These Black Eyes

by P0ST

The ongoing adventures and experiences of the Teen Titans, as witnessed through the eyes of a silent newcomer.

119. If God Wanted Man to Fly

119. If God Wanted Man to Fly

He glided through the air like he had invisible wings. The red-stained sky bathed his caped silhouette, and for a second there it looked like he was back home.

By his grappling hook, Robin swung up and onto the rooftop of the southern buildings to the City Nuclear Power Plant. Twin massive exhaust stacks stretched upwards before him. And a huge, shadowed figure stood resolutely in the center of the facility's rooftop. With hulking fists, the stranger started pummeling down into the concrete structure.

The Boy Wonder's eyemask narrowed. Frowning, he stood up and extracted his staff. CLACK!!! He dragged it by his side and held his communicator up to his face in his other glove. The sunset glowed red against his figure as he signaled the other team members.

"Titans....I've found him....," he practically snarls. "Center of the Plant. The rooftop. He's trying to break his way in."

"We can't let him rupture the facility," Raven's voice said. "The repercussions would be beyond disastorous."

"Didn't need to tell me that," the leader muttered. "Just get here. And fast."

"We got you covered, Robin," Cyborg's voice said. Snkkkkt!!

Robin pocketed the communicator away. In a breath, he then pulled out a birdarang and tossed it at the figure with a shout. "Yaugh!!"

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH-CLANK!!!

"Rghh!" the figure deflected the puny projectile and glared Robin's way.

TH-THWOOSH!! Robin spun his staff at ready. "Alright, Atlas. We can either do this two ways. One...we take you to prison. Two...we rip you into pieces and take the pieces to prison."

"You talk big, human...," the robot stepped threateningly into the red light of the sunset. "You talk far too big for what you are..."

He (if you can call him a 'he') was a pure war machine. An android with more weapons on him than circuitry. He stood eleven feet tall with titanium muscles and a hard, rigid body shape. At a long distance, he looked like an oversized fire hydrant with the weapons cache of a Middle Eastern country. At close up, he didn't look like much of anything because a person wouldn't last long enough to look at him.

"How about I give you some stimulations of my own, meatbag...," Atlas attempted a 'grin' as he stomped forward and towered over Robin. "Either you let me have the pleasure of tearing you apart limb from raggedy limb....or I'll have to make it an instantaneous death. Just by coming here, you've already chosen one of those two options."

"What are you up to, Atlas??" Robin sneered. "I almost hoped that your power reserves would have died by now."

"A concern that we both share, mortal," Atlas gestured a metal hand towards the stacks of the Plant behind him. "There's enough plutonium in there to power me for thousands of your lifetimes. All that stands in my way are layers of fragile concrete and a handful of fuel rods. Then I shall be unstoppable..."

"You fool...," Robin held his staff out at the hulking villain. "You so much as mess with the reactor core and you could trigger a meltdown!! Thousands of people....no, MILLIONS could suffer from the effects."

"What a pity...," Atlas switched his right arm into a huge blaster and aimed it....glowing.

"Nngh!!" Robin leapt up high.

BLAM!!!!!

A fireball struck hard, carving a crater from the concrete rooftop below.

Robin flipped forward, spun in mid-air, and threw three explosive discs at once.

SW-SW-SWOOOSH!!! CLANK!!!

All three stuck to Atlas' titanium body and beeped.

He simply stood there, smiling.

BOOOOOM!!!!

Atlas' body was engulfed in flames and shrapnel.

"Mmmf!!" Robin landed hard in a squat from his leap. He knelt across the rooftop, panting, watching the plume of fire he had just made.

"............."

He swallowed. He stood up.

A beat.

"RRRRAAAAAUGH!!!" Atlas charged out of the flames, unharmed.

Robin grit his teeth and twirled his staff.

SWOOOOOSH!!!! Atlas' fist flew at the Boy Wonder.

"!!!!" Robin dove beneath the swing. He rolled on the ground.

"HAAA!!" Atlas stomped his foot down at the boy.

CRUSH!!!

Robin barely knelt and backflipped out of the foot's path of destruction. He fell back down, perched on top of Atlas' foot, and ran up his leg. He leapt into Atlas torso and swung the staff up high with a shout. "RAAUGH!!"

CLANG!!!

Atlas' metal face turned sharply to the side from the impact.

Robin flipped over and perched himself on the robot's massive shoulders. He shouted and swung down hard atop the titanium skull.

WHANG!!!

"RAAUGH!!"

CLANG!!!

"RGGGH!!"

SMACK!!

SWOOOSH-GRIP!! Atlas' left hand flew up and gripped Robin harshly by his torso.

The Boy Wonder gasped.

With a rusty creak, Atlas' head tilted straight up and peered at the hero upside down. He grinned—which to Robin looked like a frown.

"I hope you had your fun, human. For now it's my time to kill you."

SWOOOOOSH-SLAM!!!!

"AUGH!!!" Robin shouted as he was planted hard into the concrete rooftop chest-first. Atlas' applied pressure into his palm, slowly curving the Boy Wonder's spine more and more in a way that a spine shouldn't curve.

"Nnnnnnnnnnghh!!" Robin winced in pain, struggling to keep his breath and composure.

"You are a fool, young hero....," Atlas sneered. "Not just for trying to face me....but trying to face anything in this explosive World of yours. For you are only mortal. And that makes you a relic in an age of freaks and gods!! RAAA!!"

He fiercely hoisted Robin up by the cape and flung him hard across the buildingtop.

SWOOOOOOOSH!!!

Robin's ragdoll body sailed through the air.

SMACK!!!!

He crashed hard into the inner curve of the eastern exhaust stack. Wincing, he slid down and collapsed—wheezing—on the rooftop beneath it.

Atlas stomped towards him, titanium fists clenched. "What's the matter, boy? Too small to do any good? Because that's exactly the way I'm seeing it. Ah ha ha ha ha!!"

Robin hobbled up to his feet. He panted, bleeding on his right cheek and left shoulder. He reached a shaking hand into his utility belt and pulled out an EMP disc---

SWOOOSH-WHAM!!!!

Atlas' foot sailed into Robin's chest.

"!!!!" Robin tumbled back like a paperback caught in a hurricane. He collapsed, stretched out across the roof.

BLAM!!!

Another fireball flew his way.

".....," the Boy Wonder took a deep breath and vaulted himself into a somersault.

PHWOOOM!!!

The roof beneath and behind him exploded.

Robin tumbled to the side, the sides of his cape flaming. Burn marks on his skin. He awkwardly rolled three feet, put out the flames, and limped to his feet.

"Ha ha ha ha....your courage is laughable...," Atlas aimed his smoking blaster at the masked hero. "No matter how hard you fight...no matter how much you push yourself beyond your limits...you can't change the fact that you're weak. You're powerless. You're mortal..."

Robin forced his bruised self into a fighting stance. He held his staff out, panting. "Let me.....be the judge...of how mortal....I am....," he wheezed.

Atlas' electric eyes thinned. "So be it........."

The blaster glowed brightly....and....

BLAM!!!!

POW!! Robin shot a grappling hook at a stack high above and behind Atlas. He flew up on the cord, swung over the blast, and tossed his body with a spinning swing of the staff straight at Atlas' face. "RAAAAAUGH!!!"

SWOOOOSH!! In a split second, Atlas had his right forearm raised to block....grinning.

CRACK!!!!! Robin's staff shattered completely. The Boy Wonder gasped in midair as his ribcage was the next to cross the distance---WHAM!!!!

He flew flat against Atlas' limb. Before he could fall down--

"HAAAA!!!" Atlas gripped Robin and threw him like a human softball.

"OOF!!" Robin landed and tumbled six feet across the rooftop, rolling to an exhausted stop.

Atlas stomped over, cracking his titanium knuckles. "Thank you, human. Thank you for the sadistic pleasure of squashing your pointless existence..."

Robin had no strength left. He wheezed...helpless.

"RrrrrRRAUGH!!" Atlas' brought his fist down.

CLANK!!!!!

".............????" Atlas' robot eyes widened as he realized his fist was stopped halfway before it could squash the Boy Wonder. He saw a blue, Titanium arm blocking his punch. He looked up.

"Remember me, punk?" Cyborg frowned. WHAM!!!!!!!!!!!! His fist practically teleported in how fast it flew across Atlas' cheek.

The hulking robot flew back a few feet.

Cyborg swiftly switched his forearm into a sonic cannon—KLAK-KA-KLACKA—and took aim at the flailing figure. "AAAAAUGH!!" ZAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!!!!!!

"OOOF!!!" Atlas' winced as he was propelled forty extra feet across the plant's buildingtop. He grind to a sparking hault in between the stacks.

"Teen Titans!!" Cyborg shouted. "Go!!"

At that moment, Starfire, Raven, and a green pterodactyl swung down from the air and rushed into action.

Robin—wincing—hobbled to his knees. "Cyborg...wait till we're all together before we attack! I can provide cover---"

"Relax, Robin," Cyborg gestured at the Boy Wonder without looking. "We can handle him!!"

"But I'm the l—"

"It's too dangerous," Raven droned as she floated by and charged telekinetic energy. "Stay here before you're hurt anymore."

".............." Robin stood still as a statue. A half of his shattered staff hung in his limp grip.

In the meantime, the other Titans charged in.

Starfire was at the head of the charge. Her red hair flapped wildly behind her like a mane as she throttled through the air and unleashed a flurry of starbolts with a snarl. FLASH!!! FLASH!!! FLASH!!!

Atlas' got up on wobbly legs. The starbolts pelted him mercilessly. He stumbled backwards.

The green pterodactyl landed on the floor, turned into an elephant, and charged trumpeting into the teetering robot...emerald forehead first.

WHAM!!!!

"Augh!!!" Atlas stumbled back into one of the stacks, which caught his titanium weight. THWAP!!!

The robot 'groaned' and shook his head.

From above....

SCRAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAPE!!!!

"?????" Atlas peered straight up.

I came sliding down the inner curve of the exhaust stack on a curtain of murk. Smoke danced out from under my shades as I glided down and swung Myrkblade into his cranium.

SLASH!!!!!!

From the force of my power, cracks formed in his metal skin.

Wincing, Atlas stumbled outward.

"Azarath...Metrion...ZINTHOS!!!!" Raven enveloped his skull where I had cracked it and surged a huge sphere of explosive, black telekinesis.

CRACK!!!!!!!!

"AAAUGH!!!" Atlas trembled and shook as a huge chunk of titanium shattered from the robot's frame and littered the rooftop. The villain dizzily stood now with his inner circuitry exposed.

I spun from where I sat and gave Cyborg a grinning thumb's up.

"All yours now, dude...," Beast Boy said in elf form from the side.

Cyborg cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Android migraine coming up!!" He charged across the buildingtop. "RRRRGHH!!!" SWOOOOSH-WHAM!!!

His fist slammed into Atlas' skull.

"MMMF!!" Atlas' body contorted as his forehead sparked. His robot eyes flickered. He angrily charged the android Titan. "Play cheap with Atlas and you play DEAD!!!"

Cyborg readied himself for the charge. "Go ahead. Keep talking trash, ya huge garbage can!!!"

WHAM!!!!

The two met. Atlas charging. Cyborg blocking.

The metal combatants grinded across the rooftop, their titanium feet making ravines in the concrete and kicking up dust. Near the edge, the two shoved against each other and took part in a gargantuan fist-fight of metal against metal. WHAM!! CLANG!! SMACK!! SLAM!!!

Starbolt circled about, providing coverfire with a well-aimed starbolt that appropriately caught Atlas off guard when Cyborg needed it. Beast Boy turned into t-rex form, ready to charge in and assist in ripping the robot madman to shreds if need be. I clung hard to Myrkblade while Raven meditated for all of us.

From the sidelines, Robin watched the combat. He panted...still hurt from the bruises, wounds, and burn marks so quickly inflicted upon him. Regardless, he saw an opportunity. Or at least...he made an opportunity for himself. He produced a bolo and started tying explosive discs to each weighted end with wrapped-around tensile wire. He sweated during his task...momentarily flashing his gaze at the fight at hand.

Atlas was gradually starting to slow down. But the battle would be a harsh one. With everyone contributing his and her power. Except Robin....

Unless......

He took a deep breath as he finished his impromptu weapon. He looked up. Composed himself. And charged.

WHAM!! SMACK!!! "RAAAUGH!!" SLAM!!! Cyborg pummeled Atlas hard.

"Ughh...," the red robot stumbled backwards....right in Robin's way.

"Rgggghhhh," Robin spun the bolo above his spiked head.

SW-SW-SW-SW-SWISH!!!!

Atlas shook his head.....and turned the Boy Wonder's way.

I glanced over...my black eyes widening under my shades.

Flying overhead, Starfire gasped. "Robin!! No!! Stay back!!"

Atlas frowned and aimed a glowing blaster.

"I got him!!!" Robin shouted. He flung the bolo forward. "YAAUGH!!"

SWOOOOSH-THWAP!!! The bolo wrapped around the gun barrel of Atlas' weapon. The explosives on the weights banged against each other just as the blaster fired---

KABOOOOM!!!

Altas screamed as his body fell back into a plume of fire.

In the meantime, the greater half of the explosion surged outwards in a discharge of energy straight at Robin.

The Boy Wonder skidded uselessly to a stop, his eyemask wide as the bright fire illuminated his figure.

"Robin!!!" an elvin Beast Boy shouted.

PHWOOOOOM!!!!

The firewall exploded into the caped crusader.

"AAAUGH!!!" miraculously, he fell back from the blast and out of the path of burning. Regardless, the edges of his costume smoked.

He tried to sit up, wincing--

"RAAAAAUGH!!!" Atlas' burning body stormed out of the fire. His metal arm was completely shattered. His robot eyes glowed red. "If Atlas is to be defeated then you—mortal—are TO DIE!!!!!"

Robin tried to jump out of the way.

THWAP!!!!!

Atlas' foot caught the Boy Wonder hard in the side.

"UGH!!!" Robin tumbled across the buildingtop.....and flew over the edge.

"No!!" Starfire shrieked.

SWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!! Suddenly I was blurring over and sliding across the rooftop like a baseball runner in smoke form. I solidified at the edge and shot my metal arm out.

GRIP!!!!!!

I caught Robin by his cape.

CLANK!!!

I dug Myrkblade into the concrete, anchoring myself in place and holding Robin...barely...dangling.

"RAAAUGH!!" Cyborg charged Atlas from behind. WHAM!!!!

A heavy blow to the back of Atlas' exposed circuitry knocked him out for good. CLANK!!!! ZZZTTT!! Sparks flew from the robot's head. His eyes stopped glowing. His huge, hulking body teetered over...and fell towards Robin and I.

I gritted my teeth...watching the massive weight collapse on top of us.

FLASH!!!

Black telekinesis shielded the android before his shell could flatten us.

A green rhinoceros then stomped over and shoved the mass out of the way with a powerful horn...pushing the body well out of danger.

I let out a sigh of relief. I glanced down. I gasped again.

A tear had formed in Robin's costume...right were the cape attached to his jumpsuit.

I tried to warn him, but I had no hands free to hand-sign or impute a morse code.

"Is everyone okay?!?!" Cyborg spoke through the haunting silence.

Raven's eyes narrowed as she floated down to the ground. "Something's wrong...."

I resorted to letting out a shrill whistle.

The other Titans looked my way.

Robin glanced up too...and the weary noticed the latest predicament for the first time.

"N-Noir....??"

I panted.

He swallowed. "D-Don't let me fall? Please?" It was easily the most painful thing the Boy Wonder had ever said to me.

And because of that, I was numbed for those three or four precious seconds it took for his cape to finally tear loose.

RIIIIIIIP!!!

"Aaaaaaah!!" Robin shouted as he plummeted to the hard floor below.

"Crud!!!" Beast Boy shouted from the roof's edge.

SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!! A green streak soared down.

The rest of us watched.

"!!!!!!" Robin met the merciless earth head on.

GRIP!!!!

He panted...dangling.

Starfire held him by his leg at the last second. She let out a breath of relief and repositioned him right-side up before gently lowering the two of them to the ground.

"Thanks...Star......," Robin said, panting.

"What were you doing?!?!" Starfire suddenly and explosively demanded.

"..............," Robin stared blankly at her. He swallowed, caught his breath, and said: "I was...doing my job. I couldn't let you face Atlas alone. I had to intervene—"

"You had to intervene with nothing!!!" Starfire exclaimed. She gestured dramatically towards the boy's fresh wounds and bruises. "Look at you! Do you not see yourself?! You are damaged and undoubtedly weakened by what that brute has done to you!!"

"I'm a Titan, Star!!" Robin exclaimed. "I can't just....just....sit by while you all do the work!!"

"Our powers could have sufficiently stopped him!!" Starfire's face was firm...but not for long. Gradually it started to melt from the center outward as her lip quivered and she uttered with a stomping of her foot. "You need not put yourself needlessly into danger!!"

"...............," Robin stared off into space.

Starfire brought a hand up over her mouth. She shook once...twice...and closed her eyes tightly. "I....I am sorry, Robin. I.....I-It is only that I do not desire to lose you. You are so fragile and you could perish any second that you put yourself in harm's way. I would not desire th-that at all...."

"It's okay, Star....seriously...," he smiled weakly in an attempt to solace her. It only worked slightly. "I've been through worse scrapes....I promise."

She suddenly hugged him, but not in her trademark bone-crushing style. She was sobbing this time. Green, Tamaranian tears squeezed out from under her lids as she trembling held the Boy Wonder tight, her neck bent around to rest on his lower shoulders.

"P-Please...do not th-threaten yourself l-like that again!! I entreat y-you whole heartedly.....please, Robin..."

He stroked the small of her back and breathed. "It's okay, Star. Trust me. I can take care of myself. I won't get into that sort of situation again. I promise...." But as he said that, his smile faded and he looked blankly towards an air of nothingness behind her quivering shoulder. His face was somewhere between a frown and a wound.

At about this time, I had finally managed to climb up and sit myself on the edge of the rooftop. I sat, panting, holding Myrkblade in my grip.

"Man oh man...," Beast Boy scratched his head as he and the other Titans stared at the emotional couple down below. "Talk about close shaves...."

A beat.

Beast Boy winced. He looked down at me, simpering. "Uhm....You okay too, dude?"

"............." I looked up and glared back at him.

Beast Boy sweatdropped and waved his hands. "Okay man....it's cool. Everyone's...safe and stuff. Heheheh..." He rushed over to Atlas' body and prepared to move it off the building in dinosaur form.

I shook my head and sighed exhaustingly.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The next day at Titan's Tower....

PLOP!!!

A copy of the City Newspaper lands on a coffee table in the Main Room. The headlines read: 'TITANS ROCK ATLAS' WORLD'

Raven glanced over the pages of her book at it. She set her literature in her lap and looked up from the couch. "Feeling a certain sense of pride?"

"And how!!" Cyborg beamed. He practically jumped backwards and landed in the reading chair opposite of the sorceress. "Maaaan, I feel so damn good everytime that creep has his clocks cleaned!" he grinned wide, resting his arms behind his back.

"I suppose that enthusiasm should be shared by all of the Titans...," Raven droned and returned to her book. "After all, it was the whole of us that defeated him before he could reach the Nuclear Reactor."

"Good point," the Android Titan nodded. A beat. He glanced with a suspicious human eye at her. "Are you enthusiastic, Rae?"

"No."

"HA!! Knew it. More pride for me then," Cyborg chuckled. "And means a lot."

"Explain."

"Well...technically...I'd say it was only five of us that really whipped him."

Raven flipped a page. "Are you referring to Robin's clumsy explosion and near-death fall?"

"Don't get me wrong, that stuff really sucked for him and all of us," Cyborg gestured with a serious expression. "I'd hate to have anyone get hurt on my watch." He then smirked some. "But you have to admit. Last night wasn't exactly his best night."

"The same can go for today too, you do realize....," Raven droned.

"How so?" Cyborg leaned his head to the side curiously.

"Robin has barely showed his face around the Tower today," Raven said.

"Come to think of it...," Cyborg glanced around "I haven't seen the squirt." He shrugged. "You know where he's at?"

"Not exactly."

"Man.....I hope he isn't cooped up in his room or something...."

"Why not? It's fun being cooped up in a room."

Cyborg rolled his human eye. "Not everyone digs that like you do, Rae. Robin...he stands for something."

"Let me guess....leadership?"

"Esteem. Courage. Endurance. He seemed pretty down after Starfire's little outburst last night. I better go and check on him or something...," the android Titan stood up and prepared to walk off.

Without looking up from her pages, Raven spoke: "You won't find him in his room."

Cyborg stopped and glanced at her. "But I thought you said that you didn't know where he was??"

"And I don't. But I do know that you're right about one thing."

"That being...."

She finally glanced up. "Not everyone is like me. If something is bothering Robin, you have to know of one place where he'll be."

".............," Cyborg stared. He smiled. "Got it. Thanks, Rae."

"What? I'm just reading..."

Cyborg walked across the Main Room, entered the elevator, and pressed the button for the floor where the gym was.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

As Cyborg strolled down the dim hallway, he could already hear the tell-tale sounds of grunting, shoe-shifting, and punching bag impacts echoing down the corridor. Along with the sounds walked a dazed Beast Boy. The green elf was shaking his head as if recuperating from a day-long reprieve inside a ringing church bell.

"S'up, little man? What's Robin up to?"

"Heh....yeah....about that," Beast Boy simpered. He leaned towards Cyborg and whispered 'aside'. "Just...stay out of there, dude...."

"What's going on?"

"About ten gallons of sweat and Robin's blood pressure," Beast Boy gestured. "Just trust me. He's in one of his...ruffled feather moods."

"Pfft...nothing I can't handle."

"Take me seriously for once!" Beast Boy cutely pouted.

Cyborg winked. "I think I can handle him. We're his friends, remember? Besides...I'm a titanium heavy-weight. What's the worst Robin could do to me even if he was that angry?"

Beast Boy gulped. "Uhhh....I-I think that's sort of the point, Cy."

"Of what?"

"Everything."

"............"

"Your funeral....," Beast Boy shrugged and walked off. "Or better yet....Robin's. Heh."

Cyborg scratched the human side of his head. He shrugged....then walked on and entered the gym.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Rrrgh!!! Haaa!! Yaugh!!! Mmmf!!" Robin sweated and shouted with each punch, chop, kick, and elbow-plant into the punching bag. He was shirtless with the lower half of his outfit covering his legs, save for his boots, for he was barefoot. Perspiration streamed down his face and danced around his eyemask. He continued pounding, spinning, and acrobatically striking the padded cylinder before him.

Cyborg whistled innocently. He stood to the side, took a deep breath, and attempted pleasantly to interject: "So....you think that punching bag is gonna talk soon? Or do you need to keep pummeling him for information?"

Robin panted in between punches. "You don't know the half of it...." He resumed his punishment.

"????" Cyborg looked down at the ground. There were two other punching bags on the gym floor. Ripped open by fist marks and spilling their insides.

"..............whoah."

"What do you want and make it quick!" Robin grunted in the middle of a spinning kick.

"Ahem....," Cyborg cleared his throat. He subtly gave Robin an intellectual stare and said: "What..........are you doing?"

"I already gave Beast Boy the lecture," the Boy Wonder grumbled. "You can ask him."

"Yeah, but he sugar-coats stuff."

Robin paused momentarily to give Cyborg a death-glare, and then he continued his punishment on the punching bag. "You saw me last night, Cyborg."

"Yeah...what about it?"

"I couldn't so much as phase Atlas. No matter what I tried." He punched and swung his elbow.

"Funny. I could have sworn I saw you bust his gun arm apart."

"Heh...some good that did," Robin gritted his teeth and karate-kicked the punching bag hard. WHAP!! "Nearly blew myself up and the rest of you in the process."

"Oh, come on....man....you didn---"

"But that's not half as bad as I did beforehand...," Robin paused momentarily....panting. Sweat running down his bare torso and limbs. "He nearly pulverized me. Every attack I made fell short. I was nothing but mince meat....and I'm supposed to be the leader of the Titans in combat..."

"Robin...you're taking it too hard," Cyborg walked over and stood behind him, shrugging. "So Atlas gave you a few conks on the head. Big deal. You'll get over it. I got over it!" Cyborg smirked. "You remember how crazy I was the first time I went against that metalhead freak! He practically drove me insane. He made me doubt myself...and because of that, it took me a few times to wake up and realize that I could beat him. Atlas is the sort of creep who'll rile you up. And it looks like you fell for it just as I did. But just like history...I know you'll look back and realize that....last night was a victory! It was a victory, Robin. No matter how goofy."

Robin turned around slowly. He was fuming. "You forget one thing about history, Cyborg. The first time the Titans faced Atlas...it was you at the front of the pack." He turned around and faced the punching bag again. His fists clenched. "Last night it wasn't you....it was me. And I'm not built out of titanium. I'm not equipped with sonic cannons or rocket thrusters or laser-guided reflexes."

Cyborg leaned his head to the side, confused. "What're you getting at??"

"I'm weak, Cyborg!!" Robin plowed his fist into the punching bag. "RAAUGH!!" WHAP!!! The bag swung off and teetered back into him. He gripped it and leaned forward, panting. He swallowed and managed in a bitter tone: "Atlas was right....the rest of you guys were right...I'm weak and powerless...."

"Say what?!?!" Cyborg frowned. "Look, man...I dunno what the hell Atlas was yappin' off about to you when we weren't there, but us Titans sure as heck weren't telling you these things! Where do you get that idea??"

"I don't expect you to understand....it's allright...," Robin sighed.

"No, dawg...it's not allright!! I don't understand because you don't TELL me!! Now you can punch crap in this gym all day until your damn knuckles bleed, but I promise you it ain't gonna do any difference! I know! I've been there before!"

Robin glared at him. "As opposed to where you are now? Cyborg...that's some place I will never be...."

Cyborg gave Robin a suspicious stare. He blinked his human eye once. "Robin...does this have anything to do with Starfire last night?"

"........," Robin started punching the bag again.

"Robin???"

"Have a nice day, Cyborg...." And that was that.

The android Titan sighed, shook his head, and walked away under a cloud.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Pfft!! Typical Robin stuff. That's all it is! Every once and a while, he runs into some bad guy or some creep who actually clips HIM in the jaw for once and the Boy Wonder completely loses it!! Thinks his career is coming to an end. Blah blah blah. Ugh...I went and talked with him earlier to try and cheer him up and I might go and do it again—as suicidal as it is. But I don't see how I can do any good! I mean...he's Robin, for crying out loud!" Beast Boy sighed in exasperation and rested his chin in his palm as he squatted atop the couch in the Main Room. "You'd think he'd wake up and realize just how...godly he is. How much he kicks butt. How much he makes me look like a lameass from time to time. I wonder if THEN he'd be so quick to whine and complain the soonest something awkwardly goes wrong for him???"

".........," Raven turned a page. "You know....you two are like one huge revolving door."

"Who? Me and Robin??"

"No, you and Cyborg."

"Oh.....um.......huh?"

The elevator doors opened and Cyborg limped out.

"And now you're leaving...," Raven droned.

"Actually, I was thinking of staying."

"Well.....fancy that."

"Hrmph!!"

Cyborg walked up and sighed. "Hey guys..."

"Dude...I so warned you," Beast Boy chuckled.

"What's with him??" Cyborg rubbed the human side of his head. "I swear...he's like a brat sometimes!!"

"Tell me about it!"

"Not bratty...," Raven corrected without looking. "....emotional."

"Huh??"

Raven sighed, put the book down in her lap, and glanced at the two male Titans. "Robin isn't quite the mystery that you and the other Titans keep falling for. He's just as see-through as anyone else...no offense."

"None taken," Beast Boy smiled. He craned a pointy ear. "Actually, I'm intrigued. Go on and explain..."

"Robin hides who he is behind a secret identity. He wears a utility belt fitted with gadgets made to give a person abilities that just are.....not tailor-made for humans to do. And on top of that, Robin pits himself up against creatures and villains far more powerful than he could possibly handle."

"Yeah...we all know that........I think...."

"Anyways...don't you see?" Raven spoke. "Robin denies himself who he really is. Everytime he's with us, he's this vigilante, former-sidekick, legend of Gotham City manifested in our Town. He has a bar of exceptional achievement to live up to. Something above that of average human capacity. When he puts on that mask and cape, he believes he's more than something he really is. He becomes the 'Boy Wonder'. The free-flying, butt-kicking acrobat worshipped by the masses."

"Okay..."

"Go on..."

Raven took a breath and continued: "But all of that still does not change who Robin truly is on the inside. The Robin that neither of us truly know. And when reality seeps in on the Boy Wonder in the form of Atlas—or any other crook that gets really close to beating him—that's when we see the true identity of the caped crusader rise to the surface. And it is not a pleasant or easy thing to see. The fact that Robin has propelled himself to somehow eliminate countless, inhuman foes is a very dear quality to him. When he sees that threatened, he starts to crumble away. He starts to lose it. His ego and his psyche are that fragile. The instant I joined with him to create the Titans....and after having heard of his background with Batman in Gotham City...I knew I could only expect an eventual breakdown."

"You mean....Robin's gonna go nuts on us???" Beast Boy gulped.

Raven shook her head. "Robin may be superficial, but he's far too strong to let himself become that weak..."

"...so instead...," Cyborg thought aloud, "...he tries to make himself become stronger."

"But how can he 'become stronger'???" Beast Boy exclaimed. "He's Robin!! He's only a normal human being!"

Silence.

Raven stared at the boys.

Suddenly, they winced.

"Ohhhhhh....."

"Yikes...."

"What is it that we told Robin last night?" Raven asked.

"Something to the extent of 'stand back, we'll take care of this'," Cyborg agonizingly admitted.

"Even I told him it was 'too dangerous'," Raven nodded. "In the heat of the moment, I was more concerned with taking down Atlas."

"We were all concerned with taking down Atlas!!" Beast Boy cackled. "I mean...you saw how bad he whipped Robin as soon as we got there!! Had we been any later, how could Robin have survived?!"

"Nah, man...," Cyborg shook his head. "He would have taken care of himself!"

Beast Boy gulped. "Would he?"

Silence.

No Titan had a comment on that at first.

"Come on, guys....," Beast Boy simpered. "I just mean that....I mean...he was really beat....and......uhm...." A pause. "It's not like we can't trust Robin to take care of himself.............right?"

"He has considerable disadvantages in battle," Raven says.

"But he's always had some!" Cyborg said. "Only now........" His voice lingered.

"Nah....d-don't think of it that way," Beast Boy shook his hands and emphasized, "...we're letting Robin's sour mood get to us. Just because he's losing faith in himself doesn't mean we should lose faith in him."

Raven nodded. "Beast Boy's right."

The changeling did a double-take at her. "I-I am??"

"What Robin needs right now are his friends," Raven said...unemotional as always. But still.... "At the same time, he does need his distance. Versatile as you 'men' are...you do take an awful long time to get over rough scrapes."

Cyborg simpered. He scratched his neck. "Yeah....well....I-I suppose I didn't help things much."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Why not?"

"Guy thing."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Dudes.....," Beast Boy raised a finger. "If all of us aren't getting to Robin...then there's one person who can."

Cyborg smiled slightly. "Starfire..."

"She's the last resort when it comes to grabbing Robin's attention!" Beast Boy said. "If anyone can drag him out of his funk, she can!"

"We can't just force her to talk to Robin," Raven said. "She's been.....preoccupied lately too."

"Preoccupied??" Cyborg asked. "How so?"

"As in....'in her room' all day."

Beast Boy made a face. "Starfire? In her room? Instead of flying all around outside and chasing puppies and kittens and 747s??"

"I don't think it's as bad as it sounds," Raven said. "If she was in distress or in a sullen mood, I would sense it."

"Woo hoo!! Empathic Ice Queen to the rescue..."

Raven looked Cyborg's way.

He waved his hands. "Wasn't me!"

"Yeah...right...."

Cyborg chuckled.

"Well...how about I go talk to her?" Beast Boy hopped up, smiling, rearin' to go. "I don't know about Robin...but Starfire can't resist 'the face'!"

Raven blinked. "No."

Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at her strangely. "No?"

"I'll go."

They blinked.

Raven stood up, shutting her book closed.

FLAP!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Down in my room, I was busying myself with two things.

Firstly:

Organizing Diana's letters of correspondence in a little filing container of mine...and I attempted to do so chronologically.

Secondly:

Focusing my attention on my laptop...where an IM conversation was taking place.

A window had been popped up for the previous forty minutes or so.

InzeUltima: you sure you can multitask?

I typed back.

SpSquirrel: Positive.

I momentarily went back to filing, meanwhile eyeing the screen of the laptop through my shades.

"......"

The window....

InzeUltima: gr8t! :D this is a whole lot cooler than my just blathering in on the phone and you being forced to listen without responding! ;)

SpSquirrel: Ah...the multi-faceted dimensions of a long distance relationship.

InzeUltima: is that really how youd talk in person? :O its cute! :D

SpSquirrel: You use a hell of a lot of emoticons, Kara.

InzeUltima: hey i just got this thing so im still new to a lot of it

SpSquirrel: Not many internet hovels in Kansas?

InzeUltima: there werent any on Argos either

SpSquirrel: Oh....good point.

I shuffled a few more letters, organizing them. I whistled to myself as the conversation went on and I divided my focus back and forth.

InzeUltima: so I hear that you had a visitor to the tower recently :/

SpSquirrel: Besides the occasional evil sister or possessed puppet?

InzeUltimate: try a higher bra size :P

SpSquirrel: Hmmmmm....Orson Welles?

InzeUltimate: huh???

SpSquirrel: If you're referring to a certain Amazonian, yes. She was here. And she was a.....wondrous woman.

InzeUltima: lol youre silly when youre lame

SpSquirrel: I'll take that as a compliment.

InzeUltima: whatd she do while she was there?

SpSquirrel: Besides not advance on me?

InzeUltima: :P thats not why I asked and you know it.

SpSquirrel: Not much. She ruffled Robin's feathers a bit. But he's okay now. Mostly.

InzeUltima: mostly??? Oo

I took a deep breath. I shuffled through the papers a bit. Hesitated. Sighed. And typed....

SpSquirrel: I don't know what to say. It's probably not a big deal.

InzeUltima: what??

SpSquirrel: Ya know what? Answer me this...

InzeUltima: Shoot.

SpSquirrel: First off, how long have you been a superheroine?

InzeUltima: About two and a half years now.

SpSquirrel: Allright....now....have you ever once doubted yourself during that time? You know....had second thoughts?

InzeUltima: Over being Supergirl?

SpSquirrel: :nod:

InzeUltima: well....yes, to be honest. who doesnt have doubts now and then?

SpSquirrel: Good point.....

InzeUltima: you think your leader is going through an identity crisis? hmmm?

SpSquirrel: That's the funny part. He's got more than one identity.

InzeUltima: lol

I leaned forward and stared past the laptop.

Thinking....

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Raven's hand gently knocked on Starfire's door.

A pleasant voice from inside sing-songed. "Please announce yourself!"

Raven bit her lip, deigned to sigh, and uttered: "Starfire....it's me....."

Whatever shuffling sounds there may have been inside, they completely and utterly stopped. A beat later...the door flung open and a wide-eyed Tamaranian girl blinked out into the hallway.

".......hi," Raven gluttered.

"Raven.....," Starfire leaned her head cutely to the side. "Is it you??"

Raven glared. "What does it look like??"

Starfire simpered nervously and giggled. "Hehehehe!! I must apologize. I was not expecting any visitors to my interior abode."

"Funny....," Raven droned. "Everyone else in the Tower has been expecting you throughout the rest of the Tower."

Starfire pointed. "And yourself?"

Raven ignored that. "What are you doing in here, anyways?" she tried craning over the alien girl's shoulder. She was unsuccessful.

"Oh.....," Starfire shrugged. "A Tamaranian hobby. Would you kindly like to step in?"

"Sure...why not...."

Raven shuffled forward and Starfire closed the door behind her. The blue sorceress stood and blinked at what looked like....an octopus of red silk sheets stretched all across the room. Needles and pins were stuck in various spots. A chaos of craftwork.

A drop of sweat ran down Raven's temple. "This is almost frightening...."

"Oh??" Starfire asked. She cupped her hands together and smiled bashfully. "I suppose it should. It is the Tamaranian method of....of.....oh, how is it called on earth? Suing??"

"Sewing?!?!" Raven almost cackled. "Starfire...unless you plan on fitting a sock for Cinderblock's corpse or something.....this is rather too big for you. It's more like a blanket."

"Did I not say that it was the Tamaranian method?" Starfire smiled. She walked over and continued placing pens strategically throughout the stretch of fabric. "It only works with forgawool....a textile available in the Vegan system and indigenous of Tamaran. When in a raw form, the application of heat makes the material compact itself with a glorious discharge of energy."

"Really....," Raven boringly hummed. "Imagine that..."

"I am nearly complete with my latest handiwork. Observe!" She finished putting the pins in. She pushed herself and Raven back. A beat. Starfire charged up a low-level starbolt. With her eyes a bright green, she took a deep breath and tossed the energy pulse.

FLASH!!!

The orb flew into the center of the fabric, between the pins. The segment of cloth glowed for in an unearthly manner for a few seconds before constricting with a huge YANK! into the middle. The lines of cloth segmented from the pins ripped cleanly and melted for just the instant required to form adjoining pieces of cloth. In general, the entire process was both too complicated and too instantaneous. Regardless, when Starfire then floated over into the center of the room, she proudly held up what seemed to be a brand new sweater.

"Ta to the daaaa!" Starfire beamed. "Is it not most resembling a turtle of the neck??" She giggled. A beat. Her face fell and she gasped, holding the article to her muffled mouth. "Eeep!!"

"........," Raven's eyes glared into space. Pin shrapnel and sewing material scattered from the starbolt blast had lodged into her cloak and hair....barely missing her face. "Wise idea, Star. Keep your hobbies to your room." She plucked the offensive objects out of her person and dropped them to the floor. "Anyways...I came here to check on you."

"Check on me??" Starfire leaned her head to the side curiously. She gasped. "Oh, what horrible forgetfulness I must have!! Do we have a training session today that I have let slip my mind?!?!"

"No....no, Starfire," Raven waved her hand. "I just wanted to see if....ya know....."

"Hmmmm?"

Raven griped. "If you were all right..." She looked away.

Starfire blinked. "Raven? You for me?"

"Now don't go jumping to conclusions---"

"Oh glorious!! You admitted your feelings!!!" Starfire pounced her with a sweatered hug.

"YIPE!!" Raven grit her teeth and struggled in the Tamaranian's embrace. "Let me go!! I am merely....wanting to see....if you were.....stuck in your room....with worry!!"

A little perplexed, Starfire loosened her hug and looked Raven in the face. "Worry? But what would I be worried about?"

Raven pried herself from the alien's grasp, straightened her hair, and managed: "Last night, Starfire. You remember last night, don't you?"

"Oh....that is affirmative...," Starfire hung her head. She clutched the new sweater in her grasp...rubbing her thumbs across it. She paced across the room, paused, and looked back up at Raven. She was smiling. "It is only natural of Tamaranians to show their feelings so openly. However, I know that on this planet there are many perceivably ambiguous restrictions against doing so. If I offended you or any of my other friends, then I apologi—"

"No, Star. No. That's not what I'm getting at," Raven spoke. She sighed and rubbed her temples before giving in finally and saying: "Robin's been in a bad mood all day. And before you say anything—this isn't because of something you've done. The rest of us really think that Robin's taking his beating last night really seriously. He's been spending the last five hours practicing endlessly in the gym. Every time Beast Boy or Cyborg has stopped by to try and talk him out of his funk, Robin has given them the usual cold shoulder. Now, I know that—in the past—when Robin has been like this, we just let him be and things pass. But today he seems really, really beat, Star. And as much as I understand—and have already explained to Cyborg and Beast Boy—what Robin is going through....I wouldn't be any luckier than the boys if I were to try and reach out to him. However....." Her voice lingered. She glanced Star's way. Silently.

The Tamaranian girl nodded her head. "Yes.....I was.....fearful that this would happen. Robin takes to heart his vigilante occupation to levels that Terrans and extraterrestrials alike would call extreme...."

Raven—in all of her repressed nature—almost smiled at that.

"I suppose I have been cowardly," Starfire mumbled.

"How so?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"I know how Robin has a penchant for being angry. And....after I stepped out of line and let loose my emotions last night...I am afraid that he will be quite mad..."

"At you?"

"Indeed."

"But that's just it, Star..."

Starfire looked Raven's way.

Raven droned: "Robin is never mad at you."

A beat.

Starfire giggled softly. "Hehehe....I-I suppose he isn't."

"I for one hope you don't hate yourself for what you said last night," Raven said. "With Robin—all of us Titans are still trying to come to terms regarding his safety. True, he's proven multiple times again and again that he is just as competent as the rest of us—if not more so—without possessing superpowers. But sometimes, Robin DOES push the envelope too far. It threatens his own life...and arrogantly toys with our concern for a teammate. You were right in being angry at him, Starfire."

The Tamaranian blinked at Raven. "I was.....'right'?? Are you so certain that you approve of my....emotional outburst, Raven?"

"...................," Raven looked like a deer caught in headlights. The funny thing was, she was driving. "I.....uhm.....er....." A beat. She shook her head and regained focus. "I'm giving advice for you, Starfire. Not for myself. Emotions are dangerous for me...but for you, they are quite the opposite. And just because I repress emotions, doesn't mean that I can't understand them. Robin does a lot for you as he does for the rest of us. He's supportive. He's protective. And he's informative. But just like everyone, he has faults. He can overlook his own words and actions when he means the best. And sometimes too much ignorance simply cannot be excused. For his best friend—you manage nicely on occasion to deal with Robin's tactlessness. From the way I see it, last night was a release for you. Incurred by an intense concern for his sudden well being."

Starfire smiled. She said: "Thank you for your words of wisdom, Raven. But please do not take offense if I tell you that I have thought every single asset of them in my head already while working alone this morning. In much of the same way, I have done what Robin has done. I have avoided the direct issue at hand. I get the sense that both he and I are afraid of each other...."

Raven nodded. "The only way you can deal with a fear is to confront it directly."

"I know....," Starfire sighed and hugged the sweater to her chest. "Do you wish to know what the greatest concern I have is in talking to Robin about it?"

The sorceress listened.

Starfire looked his way. "If he were to seek solace concerning his fragile safety in battle.....at th-this point....I could only make him feel worse."

"What makes you say that?"

Starfire closed her eyes. "Because I am so...so afraid for him."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"RAUGH!!! HIYAAAA!!! WA-TAAA!!!" Robin shouted.

SWOOOSH-THWAP!!! WHAM!!! CRACK!!!!

There wasn't much of a punching bag left.

The Boy Wonder fisted, kicked, and rammed the training device until its leathery hide was beginning to split....and...

"RAAAAAAAAHH!!" Robin spun and flung his foot hard into the bag's side.

WHAP—CRAAACK!!!

The support structure for the bag shattered.

Robin gasped and fell down, ducking a flying piece of broken metal and chain.

CLANG!!!!

Rattle-Rattle!!

A rise and fall of dust.....

".........," Robin winced after having fallen hard on his rear. He sat up, panting. Fuming. His knuckles sore. His legs numb...then on fire...then numb again.

"Rrrghh...," he pounded his fist into the ground....then wish he hadn't. "Ow!!!" he rubbed his knuckles. Panting still.

His half of the gym looked like a warzone in Kosovo.

"It's not enough....," he wheezed. "I can't test myself.....until a crime or something......" A beat. His eyemask thinned and he rubbed the sweat off his brow while thinking aloud. "Unlesss....."

Robin glanced over at a communicator on a bench. He hobbled over and picked it up.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

SpSquirrel: Can I ask you something stupid, Kara?

InzeUltima: you can try!

SpSquirrel: You do know that I'm human......right?

InzeUltima: er. human or humanoid?

SpSquirrel: Homo sapiens. No mutant gene. No cybernetic enhancements prior to my arm. No telekinesis. No shape-shifting abilities. Just....blood and DNA and my head.

InzeUltima: are you trying to ask me if youre 'normal'?

SpSquirrel: ......

InzeUltima: lol now who has the identiy crisis? ;)

SpSquirrel: Robin has gotten me thinking.

InzeUltima: and??

SpSquirrel: I've always considered myself a lot like him. I mean, we both rely on acrobatics and martial arts to take out our enemies. Only, he has a handful of gadgets and I have my sword.

InzeUltima: but Jordan, Robin doesnt have any superpowers.

I sighed.

I nodded and typed back.

SpSquirrel: Yeah. He doesn't.

InzeUltima: Im sorry, did I ruin some sort of silly idol worship or something?

SpSquirrel: No. I guess I've always taken them for granted.

InzeUltima: whats 'them'?

SpSquirrel: My superpowers.

InzeUltima: I see. We are in the same boat, my friend. ;)

SpSquirrel: Are we really?

InzeUlitma: I wont hesitate to admit that during my first days on earth I started to get fearless and stuff. I knew that I had so many cool powers and because of that I became daring and headstrong. at first I always thought Clark was only babbling when he said I was brash and impatient or whatever. the truth is, Clark was trying to tell me something. my powers are a responsibility and not some godlike gift. im still trying to get used to that today.

SpSquirrel: Sounds like that must be hard to deal with.

InzeUltima: lol listen to yourself, Jordan! are you that bashful or are you just playing with me?

SpSquirrel: Huh???

InzeUltima: you got superpowers too, remember? you just said so!

SpSquirrel: Oh.......right.

InzeUltima: hehehehe :) i think youre the opposite from me. its not that you take your powers for granted....they just arent the most important things in your life.

SpSquirrel: I wish I could tell myself what are the most important things.

InzeUltima: You mean you don't know??

SpSquirrel: Er.....

InzeUltima: Duh! your friends of course!! :P

I smiled at that.

Suddenly, my communicator chimed.

I jumped in bed.

Fumbling, I reached for it and flipped it on with a Star Trek sound.

"Noir. What are you up to right now??" Robin's voice asked.

"........," I glanced at the laptop. At the monitor. The text message.

A beat.

I replied with a clicking of morse code: 'Nothing.'

"Can I spare you for some training?"

I took a deep breath.

'Sure thing Robin'

"Good. Meet me outside the Tower. Between the beach and the bluffs. The training course."

I nodded and clicked an affirmative back at him. I flipped the communicator closed and leaned forward to the computer with a sigh.

SpSquirrel: I g2g. Practice Spar with Robin outside the Tower.

InzeUltima: awwww :(

SpSquirrel: Thanks for listening to me.

InzeUltima: lololololol

SpSquirrel; ?????

InzeUltima: nothing...that just 'sounded' funny, is all.

SpSquirrel: Oh....heheh.

InzeUltima: i really enjoyed this, Jordan. when can we chat like we have again, do you think?

I scratched my head.

I typed....

SpSquirrel: Barring Darkseid or a hurricane...I'd say tomorrow would be find.

InzeUltima: hehehe. k. cya then. :

SpSquirrel: Say, what's that last emoticon mean? I forget?

InzeUltima: you do? oh.....well, maybe I should come visit and remind you sometime.

"......................"

I logged off.

I closed the laptop and stared across the darklit expanse of my room.

As the blush set in, I jumped across the room and slipped into my combat fatigues.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"You made it...," Robin said, just slipping on his utility belt and completing his fighting costume. "Good."

I walked across the windblown sawgrass and into the clearing of sand between the rock bluffs. I smiled and waved.

Robin didn't so much as smirk back at me.

I bit my lip.

The afternoon had drawn late. A yellow sky stretched over us. The sand looked like gold.

"I hope I didn't interrupt you in anything....," said the Boy Wonder blankly.

I shrugged.

He walked over into the center of the clearing and gestured for me to join him. "Well then...I hope you're up to some fast action. I don't know about you, but after last night I could sure use the warm-up."

I nodded. I reached back and started to slide Myrkblade's sheathe off my back---

"Don't...," Robin held out a gloved hand.

".......," I looked at him in mid-stretch.

"No holding back," he said simply. "Use it."

".......," I blinked under my shades. I shifted the sheathed back in place.

SWOOSH-RKK!! Robin flung his staff out into its full extension. He spun it out into a pose and motioned for me. "I don't want you holding back, Noir. I want you to give me all you've got for this one."

"........."

"All that you've got...," he emphasized, his eyemask narrowing.

I took a deep breath.

CHHIIIIING!!!

I pulled Myrkblade, twirled it, and held it at ready.

Robin and I stared at each other across the sand. The wind blew at his spikes and my long black locks. The sawgrass danced around me.

But this was not meditation......

The Boy Wonder inhaled. "Okay....Noir....best out of nine...."

I went bug-eyed.

Nine?!?!

SWOOOOOSH!!!

He came at me.

Whoah!!!

"RAAAUGH!!!" SWOOOSH!!! His rod flung at my ribcage.

I gritted my teeth and nervously blocked with a vertical blade.

CLANG!!!

Sparks flew

I literally grinded back in the sand from the impact.

"HAAAA-TAA!!" Robin spun and kicked at my head.

I ducked.

He charged at me like a minotaur.

"!!!!"

WHUMP!!!

I tumbled backwards on the ground.

SWOOOOSH-PLOP!!!

An explosive disc landed in the sand besides me. It blinked a few times and flashed.

I gasped.

BLAM!!!!

Sand flew into the air. And so did my body. I tumbled like a wet sack twelve feet away. I groaned and sat up, rubbing my head.

"Dammit, Noir!!" Robin cackled. He leapt over and helped me up—more like 'forced' me up—to my feet. "When I tell you to give me all that you got, I mean it!! Don't be afraid! We're both experts! We won't hurt each other!!"

I panted. I gulped.

He stepped back, twirled his staff at ready, and took a deep breath.

"Okay. Score. Me, one. You, zero. Round two of nine."

I gripped tightly to Myrkblade.

I think I get it now......

I thinned my eyes. I concentrated.

Smoke twirled down my limbs and into my blade. Soon my whole weapon was a flickering mass as smoke danced out from under my shades.

Robin took a firm breath. "That's it..." SWOOOSH!! He charged at me with his staff.

I snarled and slashed upwards with my superpowers.

SLASH!!!!

A stream of murk sailed at the Boy Wonder.

He vaulted over them and came down at me with his staff swinging down.

In a blur, I raised my metal hand and blocked.

CLANK!!!!

I blurred my wrist around, grabbed Robin by the neck of his shirt, and tossed him over me.

He twirled in the air, planted his boots against a rock bluff, and leapt off straight for me. He pulled out a flung a bolo at me in midair.

TH-TH-THWOOSH!!!

The weighted cords struck and wrapped around me a few times. My arms were pinned to my chest and Myrkblade forced downward. I struggled as if in a straitjacket.

Robin landed from his dive, rolled, and charged up at me with an upswing of his staff. "Rrrrrgh!!"

I gritted my teeth.

If I'm not holding anything back......then neither is he!!

SWOOOOSH!!-His staff throttled murderously towards my forehead.

I swiftly teleported into smoke form.

Robin's staff went 'through' me and secondly came his body. "Augh!!!" he trudged through the murk and smoke and emerged, entangled in the bolo that had once encased my solid body.

I materialized, spun around, and jabbed at his sprawling figure from behind.

Myrkblade slid between his skin and his costume.

I hoisted him up like a lever.

Robin was flung over me. He twirled in the air and managed to land in a crouch. Upon impacting the sand, he reached a hand into his belt and flung two birdarangs at once. "Nnngh!!"

SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOSH!!!

I held Myrkblade up.

CRACK!! I shattered one.

Smoke trailing, I spun Myrkblade into position to block the second.

CRAA-AACK!

Robin sprang forward and charged me with his staff again. It was only a short distance to cross, and it only took him three seconds to cross it.

And in those three seconds—while holding Myrkblade—I saw the perfect opportunity to bring Myrkblade down and cleave his head in two. But I didn't.

I did nothing....

SWOOOSH-THWUMP!!!!

My breath left me as he elbowed me hard in the stomach.

SWIISH-SLAP!!!

And struck his staff hard against my side.

I tumbled with a splash of white into the sand. Down....

Robin stood over me, panting and wiping his brow. on!!! You're still holding back!!"

I winced. I was hoping he'd overlook that. I exasperatingly got up and tried to compose myself.

"You should use every power available to you!! Do your teleportation!! Streak around super-quick!! Do everything that Noir does!! I'm doing everything that Robin does, after all!!" he pulled out a fan of birdarangs and held his staff out at ready. "Now come on!! Are we sparring or not??"

I failed to see how this was 'training'. And for once it bothered me that Robin could be that superficial. But then again—judging from last night—he hadn't been in the best of moods.

Yes...I would play along. But I couldn't go all the way. I knew that. And so did he, I think.

Regardless, nothing stopped him from exhaling: "Round three!" and charging at me with weapons flinging. "YAAUGH!!" SWISSSH!!! TH-TH-THWISH!!!

I couldn't hurt him. So all I did was....defend.

CL-CL-CLANK!!

CLANG!!!

Across the massacred sand....

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Robin has always been so kind to me. So gentle. Understanding. Tolerant....," Starfire said, sitting on the edge of her bed and hugging her glork plushie. She looked off with forlorn green eyes as she spoke to a patient Raven sitting across the way in a funky, alien chair. "He showed me personally that there are souls kind enough on this planet to accept me no matter how awkward and strange I may be outside of my own element. And I suppose that....over time...I have grown to see him as more than a friendly benefactor. I truly...truly admire him. I find him precious for so many reasons that....well...sometimes it seems silly."

A beat.

Starfire glanced up. "Raven.....do you think that I may be....infatuated?"

The dark girl blinked. Suddenly and without warning, her blue hair twirled and a whole row of cabinets in the walk-in bathroom behind the two Titans opened simultaneously with a burst of telekinesis.

FLASH!!!

"Eeek!!" Starfire jumped in her seat and hugged her plushie tightly. "Raven!! Wh-What was th-that??"

"Ahem....sorry....," Raven rubbed her temples as her magical hair settled down. "Usually when my emotions urge me to laugh out loud, I'm able to control it. But right then and there....."

"Hmmm???"

Raven cleared her throat. "Starfire...everybody knows."

"E-E-Everybody knows what??" the girl murmured innocently.

"Everybody knows that you.....that you 'like' Robin," Raven said.

"........," Starfire stared.

Raven blinked. "Do Tamaranians have a verbal equivalent for the word 'smitten'??"

"Ohhhhh.....yeep!" Starfire blushed. "Is it that obvious??"

"I wouldn't be so worried if it was...," Raven smiled ever so slightly. "Again, when I say that 'everybody knows'....I mean to hint that we've had a long time to know about it."

"How so?"

"As much as I can remember, Star, you and Robin have been close. Robin can be pretty dense sometimes. But you....you let your feelings show all the time. It's part of who and what you are. And reading of f of you...it's extremely evident how much you admire Robin. The way you got mad the first time Killer Moth's daughter forced the Boy Wonder into a romantic excursion. How you violently thrashed Slade's robots ambushing us in the diamond mine when Robin was nearly shot by laserfire. How strongly you urged that we give a second look to Robin's forced role as the First Apprentice of Slade. They all point out to the truth at hand. But at the same time, Starfire....they are.........'noble' characteristics of your appreciation for Robin. And nothing to be ashamed of."

Starfire took a trembling breath and smiled gently. "I....I suppose then...I am not thought of in low regard for such an infatuation?"

"Why should you be? It is your life. It is your feeling. Don't let us 'earthlings' judge you."

Starfire looked to the side. Her eyes were a dull jade. "Robin......I do not believe he is.......so adamant about our closeness.....a-as I am...."

"................," Raven had no response to that.

"But...such is not new," Starfire looked up. Grinning again. "And it would do Robin well to know that....th-that I am not so distressed over him so as to think his talents are empty. I trust in his own 'powers' as much as everyone else in the team. I should not let the occasional worry or fret of mine to take hold."

"So...."

Starfire stood up. "I shall go and speak with him. Before he damages himself with his egotistical asceticism."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Raven stood up, dusting her hands off.

"Raven....," Starfire plopped the glork plushie back down on the bed and faced the sorceress while the two walk to the door. "Tell me if you may.....why is it that you are so incredibly receptive to my emotions and supportive in my approaching Robin to make amends of his self-conscience of trepidation? Are you truly in fear for Robin's well-being?"

"Hardly....I never fear," Raven droned.

"Then what is it? Please, I would gladly like to know!" Starfire smiled.

Raven opened the door and glared with a look of exhaustion. "I want the other Titans to stop having a reason to interrupt my damned reading."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"RAAAUGH!!!!" Robin spiraled down at me with a spinning staff.

I held a smoking Myrkblade up and rapidly blocked.

CL-CL-CL-CLANG!!!!

Robin landed on the sand in a squat and swept his leg out from under me.

THWUMP!!!

I fell, teleported in mid-air, and materialized upright two feet away.

I had a chance to blur forward and smack Robin hard across the skull with a murking blade.

I didn't take that chance...

"WA-TAAA!!" Robin spun at me with a kung fu kick to the face.

SWOOOOSH!! I brought my metal hand up to my china and blocked his kick at the last second.

And there I had a chance to pulse murk through my titanium fingers and slam Robin hard against the rock bluffs with one baseball-bat-swing.

But I didn't want to hurt him...

"Nnghh!!" Robin let out a breath. With his one foot gripped so high, he vaulted the rest of his body up and swung it over his leg with a metal boot across my face.

WHAM!!!!

I groaned and fell to the sand hard. Down.

Robin landed besides me, standing. Panting.

"For crying out loud!! Stop it!!" the Boy Wonder uttered. "The score is me, four.....you, one. Stop giving them to me, Noir!! Fight me with all you have!! Your powers and everything!! I can take it, dammit!! I can freakin' take it!!"

I groaned and slowly got up to my feet. I made it look more laborious than it really was.

Or did I??

Whatever the case, it pissed Robin off just looking at it.

"Drop the act!! Now, as leader of the Titans I'm ordering you to try your best!! I know this is just sparring, Noir! But it's important!!" he stepped back and posed with his staff at ready. "Okay....match point. Round six of nine...."

I took a few deep breaths.

Just lose three more times and it's over......

He charged me.

I held up a smoking blade.

He ran, coming closer and closer.

I staid in that pose....not moving...not attacking...

"Don't just stand there!!" he hollered as he reached me.

WHUMP!!!

He plowed me to the ground.

We rolled.

I kicked him off me.

He flipped in the air and landed with a slide across the sand. He twirled his staff and came at me again.

I stood up and barely blocked his maniacal jabs in time.

STAB!!! THRASH!!!! CL-CL-CLANK!!! SMACK!!!!

He pushed me closer and closer towards the rock bluffs behind me.

"Come on, Noir!! Come on!!" Robin panted. "How can I be dominating you this much?!?! Whatever happened to our heart-stopping martial arts fights??!! Your quick agility against my headstrong domination!! Show me your powers!! Don't let me hurt you for no reason!!!"

I gritted my teeth and sweated as I defended...defended...defended...defended...

CLANK!!! CL-CLANG!! SMACK!!!

THWUMP!!

I was pressed back against the rocks.

Robin dove in with his staff.

I blocked horizontally with the broadside of my blade.

I struggled as he pressed our weapons against my chest and leaned in so close our noses nearly touched.

"Why won't you do it, Noir?!?! Why won't you answer me at least that simple request?!?! Why can't you be the fearless badass when I need one?! Be ruthless, Noir!! Like.....Like.....L-Like Wyldecarde!!"

I froze. My lips parted.

"Wyldecarde never held back!! That was the ultimate test!!" the Boy Wonder rambled insanely. His brow covered in sweat. "Wyldecarde would have killed me faster than he killed any of the other Titans!! Where'd he go off to, Noir?!?! At least he would have the decency to try and break my ribs!! I need a challenge!!"

I frowned then and there. Angrily....

As if it ever was to begin with......this matchup sure as hell wasn't fun anymore......

FLASH!!!!!

With a wave of exploding smoke, I effortlessly shoved the caped hero off of me.

"Nnghh!!" he stumbled back.

I leaned forward. My limbs blurred Myrkblade down.

THWACK!!!!

My smoking blade snapped Robin's staff apart in a single instant. I could have easily done it at anytime.

Robin blinked under his mask....

SWOOOOOSH!!!!

He tilted back and gulped.

I head the Myrkblade outward, frowning. The warbling tip of the blade clung barely to the inner curve of the Boy Wonder's throat.

As smoke danced out under my shades, I kept my gaze venomously on him. Without gesturing or mouthing a word, I aimed Myrkblade to the my right...and stabbed it into the surface of the rock bluffs.

CRACK!!!

The blade stuck in about four inches.

I pulsed murk down into it and—

FLASH!!!

CRUMBLE!!!!

The dark energy released formed a gaping hole in the rock. Like the point blanc discharge of godly lightning. Trails of smoke filtered up into the air from the shattered stone as I brought the powerful blade back forward.

I pointed the sword at 'Robin'....and slowly shook my head before lowering it.

".............," Robin stared at me. Suddenly, his fists clenched and his shoulders shook. He grit his teeth to the point that I imagined sparks would fly.

Then...

THWUMP!!!

He shoved me hard in the chest...like a spoiled bully at a playground.

THUD!!! I landed hard in the sand, barely wincing.

"Yeah, Noir. I know. I freakin' know it, okay?!?! You can make my torso explode in half a second if you wanted to. Well I think you should have gone ahead and attempted it without the pansy warning, you lame ass!!! Did it occur to you that I wouldn't have let you do that to me?!?! I'm a superhero for crying out damned loud!!! But if you don't believe that, then fine!! Nobody believes that anymore!!! Not the criminals! Not the press!! And worst of all not my teammates!!"

And he stomped off, breathing heavily. Frowning. Away from the Tower....

I rested my hands on my knees, stared down into the shadowed sand, and sighed....

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

As I walked into the Tower, I found Starfire and Raven walking out.

I came to an abrupt stop...blinking.

"Noir, greetings," Starfire smiled. "Cyborg told me that you would have seen Robin last. That the two of you were having a training spar. May I inquire...is Robin still out there?"

"........," I bit my lip.

Raven caught it. "What happened?"

I sighed. I smiled weakly and motioned for the two girls to follow me along into the elevator.

"Where're you taking us?"

I mimicked a 'red eye' with my fingers over my face.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Cyborg finished reading my hand-signs. "And also according to Noir, Robin had all of his equipment on him when he left. It looks like our leader's ready to do some personal damage."

"Eeek!" Starfire clasped her hands together. "To himself?"

We all stood in the Main Room. The sun was setting outside. Night gradually fell.

"No, Starfire...," Raven spoke. "It's a Robin thing. Even before you and the other Titans came along, Robin has had a habit of going out on the Town solo."

"T-To do what?"

"What else? Fight crime."

Cyborg nodded. "Robin told me he used to do that all the time in Gotham. Mostly right before he left Batman's wing and settled here in the place my dad built."

"There's always a rotten apple in the bunch," Beast Boy grumbled from the sofa.

Raven, Cyborg, and I glanced at him strangely.

"What???" the changeling shrugged. "Every team has its super-angsty, dark character!!"

"You forget, dawg," Cyborg smirked and pointed. "That's Raven."

FLASH!!

"Ow!!" Thwump!!

"Perhaps we were wrong...," Raven spoke to all of us as she lowered her hand. "Last night with Atlas has had a greater impact on Robin than previously assumed. Maybe it's best to keep our distance."

"Unacceptable!" Starfire pouted. "I will not let your hour-long counsel go to waste!" she spoke directly to a sweatdropping Raven at this point. "You pointed me in the right direction, Raven. I have made my decision and I wish to intercede on Robin's behalf!"

Cyborg stood back up from the ground and smiled. "What's this all about?"

"It's nothing....," Raven groaned.

"You played counselor with Starfire, didn't you?!?!"

"I said, it's nothing."

"You did!! Awwwww, maaaan! That's so cute!!"

FLASH!!

"Dah!!" Thwump!!

An artery pulsed in Raven's forehead. "Ahem...do what you wish, Starfire....," she lowered her hand again. "But how are you even going to find Robin?? He's quite elusive when he's on his own. I'm sure you can imagine. He's as mysterious as it is when 'working with the team'."

Even I scratched my head at that one.

"Duh, dudes....just follow the path of butt kicking," Beast Boy said.

All of us turned and saw him sitting in front of the Main Computer.

"I beg you for the pardon??" Starfire remarked cutely.

Beast Boy typed away and brought up a map of the City. Blinking lights appeared in a snake-like string through the Central and West Districts.

"Check it out!" the elf beamed. "These are the latest reports of police arrests in the last hour and a half!!"

"They're happening so....quickly," Cyborg stood up and blinked. "One after another...."

"And in a path too," Raven droned.

"Yup. I'd say we've got our bird-brain," Beast Boy blinked.

"Robin....," Starfire murmured.

Raven turned around and glanced at her. "It's up to you."

The Tamaranian nodded. "And it is so...." She swiftly hovered up in the air and flew across the Main Room and into the elevators.

"........," I watched her from over my shoulder. A beat. I glanced over at Cyborg.

He was smiling at Raven. "So...decided to be a girl scout today just for the Hell of it?"

"Yeah....sure....," Raven rolled her eyes. "Just for the Hell of it."

Cyborg chuckled.

"Okay, enough of this crap," Beast Boy exited the map program and cracked his knuckles. "Everquest time!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

In an alleyway that night...

THWUMP!!!

"UGH!!!" a scraggly bearded thug gripped his chest where Robin's knee had contacted.

His partner rushed in from behind the caped Titan with a knife. "Rrrrrr!!!"

"WA-TAAA!" Robin spun and kicked him across the face.

A bloody tooth and saliva flew. The crook fell to the floor and dropped his knife. CL-CLACK!!!

In the corner, a woman and her little girl were shivering. They looked up and saw the two assaulters on the ground, moaning and twitching in pain.

SWOOOSH!!

Robin landed in a crouch. He slowly stood up and marched over towards the woman.

"Are you allright, Miss?"

"Yes!!" she clutched her shivering daughter and smiled tearfully. "Oh thank you, Mr. Titan. We...I....I-I don't know what to say..."

The sounds of police sirens filled the air. Flashing lights drifted down the alleyways as a few squad cars pulled up to the edge of the scene.

"You can try saving it for the authorities...," Robin smiled ever so slightly to the citizen. "They'll be glad to hear of any testimony you have to give. Other than that...I suggest taking the bus from now on instead of walking across this part of Town."

"I hear you...," she nervously smiled.

Robin aimed a grappling hook high. POW!!!! "Take care!!" He hoisted himself away just as officers rushed down into the alleyway and started apprehending the pained suspects.

The woman knelt down and embraced her child closely. With tears of joy....

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

SWOOOOSH!!!

Robin swung over the streets. Between buildings. Across the urban canopy.

The wind beat into his face, and something possessed him. And as his eyemask thinned and he aimed another arm out with another grappling hook to sail towards another rooftop.....

Time slowed down. He was no longer a part of the Earth. He was primordial. Like a spirit. A forgotten god. A Titan.

But eventually, time would resume. He came at the end of his last swing and leapt off.

He flipped in the air for a moment, his yellow cape flapping like the tailfeathers of a golden bird.

THUMP!!

He landed in a squat on a rooftop.

He stood up.

A beat.

He sighed.

He walked over and perched on the ledge of the building top's side.

He stared down into the streets. The cars streaming by. The red-bricks of older buildings. Honking sounds and the music wafting upwards from a nearby café. A scarlet aura that filled the nightly domain.

Red....

Robin sighed. "Empty night and an empty head....," he mumbled aloud. A beat. A bitter smile. "Feels like home."

"How tragically amusing....."

Robin turned around.

Starfire stood on the ledge across the rooftop. She stood tall in the wind, shyly resting her right hand on her dangling left arm. The wind blew at her scarlet hair and she fought the urge to avoid the Boy Wonder's gaze. "...when things feel like home for me, I am filled with glorious joy. Is your home a memory of sadness, Robin?"

The caped crusader sighed and looked back out onto the streets. "Nah, Star. I'm just.......not in the best of moods today."

Starfire floated over and hovered gently beside him. "Would it be fair to say that I share in such a sentiment?"

He glanced at her...blinking under his mask. "You don't seem down."

"Because my mood is not exemplary does not necessarily qualify me as being 'down'," Starfire tried her best to articulate. She put on a brave smile. "I find it best to converse with friends around me. And indeed, it is most glorious to have others to depend on in times of trepidation."

"Heh....," Robin looked off. "Is that your subtle way of telling me you want to talk?"

Starfire bit her lip. "Robin...I only....," she paused....then continued: "—I-I only wish to ease that which troubles you."

"You can't help a person who can't help himself, Star."

"And I am aware of that Robin. But if it is possible, I would like to push 'yourself' into providing the aid that you need in this case."

"Ever the nice one....you're too good of a person, Star," Robin said.

"I merely am that which I am."

Robin sighed. He sat down on the ledge of the building. His legs dangled over the side.

Starfire floated down and sat beside him.

They were almost shoulder to shoulder. Silent. Staring out into the wind and City life tiredly taming below.

"............."

"............."

"............."

"............."

".............," Finally, the Boy Wonder gave in. "Things were so much simpler in Gotham."

"Were they truly, Robin?"

"In a manner of speaking," he shrugged. "Gotham is Hell. In the daytime, the City is covered in smog that drifts in over the impoverished squalls from power plants and incinerators along the polluted river. Then at night—when the urban demons come out—the sky is unnatural. It's a blood red. Red everywhere. You go to bed with the red and you wake up with the red and—unless you're lucky—you grow up with the red coming out at you from a bunch of ambushing muggers...."

Starfire gulped. "I-Is that how you grew up, Robin?"

"I grew up knowing that life was a struggle. And only the strongest survived. And being the 'strongest' meant crushing everyone and everything in your path," the Boy Wonder said. "But when I became strong....and when Batman found me and endowed me with his talents and tricks....I realized that power was something you wielded to save others much like me. People who knew nothing but the eternal read of their impoverished, Gotham routine. Power to me was something that I had. Something like a treasure. And I used it to shine by preserving the lives of those around me. I hoped that I could give them an easy break. I could just...dive in like some songbird of salvation and make their lives happier so they wouldn't have to go through all the struggle that I did to get to where I am. I thought I could break the cycle. And I learned to respect myself for what I did."

The Boy Wonder leaned back and stared at the relatively black, natural sky.

"When I came here, Star....I had that same Power leftover from Gotham. Or at least...I thought I did. Lately, I've been trying to make myself realize that.....th-that I'm not the same little crime fighter who swung around like a flying daredevil, saving every pour soul in his eyesight by happenstance. In this City....in this time in my life and in all superheroes' lives, the toughness of villains is getting tougher. Stronger and stronger bad guys are stepping up to the plate. Mutated, supernatural, and celestial cards are being thrown into the deck. An old-fashioned pupil to Batman like myself is having to realize that so many things nowadays are out of my league. I can no longer be the savior I once was."

He sighed and turned his head to look a the listening Tamaranian.

"And lord knows I've tried, Star. I've tried to measure up to my foes. I've tried to remain equal to you and Raven and Beast Boy and Noir and Cyborg with all of your superpowers combined. And it's so godawful insane, the limits I've pushed myself too. Everyday, I'm fighting gravity and human endurance to push my fighting abilities somewhere close to one hundred and fifty percent....only to wake up tomorrow and find a greater threat that requires one hundred and fifty-one percent!! I feel like.....I-I feel like no matter how hard I try to improve myself by such an insignificant factor each and every day, something new and terrifying rears its ugly head and I'm back to the drawing board again."

He groaned. He bent over and clutched his dark head of hair.

"I have no idea why I keep doing this, Star. I seriously don't....."

His voice was muffled. Exhausted. Even torturous...

"Every night I try to sleep....I can't. I keep thinking....keep thinking about how well I'm going to perform tomorrow. I keep tossing and turning and agonizing over the stuff I can't do.....much like the stuff I could never do......"

Starfire leaned her head to the side, curious.

He looked up and took a deep breath. His eyes sought some familiar red in the sky. He was empty-handed.

"I'm afraid, Star...," he managed to say. He gulped and continued. "I'm afraid of many things. But lately....I'm realizing those fears are....are probably arrogant and blind." He hesitantly gave her a side-glance before continuing: "I know what I should be afraid of. And I'm so sorry for not thinking about it....for being so full of myself." He ran a hand through his hair shakily and uttered: "I should....be afraid....of what would happen.....to my friends....if I was to die on them...."

Starfire took a deep breath.

Robin stared down the buildingside. He inhaled strongly. "I.....I'm throwing myself into the fire. Earlier, I blew up at Noir for no reason. He didn't do anything bad. In fact, he was trying to make a point to me. At any moment and at any second, he could have ripped me to shreds with that sword of his. But when I asked him to give me his all cuz I was selfish enough to want an unnaturally dangerous spar, he refused. He did the right thing. He spared my pathetic, weak self....and I treated him like shit for it."

His fists clenched momentarily....then relaxed.

"Just like the rest of you....," Robin looked up at Starfire. "He's worried about me. And it's my fault that he's worried. Because as time passes by and criminals get stronger and stronger and challenges get crazier and crazier.....all I'll ever be is normal, Star. A normal human. A pint-sized Napoleon who can't shoot lasers....who can't lift cars....and who was not meant to fly." He chuckled bitterly. "Despite what my 'name' implies....."

Silence.

The wind stirred a bit, and died down.

Half of the two felt naked.

Starfire broke in with: "Perhaps.....y-you are right, Robin...."

The Boy Wonder's shoulders sank.

She placed a hand on them. She smiled as he looked her way.

"You were not meant to fly...," she smiled gently. "But—X'Hal be praised—you were meant to do other things. I know for a fact that you were meant to greet me the day I first landed here on Earth. You were meant to teach me what it is to be a hero. And you were meant to be with me every step of the day as I acquainted myself with your people, culture, and customs---as well as your nightmares. I feel so much more competent and—yes—powerful now that I have had the chance to serve under your leadership. But most importantly...I feel glorious for having been graced with your freedom."

Her hand stirred...for she suddenly had the desire to trace her fingers under his firm chin yet strangely smooth cheeks. But she refrained.

She steadily said: "I know you do not have superpowers, Robin. But I do know that you are powerful in and of yourself. Because....b-because you are a paradox, Robin. You are ever-so-strong and courageous. But also—if I may say so—you are immensely precious..."

He lifted a humored eyebrow above his mask.

She smiled. "So very strong...and yet so very fragile. Somewhere in there, you manage an equilibrium. You defy death, injury, extortion, and all other pestilences that Terra Firma threatens you with. And you do it all selflessly....with no primary concern for your own safety or your own needs. And—yes—I have been greatly upset by such recklessness on your part. But that is because I am mostly not like you, Robin. I am so, very selfish. Because.....B-Because every time I so much as see you, I am filled with the urge to hug you and fear you all at once. I-I know it sounds strange. I cannot explain it in simple words. But I know that you are an intuitive soul. And you must understand that after what Atlas did to you last night, I was upset because I was frightened. And for a split second, I forgot about your competence. I forgot about the paradoxical power so indicative of you and I panicked. I cried. I broke down because I felt like I had almost lost you. For that lack of faith—however momentary—I am gravely sorry. Today I have faired better, for I have reminded myself that many times in the past have you similarly suffered in spite of your mortal strengths...and yet you survived. You survived because.....b-because you are you, Robin. And who am I—who are any of us to dictate to you what you should or should not be??"

"I'm....I'm just weak, Star...," Robin shuddered. He bit his lip and looked away. "I'm....I-I'm flattered by what you say, but—"

"Then be flattered by this...," Starfire gripped his hands in hers and caught his sole attention as she gazed emerald into his eyes. "I envy you, Robin."

His lips parted some. "Star???"

"I envy you," she said firmly. "Believe it or not, Robin. You do have a superpower. It is something of courage, endurance, and limitless expertise in the face of all obstacles. I was granted with my powers at birth. I have nothing but experience alone to boast of. And time after time again, I must deal with the exhausting duty of repressing my strengths so that my Tamaranian passion will not incite me to burn hapless suspects alive in fury."

Robin gulped at that.

"I can only imagine—no, I wish. I sincerely wish I could understand what it is like to have to fight for that power. To have to deny the limitations of my own being so that I may bring salvation and glory to innocent people everywhere. Robin...you have the greatest superpower I have ever seen in that respect. Greater than any of the other Titans can imagine. And it hurts me....it hurts me dearly to see you be so ruthless to yourself by denying that talent."

Robin looked down. His eyemask seemed to wilt some. His fingers clung to Starfire's.

The Tamaranian felt them and took a sharp breath. It was the first time she had ever felt desperation from the Boy Wonder.

"Star??"

"Yes, Robin?"

"........I've been such a damn, whiny brat lately."

"Hehehehehehe!!!" Starfire shook, smiling. "I am not one to complain. But poor Noir...he has a great quantity of sand to remove from his underpants!"

"Heheheheh," Robin chuckled. He ended the laugh with a long sigh. And something inside him melted, revealing a painful core that stung and healed all at once.

And then he truly felt like he was back home.

"I'm......I'm really sorry about last night, Star," Robin said. He scratched the back of his neck. "I....I guess I could have backed down when you all told me too. I mean....it was just bad luck, that's all."

"Indeed."

"Eh...I got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning."

"Uh huh."

"I would have kicked his ass if it was any other day of the week!"

"Hehehehe!!"

"Heheheh."

Silence.

"You are forgiven, Robin," Starfire winked.

He sighed with relief.

A beat.

"And I am also sorry," Starfire said. "If I ever made you feel......inferior."

"Nobody can blame you, Star," he said. "I was in over my head."

"Not entirely," she shook her head. "You would have flown from that power plant before I caught you, Robin. Only...at the time....you had forgotten where you had placed your wings......"

Robin looked at her. He whipped out a grappling hook. He smiled. "You mean these?"

She giggled. "That does seem properly analogous." She stood up, smoothing out her lower costume piece. "Now...would you wish to find out who of us has a chest composed of hair?"

Robin glanced up at her with question marks popping above his head. "You mean....a race?"

"Hehehe. Indeed."

"But there're only two of us, Star. The way the saying goes, 'third' is the one with the hairy chest!"

"Then you had better move quickly so as not to be behind enough to be labeled 'third'!!" And with that awkwardly spat out, the Tamaranian flew off the buildingside.

"Hey!! No fair!! Earth rules say you can't have a head start!!"

"Hehehehe!! 'My the bad'!! Hehe!!"

Robin grinned. He pulled out his grappling hook and fired it. POW!!!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-

I walked in from the bathroom, wearing a towel around my waist and using another to dry my long, black hair. I sat on the side and opened the laptop.

I logged online.

And.....soon enough....

InzeUltima: hey there :D

SpSquirrel: Greetings.

InzeUltima: back so soon from sparring? did you shower?

SpSquirrel: Drying off as we speak. Now there's a penny for your thoughts.

InzeUltima: lol dont flatter yourself.

I smirked.

InzeUltima: howd it go?

SpSquirrel: It's safe to say I let him beat me.

InzeUltima: you didnt kick his scrawny ass? :O why??

SpSquirrel: I wanted to experiment and find out how many masculine orifices sand can invade.

InzeUltima: :P seriously.

SpSquirrel: Seriously...where's your imagination at now? Eight cents?

InzeUltima: whyd you toss in the towel to Robin?

I thought silently for a moment. I scratched my chin. I smiled and typed.

SpSquirrel: It was not my place to help him come to his own senses this evening.

InzeUltima: oh? whose was it?

SpSquirrel: Oh....another bird.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Someone with wings to share.........

The world was back in slow motion as Starfire flew through it and Robin sailed along beside her from grappling hook to grappling hook.

The two smiled at each other. The City yawned hundreds of feet below them.

But they drifted on and on as if they didn't care. Chuckling and grinning the eon seconds away.

For as long as it would last into the endless night.