Firestorm
Teen Titans/Batman: The Animated Series
Amos Whirly

Chapter Thirteen: Sisterly Love

Blackfire picked herself out of the rubble of a building and levitated to where the newcomers were standing.

"I see you figured out our little ploy," she announced cockily.

"We figured it out," Nightwing countered. "You're the one who's out of the loop, Blackfire."

The Joker squeaked and dashed down an alley, but Raven held out her hand. Her eyes flashed white, and the Joker was snatched him off of his feet! She flung him into the side of a building and held him there. He waved at Blackfire with a silly grin.

"It is true, Sister," Starfire lifted her chin. "This Jokester was going to cross the double with you."

Blackfire arched her eyebrows, her beautiful face twitching. "Of course, he was, stupid." She held out her hand and blasted six holes in the wall against which the Joker was pinned. The bricks collapsed around him, burying him in a mountain of rubble.

"You knew he would turn against you?" Beast Boy looked confused.

"Yes," Blackfire exclaimed. "He's a criminally insane homicidal maniac. That's what they do, isn't it?" She clenched her fists and flung a massive orb of pulsing violet energy toward them!

Starfire flew upward. Nightwing dodged left. Beast Boy dodged right.

Raven did not move.

She spread her arms, her body flashing brilliant red light, and caught the pulsing orb.

Her slender fingers went rigid. "Ingrid," she whispered. "You killed Ingrid."

Slowly, Raven's light spread through the pulsating sphere, transmuting the violet light into blood red light. And with a scream of effort, Raven flung the glowing sphere back at Blackfire!

Blackfire was so shocked that she could not dodge the orb. It hit her and knocked her backward, but she managed to regain her balance in the air with little difficulty.

Cyborg released a volley of laser bolts, most of which missed. But they distracted her long enough for Beast Boy to morph into a giant condor and attack from the sky. She threw Beast Boy off but was unprepared for Nightwing leaping off a building and tying her with a metal cable. He looped the other end around a lamppost, anchoring Blackfire to one spot, and Starfire slammed into her sister.

Blackfire broke free of the cable, but she could not avoid Starfire's fists. Blackfire tried to back away, but every time she got outside of Starfire's reach, Cyborg would shoot at her, Beast Boy would dive at her, or Raven would throw a car or huge hunk of concrete at her.

Narrowing her eyes in a glare of rage, Blackfire threw herself at her younger sister, star bolts flying, devastating beams of light pouring from her eyes. Starfire met her head on.

Batgirl grabbed a batarang off the ground and moved to launch it at Blackfire, but Nightwing stopped her with a gentle hand. "This is between sisters," he rumbled softly. "Let them finish it."

"Aren't you worried?" Batgirl gasped.

"Star is stronger than she thinks she is," Nightwing answered. "More importantly, she's stronger than Blackfire thinks she is."

Starfire grabbed Blackfire around the waist and flew into the side of a building. The bricks cracked and shattered under the stress of the blow. Blackfire grabbed a fistful of Starfire's red hair and threw her backward, blasting her with violet starbolts. Starfire evaded most of them, twisting gracefully in the air, and shot back at her, green spheres of power trembling in her hands.

On the ground, Raven watched in silence.

"Hey," Beast Boy appeared beside her, "you go left, and I'll go right? How's that sound?"

"No."

"No? Why not?"

"Blackfire is Star's sister," Raven spoke darkly. "She may have killed my friend, but Blackfire is Star's responsibility."

"But—"

"No, buts," Raven reached up and pulled her hood off. "Just knowing that it wasn't me who killed Ingrid is comfort enough. Besides, if I allow myself to take revenge, I might really lose control." She smiled suddenly. "And now that I've found all of you again – or rather, now that you've found me – I don't want to risk that happening."

Beast Boy grinned broadly at her.

They both looked up suddenly, though, as a massive explosion tore through the air. A huge plume of greenish-purple smoke settled over the block as Starfire and Blackfire continued to battle in the sky.

"Batman!" Robin shouted, gesturing to a pile of rubble.

Batman moved toward him quickly and started digging through the bricks and metal supports. Batgirl joined in as well, and in a moment, they had unearthed a very dirty, half-conscious Joker, whom Batman cuffed immediately.

Batman allowed his focus to shift from the Joker to Nightwing, who stood tensed watching the fight in the heavens, as if nothing else were happening around him. His gaze was centered solely on Starfire, her red hair flowing through the air like fiery satin.

Batman nodded to himself and turned back to the Joker.

Starfire drove Blackfire through the branches of a tree. The older Tamaranian tried to throw her younger sibling off, but nothing she did stopped Starfire's attack.

"You threatened my friends!" Starfire shouted as she landed a punch squarely in Blackfire's stomach that made her flip in the air. "You hurt Raven! You have damaged people I care about!" Starfire blasted her with a bolt of green light.

Blackfire caught it with her hand and crushed it. "You're weak, little sister. You always have been. You only stopped me last time because the police were there. You won't stop me now."

"You are wrong, Blackfire!" Starfire lunged at her, grabbing her arms and flinging into a building again. Blackfire did not recoil so quickly this time.

Starfire hovered in place, her slender shoulders quivering with anger.

"You are my sister," she whispered. "I admired you. I respected you. I wanted to be like you."

Blackfire charged again, but Starfire deflected her attack with a bolt of green light so violent that it sent the older Tamaranian crashing through another building.

"My sister," Starfire continued, tears falling freely down her beautiful face. "I care for you. I love you, my sister. But I cannot excuse the evil that you have done!"

Starfire clapped her hands together, and a massive orb of green light gathered around her. Her eyes flashed brilliant green light, and energy began to crackle around her. The black clouds that covered the Gotham skyline parted, revealing a night sky flickering with stars. Starfire's hair whipped around her face in the whirlwind of power that surrounded her.

Blackfire uttered a scream of rage and flew toward her little sister, firing violet bolts of light in an attempt to make her lose focus.

It did not work.

Blackfire had almost reached her when Starfire leveled a tremulous gaze at her.

"Forgive me, my sister," her mournful whisper echoed on the wind.

And she released the churning ball of energy.

Blackfire could not avoid it.

The searing green light tore into her like a storm of fire, ripping, shredding, tearing her apart until even her scream faded into the night.

Spent, Starfire let her arms fall to her side, and she lowered herself to the ground as the clouds reassumed their place in the heavens. Once her feet touched the street, she collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

"It's over," Cyborg said, breathing a sigh of relief. "She's gone."

"But, Starfire," Raven looked worried.

The red-haired woman sat in the middle of the road and cried aloud, weeping for the loss of her sister. Batgirl moved toward her, but Batman stopped her, the visible portion of his face unreadable.

Batgirl watched in silence as Nightwing knelt beside Starfire and pulled her into his arms. She sobbed into his chest, and he held her close.

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A/N: Conclusion tomorrow, Lord willing.