Chapter Twelve: "Messenger"

That night everyone went to bed concerned. They didn't know who would do such terrible deeds to both Starfire and Robin. Although, once again, Robin was having his nightmare.

"Robin, someone was chasing me, please help me." Starfire pleaded to him.

"I'll protect you, I promise." He smiled.

The girl appeared before him and Starfire.

"You again!" he shouted. "Leave Starfire alone." He shouted at her in a stern voice, trying to scare her.

The girl took a few steps closer. But soon fell through the floor, but when Robin leaned over to see where she went, all he found was a shadowed floor.

"What kind of trick is this?" he asked more to himself than anyone else. He turned around to see if Starfire was ok. There she was, lying on the floor with a single light shining over her.

"Starfire!" he shouted as he ran to her, but she was unconscious. He kneeled down and tried to pick her up, but his hands went straight through her, as though she was a ghost, an illusion.

"What kind of joke is this!" he asked, looking at her. She seemed so real. He heard what seemed to be the sound of wind, but he didn't feel anything.

"Not a joke." It said to him.

Robin got up and looked around. He walked a few steps away from Starfire. But quickly turned back around when he heard her scream, he ran back to her and found her bleeding.

"STARFIRE!" he shouted. He tried to pick her up, but again he could not. Starfire seemed to have noticed him and looked up.

"R-robin, I am . . . bleeding." She sobbed. "Please, I do not think I will make it." She continued crying. "Please, Robin, hold me in your arms." She pleaded through tears.

Robin tried, he truly did. "Starfire," he began to cry, "I can't, I want to, but I can't." he berried his face in his hands.

The girl reappeared in front of him, both smiling, and saddened.

"YOU!" he stood up, "You did this didn't you!" he pointed as he accused her.

The girl didn't say anything. She just disappeared, back into the shadows. He walked over to where she disappeared, but found nothing but a wall.

"Who are you?" he shouted, "And how could you let Starfire die like that! You could have saved her, couldn't you?" he shouted, pounding the ground as he fell.

The wind like voice came again, "I could have." It said to him.

"But you didn't." his face felt like a burning fire. He got up and yelled out to the voice, "Show yourself you coward . . . you murderer!"

The girl came out of the shadows again.

"YOU?" he pointed at her. "You did this!" he tried to grab her shoulders, but his hands passed right through her. Then the light that was on Starfire slowly grew, and showed a wall filled with Robin's missing gadgets and pictures of him. It was like a shrine.

The girl walked over to him and for an instant, he felt her. He felt her body touch him, and she pressed her lips to his. Robin pushed her away. Wait, he could touch her now.

"Why did you let her die!" Robin yelled at her, shaking her as he did.

"She stood in the way." Was all she said.

"So you can talk. Wait, what do you mean she stood in the way, she stood in the way of what?" he demanded.

"Us." The wind like voice said again. The girl disappeared again.

"Us? I don't even know you! And you killed Starfire!" he yelled out at her.

Through the shadows the girl stared at him. Robin turned to Starfire and tried once again to pick her up. This time, he was successful. He pulled her into his arms and he cried. He didn't care if anyone saw him. He loved her.

"You should never had told her you loved her." The winded voice told him.

"I don't care what you don't like. Now tell me who you are!" Robin demanded yet again.

The girl stared at him.

"Please, tell me who you are." He pleaded, still holding Starfire in his arms.

"I am Shadow, but I'm not the one you need to fear. I am merely a messenger." She told him, kneeling in front of him.

"Sent by who?" he asked.

"Someone who loves you." She answered.

"Who is that? And why is all my stuff missing? Why are you working for them?" he asked, wanting to know everything he could about who and why this person was hurting him so.

"She is . . . the leader of us Shadows. She takes your things because she loves you; she wants to learn everything there is about you. And I work for her because I must. She is the only family I've ever known." She answered.

"Why are you telling me this now? Why couldn't you tell me before?"

"Because I was instructed not to. You should never had told her you loved her." The girl replied.

"Why not?" Robin asked angrily.

"Because, She is very angry and she will stop at nothing to get you." She said, getting up and walking away.

"Are you real? Or are you just an illusion." He asked her.

"Wake up and find out." She told him.

"What?" he asked confused.

"Wake up."

Robin woke up to find that it was still dark. He looked around his room, wondering if what he dreamt was real. Robin got out of bed and headed to Raven's room. He needed to tell her what had just happened.