Chapter 2: Oppressive

Robin's face remained stoic as he threw everything back into our picnic basket. He worked quickly, not saying a word to me or acknowledging I was sitting next to him.

It seemed to me my Robin, the one on this date with me, had disappeared.

I put a hand on his shoulder, worried for him. "Robin, please—"

He shoved the basket into my hands, not allowing me to finish my sentence. "I need you to go back to the hotel. You're not fit for battle. We can talk about—"

I scowled at him, putting the basket back on the ground and poking him in the chest with my finger. "Now listen, I am not weak merely because—"

He huffed in agitation, averting my eyes. "Star, it doesn't matter. You're not coming."

I narrowed my eyes, determined to not allow him to order me around despite his concerns. "I am coming, and you cannot stop me. My sleep habits do not—"

"Star, please don't do this!" he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stood up. He started to walk away and pulled out his communicator. His hand fell to his side, his voice solemn when he continued. "I'm too worried. If he realizes you're weakened, he'll target you first."

"I do not care if he targets me," I said tartly, placing a hand on my hip and arching an eyebrow. "If he does, I can handle myself. I am not weak!"

He turned on his heel and gnawed on his cheek, lost in thought. I thought he was going to object until he swept me into his arms and kissed me full on the mouth. "Please go and rest," he whispered, brushing our noses together. His eyes focused on mine, even through the mask I could see how desperate he was to keep me safe. "Please," he pleaded.

He leaned in for another kiss, but I pushed him away as gently as my building anger would allow. I took in a deep breath to calm down, not at all willing to sit out when the city needed me. He was not the only one with issues concerning Commander Daizo having done the 'breaking out' of prison. "Leave now. I will see you later."

His thumb stroked my cheek once before he shot a grappling hook into the air and was gone.

…

The hotel, to me, was absolutely abysmal.

I had already gotten the room service and flipped through every channel available on the television. The movie I watched was a horror film, about a couple who had to find each other through chaos and destruction after a horrific tornado. Among the remains, monsters attacked, threatening their lives constantly.

It bored me to the extreme.

I was about to take a walk around the city when my communicator beeped and vibrated on the night stand in between the beds, the red light at the top flashing.

I opened it, only to find Cyborg's face on the screen, fear painted all over his face. "Star, if you're getting this, we need you here! Now! Robin isn't—"

"Cyborg," I asked, concerned, "is everything okay?"

"No, Robin shouldn't have sent you to the hotel! You're needed here!"

"Starfire, no! Stay away!" Robin's voice cried from somewhere out of the communicator's visual range. "It's not safe, he won't—"

"We need you here," Cyborg said gravely, his image fading with the building static. "You're the only one who can get things right."

The image faded completely, leaving me with no choice except to pursue this matter. With worry scorching my heart, I flew out the window, allowing only my happiest memories to drown my sorrows and take me to where I needed to be.

…

Upon arrival at the battle field, one thing was obvious to me, among other things.

The situation did not appear in our favor, but the enemy's. Beast Boy and Raven were flying at high speeds, trying to avoid and at the same time attack the monsters pursuing them. I remembered them well; they were the exact same ones that attacked us spuriously during our first few days in Tokyo.

Cyborg and Robin were fending off various enemies, each successful to an extent.

Everything would have been fine, had he not noticed me.

Uehara punched Robin to the ground, then smiled sourly at me. "Well hello, my young friend! Come to watch your friends lose, mm?"

Robin moaned, rubbing his head in confusion, and followed Uehara's gaze to mine. He didn't move, probably because he was unable, but that did not stop Uehara from slowly stalking over to me. He pulled a knife from his coat pocket, pointing at me with a wide grin. "You are the one who caused me to lose, are you not?"

Robin was shaking his head at me, panic plastered t0 his face. I understood fully well why he had asked me to stay away. He was doing it to protect me.

Sometimes, love is a two-way street.

"Yes, I am. I thought you belonged in prison. If you do not think so, you will target me, not any of them," I snarled, my eyes glowing with green fury. My hands lit up as well, threatening to push him back dare he come closer.

Uehara smiled, continuing in my direction. Several of his rocket boy minions came alongside him as if on command, their rockets propelling them above me intimidatingly. "I do not think you should have come. You are such a foolish girl. Starfire, was it?" His words of steel did not do as he intended, but only added to the fire. "She won't fight," I heard him whisper to himself. "Will you strike when your lover is under execution?" He waved the pink feline hybrid forward with a flick of his wrist, which shoved a panting Robin to the ground. He was clutching his left side, from which I could see blood seeping through his shirt.

He needed a distraction; he needed help.

"Robin…" my voice broke the instant it left my lips, causing Daizo to smirk.

"Do you see how this needs to end?" He gestured to the surrounding area. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven were nowhere to be found. "Your friends are gone. Your last living one is failing. I will let him live, but only if you surrender." His voice was deceptive, too persuasive. I dropped to the ground, forcing my knees to support me despite the weakness washing over me. "You are making a bold choice—the right choice. Your friends will—"

"STARFIRE NO! FIGHT HIM!" boomed Cyborg's voice. He came out of the alleyway behind him, and Raven materialized next to him. Beast Boy was in lion form, but transformed back to human only to encourage me.

"He's lying! Don't let him—"

Daizo cursed in Japanese, trying to organize his thoughts, but I was faster.

I took to the air, blasting him with my eyebeams and my starbolts until he flew backward, right into the concrete of the building behind him. "Daizo, I think it is you who just made a bold choice—and the wrong choice."

Once Daizo was unconscious in the debris—or so I thought—I rushed to Robin's side, glad to find the gash to his side was not too serious or damaging. He grinned at me, struggling to his feet before collapsing.

"Robin," I supported him. "You need assistance." He said nothing, just clung to me, as if I was the only reason he could stand at the moment. He mumbled something against my shoulder, something that sounded like a sign of thanks. "He is not well! Raven, he needs healing!"

Instantly, she was at his aide, applying her glowing hands to his side and his chest. Almost immediately, the gash was gone. His breathing went back to normal; to signify that he smiled at both of us gratefully, still allowing me to support him with his arm around my shoulder.

"Thanks," he said, a slight smile appearing on his lips. He looked up to meet my eyes, noticing the worry sketched across my face. "What's wrong?"

"I must apologize," I sighed, managing a miniscule smile. "I disobeyed orders, therefore—"

"Don't worry about it, Star," he interrupted. "It's fine."

"Well, now that everything's all hunky-dory, why don't we go to eat? I'm in the mood for sushi!" Cyborg exclaimed excitedly.

Robin smiled wearily. "Yeah, we should stay and make sure the police know what happened. Star and I will catch up. Go and get a few tables."

Needless to say, Cyborg and Beast Boy were too excited to bid us goodbye. Raven merely floated after them, the same bored look on her face we all recognized.

Robin walked away, checking to make sure any signs of danger were gone. "That's odd," he commented, frowning.

I stood by the pile of concrete and tilted my head to the side in curiosity. "What is? Everything seems to be okay."

"Yeah, but wasn't the Commander—"

"Ahh…you are the leader, mm? I should've known the foolish girl was incapable of such a task," Daizo drawled. Robin and I both turned in the direction of the voice, only to find him a safe distance of ten feet away. "I should've figured it before…oh well. Now I will have my revenge. Any last words, my friend?" He smiled slyly at us, as if he had just won the greatest victory. He unclipped his gun from his belt and discharged the bullet, preparing to fire as he pointed it at us.

"You might want to take that back, commander," Robin growled, standing protectively in front of me. Behind his back, his hands grasped my wrists tightly, conveying a message only I would understand. My hands closed around his wrists, my eyes glowing green in case things did not go as planned. "On my call, fly," he murmured.

I nodded curtly, not taking my eyes off of the enemy. Little did we know that things progressed already too quickly…

By the time Robin gave the signal, a gunshot rang through the air and flew at us at unbelievable accuracy and stealth. Robin was struck in the center of his chest just as I took to the skies, and the only reason I knew was because it should have hit me rather than him. His breathing, which had been ragged earlier, started to get worse than I thought possible.

When I thought he could not wait a minute more, I landed safely on the roof of a skyscraper and gently set him so he was properly leaning against the wall.

He gasped for air, as if that in itself could kill him. "Call Raven," he managed, his hands hurriedly ripping open the front of his shirt.

I did as he bade and helped him with his shirt. The bullet came out easily, but the blood was enough to nauseate me. I almost fainted, and I would have, had I not realized we had been followed.

The speck I thought I saw at the picnic was speeding toward us, blue fire shooting from its hands. My feet left the ground as I absently prepared to defend before I realized Robin's predicament. I made myself smaller, crouching down beside him in hopes that we were safe for the moment. "We have been spotted. Daizo knows we are—"

"Go," he whispered. "Raven will be here soon, won't she?" Just as he said that, Raven's form appeared.

"Robin!" she cried, floating over to us. "What happened?" she demanded.

"We were leaving and he was shot by Daizo. If I had been quicker, he would not have been injured," I explained, sadness and guilt washing over me.

"Star," he gasped, "it wasn't your fault."

"Shh," Raven whispered, placing one of her ebony hands on his forehead and the other against his chest. He disappeared into unconsciousness upon her touch, relief replacing the pained look on his face. "He'll be okay."

I nodded my understanding. "Thank you."

"No problem. I'll take him back to the hotel, get him somewhere safe. Are you coming to dinner with Beast Boy, Cyborg, and me?"

I would have said yes, but that's when I noticed the monster confronting us. The blue boy with a rocket strapped to his back was getting closer as the seconds flew by.

My eyes blazed emerald with anger and my hands flickered to life. They faded by some small degree, but I thought not much of it as I pushed off the roof. "No. I have some unfinished business. Get him away from here." I think she said more, but I was too far away from her to hear. When I checked over my shoulder to make sure they were no longer in harms way, they were gone.

Relief did not stay for long.

Once the boy and I collided, I found myself struggling as he shoved me toward the ground hundreds of feet below. My eyes sent him into buildings, but unlike earlier, it was not nearly enough. Seconds after each blow, there he was again, brutally forcing me lower in the air. I worried for my strength, for it was not as potent to my enemy as I remembered it was meant to be. My starbolts, which were a useful and always present weapon, were essentially useless.

Had my sleep deprivation affected my abilities as well?

I was beginning to worry as he slammed me into the concrete of the streets, the crater from the impact engraved into the cement. Traffic was brought to a halt and people screamed as they watched one of their new heroes being dominated over by a monster made of ink.

My nose was bloody and my mouth filled with the sour, metallic flavor of blood, as if I had just been aroused by one of my nightmares.

To me, it seemed I was living one.

Closing my eyes in concentration rather than in defeat, I focused my remaining energy on creating enough of a starbolt to cover me in green. Even though I did not trust my starbolts at the moment, it was the only idea that came to mind. Although it took a lot more concentration than normal, I did manage to conjure a starbolt, the green energy against my skin expanding until I no longer felt the punches or the kicks from the monster.

The silence, like other things, can be deceiving.

Sometimes, it can be life-threatening.

I opened my eyes, weakly lifting off the ground and exiting the crater to examine the area around me. People stared open-mouthed, shocked, yet in awe of my quick recovery. I would have smiled and joined them to sign the autograph, but, of course, Daizo was not finished with his torment yet. His laughter had just reached my ears as the electricity pulsed painfully through me, interjecting my flight and sending me to the ground in a heap.

I looked up at him, seeing as well as feeling smoke rise off of my skin not from my starbolt, but from his weapon. His laughter edged through the air, echoing in my ears. My vision started to blur as well; my state of weakness was not common, but if I had little time to recover, it was inevitable.

For the first time in a while, it was the enemy, not me, who was the conqueror.

"Finished running already?" he teased, blowing the smoke from the tip of his weapon. It was bright red and was longer than a normal gun with blue letters inscribed along the nose of the weapon. "I thought you'd actually put up a fight this time, considering I hurt your precious leader. No matter," he shrugged, pointing his weapon to the tip of my nose as electricity began to flow through it, "I will settle for an easy win against a Teen Titan."

I struggled to my hands and knees, allowing the little energy I had left to leave my body through an eyebeam to his chest. With this time of rest, I ignored the symptoms that were reappearing from earlier this afternoon and focused on standing up.

Shakily, I began to walk in the direction of the hotel, which was located across the street and another block over. Just a little further, I thought eagerly, my weak bones barely able to support me.

In my own form of weakness, walking took its toll as well. Even though the sun normally healed me and gave me energy, this time it did not. All it took was going across the street for my knees to buckle and my legs to slip from under me.

Everything after that happened very fast.

Just as my knees buckled and I fell to the ground, a hint of blue crossed my field of vision, accompanied by incredible agony and a hard impact against my back.

Someone screamed in the background; whether it was for me or someone else I could not be sure. Just as they screamed, I slipped away and lost consciousness, not concerned in the least if I would ever leave it or be trapped there for eternity.