Starfire was still crying. She felt as though her heart were shattered, broken into hundreds of tiny pieces. Her chest was aching like there was a great weight pressing in on it, and she actually felt cold, similar to the way she felt when she flew through the empty void of space at the speed of light where there was no air to breathe. She shuddered and rubbed her hands over her upper arms. She never liked the oppressive and extremely lonely feeling of flying through the empty heavens and her current situation was mimicking it. Robin had hurt her deeply, so deeply that she wasn't sure just how their relationship was going to continue.
It was getting late, almost time for bed, but Starfire was awake and with Beast Boy gone she realized that she was lonely. She sat on her bed, huddling her arms around herself, and wished that someone would come see her again.
She was scaring herself; she had always liked to think that she was a warrior first and any sort of weak emotions like this shouldn't be this debilitating. As princess of Tamaran she was technically not allowed to experience love and therefore she should not be hurting so badly.
But Starfire knew that Earth had changed her forever. In fact all of Tamaran was like a distant fuzzy memory and she would be perfectly fine if she never had to see the place again. Her last visit, in which she was nearly married off to Glurdulskletch-hh, proved her true feelings toward where "home" was. Tamaran was no longer home and she sniffed when the thought crossed through her mind that it probably never really had been. She missed Galfore, but he would be the sole reason she would ever go back.
All her traditions were merely something to hold onto in attempts to convince herself that she belonged somewhere. She was Tamaran's princess but she had never truly felt like she was a part of Tamaran and that she belonged there. The majority of her life had been spent training on Okaara or being a slave in the Citadel, and now on Earth. Even out of her own nuclear family only one person had ever been kind to her.
She was well aware that she was different from Earthlings, from her appearance right down to the manner that she spoke. She liked Earth, but she didn't even try to pretend that she fit in. She sniffed again as she realized she didn't belong anywhere. For awhile she felt that Earth would definitely be her permanent home, thanks to Robin and his kindness, and soon it became apparent that home was wherever Robin was. But now she was so hurt she wasn't sure if she could bear seeing him again. She let out a sob as she thought that she might not have anywhere to go if she left Earth, just like when she had flown away during the confusing time of her transformation. No one wanted her…
Starfire blew her nose into a tissue, tossing it into the heaping pile in her garbage can and got up from her bed. She wanted to see someone very badly now, she was desperately lonely and had cried very hard after Beast Boy had left. She was surprised at herself that she wanted him to stay and keep her company, but did not ask him to.
She sidled out of her room, checking the hallway first.
--
Raven sighed as she sat on her bed, wrapping her arms around her knees. She stared blankly at her comforter, wondering if Starfire was okay. She tried not to feel guilty, tried to tell herself that the team needed to know what had happened to her, and actually what had happened to everyone. Everyone had tragic things happen in their past, and Raven definitely would be brooding over Beast Boy if this whole situation hadn't been blown out of proportion.
She was interrupted in her thoughts when a timid knock came at her door. Raven glanced over and got up to answer, wondering if it was said boyfriend come to stay with her.
But when she slid the door back Starfire stood there, bottom lip trembling.
"Starfire," Raven said, her eyes showing concern.
Starfire sniffled several times and launched herself at the dark girl, crying, "I do not wish to be alone!"
Raven hugged her back.
The two entered the room and Starfire went and sat on Raven's bed.
Starfire reattached herself to Raven as she sat down and proceeded to sob hysterically into Raven's shoulder. Raven stared off as she hugged her friend, a sheen of water covering her eyes. She couldn't be more in tune with Starfire's pain. Not only could her powers acutely sense just exactly how she felt, but she also had first hand experience as well.
"I'm so sorry, Starfire," Raven whispered, holding her tight, feeling very inadequate.
Starfire clutched Raven like the empath was all she had left in the world.
Raven tried not to watch the clock, but she began to get worried when Starfire took forty five minutes to calm down enough to finally speak coherently.
"How are you doing?" Raven asked carefully.
Starfire moped, rubbing at her red and swollen eyes. "I do not feel good. I do not wish to have to go away."
"What do you mean 'go away'?" Raven asked, confused.
"If Robin does not want me with the Titans anymore, I have no place to go!" Starfire said, a tear dripping down her cheek. Raven wondered how she had any tears left to cry in there.
"Robin isn't going to kick you off the Titans," she said reassuringly. "He's going to think this over, then come to the realization that he's acted like a complete ass and will come and give you a big apology."
"You are certain?"
"Yes. And even if he for some stupid reason ever wanted to kick you off the team, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and I wouldn't let it happen," she said with conviction.
"Okay," Starfire said uncertainly.
There was silence for a moment, Raven trying to gather up her courage to apologize to her friend.
"Starfire? I want to say I'm sorry for forcing you to reveal what happened to you to the boys. I thought they deserved to know, especially Robin, since we are all pretty much family now… I never thought for a moment that Robin would act like he did, and I feel like I'm to blame for this whole thing-"
Starfire interrupted, holding up her hand. "Raven, what you did was not wrong. I should not have kept it a secret for so long, and… I should not have lied about it." She looked unhappy. "I should have known that you all are my friends, and none of you would send me away. But… some things are hard to talk about. Do not harbor guilt over Robin's actions; he is responsible for them, not you. If he is that angry with me and wishes to never see me again, then, then, so be it," Starfire said, her voice wavering at the end.
"Robin loves you very much; I highly doubt that he won't come crawling back after he has time to think his actions over."
Starfire nodded sadly, wanting to believe Raven.
"Cyborg and Beast Boy are the okay?" she asked.
"Cyborg and Beast Boy are very worried about you," Raven answered.
"Yes, friend Beast Boy was very kind to come and see me," Starfire said. "How do they feel about Robin?" she asked curiously.
"They both want to pound the snot out of him," Raven said. "Consider them your brothers."
Starfire's mouth twitched, a small curve accenting them. "The pounding of Robin will not be necessary, although I may be powerless to stop them if it happens."
Raven echoed her small smile.
"Are you feeling a little better?"
Starfire sighed, her mouth drooping again.
"I am not fine, but I will be the okay."
Raven nodded, understanding.
There was a momentary silence, as Starfire sniffled and Raven watched her with a worried sympathetic gaze.
"Raven…"
"Yes?"
"When… when you healed my burns," Starfire started, her face looking unsure.
Raven looked away from her, figuring she knew what Starfire was going to ask. "What about it?"
"Did you…?"
Raven sighed. "I'm sorry Starfire. I did. I probably should have asked for your permission, but… it would've been awkward to…"
"I understand," Starfire said.
"It… it was not good. I can heal some of it, if you would want me to. It seems like you would experience residual pain from that."
"Sometimes," Starfire said, her voice sounding absent and disconnected.
"I… I couldn't believe that you had been through all that, and then to see the proof, it was very distressing. I am so sorry…"
"I know. They were very… sadistic."
Raven rubbed one of her arms, her own body shivering. "I saw, felt it through you."
Starfire nodded slowly, her eyes blank and dull.
Raven pressed her lips together before pulling her into a hug again, not liking how Starfire had suddenly shut down. This action seemed to mean a tremendous amount to her, as Starfire knew how Raven did not often initiate hugs.
"Raven?" Starfire asked timidly.
"Yeah?"
"Would it be the okay if I were to… stay with you tonight?" she asked, tapping her index fingers together. "I do not wish to be alone."
Raven was a little taken aback, but after a thought she nodded. "If you want to stay with me, that's okay. I don't have an extra bed though…"
Starfire looked at her despondently.
Raven sighed. "Okay okay, we can share the bed."
Starfire smiled a little. "It will be like the sleepover."
Raven fought not to roll her eyes.
"Why don't we go get a chick flick, some nail polish, the hair brush, and some magazines while we're at it," she said dryly.
"Really?" Starfire said, her eyes lighting up the tiniest bit.
"No," Raven answered.
"Oh," Starfire huffed. "Do not do that to me."
Both girls looked over in surprise when Raven's door slid open to reveal a very forlorn green kitty sitting mournfully out in the hallway.
Raven's eyes softened and she beckoned Beast Boy inside. He zipped up onto the bed and buried his face into Raven's lap. He gave a pitiful mew. Raven smiled and petted him lovingly, running her fingers up his tail. He seemed to like it whenever she did that.
"Oooh," Starfire said sadly, petting his back.
Beast Boy lifted his head, quickly giving Raven a lick on the cheek before he rested his paws on Starfire's shoulders, pressing his wet nose to hers, meowing.
Starfire gave him a tiny smile. "Do not be concerned, friend… I will be the okay." She petted him. He nuzzled her under her chin, giving a soft purr. Starfire let a very small giggle escape.
Beast Boy hopped down and went to Raven, rubbing his body up against hers, purring very loudly, walking around her. Raven smiled and grabbed his tail. Beast Boy flicked it out of her hands and looked her imploringly in the face.
Raven sighed.
"Yes, you can stay in here tonight too. But only in cat form," she warned. Beast Boy nodded.
Starfire moved to get under Raven's sheets, settling down. Raven looked at both her friends for a moment, marveling that they chose her to come to. She never thought she was very good at being comforting, but here they both were. But then again… Cyborg's room didn't have a nice soft bed and everyone was mad at Robin. Raven shrugged and got under the covers herself. Beast Boy immediately curled up between the two girls contently.
She flicked the lights off with her powers.
"Raven?" Starfire whispered.
"What?" she whispered back.
"Thank you," Starfire said.
"No problem," Raven answered.
Starfire fiddled with the blanket in her fingers for a moment, then turned and snuggled next to Raven's shoulder, squishing Beast Boy between them.
Raven was stunned for a second, but then snuggled up herself, Beast Boy curling into her stomach. She lay still, breathing softly as she listened to the labored and raspy breath of the girl beside her, hearing her sniffle every once in awhile. She could sense that Starfire was still in deep pain. Raven felt awful for her, but she knew she could help just a little.
"Starfire?" she whispered.
"Yes?" she asked, her voice still strained.
Raven hugged her close and placed a hand over her heart. Starfire felt Raven's warm healing spread through her and suddenly the pain in her chest that was so debilitating and making it hard to breathe was gone. She sighed in relief.
Beast Boy raised his head with an interested and slightly lecherous grin on his kitty face. He licked his lips.
His girlfriend glared at him with an eyebrow raised, just sensing the thoughts located completely in the gutter coming from his little mind.
Raven's door slid open as a green cat was propelled out the threshold, across the hall and flumped head first into the wall by black energy.
Both girls settled down contentedly and soon fell asleep.
--
It had been two days since the big argument, and neither Robin nor Starfire were seen about the tower. Starfire had stayed with Raven both nights, and went back to her own room in the morning. The boys would bring her food, but she refused to come outside.
Robin just plain hadn't been seen. His room was locked shut with special code, though no one had been ready to approach him anyway, and no one knew how he was getting food either. Raven figured he came out at night when the rest of them were in bed, but she wasn't sure. Either that or he was starving himself, which was a distinct possibility knowing him. She was feeling rather guilty about Robin in particular, it was unlike him to stay locked away this long.
Raven helped Cyborg prepare lunch (though Cyborg honestly did most of the cooking) and made up two trays. Cyborg raised an eyebrow.
"Two trays?"
"One for Starfire and one for Robin," she answered.
"Oh," Cyborg answered flatly, going back to making the chicken sandwiches.
Once he finished making the food Raven loaded up the trays and Beast Boy came bounding over, wondering where his tofu sandwich was.
"I don't touch no damn tofu B, y'all know that," Cyborg grumbled.
"Dude, that's sooo mean to make sandwiches for everyone else but me!" he whined.
"Well maybe if you ate normal people food, I would've!" Cyborg shot back.
"Dude!! That's-"
"Okay you two, that's enough," Raven droned. "There's enough fighting going around the tower as it is."
They both scowled.
"Who wants to take this tray to Star, and who wants to take the other to Robin?" Raven asked.
The two boys looked at each other.
"I'll take Starfire," they said in unison. Raven sighed.
"Fine. You can both go visit her. I'll take Robin's."
Cyborg gathered up her tray and the two headed for Starfire's room.
Raven picked up Robin's lunch and tried to quell the nervousness in her stomach.
She headed down to his room, and lightly knocked on the door. There was no answer. She tried again. No answer.
"Robin?" she called.
She heard something shifting inside and footsteps sluggishly padding to the door.
Robin unlocked the door and it slid open slightly.
"What?" he asked, his voice sounding tired and strained.
"I brought you lunch," Raven said, holding out the tray.
"Thanks," he said blearily, opening the door a little wider.
He looked scruffier than Raven had ever seen him. He hadn't shaved, his hair was messy and sticking up every which way, and he wore a wrinkled white t-shirt with plaid pajama pants. His feet were bare.
"Robin," Raven started, concerned. "Are you okay?"
"Does it look like I'm okay?" he asked a little bitterly, taking the tray and setting it on his bed, picking at his lunch.
Raven hesitantly stepped inside his door.
"I just wanted to see how you were doing."
"Thanks for the food," he said, ignoring her last statement.
Raven watched him for a moment. He didn't look up.
"Robin, you have to apologize to her sometime. It's tearing her up inside."
"Raven," he sighed, sounding annoyed, "did you come here just to yell at me?"
"No. I came to bring you lunch. But I also wanted to let you know that Starfire's not doing too well. She hasn't come out of her room, except to spend the nights with me," Raven said.
Robin grunted.
"Are you sorry at all?" Raven asked, getting a little annoyed at him herself.
Robin grumbled. "Of course I'm sorry. Do you think I'm a heartless bastard?"
"The boys do," Raven answered. "I know you better than that, but they aren't very happy with you right now."
"Whatever," Robin muttered.
"I would feel better if I at least saw some remorse," Raven said dryly.
"I do feel fucking remorseful, Raven! What do you want me to do? Waltz into Starfire's room and say 'I'm sorry,' kiss and make up? It's not that fucking simple."
Raven frowned. "You could at least try. Starfire thinks you're going to kick her off the team."
"That's ridiculous," he muttered.
"Yes, it is, but she's scared you will and she's going to keep thinking worse until you come and apologize and set things right. She thinks you're angry at her for killing that Citadelian."
"I'm not angry at her for that. I'm angry because she was… tortured... and practically raped… and she lied to me about it." His eyes clenched shut for a moment and Raven sucked in a breath and had to grab the door for support. It felt like someone had stabbed a knife into her chest and twisted it, before it vanished into a haze of anger and she saw his face go blank.
Raven blinked for a moment to compose herself before speaking.
"I would blame that on cultural differences. In her society it is not something they talk about," Raven said softly. "They are warriors, and do not dwell on emotional topics. It's considered weak. Starfire told me that nobles aren't even permitted to love."
"I know that," Robin said grumpily.
"Then why did you react the way you did?" Raven asked.
"I was just so mad that she didn't trust me enough to tell me what had happened in her past like that. You don't keep that kind of stuff a secret. You get help."
"Robin, you are being hypocritical. I saw enough of your past to know that you probably needed to get help too, yet you have kept all of that from Starfire as well. She's very hurt that you were angry with her, and she's hurt that you kept your past from her too."
Robin gave a small grunt for a response, staring at his tray.
"Are you going to apologize to her?" Raven asked.
"Eventually," he said sullenly.
Raven was getting impatient. "Listen, I feel sorry for you, I really do. All of us were shocked to hear what Starfire went through, but at the same time all of us kept our pasts a secret too, including you. Everyone gets this but you. I think you need to talk to her before some real damage is done. The longer you let this fester the harder it will be to make up."
"Thanks for the advice, Raven," Robin said civilly, indicating that it was time for her to take her leave.
Raven shook her head. "I just might not intervene the next time Beast Boy lunges at you," she snipped, heading out the door.
Robin rolled his eyes and shook his head, bit back a retort, and punched his pillow after she had left.
--
The next morning dawned and Raven's eyes flicked open. It was early for her to be awake, but she hadn't slept the best last night. She glanced at the two sleeping figures beside her and floated up from the bed so as not to wake them. She quietly got dressed and headed down to the common room to meditate.
Raven didn't need to meditate much anymore to control her powers after having defeated her father, but since she was up it relaxed her to sit in front of the large bay window and watch the city glittering in the morning sun off the coast.
She floated up into her crossed legged position and began chanting softly.
Beast Boy woke up when he felt a third of the warmth leave the bed. He had gotten only a little bit of sleep, had kept tossing and turning fitfully all night in his cat form, but he just couldn't shake off the uneasiness in the tower. Everyone was tiptoeing around each other.
He glanced at the clock, scowling when it only said eight thirty. Beast Boy didn't even know what eight thirty in the morning looked like, much less wanted to be up and functioning.
He wondered where Raven was. Raven didn't often get up early, she liked to sleep in. He decided he'd go find her, or if he couldn't maybe some early morning cartoons would cheer him up.
Starfire was still sleeping beside him. Her eyes were still swollen from crying, and her mouth was drawn in a slight frown. It killed him to see her so unhappy. Even while she was asleep she looked anything but peaceful.
He brushed her bangs from her face and pecked her on the cheek before carefully getting up off the bed.
When he slipped through the doors to Ops he saw Raven was quietly meditating in front of the big window. He watched her for a moment, his eyes soft. Then he turned into a cat and silently padded over to her, hopped up into her lap and sprawled out over her crossed legs.
Raven jumped a little, startled by the sudden weight in her lap, but she opened one eye and stared at the purring ball of green fur on her legs before looking back up and not missing a beat in her chant.
When Cyborg came in at ten it was to find the two contently snuggled on the couch together, sound asleep. He hadn't the heart to wake them up and tease them, so he busied himself with making brunch.
The two woke up to the sound of sizzling bacon and the enticing smell of pancakes.
Raven looked around and suddenly realized they all had somehow left Starfire by herself. Knowing the Tamaranian girl would wake up and be very upset to find herself alone, Raven phased directly through the floor to her bedroom.
She breathed in a sigh of relief to see that Starfire was just turning over and opening her eyes when she arrived. She asked Starfire if she wanted breakfast. Starfire nodded yes as she rubbed her tired eyes blearily, but said she didn't want to come to the kitchen.
Raven narrowed her eyes slightly. "If you're worried you'll run into a certain someone, no one's seen him since yesterday. He's holed up just as much as you are."
Starfire looked around the room before sighing.
"I am not ready, friend Raven."
Raven shook her head slightly, very worried. "Okay then. So you're going back to your room now?"
"Yes, I think so."
"I'm not kicking you out or anything, you know. If you wanted to stay in here, you can."
"I thank you for the offer, but I want to go back to my own room."
"Okay," Raven said uncertainly. "We'll bring you breakfast then."
"Thank you," Starfire said, before turning to walk out the door.
She was absolutely crushed, Raven could sense. She wished there was something more she could do.
Later in the day things were still status quo in the Robin and Starfire situation. This was the biggest argument any of them had ever been involved in, and the air in the tower was tense.
Finally Beast Boy couldn't stand the awkward silence any longer as the three moped on the couch.
"I hate this! Isn't there anything we can do?" he slapped his hands on the sofa cushion.
"We can't force Robin to apologize, it has to come from him," Raven said. The situation was hard on all of them.
"He's a prick for waiting this long," Beast Boy said maliciously, crossing his arms.
"I agree," Cyborg spoke up as Raven moved to protest.
"Don't be so hard on him; he's hurt too," she said. She was feeling guilty again for yelling at him, remembering that stab of absolute despair before he hid it beneath his anger again.
"Starfire's the one who's getting the most hurt out of this situation," Beast Boy said. "Are you taking his side now?"
"No," Raven said defensively. "I'm not taking anyone's side. Both of them are hurt for their own reasons, and it's going to take one of them to crack before this situation can blow over."
"Robin needs to apologize to Star," Beast Boy said grumpily.
Suddenly the Titan alarms rang out through the tower.
"Shit," muttered Cyborg. "What are we gonna to do?"
The three sprang up to look at the console and see who was causing a disturbance.
"Aww man… it's that loser Control Freak," Cyborg sighed, pounding the control panel.
"We can handle him then," Raven said.
"Friends?"
The three turned around in shock when they heard the soft timid word spoken from the door.
"Starfire," Beast Boy said.
"I came because of the alert, but I do not know if I can offer my assistance," she said quietly.
"We don't expect you to, Star," Cyborg said.
She nodded unhappily. "I cannot-- fly right now," she said, a hitch in her voice. "I am not even sure I could conjure a starbolt."
"It's only Control Freak fly girl, we can handle him," Cyborg said gently.
"Okay."
"Robin isn't coming, huh?" Beast Boy pointed out sullenly.
Cyborg frowned. He checked the database and his eyebrow rose. "Robin's signal is offline. I can't locate him."
Raven concentrated for a moment. She opened her eyes, worried. "He's not in the Tower."
Starfire's face went white.
"What? You mean he's just gone?" Beast Boy said incredulously.
"He's gone. We have no way of finding him," Cyborg said.
"Probably off sulking somewhere then, avoiding his problems," Beast Boy said grumpily.
"Come on, we have to go," Raven urged. "There's no time right now to worry about where Robin is."
The three rushed out with hurried goodbyes to Starfire. Starfire went to the scanner and saw for herself that Robin truly was offline. She brushed her hand across her eyes and walked quietly back to her room.
--
"What is Control Freak's location?" Raven asked on the way.
"The arcade, where else?" Cyborg answered with a snort.
"Sweet!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Maybe after we kick his ass we can play some games. Dude!! I heard they just brought back the original Mortal Kombat!!"
"Oooh, really?" Cyborg perked up.
"YESS!!" Beast Boy hissed excitedly.
"Old school 'blood mode on' finish him here I come!!" Cyborg cried as he stepped on the gas pedal.
Raven rolled her eyes, comforted in the knowledge that she could teleport herself home if she had to.
The discussion then turned to nostalgic anecdotes of combo moves and game glitches for the rest of the ride there.
"Dude! Remember how you could have Cage decapitate someone three times?! How can you decapitate someone three times?!"
Raven sighed out of sheer boredom and stared out the window.
When they arrived at the arcade, there was a commotion going on at the prize counter. Control Freak was grabbing the shirt of the hapless greasy teenage employee and pulling him over the counter.
"I demand a refund! The machine ate my quarters!" he yelled.
"Dude, I saw you like, playing man! I can't give you the refund!"
Control Freak shook the poor kid.
"It ate my quarters! I didn't get my full game, and you better give me the refund or I will make you pay."
"Like, dude… there are other kids who want to play MK too. There's a whole line behind you, they're getting pissed man."
Control Freak tossed the boy behind the counter in frustration.
"Hey Control Freak! Are you that much of a loser that you can't afford two quarters?!"
Control Freak turned around to glare at Beast Boy. "Ah… the Titans. My arch nemesises..ses."
"Dude, you are so lame."
"Oh really? You think I'm lame? I bet you won't think I'm so lame when you're fighting them!"
He whipped his remote out and pointed it towards the Mortal Kombat arcade game.
He clicked a button menacingly.
The three Titans and all the huddled teens who had been waiting for Control Freak to finish playing watched as nothing happened.
Raven rolled her eyes.
Control Freak frowned and slapped the remote against his palm.
He tried again, pointing it at the game.
He started to chuckle evilly and rubbed his hands together as suddenly white static figures appeared.
"I swear he practices that laugh in the mirror at home," Raven muttered to Cyborg, who snorted.
The static figures began to focus into pixilated images.
Beast Boy's eyes bulged out of his head as several teens shrieked.
Cyborg's arms uncrossed and his eyes widened.
"Oh shit."
Beast Boy ducked behind Cyborg, squeezing his eyes shut. "Where's Robin's crazy ninja fighting skills when you need them?!"
Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, and Sonya stood before them in all their pixilated glory, their guards up and bouncing, just like in the videogame.
"Huh," Control Freak mused. "Why only the four of them? Where's the rest? Damn batteries must be low!" he growled, smacking it on his palm again.
The Titans looked up in astonishment as horizontal health meters flickered above each character and their own heads. Each green bar had the character's name in it.
"Dude," Beast Boy whimpered.
Control Freak grinned and yelled, "FIGHT!" as the word appeared and flickered red and yellow between the two groups of warriors.
Before Cyborg could even react Scorpion's rope dart flicked out and buried into his chest. Cyborg looked down in dumb astonishment as he was yanked toward the videogame ninja, who loudly exclaimed, "Get over here!"
"Titans Go!" he hollered as he was dragged.
Finding that the useful large metal shield he called a best friend was gone, Beast Boy barely had time to register that Sub-Zero's ball of ice was heading straight for him.
Raven's inky energy spread across him before the attack could hit. This got Beast Boy moving as Sub-Zero was gearing up for another attack and Raven suddenly had her own hands full.
The two remaining warriors had both sent strikes at once, Raiden's lightening bolt zapping towards her and Sonya's energy rings came from the other side. Raven shielded herself with a bubble, the attacks bounding off harmlessly. Raiden darted in, electricity slithering around his body as he dropped to the floor and sent his leg flying up for a kick. Raven blocked, her arm enhanced with her own energy shield, and she whipped around and blocked a punch from Sonya.
Beast Boy was employing all manner of animals in an attempt to dodge Sub-Zero's ice attacks. He danced around, whining, "Why do I have to fight Sub-Zero? This sucks! He's the hardest character to fight against, damn it!"
An ill-timed jump as a kangaroo caused him to get hit with the ninja's ice attack. Beast Boy froze in the air mid-jump encased in ice as Sub-Zero punched him with an upper cut. The ice broke away as Beast Boy changed back into his human form and flew limply before landing hard on the ground, blood spraying from his form. He wiped at his chin, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked up at his bar, red now taking up some of the meter, showing he had lost health.
"Aww man," he muttered. He got up and put his guard up, attempting to get in some kicks and punches of his own. He was decent at martial arts, but Sub-Zero's ice had him at an extreme disadvantage. Beast Boy had no way to block the ice and no projectile attack to send toward his opponent, unlike his fellow Titans.
Cyborg was doing his best to fight Scorpion, the ninja's rope dart proving to be slightly less effective in close range. He landed a solid punch and Scorpion flew backwards, pixilated blood spraying from the videogame character. In a second Cyborg's sonic cannon clicked into place and he blasted Scorpion square in the chest. Cyborg watched with satisfaction as the green shrank and the red grew in Scorpion's health bar. But Cyborg's bulk didn't help him when he tried to jump or avoid the ninja's rope dart, and he knew he was at a disadvantage if he strayed too far from the combat.
Sonya had lost interest in Raven and had flitted over to hassle Beast Boy, who was still having trouble dodging Sub-Zero and landing any hits on the shifty ninja. Beast Boy was stuck in the middle as Sonya sent energy rings flying and ice came from the other side. He dropped to the floor as the two attacks collided above him, breathing a sigh of relief.
Raven was finding that Robin's martial arts training he insisted the Titans learn was being put to good use. Her energy shields blocked Raiden's electric attacks well, and she was able to attack in offense with kicks and punches. She ducked low and leg-sweeped Raiden.
Sonya darted in and Beast Boy turned into a gorilla, blocking one of her punches and a kick combo. He punched her with a powerful uppercut, sending her away.
But he forgot about Sub-Zero behind him, who had hit him with ice straight in the back. Beast Boy froze once again, before being nailed and sent flying. His bar was starting to get dangerously low.
Scorpion's health was low too, his rope spear not doing enough damage to his metal opponent. Raven was still fighting Raiden, and she ended up flying near Cyborg and Scorpion, avoiding a lightening beam.
Raiden and Scorpion switched then, Raiden's current zapping Cyborg and Scorpion's rope dart flicking out to the fleshier opponent.
Raven was distracted by the sight of Beast Boy and noticed the green was almost completely gone in his health bar. She yelled his name, knowing that it would only take one more hit before he was done. But while she was worrying about her boy, she didn't notice that her opponent had switched and the dart imbedded in her chest, blood spraying as she was violently dragged toward Scorpion, who proclaimed, "Come'ere!"
Raven swayed in front of him before he punched her and she flew limply before hitting the ground hard on her back. Blood rapidly soaked her uniform as she lay moaning.
"Raven!" Beast Boy cried. He barely dodged a kick from Sonya, and jumped over an ice ball.
Raven groaned as her health bar suddenly went back up and the hole in her chest closed. She sat up, still seeing Scorpion bouncing with his guard up, waiting for her to stand.
Beast Boy was relieved to see Raven sit up, but he couldn't afford to be distracted, his health was far too low. Sub-Zero landed another ice attack, freezing him instantly. The ruthless ninja punched him out, and before he even hit the ground Sonya zapped him right after. His power was completely drained.
Raven and Cyborg stopped fighting and cried out as "FINISH HIM!" flickered, Beast Boy swaying and wobbling before a jubilant Sonya.
"No!" Raven cried.
Sonya's lips puckered and she brought her hand up to her mouth to give her kiss of death.
Raven swirled into her soul self.
She materialized next to Sonya, her cape flapping over the character.
She disappeared again, this time depositing the pixilated woman directly in front of Control Freak, who had been watching the battle with glee and cheerleading for the MK players from the sidelines.
Control Freak's face went from a clownish grin to surprise as the ball of fire blew from Sonya's mouth. It hovered to the geeky villain, then turned into a large ball of flame that engulfed his form.
Raven snickered as the flames cleared and Control Freak was now a blackened singed mess, the remote having been destroyed.
The videogame characters flickered before turning white and zapping out of sight.
Raven flapped her cape to keep the smoke coming from Control Freak away from her as the mall security produced handcuffs to restrain the villain until the police could take him away.
Raven flew over to Beast Boy, who was now laying on the ground.
She knelt down next to him. He groaned.
"I got my ass kicked," he managed to say.
Raven smiled gently as she placed her hand over his chest, her healing powers spreading through his body.
Beast Boy then sat up in a daze, one hand on his head.
"Wow… I didn't realize how hard it would be to fight those guys in real life- Raven!!" he exclaimed suddenly, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. His hands flew forward and he clamped them over Raven's chest.
Raven's eyes instantly went wide and she smacked him across the face. "Not in public!" she growled.
"You're one to talk! Look!"
Raven looked down and peeked through Beast Boy's hands to discover that Scorpion's dart had made a rather large tear in her uniform. Part of her bra was clearly visible, her skin mottled with dried blood. She emitted a muffled squeak, her face red as she pulled her cloak securely around herself.
Beast Boy grinned. "You know, if you wanna show me that at home it would be totally awesome, but we don't need to give the whole mall a show too. The little geeky boys are drooling."
Raven glared, a hand snaking out from her cloak to smack him on the head again.
"Hey BB… Mortal Kombat's open, up for a little battling?" Cyborg grinned.
Beast Boy stared incredulously at him, his mouth wide open. "After all that?! After all the fighting and the ice and the energy thingies and blood and almost being frozen to death?! Dude! Are you insane?… HECK YES!!"
Cyborg crowed as Beast Boy jumped up and ran over the game, digging in his pocket for two quarters.
Raven stared at them with wide eyes, her cloak still firmly wrapped around herself.
She closed her eyes then and shook her head, one eyebrow quirking.
"I don't think I'll ever understand them, and I'm probably not meant to," she muttered, before glaring at a teenage boy who had come near and was leering.
"Dude… I didn't think you'd be the type to wear lace, Raven," he grinned, trying to come onto her nonchalantly.
Raven's face went blank as an arcade game suddenly came flying and smacked the kid on the back of the head, laying him out flat. She rolled her eyes as she saw that Cyborg and Beast Boy were still playing the game, cheers and exclamations coming from the two as they mashed buttons and launched their attacks at each other.
Raven shook her head again as she teleported herself home.
--
When Raven arrived, no one was in the common room or walking about. She figured Starfire had retreated to her room again, so she went to shower and change. Then she calmly prepared herself a snack and settled down with a book until the boys got home.
The two walked into the common room about an hour later, both talking excitedly.
Raven looked up and stretched.
After the flood of conversation finally stopped, Cyborg realized that the three were still the only Titans in the common room.
"Think Robin's come home yet?" Cyborg asked of no one in particular, checking the system. "Ah, he's still offline."
Beast Boy shook his head with mild disgust.
Raven's eyebrows knitted in concern. A quick scan of the tower proved his soul signature was still not present. "It's getting dark soon. Where is he going to stay if he doesn't come home?"
"Are you sure you can't find him, Rae?" Cyborg asked.
"It's complicated," Raven sighed. "Robin's learned how to keep me out of his head. He's closed down our bond. I tried to locate him before, and it's like hitting a brick wall full of hurt and anger. That's all I can sense from him. It's completely overwhelming."
"Damn," Cyborg said.
"Friend Cyborg?"
The three looked up. Starfire was standing at the door. Her teammates looked surprised but hopeful; she had come out of her room twice today. It was a start.
"Aw, hey Star."
"Robin has not returned home yet?" she asked, her bottom lip quivering.
Cyborg's eyes softened as he reached out a hand for her. "No Star, he hasn't," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Don't worry about him; he'll come back when he's ready to."
"Oh," she said sadly. She pulled out of Cyborg's embrace and looked like she was going to retreat to her room again. They could all sense this, so Cyborg quickly thought of a way to make her stay, so they could cheer her up.
"Hey, how about we have a movie night?" he suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea," Beast Boy said, nodding. "How about you pick, Star?"
Starfire looked conflicted, like she wanted to go back to her room but also did not want to disappoint her friends. Finally she nodded and walked over to the case with the Titans' movie collection. Raven noted dimly that she hadn't seen Starfire float anywhere yet.
Starfire made her selection and mutely handed it to Beast Boy. All of them held their tongues when they noticed it was a total chick flick, but in attempt to cheer Starfire up they plopped it into the dvd system.
Starfire leaned up against Cyborg, his arm comfortingly around her, and Raven and Beast Boy snuggled next to them.
She attempted not to sigh unhappily during the movie, and she even had to hold back a few tears as she watched the two lovers on screen. Perhaps a romantic comedy hadn't been the best choice.
Half way through the movie the doors to Ops slid open. The three Titans looked at each other, then at Starfire, whose eyes had gone wide and though they were still staring at the tv screen, they weren't seeing the movie anymore. Starfire slowly turned around in her seat, the other Titans fighting the urge to turn around as well.
Her body trembled when she pushed herself off the couch to stand in front of it, gazing behind the Titans. She bit her bottom lip, wringing her hands.
Robin shifted his gaze away from her for a moment, his hands clenched. Both paused, a sudden sort of tense moment passed where neither moved, neither knew exactly what to do. Robin looked back up directly into her eyes and took a couple steps towards her. Starfire hesitantly scooted around the couch and stood just behind it, the Titans now too curious and turned around to watch. Robin swiftly headed for her, scooped her up into his arms bridal style and carried her out the door, Starfire's head buried in his shoulder and neck.
Raven looked at Beast Boy and Cyborg. "Well… that's that, I guess. Hopefully they'll make up instead of fighting even more."
The two boys nodded solemnly as they turned back to the movie.
"So um, since Starfire's gone, are we… gonna turn it off?" Beast Boy asked off hand.
"Uh, if you want to B… I wasn't really watching it," Cyborg said shiftily. "Cause you know, it's not like I enjoy these kinds of movies."
"Yeah, I mean who would watch this mushy stuff? There's no blood or gore or chainsaws or anything…"
Raven remained silent, and smiled to herself when neither boy got up to turn off the movie, and both watched completely captivated until the very end.
Oh my God I am sooo sorry it took me that long to get this chapter out. Enjoy high school and college while you can kids, cause let me tell you it sucks being an adult. I've had a lot going on, just haven't had the time to write like I've wanted to and it's been killing me, honest. So yeah, hopefully it won't take me quite as long to get out the next chapter as I know we're all waiting to see Robin and Starfire make up, but we'll see.
By the way, a little Mortal Kombat nostalgia for me there, hee. It was fun. Anybody else remeber playing that on SNES?!
Next Chapter: is going to be a hard one to get through.