10 Leisurely Days
by Blue Ten
Summary:
Robin finds out that Starfire will be leaving for Tamaran in 10 days. Keeping his discovery a secret, he has a little over a week to give her a reason to stay. But when things keep getting in the way, will he even get the chance? RobinxStarfire
Disclaimer:
I do not own Teen Titans.
Day 1, Part Two: Cloak and Dagger
The attention in the common room transferred to Cyborg as he came stomping out of his room, cheerfully blurting out something about patterns and how some people are 'gonna get their butts kicked'. Even Robin, after grudgingly getting over his initial state of wanting to punch Cyborg's lights out, found himself at least a little interested in this 'pattern' he wouldn't stop talking about. Starfire reluctantly turned away from Robin, still curious as to what he was going to say. Cyborg stood next to the large TV screen in front of the Titans, holding a disk in his hand as though he were about to thank the academy for an award.
Cyborg took a deep breath, hardly able to contain his enthusiasm, "Y'know all those robberies that have been happening recently?" Cyborg asked, his question slightly directed toward Robin.
"Yeah, I've heard of 'em." Robin replied sarcastically, his eyebrow twitching.
"Well, I've just discovered something that's gonna blow their whole operation out of the water!"
"Oh will you just put the disk in already!" Beast Boy yelled, annoyed at Cyborg's delay and his standing in front of the television.
"Oh, right!" in his state of excitement, Cyborg had almost forgotten about the key point of his speech. Opening a panel next to the screen, Cyborg placed the disk in a tray and the display lit up with a map of the city. "I ran a composite of all the banks these guys have hit in the last few weeks." pushing a key on the console, several red dots started to appear over locations on the map, "It's a pattern. See, they started with the banks on the outer edges of the city, working their way inward as they progressed, going clockwise. If they continued to do this--" Cyborg advanced the presentation once more, "The full composite would look something like this." The red dots spread across the map, forming a sort of oblong spiral around the city's center.
"Are you sure?" Robin asked, a little skeptical. But he also hoped it was true, eager to take down the criminals who had managed to frustrate him so.
"Positive. Besides, it's our best lead so far." Cyborg typed something into the keyboard, "If I'm right, then the next place they're going, is right there." he pointed to the screen as the hotspots disappeared, leaving a single blinking dot.
"When do you think the next one's gonna happen?" Robin questioned, staring intently at the location displayed on the screen.
"The robberies all occurred within two days of each other, and it's been a while since the last one. If they were gonna do it again, today would be the day." Cyborg said, finally calming down. "It's your call man, should we go?"
Robin sighed, looking at Starfire, '...There's always tomorrow.' he thought. "Like you said, it's our best lead." Robin said, realizing that if he didn't go along with what Cyborg suggested, then the others would definitely know something was wrong. "Titans, move!"
- - - - - -
All the Titans packed themselves into the T-Car. As usual, Cyborg sat in the driver's seat and Robin was riding shotgun. Starfire was between Raven and Beast Boy in the back. Since the tower was on an island, they had to drive through an undersea passageway to reach the city. Robin watched as the bright white lights in the tunnel passed swiftly by overhead, they reminded him of the stars when traveling at light speed. He stole a glance in the rear-view mirror to see Starfire quelling an argument between Raven and Beast Boy, which had apparently erupted without notice; smiling, he was unable to hold back a chuckle. Starfire looked in the mirror and smiled back, Robin felt his heart jump into his throat and quickly turned away. The car came to a stop at a wall near the end of the tunnel, where Cyborg entered his security clearance into the computer. The doors opened slowly and the Titans were met once again with the storm they had nearly forgotten.
"Oh... yeah." Cyborg said, switching the windshield wipers on. This seemed like an ineffective action to take; a couple of miniature squeegees, against the furious wrath of the tempest. The rain itself was like a solid wall, it would obstruct the view whether or not it was hitting the windshield. Apprehensively, Cyborg eased the car into motion. The rain began to tap loudly on the roof, it may as well have been hail with the way it sounded.
"Are you certain you can navigate this way?" Starfire asked, leaning forward in her seat and trying to raise her voice above the racket. She watched as the windshield wipers cleared away one sheet of water, only to let the window get covered again by another.
"That's what the GPS is for." Cyborg tapped on a small screen on the dashboard. The display showed the immediate area of the city and it's landmarks, as well as the position of the car down to which side of the street it was on.
"So we're driving blind? I told you this was a bad idea." Beast Boy said.
"No you didn't! Matter of fact, you were all ready to 'give these guys a piece of your mind' remember?"
"...Actually, I was hoping you wouldn't remember."
"Alright. Can we just head down to the bank so we can get this over with?" Robin sounded more irritated than usual at Cyborg and Beast Boy's bickering.
Without saying another word, Cyborg turned his attention to the road and proceeded to step on the gas. The rain beat even louder on the car as it was in motion, drowning out the sound of thunder which loomed directly above. Cyborg tried to drive as fast as he could while carefully paying attention to the GPS, hoping that every bump he hit on the road was a pothole, and not a dog. The streets were not surprisingly empty. A flood alert had been issued for the entire city, so people remained in their homes, waiting out the storm; this gave Cyborg a little more freedom as he drove to his destination.
"We're here." Cyborg brought the car to a halt, out of view in an alley near the bank. As the Titans stepped from the car into several inches of rainwater, the rain slowly receded, sheets of water could be seen moving away to another part of the city. "Now it stops..." Cyborg said, exasperated by the irony of it all.
The bank was the bottom floor of a skyscraper, situated on the right hand side of the street in a hall of tall buildings. Stepping out from the alley, the Titans looked to the sky; the dark clouds remained, letting loose prongs of lightning and crashes of thunder every so often. The wind still blew fiercely, the only thing absent from the storm was the rain. Robin watched with concerned eyes as Starfire cringed at every thunderclap, he felt like asking her about it, but decided now was not the time. The Titans formed a circle outside the alley, looking to Cyborg expectantly for orders, considering that this was his plan.
"Alright, we'll split up and watch from a distance. Star and Raven, you two keep an eye out from the rooftops opposite the bank. Robin, BB, and I'll hide in these alleyways down here." Cyborg said, sounding absolutely sure of his assumption. "Got it?" he asked, looking around at the others for confirmation. Nodding in agreement, the Titans separated to their individual vantage points; Starfire and Raven floated to the rooftops on the other side of the road while Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy retreated to three separate alleys with a good view of the bank.
Robin, having long since mastered the art of stealth, used the heavy shadows in the alley to effectively conceal himself. He attempted to keep his attention locked on the bank doors, but a sudden lightning strike brought his focus to the roof. He wondered if Starfire would be alright while she was ever closer to something she seemed to fear a great deal.
Cyborg stayed in the alley where he parked the T-Car, his fraternal instincts would not allow him to leave it. Keeping the infrared sensors in his eye trained on the area surrounding the bank, he would make sure that nothing got past him. He had little doubt that his assumption was right, knowing in his mind that the pattern he found was correct. Thinking more about the subject at hand, he wondered what criminal in their right mind would follow a mold that was so obvious, perhaps the criminals weren't even aware of the pattern they were creating.
Being able to morph into any animal he wanted, Beast Boy had the most freedom to move about his surroundings without being noticed. In the form of a bloodhound, he planned to keep an attentive nose out for any changes in the overall scent of the area, as he sniffed about the alley.
Raven stood on the rooftop adjacent to Starfire, she kept a calm demeanor as she examined the street for movement. She remained unmoved as thunder and lightning struck, but turned a concerned eye to Starfire when she sensed an immense amount of terror from her. Raven noticed that Starfire had ducked down after the thunder hit, clasping her hands behind her head and covering her ears at the same time.
Unable to keep her attention on the bank, Starfire warily focused on the sky which rumbled and flashed with every passing minute. After a blindingly bright silver flash coincided by a deafening thunder strike, Starfire covered her ears and fell to her knees. Shaking her head, she muttered something in Tamaranian.
- - - - - -
Several hours passed, the already dark atmosphere would soon give way to the early evening. The Titans had become restless, having waited for so many hours, without even a pedestrian walking the streets. Looking away from the bank, Robin shook his head and reached for his communicator; he had hoped that Cyborg was right, but with the way things were turning out, all signs seemed to point to a dead end in the case. Switching on the communicator, Robin let out a sigh, "Cyborg, I don't think they're gonna show. Let's all meet back by the car." he said.
Returning from their survey positions and gathering in a circle, the Titans stood in the empty street beside the alley, all feeling like they had wasted a good portion of their day. Cyborg wore a look of disappointment and disbelief, he had been one-hundred percent sure that his discovery was genuine, there was so much evidence to support it. Starfire looked agitated, but soon relaxed when she saw that the storm had actually begun to calm down a bit.
"We can't just give up on this... I know they'll show up." Cyborg defended his claim.
"Cy, we've been out here for ten--" Beast Boy started.
"Six." Raven corrected him.
"Six hours. How about we go home, and if they rob the bank, I owe you a soda?" Beast Boy said, half joking but still sounding serious.
"Robin, you can't seriously--" Cyborg turned to Robin, hoping that he would have some sense.
"Beast Boy's right. If we leave now and they rob the bank, then you'll know for sure where they're going next. It'll be proof that your pattern is correct." Robin said, feeling a little selfish because part of the reason he wanted to go back to the tower, was Starfire.
Defeated, Cyborg let out a sigh, "Y'know... you're right. Let's head back." he said. He began walking to the car, and the others followed.
"I am just glad that we will no longer have to be in the storm..." Starfire said, looking up to the sky, which was still heavy with thunderclouds.
"Well, at least it stopped rain--" with a thud, Beast Boy was cut off mid-sentence. The others quickly turned their attention to see Beast Boy flying head first across the street, his limbs were motionless from the shock of... whatever had happened to him. As he continued to fly across the road, heading in the direction of a parked car, he was immediately surrounded by black energy and lowered to the ground where he groggily lifted himself up. "Ugh, what happened?" he massaged the pain away from his head, as the other Titans rushed over to him.
"You alright man?" Cyborg asked. Before Beast Boy could answer, Cyborg was pushed backward by a sudden force to his chest. Catching himself before he fell, Cyborg swung an arm through the air, only to have it stopped by some invisible force. Struggling to move his arm, he found that whatever was holding him back, was exceptionally strong. "Guys, I think it's safe to say we're not alone here." Cyborg stated. Activating the heat sensors in his eye, he saw a small figure no taller than Beast Boy holding his arm at bay. Looking at the Titans, who appeared perplexed by what was going on, he saw a second figure standing in between them. "There's two of 'em. Watch out! One's standing right next to you--" the figure in front of him lifted an arm, and with a quick slashing sound, Cyborg's mechanical eye went blind. Doubling back, Cyborg put a hand over his eye; with another powerful strike, Cyborg was sent sliding down the road, scraping up the asphalt.
Confounded as Cyborg was hurled down the road, the Titans circled up, facing away from each other while they prepared their fighting stances. With three quick strikes, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire were sent flying from the circle, pushed from behind; Raven and Starfire caught themselves in the air, while Beast Boy crashed into pile of trashcans in an alley, from which he soon erupted in gorilla form. Robin stayed still, dodging and blocking what appeared to be the wind striking at him. Hearing the footsteps of the figures running, Robin tried to follow after them. Sensing no more movement, he relaxed his stance.
"You can't fight what you can't see." A cocky young man's voice spoke from several feet away.
"That's right brother." A similar voice responded.
"Because you can't stop the unstoppable duo of--" the first voice spoke again, "Cloak!" a thump was heard on the hood of a parked car.
"And Dagger!" the second voice said, landing on the car, next to Cloak.
"You can't stop the unstoppable--Jeez, who writes your lines?" Beast Boy mocked, looking at the indentations on the hood of the car.
"You wanna know why they call me Dagger?" Dagger asked rhetorically, one of the indentations on the car disappeared and Beast Boy could hear footsteps running toward him. Unsure of where the guy was coming from, Beast Boy braced himself for an attack, but instead felt the figure pass right by him, heading in Starfire's direction. Starfire looked around herself anxiously, trying to focus on the approaching footsteps, losing track of his position when the tapping came to a stop. With the sound of a sharp blade through the air, the fabric on one of Starfire's gloves was split, causing it to fall from her arm. "Whoo! How 'bout we try that with everything else you got on?" Dagger suddenly developed a perverted tone to his voice. Hearing this, Robin felt his blood boil and turned his attention toward Dagger, ready to dispatch the little pervert; however when he saw Starfire's eyes glow green, he knew he had nothing to worry about.
With an angered shriek, Starfire hurled a starbolt in the direction of the voice. Dagger's unseen form was blasted away from Starfire in an explosion of green light, crashing through the window of a clothing store and knocking over the mannequins in the display. Starfire swiftly flew back to regroup with the others; Robin, Beast Boy and Raven had formed a circle again.
"Are you okay?" Robin asked.
"Yes, but I believe I will require a new glove." Starfire responded jokingly, lightening the tense atmosphere.
Cyborg lifted himself up; running back up the street, he rejoined the others. "They've got some kind of stealth camouflage... I can't see 'em without my eye." he said glumly, putting a hand over his shattered optical implant.
"We won't need to see them, just focus on their actions." Robin said confidently.
"Dagger! Enough messing around, get over here!" Cloak yelled as he could be heard stepping down from the car. The mannequins in the store were pushed over and Dagger came running.
"Right, time to finish this." Dagger said, standing beside Cloak.
"Titans, go!" Robin shouted. The Titans tried to fight, but when Cloak and Dagger weren't speaking, they had no idea where to look. To everyone's surprise, Cyborg was lifted up off the ground and tossed tremendously far down the street, where he hit the road with enough force to break it. Raven and Beast Boy were struck by what appeared to be both enemies at once, sending the two in the same direction as Cyborg. Starfire took to the air, but her leg was grasped by one of the two transparent foes.
"Have a nice flight." Dagger said. After spinning her around by the leg, he let go, hurling Starfire at Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven on the far side of the street. Robin winced as she crashed into the ground, but was relieved when he saw all four of his friends stand up; however, they looked pretty badly hurt.
"Dagger, pincer formation!" Cloak called, "It's the two of us, against little you." he said conceitedly, as they advanced on Robin, who had remained in the middle of the street.
Robin closed his eyes, concentrating on their movements. "I'll admit, the odds are slightly..." he started, extending his bo staff. Robin quickly swung the staff from one side to the other, and with two swift hits, Cloak and Dagger were thrown in opposite directions. "In my favor." he finished, retracting his staff and striking the usual pose. With simultaneous grunts, they hit the walls of buildings on opposing sides of the street. Suddenly, like flickering images on a tv screen, the two became visible. Examining them, Robin couldn't believe his eyes; they were kids, they couldn't have been older than fourteen or fifteen. Judging from the way they looked, they were quite obviously twin brothers. They wore strange mechanical devices on their arms like gloves, and the mechanisms that had allowed them to be invisible apparently broke on their impact.
"Hey! We're not finished yet you invisible freaks--Whoa..." Cyborg said, astonished as he came running up the street with the others. "Is that... them?" Cyborg stared at the two kids who were knocked out on the sidewalk. Upon witnessing the scene, the others shared Cyborg's dumbfounded expression.
"Yeah..." Robin trailed off. He knew Cloak was the leader, and wanted to question him; both were identical to the other, they had the same messy short blonde hair, both were fairly scrawny, they even had the same expression while they remained knocked out. "Cloak!" Robin shouted. One of the boys opened his eyes, looking panicked as he discovered he was visible. Cloak tried to move, but doubled over when he realized he had been winded by the impact. Robin began walking to Cloak, followed behind by Cyborg, while the others kept a close eye on the unconscious Dagger.
Cyborg knelt down next to Cloak, "Strength enhancing armor, cloaking devices, where does a kid like you get a hold of tech like that?" he asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Cloak responded arrogantly.
"Yes, I would." Cyborg detached the metal gloves from Cloak's arms, who was too weak to struggle, "And I'm gonna find out one way or another. He's all yours Robin." Cyborg said, stepping away and examining the machinery.
"You're the ones who've been robbing the banks aren't you? Why?" Robin demanded.
"Hey, a kid's gotta eat right?" Cloak answered indirectly once more, smiling pompously. Robin sighed, the kid wasn't going to reveal any information. They were probably hired hands, they might not have known why, or even for whom they were stealing.
Robin decided to give the kid a taste of his own medicine, "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you, Juvenile Hall's got a four star cafeteria." the cocky smile quickly disappeared from Cloak's face.
- - - - - -
Surprisingly, Cloak and Dagger gave a full confession to the police when they arrived, describing every robbery in detail. As they were handcuffed and being led into the back of an armored van, Cloak turned around and gave Robin a sneer. "Hope you didn't have too tough a time draining all that water from your basement!" he said, immaturely sticking his tongue out as the doors closed.
"What!" Robin clenched his fists. He wanted to rip the doors off and really 'interrogate' the kid, but the car had already began to drive away.
"Don't worry about it man, they didn't know anything anyway." Cyborg said, standing behind Robin, "The whole series of crimes was way too smart for a couple of amateurs like them to pull off on their own."
"Yeah, there's just one problem... Someone was calling the shots, and whoever they are, they're still out there." Robin said, watching the van disappear in the distance. Starfire placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"That is something to worry about for another day, but for now, let us return home." She said, letting that sugary smile grace her expression. Robin was surprised at how well she could lighten the mood, as a smile spread across his face as well; actually, he wasn't surprised at all.
- - - - - -
The fierce winds and ominous dark clouds of the storm had finally receded, drifting quietly away to reveal the brilliant night sky. The milky way painted the atmosphere with a dazzling ribbon of shimmering stars; the constellations were nearly unrecognizable, lost in the sea of radiant lights. The sky, clearer than it had ever been, allowed the stars to cast a subtly beautiful blue glow on the ocean. Cool winds rushed softly across the surface of the water, creating a simple and calm current that brought itself to the shore of the island and crashed harmlessly into the rocky barrier. Tired and sore from the battle, all the Titans had retreated to their rooms for a good night's rest, except for Robin who ventured to the roof, unable to sleep. High on the roof of the tower, the stars were even more stunning; standing alone, Robin breathed in the fresh air as he let his eyes wander from star to star.
"I wonder which one has Tamaran..." he said aloud.
"I am not sure myself, but I believe it is somewhere near the group of stars you call cancer." Starfire's sweet and gentle voice blended in perfectly with the serene ambiance of the moment, nevertheless, Robin was startled to say the least.
"Starfire? I didn't see--when did you--um..." Robin could hardly speak after his heart had skipped several beats. Flustered and embarrassed that she had heard him say what he did, his face grew hot as he wondered how long she had been standing there.
"I sense that something is troubling you..." Starfire looked him directly in the eyes, looking fairly worried.
"Star," all he could manage to say, was her name. 'She knows...' he thought to himself, as the assumption hit him like a punch in the stomach. He realized he had no choice but to tell her now, "I--" he started.
"It is concerning our battle today, correct?" she asked.
Robin let out a deep breath, "...Yeah." he lied. The battle did have him a little distressed, but it was nowhere near the forefront of his thoughts at this moment.
"I was... troubled too, while the storm was making such horrible noises. But now that it has passed, I feel that I have overcome something, I feel stronger. Please know that your storm will pass as well."
"Thanks Star," he said, feeling truly uplifted by her comforting words. "About that, I've been meaning to ask you, do you have storms like that on your planet? Is that why the thunder..." Robin trailed off, realizing he might be opening a door that was better left closed.
Starfire sat on the edge of the tower, motioning for Robin to sit beside her, which he did without the slightest hesitation. She stared off into the sea for a moment, a faraway expression on her face; Robin felt like slapping himself for asking that question. However, she removed any guilt he had as she turned and smiled. "When I was very young, my people were in the midst of a war with the Gordanians. Our battles were fought far above Tamaran, in space. However, one day, the Gordanians brought the war to the surface." Starfire paused for a moment, "My sister and I were forced to hide below the castle, while the battle continued above us."
"Starfire, I didn't realize..." Robin said, feeling guilty again.
"The castle shook and rumbled with every explosion, this is what the thunder reminds me of. But I stayed close to the people I loved most, it made me feel safe, protected. With them, I knew that the battle would come to an end." She finished.
'The people she loved most...' Robin thought about the morning when the power went out, how she had chosen to stay close to him. Quickly, he cleared the thought away, knowing that she didn't think of him as anything more than a friend.
"Robin?"
"Oh sorry, it's just that your story... I'm sorry you had to go through something like that." he said, remorsefully.
"It is alright." she responded, giving him a reassuring smile, "I can see why you came to the roof, the sky is wondrous this evening." Starfire looked to the sky, inhaling deeply as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the roof, gazing up at the sky, "Please, tell me what the stars mean to you."
Robin hoped that by 'you' she meant humans, because he would find it hard, not to mention embarassing, to explain what the stars meant to him as a person. "Well, humans have seen and used the stars as many different things. A map to find direction when you're lost, a way to predict the future, some people even look to the stars to grant wishes--" he explained.
"Wishes?"
"Wishes, the heart's deepest desires." Robin only noticed how dorky the words sounded, after he had already let them escape his mouth.
"If I wanted to wish, to which star should I speak?" She asked. Robin couldn't help but smile at her interpretation.
To get a full view of the stars, Robin leaned back on the roof as well, resting his hands behind his head, "There. Sirius, it's the brightest star in the sky at night, so it's usually the first one you see." Robin said, pointing to the star which stood out the most, even in front of the omnipresent milky way. "But you wouldn't speak to it, you'd kinda... think the wish, y'know?"
"Will you wish with me?" Starfire asked. Nodding, Robin found that he couldn't say no, even if he wanted to. Robin and Starfire stared at the star for a few moments, letting it reflect in their eyes as they thought about their wishes. "What did you wish for?" she asked, turning away from the star.
'You.' Robin responded in thought. "Oh, part of the deal is that you can't tell anyone the wish, or it won't come true." he clarified.
"That is very strange, but I do want this wish to come true, so I shall remain silent." Starfire yawned, stretching her arms out.
Starfire began to inquire more about the stars; Robin traced the constellations with his fingers, showing her the shapes they represented, and explaining their meanings, to the best of his knowledge. Starfire returned the favor by trying to identify constellations similar to those she had seen on Tamaran. Eventually, they fell into a comfortable silence, gazing up at the sky together. Neither realized it as their eyes grew heavy and they slowly drifted off to sleep.
Author's Note: Wowie! That's a new record for my first chapters(Word count and reviews). Thanks for the lovely reviews! It's great to see new reviewers, and some familiar... faces? So what'd ya think of this chapter? I tried to add a more prominent Robin and Starfire moment in this one, the previous chapter was kinda lacking, in my opinion.
Evanlicious, your constructive criticism was so helpful. You're right, even I thought I went a little overboard with the description at the beginning. And I really did use a lot of commas, I'll try to cut down on that. :P
iluvrobbie, when that info is revealed, I hope to surprise you. For now though, I'm keeping it a guarded secret.
(Credit goes to realfanficts for bringing an inaccuracy to my attention, Sirius not Polaris is the brightest star in the night sky. Edited on 10/10/05)
I have become addicted to reviews, please sustain me. :)
Next Chapter Preview: Robin wakes up on the right side of the 'bed'. He decides to make the next nine days, the best days Starfire has ever spent on earth, but how? Unfortunately for Robin's plans, some things are just unavoidable. Next is Day Two, Part One: The Start of Something Good.
