Teen Titans Fan Fiction

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, its Production Company, Affiliates, and/or Sponsors. Everything is fictional and any similarities between the characters and any living person are purely coincidental.

A/N: Welcome my friends! We are finally nearing the end of Part 5! I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the story as much as much as I have had writing it.

As always, thank you for reading up to this point. R&R's are always appreciated, so whether you loved or hated any part or chapter of this story, I encourage you to share your thoughts and viewpoints with me. After all, I can't improve if I don't know what I'm doing right or wrong. Now that all of the formalities are out of the way, LET'S GET IT STARTED!!!!

Legend -

Normal Font: Basic read and insight.

Bold: Change of location or time.

Italics: Individual thoughts and recollections.

SACRIFICE

As Raven continues to rest, Starfire and Robin head further into the shrine. Cyborg and Beast Boy continue to track Terra's whereabouts, what dangers still lurk within the shadows as they move forward?

Chapter 35 - A Sister's Grudge

"Dude, you remember back when we had to fight Cinderblock at the pier a while back? You know, when Robin got his butt whooped by Slade and then captured?" Beast Boy asked as he changed back into his human form.

"Yeah, what about it?" Cyborg asked as he came to a stop a few feet from his green friend.

"Doesn't this whole Slade thing now seem kinda familiar?" Beast Boy turned and asked his comrade. Cyborg rubbed his chin for a minute as he absorbed everything Beast Boy said. The thought had not occurred to him, but it was true to a degree. The Teen Titan's were once again separated, Robin and Starfire were alone to face the remaining challengers, and behind everything was Slade. It was an eerily familiar feeling, and when Beast Boy actually made sense, it usually wasn't at the best of times. Had it been part of Slade's plan to separate them all as they moved further along? Spreading them all out at various intervals was much less obvious, so by the time you realized it, you were down in numbers and at a serious disadvantage. Still, there was only one sentry gun and that struck Terra, though it had been meant for Beast Boy.

"Now that you mention it, I'm getting one helluva deja vu now." Cyborg stated as he addressed Beast Boy. "But there would have been no way for them to know what happened in that second room, man. I'm telling ya, while things do seem like they were back then, there's one key difference."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow as Cyborg smirked a bit before finishing, "Star won't let the same thing happen twice. I overheard her talking before we all left Titan's Tower. Let's worry for now about finding our friend who saved your green and hairy hide. I'm not worried about Star, but Robin..."

"I know, I sensed it too, must be a guy thing or something. If push came to shove, I'm not so sure anymore what he'd do." Beast Boy looked around at the dark caverns. They had been walking for what felt like miles now and still following a trail. From the maps Robin left them, Cyborg guessed that they were taking the scenic route to the main throne room, the very end of the shrine itself.

"Seriously though, what's with all the grub?" Beast Boy pointed at Cyborg, who was stuffing his face once again with several more boxes of chocolates.

"Hey! I offered you a piece 2 miles back and you said no, so I'm going to eat until I've had my fill!" Cyborg shouted back. The two continued to argue as they proceeded further into the caverns, but both came under heavy laser fire. One blast hit the ground right in front of them, it exploded and threw the two Titan's back.

"Looks like Slade's robots didn't get the message the first time!" Cyborg looked down at his right arm to check his remaining power. 18...can't keep this pace up for too much longer, looks like I'll have to conserve from here on out...

Beast Boy was about to change before the figure walked into the light illuminating from Cyborg's shoulder.

"No way..." Both Titan's spoke simultaneously as the figure fired several more laser beams at them.

Meanwhile, with Robin and Starfire...

The two Titans were walking slowly towards their next challenger. Thinking back to his notes, he knew of only 3 more opponents: Blackfire, Madame Rouge, and Slade himself. Thinking of what Slade would have done, he was pretty sure Blackfire was waiting for them in the next area. Thinking ahead while he had the chance, Starfire may or may not be able to fight at full strength once the fight with her sister is over. Robin himself had seen Starfire take care of her older sister on two separate occasions, the last one was a big deciding factor, as Starfire won under Tamaranian traditions. She had been quite exhausted after that battle, and he had no reason to think it wouldn't be the same now. Excepting Beast Boy, the others were always far too worn out to possibly continue fighting. Slade may or may not have been counting on that. He finally understood the secondary meaning behind Slade's words, "There are still several more stages before you even qualify to face me..." Slade meant that he had to fight through Madame Rouge, and that was a fight always easier said than done. And he would have to face the final 2 on his own...

Starfire's feelings had shifted drastically from before they entered the ancient shrine. Before, she was confident that all of them were going to be victorious, and that they would all soon return home to Titan's Tower. Things were not the same now, Cyborg was forced to fight someone he cared dearly for, Raven had to fight a different kind of evil from her own past and Terra was now missing and she was unsure if she would ever see her blond haired friend again. Starfire, too, was looking forward, but on a very different path from Robin's. It had taken so long, so long for the two of them to finally come together, and she was worried that after all of this was over, Robin would no longer be with her. Slade had taken very serious measures this time around, and this time he was playing for keeps. This was to be their final battle with their greatest adversary, the one who somehow always managed to continue to avoid capture. Slade had almost destroyed Robin once, and she would make sure he would not get that chance again, no matter what...

The further the two moved deeper, the more dust they found. Robin coughed a couple times, and he felt something bouncing on his chest. Pressing his left hand to his chest, he felt the outline of his ring and thought to himself silently. I'm sorry, Mom and Dad, I never once counted on being happy. Is this okay? For me to be happy and do what must be done? Will you both forgive me if one day, I finally stop fighting? Robin continued to think silently to himself, but the red headed girl behind him was able to see his actions as clear as if he were in front of her.

Starfire looked down at her own wrist, she still wore the shining silver bracelet around her left wrist. Having taken great care of it, the bracelet still shined as if it were brand new, but the words engraved on it she could now say were also in her heart. Time seemed to go by so fast whenever she was with him, and she never regretted a single second. The door to their future was still far from their reach, but Starfire knew that together, they would find where it was. They would open that door together and there would be no one who stood in the way of that. Starfire's mind shifted when she thought about her past, and moreso, her sister. Once again, she was going to be forced to fight her own sister, and each time, part of her died in the process as well. Starfire took a few hurried steps and placed her forehead on Robin's back, causing him to stop.

"Star?" Robin finally spoke up after several minutes of silence, but her movement had stopped his own train of thought.

"I do not wish to fight my sister again..." Starfire mumbled. It also sounded like I do not wish to light my keyster, but Robin understood after a few seconds. Robin wasn't sure if she'd remember her sister after everything that had happened, but her words confirmed his suspicions. Having to fight against an ally is hard, having to fight a relative must be unbearable. Yet, she had done so twice before, and Robin finally understood a deeper side to part which helped keep him alive.

Robin wasn't sure how to comfort her. He had grown up without siblings, so this area was unfamiliar territory. There was only one thing that he could tell her, and it was something his mother always used to say, "Look in your heart and see what it is you want."

Starfire raised her head as Robin continued to look straight ahead. He continued, "See what it is you want, and let your feelings be your guide." It was a bit vague in his opinion, but it was the best he could come up with on the spot. Starfire dropped her head a bit, her eyes no longer visible to anyone. Robin started taking another step forward, but he felt a tug on his cape. Looking back, Starfire had grabbed his cape and was holding it very tight.

"It is not the situation with my sister which worries me completely. It is also..." Starfire started, but another familiar voice echoed as it interrupted them.

"Well, well, well...Now things are starting to make sense..." Starfire recognized the voice of her sister immediately. Letting go of his cape, her eyes started to glow green as her hands powered up as well, showing additional light to where they were. Robin was able to see that they were in a very deep cavern area, between the living quarters and the final shrine. It was much more open that he thought, but this kind of area was best for a Tamaranian dual.

Seeing purple light, Robin and Starfire looked up as Blackfire started hovering down to the ground. She landed within a few feet from them, far enough to avoid any surprise attacks, but close enough where you didn't have to shout. Robin reached into his utility belt and pulled out his metallic bo-staff. It extended fully and he twirled it around several times before taking up a defensive stance. He was about to speak before a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking back, Starfire was shaking her head, and took a few steps forward.

"Robin, please leave my sister to me..." Starfire spoke suddenly with a lot more confidence than he had seen just moments ago. Retracting his bo-staff back into the size of his hand, he put it away and took a step backwards. Ok, Star, but the moment you're in trouble, I'm moving in. You can yell at me all you want later...

"Who would have thought it? My dear sister who understands nothing together with the boy who seems to understand everything..." Blackfire boasted a bit as she watched Starfire take a few steps forward. Continuing, "You two make such an awful couple, I think I'm going to be sick..." Blackfire's eyes started to glow once more, with Starfire following suit.

"It is not any concern of yours what we do, dear sister..." Starfire said as she threw the insult back to her own sister. They each stood there against each other, waiting for the other to make a move, a stand off between sisters and this one had a lot more on the line than in previous experiences. Blackfire smirked after a few minutes, and fired a starbolt of her own at Starfire's feet, causing the red-headed princess to take off in flight. Blackfire darted up into the air to follow her, the last words spoken were, "It is time I show you again why I am the better fighter!!!"

Starfire fired several starbolts as her sister closed in from the ground. Blackfire weaved through the green starbolt barrage without losing her forward momentum. Closing the gap to mere feet, Blackfire rose upward and with a rising uppercut, sent Starfire flying upward. Blackfire did not miss the chance of her early advantage. Flying at full speed, she caught up to her sister. Starfire opened her eyes to see Blackfire's arms come down in a double arm slam. Raising her arms to shield herself, Starfire felt the impact of her sister's blow and flew at a downward angle into the stone wall, causing a small crater. Starfire looked up to see her sister firing several purple starbolts at her. Bracing her feet against the wall, Starfire pushed off from it and down into the caverns to avoid her sister's barrage. Flying left and right, weaving her way though, Starfire's eyes glowed green as she fired her eye blasts at her sister.

Blackfire moved out of the way of the green beam coming at her, and started flying down towards her sister. Starfire, seeing this, started to retreat, seeing purple starbolts dart past her as she continued to hurry. Blackfire laughed a bit, "Come now, you know for a fact you'll have to do better than that!" Her eyes glowed purple as Blackfire's own eye blasts shot at Starfire. They hit her and she started falling down into the abyss. Blackfire swooped down and caught her sister, holding both arms behind her back and flying them both up towards the top of the ceiling. Starfire slowly regained her senses and tried breaking free, but Blackfire's knowledge of how to subdue opponents was far greater than her own. Struggling for a bit, she looked at where she was being taken. Her eyes widened as she saw a stalactite hanging from the ceiling. With all of her power, Starfire broke free from Blackfire's hold by powering up, which sent her sister flying backwards into the stone wall. Breaking out of the wall, the sisters exchanged starbolts at each other before landing back on solid ground.

"You've gotten better, little sister..." Blackfire started, "but you're still no match for me!" She powered up once more but Starfire raised a hand asking for a temporary delay.

"Why must we fight against each other?" Starfire asked as she powered down. Her palms and eyes returned to their normal state as she waited for an answer from her sister.

"You have the tenacity to ask me that?!" Blackfire shouted in almost a rage, "You humiliated me in front of all of Tamaran. I am destined for greatness, and to prove it, I must beat you here and now!"

"But sister! You were the one who took advantage of the people of Tamaran and who stole that Centari moon diamond!!" Starfire shouted back, but hers was more of a plea than anger influenced. "Why do you help Slade? He has done unforgivable things to my friends as well as to other innocent people!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Blackfire shouted back and fired another starbolt at her sister. Starfire did not try to avoid it and it struck her in the stomach as she crashed down to the floor. Robin seeing all of this, took out a grappling hook from his utility belt but stopped when he saw Starfire shaking her head.

Starfire picked herself off the ground and looked over at her older sister. Blackfire's eyes were still glowing and her arm was still pointed at Starfire, ready to fire again if she needed to. Speaking up again, Starfire tried pleading, "Dear sister, why are you so angry? I do not wish us to be enemies..."

"You never did know when it was in your best interest to keep your mouth closed!!!" Blackfire shot another starbolt at her sister as she shouted again. Starfire once again did not try to stop it and picked herself up once again. Blackfire snarled a bit, "Fine. If you won't fight me, perhaps I'll just take away the thing that's most important to you!" Blackfire pointed her arm down at Robin. His eyes narrowed for a bit, but Blackfire was instead thrown backwards by a green starbolt.

"If you are not willing to face the truth, then you are not unworthy of being a ruler of Tamaran!" Starfire shouted as her fist powered down once more. Blackfire flew at her sister, catching her surprised. With a swinging kick, Starfire was hurled into the wall. Blackfire grabbed both arms and pulled them behind her back. Jabbing her knee into Starfire's back, Blackfire shouted at her sister, "What do you know? You never understood anything and you can't adapt to change! What would a lowlife like you know about anything!!" Starfire squirmed a bit. Gaining a bit of leverage she did a back flip and kicked her sister's back, forcing her into the wall. Starfire took the advantage and pressed her sister's back with both arms, forcing her into the wall as she was the one now shouting, "I believe the term used here on earth is a spoiled brat! It is you, sister, who truly understands nothing! You do as you please, without thinking of the feelings of others!"

Blackfire tried to press herself free, but Starfire jammed her into the wall further. Blackfire was forced to listen, "If you are unwilling to acknowledge others, how can you call yourself a good leader? The best leaders of Tamaran were those who understood the feelings of its people and everyone else was just a tyrant!!" Starfire tugged on the back of her sister's shirt and pulled her straight back. Blackfire was caught off guard as her back slammed against the ground. Opening her eyes, she saw Starfire's glowing green hand a few inches from her face.

"You are defeated, sister. Please do not force me to do something I truly wish not to..." Starfire spoke, but the pleading in her voice had stopped. There was a seriousness to it which Blackfire had never heard before. Taking her eyes off her sister, Blackfire layed down on the ground and looked into the darkness of the cavern.

"What was it that gave you strength?" Blackfire asked. Motioning her head towards Robin she inquired, "Was it him?"

"No, sister. My strength comes from the desire to stop those who wish to control or hurt others..." Starfire grabbed her left wrist as she smiled down at Robin, "He is the one who gives me the courage to keep doing so..."

Starfire bent down to talk to her sister on a closer level, "Will you let me show you what it is like to help others? Will you help us stop Slade's madness?" Starfire extended her hand down to her sister, but Blackfire was still a bit disgusted at the sudden outpouring of emotion.

"No, thanks. I do things my way and my way alone!" Blackfire shouted back and slapped her sister's hand away. Her teeth were clenched tight, she had been beaten by her sister again. And this time, it hurt much worse.

Robin shot a grappling hook up and came flying down onto the ground. Putting away his grappling hook, he walked over cautiously towards the two sisters. Looking from Blackfire to Starfire, he asked, "What do you want to do with her? Should we turn her in?"

Starfire shook her head and stood up. Walking over to him, she spoke, "No, my sister has much to consider. She needs to find her own path, just as I have found mine. Besides, we can not just turn back now after coming far!"

Robin said nothing, but nodded. He smiled at her and she received it by suddenly giving him another bear hug. "Ouch, Star..."

Starfire set him down and turned to address her sister one more time, "We are going to stop Slade. If left alone, he will do far more unspeakable things than the worst tyrants of Tamaran!"

"You can't win, I tried once and he embarrassed me. It wasn't even close..." Blackfire spoke as the two Titans were about to set off. They both looked back at her as she continued, "Saying he's good is the understatement of this century. You may have beaten me, but he will tear you apart..."

"I disagree, sister." Blackfire looked to see that her sister was smiling. Surprised a bit at her confidence, her eyes saw her sister grabbing hold of Robin's hand.

"You see, sister, as long as we are together..." Starfire started and looked at Robin.

"We can overcome anything." Robin finished. Blackfire watched in silence as the two Titans continued their journey towards the final room. Picking up a small rock, she hurled it as hard as she could into the wall. It shattered into several pieces as she had much to consider. Great, now what the hell am I supposed to do now?

Robin and Starfire started making their way towards the final destination of their journey. Slade and Madame Rouge would be waiting for them. They had overcome many obstacles to get to this point, and soon, Robin would have to earn another victory for his friends. Starfire had shown him a new way to fight, she had defeated her sister completely without injuring her at all. Robin could tell she was also getting stronger, everyone else from the team had proven their mettle. It was soon time to see if he still belonged with them. Madame Rouge, Slade, prepare yourselves! We are coming to put an end to all of this!!!

Meanwhile, in the deepest part of the shrine...

Slade had just finished reviewing the battle between the sisters. "Oh, Blackfire, what a disappointment you were..." He put his hands behind his back and was left to his own thoughts. The time has finally come, Robin. Prove to me that you can defeat Madame Rouge and I shall reward you with the emptiness that is known as death. Madame Rouge's abilities are unique to herself, your possibility of victory is 0, show me that you can overcome these odds. I am waiting for you, Robin...

Madame Rouge walked through the door. She smirked at him before speaking, "The Titans are in disarray. Only two remain as they approach my quarters. Tell me, was it in your plan to separate them?'

"Of course it was, everything has gone according to plan. Let's not forget, I still have the upper hand and we have still yet to play our own trump card. I trust you know what needs to be done?" Slade asked without so much as looking at her.

"Yes, my love. As a tribute to you, I shall present you with the head of the leader, Robin..." Madame Rouge bowed and walked out of the room. I am going to enjoy this...Come, Robin! I shall crush you here and now!!!

Starfire has emerged the victor in a battle between sisters. Cyborg and Beast Boy have come across someone with whom they both recognize. With only Slade and Madame Rouge left, can the Teen Titans emerge from the battlefield victorious once more?

Next Time: Chapter 36 - Unstoppable

Unable to make contact with either Cyborg or Beast Boy, Robin and Starfire continue to press forward. Raven recovers from her battle and meets with Blackfire. Robin's turn to fight has finally arrived, as he uses all of his wits to subdue the shifty Madame Rouge. You definitely won't wanna miss it!