AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright. I know that this chapter looks like it has nothing at all happening. That's what it looks like. But this is the first time I'm going to actually point stuff out to you all.

This might as well be "Foreshadowing Central." I have pumped as much of my hinting skills as I can into this one chapter. So anyone with conspiracy theories can pick this chapter through with a comb. I tried really hard to bring all of that out. So, enjoy!

Chapter 9 :Define Out-of-Bounds:

Blackfire was enraged. She had all but commanded that Galifore and Starfire come with her into a private room along with the Titans and Keenyara. It was there that they congregated, as the crowd that had gathered in the palace left and returned to their own homes.

Blackfire paced before them in a towering temper. She kept making a kind of huffing sound, like she was about to breath fire at any moment. Galifore was sitting in an armchair, stroking his beard, thoughtfully. He had not said a word since the meeting adjourned. Cyborg had decided to remain standing, his arms crossed. Beastboy had picked a spot on the floor to sit, cross legged, while Raven levitated next to him. Starfire was sitting with Robin by her side. Blackfire seemed to like glaring in their direction second best. Her favorite direction was toward Keenyara, who was lounging on an elaborate couch, surveying her nails as if they were the most interesting and attention-commanding things in the world.

Starfire finally spoke. "Blackfire, you must calm yourself or you will soon be wearing a hole through the floor," she said. Blackfire seemed to have been waiting for someone to say something like this and immediately rounded on Starfire.

"What did you mean by it, bringing them here while we are on the brink of war? Do you realize what you have done? You have handed her a weakness with instructions on how to use it! You have sealed Tamaran's doom with a kiss!" she raged. Starfire narrowed her eyes and she leaned forward angrily.

"You know the untruth of that statement! It would not have mattered if I had brought them or not. You know that of all people, she is not the one to make a decision on a whim. This move was planned and executed. If I had left them on Earth she would have found a way to get Keenyara at least here. You will not blame me for this!" she retorted fiercely. There was a time when Starfire would have been intimidated or timid around her big sister, but since their fights, first on Earth and then on Tamaran, she had abandoned her need to be worthy in her sister's eyes. She could see surprise in Blackfire's eyes as she defied her. This, however, did not stop her rampage.

"I suppose it would be easy to think that," she sneered, "But know, if Tamaran should fall, it is your own fault."

"Well actually, it would probably be your fault. After all, what kind of leader leaves any inch of a planet unprotected during a war crisis? Definitely your fault," Keenyara piped up, still not looking up from her careful inspection of her nails. "Oh, this one is chipped," she murmured in disappointment. Blackfire growled.

"And who are you? Some wannabe hero who mouthed off to the villain of the day? What makes you think you have the right to help us save our planet," she snapped. Keenyara pushed herself up on her elbows and gazed levelly back at her.

"What makes you think that I would lower myself to lending out my talents to every needy planet that comes knocking? Maybe I don't want to save your planet," she replied acidly. There was a shocked silence as Starfire's mouth opened and closed as words eluded her. Blackfire stepped up to Keenyara and pushed her face close to hers.

"You can't do that. We don't have a choice—"

"Exactly!" Keenyara exclaimed, as the wind gusted over her shoulder and pushed Blackfire back. "You don't have any choice. So you can cut the 'how-dare-you-presume' act, because quite frankly, your dumb choice to not take care of your business has left us with this 'no choice' where I have to break my back for you." She rolled her eyes and lay back down, shooting a glance at Starfire. "And you calm the hell down. I was making a point. No need to get delicate."

Keenyara casually went back to ignoring everyone in the room while Blackfire sneered and turned away from her. She stiffly went to the last empty chair in the room and dropped into it, her eyes narrow, but not as wild as they had been. The time to vent her frustrations had calmed her and she knew that she was not acting with her usual thought. She needed to be calm in order to fix this.

Starfire pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache slowly developing. Of all the people she knew should not get into a fight, Keenyara and Blackfire were at the top of the list. The two were too unlikely to be the first to back away and it was even worse with Blackfire so close to her breaking point.

"That's enough, Keenyara. You do remember that little talk we had about instigation, don't you?" Robin said, annoyance edging his voice.

"I remember how it ended," Keenyara answered innocently.

"Emperor, I hope we are not intruding." The authoritative voice quickly shattered the tentative calm that had been steeling over the room. Two Tamaranians entered, first approaching Galifore and bowing fully to him and then nodding respectfully at Blackfire and then Starfire.

Galifore looked surprised at the disturbance, but smiled graciously anyway. "Not at all, General Rutian. We were in the process of… trying to find a solution to the problem." Galifore cast a weary glance toward Blackfire.

General Rutain was dressed in what looked like his best uniform, with the medals on his right shoulder and the left side of his chest gleaming brilliantly. His bottle green eyes were hard, like polished stone, and they glinted dully. He had finely groomed, shoulder length inky black hair that showed just how long it had been since he had been in battle. He surveyed the occupants of the room coldly and calculatingly. He was a general after all.

"It is not a problem that I have brought my son with me, is it? I am currently training him to take my place one day and thought that it would be beneficial to him," General Rutain said, gesturing toward the other Tamaranian, a teenager by his look. He had black hair like his father, though it was cut short, and dark green eyes. He was built thin and dressed in fine clothes, and he stared at all of them with a sharp interest, especially Starfire. Robin sat up straighter upon noticing this and subtly wound an arm around Starfire's waist. Her words echoed softly in his ears.

'My rights when it comes to love are rather foggy and bendable, in my favor and against, however there is no stricture on how… adamant my love interest may be in my well being.'

He knew that at the time she had thought that he did not understand what she meant, but he was beginning to understand more than she knew. He was starting to realize more than ever that Tamaran was not Earth. The things on Earth, or rather in America, that he often took for granted, treating everyone the same and the freedom to love whomever one wanted, he was beginning to notice were not as casual on Tamaran. And so, he decided to make it a little more obvious that his arm was around her waist.

"Again, it is no intrusion. Why have you sought me out?" Galifore answered. The general turned his gaze first toward Blackfire and then Starfire. It was not an assuring look.

"I wanted to have a word with Princesses Blackfire and Starfire about the Peace Talks tonight. Really, your highness, I do not believe that you should trouble yourself by staying. You should obtain at least a few hours of sleep before sunrise," Rutain answered curtly. Galifore's eyebrows shot upward.

He was torn. On one hand, the General was a hardened war veteran, one who would not bother with pleasantries and gentle words. On the other hand, both Starfire and Blackfire were older now, wiser and eventually one of them would ascend to the throne. They would have to learn to deal with the War Council and Core Leaders. The fact was that he had no more reasons to shelter either of them from the leaders that they would one day lead.

But, once again, Galifore was first and foremost, Knorfka iy Koriand'r, the Caretaker of Starfire. He could see the lines of apprehension and exhaustion etching themselves on both princesses faces. He leaned forward and stood.

"No, General. Now is not the time. Perhaps tomorrow, when everyone has had their few hours of sleep, but for now, I wish for the princesses to have their rest. They have done a tremendous job in leading this planet toward safety, despite these complications. Your discussions may wait, I think," he announced. He nodded toward Blackfire and then Starfire who bowed back. "I will be in my quarters. Goodnight." He exited the room without another word, confident that he would not be disobeyed.

Annoyance flickered through the General's eyes, but he only pursed his lips. "The emperor speaks," he muttered tersely. "Tomorrow then, I will send a servant for your highnesses and the other girl, what is her name?"

Keenyara raised her hand and waved it a few times. "She's over here. No need to act like she's not," she proclaimed. "It's Keenyara. Don't butcher it."

"Keenyara, fine. We will send for you three in the morning after breakfast. Come, Lirain." He lowered his head courteously toward the two princesses and left. Lirain rolled his eyes, a seemingly universal gesture, and followed. There was a simultaneous sigh from Starfire and Blackfire as the door clicked shut.

"Is that all that's going to happen? Seems like kind of a let down to me," Beastboy commented. Keenyara shook her head.

"Sadly enough, I agree. I figured you two would at least get told off. How disappointing."

Starfire closed her eyes and let her head rest against the back of the couch. "I am not disappointed in the least. Although, I do regret that we must do anything having to do with the Core Leaders tomorrow," she sighed.

"Why? I mean, I know they must be pretty boring, but they do, essentially, work for you, don't they?" Cyborg questioned. He had not been the only one to pick up on Starfire's weary tone. Blackfire laughed mirthlessly from her chair.

"There was once a time when the Leaders did work for the royal family. They were loyal servants and consultants. Now, they are just power-hungry fools. They have been too close to the Emperor's power without being able to have it themselves. You would know that were you to spend any time with them, to hear the questions they ask. I suppose they treated you too as if you were the naughty girl who they would soon have to bail out of some trouble," she said with a raised eyebrow. Starfire did not respond, but her frown was answer enough. "I thought so. They overstep their positions."

Starfire groaned and pressed the heels on her hands to her eyes. She suddenly felt as if something inside her would soon burst. "I would not care in the slightest had they refrained from dragging my name through the Elgnorph's dung they way they continue to!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Even that I could tolerate without the continuous snide comments I get about my team!"

The silence that overtook the room suddenly felt oppressive and unbearable. Starfire blushed furiously and rested her hands in her lap, peeking shyly at her friends. Some eyes that looked back were wide, some were narrow. She sighed again.

"What do you mean by 'snide comments'?"

"Yeah, what have they been saying about us?"

Starfire shook her head and stood sharply. "It does not matter anyway. It is frustrating, but…" she paused and ran her fingers through her hair. "Perhaps I am simply tired from today. I do not believe that any of us have slept properly since yesterday. We should all go to bed." She smiled tiredly at them all before leaving the room. Robin looked toward Blackfire, who seemed reserved but accepting.

"What's up with her?" he questioned softly. Blackfire smiled ruefully and also stood, taking Starfire's place on the couch and draping an arm lightly across Robin's shoulders. Robin pushed her arm away quickly, but Blackfire seemed nonchalant.

"I'm starting to think that sister dear decided to not tell you anything about Tamaran and everything about her life before you all. Am I right?" She looked around the room and took the guilty glances and frowns as an 'Of course you're right Blackfire. Please continue.'

She sighed. "You all really are so cute. Well for starters, that guy that just walked through the door, that is Koriand'r's former betrothed." Robin resisted the urge to snort, but Cyborg did not.

"That skinny dork? You've got to be kidding me," he said, with a sideways glance at Robin. Blackfire's grin widened as she shook his head.

"Who, Lirain? Oh, no, no, no, I believe that he was contemplated for me. No, Starfire was to be paired with Lirain's father."

Robin choked on the air he had been inhaling. He coughed for a few moments, his eyes watering. He had not been the only one. Keenyara too had breathed wrong, though no one was sure if she was laughing under the cover of her coughs. Raven simply raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"The general? He looked like he was about three times her age," she exclaimed softly. Blackfire laughed again ruefully.

"Four, actually. He is so very old, but you must remember he is a general, a war hero in fact. I was first born and so first in line for the throne. If he was to marry my sister, the second in line, should I be assassinated, he would be the one with the knowledge to take control of the planet. It was smart thinking on the Leader's part."

Beastboy tilted his head. "They decided to make Star marry that old guy? Was he, like, one of them then?" he asked suddenly. Blackfire nodded.

"Exactly. You see what I mean about power-hungry fools? It was a good strategy, but I'm sure that the usefulness of it was just a coincidence. He wanted my sexy little sister."

Robin suddenly noticed that the lazy drawl that usually colored Blackfire's speech was drastically muted. He looked at her critically. The cocky gleam in her eye was also stifled some. Blackfire was being serious. Could it be possible that Blackfire knew what Starfire was going through and was even sympathizing with her some?

'I remember the words so clearly,' Starfire mused silently to herself, 'A princess shall never shed her tears.' How long has is been since I cried?'

It had been a while. With the Titans, an event such as Terra's "death" and Robin's joining with Slade had pushed her to tears, but in all, tears were not a common occurrence in the Tower. They were superheroes. They took blows full force from fifteen-foot-tall cement-block men as a living. They learned how to take such hits without complaints (regardless of whether they decided to or not).

Starfire ran her hand along the railing on her balcony almost wistfully. This was the balcony that Robin had scaled for her, desperate to dissuade her from marrying a "giant green booger." This was where she had almost lost everything that made her life livable. And for what, for the throne? For the opportunity to lead her people and help them to prosper? She was certain that she could make Tamaran great with the knowledge she had acquired on Earth. Or maybe she almost gave it all up for the chance to have the Core Leaders in her face every day, tearing her down in every way possible.

Starfire rubbed her face tiredly, conflicting thoughts running through her mind. Before the Peace Talks, Starfire had not really thought about the Leader's words that much. Yes, they had upset her greatly, but no where near as much as they did now. The back of her throat felt hot.

Suddenly, the world went black as warm hands covered her eyes. She felt a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Guess who," someone teased, though Starfire already knew, without a doubt, who it was. She pried his hands away gently and turned to hug her leader tightly. 'Perhaps though,' she thought, 'He is my boyfriend now. Maybe there is a difference.'

"Hey," he murmured softly into her hair, feeling the desperation in her hug. "What's wrong?" Starfire tried to smile for him.

"I do not even think I know. It is just that something feels wrong. I- I feel as if I am feeling things that are wrong," she said softly. Robin looked down at her, shocked. He stepped back and hopped up to sit on the balcony's rail. He motioned to the spot next to him. Starfire looked at him questioningly, but Robin just shrugged.

"It's a nice night. Come on, talk to me," he said with a reassuring smile. Starfire smiled back and sat next to him, leaning carefully against his shoulder. She tilted her head back, looking up at the night sky. Of course, Robin was not being completely truthful. Nights on Tamaran could never compare to the nights on Earth. That atmosphere was too foggy and the stars too blurred. But the moon was still a beautiful sight to behold, it being much bigger than Earth's.

"I feel as if… I am losing something here, on Tamaran I mean," Starfire began slowly. She blinked, trying to arrange her thoughts enough to speak them. "I feel as if Tamaran is turning away from me or," she twirled her hair nervously around her fingers, "Maybe I am turning away from Tamaran." She looked up at Robin with wide eyes. "Robin, you should have heard the things they said to me when I was in the meeting with the Leaders. They treated me like… as if the choices I have made would one day kill us all." Her words tumbled over each other as she remembered the indignity of the moment. "I was scolded about just about everything, from my decision to hand the throne to Galifore to my decision to involve myself with…" she coughed suddenly, her cheeks red. "The Titans," she finished lamely.

She suddenly looked away from him, toward the floor. Robin's eyes widened once again and he wondered what to do next. It was easy to tell that "The Titans" was not what she had intended to say. He suddenly acquired a sly look.

"Catch me," he declared suddenly and bluntly. Starfire looked at him, confusion clouding her eyes.

"Wh—"

Before she could finish her question however, Robin had let himself fall backwards, being careful to push off enough to get away from the balcony's edge. He was plummeting down the side of the castle before Starfire knew what was happening.

"Great X'hal!" she gasped before sailing off of the terrace and willing herself faster than gravity would normally allow a person to go. She caught up with the Titan leader quickly and caught him about halfway down. She lowered them both to the ground, in a large beautiful garden, though the beauty was decidedly lost on Starfire as she swung toward his shoulder. Robin was grinning largely as he backed away from her.

"Quit, Starfire. What are you doing?" he laughed as he continued to dodge her wild blows. Starfire growled.

"I am trying to instill sense into your mind! What could you possibly have been thinking? What if I had—?"

"What if you had dropped dead at that moment and then my Bird-a-rangs magically disappeared? Kind of unlikely, don't you think?" Robin interrupted with a smirk. He could not say what was causing his sudden urge to tease her and see her angry, but the desire was so intense.

He ducked another of Starfire attempts to hit him and maneuvered around her, snaking his arms around her waist. He smiled as she pretended to try to pull away from him. He was smart enough to know that if she really wanted him to let go then she would make him.

"Enough of that, hmm?" he murmured in her ear. Starfire crossed her arms and huffed, making Robin chuckle quietly. He rocked from side to side, once again wondering where he was getting all of these moves from, and lead her in a simple dance to no music. Starfire sighed and placed her hands atop his, relaxing fully against Robin. "Star… Kori." Starfire felt a shiver go up her spine at the long forgotten nickname. She remembered back when he and the team had decided to attempt to call her by her native name. Kori was usually as far as any of them got. She found that she liked the way Robin said it.

"Yes, Robin?" she hummed gently. He squeezed her around the waist briefly.

"You know it doesn't matter to us what they think of you here. We don't care what they think of your decisions about Galifore or even your decisions to be with… the Titans. In fact, I think that the Titans would go crazy without you. The Titans love you, not the Core Leaders or Tamaran or whoever," he said with a grin. He nuzzled her ear. "The Titans wanted me to tell you that."

Starfire bit her lower lip, trying to hold back her own smile. "Richard Grayson, I do believe that you are making fun of me," she accused, her voice barely above a whisper. Robin gasped, feigning indignity.

"Me? Never," he said resolutely. She giggled and fell silent, suddenly registering upon where they were. Running water splashed and trickled around them and melded with the sound of the gentle breeze flowing through the grass and flowers. The garden had been planted specifically to be beautiful to multiple senses. Not only did the flowers seem to glow softly in the yellow moonlight, but the fragrances they issued blended and complemented each other skillfully.

"It's nice out here. Does this place have a purpose?" Robin asked, releasing her gently to sit and pull her into his lap on a stone bench. Starfire tilted her head in thought.

"Relaxation, I believe. My grandmother, when she was Grand Ruler, she used to have a hard time sleeping and so she had this garden built so that she would be able to think at least when she was up. It is said to be the most magnificent in the palace." She paused to smile in reminiscence. "I remember playing here as a child." Robin nodded and looked around curiously.

Robin looked at her suddenly, remembering the things that he heard as he walked the Palace halls. The occupants of the palace never seemed to think that is was necessary to lower their voices when they saw him, thinking that he did not understand their language. He did understand it, but he had found that there were certain words that he heard often, usually in the same sentence as the word "Koriand'r" and an excess of giggly tones.

"So, you never did tell me why you think I understand Tamaranian," he said, enjoying the way her cheeks reddened. She shook her head and spared him a sideways glance.

"I had hoped that you would simply accept it and not question the 'why,'" she sighed. Robin took the opportunity to steal a quick kiss before continuing.

"Not a chance. What do you think? You mentioned a few theories."

Starfire grinned and threaded her fingers through his. "I did. Two." Robin nodded, a gesture that she took to mean 'continue.' "Well, you know that languages are acquired by lip contact, do you not?" Robin nodded with a sly look that told Starfire that he remembered when she revealed this to him. "Well, it is possible that because we, you and I, have been engaging in lip contact," she paused to brush her lips lightly over his, " much more often and I have long ago learned English, my body has begun to give you the Tamaranian language." Starfire began to blush again suddenly.

"Much more likely, though, is that I was not supposed to perform the motions of transferring language more than once and that day that I showed you the difference I also provided you with Tamaranian. You are only able to understand it because your mind has yet to process the information. I believe that with time you will be able to not only hear it as Tamaranian and understand it, but you will also be able to speak it fluently."

Robin nodded. "So why are there words that I don't understand now?" he asked. Starfire smiled.

"For the same reason that I was not able to fully understand everything that I was told when I first came to Earth. Slang terms and idioms you will not fully understand, the same way I did not understand them in English." She laughed suddenly. "I have been away from here so long, I would not be surprised if there were slang terms that I did not understand."

Robin smirked. "Well, you could still try to translate for a tourist," he said beseechingly. Starfire giggled and kissed his cheek daintily.

"For you, anything," she murmured, a popular Tamaranian saying.

"Alright, then. A lot of the women say this one when they see me, I'm not exactly sure if it's a compliment or not, 'al'grahn'?" he said, looking expectantly at her. Starfire giggled suddenly. She met his eyes mischievously.

"What exactly was the context?" she asked haltingly, through her giggles. Robin raised an eyebrow, but did not comment on it.

"Uh, stuff like, 'That earth boy is so,' and things like that."

Starfire giggled harder. "Um, well I believe the closest translation in English I can think of is 'sexually pleasing to the eye.' Perhaps you would call it 'Sexy.'"

Robin gaped at her. 'Hmm, that woman did not look my age,' he thought. Starfire continued to laugh at him and he narrowed his eyes playfully at her.

"Alright, alright, fine. I think we've had enough of the laughing at Robin, don't you?" Starfire quickly tried to stifle her giggles and tried to look serious.

"Of course, Robin," she said, smiling. "You have more questions?" she asked. Robin nodded.

"Yeah, I do if you don't mind," he snapped teasingly. Starfire nodded, straight-faced for a few seconds before breaking down into a grin once more. Any tension that she had retained from her meetings with the Core Leaders, Luand'r, or Blackfire, had melted away and she relaxed against him as he ran the tips of his fingers up and down her spine. He wondered if they would need to venture back to her room soon.

Honestly, the two of them did not often have 'make out sessions' as Cyborg called it. Light, but casual kisses were much more common between them. Robin attributed it to the amount of time the two of them had spent with each other before becoming a couple. He found that they often got too wrapped up in a conversation to move on with the physical. That was not to say that the two did not enjoy the physical side of their relationship. It just meant that they simply were not pressed to do anything.

"Alright, another word I don't know," Robin muttered as he thought. He kissed her shoulder gently. "There was one; I think it was pronounced 'Haglotii.' " He did not expect her to stiffen so suddenly the way she did. While she had been smiling lazily before she was now frowning horribly and Robin knew that she was hurt by something and perhaps even angry. She faced him slowly, with a pale face and wide eyes.

"Wh-where did you hear that?" she asked with a tight voice. Robin shrugged, his eyes narrowing at her stricken look.

"Just around the palace. Why? What does is mean?" he asked.

Starfire's jaw clenched tightly before she slid sharply from his lap. She walked away from him a few steps, but then paced back, not wanting to leave him so abruptly, but then turned away again. Soon she was pacing stiffly before him, cursing angrily in Tamaranian.

Wide eyed, Robin stood quickly and caught Starfire by the shoulders. She pulled away from him sharply, but stopped pacing. She refused to look at him, however and her breathing was heavy. Robin was sure that he could see her tears welling slightly in the corners of her eyes.

"Star what—"

"'Haglotii,' is the name the Core Leaders have decided to brand me with, unofficially of course. I have heard them whispering it in the palace hallways also. In English I believe it would be a mixture of your terms 'gold digger' and more prominently 'slut,'" she declared, emotion coloring her voice. Robin opened his mouth to say something, but Starfire pushed past him roughly and continued.

"That is what they believe of me, of us. They believe that I was unable to assemble my own team on Earth and so I found you and the Titans and gave myself to you in order to obtain power. And you gave it to me. They think that you and I are nothing, Robin. Nothing but a way for me to feel the power I left behind on this damned—"

Robin caught her again, but this time pulled her tightly against his chest and held her there tightly. Starfire grabbed hold of his shirt and resisted the urge to scream as loud as she could. She felt she would do anything to release the pressure in her chest, as if her heart was too big to fit inside of her. She gulped down air haltingly, fighting back her tears.

"It's okay, Starfire. It doesn't matter what they think of us, I don't care…" he trailed off, feeling her shaky inhalations. He was, of course, furious that anyone, especially someone who did not know him(or Starfire really) in the least, would make such accusations about either of them, but he was more worried about Starfire and her reaction to them.

More than just worry, Robin was confused. Though he had always tried to avoid making any kind of comment on her unusualness on Earth, she never seemed to him to be the type of person to concern herself with others' opinions. Of course, as a 'celebrity' there would always be people who criticized her for no reason at all, but Starfire always seemed to take it all in stride. Indeed, she had learned the word 'slut' from a Starfire-hate site that she had promptly joined after learning exactly what is was. She delighted in reading the petty complaints the members posted about her and returning with overzealous moans of her own. But now…

'This isn't Starfire,' Robin thought dazed.

Starfire shook her head. "No, you do no get it. This is not the way it is supposed to be on Tamaran. It is not the way I or any of my guests are supposed to be treated. I know it may seem conceited to you or presumptuous, but you must understand," she pleaded, looking up at him desperately. "Bad things are happening on Tamaran, and this is a symptom of how much and how drastically things are changing. Only twenty years ago if they had even hinted at the things they say now when they know I can hear them, they all would have been put to death. No one would dare. But here I stand with the man I love, accused of whoring myself away to him for the cheap thrill of power!"

Robin shook his head, "I can't say I understand it here, Starfire, but what I do understand is that you can't let them get to you like this." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, looking worriedly at her. "This isn't like you," he murmured.

Starfire laughed mirthlessly, a different sound to come from her. "Robin, please understand me. This is different from the websites on Earth, the people who cannot stand me for any reason. The Leaders have power and if they choose to formalize their accusations…" she broke off and met Robin's eyes, wondering.

'Could I tell you that my planet is in danger? Would you understand if I said that Tamaran is too unstable to withstand such a scandal?' she thought desperately. She suddenly shook her head, pulling out of his embrace.

"This battle, I believe that maybe X'hal guided my here for more than just a fight with my past. But… it is just… so different," she finished lamely. "I must find a way to restore this balance, I know, but I have not even a whisper of an idea how."

There was silence as Robin battled with himself, a thousand answers and questions running through his mind, but none of them found their way out of his mouth. Starfire smiled apologetically, cupping his face in her hand.

"We… we should both rest. It will not be long before the sun rises and we must be up a few hours after that. Goodnight, Robin." She kisses his lips lightly and rose slowly back to her balcony and returned to bed. Robin watched her go, just as silently. She disappeared onto the balcony. The light from her room extinguished.

Robin sat down on the bench that had once held him and Starfire. He gazed at the beautiful garden before him, wondering dazedly what kind of work went into its up-keeping. Did anyone really use it all that much?

Robin looked upward once more with a sad smile.

"Wonder how I'm supposed to get back up to my room."

I know the ending sucks, but... whatever.