Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, otherwise I would be fired. I do own
Fayrii Lijaro.
Warning: This is the last time I'm gonna give the warning. If you don't
know it by now, you're lost. Read 'A Simple Boy' first.
Chapter III: Strength of the Body
Searing sand whipped through the desert wilderness and into the party of five. Fayrii led, his dark cloak wrapped around him, but to no avail with the strong winds. Robin was right behind him, his hands covering his face to prevent the sand getting in. Beast Boy followed as a coyote, as Raven rode on his back blocking the sand with her cloak. Cyborg brought up the rear, worried about his feet sinking in the sand about five inches.
The Teen Titans and Fayrii had left the town and advanced north into the desert. Robin often wondered how apparently higher beings could live in such a desolate place. He had never been to the Sahara or Death Valley, but he was sure this was worse a hundred times over.
Suddenly the wind stopped, and Fayrii did as well. The Teen Titans gathered around their friend as to question why he just stood there, looking forward.
"Dark, I mean Fayrii, why did you stop?" Robin asked, while Cyborg waved his hand in front of his face.
"Because we're here," Fayrii answered, pointing ahead. Ahead was a stone square, carved out of granite and 15 feet high, with a hole. Automatically, everyone walked in.
"Fayrii, what should we expect?" Cyborg asked.
"To tell the truth, I don't know, except we are looking for a red stone. Robin must be the first to touch it," Fayrii answered. Since he was only one with knowledge of this dimension, they took his word for it.
Almost instantly, all five of them were spread apart by a strange force, and glass walls slammed down out of the ceiling to separate them. A voice spoke out, "The object is to push the wall. The remaining person gains the Orb of the Body."
"What does he mean push the wall..." As if on cue with Beast Boy, the wall in front of them began moving forward. Everyone put their best strength forward. Fayrii looked behind him and saw what happened to the losers.
"Hey guys, try not to lose. If you do, you fall down a big hoooole," Fayrii shouted in a little kid voice.
Cyborg suddenly was thrown back into the hole. When Raven was about to join him, Beast Boy began pushing even harder, only to watch her fall. Then he too joined his fallen friends. Only Fayrii and Robin were left, and Robin was having the harder time of it. Fayrii looked over to see him, then at himself, and smiled. Robin looked over at Fayrii. Fayrii took his hands off, stood at attention, and saluted. His wall smashed him into the hole.
The walls stopped pushing. "Congratulations, you gain the Orb of the Body. Robin's wall vanished to reveal a glass ball with green static filling it, sitting on a cushion. Robin went to pick it up, and then stopped, just realizing what had just happened.
Everyone else was dead. They had fallen down an endless hole and were dead. I just killed my remaining friends just so I can get Starfire back. Was it worth it? Robin's mind said no, while his heart screamed yes. Robin wanted to listen to his heart, but his mind's reply wouldn't go away. Would Starfire want you to just sit here? The question Fayrii had once asked went through his head again. No, Starfire wouldn't just want him to leave without at least getting what he had come for. As she would put it, it would have been a vain doing.
Robin picked up the orb. As he did, the green static raced up his arms and into his mind. Robin lost consciousness, and saw things. He saw Starfire, he saw every detail of her body he could ever remember seeing (no, Robin had not, if that is what some of you are thinking). Suddenly Robin was warped back to reality, and he was left with the orb. Slowly, Robin walked outside. The first thing he saw nearly knocked him out.
Fayrii Lijaro, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg were sitting on the sand, doing, well, nothing.
"You...you're all alive!" Robin shouted. Everyone looked at him.
"Apparently, the hole wasn't endless after all. We just fell fifty feet, then got literally spit out," Fayrii answered, a mountain of sand in between his legs. "Like my mountain?" (One must remember that Fayrii is only twelve, and still counts as a little kid; he is also shorter and smaller.) Robin blew a sigh of relief. His mind could rest in peace, while he could listen to his heart. And his heart said nothing would keep him from reviving Starfire. He wanted her back, as fast as possible.
Later that night, Fayrii did a magic trick. Using his psychic, Fayrii's eyes turned blue, the way Raven's turned black. He waved his hands, and out of midair, molecules were changed to create sleeping bags, along with a fire and extra firewood. Everyone warmed up to it, except for Raven, who stayed somewhat out in the dark. Fayrii did as well, saying he needed to live up to his name (Get it, his name used to be Dark; that was horrible). Robin climbed into his sleeping bag and tried to sleep, but found he couldn't. Something was on his mind. Why had Fayrii willingly sacrificed himself?
Finally, Robin stood up and walked over to Fayrii. He was sitting not on a sleeping bag, but instead had made himself a simple blanket. He had something in his hands, a black ocarina.
"Where did you get that?" Robin asked, sitting next to him. Surprised, Fayrii jumped a little, then settled back down.
"It was given to me by the ambassador of the Eefalo, back when I very little," Fayrii answered, keeping his eyes on the instrument. Fayrii then lifted the ocarina to his lips, and played a tune.
It was something of a strange tune, but one that soothed and comforted you, some strange way, Robin felt relaxed all of a sudden. Then he saw Starfire sitting next to him, her arm around him. Robin froze, his mind going as crazy as his heart seeing Starfire alive next to him. Fayrii stopped playing, and to Robin's amazement (and disappointment), the Starfire next to him faded away.
"It is called the Song of Good Illusions. It takes what your heart desires and creates an illusion of it," Fayrii explained, putting the ocarina in his pocket (Robin didn't know that Fayrii had a pocket).
"What do you see?" Robin asked, then instantly regretting it, feeling intruding. Fayrii didn't seem offended at all, though.
"I see me with my family, at peace, not having to worry about everything, and having just good times," Fayrii answered. Being the Crown Prince of a higher kingdom must not be that great for a little boy, especially if it's at war, like he said, Robin thought to himself. Then he asked the question he had come for.
"Why did you let yourself lose, even if you could have died?" Robin asked.
"Because that place worked strangely. We were basically fighting each other. I noticed that when one of us advanced a little, the rest of us would retreat a little. I gave up because otherwise you couldn't have reached the orb," Fayrii answered.
"But why did I need to touch the orb first?"
"Because you have the best memory of Starfire. You see, the Altar of Kaniqua will only work if it has three orbs: The Orb of the Body, the Orb of the Mind, and the Orb of the Spirit. These orbs feed off your memory of the person you wish to revive. Since you have the best memory of Starfire, she would be better revived. Understand?"
"Yeah, I guess. Thanks."
"Sure, good night." Fayrii's head dropped instantly, and he began to snore. The second he fell asleep, Starfire's body became visible, still within its psychic barrier. Robin hesitated, and found his hand would go through. He gently stroked her cheek, and then went to lie down.
Meanwhile, when Fayrii and Robin were talking, Raven was having trouble sleeping. She had expected it to be somewhat cold, but this was insanely cold. She sat up and wrapped her cloak around her. A wind blew by, making her shiver. She could move closer by the fire, except that Cyborg and Beast Boy would most likely tease her about it. Even if she and Beast Boy had admitted love to each other, he could still be annoying after a while.
Raven felt an arm around her shoulders. She spun around to see Beast Boy sitting next to her. "Raven, are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered maybe a bit too harshly, since she was a bit embarrassed about being surprised.
"I don't think so," Beast Boy said in his teasing voice.
"Fine. I'm cold," Raven said, trying to keep him quiet. Raven lay down to try to hint to him leave. Instead, he surprised her by lying down next to her. For a minute, Raven lay speechless. Then she spoke, "Thanks."
"Hey, no problem," Beast Boy answered. Raven turned to him, and gave him a long kiss.
Chapter III: Strength of the Body
Searing sand whipped through the desert wilderness and into the party of five. Fayrii led, his dark cloak wrapped around him, but to no avail with the strong winds. Robin was right behind him, his hands covering his face to prevent the sand getting in. Beast Boy followed as a coyote, as Raven rode on his back blocking the sand with her cloak. Cyborg brought up the rear, worried about his feet sinking in the sand about five inches.
The Teen Titans and Fayrii had left the town and advanced north into the desert. Robin often wondered how apparently higher beings could live in such a desolate place. He had never been to the Sahara or Death Valley, but he was sure this was worse a hundred times over.
Suddenly the wind stopped, and Fayrii did as well. The Teen Titans gathered around their friend as to question why he just stood there, looking forward.
"Dark, I mean Fayrii, why did you stop?" Robin asked, while Cyborg waved his hand in front of his face.
"Because we're here," Fayrii answered, pointing ahead. Ahead was a stone square, carved out of granite and 15 feet high, with a hole. Automatically, everyone walked in.
"Fayrii, what should we expect?" Cyborg asked.
"To tell the truth, I don't know, except we are looking for a red stone. Robin must be the first to touch it," Fayrii answered. Since he was only one with knowledge of this dimension, they took his word for it.
Almost instantly, all five of them were spread apart by a strange force, and glass walls slammed down out of the ceiling to separate them. A voice spoke out, "The object is to push the wall. The remaining person gains the Orb of the Body."
"What does he mean push the wall..." As if on cue with Beast Boy, the wall in front of them began moving forward. Everyone put their best strength forward. Fayrii looked behind him and saw what happened to the losers.
"Hey guys, try not to lose. If you do, you fall down a big hoooole," Fayrii shouted in a little kid voice.
Cyborg suddenly was thrown back into the hole. When Raven was about to join him, Beast Boy began pushing even harder, only to watch her fall. Then he too joined his fallen friends. Only Fayrii and Robin were left, and Robin was having the harder time of it. Fayrii looked over to see him, then at himself, and smiled. Robin looked over at Fayrii. Fayrii took his hands off, stood at attention, and saluted. His wall smashed him into the hole.
The walls stopped pushing. "Congratulations, you gain the Orb of the Body. Robin's wall vanished to reveal a glass ball with green static filling it, sitting on a cushion. Robin went to pick it up, and then stopped, just realizing what had just happened.
Everyone else was dead. They had fallen down an endless hole and were dead. I just killed my remaining friends just so I can get Starfire back. Was it worth it? Robin's mind said no, while his heart screamed yes. Robin wanted to listen to his heart, but his mind's reply wouldn't go away. Would Starfire want you to just sit here? The question Fayrii had once asked went through his head again. No, Starfire wouldn't just want him to leave without at least getting what he had come for. As she would put it, it would have been a vain doing.
Robin picked up the orb. As he did, the green static raced up his arms and into his mind. Robin lost consciousness, and saw things. He saw Starfire, he saw every detail of her body he could ever remember seeing (no, Robin had not, if that is what some of you are thinking). Suddenly Robin was warped back to reality, and he was left with the orb. Slowly, Robin walked outside. The first thing he saw nearly knocked him out.
Fayrii Lijaro, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg were sitting on the sand, doing, well, nothing.
"You...you're all alive!" Robin shouted. Everyone looked at him.
"Apparently, the hole wasn't endless after all. We just fell fifty feet, then got literally spit out," Fayrii answered, a mountain of sand in between his legs. "Like my mountain?" (One must remember that Fayrii is only twelve, and still counts as a little kid; he is also shorter and smaller.) Robin blew a sigh of relief. His mind could rest in peace, while he could listen to his heart. And his heart said nothing would keep him from reviving Starfire. He wanted her back, as fast as possible.
Later that night, Fayrii did a magic trick. Using his psychic, Fayrii's eyes turned blue, the way Raven's turned black. He waved his hands, and out of midair, molecules were changed to create sleeping bags, along with a fire and extra firewood. Everyone warmed up to it, except for Raven, who stayed somewhat out in the dark. Fayrii did as well, saying he needed to live up to his name (Get it, his name used to be Dark; that was horrible). Robin climbed into his sleeping bag and tried to sleep, but found he couldn't. Something was on his mind. Why had Fayrii willingly sacrificed himself?
Finally, Robin stood up and walked over to Fayrii. He was sitting not on a sleeping bag, but instead had made himself a simple blanket. He had something in his hands, a black ocarina.
"Where did you get that?" Robin asked, sitting next to him. Surprised, Fayrii jumped a little, then settled back down.
"It was given to me by the ambassador of the Eefalo, back when I very little," Fayrii answered, keeping his eyes on the instrument. Fayrii then lifted the ocarina to his lips, and played a tune.
It was something of a strange tune, but one that soothed and comforted you, some strange way, Robin felt relaxed all of a sudden. Then he saw Starfire sitting next to him, her arm around him. Robin froze, his mind going as crazy as his heart seeing Starfire alive next to him. Fayrii stopped playing, and to Robin's amazement (and disappointment), the Starfire next to him faded away.
"It is called the Song of Good Illusions. It takes what your heart desires and creates an illusion of it," Fayrii explained, putting the ocarina in his pocket (Robin didn't know that Fayrii had a pocket).
"What do you see?" Robin asked, then instantly regretting it, feeling intruding. Fayrii didn't seem offended at all, though.
"I see me with my family, at peace, not having to worry about everything, and having just good times," Fayrii answered. Being the Crown Prince of a higher kingdom must not be that great for a little boy, especially if it's at war, like he said, Robin thought to himself. Then he asked the question he had come for.
"Why did you let yourself lose, even if you could have died?" Robin asked.
"Because that place worked strangely. We were basically fighting each other. I noticed that when one of us advanced a little, the rest of us would retreat a little. I gave up because otherwise you couldn't have reached the orb," Fayrii answered.
"But why did I need to touch the orb first?"
"Because you have the best memory of Starfire. You see, the Altar of Kaniqua will only work if it has three orbs: The Orb of the Body, the Orb of the Mind, and the Orb of the Spirit. These orbs feed off your memory of the person you wish to revive. Since you have the best memory of Starfire, she would be better revived. Understand?"
"Yeah, I guess. Thanks."
"Sure, good night." Fayrii's head dropped instantly, and he began to snore. The second he fell asleep, Starfire's body became visible, still within its psychic barrier. Robin hesitated, and found his hand would go through. He gently stroked her cheek, and then went to lie down.
Meanwhile, when Fayrii and Robin were talking, Raven was having trouble sleeping. She had expected it to be somewhat cold, but this was insanely cold. She sat up and wrapped her cloak around her. A wind blew by, making her shiver. She could move closer by the fire, except that Cyborg and Beast Boy would most likely tease her about it. Even if she and Beast Boy had admitted love to each other, he could still be annoying after a while.
Raven felt an arm around her shoulders. She spun around to see Beast Boy sitting next to her. "Raven, are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered maybe a bit too harshly, since she was a bit embarrassed about being surprised.
"I don't think so," Beast Boy said in his teasing voice.
"Fine. I'm cold," Raven said, trying to keep him quiet. Raven lay down to try to hint to him leave. Instead, he surprised her by lying down next to her. For a minute, Raven lay speechless. Then she spoke, "Thanks."
"Hey, no problem," Beast Boy answered. Raven turned to him, and gave him a long kiss.