Chapter Four-Traditions

When she came to there was already a pit in her stomach. A sudden feeling of dread. Had her friends gotten there in time? What happened with her sister? Sitting up, her entire body ached reminding her of her failed attempt to save Robin. Apparently she had landed on a large ac unit. The impact had all but destroyed it. She blinked several times looking around but didn't see any sign of him or her sister and the ship was gone.

Starfire let out an angry sound, getting the attention of the other Titans. Raven was the first over to her.

"Where is Blackfire?"

"Gone and she took Robin." Starfire brought her fist down denting the already damaged metal around her. Raven raised an eyebrow to the sudden rage from her normally cheerful friend. She expected the news to upset her but not like this.

"We must find them. Where are the guards?"

"They stuck around to fight but then ended up leaving as well. Not really sure where they went." Starfire stood up still clutching her fists at her sides.

"They said they were here to take Robin and me back to Tamaran. Perhaps that is where they went." By now Cyborg and Beast Boy were walking over. The entire team appeared to be worn out. Thankfully the rain had let up some but Starfire still felt cold and in need of answers.

"Come on, lets head back to the Tower. I'm sure we can catch up to them," Cyborg suggested. Starfire nodded back but her spirits would not be lifted so easily. She already noticed that her flight powers were no longer working due to her concern for Robin. This concern did not let up the entire trip home. Even though her sister had hinted at why she took Robin she knew that her sister was twisted and there was the chance that she was lying just to get a rise out of her. Before she could ponder more on any and all possible reasons, they had arrived back at the headquarters. The alarm was going off which meant someone had broken in while they were out. Cyborg quickly punched in his code and the security system reset.

In the main room two familiar figures stood while a third sat on the couch looking over several items that had been laid out on the coffee table. Beast Boy was quick to morph into a tiger while Cyborg brought his cannon up. "Didn't get enough before?" The two Tamaranean guards turned towards them but didn't attack. Starfire stayed back which seemed odd considering how angry she had been earlier. The individual on the couch rose to his feet and turned to the Titans.

"There is no reason for violence. She knows why we're here." The rest of the team turned to Starfire and she took another step back. "Where is your mate?"

"Mate?!" The other three Titans said in unison. Starfire covered her face and let out a groan.

"Starfire, do you know who this guy is," Raven asked her.

"He's known as the Grand Physician. He's here because of me...and Robin."

"Okay, why," Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"The Princess has been sending signals for quite some time now. Have none of you noticed," the Grand Physician stated.

"Um, friends? May we speak in private?" The rest of the team agreed to Starfire's request and headed into a nearby hallway.

"So what is he talking about," Raven was the first to ask. Starfire brought her hands around her shoulders and stared at the floor.

"Whenever someone from Tamaran is not betrothed and finds the person they wish to be with, our bodies react kind of funny."

"Is this like that time you looked all weird and ran away," Beast Boy brought up. Starfire nodded back.

"This is not as bad as getting a horn or growing huge feet though. It's a smell and my skin changes color. Also I tend to become more emotional."

"Well that's just what we need, a more emotional Starfire," Raven commented. Cyborg chimed in:

"But why did he call Robin your 'Mate'? You went on one date, heck it wasn't even one date cause of all this." Starfire covered her face again and just as she had just explained-her skin turned a deeper orange.

"Because on Tamaran there is no the dating. Whoever you decide to be with is your mate. And now Robin is in danger because of me."

"So what about the special doctor guy? Why is he here," Beast Boy asked. "Cause he kind of creeps me out."

"It's because Robin is from earth and I am from Tamaran. If two different species decide to become 'mates' the Grand Physician is called in to make sure it is an acceptable match. I had heard about this happening in the past but didn't think it was still around. He could decide that Robin and I can not be together. He was there on Tamaran when you all visited. You just didn't meet him."

"And he approved that marriage? That doesn't make sense," Cyborg stated the obvious. Finally he put his hand on Star's shoulder. "We're going to get Robin back and then we can deal with this whole 'mate' thing, okay?" Starfire nodded quietly. Cyborg was glad she seemed more at ease now because he had no idea how to solve this problem. Now that they all had a better grip on what was going on, they returned to their uninvited guests. The Grand Physician was sitting on the couch again looking over his odd instruments as they entered the room.

"If you do not mind, I am very busy. My examinations should not take long if you can now tell me where the Princess' mate is." He didn't even bother looking up from what he was doing. Now that the team was able to get a better look at him, he clearly looked as though he didn't belong on Earth. His pale form was covered in a white cloak, his fingers were longer then normal and his eyes glowed a light blue. Whenever he looked in any of their specific directions it felt like he could see right through them.

"So here's the deal," Cyborg started, "her mate isn't here. We have to go get him so it would be best if you left and came back when he's here." Starfire held her breath, waiting to see how the Grand Physician would react. From what she knew he was not the type of person you spoke to as Cyborg had. The alien calming set the instrument he was holding down and rose to his feet. Slowly he floated over to the team, specifically Cyborg. He stared down at the current leader for an unnerving amount of time. Cyborg dropped his gaze but it felt as though he was being picked apart anyway.

"You are all very interesting, aren't you," His calming tone was chilling to say the least. "I haven't had the opportunity to examine any humans till now, I was looking forward to this trip. I am willing to wait for you to bring him back. I hope he is as interesting as the rest of you." With that he turned and floated back to his place on the couch, his long fingers going back to his equipment.

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"So he's not leaving?! Who does that," Beast Boy said exasperated as they headed to the T ship's bay.

"We can't exactly just leave them here alone, can we," Raven asked. Cyborg remained quiet until they reached the bay.

"More importantly, how do we expect to find Robin? We don't know where Blackfire took him and by now she has quite the head start."

"Tracking him shouldn't be a problem, I can find him," Raven explained.

"Alright, so you definitely need to come..." Cyborg announced and thinking through their plan. "We probably shouldn't take the T ship since we don't know if Robin will even been up to pilot and one of us needs to stay behind with the Grand Physician." He walked past their normal mode of transportation for deep space to a much smaller ship. "I haven't had a chance to name this one but I think for this mission it'll suit us just fine." The smaller ship was fairly simple in design-silver with hints of blue here and there just like it's creator. This ship only had one designated pilot unlike the T ship.

"So just the two of us then," Raven asked.

"Please allow me to accompany you to save Robin," Starfire requested.

"Well you are our best defense against your sister," Cyborg agreed.

"Wait, so you're leaving me here with that freak show," Beast Boy obviously didn't like this plan. "You heard that guy he wants to dissect all of us and I'm probably the most tempting."

"He's not here for you, I don't think you have anything to worry about," Cyborg told him. "Just keep him away from...everything. Okay?" Beast Boy grumbled to himself, sulking in the corner. They finished getting ready and before Starfire knew it, they were leaving Earth's atmosphere on their way to save Robin. She could only hope they made it to him in time.