"Star? STARFIRE! Hey, Robo man. You seen Star lately?"

"Nope, not really. Did ya ask Raven?"

"She's doing the meditation thing, and I figured I didn't wanna die today."

"Oh...sorry, B. I haven't seen her."

"Aw man... I think she has my IPod..."
somewhere."

"Bummer."

«»«»«»

"Starfire." Super boy blinked, trying and failing to keep the surprise off his face as he stared down at the redhaired girl in the League's living room. "This is...random. Are you sure Meghan told you to come by today?" Starfire beamed her brightest smile at the clone and held up the IPod clutched in her hand. "I'm positive, Con El. Meghan lent me her music player, and now I'm coming to return it. Today. Right now." she elaborated. For emphasis, she shook it gently.

The healing scars and raw gray patches of skin didn't completely hide the confusion that flickered over Conner's expression. "Meghan..." he stumbled a bit over her name, and cleared his throat. "Meghan's not here right now." Starfire widened her already wide eyes, until they nearly swallowed her face. "Not here?" she repeated, her voice raising two octaves. "Where is she?" As if she didn't know.

Conner's mouth tightened, and a dark shadow fell over his eyes. "She's...in Metropolis. Her and the others are helping with rescue and recovery." Starfire glanced away awkwardly. "Oh." she said simply, quietly. It didn't take a genius to figure out why Conner wasn't in the city with her. The fumes from the blast must not be clear enough. A moment of tense silence fell between them.

Starfire opened her mouth to say something else, but another voice that was weary and tight with pain stopped her words. "Hello, Koriander." Superman appeared from the hallway behind Conner. He looked as bad as the clone did, maybe even worse. His usually bright blue eyes were dull and rimmed with red. His strong face was creased with lines that made the Kryptonian look twenty years older. Superman looked hunched and stooped, as if he'd been deathly sick and was struggling to get over the illness.

Starfire shrunk under the exhaustion in the older hero's gaze as her guilt attacked her anew. The tiny piece of paper in the pocket of her skirt suddenly weighed a thousand pounds. "Greetings, Superman." She held out Beast Boy's IPod quickly to avoid any questions. "I am returning Meghan's music player pod." Superman nodded tiredly. "She's out right now. Conner can take it to her room." At his name, Superboy stiffened. "No, I can't. I was on my way out."

"Where?" Superman asked sharply.

"...The Cemetery..." He looked at the floor to avoid Superman's quizzical expression. "It's her birthday." he explained, so quietly that it was almost inaudible. So much agony was in that one sentence that Starfire held in the obvious question.

"Well...I was on my way to the Watchtower." Superman sighed. "Starfire, I'm sorry. I think you should come back-"

A steak of icy panic lit up Starfire's chest. Everyone was gone! She couldn't leave now. She would never get another chance like this. "No!" she yelped. Her face blushed. "I mean...I know where her room is. I can take it there on my own." she said innocently. She kept her eyes fixed firmly on Superman while Conner's suspicious glare burned into her back. She was certain both of them could hear her heart thundering against her lungs.

Eventually, Superman nodded again. "Alright. Just be sure to arm the system when you leave. Conner will give you the codes." He turned and placed a hand on his clones shoulder, communicating a silent message. Conner said nothing, and Superman withdrew slowly. "It was nice to see you, Koriander." he said, addressing Starfire again. She tried to smile at him as he walked away and out of the mountain. Conner looked at her for half a second more. "The security code is 62390B. Just type it in before you leave. You'll have thirty seconds before the grav tubes retract and you're stuck here until someone comes back."

Starfire clasped her hands behind her back and forced a wide smile. Conner turned away and started to follow his mentor out when he suddenly stopped. "Detention is off limits." he muttered. Warm sweat broke out on the back of Starfire's neck, and her smile froze on her face. "O-of course it is."

Before the last syllable was in the air, he was gone.

«»

The hidden staircase that led down to the detention level was cool, just north of unpleasantly chilly. The only sound was Starfire's own footsteps, echoing loud and clear off of the glass and metal walls. The silence was unnerving, and she felt her courage begin to fail her the lower she descended. She carried a bowl of water and a large towel in her arms, and the water rippled with the tiny tremors crawling through her body. The cells she passed were vacant. Megan has told her that Robin was in the second to last cell, and the hallway leading to it seemed to go on forever.

When she reached the cell, she was tense and tight as a frozen rubber band. Images from her last battle with Robin played in her mind, raising goosebumps on her skin. She suddenly felt very unsure and frightened. What if he attacked her or tried to escape? Everything would be ruined then. Robin was dangerous, murdering, manipulative, uncaring..

And human. He was human, and he was hurting. He was a victim. She has to remember that. And she had to at least try.

Steeling herself, Starfire exhaled and brushed her crimson hair back from her face. She typed Megan's code into the keypad and stood back as the door opened. Her eyes and fists glowed with green energy, and her feet lifted a few centimetres off the ground in anticipation.

Nothing moved or made a sound inside. Starfire slowly drifted back down to the ground, not daring to go inside just yet. "H-hello? Robin?" The lights were off, but the smell of blood permeated the air. "Apprentice of Slade. Are you in here?"

The quiet prevailed until she began to think that she had the wrong cell. She started to turn around and leave.

"...What is this, another field trip to the bathroom?"

Her heart stopped for a split second, then burst into hard thudding like the blades of a helicopter. Her breath caught in her throat, and she peered into the cell. After a few moments, her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she saw him.

Robin was sitting with his back against the wall. His legs were stretched out in front of him, and his hands rested in his lap. His eyes were closed. Starfire cleared her throat gently and cautiously stepped forward. "Robin," she said, trying to keep her voice level and steady. "My name is Korian-"

"I know who you are." he interrupted. "You're the token alien for the Titans." Starfire blushed, but forged ahead. "Yes. I am Starfire. And I am here to help you." Robin still hadn't opened his eyes. "Are you here to spring me?"

"No..."

"That's what I thought. You're not here to help me. You're here to interrogate me." he concluded. "So let's get this out of the way now- I don't know anything, and what I do know, I'm not telling you." Starfire forced herself to take another step, bringing her deeper into the cell. "I am not here to question you."

"That's close enough, Glow Stick." he snapped suddenly, making her freeze in her tracks. His eyes were open now, and glaring at her. Even in the dark, despite her unease, Starfire was struck by their unique color. This was the first time she had seen him without his mask on. She took a deep inhale and moved sideways, reaching for the light switch. Robin flinched at the sudden illumination, but he didn't take his eyes off of her. In the sudden illumination, she could see his injuries clearly.

His bottom lip was swollen and split down the middle. Large bruises marred his pale skin. His hand hung at an unnatural angle, and he held himself as if his entire body was in pain. Dried blood streaked his clothes. Starfire sat the bowl and the rags down on the floor. "You are injured," she breathed. "I wish to help you, I swear. Please do not attack me." She continued to inch closer, like a mongoose approaching a cobra. His gaze was one of a predator, deciding whether or not to strike. She had fought him too many times- she knew that he was deadly even when hurt.

She could see the thoughts whirling in his naked eyes, but he allowed her to get closer until she was less then a foot away. Starfire sank to her knees beside him, meeting his distrustful glare. "Are you going to let me help, Robin?" she whispered. He didn't respond, but he didn't lunge at her, either, and she took that as a good sign. She reached for the bowl and a rag, wetting it. She started to lift his hand from his leg. He winced and tensed, and she stilled, hardly breathing. "If you try anything..." he warned her. She shook her head.

Robin let her pull his arm closer and start wiping at the purple and blue blots on his skin. Her touch was gentle as a feather, and her fingers danced lightly over him. She moved from his hand up his corded arm, and then to his shoulder and the joint of his neck. The rag followed the curves and dips of his lean muscles. Despite the ages old scars and markings he had, he had an extraordinary figure, toned and hardened by years of training.

When she reached his cheek, Robin closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, letting a sigh escape his mouth. She delicately scrubbed the blood from his handsome face, cleaning it out of his long black eyelashes and wiping at the cut on his full lip. The water was warm, and soon the bowl was tinted pink, but she kept going, moving to his ribs, the other side of his body, and his other arm. Starfire pulled his borrowed shirt over his head and started on his chest.

Her eyes followed the flat planes of his chest as her fingers moved over it, and she fought to keep the heat out of her face. She pulled the rag down his right side, and she leaned over his lap. His breath tickled the hair on the back of her neck. Her heart felt as if it were beating through sludge, and her chest was tight and constricted. She shivered, once, though she wasn't cold. It was warm...so, so warm...an electric tingle lingered in the air. She'd never been this close to him, or any other boy, even on her home planet.

When she was done, she tore the towel into strips and soaked them in the bowl, then began wrapping the largest bruises and his twisted wrist. His voice made her jump.

"You're not supposed to be down here, are you? Super clone told everyone else to stay away." Starfire blinked. "Do you want me to leave?" she asked.

"...No. I don't." He was quiet for a minute, and then he spoke again. "This feels..weird. No one but Wren ever did...this. For me." Starfire nodded slowly, not knowing what else to say. "I do not expect they have." she replied. "Slade does not seem to be the caring sort of mentor."

"Why are you helping me? I thought you hated me, like the rest of them do." Starfire shook her head. "I do not hate you, Robin. I feel sorry for you." Robin growled and pulled away from her slightly. "I don't remember asking for your pity." Starfire huffed and tied up his ankle. "That's not what I meant. I know that you are not truly evil. The others do not."

"You don't know anything about me." he responded. "I could kill you right now. I could throw you down and rape you. I could. I SHOULD." he sneered. Starfire looked up and met his eyes, despite the sudden fear in her gut. "Why would you do that?" The question seemed to throw him off. "Because..because it's what I've been trained to do." he said. Starfire sat up and began squeezing the wet rag over his head, massaging the water into his thick black hair. "But not because you would want to," she countered. "Because deep down, you know right from wrong. You are not like other criminals, Robin."

"Right from wrong?" he repeated in disbelief. "Yeah, I remember right and wrong. I used to know what that meant. You know, every once in a while, before I shoot somebody in the head, I stop and think- 'Robin, is this right? Or is this wrong?'" He snorted. "And then the vertebrae that Slade popped out of my back when I was eight starts twinging. And I pull the trigger." he spat. "There is no Right and Wrong. There's only Do or Die. I learned that early on. I'm not like other criminals. I'm worse."

Starfire rubbed her nails gently over his scalp. "I do not believe you." she said simply. Robin rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He dipped his head, letting her scrub the dried blood off the back of his neck. "Do you know where my sister is?" he asked suddenly. Starfire frowned. "No. I am sorry, but I do not."

"You didn't see her when you were coming here?"

"N-no." she stammered. "I did not."

He didn't believe her. It was clear in the air, even if he didn't say it. She finished washing his hair, and then stood up. She watched his pale eyes quickly scan her body, and she flushed, half in anger and half in pleasure. "Excuse me." she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Robin smirked. "That's a short skirt, Glow Stick. You didn't wear that just for me, did you?"

"No! I did not come here to try and seduce you, Robin."

"Riiiiight...so it was absolutely necessary for you to stradle me while you washed my hair?" His grin grew. "I wouldn't mind if you did. Not that it would work, though." Starfire tucked her hair behind her ear irritably. "I came to ask you for your help." His smile faded into a grim mask. "I told you-"

"I'm not telling you that you have to, and I am not making any deals with you. Nor am I trying to force you." Her expression softened. "I am asking you. Please, please talk to us, Robin. Help us." He was quiet for a long time.

"I wish I could help you."

"You can help us." Starfire told him. She gathered up the bowl and tucked it under her arm. "I will be back tomorrow to clean the rest of your wounds." Once again, Robin was stunned. "Wait-you're coming back to help me again? But I didn't tell you anything." Starfire smiled at him. "Of course. It does not matter if you never tell me a thing. I will keep helping you as much as I can."

"Why the hell would you do that? You don't get anything out of it."

"Because...it is the right thing to do."

«»«»«»

"Just gimme one more day, Crane! She's close to cracking, I swear!"

"You are trying our patience, Clown! You are out of time. If she's not talking or dead in fourty eight hours, I'm coming to get her, nothing to discuss."

"I promise, she'll either be dead or babbling. Villains honour!"