I think my 'D' key is loosening up from being stuck! It still occasionally behaves badly, but it isn't as rebellious as it was. Still, bear with me for D related typos.

Chapter 4 – Doctor Light

I had slept in.

I understand that this is a normal occurrence. Beast Boy has done it on a number of occasions, and even Raven has expressed her desire to do so, although I cannot recall a time that she had been significantly late to rise. Cyborg had never done it, but his sleep cycle was different than a normal human's and I suspect that it is shorter. Robin had never done so, either, but I believe he was used to getting the very minimum amount of required sleep, and sometimes none at all.

I had never had the desire to do so. Tamaranean physiology is dependent on the sun. A natural urge to wake upon its rising had me up at sunrise, or at least while the sun was rising, from the time that I was very small.

Waking to my room flooded with sunlight, and even a desire to cover my head with my blanket, was completely new.

I showered and dressed, then joined my friends in the ops room. Cyborg was still cooking, Beast Boy was already playing video games, and Raven was drinking herbal tea. "Greetings," I said as I walked into the room, and they all turned to look at me, even Beast Boy, although this resulted in his car crashing in the game he was playing.

"Hey, Star!" Cyborg greeted me with a wide smile. "How ya feelin'?"

"The okay, I suppose."

"Ya hungry?"

Truthfully, I was not. I still had nine stomachs, but now that I no longer had my powers, I had no reason to keep them full as I did before. But Cyborg had prepared the scrambled eggs for me. I took the plate and squirted mustard on them, as I always did.

"How did you sleep?" Raven asked as I slid onto the booth-type of seat around our table next to her.

My sleep was riddled with the mares of night, but I suspected she knew that. "Fine," I answered evasively.

Raven simply nodded and continued to read, and as eyes her flicked across lines she said, "I'm here if you want."

I ate my eggs and mustard, and I noticed Beast Boy watching me curiously. He thought I would no longer be inclined to ingest mustard as often as I had, I remembered. I understood that my friends were unsure of what was going on within me, but I wished he would not stare at me.

"Hey, Star?" Beast Boy said quietly, after a few minutes of watching me eat.

"Yes, Beast Boy?" I asked patiently.

"You're staying here, right?"

I choked a little on my breakfast and Cyborg and Raven turned their attention to Beast Boy, some variation of a scowl on both their faces.

"What?" he demanded, anxious and displeased that he had upset everyone in the room. "I didn't mean anything. I don't want you to leave!"

My coughing subsided, and I pressed, "Why would I leave?"

"Well…" he stammered. He seemed to have been thinking about this, and he was surprised that I had not been. "Because you don't have powers."

"I have nowhere else to go," I answered dully.

"We wouldn't have you go anywhere else, Star," Cyborg told me, protectiveness fierce in his voice. I was grateful for his words, but what Beast Boy said had alarmed me.

"There is no need," I said, standing quickly. "I am still capable of fighting crime."

Silence. I felt my eyes widen. I was beginning to get that panicked feeling again.

"I am," I insisted. Cyborg was looking at me worriedly, Raven was remaining quiet. Beast Boy looked bothered, probably guilty that he made me upset. "Surely you believe—"

"Starfire," Raven interrupted me. "It's not that we don't believe you. You're very capable. We just need to be careful, that's all. You're not used to relying on normal abilities."

I glared at her. "What do you mean?"

Cyborg cleared his throat. "It's not a big deal, star. Wel, maybe you should sit out the next few—"

"Sit out?" I echoed, angry and worried and offended and so many other things. My head was spinning. "You are being unfair."

"Aw, Star," Beast Boy tried, "we didn't mean to—"

"Well, you have," I told him, and I stormed out of the ops room.

My friends wanted me to stop fighting crime. I could not go back to Tamaran. If I could not fight crime, what purpose did I have? I was going back to my room. I needed to be alone for a while, perhaps sit on my bed with Silkie on my lap. They were not against me. My friends cared for me very deeply. They were most likely worried. But their worry was unwelcome, and their solution was unfair.

"There you are."

Robin had appeared from around the corner. He must have been coming from my room. "How're you—?"

"Robin, I cannot go anywhere else."

"Huh?"

I was confusing him. More than usual, that is. "Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy believe that now that I depowered, I cannot continue to fight crime. But they are wrong. And you must know that, surely, because you do not have powers either."

"Wait, Starfire, hold—"

"X'hal, I was worried that you would be on their side, but you must see." I was talking so quickly that the words were hard to understand, but saying them made me feel better.

"Starfire," Robin said, and he said it with such authority that I snapped my mouth shut and looked at him inquisitively. "You're staying here. You're not going anywhere."

I smiled at him gratefully, but he ignored me. "But I don't want you going out for a while."

My smile fell into a betrayed frown. "Wh-what?"

He looked confused and a little exasperated.

"Robin, that is not fair! We are a team!"

"Yeah. We are. That means that we work together. And how are we supposed to work together when I don't know what skills you have? I don't know, Star. Maybe you could stay here and run the computers. You can feed us information."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "No."

Robin narrowed his eyes right back. "No?"

"No, Robin. I will not do that. That is hardly a position that we need, especially since you over prepare in terms of research and gadgetry. I will not sit idly by as my friends put themselves in danger."

He was so displeased. Perhaps even angry. "You're being—"

Our Titans alarm went off then, klaxon blaring and lights flashing. Robin glared at the empty space above us as though he could make it stop.

"I am being what, Robin?" I demanded, my hands on my hips. Accusation was in my voice, and he knew that as he lowered his gaze back to me and frowned deeply.

"…difficult," he finished. "Look, I know that you're not happy about this, but just stay here. We'll be back in a little while."

I crossed my arms over my chest, huffing. "Pardon me?"

He did not answer me and he began attempting to walk around me. I allowed him to pass by, but then I yanked on his cape to halt him.

He put his hands up to his throat and made a gurgling noise. "Hey!"

"I will be joining you," I informed him.

"Um. No, you won't," he answered, rubbing his throat above his collar bone.

"I was not asking."

"I wasn't asking you to stay, either. That was an order."

"Then we have the problem, do we not?"

Robin twitched his head to the side, straightening the collar of his cape at his throat. "No, we don't. Starfire, I'm leader. You're staying."

"I am part of this team. I am joining you. It is my right." I moved to walk past him toward the ops room, but he put his arm out to stop me.

"I don't want to have to worry about you on the field."

His voice was pleading, but it was the wrong thing to say. I shoved past him angrily. "You do not have to do the worrying about me. I am more than capable of worrying about myself." I stalked off to the ops room.

He walked quickly to catch up with me. "Okay, let me try something different. Please stay?"

That was almost insulting. "Well, now that you are giving me the choice…" I began sweetly. I made my voice and my expression stony. "No. Do not insult me by pretending to be polite."

"I'm not pretending! Starfire, when I give an order, you're supposed to follow it. I don't have to be polite."

"Your orders only come into effect when we are 'in the field'."

"So, what am I supposed to do, wait until we get there and then order you back home? We're on duty now. This counts."

"You may not abandon me," I snapped, annoyed by his protestations.

Robin paused and I walked ahead of him, stopping before the door and typing in my keycode to open it.

"We're not abandoning you," he said softly. "I would never—" he stopped abruptly as the doors opened, revealing Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy waiting for us.

"What's the trouble?" Cyborg asked urgently.

"She won't stay here," Robin informed him, while I said, "He will not allow be to go." We glared at each other.

Cyborg cleared his throat and we looked at him. "Uh… I was talking about the mission. But whatever you two are doing… keep me out of it."

Raven, who was at the computer, swiveled her chair around and announced, "It's Doctor Light. Can't I just stay here?"

"No," Robin snapped. He was in poor humor. "We're already one down."

"You are not!" I reminded him indignantly.

"Star, come on. It's just Doctor Light. It's not like we can't afford to have you sit this one out," Robin said as he turned back out the doors.

"Exactly!" I shouted as I followed Robin down the hall. "It is merely Doctor Light. Surely, even without my powers I will be helpful.

"If you get hurt, it's on me," he retorted, pressing the button for the elevator. I ducked in after him, as he did not bother to hold the door open for me or even for Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy, who were following us uncertainly down the hall.

"It is not," I muttered, confused. "My injuries are on me. Otherwise, they would not be mine."

"No! I mean, I'm responsible for it!"

"It is never the 'on you'. I am responsible for my own injuries. I do not understand how you think you might be responsible for them."

The elevator opened, releasing us to the garage, and Robin grabbed his helmet and placed it roughly on his head. "You're being immature. I already have to protect any civilians that might be around."

I crossed my arms and glared at him, my mouth open with indignation. The elevator opened again and Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg came out of it, not speaking in order not to interrupt us.

Robin acknowledged them with a nod and mounted his R-cycle, revving the engine. I stood in front of him and placed both my hands on the handlebars, leaning forward so that my head was level with his and I could look him directly in the eye. Well, not directly, as the reinforced plastic of his helmet and his mask were between his eyes and mine, but it was as direct as I could get.

"I am not a civilian, Robin," I growled at him.

"I know you're not, Star. But you don't have your powers."

"You do not have powers!"

"I know. But I have…" He indicated his belt with a flourish of his hand.

"I have the tricks of my own," I snapped.

Cyborg revved the engine of the T-car, a signal that we should really get going.

Robin gave me a fierce glare that actually made me uncomfortable, but I would not break eye contact with him. "Fine. Get on. But if you get hurt, it's my way from now on, got it?"

I plastered a sweet smile on my face. "Of course, Robin."

His glare did not waver. "Just get on."

I slipped behind him, straddling the seat and clutching his shoulders. He revved the engine twice in response to Cyborg before shooting into the underground tunnel that connected our island to mainland Jump.

I had been on the R-cycle enough times before to know how much I hated it. If I had time, I would have insisted that I go in the T-car, but there was none and I believe that would have angered Robin.

Robin told me once that he liked the R-cycle because it was as close as he could get to truly flying, and thinking of that now, I was offended. Flying was glorious and smooth and freeing. This vehicle was jerky and loud and smelly. Along with all that, I was angry with Robin and riding on the back of the R-cycle like this forced proximity.

The tunnel ended after too long—I hate the tunnel, which made the R-cycle that much more unpleasant—and Robin made a very sharp turn. I do not like to think that he did that out of spite, but he does not usually drive so recklessly. I refused to put my arms around his torso, which would make for more comfortable riding, and I compensated by squeezing my legs against the bike.

The Global Positioning Satellite screen on the body of the bike, situated between the handlebars so that Robin could view it easily while driving, indicated that we were about to make a sharp left and immediately after that, a right hand turn. I expected him to slow down, but he picked up speed. It did not escape my attention that Cyborg slowed down the T-car.

"Robin?" I called nervously, but he did not answer. I think he could not hear me.

That made me shuffle closer to him and wrap my arms around his chest. He was thin enough that I could grab my wrist with my other hand, anchoring myself to him.

I was beginning to realize how impractical my uniform really was. Now that my body was not generating heat the way it was before, I could feel that I had the flesh of geese, particularly on the skin on my arms. It had just turned to autumn, the Earthy equinox having passed about a week ago, but the air had a chill and the speed of the bike created wind that was unpleasantly cold. I now understood why Earth people wore so many clothes.

Robin stopped the bike, turning it sharply so that it banked. I tightened my grip around him and squeezed my eyes shut, sure the bike would topple over. I peeked one eye open to find Robin smirking at me over his shoulder as he removed his helmet. "The AI keeps it from falling over."

I hastily dropped my arms to my sides, then crossed them. I was still angry with him. We had arrived before the others, thanks to Robin's reckless driving, but Robin did not seem inclined to wait. "Let's go. Can you light a—uh… Never mind."

I glared at him, then looked up to the building's sign. A diamond cutting warehouse. Peeking in through the windows, the place appeared to be very well-kept inside. There were phones and desks in the front portion of the building, and past that were tables fitted with machines and measuring tools, and past that were several crates. There was also a wall-sized safe in the very back, which most likely opened up to another room.

Robin tried the door, which was still locked. There did not appear to be any sign of a break-in. The door was not marked by any scratches, which might indicate other methods of opening besides picking. There was a chance that the lock was picked and then Dr. Light locked it behind him, but this was strange if he was still inside. Surely we had not taken that long to answer the alert? Besides, entering without blowing the doors down was out of Dr. Light's element.

Slipping the pick into the lock, Robin set to work. Cyborg came up beside me, and seeing Robin working the lock, he said, "If Light didn't get in through the door, how'd he get in?"

"Who cares? Star got to go on the R-Cycle! No fair!" Beast Boy crossed his arms sulkily.

"It's not like she got to drive it, B," Cyborg reminded him, smirking.

"Not this time, but you know how this stuff works out. Today she's riding on the back of it, in a week she'll have her own version!"

"Actually, I probably should get to work on something for Star, seein' as she can't fly now," Cyborg muttered to himself thoughtfully.

"We're going to try to reverse it," Raven said sharply. She nudged both of them in the ribs.

I knew that Raven was trying to make me feel better, but there is no reverse for transsubstantiation. I did not say that. My friends mean well, but they would have tried to comfort me instead of listening. It was best to stay focused on the mission.

The lock clicked under Robin's gloved hand and the door eased open. He stood and jerked his head toward the inside, indicating that we should go inside.

Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy passed by him carefully into the warehouse, but he took hold of my elbow when I tried to enter. "Are you sure you're okay? Last chance to back out."

His voice as strong as it always is, but he looked apologetic. I frowned before jerking my arm away and tilting my chin up. "I am more than capable," I insisted.

"Fine." Any trace of apology slipped into disapproval and he dropped his hand away from my elbow. "I tried." With that, he stalked ahead of me.

Really, there was no reason to be moody. I followed behind him, ignoring his outburst. In the dark, I could make out Beast Boy in the shape of a hound, Cyborg tapping on his screen as a square of white light shone on his face, and Raven was holding her hands out, concentrating.

"What's the matter?" Robin asked. He was trying to keep his voice quiet, but it made no difference. Each word reverberated off the walls, coming back louder to us then I thought he'd spoken. It is eerie, and I wish that I could create a starbolt for some light.

"He's not here," Raven answered simply.

"He was," Cyborg added, his voice booming around the warehouse. "Don't know where the hell he got to.

Beast Boy was pacing back and forth, sniffing furiously. Cyborg lit his shoulder lamp, assuming, as we all had, that Dr. Light had gone. Even if he was not and he somehow eluded us, he would have heard us.

The warehouse was even bigger from the inside, it seemed. Uncut diamonds and what cut diamonds remained were in the safe in the back of the room, and the crates were undoubtedly full of equipment—old or new, not yet on the tables in the back for use, and possibly diamonds which were too impure to cut. I wondered vaguely what happened to them. The building was luxurious inside. The floors appeared to be made of marble, and the walls were flecked with material that reflected the light from Cyborg's shoulder. There were even curtains on the windows.

Robin carefully walked forward and pried the top off a crate with a crow bar he'd palmed earlier. He held up an uncut diamond, and, squinting, I could see a large bubble in the middle of it. It was an odd trapezoidal shape, and it had certainly been cut around in an attempt to salvage it without getting any of the impurity.

Cyborg's shoulder light bounced off of it as he turned and reflected on the wall behind Beast Boy, who suddenly bristled in dog form and growled.

"Ah. Titans."

We turned to find Dr. Light, looking at us with a haughty smile, his teeth showing too much. He was not there seconds ago.

Cyborg's eyes widened as the proximity detector on his arm began beeping. "How'd he do that?" he demanded as he tapped at the screen.

The villain's eyes crinkled, lending him a much more sinister appearance. "I've got a few new toys."

"Me, too. Let's play." Robin slid flat discs across the ground at Dr. Light. They exploded and red, tacky goo covered his feet. He was trapped.

Dr. Light appraised the goo with raised eyebrows. "Good strategy, boy. But not good enough." And he disappeared. Obviously, he was using a teleporter. It wasn't like Red x's, however, where he shimmered away in slats. It was a gradual fading.

Robin was muttered under his breath. "Xynothium… zeta beams… sonics… super speed…"

Beast Boy was sniffing at the red goo as the rest of us watched, tense. Beast Boy transformed to human form, crouching. "He's gone, dudes."

"He's somewhere," Robin replied curtly.

Beast Boy made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat. "Fine! You find him, then! I'm telling you, I can't smell him."

"I don't sense him," Raven chimed in.

"If it were not so dark perhaps it would be easier to locate him," I suggested.

"Hang on. I don't want the light on just yet," Robin said. "Let's illuminate a small area of the room."

Beast Boy transformed into an angler fish briefly, and light from an orb attached to his antennae illuminated a small, dim circle on the floor.

Cyborg's arm beeped. Dr. Light appeared in front of Beast Boy, who shifted to the form of a panther. He growled and leaped at Dr. Light, who let out a flash of light from his suit. The villain ducked Beast Boy's attack, and the verdant panther appeared to be blinded. Beast Boy sailed through the air and crashed into the wall.

"Ergh… It's worse than that time i posed with Steve for Forbes…" Beast Boy muttered, blinking rapidly as he used the wall to try to stand up. "So many cameras…"

Cyborg turned to Doctor Light, rearing forward to punch him. As the light from his shoulder fell on Dr. Light's suit, he disappeared. "What the—?" Cyborg demanded, flailing a little as his fist sailed through air.

"It's a photon teleporter," Robin announced as he lengthened his bo-staff. "Sorry. I should have realized it sooner."

Oh, Robin. Why must you make everything your fault?

"So no lights then, huh?" Cyborg asked, sighing.

"You don't have night vision?" Raven asked.

"If I had night vision, why would I have a big light built in my shoulder?" Cyborg retorted defensively. "Fashion?"

Raven shrugged.

"No, keep the light on, Cyborg," Robin instructed. "He has to manifest somewhere. Just make sure it's where we can see."

Cyborg aimed his light at the wall, waiting expectantly for the villain to reappear in front of him. However, Dr. Light did not appear in front of Cyborg in the beam of his light. He appeared next to Raven, sweeping his foot under both of hers. She hit the ground hard.

"What the hell?" Cyborg blurted as he turned and trained his cannon on Dr. Light.

"The director of this warehouse is a very detail oriented man," the villain explained as Cyborg blasted at him. Dr. Light threw up a simple forcefield to block the attack, which Cyborg dropped in favor of a physical assault. "Do you know what he used to decorate these walls?" Dr. Light held up his palm to block Cyborg's punch. His palm was reinforced with another forcefield, which broke when cyborg hit it. "Flecks of imperfect diamond. They reflect light brilliantly." He kicked Cyborg in the stomach, his foot swathed in a yellow forcefield that lashed out at Cyborg on contact, before disappearing. Cyborg cratered against the wall as he hit it.

"Turn the light off, Cyborg," Robin said, calculating.

"Fine, man, but I don't have night vision. You're on your own after that." His light folded back into his shoulder.

"Get ready," Robin whispered to me.

I could hardly see him in the semi-dark, but I was not paying much attention to him. I walked over to the curtains that hung on the windows, and after inspecting them, I tore off a strip from the bottom. Folding the strip until I could no longer see through it, I tied it so that it was over my eyes. So that I could still see, I pushed it over my eyes until I needed it.

Robin threw flash bombs on the ground, light erupting quickly and then immediately dying. Dr. Light teleported in front of Robin in the short space of time he was allowed.

Robin was accustomed to fighting in the dark. I was unsure if this was helpful to him now, as Dr. Light seemed to primarily create light and use it as a distraction. He teleported into it and changed his position quickly, although Roibin seemed to be doing a good job of keeping up.

"What are you planning?" Robin growled as he pinned Dr. Light against the wall after an intense minute of scuffling.

"You stole my diamond last time. I've got to get more somehow."

"You're still working on that ray? Face it. It's a dud." Robin taunted.

"That's why I need a source to tamper its blasts." Disconcertingly, Dr. Light smiled at Robin pleasantly. "Or here blasts."

"Her…?" Robin echoed, confused.

"Where's your girlfriend, kid?" The smile did not leave Dr. Light's face.

My blood ran cold. It is always alarming to learn that a plan for your kidnapping has been in place, however ineffective it may be.

Robin slammed Dr. Light against the wall again. "You leave her alone," he snarled. Then, in a more even tone, he said, "Besides, it's a little too late for that. Her powers are drained."

Dr. Light wheezed and Robin must have let up on the pressure a little. "What do you mean drained?"

"No starbolts. Sorry."

The villain roared angrily and he let a burst of light out of his shoot, which hit Robin like a laser. He went tense for a moment before crumpling.

It was time for me to make a move. "Please, doctor of Light, it is my help you require?" I asked innocently once the blindfold was in place over my eyes.

"Ah. There you are. Been hiding in the dark, I see."

"I only wish to help people who are nice to my friends." I was stalling, I realize. I was frightened. The nervous buzz of adrenaline did not usually accompany me to battles. Was this how Robin felt when he engaged an enemy in battle? Feeling certain that he was at a disadvantage and knowing that he must come out on top, regardless?

"Yes, well, I'll apologize to them later."

"Actually, I would prefer it if you apologize now," I growled.

I was not at a disadvantage. I trained at Okaara for years, refining my skills in martial arts and strategy until I had almost no need of my powers. Although my eyes were covered, I could easily see him in my mind's eye. Speaking to me was foolish, and I could sense the light energy emanating from him. That energy once belonged to me.

I could see flashes of light, but they did not bother my eyes thanks to my blindfold. This way, I would be able to fight with better accuracy and my eyes would not dilate. Thank X'hal. I did not to feel as though I was at even more of a disadvantage.

When he had come close enough to me, I punched at his armor, intending to crack it. Unexpected pain bloomed between my second and third knuckles. Armor hurts to punch. I never realized how much I used my strength. I punched at his arm, which did not help much but at least it was uncovered. I kicked at his knees, which made him buckle forward. As I kicked, he took hold of my ankle and pulled. Ordinarily, this position was easy to get out of—all it took was a handspring or flip, and I could kick an attacker away.

But I did not have the strength to pull free, and Dr. Light was able to pull me closer. I kicked him in the jaw with my other leg.

I was under him, which was never a good position. This position put me on the defensive and he had leverage over me. Without my strength, he could easily overpower me, there was no doubt. A fully grown male, even a human male, was bound to be stronger than a depowered Tamaranean girl less than a year outside of her Transformation.

I rammed the heel of my hand against his nose, and I felt blood against my hand. Robin would be angry at me for that—I'd never drawn blood before. But I never needed to. I was always able to incapacitate opponents without attacking their weak points.

Dr. Light let out a very rude Earth word and grabbed my hair. He called me a rude name which struck me as ironic, as I am descended from felines, not canines. He was pressing down on me and I was not strong enough to push him away. It was very reminiscent of my time as a slave on the Citadel. I shuddered at the memories and kicked out desperately I could have finished him by now, if only I had my strength.

His weight lifted off me all at once and he was thrown against the wall, leaving me on the ground. My blindfold was yanked above my eyes and I squinted at rapidly flashing lights. Raven crouched next to me and she shouted to one of the boys, "It's a strobe. Kick in the bulb to stop it." Then to me, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I am undamaged," I answered, sitting up.

"Ow! B, that's me!" Cyborg answered. My friends were not faring so well against the light of strobe.

"Yes, but I sensed a strong surge of a very… black emotion from you." Raven was looking at me suspiciously, her voice concerned.

"Mere memories. Please, release me. I may still be useful."

"What do you mean? You've been useful," Raven assured me. "I didn't know you could fight like that. Um, why are you wearing this?" she asked, gesturing to my blindfold.

"It is to stop my eyes from dilating. I am unbothered by the light of strobe this way. Please, I am still useful!"

Raven looked hesitant, but she said, "Yeah. Go."

I pulled down the blindfold again and paused. I could hear the distinctive noise of a birdarang being thrown, although I also heard it continue past Robin's hand.

Robin always caught his birdarangs.

I heard him someone hit the wall with a thud and I took the opportunity to engage in battle with Dr. Light.

The strobe was even throwing him off. The villain's movements were jerky while mine were fluid. He was blocking the middle of his chest protectively, and I decided that that must be where the strobe was located. All of my hits were ineffective, his armor blocking most of them. Dr. Light grabbed my wrist and he tried to teleport away with me, but I kicked his legs out from under him. Before I could scrambled away, he grabbed my hair. This left his chest unprotected and I took my chance.

I hit the power source of his suit. Glass cracked around my fist. Hot plasma oozed over my clenched fingers and I could feel glass embed itself into my wrist. I jerked away, the plasma burning my skin. I tore my blindfold away and used it to sop up the plasma, shaking my burning hand out. It stung and every nerve was on fire, not to mention the glass in my skin.

Raven crouched next to me again and she caught my arm while I was frantically shaking it. "Easy," she soothed.

"It burns," I informed her, gritting my teeth and blinking away tears that welled from the pain.

"I can't help you if you don't keep still."

I froze as well as I could. Raven's powers were cold—they were always accompanied by cold—and it drew out the burn. A delighted sigh escaped my lips. "Ooh, Raven, that feels so nice."

"Woah. Hot."

Raven frowned at Beast Boy and swept her arm under his ankles. "Quiet." She turned her attention back to me. "It'll be tender for a while. And I can't do anything about the glass. You have to get it out before I can heal you completely."

I glanced at Dr. Light. I had injured him. His face was bloody from his bleeding nose and there were bruises already blooming on his face. I snuck a furtive glance at Robin, who had his back to me. Cyborg had taken Dr. Light to the police outside.

"Are you coming?" Robin asked. In the few moments that I looked away, he appeared in front of me.

"Excuse me?" I answered, confused.

He crouched and picked up my wrist. He inspected it and then raised his eyes to mine. "Are you okay to go on the bike?" I flinched when he accidentally irritated a piece of glass stuck between two knuckles.

Robin was being very calm. The other Titans and I knew very well that when Robin was so rigidly calm and polite, it was because he was very angry. And I was certain that he was angry with me.

"She should probably go back in the car. It'll be more comfortable," Raven interjected.

Raven is my best friend. She knows when I am uncomfortable, even without reading my emotions, and she always tries to ease my discomfort. I made myself feel as grateful as possible so that she would feel it.

"The R-cycle will get her back faster." His voice was clipped. He was not asking.

"Robin—"

He turned toward raven, away from me. I could not see the exact look he wore, but Raven fell silent, so it must have been the one usually reserved for Beast Boy.

"Come on," he said, tugging on my good wrist so I would stand up. As we left, I shot Raven a worried glance

The ride back was better than the ride there, I wrapped my arms around his torso from the start instead of hanging on his shoulders, gripping my wrist gingerly. The contact with him soothed me, and I hoped it would put Robin in better spirits, too. He didn't take any sharp turns or go particularly fast until we got to the tunnel, which was a straight line anyway.

He pulled into the garage and got off after me, hanging his helmet and his keys on their respective rings by the door as he exited. I felt like a dror or a puppy, attempting at once to please its owner and stay out of its way.

I followed him to the medical bay and sat obediently on the cot I'd occupied earlier. Robin stood in front of me, studying my hand as he clutched tweezers in his right hand. It looked a little swollen and it was certainly sore.

I wished he would say something.

I cleared my throat as he tried to decide which piece of glass to pull out of my hand first. "I wish to offer apologies."

He did not look away from my injured hand. "Yeah? Why?"

His tone annoyed me. It was as though he had been expecting me to apologize, and now he was checking to make sure that I knew what I had done for which I needed to atone. "For using excessive force on the Doctor of Light."

"Excessive?" The tweezers paused in his hand, although he still did not look up. "You didn't use excessive force."

I sighed. "Oh, that is a relief."

"Are you still… offering apologies?" he asked clinically.

"Um… Should I?"

He glanced up at me as he pulled a piece of glass gingerly from my hand. "This is going to hurt, sorry. Your hand's swelling up around the glass. And yes. You should."

I was becoming very annoyed. "And may I inquire as to why?"

"You deliberately disobeyed my orders."

"They were unfair."

"That's not your call to make."

I pulled my wrist in toward my stomach, which made him grab at it impatiently and glare at me. "Yes, it is. I do not think you are unfair on purpose. It is an accident. Someone must bring your unfairness to your attention."

"So you were doing me a favor."

"I did not say that."

He eased another piece of glass away from my skin, making me wince and flinch back my hand.

"I'm still not happy that you went," Robin continued.

"I am unbothered," I said simply, irritated.

He frowned at me and raised his gaze to my eyes. "That's not very nice."

"It is not the nice of you to exclude me," I retorted levelly.

He took my wrist again, pulling it back into place so he could continue working on it. "Why are you so willing to let your own people exclude you, but when I do the same thing—which I'm not saying I did—you get all stubborn?"

I drew my aching hand away again, glaring at him. He should know better than to throw my culture in my face. "That is our way, Robin. We are a warrior race. We exclude the weak. I know my place." I held his gaze and I said, very deliberately, "I did not think you followed the same philosophy." Then I looked away. I did not wish to speak to him anymore.

Robin pulled my wrist and I looked back up at him. "Don't say that."

"Say what? 'Philosophy'?" I was being deliberately obtuse, and Robin made an annoyed sound in his throat.

"You're not weak, Starfire. And I'm sorry I made you feel like you were."

That surprised me. Robin is not usually so perceptive, and if he is, he usually avoids things like apologies. Not that he has ever ignored me when I am feeling bad, but he generally avoids saying the words 'I am sorry' or 'I apologize' or 'I did not mean to'. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he ducked his head and made a pretense of searching my wrist for glass embedded there.

"I did not say that you made me feel weak."

"So that wasn't the problem?"

"I suppose it was part of it. I am very… confused."

"You're not weak. You kicked ass," he said bluntly. "I didn't know you could do that."

"You never asked," I murmured, and a new well of emotion bubbled up inside me.

He furrowed his brow at me, and he squeezed my hand a little. I winced from the pain and he let up on the pressure. "You wanted me to ask if you could beat up a guy twice your age without strength or starbolts."

"No." I gulped, feeling uncomfortable. "It was unfair of you to try to make me stay here during this fight because you did not try to gauge my skills the way you have gauged Beast Boy and Cyborg's, and even Raven's." Robin was fond of training and of sparring, although he had never asked me to spar with him even once. Even Raven was made to practice her defenses, but Robin only ever wanted me to practice aerial skills and aim with my starbolts.

To my surprise, he blushed. "Oh. That's because… um."

He was completely unable to answer me, and for some reason that made me panic. Something was happening between us. We had never fought before. The closest twe ever came was after he pretended to be Red X, but that was not a true fight. Robin simply waited for me to stop being angry at him rather than confront me, and even when we were stranded on that hostile planet near the Andromeda system, I was mad and he tried to appease me. This was the first time we were actually working out our own thoughts, the first time he wanted me to feel better and not just because my powers were depending on it.

I was scared. "I do not think my hand requires any more of your attention." I put my hand down on the cot so that I could push myself off it, but Robin did not let go. He kept his fingers wrapped around my wrist, which put his hand very close to my thigh, and I was very aware of that at the moment.

Robin let his head drop forward so that his eyes were level with mine and he put his other hand next to my other thigh, trapping me there. I felt so jittery, as though I was filled with energy. And somehow it struck me as a good idea to kiss Robin to get rid of that energy.

I thought about it before. Kissing him. I had never felt so compelled to actually do it, however. His mouth was right there. I would hardly have to move.

"I don't want you to be mad at me," he murmured, bringing a gloved hand up to touch my cheek and sliding it back to my hair to tuck some of my hair behind my ear.

I could not concentrate. I tried to make myself look at his eyes, but my gaze kept dropping to his mouth. It was too hot. My tongue felt heavy and fuzzy, but somehow I still managed to answer, "And I do not want to be mad at you."

He smiled at me a little. "Good. Then we—"

"She okay, Rob?"

Robin immediately staggered away from me and almost before I could blink he was on the other side of the room. "Um, she's fine," he answered Cyborg, holding up the tweezers in his hand. "I'm just—"

"Ouch," Cyborg said sympathetically upon seeing my hand. "Swellin' a little, huh?"

I nodded wordlessly.

Raven entered the room next, looking between Robin and me. She raised her eyebrows at me expectantly and I did not doubt that she knew what was going on before Cyborg interrupted us.

Beast Boy came in with an ice pack for me. "Raven said you'd need this."

I just nodded.

"While everyone's in here, put your plans for tomorrow on hold," Robin announced.

"Aw, man, I got a date with Sarah planned and—"

"Sorry, Cyborg. We're testing Starfire tomorrow."

I grew worried at the smile that tugged at his lips.

So I guess these chapters are going to keep longer and longer? I overstepped my goal of 6500 words by 600 words. Which is odd, because my third person draft is only 5300 words long. Whoops.

When I had Starfire say "the flesh of geese", you probably guessed this but I meant gooseflesh. AKA goose bumps, which is what I call them. Because in my opinion, gooseflesh sounds really frickin odd. And not in the good way. But I figure Starfire would call them by their proper name. Also, I had Starfire ride a motorcycle without a helmet. Don't do that. Motorcycle accidents can mess you up.