Standard disclaimers apply.

CHAPTER EDITED NOV. 24, 2004: With the insight of Aria-Angel.

GUIDING STAR

Chapter Five – Inevitabilities

An explosion sent a deep tremor through the metallic walls of the high security prison. Smoke and heat blasted through the tunnel-like hallways accompanied by the shouts of terrified prison personnel. Water sprayed from the overhead sprinklers, soaking everything and everyone in five seconds.

Robin didn't need to tell the titans to go. As one, they rushed into the fray, dodging those running and slipping in the opposite direction with maneuvered leaps and twists.

Cyborg's robotic arm retracted with a whine and set his sonic cannon at the ready. It glowed blue against the smoke and water, and the set of his face showed nothing but an intense desire to go to battle.

Overhead, Beast Boy swooped as an eagle, flying ahead while Raven soared close behind.

There was another explosion, followed by a scream even more blood curdling than the former ones.

Someone was hurt and Robin had to grit his teeth against the welling fury inside him. Focusing on the escalating chaos, he thought that if there was ever a time Batman was right about emotions getting in the way of ones work, this would be it. Robin knew he needed to wipe the sound of that agonized scream from his mind if he was going to be successful in preventing it from happening again; he also had to forget that Starfire wasn't with them. There was little room for emotion now. Plasmus was hurting people and had to be stopped.

A third explosion erupted from the hallway and Robin realized with horror that too many people were too close to the blast. Helplessly, he threw his cape over the closest person he could protect and motioned to yell for Raven to work her powers. But he was cut short as soon as he realized that she hadn't needed any prompting. Black energy shot out from her hands and enveloped all of them in a shell of telekinesis. The blast hit the force field and rang through their ears, but every single scientist, law enforcer, civilian and titan within its perimeter was safe. Terrified, but safe.

The smoked cleared and the sprinklers died. Whether it got damaged or ran out of water, nobody would know.

Cyborg grinned. "Booyah! You the man, Raven!"

"Thanks, I think."

Robin nodded his thanks to Raven as the fleeing mob resumed its evacuation. "Titans, go!"

They rushed into Plasmus' holding facility and Beast Boy transformed back to himself. Chairs were overturned and computer panels were ripped through to its electronic innards. Sparks and crackles of electricity spat out from severed cables and the puddles of water on the concrete floor made it a serious concern. There were shards of thick glass everywhere and some of the smaller pieces crunched underfoot. Clumps of red goo were splattered in every direction and strangely enough, there were two or three soggy lab uniforms scattered atop some of the gunk.

A low, gurgling growl rumbled from somewhere in the room.

Beast Boy transformed into a wolf, flicked his ear and immediately pointed his nose, hunter-dog style, at a massive, overturned mainframe.

Robin flipped out his freeze disks and set them at ready. "Raven."

She nodded and raised a hand in front of her. "Azarath, metrion, zinthos!" The black aura grew and devoured the mainframe, tossing it aside to reveal Plasmus.

It roared with its travesty of a face and a gaping maw that could swallow a person whole. He looked like a huge red, regurgitated wad of chewing gum, only with awkward arms and legs. He shot a blob of sludge and it hurtled directly at them.

Robin flipped to the side and saw the others jump to safety. He threw a freeze disk and it whirred straight into Plasmus' midsection. A third of his body instantly froze.

Cyborg aimed and fired. A blue blast of sonic energy beamed right through Plasmus' arm and sprayed gobs of Plasmus-slush in all directions.

Robin took off, jumped and spun clockwise, drawing his bo staff and letting it connect with Plasmus' frozen limb. The limb shattered under impact and Plasmus' gooey remains bellowed from its pile on the floor, infuriated by the indignity. His cries were cut short by two masses of heavy machinery, one dropped by Raven and another toppled over by Beast Boy in rhino form.

Beast Boy retransformed into himself again, frowning. "That can't be it!"

As soon as he said it, a suctioning, boiling gurgle drifted from the ground. The machinery weighing Plasmus down bucked and they jumped back, going into defensive stance.

Robin twirled his bo staff in one hand and cinched two fresh freeze disks in the other. "Get ready, titans!"

Beast Boy transformed into a gorilla, lifting a large steel pipe from the ground. Cyborg powered up his sonic cannon and Raven's hands glowed black.

Plasmus regrouped with a loud howl, throwing the mainframes from him with rage-fueled strength.

Robin and Raven had to duck to get away from the hurtling blocks of metal.

Rolling into stance, Robin launched another attack, and this time, the disks worked its way through half of Plasmus' body. Beast Boy jumped overhead and smashed his gigantic lead pipe into the frozen limb. Shards of ice littered the floor.

Plasmus' other half made a swing towards Beast Boy and Beast Boy jumped out of the way. A droplet of sludge caught him on his ear and it hissed against his skin.

He turned human and howled. "Yeowch! It's burning real bad! His stuff's gone acidic!"

This alarmed Robin considerably.

When did that happen? He looked around quickly. None of the sludge was eating through the metal, but when he saw the discarded lab uniforms, he realized with sick dread that Plasmus' slime had a particular taste for human flesh. The lab uniforms on the ground previously had scientists inside them, and now they were dead, consumed by what Plasmus has become.

Beast Boy whimpered. "If Starfire were here—"

"She's isn't, BB. Focus!" Robin said sternly. He knew they were all thinking it, but there was no use dwelling on it now. His eyes roved to the damaged cables and the large puddle of water, a plan forming in his head. "Cyborg, I'm thinking of electrifying this sucker without getting too close to him. Get him in the water!"

Cyborg looked up, saw the cables and nodded. He shot forward in a run. "Raven! Cover me!"

Raven nodded, concentrating on shielding Cyborg from Plasmus' sludgy missiles.

Cyborg slid, skidding on his back. His metallic body enabled him to withstand the acid, but some of it splashed on his arms. Ignoring the burning of his flesh, he was able to go into perfect position, and from his vantage point, he aimed his cannon. He fired a shot and it hit Plasmus head on, forcing him to stumble into a pool of water. "Fry him!"

Robin sprung into action. "Beast Boy, grab a live wire! Raven, hold him down!"

She swooped above Plasmus and spread her hands above him. "Azarath, metrion, zinthos!"

Plasmus roared as Raven fought to contain him. Robin knew she couldn't contain him for very long. They had to act quickly.

Robin jumped, leaping and swinging over the debris. He grabbed a broken cable and pulled it from its loose clamps. Beast Boy's cable, though damaged, was much more secure in its casing, but with the strength of a gorilla, Beast Boy ripped it free and together, with Robin, plunged the torn edges of it into the water. The current immediately zipped through the pool, making a deep, metallic hum.

Raven pulled back her force field and the electricity coursed right through Plasmus in distinct high voltage pulses. Plasmus convulsed in stiff jerks, his deep growl filled with pain. A few seconds later, he bucked more violently and the smell of burning toxins filled the room. The hum of electricity grew louder and more intense.

Robin knew it wasn't going to be pretty. "Everyone take cover!"

As one, they jumped behind the farthest and largest piece of debris in the room. Raven muttered her mantra and created more protection with her telekinesis.

The explosion was messy. Pieces of Plasmus were thrown in all directions. The live cables were knocked out of the puddle and in the middle lay Otto Von Furth, motionless in a pool of blood-tainted water. Some of the hairs on his head were still smoldering, and there were parts of him charred raw. He was breathing, but he was unconscious.

Beast Boy frowned. "Is he dead?"

Robin shook his head. "No, but if we don't call in some help, he will be. Raven, could you walk us out of here? Some of the stuff's on the roof and we don't want any of that dripping on our heads."

Raven nodded, holding the force field steady.

Carefully, they walked out of the containment facility to report to the authorities.

With the information the Titans gathered in the battle with Plasmus, the round-up crew entered the facility in protective clothing where they were able to collect Otto's unconscious and burnt body. They put him in a back-up containment system, stabilized him and returned him to stasis.

The paramedics offered Beast Boy and Cyborg treatment for their injuries while Raven and Robin spread out among the authorities to see if they could gather some information.

It was a few more hours before they decided to head home, and as the car sped over the bay, Robin's thoughts inevitably drifted to the one who should have been there with them.

It was almost two o'clock when they arrived at the tower, and while the dim nightlights shone starkly against the shadows, the tower was mostly dark, almost as if it were empty.

Almost, Robin thought miserably.

Droopy eyed, Beast Boy stumbled through the elevator doors when it opened to the chamber level. "I'm exhausted. Straight to bed for me."

Raven and Cyborg followed him, but Robin stayed in the elevator car.

Raven arched an eyebrow. "Robin, it's too late to obsess. You really should get to bed."

Robin reddened. "I'm not going to obsess. I just want to check out a few things, that's all."

Cyborg exchanged wry looks with Raven and Beast Boy. "Whatever, Robin. Just don't stay up too late."

Robin nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Before they could say anything else, he punched the CLOSE button and waited for the elevator to move up to the recreation and information level.

Cyborg was wrong. He wasn't obsessing, or at least, not the way Cyborg thought. He was troubled, so he knew he couldn't sleep, and his adrenaline was still pumping in high gear. He'd probably play a few video games, just to get him to relax a bit; probably one of the easier games, like Space Invaders 3-D.

When the elevator doors opened, he saw that the room was bereft of lights as well. He left the elevator and switched the lights to the room open.

The first thing he noticed was that the tables were cleaned out. Whatever mess they left behind, Starfire had managed to put it away by herself. The surface of the table, except for the dent Cyborg's retractable cane left behind, was spotless. The plates and glasses they had used were lined up neatly in the drying tray by the sink, as well, though he did notice they were at least a couple of plates and glasses shy.

She didn't have to wash the dishes, but he supposed he could understand why Starfire had done it. If he had been the one left behind, he'd probably end up cleaning the whole tower.

He sighed, walking forlornly to the refrigerator for some chocolate milk. He took the plastic container, popped off the cap and drank straight from the bottle. It was as sour as anything.

He coughed, gagged and spat it out on the sink, spilling expired milk chocolate all over himself. He tore off his mask as a small clump of coagulated milk got in his eye. "Ouch! Mother fu—"

"Robin?"

Rinsing himself in the sink, he blinked through his haze and followed the sound to the couch. "Star?"

He heard her yawn and saw her stretching as she sat up. "What time is it? I was waiting for you and I dozed off…"

Wiping his face dry on a kitchen towel, he walked to the couch and sat beside her, watching her curiously. She had some pillow marks on face, and her cheeks were rosy with sleep. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were rumpled. She looked about as tousled as anyone straight from bed; she must have been sleeping there for quite some time. "It's two in the morning and we just got back… you were waiting for me here? How did you even know I would come by? I could've gone straight to bed."

She chuckled. "After fighting with super-villains? I think not."

Robin blinked. "Am I that predictable? God, that's depressing."

Starfire smiled. "Not predictable, dependable. I wanted to know how everyone fared. Is everyone undamaged?"

"Dependable…" He chuckled at that. "Everyone's relatively fine. Beast Boy and Cyborg suffered some injuries, but nothing serious. Plasmus went weird on us. His sludge could suddenly eat through human skin, but we found it out before he could really harm us. There are still a lot of things we don't know about the case, but the prison warden agreed to send us yesterday's recordings of the containment facility from the security cams. And then I'll have to look over the casualty reports…"

She began to look somber. "Did anyone… die?"

"A few scientists."

She sighed. "More deaths. I wish… I wish I could have been there to help—to prevent it, at least."

"Reports said they were dead before the systems made contact with us. There was nothing we could have done."

"And I—" She paused, taking a deep breath. It quivered, like she was about to cry, but she didn't, and she leaned back on the couch, eyes dry and staring blankly ahead. "I am useless this way, Robin. As I am, I could not fight. I could not help! I will be nothing but a stay-in in this wonderful place, yet I have lost my right to be here—"

He took hold of her hand, squeezing firmly. "Star, you promised not to lose faith. Remember? You promised."

"But Robin—"

"I won't let you talk about yourself like that. You haven't lost any right. If anything, you've earned your right to stay with us, especially since this happened to you."

She shook her head, growling in frustration. "I am a liability!"

"Stop that! Just stop! Listen to me, Star. The last time you convinced yourself that we didn't want you around, you left. You left and—and you almost got killed. I won't let you do that again, you hear me? I don't want you to go anywhere. I want you to stay. Do you remember that time we fought Warp? You said you went twenty years into the future and that the titans weren't friends anymore. It happened because a part of us was missing… you were that missing part. If you leave us, now… it'll be r'kma all over again…"

Her jaw dropped, perhaps his words getting through to her. "I-I do not want to call r'kma upon us…" she whispered. "But look at me. I cannot—I cannot even cook anymore. I cannot even be the one to buy us pizza!"

He chuckled miserably. "Oh, Star… you shouldn't be worrying about these things. You just got home. You only got out of the hospital. Things will get better, I promise you that."

She fell silent, seemingly unconvinced.

He wanted to put his arm around her to give her some comfort, but he suddenly felt self-conscious about it. It wasn't surprising that he had lately been more aware that they were boy and girl rather than best friends, but it still made him squirm. It also made him wonder if Starfire felt the same way. Maybe he'd feel less weird about it if he knew that she did.

She did her familiar head-tilt, turning her blank gaze on him. "Robin, if I… if I could fight—the way I am—would you let me fight with the team again?"

This was certainly something he didn't expect. "W-Well—I—it depends, really…"

"If I learn how to fight very well, in my condition…"

"But Star—"

"You can teach me. I know you can! I have watched you kick the butt of Cyborg blindfolded and with one hand tied behind your back! Do not deny it!"

He was going to deny it, but he clamped his mouth shut the moment she told him not to. Teach Starfire how to fight? He had trained almost all his life to do the things he could do. His parents trained him to be an acrobat and Batman trained him to be a fighter. His experience in actual combat situations taught him even more. A lot of the things he did couldn't been learned in the dojo and even if he could teach it, would Starfire be able to apply it? Starfire's fighting technique was vastly different from his own…

"Please, Robin. I could—I could do it. Father..." Her voice trailed and for a moment, he thought she wasn't going to go on, but she took a deep breath and continued. "Blackfire and I were sent to the Warlords of Okaara for training, and we were taught fighting techniques that could be applied to yours. I could still remember some of it. I just need to learn how to do it without my eyes. If I prove to be inept, you don't have to keep teaching me."

Both her hands were now clasping his, and while her eyes conveyed nothing, she waited for his response imploringly. He really didn't know what to say.

As the silence lengthened, she sighed. "At least think about it. You do not have to give me an answer now."

He found some relief in that. He nodded. "Alright. I'll give it some thought." It wasn't that he didn't want to teach her, it was a question of whether he could.

She grinned. "I am glad…" But her voice trailed while her grin disappeared. She gasped. "Robin… is this your mask?"

He looked and saw that she had his mask twined in her fingers. He had forgotten about it. "Oh… well, yeah. Some of the chocolate milk—" He was startled when she touched his face with her fingers. "I… I—uh…" For some strange reason, his heart raced, and he felt slightly heady when she leaned just a little bit closer. "K-Kori?"

"I have never seen you without your mask," she said in an awe-stricken voice. "Why is it that you have never taken it off before?"

It was difficult to concentrate when her fingers were sliding over the planes of his face. Her hands smelled like spring flowers… probably because of the dish soap, but it mixed with her own bodily scent, and it wasn't unpleasant. "Well I—" He swallowed. "I don't—I don't know…"

And the truth was, he really didn't. Every morning, he got up, and whether or not he got into his uniform, the mask was always there to put on. It just seemed to him that he felt comfortable that way.

"You have a very nice nose, Richard."

"I do?" The softness of her hands was mildly distracting and he wondered how it was that her fingertips on his cheeks felt infinitely more different than when he held her hand in his. It was the gloves, he knew, but he hadn't realized her fingers could be so gentle.

She nodded. "Um-hmm."

"Well—uh—so do you…" It was for lack of anything better to say. It was, anyway, the truth.

She giggled. "And rather deep-set eyes, which is perhaps why your mask was so effective at hiding them altogether. I could hardly tell what color your eyes are. It's just something I would like to know."

"They're blue," he replied in a somewhat hushed tone. No need to shout. She was close enough to hear.

"Blue..."

It was like her voice floated in air and he was momentarily mesmerized by it.

Slowly, her fingers traveled down his face and unexpectedly ran lightly over his lips.

The contact sent an overwhelming rush of images in his mind; images that were unutterable in polite conversation. It made him feel terribly guilty, and strangely confused.

The calm was gone, and whatever hypnotic effect her touch may have had was completely shattered by the pounding of his heart. He pulled back instantly, gingerly pushing her hands away from him as he moved farther from her on the couch. "Whoa, hey!"

He gasped, and he was surprised to realize that he had been holding his breath.

Starfire shrunk back, her face flushed. "I—I am sorry! I did not mean to be so invasive! It's just that the more I touched, the more I could see it in my mind… I am so sorry—"

"It's okay!" He said it almost too urgently, and he wanted to hit himself when he saw that his tone had made her shrink back even more. He calmed himself down. "It's fine! It's just—I'm not used to anyone—you know…" He let out another deep breath.

"I am sorry…"

"S-Stop apologizing, Star. It was nothing, really. Nothing." Maybe if you say 'nothing' a third time, you could convince yourself, Grayson. He stifled a groan. "It's really late. We should go to bed. I mean—" Oh, man… He suddenly didn't feel like saying anything anymore.

After a brief silence, she spoke. "Yes, Robin, you should get some sleep."

He didn't think that was forthcoming, but he hadn't the sense to argue at the moment. "Yeah, I should."

She pulled the walking cane from beneath the couch and stood. "I have been practicing with this, sans the commentary, and I think I have done well enough. I have managed, at least, to walk from here to my room all by myself."

Again, he couldn't help but be shocked by how quickly she was adapting. It was certainly unusual for a person who had, just a few hours ago, never used a walking cane before to gain skill so soon after she first took it to task. Her rapid development baffled him, but he realized that explaining it, at this point, was beyond him. He would just have to be glad that she was learning very, very fast.

She continued to speak. "I wandered into Beast Boy's room by mistake, earlier. I could tell by the odd smell, like too many mixed colognes. But it inspired me to—well, I wandered a bit into the rest of the rooms, as well. I only stood at the door, really. I did not want to intrude without permission, but I am glad I did."

As they made their way to their chambers, Starfire continued to tell him about her misadventures in her dark tower; how strange it was to realize that one never really knew how many rooms one was from the left until one was completely bereft of sight. And then she told him how she could tell whose room she was in by certain distinct scents. Like when she wandered into Cyborg's room, she could smell steel, and the metallic tang of power cells. And when she happened upon Raven's room, which she really couldn't enter but had passed by along the way, she smelled incense, in lilies and cinnamon and orange spice.

"It was nice, like I had something else to distinguish each of you by because I could no longer see your faces."

Robin arched an eyebrow. "I don't think lilies and cinnamon and orange spice fits Raven…"

She chuckled. "Silly. Raven is not like lilies, cinnamon and orange spice. You have to think that they are like her."

Robin couldn't see it, but if it suited Starfire, he had no problem with it.

"And then there is your room," she said, grinning. "It was so odd, because I did not smell anything."

"You didn't?"

"No. Do you disinfect in there everyday?"

"Well, not everyday… or else it would smell like—well, disinfectant."

She laughed. "It is probably as spotless as the first day you moved into it. But you have a scent. I could smell your shampoo. It's like cucumber and melon."

"Hey, I just use what you give us after you do the shopping."

He was astonished when she leaned over and tiptoed, just to give him a good sniff. Two things surprised him: first, that she was so quick to recover from the awkwardness that was the episode on the couch; and second, that he was suddenly taller than she was. When did this growing occur and why hadn't he noticed it until now? And why wasn't she more affected by what happened on the couch? Didn't it mean anything at all?

Not that it was supposed to, he added in thought as he frowned to himself.

She grinned. "Yes, Cucumber and Melon Spray. I chose that scent for you in the Bath and Body store. You smell very nice, Richard."

Robin flushed. Why was she doing and saying all of these things? Didn't she know that his hormones were raging and that he couldn't help think certain things when she said certain things?

When they finally arrived at her bedroom door, he was partially relieved and partially something else. She smiled, said goodnight and retired, leaving him alone in the dim hallway.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he made his way to his room. He felt exhausted and still shaken from his experience with Starfire in the Info and Rec Room. He had always considered Starfire attractive, but so did the rest of Jump City, if the mail she received from drooling fan boys was any indication, so he thought it a natural thing that he would sometimes see just how beautiful she was. However, until that evening, when she touched his lips… it was suddenly different. Not entirely bad, but different, therefore a little bit weird.

"God, get a grip, Grayson," he muttered, stepping into his room.

He told himself it was nothing, once; twice; perhaps even three times, as he went through his bedtime rituals. When he was finally nestled under the covers, his last thought was that it seemed he had told himself it was nothing one too many times.

Robin peeled his eyes open against the dimness of his bedroom, the rays of the sun filtering through his blinds in narrow slits. It felt like his eyelids had sandpaper underneath, the way it scraped when he lifted them, but he knew he had to get up. He supposed it was late enough as it was.

He had work to do, and he couldn't afford to be lazy. Turning, he looked at his table clock and saw that it was seven in the morning.

Overslept, he thought miserably. It was just as well. He probably needed the sleep anyway.

Dragging himself out of bed, he readied himself for the day. After he had showered, shaved, and put on his uniform, he went to his dresser and put the finishing touch to his look: his mask.

He stared at it and for the first time in a long time, he actually gave some thought about putting it on. It had been so mechanical to him these past few years living with the Titans. Living with Bruce Wayne, he walked around the house in casual clothing and lived Dick Grayson's life when he wasn't Robin. He only put on the mask and uniform when they were on the job, but since he left to form the Titans, he was always just Robin now.

It just seemed easier that way, is all. He shrugged, sliding his mask on.

So much easier to hide behind the mask. The timbre his thoughts took astonished him. Somehow, that last thought had echoed another voice he used to hear so often. His eyes roved to the plastic bat hanging from the corner of his room; a token from Beast Boy at last year's Halloween celebrations.

He frowned. Why did I even keep that thing anyway?

Grabbing his T-Comm, he strode out of his room. He headed for the upper levels and as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Starfire in the kitchen.

She wasn't in uniform.

Robin stared at her, eyebrow arching in mild perplexity. She was in jeans; a pair of those things girls called bootcut… something or other. And she had on a cotton flannel peasant t-shirt that sort of flared at the waist. Also, she had her hair styled in a loose half ponytail. She looked very pretty, but whatever this look was supposed to be, he couldn't have been more surprised if she had been in a potato sack. What was she doing in plain clothes?

He had seen her in plain clothes before, of course; a few times in the past, on very rare occasions. He had seen her in a prom dress; she was the prettiest girl at the dance, but even then, she managed to hide her Titan uniform underneath. As crime fighters, they were on-call twenty four seven, which was why seeing her out of uniform was slightly discomfiting.

"Star?"

She did not turn to look at him, but she replied. "Good morning, Richard Grayson! I am glad you are awake. Do you wish to break fast with me over cereal in a bowl?" Carefully, she felt for two bowls in the cupboard and brought out one yellow, one blue. Running her hands over the lower drawers, she was able to pull out two spoons.

"Sure." His questioning gaze remained on her as he brought out the box of cereal and the milk.

"Would you care for some fresh fruits on your cereal?" she asked.

"We have fresh fruits?"

"Not really, but if you wanted some, I would feel very bad."

He felt a smile trying to crack through his ponderous frown. "Then no, I don't want any fruits."

"Good! If you want coffee, you must make some for both of us."

"Yeah, sure, I'll make some—Kori, why are you dressed that way?" His curiosity had finally gotten the better of him.

She frowned. "You do not like the way I look?"

"It's not that. You look real—" He flushed. "—nice, but… it's just that…" Now that he was going to ask, "Why aren't you in uniform?" the answer suddenly dawned on him. She didn't need to be in uniform. Somehow, she had accepted that if something or someone attacked Jump City, she wasn't going anywhere. It was depressing, but it was the way things were.

"Just that what?"

"Nothing."

She smiled, willing to leave his answer at that. She let him pour the cereal and milk (which unlike its chocolate counterpart, was still quite fresh), giggling as she daintily struggled not to make a mess as she ate it.

Watching her seem so carefree made him feel a bit better.

She leaned her elbows on the counter, "So, what shall you be doing today?"

"Oh, I'm expecting some footage to be ready today, from the prison. And I have some reports to study."

"Sounds—er, exciting."

"'Could hardly wait."

Their pause was followed by a shared laugh, muted, of course, as was their wont. Her gaze remained blank, but he was glad that he was already learning to read her facial expressions, made slightly different by the condition of her eyes. The tone of her voice and her laughter had taken on distinct timbres for him, and her smile, too, had gained noticeably varied degrees. Though he knew that he was nowhere near deciphering all of them, he was confident that he had gotten off to a good start.

"I will be calling the Braille Institute today," she said. "I shall make immediate enrollment. Perhaps if I learn fast enough, I will be able to help you at least with these… exciting reports."

He grinned. "Sounds like a plan. I could use some help."

By the time the other titans emerged from their bedrooms, Starfire had made the necessary calls for her Braille classes and Robin had finished making arrangements to pick up the information he needed from last night's attack.

Starfire asked Cyborg and Beast Boy if they were well and they went into their usual routine, overplaying their pain and the brave way they kept fighting in spite of it.

Robin and Raven exchanged wry looks.

Nobody mentioned Starfire's fashion statement, but Robin was sure the three of them would ask him about it when Starfire wasn't there.

Cyborg took a two minute breakfast and said that he was going to be in the garage if anyone needed him. Beast Boy, who had probably been looking forward to playing Game Station with him, rolled his eyes and headed to the couch by himself. He loaded his saved game of Samurai Mission and fell right into it.

"Hey Starfire, I can help you with your closet right now if you want," Raven said.

"Glorious! Let us go that, then. Robin, what time shall you be going to the city? I would like to go with you, so that I may enroll for my classes."

Robin had been thinking about going that morning, but it was so easy to make an adjustment for Starfire. Besides, as Cyborg said, he would be working on the car, which would likely last all morning. "Some time after lunch. I'll let you know when I'm ready to go."

"Excellent! Shall we, Raven?"

"Let's go."

The girls left and Robin joined Beast Boy on the couch. He remembered again what had transpired on that couch barely seven hours ago and he reddened, stifling a groan.

Beast Boy screamed. "Damn that ogre! I couldn't get past him!"

Robin had also been wondering what he would do about Starfire's request for training. It could take years, but he supposed it could be good for her. It was at least productive, and it would keep her from leaving. He had to work out a program, of course, but he first had to see what Starfire could do. She certainly seemed to have adapted quickly enough. It had barely been two days since she got back to the tower and already she was getting around it on her own. What did she mean when she said her father sent her and Blackfire to the Warlords of Okaara? It sounded like boot camp, but tougher, like they trained with burly, Lord of the Rings type of men. Why would a father send his two daughters to a place like that? It wasn't wrong, or anything like that, but it was very weird.

Beast Boy jumped to his feet, dropped his controller and pulled at his hair. "Argh! What do I have to do to get rid of that thing? I've been stuck in this stage for a total of ten hours now!"

Robin sighed. He needed a change of scenery. "Beast Boy, you don't get rid of him. You go around him via the forest. When you get the Spear of Orinaga, the ogre will show up again and then you'll be able to fight him. Look, I gotta go to the garage… see if the T-Car will be ready for use later." He left the couch and headed for the elevator.

Beast Boy stared at the screen to absorb Robin's advice before he snapped to his senses and turned to look at him. "H-Hey! Boy Wonder! Why was Starfire dressed like that? What did you do to her?

Robin frowned. "Me? I didn't do anything!" And before he could say anything more, the elevator doors closed.

Cyborg was deep into the hood of the T-Car when Robin arrived. Working on the T-Car and maintaining it was Cyborg's favorite pastime, which was why the car was more his than anyone else's.

Robin was about to call Cyborg's attention when the glint of the 999R-Cycle caught his eye. He frowned, wondering if he ought to throw a blanket over the thing.

"Hey champ. What can I do you for?"

Shaking his thoughts from the motorcycle, Robin replied. "Is the car going to be ready anytime after lunch?"

"It'll be done even before that. Going to the city?" Cyborg picked up a towel, wiped his hands on it and turned to lean on the car.

"Yeah. I have to stop by the prison to get some stuff from last night. I'll be driving for Star too. She needs to enroll for her Braille classes."

"Cool." Cyborg chuckled. "Star… she's something, ain't she? Didn't even take time off to feel sorry for herself."

"She's something alright."

"What's with the clothes, though? I mean, she looks nice and all—"

Robin nodded ponderously. "Oh, yeah."

Cyborg arched an eyebrow.

"What?"

Cyborg gave him a mysterious look before going on. "So why the clothes change?"

Robin shrugged. "Oh, I think she's just accepted what the rest of us haven't, that's all. If the city calls, it's not like she could fight with us."

Cyborg sighed, shaking his head. "It's not fair, I tell you. That girl don't deserve fate to be so mean to her. You know, when I was with her in the hospital, she kept asking about you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. She kept asking about how you were doing, whether you were obsessing again and stuff like that. That girl cares a lot about you."

Robin reddened. He didn't feel comfortable discussing this, so he quickly changed the subject. "Last night, she asked me to teach her how to fight—you know, the way she is. She wants to be able to fight well enough to join the team again. I… I don't know."

Cyborg shrugged. "Why not? When she's willing, she could do pretty cool things."

"I know, but—" Robin sighed. "The only way I could teach her is if I teach her the way Batman taught me, and that was tough. That was like boot camp with my drill sergeant hanging off my back the whole time. I mean, should I drive her that hard?"

"Champ, she took a hit from Cinderblock and lived. If that hasn't convinced you she's tough enough, then you're not doing her justice, bro."

"You have a point."

"Of course. So uhh—she… asked this of you last night? I didn't catch that at dinner."

Robin felt a flush rise in his cheeks. "Not at dinner. She was in the Info and Rec room when we got home from Plasmus. We had a talk."

Cyborg stared at him, narrowing his good eye at Robin.

"What?"

Cyborg turned his attention back to the car. "Nothing. Hey, you know what Starfire would really like? A ride on your motorcycle."

Robin frowned. "It's too hot out to ride a bike."

"Oh, I don't think so."

"I think so."

"Man, I don't know what issues you have with that bike, but can't you just put those aside for one lame-ass ride into the city that Starfire would enjoy?"

Robin bit back his angry retort. Cyborg was suggesting something perfectly reasonable, and whatever issues Robin had with Batman, Cyborg didn't deserve to get caught in the crossfire.

And neither does Starfire. He sighed. "Look, Cy. You have no idea what I'm willing to sacrifice for Starfire."

"You're absolutely right, I don't. I haven't seen any limit yet to what you're willing to sacrifice for her, so I figured what's a little bike ride, right?"

Robin rolled his eyes. "Cyborg, you haven't the slightest clue… but fine, you made your point."

Cyborg laughed. "Booyah. Beast Boy was right, Mr. Competitive Boy Wonder's so easy when Starfire is involved. You're Star-Struck."

"What! Hey, that is not true!"

"Eh, I guess not. Hey, one of the guys I know from the racing association wants me to introduce him to Star. I think he wants me to set them up on a date or something. He's a really nice guy. Kinda looks like Aqualad, so we know he's her type. Think I should tell him to wait a while until she's gotten fully adjusted to—"

"Yeah, well Aqualad this: Tell him she's busy!" Robin's fist clenched. The nerve of these guys!

Cyborg laughed again. "Ha, gocha! You see? Easy!"

Robin's gaze narrowed to slits. Not funny. "Cyborg, I have to get back inside."

Cyborg kept laughing.

Slightly incensed, Robin left Cyborg without saying goodbye. Getting in the elevator and punching the button for the chamber level, he decided to head straight to his room. He had one more person to call, and perhaps he could attribute that decision to Cyborg's lecturing.

The elevator doors opened and he stepped out in the hallway. Passing Starfire's room, he could hear the muted voices of both girls. He couldn't make out the words, but he really didn't care to eavesdrop. Starfire and Raven needed time to talk. As the girls in the team, they had a special relationship all their own. They were about as different from each other as two different people could be, but they had worked that out, quite amazingly, when the Puppet King unwittingly switched their bodies with their minds. It was surreal to see Starfire's body talking and acting like Raven, and weirder still to watch Raven's face light up and smile in the way Starfire did. But as screwed up as it was, it did wonderful things to how each girl perceived each other, and suddenly their differences didn't seem so daunting anymore.

He heard Starfire's laughter and he smiled before he stepped into his room.

The room was as dark as always, reminiscent of a certain cave that he used to hang around in during days past. The large computer with its sixty inch by sixty inch screen was a miniature of the Bat Computer, except that it had a robin insignia at the top and its files were more oriented to the Jump City super villains. It packed just about as much power and features as the mainframe in the Info and Rec room, but his system was more personalized, and while all of the computer programs he had perfected on his computer were always promptly transferred to the Titan Comp, his hard-disk contained—in his humble opinion—some of the most potentially awesome programs in crime-fighting history, bugged-ridden as they were at the moment.

He sat on the cushioned chair and swiveled in it for a moment. On one of his superbly organized shelves, he saw the Slade Files and he sighed. So many hours he had spent in this room to catch the son-of-a-bitch and Slade still almost ended up killing his friends.

Watching Starfire glow orange from all those nano-probes, writhing on the ground in pain… it broke his heart to see her like that and he wanted to kill Slade right then and there…

Ah, Robin. You're stalling.

Shaking his head, he swiveled again and he set his focus on a drawer-like panel to the left of his chair at knee level. Sighing, he punched a code on the keyboard, logging him into his computer. He accessed the necessary programs, entered a password and caused the panel below to slide open with a hiss. In it sat a cell-phone-like device, except that this had only one frequency and it had a silver, almost iridescent bat embedded into its chrome surface.

Taking a deep breath, he picked it up, flipped it open and pressed a button.

It beeped twice in ten second intervals, and then a voice filtered through its tiny speaker. "My, my, my. I haven't seen this frequency working in a long time."

"Hello, Bruce."

"Dick. I was wondering when you would call me."

To be continued…

Closing notes: Everything about Robin and Starfire's backgrounds in the previous chapter was based on Teen Titan comic book lore. I diverted a little, as you may have noticed, since I based Starfire and Blackfire's relationship from its conception in the show, but a lot of it was canon, particularly the events surrounding Dick Grayson's family and my vague retelling of his meeting with Batman.

Also, I've been trying to convey a dysfunctional relationship between Dick and Bruce since Chapter Three. I'd like to know if I'm interpreting it effectively, if not correctly.

In case you were wondering where I got Plasmus' name… I didn't make it up; more comic lore.

Hoped you liked Cyborg's magic cane. ::gets pelted by rotten tomatoes:: But I thought you'd forgive me for that when I gave a little on the RS romance!! ::gets pelted still::