"I…I have missed you…"

Nightwing bit his lip. "Me too."

This time, the kiss made their souls meld together into one glorious whole.

-

Reality

-

-

-

-

They both looked dreamily into each other's faces. Then Starfire's eyes snapped abruptly into focus.

"Robin!" Starfire said sharply. "You are bleeding!"

Nightwing reached up to a long throbbing cut along his cheek he had just realized was there, and lowered fingertips smeared with scarlet blood.

"Oh. Right," he said rather lamely. "I guess I got it when I was fighting Trogaar."

Tearing off a corner of her skirt, Starfire began to rub the blood away, pinching the cut together with strong fingers.

"I'm okay, its not that deep," Nightwing protested, but Starfire ignored him. "Really, I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt–"

He never finished that sentence. The sleeve of Starfire's shirt had fallen back while she was attending to Nightwing's wound, exposing an arm discolored with numerous bruises.

Noticing what Nightwing's eyes were staring at, Starfire tried to tug the sleeves back over her arms. "It is nothing, a mere flesh wound…" But Nightwing grabbed hold of both her wrists, stopping her attempts.

Nightwing's eyes were grim as he drew back both sleeves all the way up to the shoulder.

He bit back a snarl as he saw various colored bruises from old brown ones to still fresh ones of vivid purple covering most of her skin. Nightwing was sure they would also be all over her torso as well.

"What on earth have they done to you?"

"Not much," she said, her voice clearly stating that this was a subject she would rather not discuss at the moment. Instead of an explanation, she pulled him into a hug.

"We are together, and that is what matters at this moment." Her whisper ticked Nightwing's ear. He couldn't help but smile. Her voice always made him smile. She pulled apart, but not before slipping her hand into his.

Nightwing couldn't let go of Starfire's hand, even as he looked down at Blackfire's still unmoving form, considering what best to do. He had never expected Blackfire's hand in this business, nor that Starfire would be alive.

He stole another glance at her face, still wondering if this was just all a dream. But then he looked down at the mass of dark hair, and felt Starfire's warm hand squeeze his own, and he knew this was indeed real.

Starfire stroked Nightwing's hand, so happy that there was nothing but quiet peace within her. She knew everything would be all right now, now that he was here with her. She gazed contentedly into his face again, drinking in every detail.

But she noticed a savage expression cross his face as he looked down at her sister.

He lifted his bo-staff.

"Robin, please do not harm her!" she cried out hurriedly, grasping his weapon hand tightly with both of her own, placing herself between Nightwing and Blackfire.

"She deserves to die for what she made you go through." Nightwing seethed, uncharacteristic venom lacing every word.

Starfire looked sternly into his eyes, "She is the only reason I was not killed." Her gaze turned imploring now. "They were very willing to kill, Nightwing."

Nightwing flinched at the sound of his new name emerging from Starfire's lips. He had insisted that everyone call him Nightwing, yet that name coming from her sounded just plain wrong. It made him realize how much he had changed, and how much reality had changed.

His hand dropped back to his side.

Starfire gave a small smile. She had read his pain, despite the mask he hid behind. She had spent years learning to see the person made of flesh and blood underneath the emotionless cloth.

"Let's go."

The exit was much quicker than the entrance, thanks to Starfire's flight and Nightwing's carelessness compared to when he had snuck inside. Then, secrecy was the key, but right now all he cared about was getting out as fast as he could.

Somehow, no one detained them during the long crawl along the air chute. Nightwing didn't care. He didn't even notice. He didn't know what he was feeling at the moment. He was happy that Starfire was beside him, but he was also disappointed at his own weakness. He only felt a detached numbness. The full impact that Starfire was here hadn't hit him just yet.

"You okay?" The cold white eyes of the mask looked at Starfire, hiding the genuine concern behind them.

"Yes."

He opened the chute entrance and reached for his grappling hook. But before his hand even reached the hidden compartment, he was pushed off the building.

"GAHHH!!" he screamed out before he could stop himself. But his freefalling soon ended as two arms grasped him around the waist. He could hear Starfire's giggles from somewhere above his head.

Her voice was bubbling with mirth as she said, "Relax, my love, and tell me where I must go to."

"Uh, steer to your right." he managed to say with a steady voice. "And don't scare me like that!" he added as Starfire broke into a fresh wave of giggles.

"Let me have some fun, dearest Robin!" was all she said before she sped full-speed towards the direction he had stated.

Nightwing just smiled inside. Same old Star, he thought. Same old lovable, fun loving Star. He couldn't help but close his eyes and let a huge grin spread across his face, something he hadn't done in months.

"Robin, are we there yet?"

Nightwing's eyes snapped open. He had totally forgotten that the ship was cloaked. He quickly scanned the landscape around him.

"There! Right by the weird looking tree formation! Do you see that dip in the ground?"

Starfire spun around and frowned, trying to spot the place.

"Yes, I think I have found it!" she exclaimed after a moment. In a second she was already lowering Nightwing gently to the ground before touching down herself. Nightwing dug into his pocket, looking for the remote that would uncloak the ship.

Finally finding it, he pressed the button and the ship fizzled into existence.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Starfire." Nightwing said with a grin.

Starfire merely raised an eyebrow at the overflowing trash in four compartments of the T-Ship. "Robin, what is this?"

Nightwing scratched the back of his head. "Uh, it's a long story. I'll tell you while we're getting back, since it'll take a few hours to get to Earth." He hurriedly stepped forward to clear out her seat.

"Let us just sit in your seat together, so that we may converse more easily. Besides, it does not seem that the empty cans of soup will fit into only three compartments." Starfire said, gesturing at the only clean seat on the T-Ship.

"Uh, sure." Nightwing looked sheepish as he opened the canopy for Starfire. She climbed inside, sitting sidesaddle on the long seat of the cockpit so that there was still some room left for Nightwing to sit down on. Nightwing jumped inside after her, closing the glass.

"You ready?" he asked, looking behind him to see Starfire's face.

She smiled back at him.

"I am always ready."

"Well then, Here goes!" he said, pulling the thrusters to full power. With a slight shudder, the engine roared to life and the T-Ship headed for the sky.

Whoa- another chapter. I am well aware that this is short, but I'm having major writer's block here, and besides that, it's exam season, so this took a month to finish writing!

Anyway, there will be no updates until the second week of May, (I'm really sorry!!) so I thought I should update this chapter so you all have something to read till my return. :D

When May comes, I also promise another chapter of Confused! That one's almost completed, so if you haven't read it yet, go and read! It's actually better than this one, I think.

And remember, REVIEWing makes authors happy. Including moi. :)