First of, just cuz Robin and Raven are the main characters doesn't mean I have to ship 'em, but it doesn't mean I won't. You'll just have to see when I get later into the story. (wink wink)

Second of all, thanks to everyone who responded and for your patience. Homework is insane lately.

And, of course, the disclaimer is the same as always. Stupid, but neccessary.

Chapter 5

"Alright, y'all, Robin and Raven are missing and Red X obviously had something to do with it. I say we search the city and see what we can dig up," Cyborg said as he examined the broken gadgets from the two aforementioned boys.

"You do not suppose that they could be working together?" Starfire gasped a bit too loudly.

Cyborg shook his head. "Robin and Rae may be our 'treading-the-line' teammates, but I doubt that they'd push it that far. More likely Red X kidnapped them or something. I doubt that they'd help him of their own free will."

Beast Boy spoke up, "Well, maybe they were fighting somebody."

Cyborg nodded. "Maybe, but there's too much xinothium to be sure of anything. I couldn't even get a DNA trace on Robin's own birdarang. Everything's contaminated. My best guess is that Red X had a malfunction with his suit, but we can't be sure of anything."

"So there is no way of knowing what has happened?" Starfire asked, concern evident in her voice.

Shrugging, Cyborg said, "If Robin and Raven were here, I'd suggest that one of them go udnercover and try to get information from one of the citizens, but they're not."

"Why can't one of us do it?" Beast Boy suggested.

"Dude, you're green. And its not like I'm the most inconspicuous guy in the world," Cyborg pointed out.

"Perhaps I could do it!" Starfire volunteered.

The two boys exchanged dubious glances. "Are you sure you're comfortable enough with our culture to do that?" Cyborg asked.

Starfire nodded. "I have been on this planet for some time. Besides, I am obviously the best choice for the intended purpose."

After a moment of thought, Cyborg finally agreed. "Let's get you some normal clothes, then."

Following several hours of long lines, billions of clothes, and rude sales clerks, they finally emerged from the mall with a newly dressed Starfire. She sported a blue crop-top with quarter length sleeves, a cut-off jeans skirt, and cute blue, sparkling boots. Her hair was done up in a ponytail with a green clip. One would not have been able to guess that this was the Starfire of the Teen Titans.

After brief "good luck"s, she went into town to begin "mingling with the people" as Cyborg said.

The first person she came into contact with was a woman of about age seventy, an onery old lady who obviously wanted nothing to do with teenagers like Starfire, but the poor girl, so trusting of absolutely everybody, approached her anyway. "Excuse me?" she started politely.

The woman turned around and glared. "What do you want?"

Starfire beamed brightly. "May I ask you a few questions?"

A frown crossed the woman's face and she pulled a scowl. "What do you want from me, you hoodlum?"

This threw Starfire off for a moment. Then she beamed brightly once more. "I do not wish to take anything of yours, merely to gather information."

She took out a can of, yes, pepper spray. "Get back, I said!"

Starfire backed up. "But-"

"BACK!"

Starfire hung her head. Normally the citizens were nicer when she came by...

This time she wandered into a darker alley where she was certain she might find somebody. Hopefully somebody nicer than her previous acquaintance. Suddenly, three boys dropped down in front of her.

The first was tall and had slicked back black hair. His entire wardrobe consisted of black leather and his entire appearance screamed greasy. He had a cigarette in his mouth and he grinned at her with yellow teeth as he straightened up. His two companions were short and portly, though both were grinning crazily and she could see them flexing their muscles.

The first boy spoke up. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this, sweetie?"

Her face flushed uncomfortably and she backed up a little bit. Her intuition told her to run, but she held her ground, determined to find the information that would lead her to her friends. "I am looking for answers to many questions. Have you seen a boy of about my age with black, spikey hair wearing-"

The hooligan cut her off. "She's looking for her boyfriend, boys!" His two companions snickered. "He's not here, baby."

"So you have not seen his companion either, a girl of about my age as well with lavender eyes and hair and wearing a blue cloak with-"

"Oh, did your boyfriend leave you then?"

Starfire was getting annoyed with these immature boys. "I am merely looking for him. He is my best friend, as is his companion. Would you please tell me where they went? It is essential for me to find them before something bad happens."

The hoodlum's companions circled around the back of her, boxing her in. Their leader spoke up. "Don't leave so soon, sweet thing."

Starfire backed up, but realized that she was boxed in. With a sigh of frustration, she charged up her starbolts. "Please do not force me to hurt you. All I wanted was som information. Please do not make this more complicated."

His eyes widened a bit. "What do you know, boys? It's that hot Titan!" His companions' grins faded a bit as she turned on them.

"Leave me alone! You are horrible people! We protect your city, and yet you still cannot grasp a simple thank you in our behalf! You should be ashamed of yourselves, you clorbags!" She screeched, flying up into the air and out of the alley, leaving behind three open-mouthed boys.

She had almost decided that the citizens of this city were jerks and that there was no point in even trying anymore when she heard a small girl's whimpers. Touching down next to the huddled figure, her maternal instincts kicked in and she asked gently, "What's wrong?"

The girl turned to face Starfire. Her black hair fell across her face as tears poured from her blue eyes. "My dolly hurts me!"

Starfire saw the small toy lying on the ground, a red color dotting its surface. Curiously, she picked it up and immediately withdrew her hand from it. Looking down at her hand, which was now covered in red xinothium, concern filled her thoughts. There must have been a lot of xinothium present for it to be effecting her this way, for normally it was not as painful for her, due to her resilient nature. "How did your toy get this way?" she asked the little girl kindly.

"There was a big man with a scary suit and he was glowing yellow with red polka dots."

"Glowing?" Starfire's eyes narrowed in thoughts. "Could you describe the suit to me?"

The girl's eyes opened wide and she nodded. "It was big and black with a BIG lightbulb in the middle. He kept shouting that Mr. Light or something shall rule. Something like that."

Starfire's eyes widened. "Was there anybody else there?"

Nodding, the little girl replied, "There was a girl, a boy, and another person in a scary suit."

"Another person in a suit? What did he look like?"

The girl shook her head. "It was scary!"

Starfire smiled and gently pulled the little girl onto her lap. In her buttery-sweet tone, she said, "It is okay. There is no reason to be afraid. Was the suit black with a big red 'x' on it?"

"Yep," the little girl nodded, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"Who were the other two people? Did you see them as well?"

This time, the girl smiled. "Yeah, the boy was nice. He had a lot of pretty colors on his outfit. And he was fighting the guy in the scary lightbulb suit!"

Starfire smiled. That was Robin all right. "What about the girl? What did she look like?"

A frown crossed the little girl's face. "She was scary too. She kept shouting strange words and then these black monsters kept jumping out at everybody. The monsters even attacked the nice boy with the pretty colors!"

Starfire smiled. More like saved, she thought. "What about the person in the scary black suit with the 'x' on it? Who was he fighting?"

Her eyes opened wider, now almost occupying her entire face. "He was fighting the other guy in a suit, but they kept losing! And then he trapped them in a big yellow and red bubble and the scary girl attacked them with her black monsters until they fell out of the big bubble and then the scary lightbulb guy got attacked by the black monsters until he was all weak and then he disappeareded!"

Starfire tried to get the story straight in her head. "So how did your toy become covered in xinothium?"

"What's xin-xino-xino...what's that?" the little girl asked, cocking her head to the side.

Starfire sighed. "It is the red substance that your toy is covered in."

"Oh." The girl nodded. "Well, the big scary lightbulb guy was covered in the glowy red stuff. That's what he was using to fight the other people. Everything that he touched or that touched him got covered in the glowy red stuff!"

Starfire's expression changed immediately to that of worry and she thanked the little girl before she left. "Here, take this green paper. With it you may buy a new doll," she said, pressing a twenty into her hand and dashing off to tell Cyborg what she had found out. Red X was working with Robin and Raven, and they were trying to fight Doctor Light, who was using xinothium against them... Her head hurt with all this incoming information. All that was certain now was that those three were in danger and yet they had no way to help them. They needed information, and soon!