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 3, Part Two: Special to Me, Special to You

Sitting on a chair in a large metal hallway lined by several large glass windows, Cyborg stared angrily through the thick glass at the figure on the other side. Iron, now just a torso, an arm and a head, had been braced up by several vertical poles in his cell, to keep him from falling over; his black mask had not been removed, so he remained just as mysterious as before, save for the vague idea of identity that Cyborg had placed on him. Iron was connected to the wall by wires, a constant stream of energy being fed to his power cell. Cyborg waited for the guards to leave before he started speaking.

"Who are you?" Cyborg repeated the question he had asked too late the night before. Iron's head, the only part of his body he had any control over, shifted upward to face Cyborg in response.

"You know..." Iron replied vaguely.

Cyborg sighed, his suspicion had been confirmed, but it seemed that this was not the same person he once knew, "What happened to you?" he asked, "Why?"

"As I told you before, the world's a much different place than it used to be. Times change, and people change with the times. You of all people should understand the need to better one's self--"

"I didn't get this way because I wanted to... I'm like this because I had no other choice. If I had it my way... If I could be human again I'd--"

"And that's the difference between you and me Vic; you prefer weakness to strength." Iron interrupted. "Do you see this armor?" Iron looked down at his body, the whole that Starfire had blasted in his chest remained, "It's the same technology that made you what you are."

"My tech..." Cyborg trailed off, staring at the black and gold armor, "Looks like you lost something in the translation; Star's powers could never damage me that much. But still, how did you get a hold of--"

"We have our ways. I owe my newfound strength to you."

"You gave up your human self to gain power, didn't you? That's not strength, it's corruption." Cyborg stated. Iron said nothing, exhaling angrily in response. "I know you're not behind this." Cyborg said, focusing on Iron's mask, "You're under orders. Whose orders?"

"So, your friend dead yet?" Iron asked cruelly, avoiding the question entirely. Much to Iron's surprise, a slight grin spread across Cyborg's face.

"Nope. Matter of fact, he made a full recovery; you gotta work on that aim of yours." Cyborg mocked.

"Good, he's strong. A perfect addition; the same goes for that girl."

"What's wrong with you? You used to be a hot-head, you wouldn't let anyone get in your way or tell you what to do; now look at you, you're taking the fall for this Tempest. The guy I remember--"

"The guy you remember, died, along with all his weakness."

"Then that's the difference between you and me, I'm still alive." Cyborg stood up, turning to face the exit, "We're done here. I've heard enough." he finished, walking away. Having dealt with The Hive and Brother Blood first hand, Cyborg knew that operatives of organizations like this were loyal to the end, willing to keep their mouths shut even if it meant death... especially if they've been brainwashed; he wasn't going to get any more information out of Iron.

"When the end comes, which path will you choose?" Iron shouted from his cell as Cyborg disappeared from view, "Strength or weakness, life or death?"

Cyborg stopped at the door, turning his head to look back down the hallway, 'He's lost his mind...' he thought. As Cyborg left, the sound of the heavy steel door closing, echoed through the hallway.

- - - - - -

The cerulean sky, decorated by light and feathery white clouds, held high the brightly shining sun which illuminated the white sands of the beach with a spectacular radiant glow; another beautiful day. The storm of many days passed seemed nothing more than a distant memory now, fading, giving way to a bright and serene calm. The clear blue waters of the ocean, lapping quietly against the shore, shimmered playfully with each wave catching the rays of sunlight. A comforting wind carried itself softly along, cooling the warm air and rustling the leaves of the many palm trees that lined the narrow strip of beach. In wondrous harmony, the sound of wind and sea created quite the symphony; massive and distant, the ebb and flow of the ocean remained in grand contrast to the whispering breeze, near and fleeting.

On one side of the strip was the city, with its towering skyscrapers and crowded streets, on the other was the ocean, stretching on forever with the only obstruction being Titans Tower in the distance and the bridge that connected both sides of the bay. Deciding on the park as a destination, the Titans were taking the scenic route, walking along the beach until they saw fit to venture through the city. Robin watched as Starfire flew above the water, running a hand across the surface as she did; all the while he thought about how great it must feel to fly, he wished he could be out there with her, but unfortunately all the unbridled joy in the world couldn't lift him off the ground, though he did feel much lighter when he was around her. Beast Boy and Raven remained far behind, walking slowly to intentionally give Robin and Starfire space. Robin turned his attention to them for a moment, finding it strange that they had separated themselves from the group like that, but he was inwardly thankful that they had done so because it was what he wanted... exactly what he wanted; they walked abnormally close, Beast Boy wore a perpetual grin on his face as he talked, this made Robin wonder what they were up to. Shaking his head, he decided it was none of his concern.

Starfire happily splashed at the surface as she flew along, admiring the remarkably clear water. Turning her head to the side, she wished Robin could join her, wondering how he would react to her taking him by the hands and flying around with him; would he enjoy it, or would he be frightened? She got to thinking that if it became too difficult for him to hold on, she could hold him close and... She saw in the reflection on the water that her face had become bright red; placing her hands on her cheeks, Starfire giggled at her own strange thoughts. She turned away from the water, to find the stone wall of a boardwalk incoming at full speed; unable to stop herself in time, she ended up planting her face into it.

"Starfire!" Robin called, after getting over his initial shock. He rushed out into the shallow water to the area under the wall, holding out his arms as Starfire slowly peeled herself away from the wall. She descended lightly, as if floating down, and Robin caught her with ease. "You okay?" he asked, trying to mask his amusement at the dazed expression on her face.

Starfire realized she could have easily stopped herself from falling, the impact had no effect on her at all, but she decided to go along with this rather agreeable turn of events. "I am... unharmed." she said, a little embarrassed that she had not been paying attention to what was clearly in front of her. Noticing Robin's grip loosen, she quickly spoke again, "But I am... a little dizzy." she lied.

"How come you didn't notice the boardwalk?" he inquired, smiling through slight confusion; still carrying her, he began walking to the shore. "Something on your mind?" he asked, wondering if she had been preoccupied by what was going to happen in seven days...

"...Yes, there has been much on my mind as of recently." she said, sounding a little sad, "But I am afraid you are the last person... who would want to know." she finished, knowing now that it was much harder to voice these feelings than she anticipated; she felt bad for putting so much pressure on him while they were stranded on that planet, when he obviously didn't want to ruin what they already had by saying... whatever it was he might have said. Similar thoughts were running through her mind at this moment. "But it is nothing important!" she added quickly, seeing his expression change.

'The last person?' he thought to himself, 'She sounded sad... I knew she didn't want to leave.' he turned his attention back to her, she looked like something was weighing heavily on her thoughts, 'Quick, you gotta say something to take her mind off of it.' he told himself. As they reached the shore, Robin set Starfire down on the ground; looking at her as she regained her balance, he tried to figure out something he could say to make her feel better, "Star... I'm sure that whatever it is, you'll make the right choice." he said the first thing that came to his mind. Again, he unintentionally created a situation where he wondered if he said too much; after all, from her perspective, he shouldn't even know whether it was a matter of choice or not. Panicking, Robin wanted desperately to retract his statement; but it was too late, Starfire was already smiling... 'Wait, smiling?'

Unexpectedly, Starfire embraced Robin tightly, "Thank you. You do not know what that means to me." she said. Suddenly she pulled away, appearing flustered, "--Even though it is something small... insignificant... unimportant!" she giggled nervously, looking around frantically for something she could change the subject with. Starfire saw the top of a Ferris Wheel on the boardwalk, "The park of amusement! We must... check it out!" she said, flying up to the top of the boardwalk. Robin stood still for a moment, his arms held out in the air as though he was still hugging her.

- - - - - -

Raven and Beast Boy rejoined the group to stare at the large banner that had been placed on the entrance to the amusement park; in big bold words it read, 'Closed For Repairs.' Apparently, the Ferris Wheel had been titled by the wind and waves during the storm, causing the stone to break apart under it. Held up by several cables, the Ferris Wheel was kept from falling into the ocean as a construction crew worked on repairing the ground and pulling it back into place.

"Whoa." Beast Boy put it simply, tilting his head to the side, trying to straighten out the leaning wheel in his view.

"Well, I guess we can't go today." Robin turned to Starfire who looked a little disappointed, "How about we come back in, I don't know... a week?"

"A week... but I, um..." Starfire's eyes began wandering fretfully, causing Robin to painfully realize what he had done, "Oh look! Ice cream!" she said, pointing to a small stand just outside the closed amusement park. "Come friends, let us partake of the creamed ice!" in an instant, Starfire appeared behind the others and proceeded to push them as a group to the ice cream stand.

A young girl around Robin's age with shoulder length brunette hair stood behind the counter, dressed in a red and white uniform. A delighted expression adorned her face at the sight of the Teen Titans; she was ecstatic as her favorite Titan caught her eye, the Boy Wonder. Starfire walked up to the counter, the girl was of course disappointed that Robin didn't go first, though she was still happy to be serving ice cream to superheroes.

"What'll it be… Starfire?" the girl asked, now recognizing the Titan who stood in front of her. Starfire seemed astonished that someone knew her name; taking it upon herself to learn the girl's name in return, she examined the small gold nametag on her shirt, which read, 'Kathryn'.

"I am not sure... perhaps..." Starfire examined the menu above the stand, and then turned her attention to the tubs of ice cream behind the glass. Kathryn began tapping a foot behind the counter.

Beast Boy snuck up behind the counter, "Pst. Give her the weirdest flavor on the menu." he whispered behind his hand to the girl, before sneaking away again; all this went unnoticed by Starfire, who was still intently examining the flavors.

"...Um, might I suggest the cookie dough with bubble gum?" Kathryn raised an eyebrow, still tapping her foot.

Starfire gasped, "That sounds marvelous! Yes, I will have that!" she exclaimed. Without delay, Kathryn put one scoop on a cone and handed it to Starfire, quickly turning her attention to Robin. "I would like all the toppings on this please." Starfire said, holding out the cone with an innocent smile.

Narrowing her eyes, Kathryn grabbed the cone and poured several toppings on it, "Sure thing, here ya go." she said hurriedly, tossing the cone back into Starfire's hands.

"Thank you--"

Literally picking up the ice cream stand, Kathryn moved it away from Starfire and slammed it on the ground in front of Robin, "So, what'll you be having, Robin?" she asked with an interesting tone to her voice, leaning over the counter and resting her chin in her palm. "Haven't had much business down here since the storm, so this is a welcome surprise." she said, batting her sapphire blue eyes. Starfire didn't like how with every word she spoke, Kathryn seemed to move closer to Robin's face, as though she would suddenly steal a kiss.

"Vanilla. Just one scoop." Robin asked for the only flavor he trusted. "So, how much do we owe you..." he inquired, with a slight pause.

"Kathryn, but you can call me Kat." she said, with a rather blatant emphasis on 'you'. Off to the side, Starfire's ice cream began melting in her clenched fist as she growled 'Gremplork' under her breath. "Oh, and it's on me, I could never make youpay for this." Kathryn finished, handing the plain vanilla cone to Robin, giving him a wink that Starfire took more notice of than he did. "You sure you don't want anything else on that?" She asked, looking at the bare cone, "Maybe, sprinkles?"

"Actually I--"

"If Robin does not want the sprinkles, then you will not give him the sprinkles! Why must you pressure him?" Starfire demanded, pushing Robin away from the stand; he held a finger up in the air as though he was about to say something, while his motionless feet slid across the ground. As she continued to lead the oblivious Robin away, Starfire now realized she was not very fond of cats or kittens.

"Didn't realize he was taken." Kathryn said, moping. Turning her attention back to the counter, she saw Beast Boy pressing his face up against the glass, examining the tubs of ice cream closely.

"So, got anything without ice cream in it?" he asked, pulling his face away like a suction cup. Suddenly, a hand reached out and began dragging him away by the ear. "Ouch!"

"This was your idea, so you're helping with it." Raven said flatly.

Kathryn was left alone on the boardwalk, slumped over on the counter of her stand, "...Maybe I should quit my day job."

- - - - - -

The park, beautiful as ever, was populated once more by the people of Jump City, who finally realized it was safe to go outside again. Many different games were being played across the grassy green fields; from Frisbee to football, the entire city was taking advantage of the good weather. The Titans however, remained off the beaten path, exploring the lesser known areas of the park for a good change of venue, but mostly to avoid any more crazed fan girls. The leaves of the short but numerous trees created a canopy that nearly blocked out the bright sunlight, letting it pierce through in dazzling luminous rays that shifted and flickered as the wind rustled the treetops. Walking along a forgotten stone pathway, the Titans admired this section of the park they had never seen before; with Robin and Starfire's attention turned to the environment, Beast Boy motioned for Raven to stop and they began to slowly back away. With a metallic thud, they came to a halt as they bumped into something.

Both turned around to see Cyborg looking down at them, confused, "Hey what's--" he started.

"Shhh!" Beast Boy covered Cyborg's mouth, "We're trying to ditch 'em." he whispered.

"But why?" Cyborg asked, his voice muffled under Beast Boy's hand.

"We'll tell you later." Both Beast Boy and to Cyborg's surprise, Raven, began pulling him in the opposite direction that Robin and Starfire were walking, still seemingly unaware. Making their way outside of the miniature forest with Cyborg in tow, Beast Boy and Raven let go of him.

Beast Boy grinned at the opening to the trees, feeling like he had accomplished something of great significance. Hiding his amusement, he turned around, facing Cyborg, "So... who was he?" he asked simply.

"You knew where I was?" Cyborg asked, almost frowning.

"Hey, I may be dumb, but I'm not deaf." Beast Boy cracked a joke at his own expense. Raven started to chuckle, but immediately covered her mouth and masked it as coughing.

Cyborg sighed, "Alright... I guess there's no avoiding it." he gave up, turning his eye to the left, searching his memories. "Back when I was an athlete, there was this other kid... I won't tell you his name, just in case. Anyway, we'd always end up in competitions together; we had this tense rivalry y'know? Always trying to outdo one another... He called himself Mr. Iron back then too." Beast Boy and Raven gasped at the revelation.

"No way... You mean that guy was human once?" Beast Boy asked, thinking about the giant they had fought on that day, wondering how that thing could have been a normal person at one time.

"Yeah... After the accident, I kinda dropped off the face of the earth. He went on to the Olympics, and I haven't heard anything about him... until now." Cyborg looked to the ground.

"Did you tell them who he was?" Raven questioned.

"I figured they'd find out eventually, there's gotta be some of him left in that shell. I just... couldn't do it, as much as I hate what he made himself into. He was the most egotistical, self absorbed, arrogant--"

"Your best friend, huh?" Beast Boy interrupted, as if understanding completely.

"Yeah." Beast Boy and Cyborg smiled at each other in that buddy-buddy way.

"Oh look, I'm in the middle of a Kodak moment." Raven commented impassively, smirking slightly under her hood.

"Psh. What are you talking about?" Cyborg and Beast Boy grunted mannishly in unison.

Cyborg coughed, "So why'd you two ditch Robin and Starfire?" he asked quickly, "Or did you not want me to know about that?" he raised an eyebrow and grinned as he caught Beast Boy and Raven in his sights, implying something.

"Look, I know you're desperate to change the subject, but you're barking up the wrong tree." Raven warned him irritably. Cyborg was no mind reader, but he could see that if he took it any further, no one would ever hear from him again.

"Huh?" Beast Boy wondered, one eye much larger than the other, in confusion. "Oh yeah!" Beast Boy grinned evilly; tiptoeing, he whispered something in Cyborg's ear. Cyborg's face suddenly became deathly serious, causing Beast Boy and Raven to back away.

"I can't believe you would go behind Robin and Starfire's backs, ditch them in the park, and come up with a plan like that..." Cyborg snarled, to which Beast Boy and Raven cowered in response, "...WITHOUT ME!" he finished loudly.

"Heh, sorry..." Beast Boy apologized, "Hey! Wait a minute! I've heard you say something like that before! Are you reusing lines?" Beast Boy demanded, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Uh, it's probably just deja vu or something." Cyborg explained.

"Oh... yeah. Anyway, I already told my entire plan to Raven, and I don't mean to brag or anything, but, she thought it was genius." he gloated; Raven rolled her eyes but decided against correcting him, as there was some truth to his statement. "Don't worry about it though; we could use your help too."

"Alright!" Cyborg said boisterously, "What's the entire plan?" he asked excitedly. Beast Boy proceeded to explain the scheme to him, and Cyborg had a good laugh, skeptical that Beast Boy was able to come up with something like that on his own. "Do we really have nothing better to do than set our friends up?" Cyborg asked, taking a serious tone.

The three paused for a moment, reflecting deeply on the question. Cyborg noticed that after confronting Iron, he had no leads on The Tempest and absolutely no idea where to look next; unfortunately, he would have to wait until they showed themselves again, but in the mean time, he didn't mind the thought of having a little fun. Beast Boy thought about how Robin had eaten the 'foot cake' that morning, knowing that someone would have to be crazy in love to do that without barfing; he had to help Robin out, for his health. Raven, after this morning's events, was fed up with watching it go on like this, and simply had to intervene, to maintain her own sanity.

"Nope." they said in unison, feeling a little pathetic.

- - - - - -

Still walking along the stone pathway with Starfire, Robin happened to look behind him, what he saw almost made him want to jump for joy; Raven and Beast Boy were nowhere to be seen, now he could say certain things and feel slightly less embarrassed about it. Noticing Robin's attention shift from the trees, Starfire followed his gaze to the path behind them; she felt strange for being enthusiastic at the absence of her friends, but she couldn't help it; now she could focus on what really mattered.

"Our friends have abandoned us, that is... most disagreeable." she tried to sound convincing, however she was unable to keep the smile from her face.

"Oh, uh... yeah. How rude of them." he played along, hoping it sounded believable to her. As they intentionally avoided each others eyes, neither knew that both were smiling. Looking to the small apertures of light that peeked through the canopy, Robin saw that the day light was beginning to dwindle; before Beast Boy and Raven left, they had been walking in the park for several hours, without notice of the time of day. Robin knew he had to say something soon if he wanted this day to work out, before it was over. But as usual, he was at a loss for words.

As they continued through the small stretch of forest, the dimming rays of light which still penetrated the canopy were gliding across Starfire, giving her an otherworldly glow within the darkening shadows as she gazed in wonderment through the treetops. The wind, which had grown slightly more intense, but warmer, since the morning, carried on from the path ahead; it picked up her scarlet red hair and waved it about like flickering tongues of fire. Tearing his eyes away from her, Robin looked ahead; the light at the end of the path which opened into the park again, was beginning to fade as well. Robin opened his mouth, but Starfire spoke before he could.

"Thank you." she said, finally meeting his eyes.

"Thank you?" he asked, wondering what he could have done that would warrant gratitude, "For what?" he smiled.

"For this day. It has been--" Starfire stopped; as they stepped out of the trees, the light from outside the canopy flooded their view, fading away slowly as their eyes adjusted to the light. The park was nearly empty; anyone remaining, was packing up their belongings in preparation to leave.

"Hey Star... Is there something you've always wanted to do?" Robin asked, turning his attention away from the setting sun, "Y'know, something... special?" he clarified.

Starfire smiled shyly, looking to the sky, "...I have always wanted to fly over the city, and see the many sights from above." she said; however, there were many other things she wanted to do... many other things she wanted to say.

"Why don't you?" he inquired.

"Well... it is silly, yes?" there was more to what she said than she had explained; she thought it was silly, but only because she didn't want to fly over the city... alone.

"I don't think so. If you have the ability to make a wish come true, then you should go for it." Robin turned his attention to the sky as well, "I think you should do it."

"Will you fly with me?" Starfire asked, hopefully.

"I--Um...Well," he stuttered, surprised that she would think of including him.

"Perhaps it would prove... special to you as well." she held out a hand to him; his heart jumped as she smiled, her eyes shining like centauri moon diamonds. As though he was no longer in control of his body, he reached his hand out, deciding to take his own advice, 'If you have the ability to make a wish come true, then you should go for it.'

As she took his hand, Starfire reached over and captured his other hand as well; for a few moments, they stood still, facing each other. Starfire's smile widened as she began to ascend; in mid air, she flipped Robin around with ease, so they were facing the same direction. They continued to climb until Starfire stopped above the rooftops.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Ready--" Robin was cut off by the force of the wind as Starfire began to soar forward through the air. Looking up, he saw that she was still smiling as the air stream increased exponentially. He found it hard to breathe while the wind constantly beat against his face, restricting his intake of air; his heart began to thump wildly as he looked to the ground, which was farther away from him than he expected. The buildings passed by below, as though they were free flying objects in a powerful windstorm, too fast to be recognized. The words 'adrenaline rush' could hardly describe the feeling Robin experienced of being so near to falling, knowing that the only thing that kept him from plummeting to the ground was his trust in Starfire; it made his entire body shake. He had never been more frightened in his life, and he couldn't recall ever having so much fun.

Suddenly, the buildings disappeared and gave way to the ocean; the water had become a beautiful shade of lavender in the light of the setting sun. Robin looked ahead to the horizon, Titans Tower and the bridge were incoming fast; he watched as, within mere seconds, both passed by.

"Hold on, we are going higher!" Starfire shouted above the wind as they flew out beyond the bridge. Pulling backward, she entered into a high rising arc, turning around completely and heading back to the city. The speed at which they cut through the air was so fast that it lifted Robin horizontally; he wondered if it was the wind, or the fact that he was with Starfire, that made him feel like he was truly flying.

Before the sun set, Robin and Starfire had flown over all of their favorite places. When they decided that they had seen the entire city, Starfire flew with Robin to the roof of the tallest building, where they sat together on the edge, with a perfect view of the sunset. The city was situated in such a way, that the sun appeared to rise and set in the ocean; it was perfect for people who were fond of both times of the day. As the sun cast its final rays of light upon the city, while it slowly receded behind the oceanic horizon, the sky became a spectacular golden color which faded to deep blue toward the east. The thin and wispy clouds were bright white around the sun.

Finally relaxing back to a state of calm, Robin exhaled and leaned backward, admiring the sparkling ocean. Starfire did the same, but she could not keep herself from looking back to him; she had never quite seen the carefree expression he wore.

"Y'know, I don't think flying over the city like that counts as staying out of danger." Robin joked. Suddenly the smile disappeared from Starfire's face as she realized she had made him promise to stay out of too much danger, then went ahead and carried him at high speed, hundreds of feet above the ground. Seeing this, Robin quickly spoke again, "But I know that you wouldn't have let me fall... When I'm with you, I know I'm as far from danger as I possibly could be." he finished, wondering if he had actually said those things; but he didn't care, it was all worth it to see her smile return.

"Really?" she asked, letting all her worries disappear at the sound of his comforting words.

"I mean it." he reassured her.

As they continued to talk, Robin could hardly pay attention to his own words. Under the light of the golden sky, she looked more beautiful and radiant to him than ever. Suddenly, the thought of her leaving pained him even more so than before; it was a pain that originated from somewhere deep within and seemed to tear at the fiber of his being. He came to the realization that he wasn't doing these things simply because he didn't want her to leave, he was doing these things... because he loved her.

- - - - - -

Several buildings away, a young girl with strange ashen eyes, watched Robin and Starfire intently as she knelt down on the rooftop; a normal person would not be able to see them from this distance, but this girl was far from normal. She pushed her long pitch black hair out of her view, as she continued to watch patiently from her perch. She reached into the pocket of her plain black cloak, and removed a small communication device.

"Iris here. Subjects have ceased flight. Will continue surveillance until further notice, over." she spoke into the device, her voice was small like a child's. Iris placed the device back in her pocket and remained in attentive silence.

"It's sad to see his great warrior children reduced to simple reconnaissance. What a waste." a deep and calm voice spoke from behind her. Unflinching, Iris turned her face to the side, to see a man who wore a mask which was split down the middle by color, one side was plain solid black, the other was metallic copper and let his penetrating stone stare exit through a single narrowed eyehole.

"...Slade. I've been informed about you." she said simply, turning her attention back to the rooftop in the distance.

"You realize I can't let your master go through with this." Slade walked forward, arms behind his back, "If he succeeds with this purification, then I'll have nothing to look forward to." he said, sounding amused as he continued his advancement. Hearing his approaching footsteps, Iris quickly stood up and turned around, ready to fight; the rooftop was empty and Slade was nowhere to be seen.

"Send him a message." Slade's voice echoed from some unknown location, "I'll be watching."


Author's Note: Gasp, OMG Slade! About the ice cream part; I just needed to waste a little time, it was really very pointless, but I hope I got a few people to laugh. Sorry about the delay, I share this computer with two other people... It's times like this I wish I had a laptop. Just a reminder for people who don't know, I post release dates of future chapters on my profile page; they're usually accurate, give or take a day.

darkangelchic - Did that chapter answer your Cyborg question?

starfire's flame - You're wailing? I put your pen name down; you were in bold. You've been there since my first fic, how could I forget you:)

iluvrobbie - I figured he would just shrug it off as Beast Boy weirdness; after all, he had much more important things to worry about. ;)

Exhile87 - I like to throw in a few cute little BBxRae moments every once in a while, but no more than the show would; well, maybe a smidge more.

Boyue - I've known exactly what I wanted The Tempest to be since before I posted the first chapter; but if the readers knew THIS early in the story, where would the mystery be? Actually, I've left little clues in the previous chapters as to The Tempest's true intentions (such as what Iron said to Starfire before she 'shut him up'), and will continue to do so in future chapters. I want the readers to piece it together like a puzzle, so when it all comes together, it's a pretty big moment.

realfanficts - Heh, your welcome. It's the least I could do. :)

Slythergrl2004 - When I got to writing that part, I was like, "How could Starfire not say this line?" XD I just had to put it in there, it practically wrote itself.

TheRavenMyth - A guy feeling or acting awkward around girls, the story of my life. LOL I write from experience... or is it inexperience:P

MistyMagicWaterflower aka xImmortalxRomanticx - Nah, it's more fun to type out the whole thing. :) Long before the Teen Titans TV series showed up, I was an avid pokéshipper, and I still am; so I'll definitely look into your fics when I get the chance.

Next Chapter Preview: Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg, continue to have their fun, but what is it that they're planning for five days from now? Realizing his love for Starfire, Robin finds new resolve and perhaps a new reason he can give her, but would revealing his feelings make her stay... or leave? Next up is, Day 4, Part One: What Am I So Afraid Of?