Author's Note: Good morning, friends of fanfiction! First, I would love to thank you for reading. The reviews and the feedback mean so much to me-in fact, this site has taught me something: I would absolutely love to be an author one day! But hey? That's in the future, right? Anyway, for the present: please enjoy this story! Once again, thank you!

Part 2: Starfire's Arc: To Be a Heroine

"I have been most patient with you and I will ask you once more! Give us the way to Tamaran!"

"You're insane if you think I will voluntarily give you information!"

"Look at you… Pathetic…A princess charged with theft…"

"What's it to you?"

"It's everything to me… They neglect you… they banish you-"

"Quiet!"

"They prefer your sister over you-"

"Stop it!"

"And you are loyal to them?"

"I am not loyal to any of them!"

"Then why not strike revenge and lead Earth?"

"There is no way I would help sick Earthlings LIKE YOU!"

"Easy… Too much exerted energy and your bonds might petrify you once more. I rather have your well-being, princess."

"Stop calling me princess. That's Starfire… Not me."

"Yes, let's talk about your sister…"

"I hate you!"

"Hate is a very strong word. I like to think of us as partners… Now, this Starfire… How is your relationship with her?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"Defiant, you are. I'd rather that in the army. However, Princess Blackfire, I need answers not threats. Please cooperate or I will have no choice but to initiate another one of our accidents."

Blackfire hung her head in silence, her arms bonded to the chair that Mad Mod had lent to the President. By red beams that expelled her starbolts, her fists were smashed to the rims of the wooden chair, its lick of splinters severing her wrists that cried out, fizzing with a searing pain. From the solar band that constricted her temples from laser vision, sweat seeped down to her chest and kissed the ground next to her feet, bonded in heavy shackles. Alongside her rosy eyes, her mind resonated upon the marble floor. She whispered gently, on the verge of defeat.

"…you'll never win…"

"I'm sorry… What was that?"

"YOU. WILL. NOT. WIN!"

"Tamaraneans will stop us?"

"Starfire will stop you!"

"Doctors, bring in the chloroform... then we will have our chat princess"

Doctor exploded into the white washed room where Blackfire hunched over, heaving in her breaths defiantly. With a dramatic swing of the chair, the princess felt the cold bite and gnawing of the marble floor. The prick in her neck, her last sight was of doctors, cuffed in white face masks, their clammy hands tweaking away at her—the pain suppressed her forced her into a sleep... the rest faded away.

"…starfire…"

"…starfire…" His voice was solemn, scared like she. Robin stroked his hand tenderly across the heap of ash, a knee to floor in honor of the bravery of his best friend—no. He corrected himself, scanning the room of festooning pinks and purples he found so warm. He thought of her, and the peace that came with it. He caressed the photograph he pocketed, letting the memories of her spawn:

"And now for the junior prom king and queen: Robin and Starfire!"

They looked to each other with the same expression: 'We don't even go here.'

"Eh, I guess one more dance won't kill me." He latched onto her wrist and gently swung her onto the dance floor.

"Oh, Robin? I do not know the earthly 'moves.'"

"Here, let me show you." He beamed back at her, took her gentle hand and gracefully placed it upon his shoulder. "See. Now, I hold your other hand like this." Blushing, he wrapped her hand in his, then gentlemanly placed a hand upon her waist.

"Now, you just let the music carry us around in circles, I guess."

*SNAP!*

Beast Boy and Cyborg hunched maliciously behind a camera.

It was a candid shot-a Robin and a Starfire beaming brightly at each other, mid twirl in dance. He remembered the heat brushing across his face and yet, the camera caught it. By the spurts of flashbacks that sang within his mind, a sprouting peak of a smile appeared across the boy's face. He released the photo back into his pocket, cupped the dust, and found himself spelling her name. He shook his head, ashamed of himself. With another memory of her, a voice, beautiful and soft, riddled into his mind:

"I know what is right, now, Robin. Perhaps, I can stop this somehow."

With the pass of a moment, the empty room returned the solemnness and with a deep breath, he pushed himself to rise.

"…starfire, what is right for me? I don't know what I'm supposed to do now…"

To depart alongside her, her family would have done on a heartbeat. But, they questioned their involvement and position in this war—the thing happening was the first to break them from her… him from her. In the midst, they could not risk assuming alliances. With imense masses of hatred swelling to consume Earth and Tamaran, alliances and treaties would not quell this war. The Titans all prayed that a Shooting Star could.

By now, the sliver of light, highlighting the thin line upon the horizon that once beamed with iridescence, had sunken into a deep blue. The team watched it fall in silence. They feared that an alert would sound to call them back into their professions. After battling for years as a team of five, there was no way they could win… especially now. There was likely to be no criminal activity though. With the recruiting of 'super-beings,' all supered-criminals were either of the army or in hiding. Although they were excused from the reaping, the Titans wanted to hide too—but something inside them would not permit them to do so. Call it hero-ship, perhaps: five years ago, they vowed to be the guardians of Jump City. To Robin's confusion, a duty called them elsewhere. A duty or a princess he questioned himself

That night, there was no argument over meat or tofu. There was no shouting over the game station or death threats tossed by an annoyed empath. Instead, the Titans—or what remained—lied upon the roof top in honor of their friend, gazing into the arms of the heavens where peace twinkled in balls of starlight. For she had loved to stargaze. To her? The stars were messengers of the sky, reminding her of another home waiting for her return. Sometimes a Titan would catch her dancing in the moonlight, each twirl repelling the weight of the world placed upon their shoulders daily. The joy they felt would vibrate from her and inspire everyone else to be the same. With her gone—it was obvious: they were broken: a shattered mirror with her one integral piece missing.

The stars were beaming brightly that night and the team could not help but to marvel in the fragments of kissing light. To Robin, they seemed to map out the path Starfire took to her home planet. The heavens brushed her fingers across the sky, painting milky trails intercepted by the flashing lights of Jump's planes. The moon lied upon her stomach, beaming with all the light she could produce with a missing sliver— like the Titans themselves.

A voice broke the silence between the four others, star gazing in the blanketing warmth of the summer heat.

The green boy hushed his tone in respect for the moment, "Where do you think she is guys?"

The other three gazed into the sky that swirled with sparkles, moonlight, and falling stars that shot every now and then.

"Look at this massive sky. She could be anywhere." Cyborg added.

Raven lifted a voice, "We can see where she was. Maybe were she is now too."

"After all," to the other's shock, the additional voice was channeled by their leader, they prompt up in relief, brokenhearted he was, they knew. "Earth and Tamaran share one sky—she's closer than we think."

It was quiet a moment more; however, Cyborg and Beast Boy encouraged themselves to press further into the mind of the Boy Wonder—Raven had already known the emotions the boy felt, patiently waiting for the moment he was ready to speak with his friends.
Beast Boy was first, "Robin?" It was too late for a retreat: the Boy Wonder glanced to his friend, "So… what's our plan?"

Robin prompted back up, staring into his palms, gathering his thoughts and words which seemed to slip through his fingers. "You guys won't like it."

Cyborg inched closer, clasping a firm hand on his friend's back. "If it means helpin' Starfire, we're in."

Robin took a deep breath, channeling few words from the pool flooding his mind. His voice steady, "We need to bend the rules."

Beast Boy looked to him confused, "Uh, what was that?"

"We need to bend these rules... We need to bend these rules team!" His voice escalated back to Robin's. "To hell with the UFE! To hell with the Tamaranean forces! To hell with this war that keeps us here and so… so helpless! Our friend is risking her life to stop this, so why shouldn't we? Titans, she needs us and more importantly, we, as people of Earth and… and her friends… we need her. There is no way I can just sit around and hope for the best." He rose to his feet heroically, reaping back his leadership. "Super-powered or not, I need to get to Tamaran! I need to find her! I need to help her! I-I"

"What's with the 'I's' dude?" Beast Boy stood to meet him.

Raven levitated into a stance, "Robin, we're all going after her."

Cyborg leapt up, gave a 'booyah,' and lassoed his arms around the family, and pulled them into a crushing group hug despite their grunts and gasps. "Well alright! The Titans are back!"

"What's the first step?" Her fists fasted, Raven's eyes locked onto the leader.

Beast Boy stepped in, "If we shoot into outer space, we are rebels and enemies of the UFE…" a malicious smirk appeared across his cheeks, "I say we take things into our own hands and leave as quick as possible."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Beast Boy. Cyborg!" Robin spun to address him, "How fast can you activate the T-Ship?"

"On your command, Captain!"

The world centered upon the five, who smirked along with their leader. He drew up his stance, shouting over the bay, "TITANS GO!"