For You
By: xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx
©- Warner Brothers Company
AN: Hi again. It's me here, still getting used to the Teen Titans archive.
This is so incredibly random and angsty. But, a little background: After the incident in Tokyo, everything seems fine for a little while. Then, Slade returns, out of nowhere. Everything else is explained from there.
This goes against the comic books, kind of, I guess. Actually could happen... Alright, it's unsure of if the comic book events happened or not. There we go.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.
"My name is Starfire, and I have done terrible things. I have served a dark master, obeyed his every command, and committed horrible crimes in his name. I have betrayed and attacked everyone who I love. I helped bring an entire city to its knees. One by one, I have watched as the Teen Titans fell, and have done nothing about it. Until today.
My name is Starfire. I have done terrible things. But today, I am going to make them right."
She walks down the long passage of steps, hugging her cloaked arms tightly. She wears a look of sadness—one of extreme pain beyond compare. His angry eyes flash through her mind over and over again… That look of betrayal that covered his face, that marred his handsome, rugged features.
She cannot get that look out of her face.
It seems like it was just yesterday when it all started… It seems like just yesterday, she was with her friends—happy, like there was not a care in the world. But, that was all in the past. It had be thrown away—like last week's leftovers. That beautiful, carefree past was nothing but the past. Because, now, she was not her own.
She serves a dark master.
He goes by the name of Slade; for years upon years, she has loathed that name. That name has only caused suffering for her and her friends. He—Slade—nearly killed all of them on many occasions. He coerced some of them into serving him; he made life a living nightmare for others.
Just like he was doing to her now.
The words from that fateful day forever echo through her mind, like a broken record.
"My dear girl, you can save him you know. All I ask… is that you serve me."
She had no choice. Slade was going to kill him—Robin—then he was going to do the same to the other Titans. And, yes, she cared about the other Titans, but it was Robin that mattered the most to her. Because, a world without Robin shouldn't even exist.
She said yes to him.
And from there on, the snowball effect happened. One thing turned into another, and right under her nose, her secret became known to her friends. She was forced to flee Titan's Tower, and live with Slade.
She was no longer a Titan.
It got even worse from there. Slowly, but surely, Slade formulated his plan. It was like Terra all over again; using her, he took Jump City. No one was allowed in, and no one could get out—not even the Teen Titans.
But Jump City was a large city, and they couldn't run… but they certainly could hide.
They searched for months, but it was like the Teen Titans had disappeared off the face of the earth. Crime rates flew sky high. Businesses were robbed. People were mugged; some were even killed. Jump City was in chaos, and that's just exactly how he wanted it. That is what he planned for. The Titans were practically gone, and Jump City was his.
And she had helped.
It wasn't until recently that they managed to catch a Teen Titan—all of them, actually. It had taken a while, but eventually, a few weeks ago, the Teen Titans gained enough strength—physically and mentally—to fight back. The four remaining founders of the Titans began popping up all over the city, fighting crime and what not like nothing had happened. By the time anyone who worked for Slade could reach the scene, the Titans were gone.
They were sneaky. They stayed hidden for a while, but they couldn't forever. Days were spent tracking them, and one by one, the Teen Ttians were captured until Robin was the only one left. But finally, after days of pursuing him, Slade—or, rather his minions—managed to capture the Titan that mattered the most to him.
That was earlier today, and she can still remember it clearly in her mind.
"Master?" She walks up timidly towards his throne, kneeling before it. "The automatons have returned, and they have brought back… Robin."
Her voice catches as she says Robin's name, and Slade's lips twist into a cruel smile. "Have they know?" His voice is dry, but sounds pleased. "Bring him to me."
She nods silently, and stands, motioning for the guards to tell the robots to drag their prize in. The doors swing open, revealing two automatons flanked on either side of a struggling, bloody, and bruised Robin.
She refuses to look him in the eye as they shove him down in front of Slade's throne, their metal boots placed firmly on top of his back. Robin struggles, grunting and groaning, but to no avail. His face is grimy, and he appears exhausted.
"Robin," Slade stands up, looking down at the fallen Titan. "How nice of you to, ah, stop by."
"Slade," Robin spits at the man's feet. "Where are the other Titans? What have you done to them?"
"Patience, Robin," Slade merely says smoothly. "Your friends are fine, I suppose. I have done nothing to them… yet."
Robin's face contorts into one of rage, and he yells, "You won't touch them, Slade!"
Slade's lips curl into a smile. "Your words mean little to me, Robin. You're nothing but a weak, fallen Titan now. It's a shame… You had so much potential."
Robin struggles under the heavy boot of the automaton, and he glances up, as if just noticing her presence. She can't bring herself to tear her gaze away from him; they lock eyes. His face is filled with grief, and he looks at her, as if to ask, "Why?" The unspoken words break her heart, and she finally turns. Tears fill her eyes as she stares at the ground silently.
"Take him to the dungeon," Slade orders harshly. The robots pick up Robin, who is still thrashing against their grips, and turn, walking to the door.
As they about exit the room, Slade abruptly says, "Wait," and the automatons turn around, waiting for their next command.
"I want the mask off. Now."
She can barely stand to watch as the too familiar black and white mask is torn and thrown onto the dirty ground, revealing bright, pain-filled blue eyes. [1]
As she finally reaches the dungeons, her hands begin to glow green. The robots that are guarding the entrance look at her, silently asking who she is, and she answers them by shooting a green burst of energy at both of them. They fall to the ground, destroyed, and she takes the keys off of one's belt, then continues on.
She passes by many other cells and see her friends, laying there, helpless. Beast Boy is in his human form, unable to morph because of the collar that blocks his powers, shivering, and trying to keep warm in the cold dungeon. His uniform is badly torn, and bruises cover the visible skin on his body, and probably the rest of it as well. She takes the time to remove her cloak, unlock his door, and place the brown cloak on him. He makes no movements, and stays sleeping.
A few cells down is Cyborg, who's lights are all off. His battery is dead, and he appears virtually lifeless. His human eye is open, staring blankly straight at her. It's like he's peering into her soul, searching for answers. Why did you betray us? she can hear him ask. She forces herself to look away from her old friend, tears stinging her eyes. It breaks her heart to see Cyborg in such conditions, but she continues on.
On the other side of the corridor sits Raven, who is levitating despite being chained to the ground. She is barely a few inches off the ground, and is not muttering her famous mantra. Her form is tense, as if in pain. Her hood is down, covering most of her pale face; her violet eyes are closed. She looks like she is sleeping, and is having a nightmare.
She walks until she reached the end of the hallway, because, while she searched, she could not find him. That is, until she makes it to the last cell. It is a secluded cell; closed off by a large metal door. She easily unlocks it and walk in, finding that yet another thing separates her from him—bars.
She chooses not to unlock those, and instead, she merely stands there, not saying a word. He is looking in the opposite direction of you, facing the cold, stone wall. His arms, like Raven's, are chained to the ground. His green, red, and yellow uniform is torn in many places, and she knows that when he turns around, the mask will not be there.
"Robin?" Her voice is impossibly soft, but, in the silence of the dungeon, he can clearly hear her.
Not turning around, he spits, "What're you doing here?"
The venom in his voice causes her to take a wary step back, feeling ashamed. Tears sting her eyes, and she whispers, "I… came to see you."
"Well, you've seen me," He whips around, blue eyes furious and narrowed. "Now, get out of here."
"Robin," she tries, taking a step forward, "forgive me, I—"
"You what, Starfire?" Robin snarls. "You betrayed us, that's what. You're working for Slade. You turned on your friends—your family!"
A tear slides down her cheek, and she finds herself unable to complete a full sentence, "Robin… please…"
"You were part of our team," he spits. "A part of our family. And, you just... you just betrayed us, Starfire. You watched as all of us were captured, and did nothing about it! You helped bring an entire city to its knees. You pretended to be our friend, while you were helping Slade."
"Robin, please, I do not wish to—"
"I thought I was your best friend, Starfire!" he yells, standing up as far as the chains allow him. "I… I thought we had something—something special. And, for some time," His voice softens, "I thought I loved you."
The room gains a shocked air, and she gasps, taking a step is panting heavily from his rage, blue eyes narrowed into harsh slits. Her heart aches at seeing him so... furious at her. She wants nothing more than to hug him, to have him hold her in his arms, to tell her that everything is alright between them. But, she knows that it will not happen. Not today, and not ever again.
"But I was wrong. You're nothing but a coward. A weak, spineless coward. I can't believe you, Starfire… Why would you…" He shakes his head, as if he can't fathom it. "You were the last person I ever thought would betray her friends," He laughs dryly, "Guess I was wrong again."
His words cut through her heart like an ice cold, rusty knife. Tears slip down her face, pattering down to the floor. They stare at each other—green meeting blue—for what seems like forever, until she finally chokes out, "I… I have brought the… the keys with me."
He tears away from the piercing gaze, momentarily confused. "What?"
"Robin," she says in a hushed whisper, "I do not wish to harm you. Slade… he desires your blood. He wishes for you and the rest of the Titans—" It hurt thinking that she wasn't part of that anymore. "—to be dead."
He stares at her for a moment. Then, his face morphs into one of wry anger, and he spits, "Don't you?"
She stumbles backwards, shocked that he would actually say such a thing. And angry. She definitely was angry. If he actually knew why she did what she did…
Her green eyes glow a radiant green for a brief moment, then they return to normal, and she bows her head. "I have never wished that, Robin," she murmurs truthfully. "Please, I wish to help you. I can set you—all of you—free."
"Well, what's stopping you?" His voice is suspicious, and that hurts her, but she steps towards the lock on the bars, hands shaking. The tears continue to fall, dripping into the floor of his prison. She's not sure which key is the one that unlocks his cell, but after a while, she's able to find the correct one.
His cell door flies open, and she walks in, bending down next to him. His blue eyes follow her every move warily as she unlocks the chains that bind him to the floor, not once saying a word. Once done, they both stand up. Her head is bowed in regret, and he is rubbing his sore wrists.
"Thank you," he says, albeit grudgingly. She looks up and nods to him, unsure of what to say. Should she apologize? Ask if she could come with him?
It seems like forever, but she manages to regain her senses. "Here," she says quietly as she hands him the ring of keys. "These will free the others."
He stares at her, keys in his bare hands, then nods. "Thanks," he says again, and once again, she nods. They look at each other for a good moment, blue meeting green, before he rips his gaze away from her.
"You must hurry," she whispers. "They will find out that someone has infiltrated the prison… and Slade will not like that. I will do my must to do the 'stalling' long enough for you to find refuge, but once Slade learns of my betrayal… I cannot promise anything."
He nods, and turns to run out of his cell. But, before opening the door, he turns back around. She looks up. Blue meets green for the final time. "Starfire?"
"Yes, Robin?"
"Take care of yourself." And then, he is gone.
She bows her head, and her green eyes close. Down the hallway, she can hear the familiar rattle of the keys as the cells are unlocked, and after a few minutes, the dungeon is silent. She guesses that Raven must have transported them out of here, which must have been a burden, with Cyborg being in a relative state of comatose.
Finally, after several minutes of merely standing there, she too opens the door and walks down the corridor. Various thoughts fill her mind, and she hopes with all of her heart that Robin and the others are safe.
She approaches the large door that leads to the staircase at long last and opens it. She gasps, taking a wary step back.
Because, standing right behind the door was Slade and what looked like an entire army of Slade-bots.
"And, just what do you think you were doing?"
"Insolent girl!" Another scream escapes her lips as she is thrown into the wall yet again. Red, glowing chains bind her wrists together, and also prevent her from fighting back at all. Her strength is gone. She cannot produce a starbolt, nor shoot them from her eyes. And she hasn't been able to fly for a long time.
"I gave you a home," he snarls, glaring down at her. "I clothed you, fed you, cared for you when no one else did."
She returns the angry stare, struggling to pull herself up off of the ground. "You did nothing of the sort!" she yells. "You-you made me betray my friends! You threatened to kill my boyfriend! You made me attack the very city I swore to protect! You are nothing but a monster!"
A steel-toed boot meets her ribs, and she cries out in pain. A moment passes, and he grabs her long, red hair, pulling her up to her feet. She continues to struggle in vain. His death-grip moves to her neck, and she is lifted several feet up into the air.
"You disobeyed my orders, apprentice," Slade says. His lips curl into a malicious smile. "And, for that, you will pay."
His grip tightens around her neck, and she pounds with all of her might on his arms, choking out, "Stop, please," while he merely chuckles darkly.
Her necks hurts badly, and Slade's grip is only tightening. She can barely think straight anymore, but her minds wanders back to what seemed like forever ago, when she spoke to Robin.
"I can't believe you, Starfire… Why would you…" He never finished his sentence, but she knew what he was going to ask. Why would you betray me?
He never knew… He didn't know that she did it for him. She did it to save his life, to save all of their lives. She was forced into it, and she wanted nothing more than to turn back the clock and change everything that had happened.
But, she knows that you can't easily do that, especially when you're about to die. She only wishes that Robin knew why she would do such a horrendous thing. He deserved to know.
Maybe it's her delusional, unclear mind, but, as she loses her breath, and it feels like she is sinking deeper and deeper into a never-ending abyss, she manages to whisper, "I did it for… for you, Robin."
Then she knows no more.
"Her name was Starfire. She was born an alien princess on a different country, given tremendous powers as she grew older. She was a dangerous enemy, but one of the greatest friends I have ever had. She was brave, powerful, and kind, all in one package.
Her name was Starfire. I was in love with her. And, because of her sacrifice, I can live to fight another day."
AN: Well, that certainly was depressing. Don't ask me where the sudden "Her name was Starfire..." thing came in. I was writing the summary, and I was inspired by Terra and Beast Boy's introductions and endings to Aftershock Pt. 2. So, I made Starfire and Robin's version. Starfire's probably takes place right before she rescues Robin, and Robin's after they are free.
[1]: Because, I think, after losing your girlfriend, your home, and your family, you would have nothing left but yourself, right? So, by taking away Robin's mask, I was trying to get across that Slade was taking his identity too.