Chapter Nine: Deceptive Heights
She wiped her forehead with a sore hand of her prior slapping.
At that second, the Tamaranean had aimed her hands ignited with blinding starbolts in assessment with green highlighted eyes ready to fire.
"Starfire, death is hardly a consequence for someone like me…." He lowered his voice so that only she may hear; she may as well if these most likely would be his last moments alive "…. After all that we've overcame, and all that you've showed me… I just want you to know how truly and deeply—despite how I have treated you from time to time—that I undeniably am…"
Dare he say it? Dare he let his message be tethered by his secret bottle any longer, or willhe finally be founded out? His eyes glistened with confusion and hurt, he could feel the last seconds of his will draining out of him…he didn't have much time to decide. Death was growing impatient.
His mouth gaggled and croaked at his attempts, trying to muster out the most difficult words he'd ever hope to say…
She cocked her head slowly, curious and waiting patiently for his last will.
He rewrote over what he wanted to say at the last minute.
"…Going to miss you so terribly much" He ended with a disappointed sigh
Why wouldn't a friend miss a friend?
After all, that was all she must've been: a friend.
Starfire paused a second, and slightly backed down her fully extended arm with a look of concern dismissed in the depths of her bright glowing green eyes. And for one bright shinning second, Robin felt and saw: the aroma, the spirit, the beauty, and the soul of the Starfire buried deep within the grave soil of ''The Ring Mistress''.
Suddenly something flashed before here eyes.
Starfire had a shortly timed flashback of when she and the boy wonder first saw the green landscape outside of Gotham, and then morphed to when they made their three-minute eye contact. Then changed to when they held hands while running freely across the beautiful plains and finally up to when they barely three-fourths of a centimeter away from savoring each others' tastes for their first interrupted kiss.
But the alien beauty's flashback only lasted for three precious moments, the good that was now being completely conquered in her heart only made a last attempt before being completely banished. The overflow of adrenaline and hate was regrouping and overpowering her will power as her eyes flashed blue another second before resuming to green, her eyebrows now head-to-head in glare and her arm up and set.
"I'll remember to mourn your death after I cremate you to ashes" She replied coldly
''Yes, my faint-headed Robin, we both shall drop by for a friendly visit. Errrr---would you prefer your ashes in a fiery oblivion or perhaps a wasteland? I simply cannot decide!'' The Ring Master gloated evilly from behind her with his back whip in his hand, laughing at his own cruel, black humor
"Why don't you stick it up your ass? See how it feels…" Robin coughed between the blood that was beginning to flood at his mouth as he spat a pink sludge at The Ring Master
He expected The Ring Master's diamond-white eyes to grow or perhaps even a nice whiplash on his back again and again until he was either dead or The Ring Master would be too tired to whip any more. No. He instead only glared at The Ring Master deathly for a few, uneasy moments until he saw an arrogantly devilish grin spread across his lips. Whatever he had in store for him, it would be much more sinister; not this, not now, he had something better in mind.
"…Except for that tongue…" The Ring Master purred as he looked at the slob of spit Robin had shot (and missed) at him on the floor, then back at him "…I'll slice it from his mouth, and keep it as a memento, hang it on my wall reminding me of how much I will enjoy killing him as painfully as I can" He cunningly snickered more to himself rather than to his assistant as she also let out an evil cackle
She seemed to have the attitude of a vileness wench, but something still made her madness seem false, fake, acting. A parrot with it canny needs to repeat its master.
Robin was frozen, from everything; he knew that if the approaching heart attack wouldn't end him, he promised to finish his own self off. There was no longer any more need to live, he looked at life like a plague, a poison, but remembering the flashes of blue from Starfire's eyes had triggered an idea, one last hope to stop this battle of love.
''She doesn't truly love you, Ring Master, I just found it out, you only have only destroyed the memories she had. But she doesn't love you by heart, she loves you by force... and you know it. So tell me, is it really worthwhile that she only loves you because she was FORCED to? Or wouldn't it be more pure and precious if it were REAL? From her own WILL?'' He had puzzled trying to talk sense into the psychotic criminal
The Ring Master gaped at the boy wonder's words, he was buried too deep in denial to say it, but he knew the truth had been exposed. She was bonded to him by force, by he wouldn't take it, he wouldn't stand for it; he must destroy the voice that had said those unreachable words so that they could never be repeated in the light again. His eyes highlighted an exceptionally bright blue
''Love is not given by force, it is by will'' Robin concluded ''If you truly love Starfire as much as you say you do...you have to obey of what she wants, and what she wants is not you''
The Ring Master paused for a moment but intentionally rejected harshly.
''THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LOVE IN THIS COLD WORLD YOU IDIOTIC FOOL! SHE PROBABLY NEVER EVEN LOVED YOU EITHER! I LOVE HER, AND THAT'S ALL WHAT MATTERS!'' He shouted at the top of his lungs, awakening unconscious Titans in the sides ''HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MY LOVE! I shall enjoy your death, Robin, and especially more after THIS!''
The Ring Master shot his whip as it coiled tightly around Starfire's waist; he pulled her hard as she was tugged close to him. With a final devilish smirk from his lips, he rested his hands upon her hips; Robin cursed vividly in his mind with hate and jealously raging from his masked eyes. He almost wanted to kill The Ring Master for having such undeserved fortune to touch Starfire so intimately as Robin had always secretly dreamed for so long.
The Circus Madman smiled devilishly at his assistant, and it happened again, the Tamaranean's eyes flashed blue for a second, representing the ruthless control he had over her will. And with that she smiled evilly back as well, that was the moment Robin understood, the Circus Ringer was going to pursue and soil the most cleanest, purest and beautiful part of Starfire's entire body: her rosy red lips. Robin felt the almost forgotten jolt as it reunited and throbbed in his: heart, mind and stomach. However, this time it wasn't a jolt of being aroused or nervousness, it was a rare emotion of pain and jealousy polluting his entire mind from staying in his right head. Just the mere thought of having someone's lips other than his own to be the first to flavor Starfire's savory liquid was almost emotionally and physically life-threatening. He knew he couldn't resist seeing another kiss Starfire without him having a minimum heart attack first, no, he couldn't let that happen. He shouldn't let it happen, and he WONT let it happen: he will not permit it, while he's still alive, to allow someone else to poison such a precious opportunity to be so immortally abused.
The Ring Master neared his face to his assistant with her demandingly nearing as well, the Boy Wonder's jealousy had captured the best of him as he had forgotten he was mortal and could die at any given moment. He had forgotten he had gadgets and replaced them with powerful fists and legs of hate and fury and above all…he had forgotten his hate and fear of the circus.
Robin charged harder and faster than he had ever before, and sprinted with all the power his legs could offer and lunged at The Ring Master to shove him out of the way before he could perish the Tamaranean's untouched lips.
The brainwashed alien was outraged as she saw the human hero battling brutally against the circus demon himself. Her hand emerged with burning starbolts, but was stopped when a 300-pounded android and held her from behind.
Robin had chased The Ring Master all around the abandoned circus station, but their chase was now resorting to the worst part of any circus act to Robin's eyes: the acrobatic swings. Robin saw it as he was racing toward it with The Ring Master charging in front.
The circus culprit accelerated up the ladder to the top where the swings were dangling, Robin thought quickly and remembered his gadgets as he pulled out his bird hook and shot it up to the top to make sure he was there first.
At the same time, both villain and hero had met at the same platform; they exchanged deadly glares as they both readied their weapons.
The Ring Master acted fast and kicked Robin in his chest on off the platform, but from earlier years of practice; the Boy Wonder reached out his hands and gripped the acrobatic swing behind him. Robin kicked his legs forward to get a more rapid and extended swing.
He bucked his legs and swung to the second swing even further behind him, leaving the other he had previously used now dangling unoccupied.
The Ring Master glared as he too jumped forward and grasped a swing also kicking his feet to gain speed and increase of range, but Robin was the better one to gain speed faster. For as soon as he went as fast as he needed, he awaited the perfect time to strike: and then it came. Robin bucked his feet and lunged himself at the coming Ring Master. He let go of his handle bar and kicked The Ring Master hard in his lower abdomen, but the impact caused both fighters to lose their grip...
And were now free falling to the ground 40 feet below them.