Author's Note: Please forgive me, my faithful readers! I was stuck with a mountain-load of homework and tests these past few weeks. My psychology is not as demanding, but biology is quite different! No more serious assignments this week, so if there are reviews, you may find an update sooner than later. Chapter 4 is already in the works and brainstormed; I think you all will enjoy it very much.

For those of you who have anything that you think should happen, now is the time to leave it in reviews. For those who do, the chapter your idea makes an appearance in will be dedicated to you. Please be aware of this: If it doesn't appear in this story, it might appear in another one. Whether there is a sequel or another story, you will never know unless it's posted and you see your penname. Again, I will dedicate all chapters to those who make suggestions!

This story will most likely be ten chapters, depending on my ideas and such, implying that reviews and suggestions would increase the chapters! Please take the time to leave a review, because this is my first fanfiction and although I like it, that doesn't mean anything because I am also the author. I would really like to know if you do. Constructive criticism only, please!

One last thing: Drama and angst will be making more of an appearance from here on out. Yes, there will be romance, but it will be subtle depending on the chapter and the characters. Get ready and strap on your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride!

Chapter 3: Awakening

Pain.

That was what I felt when I wearily opened my eyes.

A throbbing sensation engulfed my forehead, causing my face to contort in pain. I moaned; this would be very unpleasant after the pain medicine wore off. I looked around me, finding a soft bed beneath me. Extreme discomfort branched out from my shoulder, making me gasp in agony. At the throbbing sensation in my shoulder, I pulled down my sleeve to reveal a heavily bandaged shoulder beneath.

I saw the string of machinery and equipment next to my bed and groaned. I was not in my hotel room, but in the hospital.

A place in which I knew no one and no one knew me.

And a place in which I felt deserted.

I swung my legs over the bed, my hips and legs screaming in protest as I forced my weight on them and collapsed to the floor. My arms and legs resisted any commands I bade them, frustrating me, and my left leg—the one I landed directly on—felt like it had been ran over by a truck. Were my legs broken in the accident?

Boots clicked on the floor from the other side of the bed as whoever was my caretaker approached me. I looked at the beds edge with narrowed eyes, refusing any help that anyone thought to give me; I despised being mistaken for any weakness.

My gaze softened when I found it to be Robin. He looked at me with his head tilted to the side at first, as if to explain for himself the reason why I was on the floor.

"Star?" he yawned. "What are you doing up?" He asked, gently helping me lie back in the bed. He adjusted my pillows for me and sat down in the chair next to my bed.

"What happened? Why can I not walk?"

He did not respond right away, just touched my cheek lightly with his hand. "We almost lost you. You lost a lot of blood. They would have given you a transfusion, but by then you were stabilized. Your shoulder was badly dislocated and was cut up from being slammed into concrete. Your legs took most of the damage, so to help with the pain the doctors used a lot of painkillers to numb them. " His voice caught in his throat, threatening to break. "Raven tried to heal you—she worked until she went into exhaustion, but you wouldn't heal. We had to take you here to be cared for, and—"

"Robin," I managed, desperately wanting him to stop. Tears burned my eyes and I closed them out of consideration for him; he did not need to see me crying again. "Please stop." One of them betrayed me and slid down my cheek. His finger caught it as he stroked my face, the gentleness of his touch making me sigh in gratitude. "How long was I out of consciousness?"

"Two days."

"And…you are well?"

"Yeah, I'm okay Star. It's you I'm worried about."

I shifted on my bed to sit up more, only to be interrupted by a crushing pain that spread from the center of my chest. Robin noticed me wince and automatically adjusted the pillows for me.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes," I managed. I felt his eyes straining against my face, as if he was trying to figure out if I was being honest with him. "Is something wrong, Robin?"

"Are you sure everything's okay?"

I responded by resting my head against his shoulder. "Can we please just be happy I am alive?" I gazed into his mask, ignoring the aches shooting up my legs; obviously the pain medication was not as long-lasting as the doctors hoped. Suddenly, my forehead blazed like fire; I pulled away, groaning. My hand clutched the spot where it hurt the most, my head reeling.

Robin looked like he would have said something, but we were interrupted by an abrupt knock at the door. Before I could protest, Robin was racing to let the person in.

A pudgy woman entered with a tray of food. "I see someone's awake!" She hooked the tray up to the bed, her high-pitched voice causing my ears to ring. "Are you in any pain dear?" My vision blurred slightly, but I merely shrugged it off, only blinking my eyes in confusion.

"No, Nurse…?"

"Cheryl, dear. Call me Cheryl." Her voice was doused in sweetness, as if she had bathed in a pond made of candy.

I instinctively pulled my arm away from her as she prepared to draw some blood; for a reason I could not explain, something did not seem right with this woman. "Excuse me, Nurse Cheryl, but I would appreciate it if Cyborg would do this instead. Where are our friends, Robin?"

"They went to the press conference the day you were attacked and have been trying to find Daizo. He escaped before we found you."

My heart ached; I wished deeply to see them and be healed of my iniquities. It bothered me that although Raven tried, I had not been healed. "Oh."

"Yeah, so please just submit to testing. We don't really have a choice." He held my hand as the needle pricked my skin; though I did not like it, I did not inform him of my disdain for the nurse. In the midst of it all, he kissed my temple tenderly, making me sigh. "All done," he told me after a few minutes.

It was not until after she left that it occurred to me she might have taken more than what she needed.

Robin squeezed my hand; suddenly his warmth was gone and I could hear his shoes against the linoleum. I opened my eyes to find him cutting my chicken and separating the beans and potatoes so that they would not get soggy. "You really should eat something," he suggested.

I did as he asked and ate the meal, enjoying the small talk he provided. It felt like we could go back to what we were before I was hurt.

Then he mentioned my being kept from active duty.

"I don't think you should fight anyone until we officially get the clear from the doctor," he explained. "I just don't want to—"

"Robin, stop worrying. I will be fine. I have enough of the common sense not to engage in combat until the doctor approves." I pushed the tray away from me, suddenly drowsy. "Can we please just rest for right now? I am getting tired."

"Already?" He cocked an eyebrow. He seemed just as surprised about how limited I was now. "I suppose you don't want to be moving around too much until you regain your strength in your legs. I can have Raven—"

Just as her name surpassed his lips, the other three titans boisterously entered the room, their excitement growing once they saw I was awake.

"How ya holdin' up little lady?" Cyborg checked.

"I am well! I just saw the nurse, and she was—err—very kind. I like her very much." The sourness in my voice was tangible.

"Well at least you're stabilized now," Beast Boy grinned. He transformed into a cat and jumped into my lap, snuggling as close to me as he could with Robin in the room.

Robin looked away, his lips pressed tightly in a line. "Did you find anything?"

"We're sorry, man, but Daizo is untraceable. I'm not getting any signs of him. We've searched the entire city, and he's nowhere to be found."

Robin's fist pounded the mattress in frustration, barely missing my leg. "Robin, calm down. Everything is—" I tried to soothe him.

"Hey man, why don't you go for a walk or something? We can watch over Star until you get back," Cyborg suggested.

"Yeah, Star'll be perfectly fine," Beast Boy said. "You've been here for two days. It's about time you relax."

"No, I can't," he said.

"Of course you can," I told him. "All I will be doing is sleeping. Really, it is okay for you to go."

He gave me a look that told me he would rather stay, but I gazed back, stubborn and certain it was what he needed. Huffing in surrender, he left the room.

…

The enemy hovering above me smiled in satisfaction down at me.

The single headlamp was bright, but did not illuminate the rest of the blackened room. I was bound by metal ropes which tightened if I moved at all. I glared back at him, but with all the anger that boiled within me, nothing happened; my strength was gone, my eyes did not ignite with green light.

I was powerless.

The male voice laughed at my struggling as I screamed for help, only to be ignored. His main features were obscured by the darkness, but I could see his squinted eyes and make out the structure of his face. "You're a stupid girl. No one will hear you or help you. How lovely is it to have you, a teen titan, at my will. I think I will kill your friends first and make you watch."

"No!"

"Oh yes! Why not save the best for last? You, young lady, are in very deep trouble."

"You will not win! I have—" Before I had the chance to finish my sentence, black ink was pouring from above, wherever this place was, causing me to scream as the nightmare did not switch back to reality.

…

I woke up in the same room I was assigned at the hospital, terrified of what the nightmare would bring. If anything, I knew something was not right. And I also knew Robin would not allow me to investigate this matter for myself.

I was somewhat surprised to find Robin lying next to me, his arm draped over my waist. His face was drawn with exhaustion, but was peaceful in his slumber.

Carefully, I eased myself out of bed. I first tested out my legs, and surely enough, they were stable enough to support me. Although they ached at my weight being forced on them, I thought nothing of it. I proceeded to the doorway, hiding behind the wall as a group of nurses bustled past. Among them, two were whispering quietly.

"…she should be out of it until three tomorrow afternoon…" the one said.

"…but is it enough? The Commander wanted her out cold until this weekend…"

"He will need to be satisfied. He ought to be doing this himself."

After those words reached my ears, I staggered for support against the wall and gasped. If they were discussing what I thought they were, it meant our search for Daizo was over. They must have heard me, because the next thing I knew, they were peaking into the room. I managed to hide in the bathroom, my nerves skyrocketing the instant their presence entered the room. Once they left, I relaxed, but only minimally.

With my legs threatening to drop me at any moment, I followed after them.

…

"Can we talk to the Commander, please?" the first nurse asked over the phone. "Yes sir, everything is at is supposed to be. Do you want to come tomorrow to finish off the job?"

"I will. She is prepared, yes?" a male voice asked over the phone.

My blood froze. I slid down the wall I was leaning against, suddenly very nervous for what was going to happen. I needed to get out of here, before they figured out I was doing the eaves dropping. If only the ebony-haired boy had not seen me…

I recognized him as the one I kissed for the language transfer when we arrived in Tokyo. "Hello, Miss, are you in need of assistance?" he asked in Japanese.

"No," I answered him in his native language, pushing myself up from the wall. I started to walk in the direction of my room when my legs would not handle my weight and I dropped on all fours, wincing in pain. "Call Robin."

"Robin?" he asked.

"Never mind," I muttered. "I—"

"Starfire, what are you doing out of your room?" Cyborg said from down the hall. He was carrying some flowers and a bag from the grocery store. He put them aside and helped me over to a wheelchair.

A doctor passed by, his eyebrow raised. "Excuse me, but aren't you supposed to be resting?"

"I am sorry," I said frantically, "I was just—"

"She's not going to be running off again doc. Robin and I will watch her and make sure of that," Cyborg assured him, glaring at me disapprovingly.

"Good. Well, I will check up on her in a bit. Tell Robin she needs to stay in bed," he called over his shoulder as he continued down the corridor.

"Will do," Cyborg promised. With that, he rolled me back to my room, silence the only thing passing between us as we went. "I'm sorry Star, I really am, but if you don't want to live here for the rest of your life you'll have to do what they tell you."

I would have responded, but Robin's stern voice stopped me. "Starfire, where were you?"

We had reached my room and he came to greet us in the hall, his arms crossed across his chest.

"I—I—" I fumbled for words, the anger in his face frightening me. My shoulders slumped in defeat as he rolled me back into the room and helped me lie down on the bed. This time, he did not sit next to me, but scolded me like a child. Cyborg was talking to Raven and Beast Boy on his communicator in the hall, most likely so he would not have to listen to Robin yelling.

"Star, why were you wandering around the hospital?" he asked again, his tone somewhat kinder. I could not answer him right away; the fear from what I overheard was still there, leaving me without the ability to speak. "Can't you tell me?"

"It will only make things worse," I sighed. "I overheard some nurses conversing earlier and something did not seem right. I followed them because I thought they could lead us to the Commander Daizo." I heaved a heavier sigh, preparing for another lecture. "I am sorry for worrying you and going against everything the doctors have told me, but—"

"Robin," Cyborg called into the room. He stood in the doorway, his voice serious. "We found Daizo. We'd better go while his trails fresh."

Robin merely nodded and ran out the door, forgetting I was trying to tell him something. My hands fumbled for the television remote, but I realized there was nothing I wanted to watch. As I laid in my bed of comfort, I found myself far from comforted. Although I knew Robin's touch would come when he returned, that did not bring any form of solace to the fear beginning to broil inside me. It felt as if my injuries had set off a time bomb, one which would destroy everyone I loved, regardless of how much I wanted to shield them from danger.

Either that or it would destroy me first.

I did not see Robin again that night; I could only listen to the sirens wailing in the city around me and hope he was not harmed in battle.

Sleeplessness had never been so overbearing, not even before my predicament.

Even after his shadow came to my side and laid next to me, I was only able to feign sleep, the same nightmarish images as before creeping into my sense of consciousness.