Raven
I don't blame her for leaving. Sure, she promised me that she would come back, and it's been nearly five years, but… how could I ever blame her? She was my best friend.
I'm not so good with expression. But there's no hiding it: I miss Starfire. Things never went back to normal after she left. I never expected that they would, but I hoped so. I hoped that I would eventually stop hoping that she would come back, and worrying about her. But she was my best friend, so it only makes sense that I never stopped waiting.
That letter she left, I've read it so many times that I could recite it if I wanted to. At first, I couldn't stop reading it; I just couldn't believe she was gone. She was so strong, and enduring… Even I didn't see it coming. I really should have, and I must be an awful friend not to have suspected it. Don't get me wrong, I knew she was hurting, and I did everything in my power to keep her… I don't know, distracted? But I never imagined that she would leave. And it doesn't make her any weaker. In fact, I think the fact that she left makes her stronger than I ever could be.
"Raven?" Beast Boy's voice pulled me from my thoughts. Actually, we call him Changeling now, but I really miss calling him Beast Boy sometimes. He called out to me again from the other side of the closed door. "Are you okay?"
No one ever comes into my room. I used to let Starfire in, sometimes, and we could just meditate, and sometimes even talk. I could tell that she never talked as much as she wanted to. She was considerate, and by far the most altruistic person I've ever met, always putting others before herself.
"Raven?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I finally responded, but I didn't get up from my position on the bed. I wasn't in the mood to see anyone; I didn't want to be reminded of how everyone had so flawlessly moved on from the loss of our friend. Almost like nothing was missing.
"You haven't come out of your room all day." The same smooth, deep voice sounded from the other side of the door, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Thank you, Captain Obvious.
"And?" I got a feeling that he was trying to lure me out of my room. Why?
"I don't know." There is a pause, and for a moment I wonder if he left. No such luck. "I was just wondering if everything was alright."
"I told you, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Okay, what will it take for him to leave me alone? I get up and walk over to my door.
"Yes, I am sure." I answered, and even I can hear the annoyance in my tone. There is a pause.
"Positive?" He added, and the amusement was evident in his voice. I finally gave in and opened my door, glaring at him from beneath my blue hood.
"Okay, what do you want?" I asked, crossing my arms. Changeling takes a step back. He had been leaning against the wall, and we were uncomfortably close when the door opened. I ignored it, waiting for an explanation.
"Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you. It was kind of hard with a door between us." He motioned between us with his gloved hands.
"You wanted to talk?" I repeated, surprised. Changeling and I didn't talk much, and when we did it didn't usually wasn't serious. Simply put, Changeling hardly ever acted his age.
"Yeah. I know that, you know, since Star left and all…" He trailed off, then quickly changed the direction of his statement. "You know, I just figured you might like some company."
"Yeah? Well…" It was easy for me to hide how upset I felt. Routine, even. "I think I just need to be alone now."
"Okay." Changeling nodded. He was still smiling, and didn't look disappointed. Not to say that he didn't really want to talk to me. It just seemed like he knew what I was going to say. "Well, if you do need to talk, you know where to find me. Good night, Raven."
"Night." I replied, but I couldn't let him go just yet. As he turned to walk away, I stepped out of my room and closed the door behind me. "Wait."
He stopped and turned around, and I detected a glint of curiosity in his forest green eyes. I thought about what I was saying before continuing.
"Do you think she'll come back?" I finally ask, and his eyebrows rose. I'd clearly caught him off guard with my sudden inquiry.
"Starfire?" He asked, although he knew exactly who I was talking about.
"Yeah. Do you think we'll ever see her again?"
"I don't know…" he said quietly, but there was a distant look in his eyes, and I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or to himself. He seemed to snap out of his trance as his smile quickly returned and he nodded. "Yeah, she'll come back."
I blinked. He sounded so certain, so sure that I found it hard to question his resolve. "How do you know?"
"Come on. It's Starfire we're talking about, of course she'll be back." He assured me, and I found myself feeling a lot better. I'd told myself that so many times that I've lost count, but for some reason I believed it when he said it. I cracked the tiniest smile and hit the button on the wall that opened my door.
"Thanks, Garfield." I called him by his birth name, as we often did when no one was around. We still didn't use our 'secret identities' much; it was so hard for us to imagine going back to assuming our normal lives without stirring up too much suspicion. "Good night."
"Good night." He replied, and there was a look on his face that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It didn't seem bad, so after he turned around and started walking away I retreated back into the safety of my dimly-lit room.
I don't think about Starfire all the time. Just some days, I can't help it. And I really wish there was some way that I could let her know that I haven't forgotten her.
I tried not to blame anyone, especially since Starfire herself implied that 'Robin is not to blame' for her leaving, but I stopped caring a long time ago. I don't care what anyone says, but it's his fault.
Nightwing hasn't changed much since she left. As hard-headed as he is, I'm really not surprised. I understand that he didn't purposely drive her away, but that's beside the point; he knew exactly what he was doing. And the worst part is, it could have been prevented. Wait, that isn't the worst part. This is the worst part:
The girl he chose over Starfire chose left him shortly after she left.
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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Yes, I understand that nothing is happening yet; I'm still plot building. I promise, something will happen in the next chapter. And it will be a bit longer, so don't worry:)
Okay, so about this chapter. I'm not so happy with it. The only part of this chapter I really like is the conversation between Raven and Beast Boy, "Changeling." I thought it was cute, even though there were only subtle hints of romance, if any. Still, it's something that you BB/Rae buffs might enjoy. My objective was to shed a bit of light on how the Titans are doing years later, and maybe set the stage for a bit of BB/Rae romance. I'm still trying to decide if I should do that.
Anyway, that's chapter two. I hope it was okay. The next chapter will be better, honest. Reviews, please? 8D
alexzjohnsonfan23: Thanks for the review! Don't worry, all will be revealed soon. Alexz Johnson is cool. :]
sparklebluelemon: Yep, you'll find out soon enough. And thanks so much for all of your reviews.
XxxMidnightFlowerxxX: Thanks a lot, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Mrs Maxim de Winter: Thanks for the criticism. I actually did that consciously, but I guess I should have dulled it down a bit. Thanks~
Random: There's definitely more to come. You ain't seen nothin' yet. Haha. Thanks for reviewing both of my stories.
Good Graces: Thanks. Ha, I'm always looking for errors, too. Actually, I don't look for them I just have a good eye for them even when I'm not looking. Eleven hours of driving? I have about seven right now. I think I'm a pretty good driver, so far. Thanks again for reviewing.
Robin6764: Mhm, I agree. Thanks for the review, hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Ill-Love-You-4ever: I'm glad you think so. Thanks for reviewing.
devu-333: Don't worry, the eventful chapters are coming up very soon. Don't worry, I'm already working on the next chapter.
Wow, there were a lot of reviews this time. Thanks again, everyone! Let's keep it up.
