crime and nothing to do with you. It's best for everyone. I hope you make the right choice, and lead a normal life, too. But we can't make that choice for you.

Goodbye Forever,

The Titans

He was shocked. He scanned over the letter again, hoping for something that could reassure him, something that would tell him that it wasn't true. But no word indicated such truth. All of the facts began to sink in, hitting him like a bullet to his chest. The world began to spin around him, time seemed to stop, and he began to fall apart. The life he had known for so long was suddenly gone, and it was entirely his fault. Questions reeled in his head like a disease, right and wrong answers coming and going from his mind.

He'd made Starfire cry? What line did he cross? Where did they all go? So many questions poured into his conscious mind, and it felt like he was being ripped apart when all the answers began to fall into place, too. Of course he had made Starfire cry, he had yelled at her for changing her clothes! He had told her she was worthless, and that she had never been able to do anything right. He had known that he was going to snap under all the stress, taking it out on the only one who cared, the only one that mattered. He had known what a great friend and leader he was, and knew how it had all begun to go badly when his obsession took over. He knew, most of all, that he could only save himself. He had never thought about it before, because he had been gripped by his obsession. This sudden truth made him realize what he had done, and what he had to do to save himself.

He was out the door in twenty minutes. He went to the mayor and turned the tower over to the city. The sudden news shocked the mayor completely, but Robin honestly didn't care. He then retreated to Gotham, to the Wayne Manor; a home he knew would accept him. He felt guilty for leaving all of the work he had toiled over for so long, giving it up and leaving it behind him. His only wish was that he could see his friends again, even if it was just to show them that he was no longer obsessed with his work, and that he was no longer fighting crime. But he wanted more than anything to embrace Starfire in his arms. To smother her in affection and kisses, telling her just how much he loved her.

So he wrote. He wrote daily letters to her, all of them telling her just how much he loved her. He would sometimes write about fantasies he had about them in the park, or on a date, all of it ending in a sweltering, fervent romance between the two. Lots of the letters he would write included short stories or poems about the time they could have spent together; or about how he regretted every choice he ever made, and that he wanted nothing more than to show her the love and passion that burned in him all those years.

He knew he could look up her address in the phone book, since she probably owned a home by now, and mail the letters to her. But he never did. All of the letters he wrote were kept in a pile in his room, in a box and under his bed. He would sometimes read over them, imagining her reaction if she ever read them. Sometimes he would imagine that she would run and hug him, telling him how she loved him too, and how she forgave him. She would give him warm kisses that tasted like honey, making his stomach flutter in happiness.

Other times he would imagine her quietly weeping, telling him how much pain she went through for him; scolding him and making him feel the pain she felt. But even though it was all in his imagination, he could still hear her bitter words. He could still feel her poignant, mocking touch on his skin. But above all, he could see her eyes. He could see all of the pain that clouded her emerald orbs, and all of the damage he'd caused her. He could no longer see the innocence in her eyes, he could only see the hurt that replaced the purity, and how he was the one that had carelessly deprived her thoughts of the worlds' innocence. He had been the one who'd introduced her to the painful and ruthless side of life, showing her that not everything was happy and cheerful. He could no longer see the burning passion he longed for, but only all of the misery and anguish he'd caused her. He was forever haunted by those eyes.

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Review please! Tell me what you think! The more reviews, the shorter the wait!!!

-Alien