Chapter 4: Meetings Part 1 Kori-what?

"Welcome to my home. Tamaran."

The sound of a door swung opened and the Teen Titans turned their attention to the entrance of the palace. A dark, tall figure stood over the entrance. Her long almost black hair reached down her back. She wore a cloak of fur and a dress acustomed to Tamaranean traditions. Her indigo eyes glanced up and looked over the guests.

But there was something familiar about that stare. Like they had seen it before. Everything about her was too familiar. The figure took another step closer to the Teen Titans as they tensed with wonder of who is this person and why she seemed so familiar.

Welcoming them to Tamaran was none other than-

"Mother!" Starfire shouted with glee and glided to the woman standing by the door.
"Mother?" Robin's head shot up, his eyes confused. But when Starfire wrapped her arms around the woman, the Teen Titans froze.

The others were standing still, their bodies tensed and their minds had expected something else. Cyborg had his sonic cannon out from his right arm, Raven had her hands glowing in black, Beast Boy had transformed into a dog, and Robin had his five silver disks in between his fingers, expecting for a familiar and rather selfish villian coming to greet them. But it wasn't who they thought was there.

Starfire sighed as her mother held her young daughter in her arms. The light from the setting sun came over her and they were actually able to see her face clearly. Her eyes were deep in color, almost pinch black. Her hair was thin and long like Starfire, but in a raven or violet color.

The woman's face seemed familiar in the features of someone else, and yet there was wisdom in her eyes, there was kindness in her smile, and her skin was just as fair and tanned as Starfire.

It was Starfire's oldest sister, Blackfire in whom they were thinking about just moments ago. Blackfire had come to visit Starfire after hearing so much about it. They looked almost exactly alike, except Blackfire had black hair and indigo eyes while Starfire had bright scarlet red hair and emerald eyes.

Both of them were very different people although they were sisters. Blackfire had always seemed to be good at everything, even when she came to Earth, she didn't have any trouble of fitting in, especially in Titans Tower. Blackfire knew everything about video games, how to recite poetry, how to fight karate, to dance; it seemed like her sister was practically perfect in every way.

According to all of what Starfire had told Robin, Blackfire seemed to have found a way to make Starfire seem so inferior compared to someone who knew everything while she didn't know as much. The other Titans thought that she was cool and wanted to spend every moment of the day with her.

But then, the dark secret of her perfect sister was out. It turned out that Blackfire was a fugitive, a thief on the run from prison for stealing and lying. Blackfire had come to Earth to protect herself from getting caught, by using Starfire as a decoy. Blackfire had given Starfire a beautiful diamond to wear around her neck, one of the things she had stolen. She had given it to Starfire so the alien police would believe Starfire was the thief.

Her own sister had framed her and had attempted to take her life away from her and be part of it herself, while Starfire would be captured and sent away into space. If they haven't had saved Starfire, she would have been lost forever.

The woman, who was in fact Starfire's mother, looked over her young daughter and cupped her face in her hands. "My little blumgorf...how have you been, my child?" "I'm fine, Mother." Starfire smiled and closed her eyes as she held her mother as tightly as she could.

She couldn't remember the last time she had smelled and hugged her mother. Her scent was as sweet as zorka berries that grew in the gardens and her warmth filled her with so many happy memories of her mother. But at the same time, some memories of when she had to be separated from her family came crawling back to her.

"You better take it or leave it!" The roaring rage of a tall, gruesome creature shouted at the King and Queen of Tamaran.

The creautures were called the Gordainians, the worst and most feared creatures throughout the entire Vegan Star System. They had heard stories of the planets they had attacked and wiped out completely out of existence. Their technology and brutal warriors were their advantage.

Now, the Gordainians had set their eyes on Tamaran, the peaceful planet of the Vegan Star System. The only way the Gordainians wouldn't destroy their planet is if they gave up their royal heir as a sacrifice.

Normally, the oldest would be the sacrifice but when Komand'r, or Blackfire as she is called now, was born, her body was too weak to be able to absorb and use the solar energy the Tamaraneans had worshipped and used to be able to fly and use their incredible, super-powered strengths. And for that, Blackfire was considered unworthy of being a princess despite her excellent fighting capabilities.

But unfortunately, Starfire was worthy. So the Gordainians wanted Starfire to come with them and be their slave for all eternity.

A rather small Starfire grabbed onto the leg of her young, beautiful mother. Luand'r held her for her life and gripped her daughter tightly, hoping that she wouldn't be able to leave. Blackfire stood behind the King and Queen and watched with big bright indigo eyes as they pushed aside her father to reach Luand'r and Young Starfire.

"Get out of the way!" One of the Gordainians shouted at Luand'r, his mouth drooling with green goo and his sharp teeth grinded together with frustration. Luand'r held Starfire in her arms as best as she could, but the Gordianian grabbed Luand'r by her skull and threw her to the wall. Everyone gasped as Starfire's mother exploded into the wall, groaning with pain.

Starfire's eyes glimmered with tears. "Mommy!" She shouted as Blackfire and the King reached for the queen to see if she was alive. "Mommy!" She cried again and tried to reach out for her, but a gigantic hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She whimpered as the leader of the Gordianians looked at her with its black eyes. "You're not going anywhere but with us! Because you are never going to see your family again!"

"No!" Starfire shouted and tried to jerk his hand away. But as she struggled, the Gordianian flipped her over his shoulder and wrapped an arm around her so she couldn't go. Even her super strength couldn't get her out and she couldn't fly with the monster crushing her lungs against its bony shoulders. So the only thing that she can do was cry loudly for her family to hear.

"Mommy! Daddy! No! Mommy! Komady!" Starfire burst into tears as her father held her whimpering mother in his arms. Blackfire stood beside them and her deep eyes watched Starfire as she was being forced to leave her family forever. Although her eyes were tearing up with tears, her violet eyes didn't exactly show pity for Starfire, but she was able to hide it from her and make it seem that she was sad.

"NO!" Starfire screamed as she was swallowed by the darkness and the spaceship floated away from the planet of Tamaran and Starfire was forced to dwell in Gordainia as a war-slave.

In the skies as they left for space, you can still hear the screams of a little girl crying and crying with the pain as her beatings from the monstrous beings came upon her with their whips and their knives. Starfire was only seven years old.

Starfire started crying in her mother's arms. Happy that she was able to hold her like this again and to be able to see her warm, loving eyes. She hummed with delight.

"I've missed you so much, mother."
"I've missed you too, Koriand'r." Her mother whispered.

A cough interrupted their little moment and made them embrace. They turned their heads toward the Teen Titans who were standing in front of their nearly destroyed ship. Starfire's mother gasped at the sight. "My goodness! What happened?" She shouted.

"We were attacked. But it wasn't anything we can't handle." Robin replied politely. "Yeah, you should have seen your daughter, Mrs. Starfire's Mom. She kicked major butt and saved our lives!" Beast Boy shouted with a large smile on his face. "Oh really? I'm glad that Koriand'r has been able to perform such a risky task to get you all here."

"Can I ask a question? What does Kori-Korn-Korny-Kori-uh...what does that name mean?" Beast Boy had tried to get his pronounciation correct, but his tongue was too tied up to get the words right. "Koriand'r is my real name, Beast Boy." Starfire giggled. "It is 'Fiery Star' in your language. Starfire is what I am known as today."

"And what is your name, little green creature?" Starfire's mother asked politely to Beast Boy with a smile that they recognized and had seen so many times before in Starfire. Beast Boy smiled happily that he was being noticed by Starfire's beautiful mom.

"I'm Beast Boy! And this is Raven, Cyborg, and Robin." Beast Boy pointed to each and every one of the Titans and they displayed their respects and gratitude toward Starfire's mother. She smiled at them and her violet eyes glittered, pleased of how some Earthlings acted with such kindness and respect for their elders.

"Greetings, Teen Titans of Earth. I'm rather honored of having such wondrous beings on this planet." Starfire's mother bowed her head and closed her eyes to show her respect to her guests. Her hair fell in front of her face and then she flipped it back as she stood tall before them. She adjusted her fur cloak and stared at them warmly. "My name is Luand'r, Koriand'r's mother and also Queen of the northern lands of Tamaran."

"Queen!" They all shouted. Starfire started to shiver for some reason.

"If you're Starfire's mom and also queen..." Beast Boy pointed his finger at Luand'r and then froze at Starfire, who was turning cherry red. "Then that means..." Cyborg's blue eye widened as long and almond shape as they can. "Starfire's a princess." Robin said lowly, his heart suddenly feeling weak.

Starfire giggled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck as her friends stared at her with hawk eyes and suspension and question. "Uh...didn't I tell you before? I am princess and second to become ruler. I must have forgotten about the subject." She giggled again as a sweatdrop beated down her forehead. She giggled although there was nothing to laugh about.

'Forgot?' Robin thought. 'How can you forget something like that?' He wanted to say to her, but he didn't. Like the way he was taught and raised, he tossed his feelings aside and just stared at Starfire as she avoided to meet his gaze.

"Mother! And what honor do I have for you to request me back?" Luand'r looked at her daughter and brushed her hand through her long red hair. "It is a surprise, my little kori'al. I don't want to say anything before we meet with your father at the feast. Oh, he would be so happy to see you again!"

Luand'r turned toward the guests and smiled. "Come, my new companions, and join us on a grand feast in honor of your arrival." "That sounds good, I'm hungry!" Cyborg shouted. "Good. Come this way."

Starfire turned toward her friends and then made a quick glance at Robin, who stood quietly as the others moved on to the palace. Luand'r placed a gentle arm around her daughter and pulled her to her side. Starfire walked with her mother and entered the palace, but she still looked at Robin with the corner of her eye.

"Wow...Star's a princess. Who would have thought?" Raven said with amusement in her dry voice. She made her hands come over her head and she took out her hood and revealed her neck length violet hair. "And dang! Are all Tamaranean girls that cute?" Beast Boy asked, referring to Starfire's mother and of course Starfire herself.

"I dunno. But all I know is that there's food waitin' for us. Come on, gang." Cyborg said and started walking. "I wonder if they have tofu here." Beast Boy asked loudly to himself. Raven looked at the green shapeshifter. "Probably not, for our sake." Beast Boy smiled.

"Good." He said and took out his suitcase. Inside a cubed blob of white wiggled inside. "I've brought some with me just in case." Raven arched an eyebrow. "Do you want us to starve that much?" She asked in a monotone. "Noo! I want each of us have something from back home. And I KNOW how much you have missed my tofu waffles, Raven." "Rriigghht." Raven spoke in sarcasism and walked in front of Beast Boy with a hard, scrambling feeling in her stomach.

Robin stood alone while everyone walked inside without him. The sun had already crossed the border line and darkness came upon Tamaran. The skies were illuminated with cool colors like purple and dark blue. Birds flew over his head, some feathers came down on his shoulders.

Robin's face was disoriented by the many thoughts that poisoned his mind. Although the others didn't seem affected, he felt that he just took the beating of his life. Why? Because he found out that Starfire was a princess. Worst of all, she didn't tell the Titans about it. She didn't tell him.

Why didn't she want him to know that? Maybe because that it was impossible for their kind of relationship to come true and maybe she had thought that it would be better if he didn't know. But he did and probably it would have been better. Because this sucked big time.

"Robin?" A soft voice called for him for the second time. Robin shook his head from his usual, deep thinking and saw a shadow standing beside the door. Long hair came by her side as she leaned her body over and slowly walked to Robin. "Star." He said lowly, his voice probably too low and probably too obtained by the information he had just received.

"Robin...are you angry with me?" Starfire asked softly. When Robin finally met her gaze instead of looking down shamely at the floor, her emerald eyes were filled with deep concern and worry. Robin seemed suprised that Starfire would actually think that. He was hurt a little, but not angry. "No Star. Of course not, I mean...why would I be?" "Because of the...first words my mother said to you. That I am royalty." Robin opened his mouth to speak, but Starfire stopped him.

"Robin, I don't want you to think that I don't trust you with my secrets. I do. You have no idea how much your trust means to me. I mean...you tell me all sorts of secrets and things that I don't understand." Starfire placed a hand on his shoulder and that touch already sent some hormones and some rather boy-ish thoughts to Robin's mind. But he focused on Starfire's eyes.

"But I want you to be able to understand this, because you understand more than anyone I know. I didn't tell you because I wanted to be able to experience things without any difficulty on your behavior. If the Teen Titans had known that I was a princess, you would have treated me differently, accepted me immediately.

But I didn't want that. I wanted your full trust. And now I have received it-although I was going to tell you later-you know and can understand why I didn't say. There are a lot of things you may not know about me, Robin, but I will tell you. Because...I trust you and I care for you so deeply that it can never be gone or taken away from me."

"Star..." Robin's eyes were widened. He didn't expect Starfire to say something like that. But at the same time, it was in her nature. And that was one of her best qualities that he had come to admire about her. He understood what she said though. There are a lot of things that they don't know about each other. But one day, they'll both know. He grabbed her hand lightly and kissed her hand.

"And I trust you, too Star. And I trust your judgment and everything you say. Nothing can change my trust in you. Nothing." Robin smiled at her warmly and she returned that smile.

Her eyes softened as Robin came close and his body pressed against hers. Starfire raised her hands up his chest and they wrapped around his neck. Her fingers curled around some black strands of his baby hair that have barely started growing. Robin held her by around the waist and smiled as he leaned his face close and kissed her warm lips with a deep kiss, better than the first.

Shooting stars crossed space over their heads as they held each other close and shared their tongues and warmth and care for that one moment. Moment of real love.