Disclaimer: I swear I do not own the show.
A/N: First of all, I want to express my gratitude to all those who have reviewed, followed and favorited this story. You guys made my day xD. All though I'm a little bit disappointed that there aren't much people who seem to be interested in this one. Well, at least, you guys have encouraged me immesurably :). Thanks for your support.
It feels like nobody else ever knew me until you knew me
Feels like nobody else ever loved me until you loved me
Feels like nobody else ever touched me until you touched me
Baby, nobody, nobody, until you
(Shayne Ward – Until you)
Normally, Raven had a lot of nightmares, even though they were all about the same thing: She helping Trigon - her father, the demon lord, to destroy the entire world. Up until now, she hardly had any different nightmares; they were just all the same, like an old movie being played over and over again in her head every time she went to bed.
However, that night, when she relaxed her aching body on the bed, readying herself for the inevitable to come, she fell into an entirely different dream.
Darkness, what Raven had grown accustomed to, was all that surrounded her. She was well aware of the fact that she was falling deeper and deeper in a bottomless dark pit. Her flying power didn't work, for no matter how hard Raven concentrated to stop the fall, she couldn't. She could not see a thing, either, all her senses went dull as if they were slowly shutting down, failing her, ignoring her command.
The only thing that let her know she wasn't dead was her telepathic power, which was surprisingly still working. She could sense the solidarity, the anger, the numbness, the agonizing pain, the emptiness, the melancholy, the sheer depression surrounding her. So strong were the emotions that Raven almost cried out from overwhelming pain - she couldn't stand so many an emotions at the same time, especially ones that strong. She was sure she would suffocate to death when a blaring alarm forced her up, covered in cold sweat.
Reluctantly, Raven reached for her communicator, just in time to see Cyborg's serious face popping up on the screen.
"Titans, troubles."
The Titans made a dash for the abandoned warehouse, where the trouble was reported to be taking place, only to be witness to an epic battle.
A boy, they couldn't know tell who exactly since his back was facing them, was fighting against a bunch of armed - to - the - teeth men. Judging from their similar outfit - all covered in black and dark orange, accompanied by a weird mask, the Titans assumed that they were all in the same organization.
The boy, it seemed, was completely on his own against the thugs. He looked quite young, but he was even more heavily armed than a fully grown military soldier. Dressing in an all - black Kevlar suit, black boots with steel - covered tops and a domino mask, he appeared to be quite intimidating, especially with his master use of varied weapons.
Nobody moved a muscle to help the stranger though, for they couldn't tell whether he was on their side or not. Hence, instead of lending him a hand, they, save for Raven, all stared in awe at the fighting scene in front of them. Despite being incredibly small, the young man was knocking down the gang members with relative ease. In fact, it seemed like he was barely making effort. He flung back and forth gracefully, but at the same time demonstrated a wicked combat ability. In no more than five minutes, he had defeated the entire gang single handedly and hardly broke a sweat.
"That was so coollll" Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air and rushed towards the winner. "Can I have your autograph?" So hasty was Beast Boy that he tripped over and fell right over the stranger.
The raven haired teenager jerked his head behind and widened his eyes. He let out a small yelp as Beast Boy flung towards him, crushing him down on the ground in the process.
"Uh sorry" The changeling sheepishly got up to his feet and offered his victim a hand, only to be brushed off by him.
"I don't need your pathetic help." He stood up on his own and dusted himself off.
"Hey, that is so rude of you; he was only trying to be friendly." Scoffed Cyborg. No matter how amazing a soldier this new one was, nobody messed up with his siblings, especially Beast Boy.
The young man's cold gaze slowly fell upon Cyborg. His stoic face was forming a grimace when Raven, who was trembling slightly, exclaimed.
"You. The kid from the other day." Raven mentally winced as her voice didn't come out as monotonous as it always had been, but rather weak and ill. She had been suffering from ill – feelings whenever she was near the kid.
"Huh, you have met him before?" Terra asked with disbelief, her finger pointed accusingly at the one in question.
"We all have." Raven huffed. "He was the one to comment about our table manners back at..."
She didn't have the chance to finish her sentence as she was cut off by Cyborg, also realizing that himself.
"I remember it. The grey - eyed one. How can I forget such a impolite person. Soooo, you are a crusade yourself too or are you playing dress - up. Cause I'm telling you kid, it ain't Halloween yet. Don't be running around in that outfit in our city."
"First of all, I have a name myself and I'm not a kid. Secondly, this city doesn't technically belong to you." The stranger crossed his arms and cocked his head to a side. "Just because you protect it, the city is not automatically yours."
"And yes, I am a hero for all that matters." There was something in the way he pronounced the word hero that made the Titans feel uneasy, though they couldn't quite put their finger on it. "I help people. Unlike you, who didn't bother to move a muscle to come to my aids."
"Who knows whether you are on our side or not." Terra snapped angrily. This shrimp was getting on her nerves. "What would have happened if it turned out that we were helping the wrong guy?"
"You are so brainless that you can't even tell who the bad guy is here? Why don't I find that surprising?" He remarked sarcastically, which did nothing but put fuel to the fire.
"What is your name anyway? Maybe it could ring a bell to us?" Offered Starfire in a friendly way. Just leave it all to her to put the fierce fire down.
"Robin." Came a blunt reply.
"Oh Robin, it's such a pleasure to meet you. I'm Starfire." The alien suddenly dashed forwards and embraced Robin in a bone - crushing hug. The other Titans couldn't help but notice how his body went stiff upon the impact. He didn't bother to hug her back, just stood there in an awkward manner. "Where are you from? What's your favorite color, food, TV shows? Do you want to be my friend? What can I do for you?"
'What's with this girl?' Robin warily thought. 'She doesn't know me yet she hugs me like a dear friend. She even seems to be completely oblivious to my rudeness.'
It took Robin a few seconds to recompose himself.
"Just moved here. Don't have one. Dark chocolate. Don't have one either. No, thanks. Stop choking me."
The Titans were rather taken aback. Everyone, including Raven, couldn't resist her hospitality, her genuine smile, her friendly aura. This boy was one of the first to actually manage to brush her off so curtly.
Starfire seemed to be astonished herself. Her eyes flattered and she let go of Robin.
"If you say so."
"So what are you here for?" Cyborg was the one to break the silence, though his harsh voice wasn't really helping the matter.
Robin sighed and lifted his arm up to activate his project computer.
"Ma… Slade. He has been growing quite restless recently, causing a lot of troubles and all. If you don't know him, here's a summary of him - he is my arch enemy and the worst of human kind. Evidently, he has laid an eye on this city, these thugs are his underlings. What you see today is only a tip of the iceberg, I don't expect you morons to understand it, but Slade is going to strike soon. He is planning something big. I can't tell what, not yet, but I'm trying to figure out. That's why I moved to this city, along with him."
He showed them various images of Slade and his goons before shutting down his computer.
"So we just need to interrogate those thugs and extract information from them, right?" Cyborg asked, trying to ignore the fact that the midget dared to call him a 'moron'.
Robin face palmed and shook his head tiredly.
"No. What is with you and using your brain? Those thugs you see are actually robots. Slade wouldn't run the risk of having his information exposed. He's a mastermind for crying out loud."
"What is with you and being nice?" Beast Boy retorted. "You always seem to be talking dirty."
Robin snorted, he was about to fire back when Slade's smooth voice rang in his earpiece. 'Just ignore them and leave. Your mission today is done.'
"Actually, I'm leaving here." Robin scowled. "Nothing here is of my concerns anymore."
"I don't hope to have the privilege to get help from mighty beings like you either." He stroke past them. "Just go back to your shiny tower and do whatever teenagers like to do."
"You talked as if you were not a teenager yourself."
Robin jerked his head around to give one last glance at the gothic, who had just made the remark. Her eyes were gleaming with... sadness?! He didn't give a reply to her question, as he was sure that Raven knew the answer too well: He was a teenager technically, but mentally, he had reached adulthood far too long ago.
"Friend Robin. Please wait." Starfire snapped out of her daze and ran after Robin. She grasped his hand tightly, as if afraid to let go.
"If you don't mind, we would like to help you bring down this Slade villain. Can we?"
For the first time since their interaction, the Titans could see some emotions other than his disapproving scowl on Robin's facial expression. Shock was plain on Robin's face, he opened his mouth only to give a barely audible answer.
"Well... I suppose some help from you wouldn't kill. Working alone can be a tiresome job sometimes."
"Oh thank you, thank you very much friend Robin." Starfire threw herself to embrace him once again. But this time, Robin was prepared, he sidestepped her easily.
"No hugs" He grumbled, putting his hands up defensively.
Starfire didn't seem to mind about being sidestepped. She smiled sweetly and offered.
"Do you have anywhere to stay? You can come to the Tower to stay with us."
It was as if Starfire had detonated a deadly boom, for the Titans broke out in extreme protests.
"What? For the love of God, are you out of your mind Star? He is a stranger, you don't know him and he is insufferably rude." Beast Boy bellowed, clutching his face in terror.
Terra wailed as well. "No Star, please tell me you haven't lost your mind yet. Let him in our Tower? No way am I gonna do that."
Cyborg too, shook his head disapprovingly "No Star, no. Hero or not, he is not to be at our place."
Apparently, Raven was the only one who didn't voice her thought. She seemed to be far too disoriented to fully comprehend what Starfire had proposed.
"See? Your friends don't like me!" Robin stated matter - of - factly, he rubbed his wrist where Starfire had grasped him and slightly winced. "I won't be welcomed there."
"You can't judge a person by first impression right? I'm not judging you and I genuinely like you. I want to be your friend." Starfire locked her eyes with his and said, almost pleadingly.
Robin stared at Starfire in shock, his mouth agape. He couldn't possibly believe that this girl was actually proposing to be his friend. The look in her eyes told him that she was being truthful. For a few seconds, he felt like he was actually falling for her. Her emerald eyes were staring straight into his very soul. Robin turned his head away, feeling ashamed – he was deceiving them, he was deceiving HER. He tried to pull himself back together, knowing that Master Slade wouldn't be pleased, he must be monitoring him back at the Haunt.
Robin tried to level the complex and strange feelings that were arising in his chest. He drowned the seemingly overwhelming emotions in the darkness of his soul and was pleased to note that they were slowly getting dulled.
"I need no friends. Friends are only for the sentimental fools." Robin stated coldly and walked away, leaving a heartbroken princess behind. Calm and indifferent as he outwardly appeared to be, actually, Robin was mildly baffled with Starfire's behavior on the inside.
'How could see have such faith in me when she knows next to nothing about me? How can that girl manage to have such undying joy, such undying faith? How could she possibly do that?'
Starfire spent the next few days sitting on the rooftop and staring at the vast expanse of the bluish sky, thinking of Robin. She had yet to meet such a strange boy. She could sense that he was in dire need of a company. Of course she noticed that he was blunt and impolite, but she could feel the loneliness, the pain on his expressionless face. Starfire closed her eyes and thought of Robin, of how solitary he appeared to be. It hurt her to think how someone that young can have such a bitter attitude.
Being the positive person as she was, Starfire was sure that he was just putting up a strong face and she could tear down his cold mask once she got to know him more.
Starfire couldn't explain it, but she genuinely like Robin. She really meant it when she said she wanted them to be friends. Her heart ached for him.
She knew that her friends didn't like Robin - they didn't bother to hide their distaste for him. Notwithstanding, she secretly made a vow to herself that one day, she would become his best friend, one day, she would make him smile.
And Starfire couldn't wait to see Robin's smile. She knew that it would be a beautiful one.
When Robin reached the Haunt, his Master had already been waiting for him. Slade was sitting on his throne, staring at the little boy with an almost bored expression. Robin kneeled down and bowled respectfully.
"Master" He addressed Slade in his signature monotonous tone.
"You have done quite a good job" Slade stood up and started circling around his apprentice like a shark around its prey. "You have my praise."
"However," Upon hearing this, Robin's body tensed visibly, he went stiff, waiting for the inevitable blow. Slade slammed his fist at his head, knocking him down cold. "You are not supposed to be falling for your prey."
Robin shakily got up by his elbows, only to receive a harsh kick to his gut.
"Are you having pity for her? Are you feeling sorry that you're gonna finish her off? Are you becoming one of those pathetically sentimental scums?"
Slade continued to viciously kick his poor apprentice, sending him across the room. Robin felt the impact of his body colliding with the cold, hard wall. He had grown accustom to Slade's beatings, they weren't as bad as they used to be years ago. However, he could feel himself ache all over already. He must have broken a rib or two – Slade's kicks were always powerful, especially when he was wearing steel boots.
"M – Mas..Master" Robin breathed out heavily, spitting out the blood in his mouth.
"What? Do you have anything to say dear apprentice?" Robin winced slightly as he felt his hair harshly grasped by Master. He could feel the hot breath tickling at his neck.
"You ha… have my apology. I swear I won't fail this time." He gulped. A few moments passed and Slade released his grip.
"Good. Don't forget to fulfill your promise." Slade stomped his heavy feet on the small figure's head mercilessly.
"Remember. When the time comes, you will be the one to finish those Titans. Don't get too emotional with them. Like I have taught you, emotions are hindrance to the ultimate success. Now go and change your clothes. You have an one – hour break."
With that, Slade stroke out of the room, leaving a beaten, defeated Robin behind. He tiredly rolled on his back, facing the cold, emotionless ceiling.
'What I am thinking? My mission is to exploit the Titans, use them and then terminate them. It's just another normal, typical mission. Why does it bother me so much?'
Robin stared at his hands, the hands that had been stained with blood of countless people, innocent and guilty alike. His first kill was Tony Zucco, the one that was responsible for his parents' murder, for his being here with this horrid villain, for his becoming villain. Robin despised himself, what's the difference between him and the one he killed years ago now, really? He was disgusting, a filthy being.
Robin hated himself for the joy that went through him every single time he killed, every single time he committed crimes. He had truly become like Slade and to some extent, he was seeing the world in Slade's own twisted way.
For a split second, Robin wished that he could be with Starfire, the girl with such joyous manner, the girl who had made him feel warm after such a long time living in darkness.
But, as soon as the idea came, Robin diminished it, scowling at himself for being so emotional. Slade was right, after all what was the point in getting too involved with the people you were about to kill? He would be the one to finish those pathetic lives.
Robin silently made a vow to never fail his Master again. He would succeed; he would show the world how vulnerable the Titans truly are.
That night, when he fell asleep, all Robin could see was the image of himself sinking deeper and deeper into the blood of the Tamaranian princess, who was lying dead on the ground.
A/N: Uhmmm... review?