A bead of sweat rolled down Robin's forehead. He tossed in his sleep, rigid. He began to murmur. "Star…"
He stood alone, solid ice beneath his feet, a blue-black night sky above his head. The moon was round and full.
Catch me as I fall
Say you're here and it's all over now
Speaking to the atmosphere
No one's here and I fall into myself
He stared down at his shadow in the ice. Suddenly, the shadow morphed into a familiar shape, and became an image of Starfire, tears spilling from her eyes. Her lips moved, silently screaming his name. She reached out a hand, and he pounded on the ice, reaching for a hand that he couldn't grasp. "Starfire!" He grabbed at the image of her hand, and when he felt as if he could touch it, the image faded away. "No!" He clenched his fists. Then he felt himself roll over backwards. Shocked, he looked up.
This truth drives me
Into madness
I know I can stop the pain
If I will it all away
"Get up," Slade ordered. "It's no use fighting you if you don't fight back." He tried to get up, but Slade hit him again. He clutched his shoulder, where he felt a bruise beginning to form. He reached for his boomerangs; his hands came back empty.
"All out of toys?" He growled and lunged at Slade, but just before he reached him, he faded away. His shoulder dug into the ice, and it cracked. He felt icy water seep through his uniform.
Don't turn away
(Don't give in to the pain)
Don't try to hide
(Though they're screaming your name)
Don't close your eyes
(God knows what lies behind)
Don't turn out the lights
(Never sleep never die)
fHe heard a low whimpering sound. His head snapped up. A thick tree had grown from the ice beside him. A weeping, dirty Starfire was draped in the branches.
His eyes widened. "Star…!" He ran towards the tree. One of Starfire's tears landed in his hand, but it seemed to disappear after a few moments. "R-Robin…" Starfire whimpered. He reached out to touch her face. She vanished from the branches. "NO!" he screamed, grabbing at the place Starfire had been. "Why is it that every time I get close to something, it disappears? WHY?!"
"Because that is how it is," Raven's voice said from behind him. He whirled around. There they were, all of the Titans…except for Starfire. "Where's Star?" he shouted.
Raven seemed to smirk, though in the darkness it was hard to tell. "Why? You know you wouldn't be able to get near to her if she was here."
He looked down at his shoes. "I guess you're right."
I'm frightened by what I see
But somehow I know that there's much more to come
Immobilized by my fear
And soon to be
Blinded by tears
He then looked up. "But this is a dream, it can't be real."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "How do you know? This could very well be real. There's nothing to prove that it isn't."
"But this is impossible!"
"Saying that something is impossible is a jinx," Beast Boy muttered seriously. "It makes it happen."
"But—" He reached out, then gasped as his friends cracked and crumbled apart like statues. "Why is this happening to me?" The piece of ice he was standing on broke apart from the rest of the lake and everything around him disappeared. He was suddenly surrounded by all of his memories, everything that had ever happened in his life. "What…?"
Don't turn away
(Don't give in to the pain)
Don't try to hide
(Though they're screaming your name)
Don't close your eyes
(God knows what lies behind)
Don't turn out the lights
(Never sleep never die)
"Robin…do not be afraid." He looked up. There was Starfire, her hands folded in front of her, a gentle smile on her face. "This is not real; it will conclude soon. You simply must endure what is to come." He decided to take a chance. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She stayed there.
He got up and stared into her eyes…then kissed her. He moved away, muttering, "I-I'm sorry…don't know what got into me…" She just giggled and faded into nothing. Thunder rumbled, and everything stopped. He found himself standing in the center of a forest of infinitely tall trees. He suddenly felt chilly. A figure appeared in front of him—it looked like his reflection, but with red hair and a completely black mask. "Who are you?"
"I am your fears."
Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me
Shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin
Forsaking all I've fallen for
I rise to meet my end
He felt a shiver run down his spine. "I must endure what is to come," he whispered, remembering what Starfire had said. Then, without warning, he roared and charged at his red-haired twin.
His 'fears', if that really was what it was, smirked and held up one arm. As if hit by an invisible wall, he flew back and hit the ground. His fears approached him and knelt beside him. "Mental torture is better than physical. Let's see…what if you die? No, wait…what if she dies? Yeah, you heard me." His eyes widened. "If Starfire dies, what'll you do then? What're you gonna do if she goes away?"
Don't turn away
(Don't give in to the pain)
Don't try to hide
(Though they're screaming your name)
Don't close your eyes
(God knows what lies behind)
Don't turn out the lights
(Never sleep never die)
He wanted to punch his fears in the face, but he—or it—was so powerful, he didn't know what would happen if he did. "It won't happen," he said firmly, "because you don't exist. This is a dream."
His fears growled. "I'll teach you better than that." He raised a hand, then brought it down to his face. Then, he couldn't see anything. Everything was pitch-black.
"Robin! Robin! Are you all right?" He opened his eyes. There was Starfire and the other Titans. "He is awake!"
"Dude!" Beast Boy approached him. "You were kicking and punching the air. You were shouting about Starfire—"
"But I was beside you all the time you were doing this."
"…Yeah. Anyway," Beast Boy continued, "You woke us all up when you started shouting about Slade. Do you know what time it is?" Robin shook his head. "Four AM!"
Robin nodded. "Interesting. Well…I don't think it'll happen again. Maybe. Maybe not." He smiled.