I stood on the roof of Sam's apartment, a blanket draped over my arms. All day I had been trying to catch Starfire and apologize, but she skillfully avoided my gaze and seemed determined to avoid being in the same room with me. Like Star, I had changed back into my usual Navi attire.
Across the roof from me, Star was curled up in a plastic lawn chair, staring out over the vast expanse of the Undernet.
When I had walked half the distance to Starfire I stopped and spoke. "You'll get cold out here." Not the opening line I had planned on, but whatever works.
She turned and glared at me before turning around. "And what if you're lying to me? What if I'll be fine?"
Sighing, I went and sat down on the end of the lawn chair. "Star, why can't you believe me when I say I didn't mean for anyone to be hurt in this?"
Finally looking me in the eyes, my blonde partner seemed furious. "Because I trusted you Proto! I trusted you to be honest with me and then you lied to me! Trust takes years to build and…"
"…Seconds to shatter. I know." I said, completing her sentence. "Look, you can be mad at me all you like," I spread the blanket over her lap, "But I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
Crossing her arms and looking away, Star was quiet for a while. "They said I'm crazy." She stated. "They say I'm crazy to do what I do. Nobody understands why I do this."
Turrning Star to face me, my hands rested gently on her shoulders. "I understand Star. I don't care if you see sunshine in the pouring rain. I've seen you at your best and I think I understand." I smiled. "Why do you think I keep coming back to you? I'm on your side."
Tears formed in Star's eyes. "You took a chance on me… and you still get me. Even when none of the pieces fit, you seem to make sense of everything."
Brushing away a tear, I smiled. "That's because you're an out of the ordinary girl in an ordinary world. And I love that about you."
Moving forward, Star leaned her forehead against mine. When she spoke, her voice was just a whisper. "I forgive you Proto…forgive me?"
Wrapping my arms around her, I lay down, Star leaning into me. "How can I not?"
For the longest time, we just lay there gazing at the stars and talking about anything we wanted to. As the moon rose higher in the sky, Star turned to me. "It's odd to think, after all ShadowMan's put us through, each time we face him could be the last. Each time could be our last adventure." She smiled. "Mind you, they are highly impromptu. Besides that first one."
A memory played through my mind as I remembered the end of our first battle against ShadowMan.
"I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to see your eyes though."
"Don't worry, there'll be plenty of other opportunities to see them."
Reaching up, I fingered the edge of my sunglasses. "You know…you didn't get to see my eyes like you wanted to."
Chuckling, Star yawned. "It's all right. One day I will."
"It's always 'one day…' with you. What about now?" With that, I pulled off my sunglasses.
Star stared at me for the longest time before reaching out and running her fingertips over my eyes, which I closed so she could do so. "Your eyes…they're beautiful Proto…"
I blushed but Star didn't seem to notice.
"You were right…they're the perfect mix of midnight blue and navy blue…" She leaned in. "They're perfect. Just like you."
Smiling, I moved in a bit too. "I'm not perfect. I just try to be."
After sharing a kiss we both leaned back to watch the stars and enjoy one more peaceful night together.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Surprisingly, this was one of my favorite chapters to write. I've been planning it for a while, but not as long as the upcoming one. I estimate at least another two chapters until we get to it. Now while there have been no guesses as to what my plot twists have been, that's okay! They haven't occurred yet. Keep reading, because Red Sun Rising is almost coming to a close! So everyone knows what that means. Yep, a final gigantic, super-sized, how-the-heck-did-they-find-that-many-people-to-fight BATTLE! Yay!
SITHKING ZERO: With enough explosions to make a pyromaniac's dreams come true….