Chapter 2

Starfire stood on top of Titans Tower looking out at the sunrise. If she was going to find him she had to do so without delay. He was the only family she had left, and Ryand´r needed to know how important he was to her. And that she hadn't forgotten him.

"Star?" someone said behind her. She recognized that deep, yet reassuring voice all too well.

"Robin, you´re awake early" she said smiling warmly.

"I could say the same to you. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine. I just…wished to see the sunrise. It's beautiful isn't it?" she asked, he smiled, placing his arm around her shoulders.

"Most amazing thing I´ve ever seen", he said.

"Robin, I hope you don't mind. I-I think I'll have to leave for a few days" Starfire said, twirling a strand of bright red hair around her finger. Her aspect had changed a great deal during the last couple of months. She let her bangs grow and combed them to one side. She had also learned to curl the ends of her hair thanks to Cyborg and BeastBoy, who thought it´d be fun to visit a hair salon. Cyborg had worn a black, curly-haired wig for the rest of that week. BeastBoy got highlights. And Starfire had absolutely loved the way her boyfriend reacted upon her ´makeover´.

"A few days? How so?" he gazed at her doubtfully. Even through his mask, she could feel how intense his stare was,

"It's nothing important, I just wish to visit Tamaran", Robin remained quiet for a moment.

"Can't this trip wait? Star I don't mean to be insensitive but I don't think this is such a good time. We have a new enemy landing attacks and not a single lead. We´ll need all the help we can get", Robin put on a strong front for his team, but he was worried that Slade could be behind this once again, especially since BeastBoy started seeing Terra again. And apparently, she didn't remember a thing, or at least that´s what she claimed. If that was the case, slade was only his enemy and this time he wouldn't allow any of his friends to get hurt. Many of the honorary titans felt they were facing the same enemy, but strangely, no one knew who it was. Why would slade face off against all of them? When he really just wanted him? They knew him well, this was the same tactic he always used. Well it wouldn't work this time! Whether he had allied up with Terra, or trigon, or whoever, his friends would be kept safe!

"You don't understand. I must do this, there is something personal I must speak of to Galfore and it cannot wait",

"Then we´ll go with you. You may need our help in case anything-"

"No! I-I mean I…I´ll be fine. Tamaran is my home. The team must stay here, in case there is trouble",

He turned to face her, abruptly.

"Starfire, what is this about? You´ve been acting strange during the last couple of days, this isn't like you. We´re not only a couple, we´re a team. And we´ll always have each other's back"

She smiled and gave him a tight hug which he gladly returned.

"Like I told you, I´m fine. I simply wish to go alone", Robin nodded.

"Fine, I´ll let the others know. Take the communicator with you. We´ll let you know if anything comes up".

"I´ll be here right away should there be an emergency",

She didn't want to involve her friends. Not yet at least. Her purpose in going to Tamaran was to find out from Galfore where her brother was sent. But if that failed, there was only one other person who could possibly know. The one who had been there to watch her brother be sent away. Blackfire. Of course Blackfire was in prison, and Starfire was naïve but not ignorant. She knew her sister wouldn't give away such valuable information without asking for something in return. Being freed, for example.

She turned around ready to head back inside.

"The others have probably awaken by now, we should join them", she said, not wanting to give her boyfriend and leader a chance to question her any further.

"Hey", he said, grabbing hold of her wrist. He pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. It had been months and she still found it hard to believe that this was real.

Blackfire sat in her cell, recalling the events that got her here in the first place. It wasn't fair. She was the older sister, the right to rule Tamaran, by law should've been hers. But no, Koriand´r had to get in the way. Blackfire had always been the favorite, but Kory was always around to annoy her. Sure she´d felt some sort of affection towards her along the road. They were sisters. But Blackfire never entirely got over the fact that Kory had stolen something that was hers. Her place in line for the throne, her right to govern one of the most powerful planets in their galaxy and universe. The tamaranians were one of the strongest species in the universe. She could've formed the strongest army if she´d been allowed to. An army so indestructible that not even the gordadians would stand a chance. But no.

And when she arrived on Earth. She had been so impressed with the life Koriand´r was living. A life so different from the one she´d had on Tamaran. She was part of a team, she had friends, a luxurious home. And of course, there was Robin. She could see from the start that her little sister had fallen in love. And she couldn't blame her. Robin had appealed to her as well, he was very attractive and strong. A true leader inside and out, well known amongst other warriors, not to mention a good dancer…

But even when they both fell for the same guy, even though Blackfire was older, more experienced, more amusing….Kory had to come out on top. Always the winner. And secretly, Blackfire was envious.

"Prisoner! Someone´s come to see you!" the guard yelled, coming to her cell.

"Well, what a coincidence. I was just thinking about you. Miss me, already?"

"Not exactly. I haven't come here for you" her sister said coldly.

"Wish I could say the same. But unlike you, I am here because of you!" Blackfire spat.

"No. I didn't put you in this prison Koman´dr, your actions did!" she yelled back.

"Nobody asked for your opinion. What do you want?!"

"I´ve come here for Ryand´r". Blackfire stared at her quizzically.

"Ryand´r…? So you came this far for him?" she raged.

"Yes, and I must know where he is. You must know something about him",

"What makes you think so?! And even if I did, after putting me in here, what makes you think I´d tell you?" she asked, cynically.

"Don't you care about our brother one bit? Don't you care if he´s alone or in danger? Or perhaps-"

"Tell me something Kory, where are your friends? Funny seeing you here all alone" Blackfire said to her, a smile on her face.

"Did they grow tired of you, already? Is that why you're so interested in Ryan now?"

"Absolutely not! Ryan is my brother and if I didn't search for him earlier it was only because the time was not right! My friends and I have been fighting enemy after enemy for a long time! We spent months away from our home. I couldn't search for him in those conditions. No matter how much I´ve missed him", she said.

"Whatever makes you feel better, hun. Anyway, I don't have a clue as to where he is. Last time I saw him was over two years ago. He could be anywhere by now"

"Where?" she asked again. Blackfire remained silent,

"Blackfire, if you´re truly sorry for everything you´ve done, than tell me!"

"Who said I was sorry? The only thing I regret was trying to help you! Marrying that sklerch would've been the best decision you could have made!"

"You´re out of your mind!"

"Ladies, your time is running short!" the guard called over their bickering.

"Good because this conversation is over" Blackfire said firmly.

"I will find him. With or without your help" Starfire said turning her back.

"The Omega men" she called out. Starfire stopped abruptly and turned to look at her once more. It was hard to tell whether or not she was telling the truth by just looking into her eyes.

"Thank you", she said quietly, never the less. Even if it wasn't true, at least she had something. She realized just how desperate she was to see her brother when even a possible lie gave her hope.

She turned and left the prison. Omega men…she had never heard of that name on Tamaran, or in any part of the vegan system to be exact. Who were they? Maybe Galfor knew? But it was very unlikely. She had already spoken to him before visiting her sister and not even he knew the exact location of her bother. All he knew was that Ryan had been sent away to be kept safe from their enemies. And her parents greatly feared that if too many people knew of his whereabouts, he would perish. And so without her parents around, and without the trusted soldiers who were in charge of sending him away, no one else seemed to know a thing.

At some point, she was no longer flying toward the Earth, but rather letting herself drift, lost in thought. What would she tell her friends when they saw her poor emotional state? If there was one thing about being a Tamaranian she disliked, was the low ability to hide her feelings. She´d have to come up with something and stay strong. She couldn't lose hope. She owed him that much.

Starfire slowly entered the Earth´s atmosphere, and picked up speed, heading back home. She could already see the tower from high above. As she landed, she thought of her name, Koriand´r…it had been so long since anyone called her by that name. Only Galfore and her siblings did so. Kory….

Maybe it was time to let her friends know a little more about her. She had a strange sense of homesickness upon returning. Which really was unusual since she now considered Earth to be her home.

"Look who´s come to join the party!" she heard a female´s voice say, it was Jinx. She had her arm around Flash´s neck, casually.

"Hey Starfire, back already?" Cyborg called. As she entered their spacious lounge she realized they had even more company than expected.

"Yes…I am" she answered with a small smile.

"You´re just in time, we were just about to begin training" Robin told her.

"Long time no see" Aqualad said smiling at her. He was handsome, it was no wonder Raven liked him so much. There was quite a group of honorary titans present, including Jinx, Flash and Hot spot.

"I thought you said you´d be out for a few days? Did you have to escape another wedding?" BeastBoy asked, to which Raven elbowed him in the ribs.

"What?! What´d I say?!" he said glaring at her. Raven rolled her eyes.

"What wedding is he talking about?" Speedy whispered to Cyborg.

"So, is everything okay?" Raven asked. Something was strange. Raven had the ability to sense emotions and fear. But something odd was radiating from the redheaded titan. Something completely unfamiliar and different from her usual, excessively cheerful vibe.

"It is fine, I trust you´ve had no troubles during this time?" she continued. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see hot spot and the twins (Mas and Menos) arguing over something they´d found in the fridge.

"Not at all, the city seems pretty calm for a change", Cyborg answered.

"Yeah, it's almost scary", BumbleBee said, "Which is why we can't miss out on this afternoon´s training session",

"Yeah, a few of the Titans came over for some extra tips. Someone out there is trying to mess with our heads and we´ve gotta be prepared" Cyborg added.

"Well, someone broke into our tower, specifically our database. Nothing was stolen, but that only makes it worse. Whoever it is, they're not after something, but someone", Aqualad explained.

"Some of us have been followed around too. What if we´re missing something here? What if it's the same person?" Flash said, annoyed.

"Seems like something slade would do…" Robin said, looking away.

"I really don't think this has anything to do with Slade, man. According to the research we´ve done, they didn't just break into your database, they´ve been downloading files too, but not just any files" Cyborg said.

"Do you think you can track those archives down?" Aqualad asked.

"Probably. But it's going to take a lot of work", he told them.

"Well whoever it is, it looks like he´s trying to study us first" Raven said.

"In the meantime, like Cyborg said, we have to be ready", Robin said.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Time to kick some butt!" BeastBoy called, racing Flash to the enormous training room on the next floor. Starfire followed behind everyone else quietly. She was in no mood for this. In fact, she didn't recognize herself. She didn't know what mood she was in.

"Ma´am, how may we assist you?" the guard asked. The tall woman looked around, making sure there was no one else.

"There´s a prisoner of my interest", she said shrewdly.

The guard stared at her doubtfully for a moment but said nothing. The prisoners of this world didn't usually receive visitors. It was very uncommon. Two visitors in a single day was strange. He looked through his files.

"Name" he said dryly.

"She goes by the name of Blackfire" she answered. He looked up from the register. Two visitors…for the same prisoner?

"She´s here. You only have thirty minutes, ma´am", he instructed.

"Thirty minutes is all I need", she said, smiling.

"This way please". The guard led her silently down a corridor with gates of steel running on both sides, containing the worst of criminals. They reached an entrance, nearly at the end of the passageway. Rouge observed her carefully.

A tall, young girl, probably in her late teen years. Sleek black hair and dark, shadowy eyes. She was beautiful, much like her younger sister.

"Starfire, don't tell me you-" she began, but stopped abruptly when she saw who it was.

"Who are you and what do you want?" she asked, menacingly. Rouge smirked.

"You´re a tough one, I see",

"I don't warm up to strangers. I don't know you",

"No, you don't. We´ve never had the pleasure. You must be Blackfire, I´m Madam Rouge"

"Why are you here? What do you want?" Blackfire demanded, still defensive.

"Open the gate", Rouge ordered the guard.

"Ma´am it could be dangerous-"

"I said open it!" she demanded. "This won't take long. And I´m sure the prisoner won't hurt me once she hears what I have to say",

Blackfire eyed her, cautiously. Rouge entered and sat on the bench on the far end of the cell.

"I´ve been…investigating my enemies for quite some time. And I came across your identity during my research",

"Your enemies?"

"The Teen titans. I happen to know you´re very familiar with them. Or better yet, one of them in particular",

"It was my sister who locked me in here, along with her idiot friends" she said, glaring at the gates of her prison.

"And wouldn't you like your shot at revenge?" she asked, Blackfire turned to face her immediately.

"Be as it may, Starfire is your sister. And you must know her better than anyone. Better than any research I can do. You know her strengths and her weaknesses. Who better than you to help me defeat them?" she mused.

"You´re right. I know her inside and out. But why Starfire? Why choose her? Why not take their leader down first?" she asked.

"Some believe it is better to go after the leader. I disagree. Robin is incredibly strong and intelligent. But that strength doesn't originate from just him. It also comes from his friends. And it´s come to my attention that you´re sister also possesses an incredible power. But what makes all of this so much better, is that the leader of the Titans has a great deal of affection towards your little sister. She seems to be very meaningful to Robin. So that is where I shall attack first", Rouge explained.

Blackfire arched her eyebrows. Whoever this woman was, she was definitely smart. She had every move calculated.

"So, can I count on you?"

Blackfire smiled.

"Of course. But you´ll have to do something for me in exchange",

"No need to ask" she said, attacking the guard suddenly. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

"That's more like it. Now if you want to take my sister down, here is what you need to do", she began. They heard footsteps moving in their direction.

"But first, let's get out of here", Rouge told her, ready to fight the guards that would come.

The Titans trained all afternoon long. They paired up and battled in teams and individually, learning plenty of new techniques from each other. Hotspot was up against Jinx.

"So Raven, think you can give me some pointers?" Aqualad asked her. Raven blushed and tried the best she could to hide it.

Starfire couldn't help laughing loudly as Mas and Menos recited a poem in Spanish, despite knowing that she couldn't understand a word.

"Yo Robin, can I talk to you for a minute?" Cyborg called.

"Yeah, great job guys" he called out before walking over to Cyborg,

"What is it?"

"Man, this isn't just any common nemesis. He has plenty of information" he whispered, worriedly. Robin was almost afraid to ask,

"Information on what exactly?"

"Well…."

"Say it Cyborg! Information on what?" he whispered, anxiously. Cyborg looked toward the other titans.

"At first, he was picking up information on all of us, but suddenly, he directed his investigation toward a single person",

Robin arched his brows, expectantly,

"Starfire"