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? RobxStar, BBxRae

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans.


Day 7, Part One: A Sunny Morning

The early morning moon, though appearing to be a small insignificant object at the crest of its arc, gleamed bright silver from its position in the jet black sky. Illuminated by the lunar beams, a thin, misty layer of clouds blanketed the sky around the moon. On this end of the city, light pollution was minimal, as was traffic, allowing for a clear view of the stars and an easier time traveling from place to place. Creating a rather eerie atmosphere, the winds whistled across the empty streets and through the vacant alleyways. The occasional barking of a dog, or honking of a car horn in the distance added to the ambient noises. The section of city was hardly rural; there were many businesses and shops lining the streets, and very few houses or apartments. Even so, with sporadic lampposts, most of which only flickered light, the area was dark and empty; just the kind of area Robin was used to traveling through in his early days.

After a fairly close call back at the tower, Robin had stealthily made his way out, traveling far across town to his destination. As he scanned the area, very few of the buildings looked familiar to him; but he knew the one he was searching for stuck out like a sore thumb, so he shouldn't have a problem locating it. Walking on the sidewalk instead of the rooftops, the only sound Robin heard as he approached a street corner was the whispering wind and the tap of his own footsteps. Though the wind carried a significant chill with its gusts, Robin was surprised at how warm it was at half past midnight; if this recent weather kept up, the day would be a scorcher. As much as other things remained close to his thoughts, Robin stayed serious as he continued on his way, knowing that now was a time to remain focused and prepared. As he reached the edge of the street and stood at the crosswalk, Robin's concentration was suddenly broken by an eruption of loud barking. Turning his head to the side, Robin looked down to see a dog growling angrily at him; narrowing his eyes at it, he turned away and crossed the street. Stopping its tirade, the dog simply tilted its head to the side and watched with curiosity as Robin left.

Looking to his left down the street, Robin saw a single building in the row which had its lights on; apparently, Tyrus didn't sleep much. Walking up to the door, Robin pushed it open despite the sign that said 'closed' pressed against the window. The room was empty, but Robin could hear footsteps coming down a set of stairs toward the back.

The old man named Tyrus stepped down from the stairwell and entered the training room, eyeing Robin with a look of curiosity, "You're early." he said in his gruff and gravelly voice as he furrowed his brow, creating emphasis on his slightly wrinkled forehead. Tyrus tiredly scratched the back of his short, graying hair. Despite his age, Tyrus seemed like a young man, alive and strong... if a little absentminded at times, considering how he had forgotten to close his dojo before. Robin saw that Tyrus was now wearing something which made him actually look like the owner of such a place... some sort of traditional uniform.

"I know. I thought I'd try to get more training in today." said Robin, stretching out his arms.

"Why is it that you can't take this training during the day?" Tyrus asked, raising an eyebrow at Robin.

Robin looked away... there were no simple answers for that question, "I have my reasons." he said plainly. Seeing the bokken he had used before propped up against the wall, Robin walked over and began reaching for it.

Tyrus placed his palm out, facing it toward Robin, "Not so fast. Strength training first, then the sword." he said sternly, crossing his arms in front of himself, "You want to get good at this don't you?"

Backing away from the wall with an impatient twitch to his eyebrow, Robin turned to Tyrus and nodded reluctantly. Robin put himself through his normal routine; push-ups, crunches, and various other exercises. As soon as he finished with this, Robin's muscles would feel even more torment as Tyrus instructed him on several exercises for the wrists and arms that he would need to perform using the surprisingly heavy bokken.

Breathing heavily, Robin looked over to Tyrus from his slightly slouching position as he used the bokken as a sort of crutch, "Alright... can I start now?" he asked, massaging his arm.

With a smirk, Tyrus nodded. Walking over to the wall, he picked up another wooden sword and returned to his position across the room from Robin. "I'm going to start by explaining kata to you. Kata, are the soul of Iaido. They can be separated into four consecutive parts; nukiuchi, kirioroshi, chiburi, and noto; that's drawing the sword while cutting, making the finishing cut, shaking the blood from the blade, and then returning it to the scabbard. There are several cuts you can perform between the first two steps, but we'll get to that later. For now, I'm going to teach you the Omori Ryu, which is the beginner's set, consisting of twelve kata. You'll want to pay close attention for this." said Tyrus, pausing to see if Robin was listening. "To start..." Tyrus went off to explain each of the kata in detail, performing them to give Robin examples. Robin merely watched and listened intently, paying especially close attention to Tyrus' movements as he performed the kata. "Now, your turn. The first kata in the set..."

- - - - - -

Tyrus' jaw nearly hit the floor as he watched Robin mimic his performance. Each kata was a near perfect reproduction of what he had shown Robin less than half an hour ago. He hadn't expected such a fast duplication; he hadn't expected much at all... even from a super hero. But here he stood, watching Robin perfect something it took him years to master. Tyrus shook his head at himself, now feeling greatly overwhelmed by this new student.

Completing the final kata, Robin shifted the bokken back to his side, mimicking how Tyrus had returned the sword to his belt. Standing up fully, Robin looked to Tyrus, "Well, how was that?" he asked; judging from the expression on the guy's face, Robin didn't know whether he had done it right... or failed miserably.

Tyrus closed his mouth, "That was... really something." he said, massaging his jaw. "You are a fast learner kid, I'll give you that." he admitted, knowing what he said was a severe understatement.

"Great, so can I move on to the next set?" asked Robin seriously, eager to advance his training. He was close, he could feel it; all he needed was to see Tyrus perform more of these techniques... If he could get it right, then he knew Grey would never be able to hurt Starfire.

"Don't get cocky." responded Tyrus with a grimace, "These forms are intended to teach discipline, patience, and awareness; there's much more to it than simply performing them properly... you must understand them fully. The significance of returning the sword to its scabbard, for example, illustrates more than simple etiquette. On another note, you must try to attain full concentration before performing the cuts; it's most important to visualize your opponent. Practice those kata more and then we'll see about moving on..."

- - - - - -

Carried along with the sound of gentle ocean waves, a surprisingly warm current of air rushed in through the window. At the sound of his alarm clock, Robin slowly opened his eyes, surprised to see that everything, though blurry through his tired vision, seemed much darker than he would have expected at this hour. Fully waking, Robin looked to his side to see a seemingly tall structure obstructing the light from the windows; looking carefully, he realized that this structure was his bed. Looking down at his feet, Robin saw that his blanket had been twisted around his body as though someone had haphazardly wrapped him up in it. As he examined the situation extensively, he realized he must have rolled off of the bed in his sleep... unusual, because it had never happened before; but what was even more strange was that the fall hadn't awakened him. Robin attempted to move his arm, but found it quite difficult with his muscles aching the way they did. 'I guess the training is paying off.' he thought, taking a note from the saying, 'No pain, no gain'. Fighting through it, Robin removed the contorted blanket from himself and tossed it aside. As he tried to sit up, he felt a pain in his abdomen restricting him... more muscle fatigue; the continuous beeping of his alarm clock didn't help the situation much either. With the help of his bed, Robin pulled himself up, squinting as his eyes met the sun's blazing luminosity.

Robin shielded his eyes from the sun as he forced himself to stand up fully. Moving carefully to the shelf beside his bed, Robin reached out a sore arm and shut off the still blaring alarm clock. Letting out a sigh, he now knew he had to stretch out his muscles or else risk locking them up. No doubt the others would wonder why he would be hobbling stiffly through the tower all day. Through pain and groaning, Robin stretched out every muscle that ached, which was nearly every muscle in his body. After a while, Robin felt his stiff movements starting to loosen up as the pain in his muscles began to dissipate into a subtle burning. Grasping a hand firmly on his shoulder, Robin moved his neck about. All this pain he felt was more than worth going through. Everything he put himself through, he did for his friends... for Starfire.

This morning's sun brought with it a certain amount of respite for Robin. It was during the day that he knew he didn't have to worry about much... except getting over the effects of early morning training. Now he could focus on what was most important to him. He had promised himself that he would make these days memorable for Starfire, so that even if she did leave... she would always have something fond to look back on. It was a promise he intended to keep. But he didn't want to think about what will happen after these days pass. Now was a time to live in the moment as long as possible, to cherish every one like it was the last... and one of those moments very well could be.

Robin shifted his attention from his much dwelled on thoughts to the open window. The sun was shining intensely; despite the early hour, it almost carried the full color of the midday sun, bright and white. The sky was a clear cerulean blue, bleached by the vivid sunlight and complemented by the platinum sea. The breeze which carried in through the window was without chill, soft and warm. It was another, as Starfire would put it, 'glorious day', if only a little sweltry. This amount of heat, this early in the morning, meant that it would get progressively warmer throughout the day... maybe even to an unbearable level. The weather had certainly been unpredictable lately, but at least it was finally reflecting the time of year. Robin wondered how Starfire felt about weather of this kind; she only seemed to be bothered by the cold, and even then, it had to be really cold. So, maybe she wouldn't mind being outside on a day like this... he hoped.

Robin walked over to his closet and took out the usual, planning to take a hot shower in order to loosen up his muscles even more. While he walked to the door, yawning away some lingering tiredness, there was one thing on his mind; how could he make today special for Starfire? Aside from the time they had spent in the park, the day before had been anything but memorable. In order to make up for that, he had to find something she wanted to do, something she considered to be fun, or important, but what? Sliding open his door, Robin checked around the hallway; with the absence of the usual sounds, he could tell no one was awake yet.

- - - - - -

As the sun shined through her windows, spreading its glow throughout the room, Starfire was immediately awakened by its powerful energy. The sun was intense this morning, almost overwhelming with its uninterrupted brightness. Feeling the rather warm atmosphere in the air, Starfire peeled the blanket from herself, letting it slide off the foot of her bed as she realized how hot it was; this barely helped, as the wind which came in through the window was quite warm on its own. Sitting up quickly, Starfire stepped off of her bed and tiredly retreated to the cool shadows, outside of the sun's reach. Letting out a sigh of relief as the temperature decreased, Starfire fanned her face and neck with her hand. She was glad that she had decided to remove her boots and gloves before sleeping, which helped her to cool off at this moment. Even though the sun provided her with ample energy, it had heated the air to a fairly uncomfortable level, and though her people could withstand harsh conditions, she realized she must have been lying in the sun for quite some time. Though it was hot in the light, the shadows cooled things down to a tolerable temperature.

As soon as she cooled off, Starfire was suddenly struck by optimism; though somewhat sweltering, the weather was terrific. It was another day that could be spent outdoors... though she knew she couldn't sneak off with Robin again... not two days in a row; however tempting, it was far too obvious. She only wished she could freely do these things without worry, but she didn't know how Robin felt about her. Though he obviously cared, it was not clear if he was merely being a good friend to her. This love she felt for him... was at times more than she could bear; it was like both pain and happiness in one befuddled and unruly emotion. The happiness of love came simply from being at Robin's side, seeing a smile on his face, or hearing laughter in his voice. The pain came from not knowing, feeling often like she was fooling herself into believing something that could never be. Starfire shook her head; such troubling thoughts were not worth thinking about. She believed it was not right to worry about things she had so little control over... Today was a day to be spent with the one she loved, a day to focus on the happiness and not the pain.

Breathing in the fresh sea air that came in through the window, Starfire smiled and stretched her arms out, letting a squeaky yawn escape her mouth. Opening her eyes after yawning, Starfire caught a look at herself in a tall mirror that rested against the wall; her hair was quite disorderly, frizzy and sticking out in nearly every direction due to the heat and her resting on the pillow. Straightening it out as best she could with her hands, Starfire was quite amused at what she saw in the reflection. Realizing there wasn't much she could do, Starfire ambled over to her closet, making sure to take a towel and clothes this time so she would not embarrass Robin like before. As she walked to her door, Starfire avoided stepping in the scorching light; as much as she had cooled off, she figured a nice cold shower would help out a lot.

- - - - - -

Stepping out of the bathroom in a change of uniform, Robin brought the towel up to his head and dried off his hair as he started walking down the hallway. Draping the towel over his shoulders, Robin massaged his arms which were still slightly sore from the training. Looking up, he could see Starfire coming down the hall in his direction, "Morning Star." he said.

Seeing Robin, Starfire immediately threw her towel over the top of her head; as funny as she thought it looked, for whatever reason, she didn't want Robin to see her hair in this condition. Holding the towel in place, Starfire hovered past him, smiling largely, "Good morning Robin. Is it not a wonderful morning? Well, I must be going now, bye!" she strung together a frantic sentence as she raced into the bathroom and shut the door.

Robin stood perplexed in the hall. Suddenly, a smile came to his expression; he found that no matter what she was doing, no matter how strange it seemed, she always managed to pull it off with that undeniable cuteness. Continuing on his way, Robin stopped for a moment as something came to his mind, "Was she not wearing any shoes?" he asked himself.

- - - - - -

Hardly any light from the outside passed through the dark curtains, so this room was just about the coolest in the tower at the moment. Barely able to get any sleep, Raven had spent nearly the entire night and part of the morning attempting to clear her thoughts. "Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos." said Raven calmly while she levitated above her bed with her eyes closed. Breathing in deeply, Raven exhaled and opened her eyes, feeling like she had finally expelled Iris' emotions from the recesses of her mind, or at least kept them at bay. Standing up from her bed, Raven sighed; she was back to herself again. Even so, she couldn't ignore what those trapped emotions had done to her... it had been quite a long time since she had last cried. Raven placed some blame on herself for this. Recently she had been letting the simplest of her emotions out, not keeping them as safely guarded as usual; this is what caused Iris... and whoever else was in there to have such a lasting effect on her. With a doorway open for her emotions to be released, there was nothing stopping someone else's from getting in, especially when their minds collided the way they did.

Raven figured she should try to keep better control of her emotions. But one thing worried her, she found that all control she believed she had over her thoughts and emotions simply disappeared whenever she was around... him. With his constant joking and obnoxious personality, he drove her crazy... he was the only one who could. And she couldn't help but ask herself... why? What made him different than everybody else?

'Could it be that I--' suddenly, Raven heard a familiar voice in distress followed by a loud thump coming from somewhere in the tower.

- - - - - -

The curtains were open wide, allowing a bright stream of sunlight to penetrate into his room. Sleeping on the bottom bunk of his bed, Beast Boy snored slightly as his head hung over the edge of his mattress. Somehow, he had managed to twist himself around in his sleep so he was positioned with his shoulders facing the foot and head of his bed. This could be explained by the fact that, often, his dreams would cause him to transform into animals without knowing it. Feeling something warm on his forehead, something which had been intensifying in heat for a while, Beast Boy began squinting, awakened by the strange feeling. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into a blinding white light. His eyes stung as his pupils went from dilated to closed in an instant.

Sitting up quickly, Beast Boy put his hands over his eyes; opening them slowly, he saw nothing but a swirl of bright formless colors shifting about in an endless white abyss. "AAH! I'M BLIND!" he screamed, getting up to frantically stumble around in his room. Before he knew it, Beast Boy had run face first into a wall, causing himself to land in a pile of clothes beside his bed where he sat dazed for several moments.

"Beast Boy!" Raven slid his door open, looking across the room, "Are you--" she cut herself off as she saw him lying on the floor. Seeing several things knocked from a desk beside the wall, Raven did the math and figured he had run into the wall somehow. Sitting up, Beast Boy opened his eyes, surprised to find his vision slowly returning. As Raven came into view, he saw that she had narrowed her eyes at him, "I thought you were being attacked in here." she said crossly.

At the sight of Raven glaring at him, Beast Boy felt very embarrassed, "The sun... it was REALLY bright." he said awkwardly. Suddenly, a pile of clothes from the top bunk fell on his head.

- - - - - -

Coming back from his room after putting away his things, Robin walked through the halls on his way to the living room. As he came out of the hallway, he was surprised to find himself met by the aroma of breakfast being cooked; pancakes and... he didn't really care; it was food, and his stomach needed it. Looking around, Robin saw that Cyborg had taken his place in the kitchen; standing in front of the stove, he flipped the pancakes that Robin had taken notice of. Beast Boy was on the couch with the remote in one hand, switching through the channels. Sitting on the other end of the couch, Raven read the pages of a rather dark looking book. The first thing Robin noticed as he began walking to the kitchen table, was how warm it was in the tower, even in the shadows. The sun was shining in through the main windows; if not for the television, Beast Boy and Raven would be directly under its scorching light. Sitting down at a chair, Robin still felt tired, which was understandable since he had only gotten a few hours of rest. Placing his arms on the table, Robin rested his head on them and unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

Settling on the morning news, Beast Boy set the remote down at his side and continued watching; the forecast, which called for more sunny weather, was being shown. Beast Boy was bored out of his mind... there was never anything on in the morning. Hardly paying attention to the television, Beast Boy heard a page being turned from across the couch. Unable to forget about Raven's peculiar behavior last night, he turned an eye to her. He didn't know how, but he could tell something was still troubling her; it was in her eyes. For some reason, he felt as though he needed to ask her about it.

"Um, Raven, are you--" he started.

"I'm fine Beast Boy. I appreciate your concern, but what happened back there, happened because of the way I am. It's something I risk whenever I enter someone's mind... especially if I wasn't planning on doing so. It's why I meditate, why I try to keep my own mind in check." Raven said quickly. She didn't mean to sound like she was telling him off, but... that's just the way it came out.

"That's not what I meant..." Beast Boy looked down, afraid of how she would hear this, "Last night... I heard you crying and--" he started, quietly so Robin and Cyborg couldn't hear.

Standing up slightly, Raven slammed her book shut and turned to Beast Boy, feeling almost assaulted, "You were listening?" she asked with subtle anger in her voice. "What? Were you standing outside my door?" she questioned him again through clenched teeth as she set her book down on the couch.

"NO, no. That wasn't it at all." Beast Boy shook his head and held his hands up in front of himself, "I went to the kitchen last night... when I came back and walked past your door... I heard you." he explained, "Look, I wouldn't have said anything, but... you never cry." he added.

"Oh." Raven calmed down and sat back down on the couch, feeling regretful for not hearing him out, "What you heard was just some lingering emotions from that girl's mind manifesting themselves through me. In essence, it wasn't me crying, it was her." she explicated. "But I've taken care of the situation... you shouldn't worry about it." she said, though it was rather touching, she had not often seen the sentimental side of Beast Boy.

"Sorry... it's just, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't worry?" he asked, raising one eyebrow slightly.

For reasons unknown to her, Raven found that sentence to be both hurtful and kind, "Um... thanks." she responded, picking up her book and returning to where she left off via the bookmark.

- - - - - -

"BREAKFAST!" Cyborg hollered.

Robin shot up from his position, "I'M UP! Wha-" he cut himself off as he saw all the others sitting at the table; everyone smirked at him, except Starfire who gave him a sympathetic look. "Uh... never mind." he said, sitting up straight in his chair as Cyborg passed out plates to everyone. As he looked to Starfire who sat adjacent to him, he noticed something was different about her... but what? Under closer inspection, he saw that she was not wearing her usual gloves or boots; instead, a tiny pair of sandals adorned her feet. He figured she must have done this to cool off; thinking about it, he realized how hot it actually was in the tower. Robin pulled at his collar to alleviate some of the heat.

"Uh, is this...?" Beast Boy let his question trail away as he stared at his plate which had only pancakes on it.

"Don't worry, there's no eggs in it." Cyborg pointed to two separate boxes of pancake mix in the kitchen; apparently, one of them didn't need eggs to be made properly, "I got two different boxes. Heck, your pancakes almost taste like the real thing." he joked, sitting down at one end of the table.

"Hey, thanks!" Beast Boy said. Picking up a fork, he began devouring the vegetarian-safe pancakes. All the while, he looked at Cyborg out of the corner of his eye, wondering what he wanted in return.

Fork in hand, Robin simply stared at his plate; his stomach let out a growl as the scent of butter and syrup got to him. Too hungry to restrain himself, Robin proceeded to voraciously eat away at the pancakes; within what seemed like mere seconds, he had finished the entire plate. Letting out a satisfied breath, Robin leaned back in his chair, looking up to see everyone staring at him.

"Hungry much?" asked Beast Boy before taking a drink of water. Robin attempted to hide under his shoulders when he realized what he had done.

After finishing their meals, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven retreated to the living room where all three could be seen talking about something. Robin stayed at the kitchen table, unable to resist a second helping. Starfire merely watched Robin, a little worried and curious about what could have made him so deprived of energy. She had noticed a slight tired limp to his step when she saw him in the hall earlier.

"Robin, are you well?" she asked as Robin quickly finished his second plate, "You seem... fatigued." she added; she was sure that if she could see his eyes, there would be dark rings under them.

Robin tensed up, 'She noticed... what are you gonna tell her? You can't tell her the truth.' he thought. Setting his fork down on the plate, Robin looked to Starfire, preparing to make up something; however, he found himself caught in her emerald green eyes which looked on in worry... how could he lie to those eyes? "Um, I was... training, early this morning." he said, nodding his head once.

"Oh, I see." Starfire looked at her empty plate. She wished he wouldn't put himself through so much. Suddenly Starfire looked back up at him, "Has it been affecting your sleep?" she asked, "I do not believe training in that state would help you..."

Robin was thankful that she was concerned about him, but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it... he had to keep training, no matter what, "It's not much... I've just been trying to make up for the days I haven't trained." he said; another half-truth...

"I understand." Starfire knew Robin's obligations were important to him, "But, please... do not overwork yourself." she said with his best interest in mind.

"Don't worry, I won't." he said, unable to keep from smiling.

Sitting on the couch between Beast Boy and Raven, Cyborg looked over his shoulder at Robin and Starfire who were in the midst of what looked like a flirtatious conversation. Cyborg smirked, either they were both blind, or they really couldn't see how much they were crushing on each other. He wondered what would happen if he were to just blurt out the truth to both of them. But he knew he couldn't do that; this kind of thing required finesse... not to mention that it was much more fun to sit back and watch it unfold.

Cyborg got Beast Boy and Raven's attention, "Y'all haven't forgotten about our little plan have you?" he asked slyly in a whisper.

Beast Boy perked up, "Oh yeah." he grinned excessively wide, "Just two more days." he said, "Still plenty of time to mess with them."

"I know it's kinda you're turn again." Cyborg said, looking at Beast Boy, "But I've got a really great idea. So much better than a movie." he chuckled.

"So that's what the vegetarian pancakes were for." Beast Boy narrowed his eyes at him, "Why should I let you--" cutting Beast Boy off mid-sentence, Cyborg whispered something in his ear. Curious, Raven attempted to lean in and hear what he was saying, however he finished before she got a chance. Suddenly, Beast Boy burst out laughing, holding his sides, "Alright, alright. Go for it." he spoke through his chuckling.

"Hey Robin!" Cyborg shouted, "Beast Boy just got an idea!"

Beast Boy gained a confused look, "Wha-" before he could protest, he felt himself shoved around the couch by Cyborg's metal arms. Turning around, he looked at Cyborg angrily.

"Well, I can't take credit for it. It's s'posed to be your turn anyway." Cyborg made up an excuse.

"You're a brave one." Raven commented at Cyborg sarcastically, knowing that he just didn't want to deal with Robin on the subject of fun... or whatever it was he was going to make Beast Boy suggest.

Still sitting at the table with Starfire, Robin looked to Beast Boy inquisitively. Suddenly, Beast Boy got stage fright, "Um, I was thinking... since it's so hot today, we should go have lunch at the beach." he braced himself for the reaction, "Where better to spend a day like this... right?" he asked quickly, feeling small and insignificant as though he was in the Doom Patrol again. Beast Boy gritted his teeth, suddenly developing the need for vengeance; Cyborg would be on the business end of so many pranks if this didn't work out.

Selfish as it sounded, there were less than four days left, and Robin wanted to spend them with Starfire, "Well... I--" he started.

"The beach?" Starfire stood up, her eyes gleaming with hope, "Perhaps we could go swimming as well, yes?" she looked to Robin, hands clasped together in front of herself.

"Yeah, sounds like a great idea." Robin said, as though he had no control over his speech.

"Oh, splendid!" Starfire exclaimed in happiness, "I have never had the pleasure of swimming in earth waters before. Tell me, is it enjoyable?" she asked Robin fervently.

Robin could hardly remember the last time he had gone swimming under peaceful circumstances, "Yeah, I think so." he said. As he watched Starfire being enthusiastic about a trip to the beach, he figured it wasn't such a bad idea after all. Robin felt like thanking Beast Boy, who had given him exactly what he was looking for; something Starfire would be interested in. Not only was she interested in it, she had never gone swimming on earth before... it was perfect.

Sneaking back to the couch while Robin and Starfire talked, Beast Boy let out a breath and sat down. Forgetting about getting back at Cyborg for now, a funny thought came to his mind, "Can you imagine the look on Robin's face when he sees Starfire in a swimsuit?" Beast Boy chortled, quietly so Robin and Starfire couldn't hear.

Cyborg grinned evilly, "Yeah, it'll be priceless! He might just faint!" he said, laughing hysterically under his breath.

"Perverts." Raven commented, though she didn't deny she would get an inward laugh at the look on Robin's face as well.

"I have seen humans wear the... scuba gear when they swim. Do they always wear this?" Starfire suddenly asked, "On my planet, some Tamaranians would simply go without--"

"A bathing suit Starfire. You'd wear a bathing suit." Raven cut in, suddenly standing right next to Starfire, "Remember that thing you bought at the mall a while ago?" she asked. Starfire shook her head, unable to remember. "Come on." said Raven, leading Starfire away to show her what she had bought, explaining the details along the way; as funny as she thought that situation would be, Raven attempted to spare Robin the awkward moment just this once.

After hearing the explanation, Starfire turned to Raven as they walked, "Oh, I always believed those were..." she slouched slightly so she could move closer to Raven's ear, "Undergarments." she whispered. Raven could be seen shaking her head as they entered the hallway.

- - - - - -

Several hours passed; it was nearly lunchtime and the Titans had all gathered in the T-Car, now driving to a little known section of the beach where their lunch would go uninterrupted. All the windows were wide open, letting whatever amount of air in as possible on this scorching day. Starfire sat near a window for once, looking enthusiastic as ever, hardly able to wait until they reached their destination. Raven sat in the middle, feeling rather crowded... though somehow she didn't quite mind one aspect of sitting in the middle. Beast Boy, positioned on the right side of the backseats, was now feeling the effects of the immense heat from the sun which penetrated his open window; turning into a large floppy-eared dog, he stuck his head out of the window and began panting in the wind. Robin sat in the front seat as usual; though he had rarely taken his eyes off of Starfire, who was wearing quite a different outfit than usual, Robin looked out his window with curiosity, wondering where they were going as more and more trees began to overtake the scenery. Stepping on the brakes, Cyborg brought the car to a stop along a road which curved off to the right further on in a hallway of tall green trees and some tropical flora.

Cyborg looked out his window and squinted with his human eye, "There it is." he said, pointing out at a barely noticeable dirt road which led off into the trees. "I used to come here all the time when I was a kid. It was the best place to practice swimming without all those people gettin' in the way." he reminisced, turning the car onto the road. "Luckily the city kinda forgot about this place. You can thank urban expansion for that." he joked, knowing normally the city's expansions built over and destroyed places like this. The car began to bump wildly on the rocky terrain. One thing became apparent as they drove through the wilderness, it certainly was a lot cooler in the shadow of all those trees. Before long, the trees seemed to become more tropical in appearance; the ground beneath said trees was lined with ferns and other short plants. An opening in the trees gave all the Titans pause with the scene it revealed. None could refrain from staring out the driver's side windows as Cyborg brought the car to a complete halt and shut it off.

One by one, the Titans filed out of the car to look upon the scenery in awe. Just beyond the barrier of trees, the ground shifted into a large section of beautiful white sands, highlighted with a lively glow in the blazing, uninterrupted sunlight. The sand led off into the stunning blue-green waters which shimmered as several soft waves glided peacefully across its surface. Crystal clear and relatively still, the details of the ocean floor below could be seen through the water with surprising clarity. Further out, the horizon was obstructed by two tall walls of red-ish brown rock on either side; extending out from the forest behind them and on into the ocean, the rock walls curved inward and stopped just short of meeting each other, giving the area a crescent shape, and making it more of a bay than a beach. Seemingly out of place, a single palm tree stood tall near the shoreline, its bristly green leaves swaying in the balmy breeze. It was, simply put, an astonishing sight to gaze upon; a lost paradise hidden far outside the reaches of the urban jungle.

"Oh, is it not a stunning sight?" Starfire marveled, stepping gleefully out of the trees and on to the white sands where she twirled about in wonderment.

There was only one stunning sight Robin had his eyes on at this moment. Looking angelic as she stood in the sunlight, Starfire wore a knee-length lavender sun dress; very different, but it merely contributed to her radiant beauty. Two straps held up the dress, revealing much more of her neck and shoulders than usual. The thin fabric was lit up bright by the sun, and Starfire's slender silhouette could be seen through it. In a dreamy daze, Robin simply stood by the car, unable to take his eyes off of her as she admired the scenic environment.

All the Titans, aside from Cyborg who really had no choice in the matter, were wearing slightly different clothing. Robin, still dreamily gazing, was wearing a dark gray t-shirt over green swim-shorts, though he hadn't really planned on going in the water. Beast Boy wore similar attire to Robin; a black t-shirt over purple swim shorts, keeping his usual colors intact. Raven appeared to be wearing the same thing as always, her blue cloak, though she had her hood down; unknown to the others, mostly because it looked like her normal outfit without sleeves, Raven wore a black one-piece bathing suit under her cloak just in case someone decided to pull a prank and toss her in the water.

As the entranced Robin followed Starfire out on to the beach, the other Titans looked at each other knowingly while they removed their things from the trunk. Robin walked up to Starfire, who then turned to him and smiled a smile that could melt a thousand hearts. "So, what are the oceans like on your planet?" he asked, attempting not to let that smile make his voice shake.

"Oh, they are quite hazardous to one's health. On Tamaran, no one ever swims in the ocean." she explained, "Large bodies of innocuous water are very rare. Which is why we do not often swim." she said, breathing in the fresh sea air.

"But, you've swam before right?" Robin queried.

Starfire put her hands together in front of herself, "Truthfully, I have not..." she admitted, seeming slightly embarrassed to say so.

"Oh, do you know how--" Robin was interrupted as Beast Boy, in the form of a large bird, flew past them, kicking up a large amount of wind. As the gusts came by, Starfire held her dress down to keep it from flying over her head. Beast Boy flew high up above the water, and Robin didn't need to be a mind reader in order to see what was coming next.

Reverting back into a human, Beast Boy grinned knowing all eyes were watching him, "CAAAAAAAAAAANOOOOOOOOOON!" he yelled as he began falling, "BAAAAAAAAAAAAA--" Beast Boy was cut off painfully as he hit the water flat on his back, "...Ouch." he said in a monotone, before sinking under the water in defeat.

"Karma." commented Raven, positioning a large umbrella and a beach towel on the sand with her powers, watching out of the corner of her eye as Beast Boy continued to swim around under the water... unharmed.

Starfire giggled and turned to Robin, "Shall we join him?" she asked with a smile, taking to the sky. Before Robin could look up and see what she was doing, he felt a reasonable amount of fabric fall on him, followed by two heavier objects which bounced off his head and landed in the sand. Pulling the lavender cloth from his head, Robin realized with a jump in heart rate, that he was holding Starfire's dress in his hands. Hearing a splash in the water, he looked up to see her surfacing; what he saw through the clear waters was almost more than his conscience could take. She wore a small... two-piece purple bathing suit; even through the water he could see much more of her figure than he was used to. Even more unnerving, the bikini seemed to be held together by strings tied at her hips, and he assumed, her back as well. Robin was just glad that the only other guys here were Cyborg and Beast Boy, who he knew didn't look at Starfire the way he was looking at her now...

"Robin?" Starfire called from the water, waving her hand in the air, "Are you not going to swim with us?" she asked, though she would have liked to put 'me' in place of 'us'.

"Uh..." Robin looked at the dress in his hands, which he forgot he was holding, "Yeah." he said quickly, with a slight crack in his voice. Tossing the dress aside near Starfire's discarded sandals, he reached for his shirt.

As Starfire watched Robin remove his shirt, she felt a shiver run up her spine, even in the lukewarm water. The scar from his fight with the robot was visible, but had healed well since the incident. Feeling guilty, Starfire looked over his... well defined body amorously, feeling herself beginning to melt away in her own thoughts. As she stared at Robin without notice of her own actions, Starfire began sinking under the water which immediately brought her attention back to reality. However, she couldn't keep her thoughts in check for very long; as Robin took off his shoes and began swimming out toward her, Starfire felt a silly smile spread widely across her face.

"Well, I guess that answers my question." Robin said, coming to a stop beside her, but making sure not to get too close. "I thought you said you've never swam before... how are you doing it now?" he asked.

"Like flight, I suppose such a thing is instinct." she replied with a smile, moving her arms and legs to keep herself up; she could fly, however, she wanted to experience this as a human would.

"What?" Robin asked, seeming worried, "You just jumped in the water trusting instinct to keep you afloat?" he questioned, wondering what was going through her mind, almost forgetting that she could fly.

Starfire looked confused, "Is there any other way?" she asked in response.

Robin had to think about that for a moment, "No, I guess there isn't." he replied, sounding amused. Robin and Starfire began laughing in unison, until, with a hollow plastic pang, Robin felt something strike him on the side of his head. Looking to his side, Robin saw a multi-colored beach ball floating in the water.

"Dodge ball!" Cyborg could be heard shouting from the shoreline before jumping in the water and causing a large splash.

"AAH!" Beast Boy screamed, seeing his cybernetic friend enter the water, "Cyborg! Quick, get out before you electrocute us!" he yelled, attempting to fly out of the water without changing into the proper animal.

"First off, it's the ocean... not a bathtub; second, I'm a cyborg, not a toaster; and third, I'm sure I've told you this before--" Cyborg sounded reasonably annoyed, "I'm completely waterproof!" he said, banging a hand against his metal chest. Just then, Cyborg felt the beach ball slap him on the human side of his face.

"Challenge accepted." Robin said with a smirk, letting his competitive side out. Looking to his side, Robin saw Starfire laughing and clapping her hands in amusement. Seeing this, he figured he should let go of all his worries; now was not a time to be thinking about them. For once in what felt like a very long time, he simply wanted to enjoy the day as much as possible... with Starfire here, he knew that would be an easy goal to accomplish.

"Sweet!" Cyborg shouted, picking up the beach ball, "It'll be me and BB against you two." he said, aiming at Robin once more. Soon, the two teams engaged in a game of water-dodge ball, neither playing by any specific rules or keeping any particular score. The beach ball was dodged just as many times as it was thrown; each team having their own advantages. Beast Boy could fly, allowing him to throw the ball from the air; Starfire could fly as well, but had him outdone when it came to speed and strength. Robin had an unmatched accuracy with his throws, but Cyborg countered that with his ability to tactically calculate every single dodging or throwing situation he came upon. However, as time passed, the ball seemed to be hitting one team more than the other, and two clear winners emerged.

"Okay, okay! We give!" Cyborg conceded, feeling like he had been struck by that beach ball a thousand times.

"We are victorious!" Starfire exclaimed triumphantly, throwing her hands up in the air, smiling so wide that she had to squint her eyes.

"Alright!" Robin cheered, enthusiastic for once. Without really thinking about what they were doing, Robin and Starfire locked their hands together in some sort of victory gesture. As they brought their hands down beside their faces, Robin snapped back to reality and discovered how close they were; less than a foot apart. He noticed that holding her hand felt much better when he wasn't wearing gloves. Starfire still smiled and giggled without restraint; all Robin could do was look on in wonderment at her arresting beauty... her hair was completely soaked, causing her bangs to fall in front of her forehead... he loved when that happened.

Beast Boy snickered as he watched them from far away, "Hey, I'll race you to that rock." he said to Cyborg, pointing to a large black rock quite a distance outside of the bay.

"Psh. Why would I just compete against you in a pointless race like that?" Cyborg asked.

Beast Boy looked down at his feet under the water, "Sorry. I guess I can get a little over competitive sometimes and--HEY!" he yelled as he watched Cyborg speeding off to the rock, laughing hysterically. "No fair!" he shouted, transforming into a dolphin in order to chase after Cyborg.

Starfire opened her eyes fully, finding herself staring directly into Robin's mask; surprisingly, he seemed to be smiling just as much as she was. They were less than a foot apart... kissing distance, 'No, do not think that!' she ordered herself as her cheeks began to redden. Letting go of Robin's hands, Starfire turned away, attempting to hide her blushful face.

Seeing this, Robin cursed his stupidity at not breaking away from her sooner, 'What were you thinking...?' he asked himself rather disdainfully.

"Um, shall we see what is beyond this place?" Starfire asked, still looking away. Feeling as though enough of the blush had left her cheeks, Starfire turned around to face Robin, managing to smile; beginning to swim backward, she motioned for him to follow. Feeling relieved that she probably had turned away to have a look at the opening between the two rock walls, Robin turned around and began swimming after her in the same fashion. As they met up beyond the rock walls, Robin and Starfire took a left and continued swimming backward; as they got farther away, they could see Cyborg and Beast Boy now racing back to the bay.

- - - - - -

Sitting on the beach towel under the umbrella, Raven looked up from her book. Cyborg was swimming laps around the lagoon, for nostalgic purposes she assumed. Beast Boy was nowhere to be seen; she guessed that he must have gone on his own to dive off some high rocks or something...

'He didn't even try to toss me in the water.' She thought, looking back into her book. 'Are you... disappointed?' she asked herself out of the blue, '...No.' came a delayed reply. Suddenly, Raven felt something grasp her by the shoulders; dropping her book, she looked up to find that a large green eagle had taken hold of her. "Beast Boy!" she shouted as she felt herself being lifted into the air, "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded as she was brought high above the lagoon. Feeling the grip loosen, Raven was not surprised at all as she began falling. Beast Boy reverted back to human form and proceeded to fall right along with her, grinning evilly. Though Raven could have easily levitated out of this situation, she wanted to turn this prank around on Beast Boy. Pulling away the gem which held her cloak on, Raven let it fly off as she turned toward the water and dove in; underwater, she could see Beast Boy had belly flopped on the surface. Swimming to the shore, Raven surfaced and began walking back to the beach towel. Catching her still descending cloak with one hand, she wrapped it back around herself, sat down on the towel, and nonchalantly resumed reading her book.

Beast Boy just floated in the same place, jaw dropped below the water in astonishment.

"Looks like the joke's on you." Cyborg commented.

- - - - - -

"Robin?" Starfire got his attention as both looked to the sky while swimming backward, side by side. "How long has it been since you have gone swimming?" she asked, seeing that he seemed to be rather adept at it.

"Oh, well, remember the guy I told you about... the one who got me out of the orphanage?" Robin asked in response, still looking up to the sky.

"Yes. The Batman." Starfire responded, still unable to hold back a giggle at the thought of a half-man, half-bat.

Robin smiled as he heard her say that; many people in Gotham had often referred to him as 'The Batman'. "Yeah. Well, he was really rich. So, of course, he had an indoor pool. I never really swam for fun though... it was usually just for exercise." he explained, realizing how monotonous he must seem; always training, always doing something serious.

"Oh, I see." Starfire looked up to the sky as she pushed herself along the water, admiring the light and fluffy clouds suspended high in the sun-bleached blue. Robin's mention of the orphanage brought something to her thoughts, "Robin...?" she trailed off, about to ask a fairly personal question.

"Yeah?" he replied, noticing a slight hesitation in her voice.

Starfire breathed in deeply, "Do you ever... miss your parents?" she asked, feeling wistful at the thought.

Robin closed his eyes and listened to the calmly rolling ocean, "Every day..." he admitted something he had never told anyone. Robin realized that he didn't mind telling her that; more importantly, he felt as though he could tell her anything... almost anything. "...Um, what about you?" he asked, afraid that she might not have even known her parents well enough to feel anything.

"Yes." Starfire turned her face toward Robin, "For much of my life, they were very distant... but this could not be helped." she explained, "I miss them, even now." she sighed lightly. "But, I have found something Robin... something that I care for very much... as sad as I am to be apart from my family, what I have found brings me all the happiness I need." Starfire's face began to glow red with blush.

Robin found himself swimming closer to her, looking into her eyes, "Star--Ow!" he grunted as both he and Starfire bumped their heads into something solid. Pulling back and massaging their craniums, Robin and Starfire saw that they had collided with a large stone wall. Turning their attention up, they noticed the top of a newly repaired Ferris Wheel; they had swam all the way to the amusement park. Looking to each other with smiles, Robin and Starfire began wading to shore.

Walking up onto the hot sandy shore, Robin and Starfire noticed a sizeable crowd had gathered atop the boardwalk. Taking a path up the hill, they stepped on to the boardwalk and moved closer to the back of the crowd to see what was going on, both felt rather naked beside a group of fully-clothed people. In the distance, they could see a man standing at the entrance to the park.

"The amusement park will be open later tonight! Make sure to stick around; we'll be setting off a fireworks display after dark to celebrate the reopening!"


Author's Note: Yes! I'm two days early with this one! Hope you enjoyed this chapter; I know I had a fun time writing it, especially the scenes at the lagoon :). By the way, xXxPrincess of DreamsxXx started a very interesting thread in the forum (can be found on my profile page); it concerns Grey, if your interested in posting your assumptions about him. Once again, thank you Sayan-P for providing the sword fighting informatioin.

My thanks goes out to everyone for reading and reviewing! Happy New Year!

Next Chapter Preview: With the amusement park repaired and reopened, the Titans seize another opportunity to have some much needed fun, in some ways more than others. Day 7, Part Two: A Starlit Night and Fireworks.