Chapter 5

"Must we disturb them now?" Starfire asked as she blocked Robin from entering the common room. "They are enjoying the peace and quiet of togetherness."

"Star, I really think we should ask Raven about this," Robin replied , peeling off his mask and stashing it in his utility belt as he tried to slip past her.

"Could we not ask her tomorrow?" she asked as she barred his way once more.

"Don't you want to know what's going on?" He folded his arms across his chest and looked at her, frowning.

"Of course I do," she insisted. "I just do not wish to disturb them."

"Too late," muttered Raven as the door slid open. "We're disturbed."

"We need to talk," Robin said as he grabbed Starfire's wrist and dragged her into the common room. Raven blinked in surprise before sliding the door shut and following them.

"Dude, is this some sort of payback from me interrupting the two of you all the time? Cause I can tell you right now, it's not funny," Beast Boy called from the sofa, his leg propped up on pillows.

Robin ignored the changeling and turned to face Raven. He moved his hand from Starfire's wrist to her hand and intertwined their fingers. "Starfire's been hearing my voice inside her head."

Raven's expression remained unchanged. "Yes, she mentioned that. I fail to see why it couldn't wait."

"She's a girl," Beast Boy teased with a grin, craning his neck so he could see them. "Don't all girls hear voices in their heads?" He ducked as a book encased in black energy flew past his head. "Kidding! I was kidding!" he said immediately.

Robin glanced at Beast Boy. "She's been hearing my thoughts," he said, turning back to Raven. "My actual thoughts. And I've been seeing into her dreams."

Raven's eyes widened. "Okay," she said slowly. "That's a new one." She turned her eyes to Starfire. "I thought it was just garbled stuff?"

"Recently it has become more," she replied timidly, her eyes flicking between Robin and Raven. "And I did not meditate to hear it."

"Have you been in Robin's dreams?"

"I am uncertain." She frowned remembering an unusual dream that she had had a few nights before but before she could mention it Raven had moved on.

"And how many times have you been in Starfire's dreams?" Raven asked briskly.

"Once that I know of, although recently my dreams have become strange."

"And have you heard Starfire's voice in your head?"

"No, not yet," he replied curtly. "What's going on and how do we stop it?"

"I have no idea," Raven replied as she started floating in the air and crossed her legs, her cape falling around her. She lifted her cowl and her eyes filled with power. "I'll have a look. Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Robin glanced at Starfire and squeezed her hand. She looked at him apprehensively and smiled. Some small memory had been tickling at her mind ever since Robin mentioned that he'd seen her dreams, but she had been unable to get purchase on it. She should remember this, it was something important. Galfore had warned her about… something. Starfire shook her head to clear it. Whatever the memory was, it would resurface soon.

"This is really strange," Raven said, her eyes glowing with power as she looked between the pair. "Your souls seem to be linked. There is a strange golden cord connecting your hearts through those bands on your arms."

Starfire gasped in shock and snatched her hand out of Robin's. She grabbed her head in her hands and backed away from them. "Oh X'hal," she blurted, shaking her head in denial, tears spilling from her eyes. She dropped to her knees, her hair falling around her like a curtain. "I did not know… I had no right…Please, forgive me… Galfore warned me…. But it is not meant to happen. It has not happened in several generations… and never with… It is all wrong… It is not supposed to be like this…" Oh X'hal, how could I do this to him? It is meant to be permanent!

"What's permanent?" Robin asked tersely, his voice cracking with anger. "What did you do?"

She looked up at him through her tears. He stood before her, his fist clenched in anger, his face hard and making no effort to comfort her. Her head spun as she realised he was angry at her before his voice buzzed in her head. What did she do? Did she brainwash me? Is that what the e'ara actually does? Did she make me fall in love with her?

"No!" she cried, reaching for his hands but he evaded her. "You must not think that! You must never think that. The e'ara-"

"You did it again," he snapped, pointing a finger at her, his face contorted with rage. "You were in my mind. I don't want you in my mind! You have no right to be in there! You have no place in my thoughts!"

Starfire's tears fled and she stared at him in shock, dread filling her entire body. He stood there, chest heaving before he spun and strode from the room.

Her mind went blank, her body still and she stared at the empty space where he had stood only moments before.

"Starfire?"

She felt dead inside. All her emotions leaked away and she felt nothing, just an emptiness that engulfed her entire being. Why did he say that? Why did he think that? How could he think that? Didn't he know what he meant to her? Didn't she mean the same thing to him? How could he believe that she had made him fall in love with her? He had been the one to kiss her!

"Starfire?"

Fingers snapped in front of her face and she felt a hand on her shoulder. She couldn't rouse herself enough to react. She was spiraling down in the pit of despair and did not have the will, did not want to have the will to save herself. Why didn't she have a place in his thoughts? She thought about him all the time. And she knew that he thought of her, all those times he said her name.

Just like Slade.

Starfire crumpled as Robin's voice buzzed in her head. Oh X'hal no. He truly didn't think that did he? She was nothing like Slade. She would never force him from his friends or hurt him the way Slade did. She loved him! But obviously that hadn't been enough since he'd turned on her without asking for answers. Was he seeking a way to end their relationship? Did he not wish to be with her anymore?

Pain lanced through her heart, shredding it into ribbons. That was it. He did not wish to be with her. She would have to leave, find a way to break this-

Something slapped her face, disturbing her train of thought. She blinked and focused on Raven's concerned violet eyes.

"He didn't mean that," Raven said, kneeling before Starfire.

Starfire tried to smile and failed dismally. "I believe he did." She turned her head and saw Beast Boy's anxious face peering over the sofa. "He believes I tricked him into loving me."

She staggered to her feet, ignoring the hand that was offered by Raven and swayed dangerously. She walked heavily over to the computer.

"Starfire, what are you doing?" Beast Boy asked, concern etched in his voice.

"Calling home," she muttered absently.

A black wall of power barred her way. "You're not leaving," Raven snapped.

She turned and faced Raven, her eyes dull, feeling a strange numbness spreading through her body. "I will be returning to Tamaran regardless. It will be Robin's decision if I come back."

"No," Beast Boy cried at the same time Raven said, "You don't need to go anywhere. Robin was being an ass. He'll come around."

Starfire sighed, depressed. "It is more than that. Please Raven, I wish to speak with my k'norfka Galfore. He may have the answers I need."

The barrier dropped reluctantly and Starfire finished her journey to the computer. Pressing several buttons she brought up the link between Earth and Tamaran. It didn't take long for Galfore's face to appear on the monitor.

"Koriand'r!" he cried in greeting. "It has been too long my little bungorf." He stopped as he saw her face and became instantly concerned. "What is it child? What has happened?"

Starfire took a deep breath. "Galfore, I require information on the a'tiyk valm."

Galfore's face drained of blood.

TTTTT

Robin grunted.

The punching bag swung on its hooks, ricocheting every time he smashed his fist into it. He unleashed all his anger every time he pummeled his fist against the hard surface with a satisfying thunk. He continued pounding on the bag without pause, even though he was sure his hands were beginning to bleed inside the gloves from the constant pressure. Sweat dripped from his hair and drenched his uniform; his chest heaved in every breath but he still did not stop.

He couldn't believe Starfire lied to him! She knew what had been going on, she had caused it! That explained why she didn't want to speak to Raven.

How dare she! No one had the right to look into his head, to read his thoughts! They were his and his alone. Even Raven didn't delve into people's heads without permission and she certainly didn't read thoughts. And here was Starfire, gifting him with a Tamaranian brainwashing device so she could get inside his head, to get him to fall for her.

And she'd said it was permanent! It was Slade all over again, thinking to control him. If she could get into his head, then it was one step away from being able to control his thoughts, his mind. She could make him see things that weren't there, just like Slade did. That was the deepest betrayal. She knew that he didn't like to be controlled, she knew that both Batman and Slade had tried to, however different their methods were and she was doing the same thing to him again.

There was a loud crack as he embedded his hand in the punching bag. He stood there panting as he looked at the bag in surprise before trying to remove his hand. It was stuck fast.

"What did the bag do?" Cyborg asked from the door.

Robin tossed his head toward the door. "Fuck off."

"No way, man. I saw Starfire leaving the common room, walking. She hasn't walked in months. She looked so broken she didn't even notice me. Raven told me what happened and you've been beating that thing an hour before you got yourself stuck, so I figure I currently have a captive audience. Do you know what you did to her?" Cyborg walked across the room to stand not far from Robin, his hands folded on his chest.

"What I did to her?" he snarled as he twisted his wrist trying to free it. "You've got to be fucking joking."

"I'm wearing my serious face," Cyborg said.

He turned from his hand to yell at Cyborg. "She tricked me! Everything we've done the past few months has been a lie! She gave me this stupid e'ara and used it to brainwash me into loving her just so she could get into my mind."

"Rob, that don't sound like Starfire at all."

Robin turned back to his hand, wriggling it futilely. "Doesn't matter if it doesn't sound like her. That's what she did. She fucking set up a permanent link between our minds just so she could see inside my head. She's trying to control me, just like... I don't want her to see inside my head, she doesn't belong there!"

"And you can see inside hers."

Robin froze. "So?"

"Doesn't sound like it was deliberate to me. C'mon, stop being a dick and think for a minute. Use the brains you've been gifted with. Sure, you've kept secrets from her and it probably scares the pants off you that she can see every dirty thought you have about her. But we both know she's got a ton of secrets of her own. We still don't know much about her life before she came to Earth. She doesn't want you inside her head just as much as you don't want her inside yours. At least she's not taking it out on innocent equipment."

Robin was silent.

"She loves you, man. She has from the beginning; you've just been too thick to act on it. And now that you have, are you really going to blame it all on a little piece of metal? If it's a brainwashing device, why are you still wearing it? You can't tell me that you didn't have feelings for her before she gave it to you."

Robin slumped his shoulders as he realised Cyborg was right. His hand slid from the punching bag without him noticing. He could feel his anger slipping away leaving a hollow shell and he tried to grab on to the last remaining indignation. "She still had no right-"

"She didn't know!" Cyborg interrupted , throwing his hands in the air. "Geez, you're infuriating thinking you're the only one that's been wronged. She had no idea this could happen. And now she's-" Cyborg paused and took a deep calming breath, before shoving a piece of paper into Robin's hands. "Look, just read this."

Robin's hands clenched around the paper when he saw Starfire's handwriting. He quickly skimmed the paper, his heart catching, before he reread the whole thing properly. "Where is she?" he demanded when he had finished.

"In her room, packing," Cyborg replied softly, his human eye accusatory. "She's going back to Tamaran."

Robin left the training room at a run.