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 9, Part One: When It Rains...

The sound of quickened waves shattering against the island rocks flowed through the window like water, flooding the dark room with its constant yet peaceful presence. Calm and infrequent gusts of warm wind rustled the plain white curtains under the light of the silvery moon; like white phantoms, both lengths of fabric moved about, struck aglow by the ever-present heavenly body. The view through the window of the oceanic horizon was obstructed only by the connecting bridge in the distance. The stars above, though slightly bleached by the moonlight, cast their otherworldly blue glow down upon the ocean, revealing the movement of nearly every curl on its surface. It was all so peaceful... too peaceful... like a dream, keeping one from the world, away from obligation. In the darkness of the room, a fist clenched and an eye began to twitch as a certain realization came upon the slumbering Boy Wonder.

Mustering all his strength to break from the iron bond of dreams, Robin shot up from his pillow, tearing the covers from himself; the sheets fell to the floor and caught themselves in the light of the moon. Breathing heavily with a strange light-headed feeling, Robin searched the room frantically with his eyes, though in his waking state he couldn't quite figure out what he was looking for. Suddenly, reality came rushing back to him in one horrifying instant. Turning quickly to his clock, Robin saw that it was just past 1:00 in the morning... he was going to be late. Without hesitation, he swung his feet over the right edge of his bed and swiftly pulled his boots on. Knowing he still had to be quiet, Robin walked as fast as he could to his door, sliding it open to step into the hallway.

The corridor was dark and deathly quiet; the others were of course asleep at this time, and Robin had no intention of waking them up. After closing his door with restrained hurry, Robin swallowed hard as he attempted to tiptoe his way to the common room. He tried to make as little noise as possible, but the steel toes of his boots continued to tap on the floor; it was a tap that sounded to him like he was stomping incessantly on the ground. Finally making it to the living room, Robin let out a breath and made his way to the elevator doors. After waiting anxiously for the doors to open, he almost leapt in, hurriedly pushing the button for the garage. When the doors didn't close as quickly as he would have liked, he began to impatiently press on the button as if more times would persuade the doors to shut and the elevator to move. Finally, the doors closed; as the elevator began to move, Robin immediately lost his balance and fell into the wall, knocking his head against it, something that would not have happened had he been fully awake. With a groan, he massaged the portion of his head that had collided with the wall, 'Stay awake...' he ordered himself. As soon as the elevator rang in the arrival on the bottom floor, Robin rushed to the doors, helping them open.

Scanning the garage, Robin located his motorcycle and hastily made his way toward it, knowing now he didn't need to be as quiet as before. On the seat of the R-Cycle rested Robin's helmet; quickly putting it on, he positioned himself on the bike and tapped something into the front panel. Soon, the immense doors in front of him began to slide open, shaking the ground slightly with their movement. Finally, the doors revealed the undersea tunnel, lit up by a continuous line of bright orange lights. It gave Robin a small sense of relief to see this; a straight path, and no reason to hold back on speed. Releasing the kickstand, he revved up his cycle and took off into the tunnel.

Keeping a serious demeanor, Robin drove in the center of the shaft, following under the path of lights. 'I got too careless.' he thought, narrowing his eyes. He felt as though with that extra hour or so he had slept, with the time he had squandered... he was killing Starfire and his friends. He was doing this for them... for her, how could he be so heedless? Clenching his grip on the handles of the cycle, Robin increased the speed, knowing there was nothing he could to change what had happened now... he could only try to reach his destination as fast as possible. As the end of the tunnel came into view, Robin was forced to a halt. Tapping his access code into the panel, he watched as the ground began to slant upward, opening the tunnel onto the city streets. Several cars could be heard passing by above; like him, the city never truly rested.

Driving out of the corridor, Robin stopped, waiting for an opening into the traffic as the tunnel closed behind him. Normally, this was where he would leave his vehicle... but there was no time to be discreet. With a break in the traffic, Robin immediately sped up the cycle and made a right down the street which ran alongside the bay. Unwilling to waste any more time, he began cutting and weaving through the slow traffic.

As his next turn came into view, Robin tore to the left, screeching his tires against the road. There, in the distance, he could see Tyrus' building on one side of an empty street, lights on as usual. Bringing the R-Cycle to a halt by the sidewalk, Robin pushed down the kickstand and stepped off, dropping his helmet on the ground beside the bike. Running up to the doors, Robin pushed his way through, sliding into the building and breathing hard as he came to a stop.

Tyrus, who had been standing on the opposite end of the room with a cup of tea in his hands, fumbled with the cup as Robin came rushing in. Letting out a breath, he set the cup down on a small table beside the wall and turned to Robin, "You're late..." he started. Robin immediately turned his face away slightly, feeling even more regretful. "Thanks." Tyrus added with a chuckle, "I thought I wouldn't get some time to rest until after your training."

Robin raised an eyebrow at the old man before returning to his state of urgency, "I wasted time. I have to start now. Forget the weight training." he said quickly.

"You're in a hurry?" asked Tyrus, drawing a bokken from his belt as he created a certain distance between himself and Robin, "Good. I've had this in mind for a while now, and it won't take long at all." he finished, placing both hands on the hilt of the sword, readying a stance.

"What...? You want to fight me?" asked Robin with a bit of surprise.

"Of course. What better way to test your abilities?" Tyrus nodded his head, motioning for Robin to pick up the bokken by the wall. Robin complied rather skeptically, and Tyrus spoke up again, "We won't worry about helmets or body armor. After all, you've seen many battles... and so have I. You're not afraid of a few bruises, are you?" he inquired.

"No." answered Robin, seriously and to the point. Holding the sword up with both hands, Robin centered it in his vision.

"I'm not going to go easy on you." Tyrus warned.

"I wouldn't want you to." replied Robin, feeling like he was back on track. A real fight would help him out more than spoken training; this would assuredly make up for lost time if Tyrus was being serious.

"Alright then. Begin!"

Neither waiting for the other to make the first move, both Robin and Tyrus began at once. Keeping his sword centered, Tyrus lifted it high and slashed down as he took one step forward. Holding his position, Robin tightened his stance and held the heavy wooden sword horizontally, countering Tyrus' move and adding some force to push it away. With his first strike deflected, Tyrus acted quickly in response. Moving the sword to his right, he cut diagonally. Paying more attention to Tyrus' moves than his own, Robin quickly moved his sword to block once again. With the sound of wooden collision, Robin had successfully placed his sword in front of the attack; however, with the sheer force of the old man's cut, Robin was struck on the shoulder, causing him to drop the bokken to the floor. Robin winced each time one end of the sword bounced against the polished wood floor, acknowledging his defeat with each tooth clenching clatter. As Robin glared at the sword, Tyrus backed away and returned to his starting position.

"Once more." said Robin, picking up the sword, though his sore shoulder hindered him slightly. As soon as Tyrus nodded, Robin charged in, deciding to attempt the first strike. Slashing horizontally, Robin found his attack immediately stopped. Both hands clenched securely on the hilt, Tyrus held his sword over his shoulder, keeping Robin at bay. Without warning, Tyrus knocked Robin's sword away with what seemed like merely the flick of his wrist. Just as quickly, he cut once more, hitting Robin in the stomach; though it caused more frustration than physical pain. Once again, the Boy Wonder dropped the wooden blade to the floor.

Robin looked up at Tyrus to see him moving back into position, his expression remaining unchanged. Sighing, Robin reached out for the bokken... If he couldn't at least match this man now, then there was no way he could... 'I can't afford to fail.' he thought seriously, blocking doubt from his mind. Clutching the sword through the pain he felt in his hand and shoulder, Robin stepped back and centered it on Tyrus. What seemed like two losses, could actually help him in a way. Robin had taken note of every motion Tyrus made, down to the positioning of his feet... He had always been told to know his opponent's moves inside and out... perception was the key to victory. Before making any moves, Robin closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. As he concentrated, he could feel the outside distractions fading away... all sound, all sight, all but his opponent vanished. Opening his eyes, Robin retained focus on Tyrus, "I'm ready." he said.

Taking in slow breaths, Robin brought the sword down to his side, watching as Tyrus did the same. As he moved the bokken again to a position above his right shoulder, the whole world was out of his attention, save for his opponent. In the blink of an eye, Robin stepped forward and cut downward diagonally. Immediately, with a wooden clack, the two swords met between the fighters. Using the momentum of his first strike, Robin spun around and cut horizontally. Tyrus managed to parry this attack, now holding his sword perfectly vertical. As soon as he saw this, Robin pulled the bokken away, rotating to the left around Tyrus, who did the same; both faced each other once again, ready to clash swords once again. Before Tyrus made a move, Robin raised his sword and cut diagonally; wise to this, Tyrus merely ducked under the slash to avoid it. Eyes widening as his opportunity revealed itself, Robin quicky held his sword out and turned one full circle, hoping to catch Tyrus off guard with a slash fueled by momentum. With the sound of sword against sword, the world suddenly faded back into view for Robin. Hilt to hilt, Robin and Tyrus held their swords a perfect distance between each other; their attacks had been stopped just short of hitting. The ends of their bokken were mere inches from the other's face, halted in the center; neither could finish their strike.

"A draw...?" Tyrus sounded as though he was questioning himself, wide eyed as his hands shook ever so slightly... the student had nearly become the teacher. Holding his position in disbelief, Robin breathed hard, barely understanding what had just happened... it was as though the right moves just came to him. Clearing his throat, Tyrus pulled the sword away and stepped back; still in a little bit of denial, he bowed slightly as was customary. Relaxing his grip on the sword, Robin brought it down to his side and followed Tyrus' example. "I think that's enough for today." said Tyrus, setting the sword down by the wall.

"What?" Robin clenched the sword in his hand, "But there's so much more to learn." he said, unwilling to stop now... he had only just arrived.

"Do you have any idea what just happened there?" inquired Tyrus. Robin didn't answer, though he had a slight understanding. "You've shown a perfect sense of mushin and ma. I saw it on your expression during the fight; pure unhindered focus... I hate to say this, but I could never hope to refine my senses to that level; one cannot be taught these things, you see." a slight smile formed on the old man's face. "You learned more from yourself in that battle than I could ever teach you, believe me." with a grin, Tyrus chuckled, "Go home, get some rest." he said.

"But..."

"You want to win your fight against this guy, right?" Tyrus asked. Without answering, Robin looked to the ground. "Look, if there's one thing I've learned in all my years, it's that you can't win a battle... if you're falling asleep." he looked to Robin with a knowing smirk. Robin suddenly stood up straight; it was true... he could never hope to win against Grey in such a state of fatigue. Deciding it was a good idea, Robin walked over to the wall and set down the bokken. "Besides, don't you want to be awake for that big celebration?" added Tyrus.

Robin, who was about to walk to the door, stopped and looked at Tyrus curiously, "How did you know--"

"It was all over the news. They said you're actually going this year." Tyrus stretched out his arms as he turned to face the stairs in the back room, "I could care less about that kind of thing... it's more for you young people." he said, making his way forward. "I think I might actually get a good rest before classes this morning." he finished, walking away into the back room.

'All over the news...?' thought Robin, pulling open the door. Now he was worried.

- - - - - -

Through the haze of a waking dream, Starfire could hear and feel the world fading into perception. The room was dimly lit, but through her tired eyes, the blue morning light could be seen spreading slowly across the walls. A strange vision came upon Starfire as she turned her attention to the foot of her bed; tall purple figures danced playfully about at the ends of the horizon... in her waking state, she couldn't recognize her curtains. Feeling her eyes close once again, Starfire drifted back into that place between slumber and awakening as a warm breeze came across her smiling face. The saliferous ocean air was blowing in through the partly open window, causing a slight whistle to play about the room. The sea shattered its waves across the shore, breaking them upon the rocks, pulling back only to repeat this action again. The peaceful sounds continued, gently lulling the mind and body back to sleep. At this moment, a beam of orange light broke across the sea and through the windows; the sun had just risen its crest above the ocean. As the light touched her face, Starfire took in a deep breath, feeling the warm energy beginning to flow through her.

Sitting up, Starfire looked out the window to see the outset of an orange sunrise. With a smile, she removed the covers and stepped down from her bed. Today was the day, and she couldn't wait. Too happy to contain herself, Starfire floated in the air and twirled around once, imagining a dance with a certain someone. Once she realized how silly she was being, Starfire descended back to the ground, keeping her perpetual smile. With another look out the window, she rushed over to her closet, not wanting to waste the first half of the day... daydreaming.

- - - - - -

Barely halfway above the horizon, the sun appeared much larger than usual as it sent its bright orange rays through the common room windows. It looked to be another beautiful day; however, as the sun rose higher, it became evident that there was a good amount of cloud cover situated above the city. Standing in the kitchen as he placed a used plate and cup in the sink, Robin shrugged his shoulders at the cloud layer. It didn't matter to him that it was cloudy... as long as it didn't stick around and ruin things later with rain; the celebration was supposed to take place outside, and by the beach no less. The weather had been strangely prone to rain lately... odd, given that it was the middle of summer. Even with the recent rain, the temperature remained true to the season; even now, Robin could feel the warm air in the tower.

Walking away from the kitchen, Robin stretched his arms out. Thanks to that short training session, he had actually gotten his usual amount of sleep. It had been a while since he had felt this energetic and refreshed at such an early hour in the morning. He had been so well rested that he didn't even need his alarm to wake up. He figured that perhaps it wasn't just his rested state that made him feel this way. Ever since that night at the amusement park, he felt as though things might work out. However, he wasn't quite optimistic enough to stop what he was doing now. He knew he was being selfish, but he wanted to spend as much time with Starfire as possible before... that day.

Suddenly, Robin remembered that morning at the park. They had both gotten up early enough that they had to try and wake the others in order to ask if they wanted to go. As he walked down into the living room, the sunlight caught itself in Robin's eyes, causing him to squint. Seeing the relatively good weather, he wondered if Starfire would mind 'hanging out' at the park again. Simply the thought of that morning made his heart lurch... they had merely watched the sunrise all morning. Now standing by the couch, Robin looked out the windows, hoping that Starfire would wake up before the others.

"Good morning friends!" came a jovial voice from the hallway. "I am well rested and ready to--friends?" opening her eyes after her joy-filled introduction, Starfire looked out across the empty living room with curiosity.

"They're all still asleep, Star." answered Robin from where he stood, smiling at her ability to be so cheery after just waking up. He was sure he felt the same way, though his composure kept him from shouting it out to the world.

Hearing Robin's voice, Starfire turned her attention to the couch; upon seeing him, she immediately flew over, hovering slightly above the ground. "But we are both awake." she said happily. Turning to the window, Starfire basked in the warm sunlight once again, "And it is such a wonderful day outside, shall we not make the best of it?" she asked with a glint of hope in her eyes, hoping that Robin was as enthusiastic.

Robin looked out at the clouds... they looked dark and fairly heavy with precipitation, but if Starfire wanted to do something, he wouldn't argue. "Uh, sure." he said, turning away from the window, "How about the park?" he asked. Thinking about it, he realized there really wasn't anywhere else in the city worth going to so early.

"Wonderful!" Starfire exclaimed, floating across the room toward the kitchen, "I shall gather a small breakfast." she said. Hearing this, Robin winced, almost as though he could still feel his tongue burning. "Do not worry, this time I will leave out the... andra fruit." said Starfire with a giggle, much to Robin's relief. Suddenly, Starfire lowered herself to the ground and looked, disheartened, toward the hallway as something interrupted her thoughts like a brick wall, "But... I suppose I should awaken the others, yes?" she asked, knowing that things might not go like last time.

Robin began to massage the back of his neck nervously, "Actually..." he coughed, "I was thinking, maybe..." trailing off, he swallowed a lump in his throat, "Just the two of us?" he managed to blurt out.

With a sudden rise in heart rate, Starfire felt her feet lifting uncontrollably off the ground once again, "Truly?" she asked, more than a little surprised.

"Yeah... unless, you want to--"

"No, I agree. There is no point in bothering our friends for this." she said, assuming that was Robin's reasoning. Thanking her luck, Starfire raced off to the kitchen, picking up a small blue bag which she immediately filled with whatever she could, Tamaranian food or not. While she searched, a tremendous enthusiasm simply radiated from her being. Finishing up, Starfire made her way to the doors, "Shall we?" she motioned a hand toward the elevator with a large grin on her face.

Feeling fortunate that Starfire hadn't read too much into his suggestion, Robin walked over to the elevator, immediately surprised as Starfire took his hand and pulled him through the already open doors.

- - - - - -

The bright light of the sun managed to work its way under the dark curtains, sending a bit of luminance across the floor. As a single stream of light passed through a slight opening between the curtains, Raven found herself awakened by its contrasting presence in the room. Opening her eyes, Raven found herself staring straight up at the ceiling; strangely enough, she had the blanket pulled up to her shoulders... 'Must have been cold.' she thought. Sitting up slowly in her bed, she looked around the room curiously. Everything looked normal... with a relieved sigh, she turned to a counter beside her bed. "No nightmares..." she started, looking at the stuffed animal with an emotionless expression, "I guess that makes you a good luck charm."

Picking up the goofy green invertebrate with one hand, Raven squeezed it to hear that odd squeak. With a small smirk, she set it back on the counter. She found that she didn't have so much of a problem with it anymore... in fact, the longer she kept it around, the more it seemed to grow on her. The gift wasn't stupid at all... it was actually kind of funny.

- - - - - -

Still rising, the morning sun belted its rays across the quiet area, interrupted often by the tall buildings which rose on the east side of town. The various grassy hills of the park were lit up brightly by the light, as were the leaves in the trees. Anything that stood upright was casting a long shadow more than twice its height. The streams that ran along the pathways were affected brilliantly by this light; the water sparkled and returned the light to the sky as it rushed along. Oddly enough, with the amount of clouds hovering over the city, it would get darker as the sun continued to rise. Though a dimming of light was certainly inevitable, the atmosphere was not in the least bit cold or representative of the weather those rain clouds described. A warm summer breeze calmly swept over park, passing through the trees and over the hills, causing the green flora to dance about.

It was completely empty, and the two people who had just landed in the park couldn't have been happier about it. Letting go of Starfire's hand, Robin looked around, trying to keep his attention away from the sky... It was warm, and the sun was shining; it would be a perfect day if not for what loomed above. He wondered if there would be thunder as well. Looking all around, Starfire took in a deep breath and felt the caress of the warm wind. As she walked, she absentmindedly swung the bag she carried back and forth, never able to contain her exuberance at times like this. It was a beautiful day, and she couldn't imagine anyone else she would want to spend it with.

Turning to Robin as they walked along the cobblestone pathway, Starfire smiled without restraint, "Is it not a perfect day for picknicking?" she asked brightly.

Almost feeling like the rain would come down at any moment, Robin warily swayed his attention to other things. Seeing Starfire's face, Robin immediately lost focus on anything else. "I guess so..." Robin trailed off, hardly able to remember what he was worried about, "Yeah, it's perfect." he answered, unable to keep from reflecting her high spirited expression.

As they continued walking, something came to Starfire's attention, "Robin... why did you not want the others to join us?" she asked. She had of course assumed he didn't want to wake them, but she had to hear it from him... just to be sure.

Robin almost stopped in his tracks... she was starting to notice. Regaining his pace, he decided he had to say something and quick, "Um... I..." he started. "Well, I figured since we were both up... I just didn't want to wake the others so early." he said nervously, hoping that the flustered feeling within wasn't permeating through to his face.

"Oh..." Starfire looked to the ground, seeming a little disappointed. 'But that is the answer you expected... why are you saddened?' she asked herself.

Robin noticed the sudden change and wondered what was wrong. "But... I, um... I'm glad you were the one who was awake." he added quickly, "There's no one I'd rather be here with right now."

Brightening up once again, Starfire attempted to keep herself on the ground... Robin knew about the details of her powers after all. "You really think that?" she asked with gleaming eyes.

"...Yeah. I mean... you're my best friend." he said, realizing he had never told her anything of the sort before. Saying such a thing sounded strange and alien to him... but it was all he could come up with to cover for his true feelings.

Feeling slightly down off of her high, Starfire continued to smile, realizing she had no one else to blame but herself for that... she had called him her best friend many times before after all, "I see." she said. Starfire stayed upbeat as they walked along, supposing it was better than just 'friend'. Suddenly, she spied a picnic table positioned under a large tree; the usual spot. Happily taking Robin's hand, she helped him up the hill and made her way to the table, setting her bag down with a grin. Robin stood on the opposing side and smiled as Starfire looked through the bag, happy as ever; he loved to see her this way. "I have brought many of your favorite foods as well as mine, so do not worry." she said, placing a few things on the tabletop.

"You... know my favorite foods?" asked Robin, sounding a little bit surprised.

Stopping her actions, Starfire stood up straight. Innocently holding her hands behind her back, she blushed and attempted to avoid Robin's curious gaze. "I... pay a certain amount of attention to such things." she giggled nervously. Quickly, she returned to the bag, trying not to draw any more attention to herself. Suddenly, with the shocking sound of a thunderclap, Starfire let out a frightened gasp and pulled the bag up close to herself. Without warning, the clouds that loomed above finally let loose their downpour in a single mind-wakening instant. Large as it was, the tree didn't help to block the rain at all. Robin and Starfire were both caught in the torrent.

Walking over to Starfire who hugged the bag close and looked downward, Robin put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Looking around, he took notice of a bench along the pathway which had a small roof above it, for when it rained he assumed. "Over there." he said, pointing to the bench. Starfire, wincing as another thunderclap roared, nodded her head and proceeded to hastily walk down the hill beside Robin.

Both Robin and Starfire let out a breath as they stepped under the covered bench, proceeding to shake the water from themselves. It was surprising to them how quickly everything changed. The sun was nowhere to be seen, hidden somewhere above the rain clouds. A dense veil of heavy droplets tapped harshly against the ground beyond the cover, instantly soaking the entire area and splashing water into the shelter. Above them the raindrops could be seen and heard tapping against the thin and translucent plastic roofing.

Sighing disappointedly, Robin rested his hand against one of the poles which held the roof up, "That's just great." he said, staring resentfully up at the gray sky as a surge of lightning illuminated a section of the bulbous clouds. He could almost laugh at himself for being angry with the sky, but it had just ruined everything... there was nothing to laugh about.

Setting her bag down on the bench, Starfire looked at Robin sympathetically; he had lost all of his previous fervency. He had wanted nothing to go wrong... just like her. Looking to the rain, she saw that it was very heavy, but the air was still warm. The thunder rumbled, causing her to tremble slightly, but she knew she had long since conquered that fear. Looking back to Robin, Starfire took a serious expression. A little rain wasn't going to ruin things... not if she had anything to say about it.

Standing beside Robin, Starfire held her hand out from under the roof, letting the rain tap on her fingers. "Robin, you dislike the rain?" she asked, smiling.

Robin turned his attention away from the sky, surprised to find Starfire smiling. "Well, yeah." he answered, "It really gets in the way sometimes." he said, knowing that to be an understatement at this moment, "I guess we'll have to head back to the tower now... or wait it out here."

"On my planet, rain is such a rare occurrence that it is looked upon as a gift." Starfire said, retaining her smile, "We would often go several seasons without a single drop of rain. Those who cultivate food from the land would pray for a day like this." she added. Suddenly, she took hold of Robin's hand and stood in front of him, "Do you know what we do when it rains?" she asked, taking a step backward.

As he watched her take another step, Robin wanted to persuade Starfire to come back in, but she let go before he got the chance. "Starfire..." he trailed off, watching her continue to smile even as the unrelenting rain began to fall on her.

Starfire stood amidst the downpour and raised her hands to the side of her face with a grin, "Surely you have the sense to come out into the rain." she called to him above the tapping.

Robin Stared in disbelief for a moment as Starfire seemed to be no less joyful even with the rain soaking her. "I, well..." he started, looking up at the sky once again. The rain was so dense that it almost kept the trees in the distance from being seen. Seeing Starfire and her unshaken vibrance, Robin immediately asked himself why he was still standing under the rain shelter. There she was, happy and unaffected... the rain had done nothing. 'What the heck.' thought Robin, taking a step forward out from under the roofing. As soon as he stepped out, Robin felt the rain striking his head like a waterfall. Even so, there was something unexpected about standing in the rain... it wasn't cold, and it wasn't uncomfortable. The air was warm and it seemed to be keeping the rain at a tolerable temperature as well.

"You see? It is not so bad." said Starfire, stretching out her arms and looking up to the sky with closed eyes. "Have you ever taken a walk in the rain?" she asked, looking at Robin out of the corner of her eye, to which he shook his head in response. Turning away from the sky, Starfire's face lit up joyously, "Then now will be your chance. Come, it is like viewing an entirely different world." she said, starting to walk along the path.

Robin immediately caught up to her and began walking at her side, "So, how else do they do things on your planet?" he inquired with a smile, surprised to find himself asking the questions.

Hearing that, Starfire couldn't help but answer quickly. He had shared with her so many things about human culture... now it was her turn. Fervently pointing out various objects around them, Starfire began to explain the differences and similarities between their two worlds. All this time, Robin was hanging on every word, amazed at how her eyes and expression seemed to light up as she spoke, and made speechless by that radiant beauty he had come to know. The two continued to walk through the park, trading knowledge back and forth. Hours passed and the rain showed no signs of letting up, still shattering sporadically against the ground... but Robin and Starfire took no notice... of time or weather.

The sound of rain against water became clear as the two came upon a large pond. The surface was constantly being broken by the drops of rain, looking like an enormous pane of distorted glass. Creating a simple rhythm, the continuous splashing of rain sounded almost peaceful against the pond. The birds who called the pond home, flapped their wings and swam about the surface, ducking their faces under the water every so often. As Robin and Starfire stopped to admire the scenery, they felt the atmosphere suddenly warm up. Turning around, they noticed the sun had finally broken through the clouds; spots of bright blue could be seen surrounding the star which was now at the crest of its arc. The rain too, had finally begun to slow down, fading into a slow drizzle.

For a moment, Robin and Starfire just stood and smiled, letting the sun dry their now soaked forms. Suddenly, Robin's communicator went off; normally, he would be bothered by this, but now, he felt like nothing could get him down.

"Hey lovebirds." ...except that.

"Hey... Cyborg." replied Robin with his eyebrow twitching as he looked at the communicator screen. He was just glad that Starfire seemed to think Cyborg was talking about birds in the literal sense.

"Whoa." Cyborg's expression suddenly changed from amusement to wonder, "What happened to you two? You go for a little walk in that rainstorm?" he asked in a joking manner.

Robin and Starfire looked to each other with smiles, "Yes." they answered in unison.

Cyborg shook the confusion from his face, "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you guys that we're heading down to the party early, just to check everything out." he explained, "So the tower's gonna be empty when you get there." with that, Cyborg cut off communication.

Robin looked at the display once again, checking the time. It was already past noon... 'Were we really out here that long?' he wondered; it had felt like much less time to him. "So, you wanna head back?" he asked, closing the communicator and placing it back on his belt.

Giggling, Starfire took to the air and held out a hand, "Will you fly with me, Lovebird Robin?" she asked cutely, obviously using the 'bird' part of that word to make a joke.

Swallowing his heart which had jumped into his throat at Starfire's use of the word, Robin took hold of her hand, "Sure."


Author's Note: :D Hehe, I can't wait to write the next one! I've had scenes from it floating around in my head since nearly the beginning. Anyway, that was a pretty short chapter, but it was really just meant to set up chapter 18, which I'm sure will be a lengthy one. Sorry for delaying it until after noon though; as usual, school can be blamed for this :P... darn GED tests.

Next Chapter Preview: The honorary guests head for the celebration, and their reception upon arrival is quite a warm one indeed. Cyborg and Beast Boy can't help but get their share of laughs as the plan unfolds before their eyes... but what is Raven hiding from them? Many surprises await the Titans at the party; a dance, a dress, a gift, and a confession or two? Day 9, Part Two: A Night to Remember.