by: RioN VhEnTeUnO

A/N: Okay now... For this chapter's short summary: Robin sits on the roof alone when the other Titans get home. Starfire then approaches him to talk to him about something. Read to find out. Enjoy...

Chapter 13

Letting Go

(Robin)

I sighed. A cool breeze swept my face as I sat on the rooftop. Night slowly crept upon the twilight sky. It has always been like this since then. I'm not one to complain. All I could do is to silently continue to drown in my pain. It's my fault after all…

I heard the distant sliding of the Titans Tower's front doors. They must be home. She must be home too…

Maybe she had a great time, I thought. Why wouldn't she? I wasn't there hugging Starfire in front of her all the time. That would be good…

I really wanted to see her smile again. It would make me feel so happy if she's okay…

She's just gone through hell and back this month because of me. She sure is a very strong girl. That's why I… love her so much…

This sucks big time. All I can do is watch her suffer…

I heard the door of the rooftop open, then close after a long moment. The person who entered seemed to hesitate. Sadly, it wasn't Raven. I could have been able to sense her if it was.

"Robin?…" called the familiar voice of Starfire. "Have I… come at a bad time?"

"No… not at all…" I lied, without looking up.

She sat down next to me and stared at the sky. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that she was rocking back forth on her place, hugging her legs. I must have been hard on her too. Now that was really unfair of me. I had already broken the heart of the girl I love. I should be human enough not to break Starfire's…

"You're awfully quiet," I observed, still looking at the sky.

"I was just thinking," Starfire began. I felt her gaze turn to me. "…Raven has told me a story that she read in a book, and I cannot seem to take it off my mind."

"Oh…" I simply said. It wasn't like Starfire to beat around the bush. "Is something bothering you?"

"A tiny portion of it concerns me," Starfire said, looking back up into the sky. "But the most of it concerns you."

I knew this was gonna come up between us sooner or later. I haven't exactly been Mr. Sunshine towards the others, especially to Starfire. I decided not to answer.

"I wish to help you Robin, and I believe I can," Starfire said, looking down. "If you just let me, I might be able to understand your pain…"

Nobody can understand my pain, I thought.

"I know what you are going through Robin," She said, looking at me again. "And I do not wish to be… the cause of your unhappiness."

I looked at her. How could she possibly know? "W-what do you mean?" I asked.

"I do not believe that I am still the object of your affections," Starfire said, her face very serious, and yet she didn't seem to be angry at all. "Am I correct?"

I didn't answer. What should I do, break another heart again? Nice going, Richard. All you can manage to pull off is to ruin someone else's life…

"Robin?" She asked again. A concerned look was on her face.

"I don't want to hurt you Star," I said, running a hand on my hair.

"And do you really consider that I would be happy to continue seeing you like this?"

"…No."

"Robin, I already knew that this day would come," Starfire said, brushing away hair from her eyes. "Ever since Raven's sixteenth birthday, I have started to notice your sudden attachment to her. Back then, I thought it was just because of your concern as the team leader. But when we learned of her father, the Trigon, and defeated him, and even when we traveled across the planet to do battle with the Brotherhood of Evil, I slowly realized how wrong I was. The two of you seemed to just get closer and closer…"

Her eyes welled up with tears, but she just brushed them away. "Star…" I said. My heart sank. "I'm sorry…"

"It is okay," She said truthfully, giving me a small smile. Starfire almost never lies. I guess it's part of her nature. "There is no need for apologies, Robin. I have no right to stop how you feel. Now I ask you, do you love Raven more than a friend or a family member?"

I didn't answer. How could I? The truth would break her heart into a million pieces. As if I didn't feel guilty enough already…

"I need to hear this from your own mouth Robin," She pressed on. "Do not be afraid. I will not get angry. Do you or do you not?"

"…Yes… I think I do…" I finally said. "No. I know I do. I know I love Raven with all that I am…"

Star smiled at me. I know it hurt her, but she still could find the strength to smile and mean it. "You see Robin. It is not that hard, once you choose to get it out."

"Well, what about you?" I asked her, a concerned look on my face. "I know that I hurt you…"

"It does not matter Robin," She said, obviously fighting back tears. "I have once heard a human passage. 'If you love someone, you have to learn to let him go.' I believe in this, because I love you…"

With that, she finally broke down into tears. I put a comforting arm on her shoulder, not exactly knowing what to say next. In what seemed to be an hour, she finally calmed down.

"Thanks Star," I simply said, taking my arm off her shoulder.

"You are most welcome Robin," She said. "I have one question left. Can I ask you this?"

"Fire away," I replied.

"In the early part of when we were 'together,' did you… love me too?" She asked.

"Yes Star, I did," I said, smiling at her. "I'm sorry I had a change of heart…"

"Do not apologize Robin," She said, smiling back. "From now on, I wish to be your best friend."

"Then we'll be the best of friends 'til the end," I answered. "I promise."

"Glorious!" She said clapping her hands. "I shall prepare a traditional Tamaranean dish to commemorate this wondrous occasion!"

With that, she flew into the rooftop exit. I continued to study the now dark sky.

Starfire's one hell of a strong girl too, and I'll praise her forever for that.


A/N: Hey there... I think that wasn't so bad, was it? Oh yeah, I think this'll be the last update for now. I've got another chapter up, but I still gotta fix it while working on another chapter. Thanks for your time. I hope you enjoyed the story. I shall await your generous reviews. See yah!