All was silent inside the Titan's living room. Beast Boy had left soon after Raven, and the room was now dark and forboding.
Footsteps began echoing down the hall. With a loud blast, the doors flew off the hinges, slamming into the far side of the room. Starfire stood in them, holding a knife close to her chest, like she would hold a baby. The other was glowing green, a starbolt ready.
She walked into the room, knowing that this was the end. She had tried meditating the way Raven had showed her, but that had just made things worse…
I tried to kill the pain,
But only brought more.
(So much more…)
She walked over to the couch that she knew so well. This room… it was perfect for what she had planned. With a sigh, she set the knife to her palm, pulling it all the way up to the elbow. Blood dropped silently to the carpet as she did the same to the other arm. She slowly walked and sat on the couch.
I lay dying
and I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal.
Raven… everything that Starfire had known about this place…. it had all been destroyed tonight. Everything had instantly gone horribly wrong. And now she was dying because of it. She let out a whimper of pain as her arms throbbed.
I'm dying, praying, bleeding, and screaming.
Starfire didn't know what to do. All she knew was that her time was finished. The team would go on without her, she knew that. She just didn't know what would happen to her after death.
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?
Suddenly she wished she hadn't done this… but she was too weak now to move. The blood pooled on the couch, now coating her arms and legs. She fell sideways, laying down and still holding the knife.
My God, my tourniquet,
Return to me, salvation!
My God, my tourniquet,
Return to me, salvation!
Noise suddenly filled the halls. People were out there, running and yelling… looking for… Terra?
Starfire didn't know what was happening, but there was a hope now that she might actually survive this. She wanted to give Raven another chance. And what would killing herself do for Raven? Probably only make her worse…
Terra ran silently through the halls, trying desperately to escape. The last place she had seen the Titans was somewhere near the living room. But she was on the opposite side of the tower now… if you could call it that.
Beast Boy jumped out of the hall in front of her. He from the look on his face, she knew that he was surprised to see her.
Do you remember me,
Lost for so long?
"Hello Beast Boy," she said politely, "I was just coming over to see how you were all DOING!" A large chunk of the wall flew at Beast Boy, hitting him hard and sending him tumbling.
Will you be on the other side
Or will you forget me?
Starfire moaned. They were right outside the living room, she could hear them… but they didn't come in. She had to get their attention somehow!
I'm dying, praying, bleeding, and screaming.
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?
She gazed at the pool of blood she was laying in. Suddenly she knew that it was too late. The room darkened, and a figure suddenly ran in.
My God, my tourniquet,
Return to me, salvation!
It took Robin a moment to comprehend what he was seeing. Starfire, laying on the couch, two long cuts along the inside of her arm. And a knife, which she clutched to her as a lover.
My God, my tourniquet,
Return to me, salvation!
"Starfire!" he shouted, running towards her. He grabbed the knife and threw it across the room, where it stuck, imbeded in the wall to the handle. He looked at her arms, and pulled off his cape, wrapping one of them with it.
"Leave me alone," she whispered, "Its too late… just let me die, please!"
(Return to me salvation)
"No, Starfire, I won't let you. We're all going to get through this, you hear me?" He pulled his shirt off and began wrapping the other arm with it, trying to at least slow the bleeding.
"No!" she shouted. He pulled the bandage and she screamed in pain.
"Please," she moaned through her pain, "I want to die!"
My God, my tourniquet,
Return to me, salvation!
Raven ran around the corner just in time to blast a boulder out of the air… right over Beast Boy. He crawled to his feet, slightly dazed, and watched the two enemies prepare for battle.
My God, my tourniquet,
Return to me, salvation!
Cyborg didn't know what was happening… but he did know one thing. Whoever had broken into the tower would have a bad time getting past the upgrades he'd been adding to the security system in the past couple days. He slid into the chair by his computer, and typed the code to activate them.
A half dozen guns appeared along the length of the hall Terra, Raven, and Beast Boy inhabited. All turned and fired at Terra, blasting her through the wall, where she fell to the ground, fifty feet down.
My wounds cry for the grave.
My soul cries for deliverance.
Starfire screamed in pain as Robin lifted her, carrying her to the infirmary. She knew she was dead, no matter what he did. In her last moments, she screamed out to her parents.
Will I be denied, Christ,
Robin slid on a stair feet away from the door to the infirmary, sending Starfire tumbling around the floor. Everything was turning black for her, and she reached silently out to him.
Tourniquet,
My suicide…
Starfire smiled, at him, and then her face relaxed as she was sent to eternity…
(Return to us, salvation…)
Robin gazed at the girl, too overcome by emotions to even move. He had failed the team. As the leader, it was his job to keep people from getting hurt… by anyone. And now Starfire was lying dead before him.
(Return to us, salvation…)
Raven helped Beast Boy walk to the living room, where they saw the blood lying on the couch. Following it, they saw their leader, staring at the blank face of their beloved friend.
A day later, they all stood outside the tower around a simple grave. Beast Boy had his arm around Raven, who had tears shining in her eyes. Cyborg stood silently, looking at the grave. And Robin… Robin was preparing to do something he had hoped he would never have to do…
Robin walked up to the grave, kneeling next to it and gritting his teeth to hold back his grief.
"Starfire," he said, "You were a good friend… and a great Titan. We'll always remember the little things you brought to this team, from the… the puddings, to the happiness." For a moment, he couldn't speak, as he began crying. Cyborg stepped forward and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"We will go on, Starfire," he promised her, "We will remember."
He reached back and pulled out a simple plaque, and set it at the head of the grave. He turned and recited the words to his remaining friends, standing before him.
"The world goes on, as does the evil. And she? She goes on as well… but in eternity."
Raven began crying, small rocks flying around and exploding. Nobody cared.
The Titans turned and walked up to the tower, which stood bedecked in black flags of mourning.
Robin turned just as he was about to enter and looked again at the grave. She was gone… forever.
"We've been struck down Starfire…" he whispered, "Struck down, but now destroyed."
Then he entered the tower, which he knew would never be the same again.