Author's Note: Originally this was going to be so much longer, maybe up to ten thousand words but I chose to end it at the point I did because I did not want to overwhelm the readers and I seriously need to get started on the next chapter of By The Grace Of X'hal, I won't abandon that story like I did Armageddon. Hope you're ready, shit is getting serious in this one...that's not a joke.
Raven burst through the door leading to the roof, attempting on meditating when she arrived, in truth she couldn't believe what she just witnessed, her emoticlones shouting in her mind in a frenzy that she could have stopped them, maybe could have done something to understand if only for a little while why the two Titans had kissed each other, she needed answers yet knew it would have to wait, Starfire needed help.
"Raven to Robin, Starfire's unconscious on the roof, bring Cyborg with you, now." She empathized the very last word in her communicator, tossing it to the ground as she grabbed the Tamaranean teenager by the shoulders, turning her around roughly to make sure she was still breathing by pressing her fingers to the girl's neck and sighing in relief once she felt a pulse.
Not even a few seconds later, Robin and Cyborg stomped through the concrete, Robin sliding on his knees and taking his girlfriend from Raven's arms.
"What the hell happened?" He shouted, looking deep into the empath's eyes, his teeth gritted together hard enough to cause his jaw to hurt as she opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out.
What could she say? What should she say? Was it even any of her business at all to try to intervene in the lives of her friends?
It didn't matter, the young man hoisted his woman up bridal style, ignoring his friend's stuttered replies and carried her quickly down the stairs while Cyborg surveyed the damage done to the roof noticing the long, bloody claw marks tearing through the hardened clay as if it was butter.
He inhaled a breath sharply as his human eye narrowed and tried to call Beast Boy on his own communicator to no avail, just what in God's name did Starfire do to herself?
Not even bothering to see how Raven was faring, he turned around and rushed to the Med Bay, they needed to stabilize their friend and after she was awake, they needed to know exactly what went down.
Starfire awoke her spiritual body in the very same spot that her nightmares always started at, on her home planet, in the dry muck where she was always accused of being a traitor, a monster, a false ruler and the very bane of X'hal and the world itself.
Through the emotional anguish that had struck her body down she even now was in pain, her mental form in torment from Beast Boy's rejection because of how much her species relied on emotions to fuel their abilities Starfire was so heart broken her physical body rebelled and shut down, she'd be lucky if she was not already dying, Tamaranean's could survive many obstacles but being turned down cold from the one they felt affection for caused their strength to vanish instantly and could be fatal if they did not receive medical help immediately.
Gasping as she clenched her heart through her shirt, her eyes shut tight, her teeth grinding together and her breathing quick and excruciatingly painful even to her own ears she cracked open her eyes little by little until the pain subsided slowly and she could take long, deep breaths of oxygen in relief, if only for a moment.
Glancing around she saw nothing but dirt around her, no trees, buildings or people in sight. The planet's sun being shrouded by large, thick gray clouds and casting a very eerie environment around her, giving the tint of forbidding in the air.
She opened her mouth to call out to anyone in the vicinity but closed it seeing a silhouette in her peripheral vision and turned to the shape, her eyes widen in awe when she saw the form of Lady X'hal, the goddess did not even acknowledge Starfire, her golden eyes staring at something beyond the alien's vision, nothing of her body shown but her eyes before she nodded making Starfire turn towards the source.
As soon as her head turned to identify whatever it was that caught X'hal's attention a gray fist smashed into her skull and sent her entire body to the earth, leaving the young heir coughing and groaning in agony in the dirt as she lifted her head and saw...herself.
A scowl instantly formed on her face before she reached an arm out and tried to lift herself from the floor as a leg shot out from her foe directly into her stomach causing the alien to wheeze despair and hurl the breakfast she had eaten onto the ground in front of her as she dropped in her own bile.
Her hair was hasty snatched up by an angry fist and yanked painfully with strength only one of her people could muster, her body held up until she was brought to her knees to look at her enemy, her own vomit slowly sliding off her clothes as both of them ignored the smell.
"Nega Starfire." The Titan spat with as much hatred as she could summon from her vocal cords glaring at the gray skinned, crimson eyed demon in front of her whose entire body, even her clothes shined no color unlike her counterpart, void of anything resembling similarities other than appearance and Starfire's own voice.
"Aw, how sweet of you to remember my name." The demon sneered, her tone mocking before she pulled back her fist and punched Starfire in the face again making the alien spit magenta colored blood into the ground below, a thin line dripping down her chin.
Nega Starfire lifted a foot off the ground and thrusted it directly into Starfire's stomach, letting go of her hair at the exact same time gravity flung her away from her personal demon.
She was kicked a foot from where she knelt at, holding her injury and wincing at the white hot flash of pain that followed the action as the one that taunted her in her dreams strolled forward in a slow pace.
"Why are you here?" Starfire questioned, rolling over and pushing herself off the ground, her vision blurry from the attack forcing her to sway, trying to get her bearings and turn around right before being socked in the face again causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor on her knees for a second time.
"Isn't it obvious, mortal? Besides finally having you all to myself and beating you into a pulp, your real body is in a coma, you already know why and if I'm able to crush you here in your own mind your brain will shut down, leaving you no more than a vegetable. You'll die, Koriand'r and the best part is, no one will know until it's too late." The incubus whispered into her ear when she reached her, Starfire's eyes widening in fear and shock before her demon backhanded her across the face.
Reeling from the blow, she reached out a hand to steady herself, panting as she attempted to stay awake, she wouldn't allow herself to fall victim to such a fate, not without a fight but she needed to recover her energy which make her open her mouth and talk, not looking the monster in the eyes.
"I saw you return to my body, Trigon is defeated you should not be here, we have-" Her voice was instantly cut off by a hand wrapping around her throat and again heaved into the air, staring her sins directly in the face as Nega Starfire scowled, her bright red eyes narrowed to mere slits as she jerked Starfire in her grip with a force that Cinderblock would envy.
"And you think that makes your sins go away? We fought in his realm when he summoned me from your soul. We are in your mind, I am your demon and you are weaker than that stupid boy toy who has no powers. Robin was the focus of your heart when we last met but now it appears you have another, that disgusting changeling who dared to touch me with his filthy animal form. You make me sick." She growled, her left hand suddenly engulfed by bright red energy as she swung the projectile into Starfire's chest.
It melted her flesh, making her scream in pain as she inhaled her own burning flesh and slightly burning fabric, being thankful if such deserved a word that her clothes were immune to starbolts, as she crashed harshly into the ground.
Now she was in even more pain than when the demon first began her assault, who had released her to wallow in the dirt, tears were sliding down Starfire's face who could do nothing but gasp and moan trying to roll over again to face her opponent.
The second her torso touched the dirt she cry out in pain right before the evil clone kicked her in the face sending her flying a foot off the ground and slamming hard into the rubble.
She would not go down like this, defeated and left to the mercy of her own demon who was merely toying with her, gritting her teeth and gasping from the multiple inflicted wounds she shakily rose up, it was torture to even breathe but after what felt like an eternity she stood and faced her rival, who did nothing but place a hand on her hip, her lips in a sneer.
"I have fought you before and I will do so again if it means escaping my own mind." Starfire shouted in rage, her hands and eyes glowing bright green for a second before she took a step forward and dropped to the dirt like a stone, once more on her knees, her strength being depleted almost instantaneous the second she tried to move.
Nega Starfire merely clicked her tongue with a shake of her head, floating into the air and landing in front of her making the alien flinch then cursed herself at her fear.
The demon bent down, her head near the Tamanaranean's right ear and spoke in such a low voice the Titan could barely hear it.
"You don't get it do you? It's not just your body losing the will to live, it's you as well. The only way to be free is to chose who holds your heart and that may just give you the strength and courage to stand before us, this isn't a fucking game." The dark form growled as she stood, looking at the hero with a sadistic smile seeing her confused expression.
Starfire winced at the curse word uttered from her demon's lips, she was not completely innocent as many portrayed her from her time on Earth but she never used such a vile word before herself, though she shoved it away as she glanced into Nega Starfire's eyes.
"Us?" She asked softly and was rewarded with a harsh blow to the back of her head, her mental body had no time to register the pain as that instant, Nega Starfire uppercutted her in the jaw snapping her head back with a blow that would have killed her if she was in the physical world .
A hard kick was aimed into her ribs with enough force to turn over a car as she willed herself to heal though it did not respond as her felt two of ribs snap from the attack, she was glad they did not puncture any vital organs but she could see it had ripped through her skin as she howled in distress, one arm held firmly into the earth, gripping a handful of the soil like it was her lifeline.
Even with the natural strength she possessed it did little against the one in her line of vision, she spat out another glob of blood into the dirt glaring at the demon with long, swallow breathes who was laughing in glee.
"Having too much fun without me, are you demon?" A voice jabbed at the monster which sent a shiver of both anxiety and anger coursing through her veins.
"Blackfire." Starfire hissed through her teeth, as though it was the greatest insult she could think of.
The older woman in question calmly came into Starfire's sight with a grin then kicked the arm holding her sister up, making her fall face first into the ground, ignoring the stinging pain on her chin which was slowly bleeding from a small cut as she propped herself up again, heaving as her eyes glowed green with rage.
"You're not real." Starfire yelled from her position making the former Grand Ruler scoff with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh course not, you stupid girl. Have you already forgotten where we are, or has the emotional toll of losing that putrid green boy dulled your senses. What have you done to her, Nega?" Blackfire giggled, it was meant to be cute coming from her mouth as she held a hand up to cover the sound but her eyes held an insane and twisted glint in them as she looked to Starfire's doppelganger.
"What I felt was necessary." Was the only answer Blackfire was given making her roll her eyes again with a huff.
"Well don't kill her...just yet. We can't beat her within an inch of her life without having a little fun first, now can we?" The raven haired alien asked folding her arms with a glance to the demon who could only snort with a shake of her head in response not even looking at the older sibling.
"Sister Dear, as much fun as it is to smash you into the ground over and over again we have just one simple question for you...who do you love?" The exiled woman asked slowly, her eyes glaring at Starfire, sharp as a razor but she still held that sickling smile like she owned the world, which only made the Titan want to spew what she had remaining in her one of her nine stomachs on Blackfire's boots.
"Why ask me the question when you know I don't have the answer." She replied making Nega Starfire take a step forward, her hands encased with her flaming colored starbolts before Blackfire held out her arm, halting her from advancing.
"Koriand'r, this is me you're speaking to, now I know-"
"I swore to you in person, Komand'r I wanted nothing to do with you for what you did to Wildfire and Tamaran, you want your answer?...Burn in Tartarus, bitch." Starfire snarled, it was so out of character for her that it was almost comical to see the surprised look on both the villain's faces but she kept herself in check at the last second.
Blackfire grimaced, her hands and eyes mirroring Nega Starfire's own with her signature purple colored blackbolts, her chest heaving with an effort not to throttle the younger girl in front of her as she forced herself to calm down and gripped the demon's arm when she tried to fly past her to disintegrate her into ashes.
"Calm yourself, demon. We can try a different route to fully crack open her heart to us, once she does, you can have the honor of shattering her mind and dragging her to Tartarus yourself." She hissed into her partner's ear who only snarled, yanking her arm away and dispelling the starbolts in her hands, Blackfire's own blackbolts were gone before she touched the monster.
"I do not take orders from you, ghost. I will see this Troq vanquished before her friends manage to wake her, we do not have long. I can sense it so whatever your game is...hurry." Nega Starfire spat making Blackfire smirk.
"It won't be long...follow my lead." With a nod at the Titan who was now wheezing for breath in attempt to stay alive from the wound on her hip, Blackfire saunter over to her injured sister, grabbing her chin firmly as she bashed her forehead hard into Starfire's nose whose head jerked backwards in pain, her eyes shut tight trying to keep anymore tears from falling.
The second Starfire's eyes were closed, Blackfire teleported behind her sister and morphed herself into Robin, Nega Starfire transforming herself into Beast Boy and vanishing in a cloud of smoke to Starfire's left side.
The young redhead, held a hand to her nose feeling blood run down as she groaned and slowly opened her eyes despite the pain in her head, giving an audible sigh of relief and thanked X'hal that the two were finally gone, perhaps now she could control her own mind and awake to the world she knew at last.
Concentrating hard with her eyes closed, she opened them to find herself still in the gods forsaken land and still spiritually injured as she gasped at the sudden warm feeling of a hand on her right shoulder.
"Starfire, thank God I found you, Raven sent us on a damn goose chase trying to find a way to wake you up, and I ran into a lot of hurdles to get here, we don't have a lot of time. You're dying Star and-"
Starfire could only sit frozen in astonishment, not even hearing the rest of Robin's words as she turned her head and saw that it was truly him and his worried voice was really his own, she didn't know how or why but she flung herself into his arms, not even noticing the dark smirk he gave as she cried in relief.
"Oh Robin, it was awful. Two of my worse fears came for me. I couldn't do anything to defend myself, I tried and I had forgotten just how strong my sister actually was, thank X'hal you're here to get me away from this nightmare." She wept openly into his chest, keeping the actual truth from him until she was ready to tell him as he held her tight and stroked her back in reassurance, whispering sweet nothings before slowly nodding to Starfire's demonic form who could only give a sinister grin with Beast Boy's face.
"It's alright. They're gone, Star. We won't let them hurt you anymore, listen we have to hurry, Raven says-"
"Koriand'r." The word uttered out of Beast Boy's lips caused the alien to freeze in bewilderment, no one of the Titans knew her by that name but him.
"Garfield." She gasped in shock, turning around in surprise with Robin's help to look at the changeling who was panting with his hands on his knees, a few drops of sweat on his forehead, he asked for a moment to catch his breath before looking into her eyes.
"Sorry the rest of the gang couldn't join us, Raven is stuck in a pose that makes her look like a freaking statute and Cyborg's checking over your body to make sure you don't die on us. So Rae send us. Got to admit, pretty freaky places in your head you got going on." He laughed, she in turn smiled while Robin snorted.
"Yeah right, Beast Boy you were too busy checking out Star's dream house to notice. Funny how you have a nursery in one bedroom though, Starfire were you expecting...wait a minute, did he just call you Koriand'r?" Robin's asked, his voice cold as he turned his masked eyes to look into her own which made her shiver from his words.
"Robin, I...I can explain-"
"You never even told me your real name-"
"You never asked and Galfore said my real name the day of my wedding when I was to marry-"
"I was there, Starfire. I just forgotten what he said, I'm so used to calling you by the name you told us when we met...why Beast Boy of all people? Why not me? I could have told you my real name if you had asked me. I showed you my eyes, didn't I?" He retorted angrily as she put a hand on his chest hoping he would understand.
"Robin please, it's not like that. I care for you both truly you are my friends and-"
"Oh really, Star? Then why did you kiss me?" Beast Boy spoke, his hands curled into fist at his side, his eyes brimming with tears before Robin looked at her in shock, stepping back causing her to fall to the ground on her knees.
"You kissed him?!" Robin shouted furious at the woman whom he had finally admitted his feelings to after so long, Starfire looked back and forth between the two, terror on her face, tears running down her face as she wanted so badly to admit that her feelings for the green skinned boy were new and she didn't know what it was that made her kiss him, in truth she didn't know if she was even the one to start the kiss or who ended it.
Pleading for Robin to listen to her she didn't notice Beast Boy's dark chuckle behind her as Robin crossed his arms over his chest, glaring with a cruel demeanor and firm stance.
"I thought you loved me, Starfire." His tone made it clear he was heart broken, anger lacing his words as he turned to the boy beside her.
"You stole her from me!" He screamed, about to run up and punch Beast Boy in the face before the orange alien stopped him with her strength, trying to make him see her side of the full picture.
Nega Starfire wondering in the back of her mind exactly what Blackfire was planning, this charade could be over and done with now, the girl was obviously crushed, the demon wanted to speak but instead held her tongue, she would wait, baiting her time until they could strike.
The two villains used the memories of Starfire's adventures to conjure up their words, silently both were thankful she had spent so much time with her friends or their plan would be ruined.
"You're treating her like a prize to be won, dude in case you forgotten she's a princess, not a slave-"
"I never treated her like that at all-"
"You think just because you kissed her once and held her hand you'll get a happy ending. News flash Bird Boy life's not a fucking fairy tale. You can't just have anyone you want because you're able to dance around her feelings then admit them after a big battle!" Beast Boy shouted back, Blackfire was surprised at how in character the evil spirit was getting, this was turning out to be a lot more fun than she thought.
Now they had to up the ante if they wanted to tear Starfire's heart in two as the alien in question gasped at Beast Boy's sudden nasty language.
"I stopped her from a wedding with a blob she didn't even know. I got a dance with her after we stopped Kitten and Fang, not you, Green Bean. Me! And I traveled-"
"I was there! Maybe not for the dance but I was there for almost everything else, and you know what I see?! You treat her like a damsel in distress-"
"That's not true-"
"Yes it is, Robin! She can take care of herself, you treat her like an idiot when teaching her new things about our world. What do you even actually know about her? When's the last time you sat down and talked with her about what she liked besides her favorite beverage or that wasn't about a mission. You don't bother to get to know her, hell you never even knew her real name until now!" He roared back, a sudden urge to turn into a bear came to mind but at the last second held back, breathless from his small speech as Blackfire gasped in Robin's voice.
Damn, this was going better than she could have imagined, unfortunately as much as they could change into the male's form and vocal tones they could not use their powers or skills, they were part of Starfire's thoughts after all and she had to keep herself from summoning a blackbolt as she knew the demon was doing the same.
Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran was being held up by her arms, long streaks of tears running down her face at the sound of the two fighting.
She wanted to speak but they interrupted her every time and it was tearing her apart and though she could not admit it out loud, she knew Beast Boy was right, Robin was always preoccupied with training, missions or doing something he wanted to do, anything she wanted was always given pause or politely declined unless she offered a kiss or something akin to romance.
How much did Robin and her have in common anyway? How many times has he attempted to save her knowing that she was stronger than he could even dream of being? It made her angry, as her eyes glowed green and she held herself back from forming starbolts in her hands as she wept.
"That's bullshit, she's just a rebound because you gave up on Terra and Raven-"
"Don't you speak her name! You didn't even bother to give her a chance until I said something about you working with Slade! And Raven is like a sister to me, I merely joked with her, I never loved her romantically-"
"So you steal my girl right from under my nose?! If it wasn't for me, you would-"
"Stop dancing around the goddamn issue again, let Starfire chose for herself, who do you love Star, Boy Wonder over here or me?" Beast Boy shouted as she looked him in the eyes, his own pleading for her to give him a chance to show her what she was missing.
"Like she would ever like a boy, she needs a real man and that's me. You love me Starfire, don't you?!" Robin yelled back as she turned to look at his mask before he tore it off, tearing into his skin slightly which dotted his face with blood to have her look at his eyes, Blackfire not even noticing the pain in the heat of the moment.
"She loves me, Batman's pawn-"
"I think she'd rather die then chose a guy who could pass for the lawn, she loves me-"
"Who do you love, Starfire?-"
"Tell us, Star, right now-"
"Who do you fucking love?!" They bellowed in unison as Starfire couldn't take the pressure anymore and finally succumbed to the crushing guilt tearing into her very soul.
"Enough!" Starfire shrieked alighting both her hands with her familiar green energy, lifting her arms off the ground, as both Blackfire and Nega Starfire smirked at breaking the heiress to the Tamaranean throne at last, right before she slammed her fists into the earth.
The shock wave that followed was powerful enough to level a small town, debris was thrown everywhere and the two 'men' were flung extremely hard into the ground, if it had really been Robin and Beast Boy they would have died, no human could have survived such a blast in close proximity, but Starfire didn't know that and she had not meant to use every ounce of her strength to cense the fighting, she just wanted it all to end.
As the smoke cleared at last while Koriand'r was heaving onto the dirt, inside of a crater large enough for plane to fit she questioned if the two were alright, surely Beast Boy had changed into something that could escape the blast, and Robin was...well, an extraordinarily human, he could and had lived through much worse, she was sure of it...she prayed.
Instead she saw the two teenagers stand with a wolfish grin on their faces at the very corner of the crater, side by side when she could have sworn they were able to kill each other as they vanished right before her eyes and re appeared right in front of her, they bodies changing to match the very foes she had thought she had gotten rid of for good.
Her anger overwhelmed her at the single most dirty stunt she had ever thought pulled right before her eyes and she angrily threw a starbolt with the very last of her energy at Nega Starfire who batted it away with the back of her hand like it was a rubber ball, the starbolt was so weak it didn't even sizzle at it hit the ground.
"Please, no more...I can take it no more." Starfire cried as she had been broken down completely, no longer did she struggle, fight or try to flee.
It was over.
"At last the mighty have fallen, hey Blackfire?" Starfire's demon sneered looking towards the hero's older sister who flicked a pebble that was lodged in her shoulder away, they were of equal or greater strength to the young Titan, even after pouring all that she had to defeat them or stop the quarrel of her friends when she had thought they were her friends, she had lost at the very end.
"Pathetic, it was a rather unexpected twist in my plan, a minor setback but she can oppose us no longer, I had my fun, she is called the alien powerhouse for a reason though. As promised, you may finish her, I'm sure my real version will see her in Tartarus soon enough." Backfire answered with an indifferent shrug as Nega Starfire alit her hands in red energy and very slowly walked towards the one she was created to kill, if not in body then in her mind.
"I would say I'm very sorry for this...but I don't have a heart to care about your suffering, little Star." The demon teased with a emotionless expression, reaching the young woman's mental form.
"Please Lady X'hal save me from this-"
"X'hal's not here, girl...would you like me to take a message?" Nega Starfire whispered into her ear making Starfire sob as the monster stood up straight, then spreaded her legs slightly, lifted her right hand to deliver the final blow and end this truly pitiful display of alien strength in front of her.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" An enormous scream reverberated throughout the entire wasteland as a massive wraith shaped raven eclipsed the very clouds above, Blackfire screeching in agony and disappearing like smoke as the bird like shadow raked it's talons against her flesh.
Starfire's demon didn't even flinch, she simply knelt down, her mouth near her ear and whispered in such a dark tone it sent shivers down the mortal's spine.
"It appears our little game is over, child...for now." Without waiting for a reply, Nega Starfire faded from sight, wisps of gray smoke trailing from her departure.
"Starfire. Thank Azarath I finally found you, we have to go, now! Your body is shutting down with your mind breaking, I don't know how long I can keep it from shattering." Raven shouted as she walked towards her, the giant raven above circling intensely for any more enemies.
The alien princess herself didn't even acknowledge her friend, the barriers of her mind cracking like glass around them, Raven was desperate.
"Starfire, we have to go, right now!" The empath yelled as she grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly as the young heiress finally snapped out of her depression.
"No, no...I won't fall for your tricks again, you won't beat me again!" The alien barked swinging her left fist with everything she had at the girl but Raven merely blocked it, she was scared and could sense how far her friend had fallen.
"Starfire-"
"Get the fuck away from me!" Starfire roared, it was such a shock that Raven took a step back as more of the area around them cracked and broke, Raven knew Starfire had swore before but she had never used such a repulsive word in her vocabulary and it appeared the alien didn't even notice or else she would be horrified with herself.
Starfire's eyes were glowing bright green but even then she had no strength to summon her starbolts and end the apparition before her, Raven had had enough.
She walked close to her friend and smacked her harshly across the face, Starfire could only utter a deep growl, curling her fist and ready for a final stand though she feared she would lose.
"Listen to me! It's me, Raven. It's really me, Starfire. We have to get out of here or your brain will shut down and you will die!" The dark sorceress bellowed as she held the Tamaranean's shoulders, digging her nails into her flesh, her eyes widen with terror doing all she could to get her point across.
"How do I know it's-"
"I saw you kiss Beast Boy...you're in love with him...aren't you?" The half demon asked apprehensively, looking deep into her emerald colored eyes which widen, knowing somehow that this truly was Raven before her.
"...Yes." Starfire answered, immediately the mental world halted it's process, shifting and reforming the large pieces of the mind that was broken down. Raven and Starfire both looked around, worried about what was happening before them.
"So it is the changling you chose, Koriand'r?" A smooth, feminine voice spoke behind them as they looked and saw X'hal before them, not a single scratch or flick of dirt on her, still covered by the dress and only showing her eyes which shone like gold.
Starfire did not hesitate to bow before the goddess on her knees, her hands intertwined together tightly, her eyes closed.
"I….I suppose so...why didn't you help me, my lady?" She asked, a hint of anger in her tone while Raven merely crossed her arms looking over the immortal.
"I sensed your power, you're stronger then my father...you're a god?" Raven spoke in disbelief as X'hal only tilted her head, observing Raven closely and blinked, looking towards her servant before her again.
"I am...if you wish to call me such, half demon. I have met Trigon before, he is like a child screaming for a toy he cannot have, it is sad. As for your question, Koriand'r...it is not my place to intervene, I am here to just witness if the royal bloodline would lose a third member. It is fortunate you came when you did half demon." The woman answered slowly as she turned her eyes to the clouds above.
Raven bristled in anger, she already hated what she was but to be mocked by an immortal was just insulting, Rage reared his head up quickly in her mind but she forced him back down, knowing if she fought X'hal she would be killed, truthful words were not worth dying over.
"But I was-"
"And regardless of what transpired you have won, your heart and mind is free from the chains that imprisoned it and you have at least made your choice...but no one can ever be free of their sins, my child...not even a god." X'hal spoke in a wistful as if a dark memory had resurfaced in her mind but her eyes betrayed no emotion.
"It appears my time has come to watch over others of your species, Koriand'r. Tread carefully when you walk in this life you shall have many trials and tribulations to come as you grow." Without another word X'hal vanished in a flash of white light so blinding the two women had to shield their eyes.
"Shit...warn someone next time will you?" Raven muttered under her breath and helped Starfire stand who hugged her tight.
"I am-"
"Don't say it, you didn't do anything wrong, Star...come on, let's go home. The others are worried sick and we still have not gotten in touch with Beast Boy." She growled annoyed and turned to summon her namesake again until Starfire stopped her.
"It...does not bother you I am-"
"No...it doesn't. It may hurt Robin and he'll feel like taking his anger out on Beast Boy who I know will understand his rage but you made your decision and as long as you are honest and explain the reasons why...he'll eventually forgive you both." She answered, a small smile gracing her lips, lifting her arms to came forth the raven that brought her here before her friend stopped her again.
"Do you love Robin?" The question was innocent but caught the empath so off guard she almost tripped but caught herself at the last second, allowing no emotion to show on her face as she looked the alien in the eyes before looking away.
"Truth?"
"Truth...please, Friend Raven." Starfire nodded slowly as Raven took a deep breath and exhaled out her nose.
"I...I care about him deeply after he helped me defeat my father. I...I wanted to do something but…-"
"I understand, Raven. Will you comfort him when I tell him the news?" Starfire cut her off and spoke quietly, a serious expression on her face as her friend gave a ghost of a smile and slowly nodded.
"You have my word. Now let's get out of here." She replied making Starfire grin as she took her hand, a gigantic raven quickly enveloped the two of them as they shot towards the sky never noticing the figure that had her arms folded across her chest, a dangerous smirk on her face and her crimson eyes narrowed to slits, glowing with asperity.
"Look like the fun's not over after all even if she made her choice, good. I want to play a game."
Author's Note: Told it was seriously dark, you have no idea how much fun I had writing Nega Starfire and Blackfire, so many people forget about them but I made sure not to. Even with Trigon gone I very much doubt that the Nega Titans could just vanish forever, in truth they were to appear in Armageddon but since I'm not writing that any more...you get the idea, sorry. Anyway going to work on my other story so keep an eye out for the next chapter of By The Grace Of X'hal and of course for this story to, have a great day/night my friends.