As the other three turned to leave, Starfire lingered for a moment.  She moved to hover beside Robin as he began gathering the materials he would need.

            "You are sure you will not require assistance?" She asked hesitantly.

            He looked up and gave her one of his familiar quirky smiles.  "Don't worry, Star, I'll be fine.  You just focus on finding Slade."

            Starfire still wasn't quite convinced.  She knew Robin had had trouble dealing with Slade before.  "You will remember to communicate if you find trouble?"

            Robin tapped the communicator at his belt.  "I promise.  But trust me Star, we've handled Slade before and we can do it again. Everything will be fine." 

Then he was gone.

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            Her entire body ached from the countless hours she'd spent digging through the rubble.  After scrabbling through layer after layer of debris, her hands were rubbed bloody and raw.  The normally green eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and the skin around them sagged.

            Her mind was hardly functioning.  The flood of tears had long since dried up, and she felt strangely numb.  She lifted chunks of rock without thinking, her body running on pure instinct and adrenaline.  There was only one purpose that drove her now: find him.

            Starfire wasn't about to stop looking.  She'd abandoned him once, and wouldn't do so again.  He'd told her that everything would be fine, he told her to trust him, and not to worry.  And she'd believed him.  She had been so careless, so foolish.  Why hadn't she thought ahead?  Why hadn't she seen it coming?  She had felt no worry, no concern after he'd given her that smile and reassured her that everything would be all right.  She should have known better.  She could have helped him, could have saved him.  At least, she could have been there with him, so he wouldn't have been alone when he died.

            An unbidden sob caught in her throat as the thought invaded her mind.  She had thought all her tears were spent, but a new torrent threatened to spill from her tired eyes.  With a choked cry of fury and pain, Starfire beat her fists against the nearest wall still standing.  Orbs of bright green energy sprang to life around her palms as she pounded the already-crumbling stone wall. 

She felt a strange, sudden burst of pleasure as the rock began to crack beneath her fists and a fresh flow of crimson sprang from a new cut near her wrist.  She stopped, looking down at her bleeding hand through the green-tinted tears.

Starfire suddenly became aware that she was not alone as a cool, gray hand touched her bleeding flesh.  She looked up to see Raven, eyes and hands glowing as she activated a healing power.  Starfire felt a sudden rush of unjustified anger.

Raven sensed her emotional turmoil, and before the alien girl could pull away, she had already extended her other hand to Starfire's forehead.  "Sleep, Starfire," Raven whispered, letting her power seep slowly into her friend's exhausted body.  "You need to rest."

Starfire tried to shake free, tried to resist as Raven's healing touch began pulling her down into unconsciousness.  "No…I must find him…"

"He wouldn't have wanted to see you do this to yourself, Star."  Raven sent calming, soothing thoughts into the alien girl's fevered mind.  "Now sleep…"

Starfire could no longer fight as she slipped into familiar, sweet darkness.

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            Author's Note:  First of all, thank you to ChocolateCurlz and The Sage of Story for your reviews!  I always appreciate feedback.  To anyone who might be reading: I hope you enjoyed it; there's more to come.