A/N: Apparently this thing needs some context, so here it is. Ҫoradon's Universe was pretty much Star's first job. It was her training ground of sorts, and Ҫoradon (pronounced Sore-addon) was where she spent the majority of her time, and where this takes place. At this point in time it's futuristic with a touch of magic thrown in. They're pretty much the hub of the universe, where all the political leaders of the worlds meet and stuff (think like in Star Wars, um, third movie was it?). This is backing up from the end of the last chapter, back to the first event that changed the course of Star's life. Corintha was a prominent political worker that helped Star out a lot, and they turned into best friends. Liam's another good friend. And... I think that's what you need to know. Carry on!

It was Corintha who found Star the next day. She looked so fragile, curled up on the floor. The bright red burns that scaled her chest, neck, and face were terrifying, and still hot, as if her skin was still on fire. Corintha knew what had happened, and cursed the creature that had done it with the worst cursing she had ever given. Her anger was internal as well, though. She had seen this coming. If she had tried harder, could she have prevented it? She did not know.

But the damage was now done, and it was too late. Corintha could not undo this hurt. She could only care for her best friend and pray to her Creators that she could make it through.

Corintha took her and dressed her burns carefully, aware that her healing powers had no place with this injury, and that it would take a very long time before the pain would go away. She waited by the bedside, only leaving for short periods of time, and told no one what had happened. She knew Liam had guessed from his lack of curiosity towards the subject. He had seen the signs as well. The same question of 'what more could I have done?' was in his eyes, but there wasn't anything. They were mortals. She was not. They couldn't protect her from one of her own.

For many days she stayed still, never moving, hardly breathing, as Corintha cared for her. The burning stayed with her, just as hot as the moment the fire had touched her. It never went away.

The scariest moment for Corintha, though, was when he came back; the one who had burned her. He came at night, in darkness, just as Corintha was preparing to rest herself. She was angry. She yelled at him. She stood between him and the one he had scarred, and would not let him see her. There was nothing she could have done to protect herself, had he attacked, but she stood in the way nonetheless, and told him exactly what she thought of him.

She knew a time when he would have punished her for it. Maybe even killed her for it.

But this time was different. Miraculously, he left without ever raising his voice or a finger to harm. Corintha waited for him to come back, to be angry. She calmed her shaking and didn't rest that night, or the next day, or the next night, until exhaustion drove her to sleep. He never came back.

And still Corintha waited for Star to heal.

It was midmorning, after three weeks of waiting, when she woke for the first time. Corintha could see the confusion in her eyes. It only lasted a couple seconds before the pain and the loss took over. Corintha didn't say anything. There was nothing she could say. There was nothing she could do to comfort her as she broke down, shattering in front of Corintha's eyes, and silently cried. She cried for the next few hours until she fell asleep again, and she cried when she woke up the next day, and the next day, and the next. She didn't eat, she didn't speak, she didn't move. She only cried.

Corintha would remember forever how Star's tears would evaporate when they touched her burns. She never forgot how destroyed she was when she lost her first love. She never forgot how he had killed her inside. She never told anybody what had happened. She never forgave him. And she never stopped caring for her friend.

It was the same thing every day for months. Star would wake up and silently cry until she fell asleep again. Corintha would talk to her every once in a while, but she never answered. She was in a separate state of existence—here, but not really here. Stuck in her own world of pain. Corintha would dress her burns when she fell asleep again. She had to wait longer every day. But the fire never left. It never even cooled a single degree.

When she would stay awake all day, things changed a little bit. She still cried, she still burned, but she would get up and look out the windows instead of lying in bed. It wasn't much, but it was a start, and Corintha had some hope for her. She didn't talk or eat, and she wouldn't let Corintha redress her burns, but she got up.

Things slowly improved after that. Corintha would talk, and Star would listen. She would even answer yes or no questions, sometimes. She still spent the majority of her time at the windows, staring out, alone, crying, silently burning. She still didn't eat. She wouldn't let Corintha take care of her burns, instead choosing to leave them uncovered, but then she started trying to heal them herself. It was a good sign of recovery. Corintha thought maybe she was stabilizing. She was worried Star would have a relapse when it didn't work, but the immortal merely retired to her room and was up the next morning, at the windows again, as if nothing had happened.

Corintha could almost see what was going on inside Star as she recovered, and she was afraid of it. She was afraid of the ice she was using on the burn. She was afraid of the doors she was closing to hide from the pain. She worried that what would come out of the tragedy would be someone different from her best friend, someone she didn't know. Something that wasn't Star. But she could only wait and see.

Corintha woke up as she usual did that morning. She got up, dressed, and went to the kitchen to get breakfast. She glanced through the door to the wall of windows, where she could usually see Star at this time of morning. She wasn't there.

This felt wrong to Corintha, so she went to find her, and felt a moment of concern when she found Star still in bed. But something had changed. Something was different. She was awake…

But she wasn't crying.

Corintha approached the situation cautiously, sitting down beside the bed and waiting. Nothing happened for several seconds. Star remained staring at the roof with her hands behind her head, looking oddly relaxed and … untouchable. Like nothing could hurt her.

She blinked, took in a breath, and said the longest sentence she had uttered since the day before Corintha had found her on the floor.

"He never loved me, did he?" Corintha thought about her meeting with him and hesitantly voiced her interpretation of it.

"I think he did. I think the problem is that he doesn't love you enough."

Star turned to look at her, and her eyes were a steel grey, contrasting with the summer sky blue they had once been and the heavy, cloud grey they had been the last few months. Corintha almost held her breath waiting for her to say something.

"It doesn't matter any more. I don't love him."

"No." Corintha shook her head. After a moment of silence she reached out to touch Star's neck where the burn had been the hottest. "The heat has left your skin. That is good."

"I was tired of the pain, so I made it go away." Star explained, her expression never changing, her voice emotionless. "And I was tired of crying, so I stopped. I think I'm done now. For good."

Corintha stared at her best friend for several seconds. This was what she had been afraid of. Star had locked her heart away in a safe and turned her emotions to stone. She didn't feel anything any more.

Because if she never got attached to anything, if she never cared, she would never get hurt again. It was the logical thing to do. Corintha could see that very plainly, and it made her heart ache.

She abruptly burst into tears, losing the calm she had held on to for the last few months, and Star just stared at her, mildly surprised. It didn't hurt her any more, to see Corintha in pain, but she remembered when it had and it bothered her that she didn't feel anything at all. She reached out and took Corintha's hand.

"I am sorry." She said. But they both knew it was too late.

She couldn't turn back now.

A/N (yes another one) He Who Has Not Been Named will be named... eventually... and you'll even get some of his perspective... eventually. Promise!

Now, on to T'reth!