Night and Day: Raven

Friendship and love had always been useless concepts in Raven's mind. Just constructions people hid behind to hide from the eternal loneliness that was reality. In the end, everyone was destined to be alone, decaying in the earth. The memories people made together would flicker out upon their deaths, no longer being captured in their unworking minds. So why on earth would she care about making friends when they were useless to have? If they were just moments in time, that would cease to exist as soon as their heart stopped beating? If that wasn't bad enough, if she caved under societal expectations she would likely be the one to put them into the earth, her dad's absolute power unwavering and her ability to fight back against her destiny marginal. She could fight him for a little while, but if he found out she had friends, he would force her to target them first, make her rip them to shreds. He would make her watch as she killed them, using her friendship as a knife to slice them mentally as her magic ripped them apart physically.

It was why she had no intention of joining the Teen Titans, and absolutely no interest whatsoever in connecting with them. After they joined to fight the alien girl, and later the other aliens, they somehow had soldered themselves together, branding themselves as a team. It didn't matter how much she wanted to dispute that; it didn't matter how much snark she imbued her words with, they never let her go and gradually forced their way into her heart. Robin with his firmness and serious nature, hiding the truly loving and loyal heart that lurked just under the facade. Cyborg and his jovial nature, with the fierce intellect and uncanny ability to perceive the interactions had and what hid under the surface. Even the green one, Beast Boy, became a friend to her, despite how much she denied it. His stupid humour and kind heart digging into her walls like a persistent worm. She didn't have a choice with them, their wills strong and their minds set, and before long she found herself with 3 unlikely friends. Her only option now was to prevent a friendship from forming with the last one, and somehow, Raven didn't think that would be a problem.

They were like night and day, oil and water, fire and a vacuum. It didn't matter how you tried to word it; they didn't fit. It was like getting a piece of one puzzle and trying to jam it into another puzzle; it didn't work, no matter how much you forced it. It wasn't that she hated the other girl; it was just that she irritated her. She could respect her skill in hand-to-hand combat, and her Starbolts were nothing to sneeze at either. She could even admit the other girl was pretty, the fact undeniable. But it didn't matter what she liked about the other girl, she was too chirpy, too naïve, and just too... Starfire.

She guessed this would be their relationship forever, and in all honesty, saw no reason for it to change. She was polite enough with the other girl and didn't gripe at her. She ignored her mostly, not having the tolerance to deal with her sunshine attitude. this was her reality, and she was content with it. She was content to keep ignoring any olive branch the other girl tried to send her way, the passive, professional relationship as much as she allowed. So when she found herself in the other girl's body, she wanted to scream and send the man into the depths of hell herself. Of all people in this world it had to have been Starfire whose body she now occupied, the one person she was desperately trying to keep her distance from. Of course, that's the way things went. The universe was cruel like that. Being Raven, she tried to suck it up and was determined to keep things as they were. They were Titans, they would get through this, just like they got through anything else. It didn't mean that anything had to change because of it.

Raven was wrong. This situation irrevocably changed their friendship. She saw another side to Starfire, the side that she had steadfastly tried to ignore. She had brains and beauty, and her magic was a lot more complex than she thought. She did not know that their magic, as its core worked so similarly, that their emotions fuelled the power. It made sense now to Raven how the girl's mood changed so fast. It was not that she was out of control, that it was that she was so disciplined she could call upon the emotion at will. It was incredible, and she had to admit she was slightly jealous of the girl. If she had such fine-tuned control over her own emotions, then her dad would be a distant threat. She would be the pilot of her own life, and not be a slave to her father, forced to keep her emotion hidden. She saw the beauty in expression for the first time in her life, and couldn't help but be awed by the way Starfire looked at the world.

She even saw glimpses of the other girls' past. It was only fragments, impressions left in the muscle memory. She saw the scars that littered her body, some bigger than others. She saw the thick ugly lines that zig-zagged her skin under her gloves, her curiosity getting the better of her when she visited the bathroom. She felt bile rise up her throat when she saw the marks, her heart hurting as she thought of all the things that Starfire might've endured. She never asked her, not wanting to pry. She didn't want to give the other girl any reason to ask her questions either.

The boys were curious when the girls returned. Normally, Raven avoided the other girl like the plague and now she mediated with her most days. The other girl once again displayed her control over her emotions, hiding them from the Empath with such finesse that the other girl was floored. The boys were curious about what changed their relationship so drastically but never asked, not wanting to make things return to their previous normal.

The girls never talked about their experience as each other again, a silent promise between them not to bring it up. However, sometimes when it was just them Raven felt her eyes wandering to Starfire's gloves and feeling her heart hurt again, the feeling quickly replaced by another, more positive feeling. One of admiration and pride.

The two may be different as night and day, but the two time zones were a counterbalance to each other, mixing when one took the other's post. It took changing bodies for Raven to see Starfire in a new light and have her perception of friendships changed irrevocably.

She no longer saw them as a weakness, they were a treasure. She no longer saw Starfire as naïve, she saw her as strong. She no longer avoided the girl, she sought her company. Night and Day forged a bond so deep and unexpected that no one would ever try to understand it, though Raven preferred it that way. The two girls spent time together talking about their feelings, and Starfire helped the other girl open up. She helped her see the world in a fresh way, a way filled with light. The girl who she avoided became her sister, the sun to her moon. And although at the start of the journey, Raven swore black and blue she didn't want this and wanted to send the Puppet King to her father for retribution. She had to face the truth.

There is no other way she would have this, and her life, her family, finally felt complete. Who would've thought all the night needed to be content was the day, the sunshine lighting up even the darkest parts of her heart.

Thank you, Sister: Beast Boy

Even when he first met her, he knew she was beautiful. He fancied himself a ladies' man, as ladies dig the ears. He often spent hours with her, teaching her video games, taking her to the mall, even just hanging out and watching movies. Starfire was a breath of fresh air, and her lack of knowledge about the world was something Beast boy was envious of. She was learning everything for the first time, learning about the beauty of the world, her perception not impeded by the true darkness of reality. He envied that, wished that he could experience her excitement when she found a new food or had any experiences that were new to her.

It was honestly incredible to see.

She was the only one to laugh at his jokes. Sure, he knew she didn't really understand them, but she still laughed. She could see the effort he put into them and made sure he was appreciated. He even admitted most of them were not that funny, but her effort was appreciated. He even made more when she was down, wanting that sunny smile to return to her face and light up the world.

He always thought that she could do anything, her compassion, beauty, and strength making her the savior of the world in his eyes. He pitied anyone who stood in her way. It was this perception, the grace she carried, and the fierce passion that was embroiled in her soul, that made him not surprised she was a princess. The girl was born to lead, and her ability to boost morale was second to none. She had an innate ability to sense when people were down and ensured to support them, making them realise their true strength. She was never critical or rude. Always loyal and compassionate. She really was the sun, beautiful, but deadly. She could burn away any doubt he had and any sadness that festered in his brain.

She told him about his old family, about Rita. she never judged, just sat with him, then held him when he cried. She hugged him to her chest, not saying a word. There was nothing she could say, nothing that would magically take away the pain. She just sat with him all night, whenever he was feeling down, just being his own personal sun. She chased away his doubt and his insecurities with a confidence that left him envious. She truly was his hero, and he constantly strived to be like her. He never admitted it though, though he was sure she knew. She was perceptive despite her naivety, one of the many qualities that he knew would make her a fantastic queen. Though he was selfish, he would rather she stayed here and was their own personal queen, their own sun, then leave. He knew she could brighten up anywhere she went, and that tamarind would prosper under her light. He knew she would excel, but he wasn't ready to lose his sun, his sister, to another planet.

He didn't think he ever would be ready.

He still remembered how she held him after Terra sacrificed herself. She was broken herself, but she held him tightly as if her Tamaranian strength could force the pieces of his heart back together. She stayed with him every night, sleeping on the floor of his room until the night terrors vanished and he could sleep alone. Her light scared the darkness away, and sometimes when he was struggling to keep them away he'd go to her, and she'd be there to fight them off for him. She always helped him with a smile firmly in place, a complaint never leaving her lips. If he thought it was hard losing Terra, a girl he was falling for, he didn't even want to consider the pain he'd feel at losing Starfire, his sister. It would be like he lost the light in his life, or like he was let go into space without a tether. He promised himself mentally he would never let her become Terra; he would always protect her.

She was his sun, his older sister, and everything he aspired to be all in a single person. She was his hero, his protector, and the one person he knew would always be there for him to help him out of his messes, even if he made them himself. Sighing, he looked across at the girl, a content smile on her face.

"Hey Star?" He whispered, her voice quiet so as not to dispel the ethereality of their situation.

"Yes, brother?" she asked, turning her radiant smile onto him.

"Thank you," he whispered, getting choked up.

She didn't ask him what he was thanking him for, just smiled. He was glad she didn't because he didn't have an answer for her. He just smiled as she turned back to the moon and basked in its light, tilting her head back so the beams could stroke her.

"Your welcome, Beast Boy. it's what sisters are for," she said simply, and the two returned to their stargazing, basking not just in the moon, but in their sibling love.

Something they both knew would never go out.

Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This story will be a two-shot only, shedding some light on the relationships between Star and her team. I've written the second chapter, so will post it after I spell-check. I hope you enjoyed it; I wanted to try my hand at a little angst.

Take Care,

The Blank Page.