Prologue: Forward

Peace. Quiet. Tranquility.

Two silhouettes against a clear night sky, waiting for a sign. Her hands enveloped in green orbs while his hand itched for his yellow belt. An alarm singing and the chase was on, his face never more confident.

Peace. Quiet. Tranquility.

Strong hands gripping her forearms as they entered battle. A reassuring squeeze and then a release.

Peace. Quiet. Tranquility.

Him smothering a boyish grin as he tried not to laugh at her covered in pastry, her first-time attempt at baking an earthen cake. He swiped a finger across as some dripped down her nose, putting the half-baked batter into his mouth.

Peace. Quiet. Tranquility.

A rare apology emitted as he gathered her up in his arms. A promise to do and be more. A certain half black, half orange mask burned by green glow.

Peace. Quiet. Tranquility.

Hard kisses in dark corners of the Tower. His cheek pressed against hers as he whispered sweet nothings or deviant ideas. His hands barely a whisper as they traced and trailed the hair along her waist.

Peace. Quiet. Tranquility.

A pair of uncontained giggles as she struggled not to rise to the ceiling. Him locked around her to keep her grounded.

Peace. Quiet. Tranquility.

A funeral and her quiet observation. Two lone figures. A boy with no mask and a man with no cowl.

Peace. Quiet. Tranquility.

A door shut in her face and his name staring back at her.

Peace. Quiet. Tranquility.

Breathe intermingled as they became one and the trace of lips at her collar bone…

Too much, she thought. Too soon.

Emerald eyes flicked open and immediately saw clearly. While she was hoping to find her center again, her mind had other ideas.

Having the urge to sigh, she allowed a few bubbles to escape instead and watched them dance to the surface. Straightening from her meditative pose, she merely floated at the bottom of twenty feet of water, not even the deepest part of the Titans East central saltwater pool. It was here where she found the most peace and stability over the last week, water being the perfect substitute for the vacuum of space.

Suddenly, a whirl of bubbles and fish surrounded her, her hair caught up in the whirlpool as it crowned at the top of her head. The colors blurred and reflected in every direction as the lighting above caught and shone on the scales of the creatures that surrounded her. In the gaps of the wall of color, she could see a shadow of a dark-haired man swimming closer. Aqualad. He nodded his head in acknowledgment, giving a slight smile before calling the fish away. They fluttered past her and into the depths, him following suit.

She watched until they could be seen no more, again left utterly alone. Suspended in the water and thinking of the last few days, Starfire had believed she had acclimated quite well to her new home in Steel City, even when taking into consideration the circumstances. Though decidedly grayer and more somber in appearance compared to Jump, the few residents she had met were resilient and more than deserving of her protection, welcoming her with open arms as their new hero. The city itself had once been the jewel in east coast manufacturing had fallen on hard times as criminals had pinpointed the city as the perfect hotspot for various activities, including muggings, assaults, shootouts, and robberies. Any petty crimes you could name all were a part of the day-to-day hustle of the Titans East. It was easy to get swallowed up by all that needed to be done, which Starfire gladly took to.

Her new leader and teammates had also made the process quite painless. Or, as painless as it could be. Bee, being one of her closest friends, rejoiced in the fact that she was no longer the only female in a group of guys while Mas y Menos were practically in tears that their crush would be living under the same roof as them. Aqualad had been his charming and eager self in showing her around her new home while Speedy was…. interesting. The arrow-slinging vigilante, when not preoccupied in fixing his hair, seemed rather standoffish though Starfire had chalked it up to a bad first impression. Besides that, everyone had been truly accommodating and wonderful though a hole still lingered where the original Titans had been. Raven with her dry humor. Beast Boy with his dumb humor. They were a pair that made her heart happy and sore at the same time. Cyborg with his big brother charm. She could use one of his hugs right now. And Robin…

She shoved off the bottom of the sandy pool, pushing her limbs quickly so she could reach her goal of the surface. She felt the weight of water going past her, seeing the lights at the top getting brighter and brighter. Finally, the surface was broken and breathe returned desperately, though she didn't really need it. She swam to the edge, resting her head on top of her arms. Still too much, too soon.

Taking one final deep breath, she floated above the water, ringing her hair out as she moved to where her belongings were located. Now wrapped in a fluffy towel, she headed to the massive window that made up the lower half of the Tower.

Miles and miles of ocean greeted her. While the grey sky was endless into the Atlantic, the blue of the sea was the unending force that really took her breath away. The dreary and vibrancy of life cut perfectly at the horizon not lost on her as she looked on longingly.

Starfire sighed, something she had been doing a lot of lately. Giving one last look, she turned decidedly towards her new home and life, more resolute in her decision than the day before.

She stepped forward.