Chapter 2: Touch
Chapter 2 dedicated to: rock'n'roll bitch
Starfire and Robin shared their lunch in silence, Robin studying her face once in a while. He was really concerned about her sudden distancing from him. Had he done something wrong earlier? He recalled the incident in the hall. Perhaps she had been embarrassed? Robin supposed it might have been better to confront her fully dressed rather than startle her just as she'd come from a shower. Robin pulled out of his contemplation, noting she was staring at him curiously. "Robin, please do not think of my behavior… perhaps you can try to forget of my rudeness?" she asked softly. Robin smiled slightly.
"Alright, Star… if that's what you want," he surrendered with a reluctant sigh. What else could he do? Maybe she really had just been a little tired from the fight with Blade. It was reasonable; everyone else had gone to rest a while as well. Starfire looked thankful. He reached across the table and took her empty plate, standing from his seat and taking the dishes to the sink. He dumped them there blankly, regarding the growing pile of dirty silverware a moment before shrugging and returning to the table where Star was fiddling with her water glass.
She looked up at him as he came to stand near her. "Want to go see if the others feel like going to the park or something?" he asked. Blade hadn't been connected to much of a case, it appeared she'd just come to cause trouble and see how long she could wrestle with the Titans before she was caught, so Robin didn't have any files to work through at the moment. Starfire's face lit up at the proposition and she nodded, floating from her seat. Perhaps the shard could sink back into oblivion… at least for a while.
The princess hovered next to him as they approached Beast Boy's door. "Friend, do you wish to venture to the park with Robin and me?" Starfire trilled sweetly. Beast Boy's door slid open after a series of loud clicks indicating he was taking off his obnoxious amount of locks.
"Sure, why not?" the changeling agreed amicably, sliding out from his room with an easy shrug. Starfire beamed. She floated ahead to the next door. Raven.
"Friend, do you wish to venture to the park with Beast Boy, Robin, and me?" She inquired. Raven didn't even open her door; instead she muttered a muffled no from behind the steel barrier. Starfire's shoulders slumped slightly, but she shrugged it off and quickly flitted to Cyborg's quarters, BB and Robin trailing easily after her.
She repeated her offer. Star heard Cyborg yawn boisterously. "Aw, sorry Star. I'm charging up right now. Maybe I can meet y'all out there if you're still there in a few hours," he apologized. Starfire was understanding.
"Indeed. That would be glorious, Friend Cyborg," she piped. She turned and stretched out her lean frame, twirling once and coming to land beside Robin, who had been watching the spectacle with interest. Robin smiled softly at her, and she noted a small flicker of affection in the gesture. Star grinned back at him. "Let us depart, my friends," she urged. Beast Boy bounded back down the hall, heading towards the main door enthusiastically. They burst outside, Starfire laughing as Beast Boy shifted to the form of a puppy and tumbled down the walk.
Despite the grey, Starfire's radiant personality made the unusually stuffy winter day feel like a wonderful spring afternoon. Robin strolled after her as she glided after BB, watching his two friends dancing down the path with childlike eagerness. Star was the only person in the universe that could make a trip to the park seem like the most amazing thing in the world. Robin grinned as he watched his flame-haired friend leap into the air and soar upward. Beast Boy quickly followed suit in the form of an eagle. Star dipped back down towards Robin and without warning she'd wrapped her arms about his chest and lifted him into the air. Luckily, the Boy Wonder was fairly used to her transporting him to various places and was unfazed as she gained altitude so she was flying through the air beside BB again.
Starfire stayed below the clouds, which still looked as if they were considering disgorging their contents onto Jump City. She giggled as she felt a surge of energy run through her. Robin jerked suddenly, yelping. "Robin! What is the matter?" she asked, concerned.
"Damn, something burnt me!" he growled, trying to look down at himself as pain shot through his side. "Under your wrist, Star. Lift it up so I can see what happened," Robin directed. Starfire's jade pools jumped wide and she unconsciously stiffened as they continued to fly through the air. She edged her arm lower on his waist so he could bend a bit and examine any damage as they flew. Beast Boy shifted from eagle to African Gray so he could talk.
"Dude, what's wrong?" the changeling inquired in his high-pitched, choppy parrot voice.
"Ah, something burnt me. Star, it wasn't… a star bolt… was it?" he asked suddenly, looking up at her in confusion and ignoring the stabs of pain rushing at the burn. There was a small hole in his uniform, tinged with brown from where the heat had burnt away the cloth and his skin was red and raw beneath. Starfire shook her head furiously, catching a glimpse of a barely noticeable pattern on his skin. The twisting line that indicated the shard…
"No! I would never…" she broke off. "Let us land," she muttered, and with that she dove toward the earth. Beast Boy dipped down beside her and they landed lightly. Robin winced in pain. They were now only a block or so from the park. As Beast Boy and Robin examined the curious burn, Starfire carefully turned to look under her wrist. She stifled a small gasp. The symbol had burnt through both bandage and glove and was pulsing with the emerald light that made her star bolts. She swallowed and took a few steps back, eyes big, and without a word to her friends she ran away.
"Starfire!" Robin yelled, hearing her footsteps echoing down the sidewalk. Robin whirled to see her form receding and all thoughts of his burn fled. He took off after her, Beast Boy waving his arms in surprise and darting after the two running figures. Starfire threw a glance over her shoulder. She bit her lip and launched into the air, flying quickly out of sight. As she flew she stripped off her neck guard and let it drop along with her communicator. The last thing she needed was her friends tracking her down right now.
Robin skidded to a stop as Starfire's communicator and neck guard slammed into the sidewalk in front of him, the steel neck piece actually cracking the sidewalk a smidgen. Robin cursed inwardly. She'd taken off any chance of tracking her. Beast Boy stumbled up beside him, panting. "Man, what's with her?" he whined. Robin scowled. He'd known something was wrong. Now she'd run away… He looked back at the burn mark. Had it really been her fault? Surely Star would never actually try to hurt him… Robin winced again.
Starfire flew without any sense of direction, wind whipping her hair back. Why was the mark acting up now? Ryand'r hadn't said anything of the shard having its own source of power or anything like it. She increased her speed, squeezing her eyes shut as she flew higher and higher. Then, a wave of dizziness rocked through her. Starfire jolted to an incredibly abrupt stop, her bones jarring with the rough movement. Star hovered at that height and brought a cool hand to her head, moaning softly as her vision began to swim. Something was very wrong. The mark on her wrist began to pulse, shooting pain down the length of her arm. Starfire uttered a soft cry of fright and then her vision went blank. All she saw was blinding light and she had the wild sensation of free fall.
The light intensified and then suddenly faded to leave blackness. After no more than a few seconds of the darkness she was assaulted with a nauseating amount of pictures, scenes, flying through her mind. Starfire saw her sister, standing at a massive set of gates. Blackfire lifted her left wrist and it glowed with the brilliant magenta that characterized her sister's bolts. The magenta light cast an image onto the stone gate. The symbol. Her sister had gotten Ryand'r's shard… Starfire's head grew foggy and thick and then sharply cleared again. Her sister standing over Ryand'r's body with her arm outstretched and the shard ripping from her brother's flesh and flying to imbed itself into her sister's wrist while she chanted some strange words of foreign tongue. Comand'r… Blackfire… laughed as the shard flashed and then sunk into her skin.
The image began to change again, but a sudden pain blocked everything out. She screamed as her fall was stunted by sharp, dragging objects. Moments later her limp body smacked hard into something wet. Water. She'd fallen in a lake? Or was she in the bay? She didn't have time to think because she was still falling, sinking down into the water. Her eyes flashed open with the sudden rush of adrenaline that screamed for her to fight for survival. Starfire's eyes were wild with fear and she tried to move to swim back up to the surface. Her lungs were burning for air, the breath having been knocked out of her upon immediate impact. Starfire tried to thrash but only succeeded in ensnaring herself in her long hair. Her clothes weighed her down further.
As Starfire's view of the world slowly narrowed in on her and sweet darkness began to encase her, she was immersed with a strange warmth. As her eyes closed something began to materialize in front of her. It glittered and winked silver. The other shard…? The silver thing slipped from view and she lapsed from consciousness to the ringing music of a strange and alien tongue.
Starfire woke with a blistering headache and feeling like a soggy mass of rumpled cloth. She groaned and with effort she was able to prop herself up. Starfire swallowed. Her mouth felt oddly dry. She blinked her eyes, her lids feeling sluggishly heavy. She was caked with mud from head to toe and long scratches had torn slashes into her uniform and left shallow marks along her back and her arms and legs, little beads of blood bubbling up from the cuts. Starfire coughed. She moved her neck stiffly, trying to piece together what had happened. She was lying on the shore of a very small lake, but it appeared quite deep. Old, gnarled trees had bowed out over the water, completely covering the sky and creating a lush umbrella over the small oasis. She could hear cars in the distance.
She must be near the highway. Probably in the still wooded area set for clearing next week. She grimaced as her eyes were drawn to small tatters of purple cloth dangling from the stretching branches over the lake. Well, now she knew where'd she'd fallen and why she was so scratched up. Considering how high she'd been when she'd begun to fall, the trees and the water coupled with her strong alien body had probably been what saved her. Starfire whimpered softly as she evaluated what her fall must have been like. Not very pretty, she decided.
Starfire lifted a hand to her head, the other propping her up. Her head was absolutely throbbing. She managed to lean forward enough that she was slumped over with her hands upturned in her lap. Star blinked a few times. One… two shards? One on her right wrist… and her left? She stared at them blankly. She had… the full key? How? Blackfire would have to be dead then… and this would mean she was the only suitable holder for the other shard right now, if it had managed to travel all the way to earth and to her. Or it had been sent. Yes, it had been sent… by Blackfire? No. The music. The voice had not been her sister's. Starfire had a sinking suspicion these shards were more magic than scientific experiment.
She reached down to her side to take her communicator up and call for her friends, and then realized she'd taken it off running away from Robin. Tears sprang to her eyes. Oh, how could it get any worse? She was sitting in the middle of the woods, weak and dizzy, with no way to call for her friends and no way to make her way home on her own. Not to mention she now had both shards and they were supposed to be kept separate. She now wondered exactly how powerful this "source" could be anyhow. Starfire gave a desperate sob. Why was all this happening now? Stupid Blackfire. If she hadn't died, Starfire wouldn't have this other shard… wait. Starfire stopped her soft crying to sit bolt upright. Her sister was dead.
Or something or someone had happened to remove the shard and send it to Starfire. Starfire took a few shallow breaths. Comand'r… her sister had tried to kill her as a child, yes, but she was Star's only surviving blood-relative… Starfire's sobs came anew. She prayed to X-Hal that Blackfire was not dead. The girl fell to the side and curled into a wretched little ball. Curse this day. She really wished Robin would come and find her now. What she would give to feel him take her into his arms… Starfire's body shook with more cries. She had hurt Robin.
As if in sympathy to her situation, the clouds then decided to release their bounty and she was soon being pelted with heavy rain-tears. Starfire huddled into a smaller ball. She didn't want the cloud's sympathy. The poor girl's thoughts became addled. She managed to shift enough that she could look up at the sky. Star squeezed her eyes shut and used all the will power she had to try and open her mind to Raven. Perhaps the dark girl had been notified of what had happened by Robin and Beast Boy and was even now mentally searching for her. She reached a weak hand behind her and sunk her fingers into the wet mud above her, trying to drag herself further up the bank.
She gave a cry of pain. Every fiber in her being ached. Such a fall would have killed most. For a moment, she wished it had killed her.
Raven levitated in the back of the T-car. "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos," she whispered for the umpteenth time as she mentally reached out for Starfire's aura. It seemed as if Starfire had completely ceased to exist, because the empath could not even detect the faintest sense of her friend. Then, she felt it. The soft twinge that told her she'd located Starfire. It wasn't hard to lock onto Starfire's mind. It was easily the least corrupted mind in the entirety of the city… and it seemed wherever the girl was, was fairly secluded at that.
Raven quickly used her will to push into Starfire's mind and gather the surroundings. Starfire? Raven's soft voice echoed in the alien's head. Raven? Starfire thought back. She must be going crazy in her weakened state, Starfire thought. Starfire, we're coming to get you. Raven's voice said. Starfire's sobs quieted a little and she stilled. Well, if Raven said so… Star drifted into a bluntly peaceful unconsciousness. Despite the fact she was highly considering the fact that Raven's "voice" was probably all her fatigued mind's conjuring.
Raven flipped open her communicator and contacted Robin with Starfire's area, or at least the best idea of what it was from what she'd gathered with Star's senses. Robin had nodded, his jaw set, and he'd closed the link. The R-cycle roared down the streets and out onto the highway towards the undeveloped area. He could care less he had been soaked to the bone by the relentless rain. Robin swung off the road, his bike soaring over the safety rail and careening down a hill into the wooded area. He struggled to keep it under control and as soon as the ground stopped sloping he skidded to a stop, shut off the R-cycle and jumped off, running deeper into the wood.
"STARFIRE!" Robin yelled. He didn't care if the stupid little burn had been Star's fault. He knew her. She would never have intentionally tried to hurt him. Whatever was wrong… he had to help fix it. "STAR!" he yelled again. Robin burst through some more trees and nearly toppled forward into the shallows of the small lake. His boots were immersed as the lake water lapped over his feet. He looked up. Lavender cloth hung like streamers from the trees overhanging the lake. "Starfire…" Robin whispered.
He scanned the lake banks with his sharp eyes and locked onto a small form sprawled on the opposite bank. Star. Robin sprinted around the edge of the lake and dropped to his knees beside her limp body. "Starfire, what happened to you…" he breathed, staring at her muddy and bruised body. Robin blinked, and then scooped Star up into his arms bridal style. She hung almost lifeless, save the irregular rise and fall of her chest.
Robin supported her with one arm and cradled her against his chest, using the other hand to call the rest of the titans. By the time he'd gotten back to the R-cycle with Starfire in his arms, the others were waiting. It was late now. In the time between Star's fall and when Raven had reached her, the titans had combed through the city several times and the sun had disappeared below the horizon. Now, the stretch of highway above them was empty except for the T-car, which was parked obtrusively on the shoulder of the highway.
Robin scrambled up the hill with Star held close and the others followed after him. Raven used her powers to move the R-cycle back up onto the street. Robin laid Star carefully in the back to the T-car and then slipped gingerly in beside her, holding her head on his lap. No one argued. Rather, Raven and the R-cycle were consumed in black energy and she teleported home. Beast Boy rode shot-gun and Cyborg took the wheel. "Will she be ok?" Cyborg asked as he sped home.
"I think so. She took a really bad fall though," Robin said. He cleared his throat, choking out the waver that wanted to edge in on his voice.
"It… wasn't… that b-bad…" Starfire mewed weakly. Robin looked down in surprise. Her eyes were half open. "B-but I feel… quite… sore," she mumbled. Robin stroked some hair from her face. Star tried to smile and managed a very tiny grin before she slipped away from consciousness yet again. Before black completely encased her, she managed a soft sorry and a difficult lift of her hand to lightly touch where Robin had been burned before her hand fell limp again. Robin took her hand in his own and looked at her wrists. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he saw the symbols through the tattered fabric.
Robin pulled her further onto his lap and pressed his face into her hair. Cyborg looked back at his leader through the rear-view mirror. Robin seemed pretty bent up. He never had done well when Star got hurt. They rode in silence all the way back to the tower, and Robin carefully took Starfire out of the back seat and carried her into the tower and into the infirmary where Raven was already waiting. Robin laid her softly onto the hospital-like bed. Raven immediately took to healing Starfire's cuts and bruises.
"What do you think happened?" Raven asked quietly. Robin shook his head, lightly rubbing Star's shoulder with his thumb.
"I don't know. I got burnt, we landed, she ran, and we found her like this," Robin said, bewildered. Raven finished healing Star, and the girl looked good as new… albeit in need of a rinse. Raven looked at Robin.
"You should go get changed before you get sick. Star won't wake up for a while. I'm going to go into her mind and see if I can coax her into consciousness," Raven suggested gently. She knew well that Robin was a bit more attached to Starfire than the others. Robin nodded reluctantly, eyes sweeping over Starfire's vulnerable, sleeping form. He wanted to know what was happening to his friend so badly... As he left, Raven placed two fingers on the center of Star's forehead and closed her eyes. "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted.
Starfire?
… Starfire didn't respond. Starfire. You're home. Can you hear me? Raven persisted. Raven felt Starfire shift groggily under her hand. I am… on Tamaran? Came the meek and confused inquiry. No. You're in the Tower infirmary. Raven corrected. Oh. I see. Starfire's voice replied. Raven then felt herself spinning. When everything steadied, Raven was standing in a softly lit field of pale yellow and white flowers. The sky was a light, sparkling lilac. Starfire was standing with her back to Raven, dressed in a silky white gown that hung over her in loose, rippling folds. Raven blinked. Ok, so this was Starfire's mind.
Hi. Raven said blankly. Starfire turned to face her friend. You need to wake up. Raven commanded bluntly. Star tilted her head to the side.
It feels better in here. The Tamaranian princess countered quietly.
I healed you. You should feel fine. Raven interjected. Starfire frowned and looked down at her wrists. It wasn't physical feeling she was concerned about. She didn't feel like dealing with the shards. She didn't feel like trying to answer Robin's inevitable questions. She had hardly a doubt he'd seen the shards, considering the state of her gloves when he must have found her.
It is not pain in my body I wish to escape. Starfire sighed. Raven rocked irritably onto one hip, perching a hand on it and narrowing her eyes.
Than what? Raven muttered. Star looked away.
Robin. I will have to explain… things to him that I hardly understand myself. And once he knows, I do not know what he will think. She mourned. Raven huffed.
You mean the shards? Raven asked. Starfire looked up, startled. I received your memories of the shard and your sister when I first found you out there by the lake. Raven explained, tapping her head with one finger. Starfire's shoulders slumped. I would've never guessed that Blackfire had hated you that much. Nor would I have guessed you were connected to a universally powerful… thing… like that which the shards unlock. I've heard of the power a little bit. When I was on Azerath. Just like you knew a little about Trigon from your time on Tamaran. Raven said matter-of-factly. She didn't seem the least bit ruffled by the alien girl's potential to gain such immense power.
Would Robin think it horrid? Star asked quietly. Raven shook her head.
No. I mean, he'll want to rip Blackfire's head off… although it seems you think she may already be dead. Starfire nodded bleakly. Either way, you need to wake up. Robin will think you staying unconscious is more "horrid" than having those shard things. Of course… they're no light matter. I don't know if you should try and find the power or if you should just hope nothing bad happens with the shards so close. But, I mean… at least now they shards can't fall into evil hands. Raven reasoned, her voice sharp and very authoritative. Starfire sighed.
Perhaps you are correct. I would not wish to worry him… Though I am reluctant to wake up. I do not wish to deal with the shards. I do not wish to acknowledge this power. Perhaps the others will think I am terrible… being connected to such a bad force. Starfire murmured.
Yeah, well, you really need to wake up before he starts to get spastic or something. Then we can see if they think you're terrible. Off hand I don't think that's really possible. This isn't your fault. I can't even see why it's such a big deal to you. Raven rambled dryly. This elicited a darkened look from Starfire. She gave a reluctant sigh and waved at Raven, indicating she would see her dark friend on the other side. Raven gave a curt wave back and left Star's mind. She opened her amethyst eyes to see Starfire blinking against the bright infirmary light. She looked at Raven and the half-demon saw much fear in the princess's gaze.
Author's Note: I wasn't too pleased with this chapter, but I guess it's alright. I'll try to get chapter three up around Monday or Tuesday. A lot of you said you wanted Titans News back, so I'll start that up in chapter three, I think. Please feel free to put whatever questions you want answered in Titans News via review. Constructive Criticism and the such are very appreciated. I appologize for all spelling/ grammatical errors in both this and the previous chapter... spelling is not really my forte... For those of you who thought I might have rushed a bit in explaining what the shards were... yes, I supose I did in a way. However, it was a necesarry thing to place early on so I can bring in some of the other elements of the plot later on where it all ties in, ect. Very good suggestion though, I'll try to refrain from rushingthrough things. Thank you! As I've said, reviews are wonderful, so if you have the time it would be lovely.
Love,
Princess Starfire of Tamaran