Chapter Twenty-One-Past, Present, Future

After years of not speaking to them, Robin calls the group for a meeting-but not just anyone. Something isn't right. Robin packs prized possessions, and remembers a prized past.

That was years ago. The Titans split up a long time ago. I had not spoken with them in a while, and I didn't know where they were. Starfire, I remembered, was angry when her sister became a Titan. She left, then...we fell apart. I left on a search for Starfire, Raven then left because it was hopeless to puzzle us together again for the forty millionth time, Terra left of fear from Slade, Beast Boy after Terra (literally), and I don't know what happened to Cyborg. I never heard from him again. As well as the others.

I was reading the papers, what was happening or had happened on the outside world. Something caught my attention. I looked. The obituaries? I skimmed through, only to stop on a familiar face. That of Starfire. Her funeral was that night. I read on. She was only thirty-five as me. How? The article continued. She had bled to death. I laid the paper down on the table, frustration, confusion, sorrow and a mist of regret filled my body, consuming me in a deathly silence. I arose from my chair at once. I walked past the gears that screeched as they crushed one another as I slowly made my way to the control panel.

I pushed a baby-blue button on the royal-blue surface. It opened to reveal a treasure. I pulled out the yellow and black communicator from the compartment. I clutched it in my hand, then punched the small, ebon, button on its smooth, lifeless surface, a tear falling on the luminous communicator. It began to blink white to black in the T on the surface, a bleeping noise flowing to my ears. I was hoping what is left of us will hear.

most of the next Robin does not know, but it would be pointless to leave this out because it fits perfectly.

The room was white. The hidden figure stood there with out a move as her robe's pendant that had begun to blink red. "Robin," she whispered in response. She pulled out the yellow and black communicator from her robe. She clutched it in her hand, then punched the small, ebon, button on its smooth, lifeless surface, a tear falling on the luminous communicator. "Robin?" her cracking voice asked.

read note from before

She sat in a cave of darkness. Tears of regret leaked from her eye. Regret of leaving, regret of going back the first time, regret for living. A burgundy circle on her wrist began to blink red. She remembered the first time she saw that. Before she was a Titan. She pulled out the yellow and black communicator from her pocket. She clutched it in her hand, then punched the small, ebon, button on its smooth, lifeless surface, a tear falling on the luminous communicator. "Hello?" her voice asked, awaiting a reply.

do I need to say it?

A cage sat on the side way of the circus. (niobe: I know this is a serious moment, but-ah, to heck with it! I want to say this anyway: heh, we always knew Beast Boy was gonna join the circus (the way he acts :P) Okay, sorry!) A man sat inside, back to where the crowd would be. His belt hung on a hook in the back left side of the cart. The center began to blink. He said nothing. He simply got up and walked towards the object. He pulled out the yellow and black communicator from his belt's pocket. He clutched it in his hand, then punched the small, ebon, button on its smooth, lifeless surface, a tear falling on the luminous communicator. "Anyone there?" he asked, a voice answering. "Beast Boy?" it cracked. "Raven?" another asked. "Terra?" Beast Boy replied, hoping this wasn't just a dream.

once again...

He sat all alone in a dark tower. He had not been repaired for twelve years. He was obsolete. His eye began to flash red as he gets up with a scare. The bleep filled the entire room as well as the entire tower, no life left to hear it. He looked at the battery cell that had expired years back. He pushed a button in which opens his communicator. He held his strength in his hand, then punched the small, ebon, button on his smooth, lifeless surface, a tear falling on the luminous communicator's screen. "Yeah?" his voice said.

back to normal!

I could hear all of their voices getting reacquainted over their communicators, Cyborg's voice joining them. I answered their questions. "I was afraid you wouldn't answer after all of these years," I said into the communicator. "Robin?" Cyborg said in confusion that I was dead. "We need to meet guys. I need to tell you something important," I said, waiting for a response. I had gained it then. "Where at, and...why?" Terra's voice asked. It took me no time at all to answer. "Titan's Tower. You'll find out why when we get there." "When?" Beast Boy asked. "Now, if it is okay with Cyborg," I said waiting for a response. "Fine by me," he said. They all shut off the communicators as I pocketed mine.

I packed lightly. I packed weaponry, research, and several other prized possessions. I lifted a photo. It was the Teen Titans as it was sixteen years ago. Before we drifted apart, before we left, before Slade. Slade had been forever-so it seems even still. But he wasn't around sixteen years ago, or if he was I hadn't known. I placed the picture in my bag, and yanked out my Slade research. It had wasted my life, love, and friends. I shredded it. Into bits it fell.

I lifted another. It was Cyborg and me. He and I were holding up peace signs. I stared at the boy called Robin as he stared back. Where was he when needed? I also placed it into the bag, the question still pondering me. Another picture. This one of Raven. She hated photos, and I could see it on the face that loomed back at me. It as well was slipped into the bag. The next, Beast Boy's autograph picture. He had given me a copy. He smiled back, jinxing me. I dropped the photo. Fortunately, I caught it before crashing to the ground, and placed it in my bag. Terra and Raven laughed in the next one. I let out a tear and packed it.

All of my photos were treasures, and they always will be. I packed several more photos before getting to the last one. It was me. And Starfire. That was the time when I was showing her what a nugie was. I let out more tears now. "I love you," I whispered, sadly putting it away.

I left for Titan's Tower. It was eleven o'clock then, the sky dark with my sorrow, and my tears twinkling in it.

author's note: I was practically crying! That is SOO SAAAAD! Next (I think) is good and sad and creepy. As I said earlier in an author's REVIEW on my story, sorry for the wait, but we have a virus!!!! It destroyed our Internet, and made our entire computer crash!!!!!! Nother chap soon, Peace!

Niobe