The Reason Why

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

AN: Hello readers! I am terribly sorry for the long delay.. I couldn't get this chapter the way I wanted to and it was bugging the heck out of me. Thanks again to my wonderful cousin who has helped make it all happen! And a special thanks to my reviewers! You guys rock!

Anyway, just a quick note to the readers: I understand that Starfire didn't gain her eyebeams until she went through her 'Transformation' process. In the story, I wrote it so that she had these powers prior to the war, meaning she had already gone through her transformation and has had these powers for quite a while now.

Happy reading!

Chapter 2: Broken Spirits

"Bring her in!"

The large doors gradually swung open, creaking as they scratched viciously against the cold, hard floor. High-pitched screams were heard as two large, snakelike creatures trudged through the threshold, dragging the body of a wounded young woman. She was covered in bruises, her delicate face dotted with small cuts. She wore a stunning suit of armor consisting of arm braces, high boots, and a chest piece containing a gleaming olive gem. Her body was tightly wrapped in silver cloth, a sure sign of high authority. The girl was struggling madly, attempting to free herself, but her strength was slowly diminishing.

She was violently shoved to the ground, her temple making hard contact with the floor. The guards left in a hurry, leaving the girl lying in a crumpled heap of helplessness. She seemed to have been knocked unconscious, but she soon began to rise and attempted to pry herself from the ground. Her auburn red hair fell down the side of her face, shielding her glowing green eyes. She was so weak. Her body was screaming at her, begging her to cease her painful movements. She was panting, every ounce of her energy spent. She visibly shivered as the eerie voice of an unknown figure rang in her ears. And it was approaching fast.

"Ah, yessss," the voice hissed at her. The figure towered above her as she fought to maintain consciousness. "We meet at lassst…Princessss Koriand'r."

The girl managed to lift her upper body, bracing herself with the palms of her hands. Her world was spinning and her head was pounding, overcome by massive waves of dizziness. She eventually rose to her feet and shot a menacing glare at the figure before her.

"You may NOT call me by that name!" she stated icily. Her hands began to glow a vibrant green; she lowered her position, preparing to attack if necessary. The snake creature simply laughed in amusement, baring its giant teeth that were coated with yellow slime.

"Then what MAY I call you, precioussss?" the snake asked seductively.

Koriand'r didn't respond. She merely glared at the creature with poison in her eyes. The way it occasionally rolled out its S's was enough to make her blood boil. She knew it was messing with her. It wanted to get her all hot and bothered so that it would be easier for her to lose focus if combat should ensue. But she knew better.

"You may only refer to me as…Starfire," she said, calmly. Her intense desire to attack the creature was undeniable. She grew less dizzy with every passing moment as her body began to recover from what seemed like a hard and brutal assault. Despite the shape she was in, Starfire's mind was fixated on getting out...and she would take down whomever and whatever was in her path.

"Yessss. We have heard great things about you, Sssstarfire," the snake answered.

"Who are you and why do you hold me prisoner!" Starfire shouted.

"How rude of me," it slurred. "My name is Nyoka, ruler of Planet Timin."

Starfire's eyes widened. Timin was the dreaded ally of Planet Gordania. Nyoka noticed her reaction and smiled.

"Yesss, darling. We have joined forces with the Gordanians to destroy Tamaran onccce and for all."

Starfire was enraged. Her eyes began to glow bright green. "You will perish before you lay a foot upon my planet!" she shouted.

"We will sssee about that, dear one," Nyoka laughed. He noticed how jumpy the girl seemed to be. Despite the fact she looked like she was ready to strangle him, he could tell from her eyes that she was eager to find out exactly what happened before she woke up. Her next words confirmed his suspicions.

"How did you bring me here? What do you want with me!" Starfire demanded.

"I am sssurprised you do not recall," Nyoka began with a playful smirk, "you were ssscreaming all the way here." Starfire wanted to shout a reply, but before she could begin, Nyoka pressed on.

"We launched an attack late in the night. Our armies overtook yours easssily. We captured you and left none alive, though I must admit, you put up quite a fight."

Starfire froze as pain suddenly ripped through her heart. Her eyes returned to normal and the glow in her hands disappeared. Time seemed to have stopped in its tracks as the Tamaranean princess tried to process what she had just heard.

"No," she whispered. Her loyal soldiers, her trusted friends…her beloved companions. Gone.

Nyoka continued. "We have been watching you for quite some time now and I must say…your potency is very impressssive. Your powers will serve great use to us and our armies. With you as first in command, victory will be inevitable."

Starfire was appalled. Hatred coursed through her veins at his words; she could feel the intense heat travel through her body and end at the pit of her stomach. "You have destroyed our armies, left my people for dead and you are still willing to proceed until you have exterminated my entire planet! How are you able to believe that I will willingly abandon my world for yours!"

"You will find that I am extremely…perssssuasive," Nyoka answered. His beady, yellow eyes traveled up and down her elegant figure, watching her every move. The small smirk engraved on his face indicated that he liked what he saw. His eyes soon found hers and his smile grew wider, causing Starfire to grow uncomfortable under his intense gaze. Nyoka began to walk towards her, his eyes never leaving hers.

Starfire took a step back and her hands began to glow brighter. "Do not come any closer," she warned.

Chuckling, Nyoka continued to close the space between them. "Ssstarfire, you have nothing left on your world. Your soldiers are falling one by one. The royal family, including you, will soon be overthrown." He was no more than six inches from her now. He lifted her chin with his finger and forced her to look at him.

"Join me, and put them out of their misery."

Before he knew it, Nyoka was flying across the room. He slammed against the back wall and slid to the floor. He seemed to have blacked out for a couple of seconds before sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. The moment his stare returned to the Tamaranean princess, he realized what had happened.

Starfire's eyes were shining bright green, steam emerging from the edges of her eyelids. She had attacked him, shooting powerful, green lasers directly into his massive body. His scaly torso scorched with pain, burning from the contact of Starfire's eye beams. The loud commotion caused the two guards to burst through the doors with their swords drawn.

"Get her!" shouted Nyoka. The guards charged for Starfire with their teeth bared, hissing threateningly. Starfire quickly snapped two starbolts in their direction and caused them to fly backwards and land on top each other. She quickly seized the opportunity and flew through the doors, entering the maze of hallways that would, hopefully, lead her out.

She could hear Nyoka's shouts as he gathered a group of giant, bulky security guards and sought after her. She picked up speed and frantically zigzagged left and right in an attempt to evade her enemies. But they were right behind her. She began to tire, still weak from her brutal capture. Before long, Starfire found herself cornered at a dead end. There was no way out. She was trapped.

Left with no other choice, she turned and faced the numerous soldiers, each equipped with a sword and shield. Her fists quickly regained their greenish glow. Her eyes narrowed and burned emerald as well.

"You do not wish to fight me," Starfire began. Her voice was low and barely audible, causing the guards to cringe in slight alarm. Fear was the understatement of the century…after all, they were dealing with a hot-headed warrior princess with powers strong enough to blow them to bits. A small smirk appeared on Starfire's face, for she could sense their uneasiness.

"I see you are most uncomfortable," she said to the soldiers. "I strongly suggest you all surrender. Rest assured your attempts to recapture me will be in vain."

Nonetheless, the guards came at her. Starfire reacted quickly and flew upwards, doing a somersault in the air and coming down hard and fast. Her heels made contact with two soldiers and sent them flying backwards into their comrades. She then began an endless barrage of starbolts, filling the hallway with dense and heavy smoke. Starfire closed her eyes, allowing the haze to surround her and engulf her body in a warm embrace. She listened intently for any signs of movement, her brow furrowed in concentration. When she could no longer smell the smoke, Starfire opened her eyes. She soon discovered the soldiers, all lying unconscious on the floor. Her eyes scanned the scene before her, a look of contempt plastered upon her face.

"You had been warned," she stated coldly. She began to step over the bodies, taking long, casual strides. Now all she needed was to locate an exit. She walked down the straightaway and approached a window. She quickly pressed her face to the cold glass, and her heart sank in disbelief. She could tell from the black skies and white dots that she was probably in a spaceship, traveling towards Timin. The large, unfamiliar planets inching across the window indicated that she was nowhere near home.

Overcome with anger, Starfire backed away from the porthole and suddenly sent her fist straight into the wall, screaming out in frustration. How could she have let this happen? The longer she was away from home, the worse the situation would be for Tamaran. They needed her and she would kill herself if she let them down again.

Starfire pried her fist from the wall, leaving a gaping indent in its wake. She began to rub her wrist, relieving some of the soreness the impact created. Suddenly, she felt a horrific pain pierce the right side of her neck. She screamed and instinctively jabbed her elbow behind her, into the stomach of none other than Nyoka. He hissed in pain and sank to the floor, hands over his torso and gasping for air.

Starfire turned around and her hand subconsciously found her neck. She removed what looked like a needle, drops of blue liquid caked on the sides of the tube. Her heart began to race. She grabbed Nyoka by the collar and brought his face closer to her.

"What is the meaning of this!" Starfire shrieked desperately. Her neck began to sting and she had to use her free hand to try and soothe the wound. Nyoka smiled evilly.

"Wouldn't want you putting a hole in my ship," he answered nonchalantly. "Besidesss," he slithered, "you'd be much easier to detain without the use of your powersss."

Starfire's eyes widened drastically. She dropped Nyoka and struggled to summon her starbolts. She shut her eyes and tried to concentrate.

'Righteous fury…righteous fury…' she told herself. But her efforts were futile. Her powers were gone, at least for the moment. Her glare returned to Nyoka and she stormed over to where he lay. She grabbed his collar once again, this time with two hands. She raised her arms over her head, causing the snake creature to be lifted off the floor.

"You will reverse this process. NOW!" Starfire demanded. Her fists clenched tighter around his collar, turning her knuckles white. He smiled innocently at her, making her want to shake the life out of him.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked her. "I want you on my side, Ssstarfire. Your powers are preventing me from obtaining what I long for. There's no escaping now, my dear. You have lossst."

At that moment, another group of guards came charging around the corner, headed straight for them. Starfire uttered a few Tamaranean curse words before throwing Nyoka against the wall and flying at top speed in the other direction. Her head was throbbing. She was amazed at how her situation went from bad to worse in a matter of seconds. Without her powers, her chances of escaping decreased dramatically. She needed to get out. Now.

She flew down an empty hallway and spotted a single door. Her mind was reeling, her body shaking from strong waves of anxiety and panic. She heard crashing behind her and turned around, spotting the guards stampeding through the hallway, shoving each other away to see which one of them could get to her first. She grabbed the handle of the door and pulled. No luck. They were coming closer, teeth bared and murder in their eyes. She pushed. Still no luck. Desperation set in as Starfire began to frantically tear at the door handle, pushing and pulling with all she had. But it was too late.

The guards had finally reached her, the first of the bunch grabbing her by her hair and pulling forcefully. Starfire was hurled to the ground, landing on her left side and injuring her hip. Taking advantage of her position on the floor, she swung her right leg and tripped the guard, causing him to land on his behind with a loud thump. With a deafening cry, Starfire launched herself from the ground and flew towards the startled soldier, sending her fist straight into his jaw. A loud crack was heard as the creature landed on its back, unmoving and unconscious. One down, forty-nine more to go.

Starfire unsheathed the sword of the unconscious soldier and held it out in front of her, hoping to use it in her defense. She swung the deadly blade with swift precision, but her strength was rapidly deteriorating. The snakes were steadily overpowering her, gaining advantage with every forceful blow. Starfire suddenly let out an earsplitting cry as she felt the blade of another sword slash her left leg, letting the blood pool out underneath her. Panting, she scrambled for the door, dragging her wounded leg behind her. Another guard grabbed her by her right leg and pulled her away from the exit – towards the awaiting soldiers. Before she could retaliate, the mass of snake creatures suddenly parted, revealing the all-too-familiar figure of Nyoka... holding yet another injection.

Starfire's eyes never left the syringe as the snake king closed the gap between them. She tightened her grip on the sword, watching him as he pushed the air bubble out of the tube, letting the transparent fluid drip down the sharp needle. He bent down close to her ear, whispering in a soft, threatening tone. "Lassst chance, my dear," he hissed. "Join me…or perish."

Without hesitation, Starfire spat a huge wad of saliva onto Nyoka's dumbstruck face, causing him to flinch and back away while scratching at his stinging eyes. She immediately raced for the door, but Nyoka managed to jump on top of her, crushing her with his massive body. He then adjusted their positions so that he had one leg on each side of her to stop her from moving. He pinned her arms to her sides, preventing her from using her sword. She tried to break free, but her weakened state was no match for his powerful legs. His heavy torso crushed her lungs, making the simple act of breathing a strenuous one.

Nyoka pulled out the needle and squirted a few more drops before nudging his face against her cheek. Starfire could feel his hot breath brush the side of her neck as he whispered, "Ssssleep tight."

With nothing left to lose, Starfire used the last of her strength to whip her upper body upwards and violently thrust her head into his. The sudden attack caused Nyoka to loosen his grip around her body, permitting her to free her right arm. Recovering quickly, the snake prepared to inject the chemical into Starfire's neck, but as his hand came down, Starfire was able to grab hold of his wrist and twist it forcefully. Nyoka dropped the needle, screaming in agony. Seizing the opportunity, Starfire snatched the syringe from the floor and plunged it into Nyoka's neck.

"AAHHHH!" the snake shrieked. He fell onto his side, his eyes wide with panic. His hand flew to his neck as the rough skin began to discolor. Still lying on the floor, Starfire was fighting to stay conscious. Her leg wound was still bleeding profusely and the loss of blood was taking its toll on her body. Her breathing was shallow and her muscles ached with pain. She gently turned her head and spotted the snake creatures swarming Nyoka as he screamed for the antidote. This was her chance.

Using the distraction to her benefit, Starfire crawled towards the door once again, clutching her sword for dear life and dragging it behind her. When she finally reached it, Starfire forced herself to stand upright, bracing herself against the wall. She then lifted the sword over her head and brought it down in one powerful swing, taking the handle off the door completely. The loud cling of the door handle hitting the ground was enough to grab the guards' attention. Realizing the Tamaranean girl was mere seconds away from escaping, they drew their weapons and charged.

Starfire dropped her sword and allowed herself to fall against the door, no longer able to stand. The door swung open and Starfire was released into the depths of space, free at last. As she drifted further and further from the dreaded spaceship, she could hear the voice of Nyoka, screaming in frustration. "RUN ALL YOU WANT, SSSWEETHEART, BUT YOU CANNOT ESCAPE YOUR FATE! TAMARAN WILL BE DESTROYED AND YOU SHALL SERVE ME! I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT!"

Hot tears trickled down her delicate face as she registered Nyoka's harsh words. She then realized in horror that the ship had already started its engine and began traveling towards her. How they managed to deal with a gaping hole in the side of the ship, she was not sure. Panicked, Starfire began flying in the opposite direction, praying that she could outrun her captors. It wasn't long before she stumbled upon a large asteroid field. Acting fast, she found a decent-sized rock and took cover behind it, completely shielding herself from Nyoka's view. She watched quietly as the ship carefully weaved its way through the asteroids, holding her breath as the ship glided past her a few feet away. She remained tranquil until the vessel disappeared from view, gradually vanishing into the darkness.

Starfire let out a huge sigh of relief and placed her hand over her chest, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. She leaned up against the giant rock, trying to decide what to do next. Gathering her thoughts, Starfire couldn't help but recall Nyoka's words. She could feel the tears returning, prickling the back of her eyes and threatening to fall at any moment.

Tamaran was waning. The people were suffering and Starfire could not help but feel responsible for her planet's downfall. She failed to remain alert and had let her guard down, making it easier for her enemies to capture her. Not to mention murder her comrades. She glanced down at her throbbing leg and winced. Her boot was sliced open, revealing a deep, bloody gash. Her leg was already starting to swell and the wound was beginning to show signs of infection. Droplets of blood formed and floated out from the wound, creating a series of red dots that began to swim around her body. She turned away. The sight was making her sick to her stomach. She needed help and fast.

She knew couldn't go home, they would be expecting that. She needed to hide somewhere and recuperate, though she knew she couldn't travel too far. She had already lost too much blood and losing any more could have dire consequences. Not wanting to risk anything, she searched her near surroundings for a possible place to hide. She soon spotted a small planet, swirling with shades of blue, green and white.

'It will have to do,' the girl told herself. She was growing weaker by the second and her body was overcome with fatigue. She abruptly pushed herself from the rock and let herself drift slowly towards her destination, avoiding any unnecessary movement. As she entered the planet's atmosphere, she felt the air around her grow warmer. Her speed increased and temperature continued to rise, causing her to feel like her entire body had burst into a ball of green flames. The pain in her leg was becoming unbearable, like it had been plunged into a lake of acid.

As the ground gradually came into view, Starfire knew she had no strength left to execute a safe landing. She was falling way too fast and by the looks of it, she would never be able to slow down in time. She crossed her arms over her head, praying to X'hal that her body could take it…

-:-

"FREEZE!"

The figure kept running, carrying a large bag in his right hand. He was already starting to tire, the jiggling in his midriff showed he was not exactly the fittest person one would come across. The man quickly turned into an alley and leaned up against the wall, panting and out of breath. Clutching the bag against his chest, he remained silent until he was sure he was no longer being followed.

"Hah, lost 'em," the man said, arrogantly. He started walking down the narrow alleyway, preparing to open the bag and examine his newly acquired treasures. Before he could do so, however, a sharp boomerang-like object flew directly across his face and hit the wall to his left, barely missing the tip of his nose. He jumped back, startled.

"What the fu—"

"Drop the bag and no one gets hurt," a low, menacing voice called from the darkness.

"Who the hell are you!" the man shouted. He spun a full circle, his head darting left and right in a panic.

"Wouldn't you like to know, chubby." A figure suddenly emerged from the shadows, revealing a tall, masculine body hidden underneath a long, black cape. His hair was gelled back in unruly spikes and his eyes were concealed by a single, white mask.

"N-no way…" the man stuttered. "Y-you're…you're Robin! But how…shouldn't you be in…"

"Let's just say…I'm the new kid on the block," the Boy Wonder responded coolly, "and I don't take kindly to thieves…especially ones of your stature."

Infuriated, the man charged. "Why you little–"

Robin sighed in exasperation and stood his ground. The man came at him with full force and tried a right hook. With lightning reflexes, Robin easily dodged the punch and drove his fist into the man's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The man grew limp in Robin's arms and slowly slid to the floor, unable to breathe. The Boy Wonder quickly bound the man's arms and legs and placed a cloth over his mouth for added effect. He then placed the moneybag on the man's lap and kneeled down till his own face was level with his.

"So close…yet so far," Robin taunted. He then stood up and shot one of his trusted birdarangs upward and watched as it hooked onto the edge of the building. Pulling the rope taut, Robin offered a quick two-fingered salute before disappearing into the night sky.

"Catch ya later."

-:-

Within minutes, the sounds of police sirens echoed across the streets. Robin watched as two officers pushed the thief into their police car and drove off, leaving the roads calm and quiet once again.

Robin shook his head. After several weeks in Jump City, he still has yet to come across a mission even remotely close to exciting. He missed the rush, the thrill of pursuing a potentially dangerous villain that could kill him with a single, fatal blow. He took a deep breath and glanced up towards the dark sky, clearing his mind of useless thoughts. At that exact moment, he caught sight of a shooting star that was an unusual shade of green. He sighed.

'Can't a guy have SOME excitement in his life?' Robin bitterly thought to himself. He continued to watch the star until it disappeared over his head, vanishing behind the tall, lofty buildings of Jump City. Minutes later, Robin felt a slight quiver underneath him as a loud crash was heard a few miles from where he sat. He turned around and noticed an eerie green glow coming from behind the buildings.

The star had finally fallen.

AN: That's it for this chapter, readers! Hope you all enjoyed it!

Just a small request – PLEASE review and drop me a comment or two. It is extremely motivating when I know the audience is enjoying what they're reading. If not, I'd love to hear what I can do to make this story as good as it can be. So please let me know what you think... feedback is always appreciated!