A/N: Last weekend was incredibly busy, but thanks to Memorial Day, this one is not. Because of this, who's ready for another chapter of "Firelight"? I love writing this story so much! Whenever I have to go longer than a week without updating, it feels like forever! Of course, because I'm preparing for my second internship, going to college during summer this year, and am very close to the end of my Associate's Degree, life has been a bit busier than usual. Then again, considering how I'm working for a couple of years and then going back to school for my Bachelor's Degree, life isn't about to get any less busy. So if I ever have to go a large span of time without updating, please bare with me. I have other stuff to do besides write, so even with as much as I love writing "Firelight", it isn't always my first priority.

Also, as a quick note, this is the final chapter of Part One. Don't worry, though, because Part Two is still going to be part of this same book. I'm not publishing an entire other story for Part Two. That makes it too complicated even for me! So, even if this is the last chapter of Part One, never fear because Part Two is absolutely going to remain in the same book as "Firelight". I just thought that I would say that to help ease any confusion. If you're interested, I will explain why I'm ending Part One after this chapter in the second author's note. For now, enjoy the story! :)

(Note: Before the end of the chapter, you should probably listen to "On My Own" by Ashes Remain. If you've never heard the song before, then it would be beneficial to you.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, nor do I own any of the songs I use in this story.

Part I: Inception: Chapter Ten

The coastline for this strange yet beautiful place is practically endless, obsidian sand, fuchsia sky, and blue ocean stretching on forever. Damiana stands ankle deep in the sapphire water, the hem of her royal blue dress getting soaked. Of course, the girl doesn't care much about the dress right now. Her only focus is on the man bearing the crescent-shaped scar who walks alongside her. At some point his Dabnodian armor transformed into a dark green tunic and black pants, making him appear similar to an older, scar-faced version of Saeran. Her brother always did take after their father.

Damiana's father wades ankle-deep in the ocean as well. The cuffs of his black pants are getting wet, but similar to his daughter, the man doesn't care. His hair is bright gold and his eyes glimmer amber, the girl's features matching his exactly. As they wade through the ocean side-by-side, the two chatter away joyfully. After nine years of what was considered a permanent separation, catching up with one another is truly the happiest of occasions.

"So that's the planet you ended up on, huh? Earth. That honestly doesn't surprise me, knowing my Dami girl. You always were fascinated with that planet."

Nodding, Damiana responds to her father's comment. "Now that I think about it, I guess that's true. When I was a little girl, I loved the books you brought home from that mission Queen Guayusa sent you on. The fact that there were so many stories, languages, and different types of people on the same planet was interesting to me. Humans don't wield elements either, and they only have one heart. They have a lot less to work with than Dabnodians, and still they're able to do so much."

Looking at his daughter, the man with the crescent-shaped scar smiles. "I have to agree with you there, Damiana. Humans don't have near the capacity for languages that Dabnodians possess, they can't control the elements, and they only have one heart to depend on. Yet, humans get so much accomplished. They've built up their civilizations, managed to abolish monarchies, birthed anywhere from hundreds to thousands of languages, and have thousands of individualized cultures; all that on a planet half the size of Dabnod." Scoffing, he adds, "And what did our planet accomplish in ten million years? Fifteen provinces, a single culture, and a tyrannical monarchy."

Damiana nibbles her lower lip in apprehension, her hair fading from bright gold to a dull copper color. "Nobody else on Dabnod thought so, but humans really are an incredible race. That's why Earth is still around, and Dabnod is gone."

Her eyes, which were previously amber, fade to a shade of stormy gray. Noticing Damiana's change in demeanor, his eyes as well as his hair shifts to gray mixed with brown. Moving a few steps closer to his daughter, the man rests a large comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to keep your defenses up around me, child. It must be hard, pretending to be something you're not for all this time. Walking a foreign planet with dyed hair, false-colored eyes, unable to get close to anyone. The whole time the only emotion you feel is fear, wanting to get close to people, but terrified that they won't accept you."

Damiana doesn't know how he did it, but her father's words struck her deep. Somehow it's like he took his all-knowing, fatherly, eyes, and gazed straight into the recesses of her heart. In the five years since Dabnod's destruction, not a single person has ever been able to look past the amount of strength she possesses to see the fear buried underneath. It is because of this that copper curls turn to gray streaked with forest green. Nonetheless, the girl doesn't respond and her father continues.

"Dabnodians aren't supposed to hide, you know. Dabnodians are a proud race who love to feel, love to make bonds, and love to express themselves. Why do you think our hair and eyes change color? It's how we tell things to others without speaking." Pausing slightly, he adds with a soft smile, "If you run into the right group of humans, Damiana, I bet they'll love to make your hair and eyes change color. These will be the same people who learn to read those colors. That can be part of their bond with you."

Lips quivering slightly, Damiana lifts her face to meet her father's gaze. Stormy gray eyes filling with salty liquid, she responds to him at last. What she says causes her father to raise a brow.

"Daddy, this is going to sound like an odd question, but can you say my name again? Please?"

His hair staying the same, but his eyes shifting to green, he states simply, "Damiana."

Sighing in contentment, the girl gives a smile in spite of her emotions. "Thank you, Daddy. I'm sorry. It has just been so long since somebody has said it besides me." Wiping away a tear, she confesses, "I've been going by Leila for so long now, I almost forgot what my real name sounds like."

Frowning slightly, the man's hair gains some green to it as well. "I still can't believe that you changed your name, Dami girl. Why would you do that? 'Damiana' is such a beautiful name."

Gray and green vanishing, Damiana's hair turns back to copper as she explains. "I really didn't want to change it. I wanted to keep my name more than anything! It's just that…when you're trying to be human…clinging to your Dabnodian name makes it very hard to pretend. Not only that, but 'Damiana' sounds odd to humans; and don't even get me started on my name's direct translation… Translated directly to English, my name practically screams 'I'm an alien'!"

For some reason, the man gives a soft chuckle at his daughter's explanation. "The direct translation of your name might sound out of place on Earth, but 'Damiana' is still just as lovely in English as it is in Dabnodian." Pausing, the man adds in amusement, "At least your name translates better than your brother's. In Dabnodian, the name 'Saeran' is fitting for the toughest of warriors. In English, however, 'Saeran' can be translated as 'Ice Monkey'. During my time on Earth, it became obvious that having a son named 'Ice Monkey' isn't considered masculine."

Damiana, too, gives a laugh as her hair lightens from dull to bright copper. "Okay, I guess what you're saying is true. My name doesn't sound as bad as Saeran's." Head drooping slightly, she adds, "My name still isn't normal by Earth standards, though. 'Damiana' sounds strange enough to humans, and I'm not even willing to introduce myself as that. When translated, 'Damiana' turns into 'Firelight'. By no means would 'Firelight' ever be normal."

Her father's smile never vanishes. "I don't think that's true. Under the right circumstances, your English name could be perfect. Don't you think so, Firelight?"

Shaking her head, Damiana gives a chuckle. She doesn't know when it happened, but at some point gray and copper disappeared completely. Now, as usual when her features are natural, the girl's hair is rose red and her eyes are soft pink. The whole time she responds with light sarcasm.

"Sure, Daddy. I can definitely make Firelight work. I will ask Brittney if I can borrow some of her clothes, put bright-colored streaks in with the brown, and become America's next pop sensation."

Having no idea what she's talking about, her father looks at her in confusion. "Brittney? Who is this Brittney?"

Shrugging, she explains. "Oh, Brittney isn't anybody important. I have a job singing at a café in a place called Steel City, and she is one of the regulars who always shows up. To put simply, Brittney is blonde, loud, likes to show herself off, and enjoys attention." Frowning harshly, she adds, "I never have liked her, but as of recently, I really don't like her. If she and her friends hadn't been clinging to Speedy, then I wouldn't have been forced to meet him and the rest of the Titans East."

All of the sudden, understanding flashes in her father's eyes which have just turned amber. "Oh, the Titans East! I'm not aware of Brittney or of this café you work at, but I am aware of them. It's only after your involvement with the Titans East that I was finally able to locate you. Before that I couldn't contact you worth anything, and I didn't know if you were alive somewhere, trapped in limbo, or if your soul got lost. It's like there was some kind of intense, negative, emotion that kept me blocked."

Confused, Damiana gapes at him. "Blocked? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I couldn't find you. It's like you were nonexistent. Whatever the Titans East did to unblock you from me, I thank them." Pausing, he continues while patting Damiana on the back. "Stick close with them, Dami girl. If they were able to unblock you from me, then maybe they will be the friends that end your fear."

The girl gives a hesitant nod. "Okay. Maybe I'll stick with them. I don't know yet, honestly." A sudden question occurring to her, Damiana makes an inquiry with her eyes wide. "If I was blocked from you, does that mean that I was blocked from Mama and Saeran too? Will they be able to contact me?"

Again the man's eyes shift to gray. "I wouldn't count on either of them contacting you, Dami girl." After a moment of hesitation, he explains. "Don't worry too much about your mother. She may not be here in the Light Realm with me, but she isn't in the Under Realm either. I wish she could be here, but unfortunately, Mama is trapped in limbo.

"I spend a few years there myself until one of the elders of the Fire Phoenix clan crossed over, ended my guilt, and freed me. He said that even if I died, my undercover mission on the planet Cintari wasn't a failure. After I was executed, they released the rest of my unit back to Dabnod just like they promised. I died, but fifteen other men were saved."

Alarmed by this, Damiana can't help but gape fearfully. "You were trapped in limbo?! Mama is trapped in limbo?! That must be torture! I mean you got out, so that's good, but what about Mama? She could be stuck in limbo feeling endless guilt for centuries!"

Sighing sadly, his hair also turns to gray as he responds. "Hey, I never said that limbo was pleasant, but it beats going to the Under Realm." After a slight pause, he continues. "As for Saeran, his case is completely identical to yours. I've tried finding him, but for some reason, I can't. He's either trapped in limbo and I haven't heard about it, his spirit got lost, or he's alive somewhere. I wish I knew where your brother's at, but I don't. Like you, there must be an extreme, negative, emotion that is keeping him blocked from me."

Sighing in disappointment, Damiana frowns as she replies. "Oh. Well I know that it isn't that last option. Saeran was training to be one of Queen Guayusa's Knights. His chances of making it off of Dabnod alive were slim to none." Giving another sigh, she adds sadly, "I really hope that his soul isn't wandering aimlessly. Besides the Under Realm, getting lost is the only fate worse than limbo."

Giving a small smile, her father counters her statement. "I wouldn't say that, Dami girl. As long as Saeran isn't in the Under Realm, there is always hope. Believe me when I say that he isn't in the Under Realm, either. In the Light Realm, we always know when somebody ends up there. Before going there, they come here and try passing through the Gate of Reckoning.

If they show up at the Gate and are denied entry, then they're taken away to the Under Realm by Dark Guardians who come specifically to escort them. However, neither Saeran nor your mother have shown up at the Gate yet, so you can rest assured. Their time hasn't come yet."

Understanding what her father is saying, Damiana gives a nod. "Okay. It's true that they're not in the Under Realm, so that's good. I still wish that they could be in the Light Realm with you, though. They would love to spend eternity here."

Smiling, the man gives his daughter a firm hug. "One day I have a feeling that they will. Once they're here, and once you're here, we can spend eternity exploring the Light Realm. This is only the level before the Gate of Reckoning, so you haven't seen anything yet." Chuckling, he adds, "Don't rush getting here, though. Okay? You're still alive, and even if Dabnod is gone, I believe that your life is one filled with purpose. If Saeran is somehow with you in the realm of the living, then he also has a purpose. It may be the end of Dabnod, but it isn't the end of you."

Doing her best not to cry once more, Damiana returns the embrace. "I understand, Daddy. No matter what happens, I will survive until the end."

Pulling back slightly, the man looks his daughter in the eye. Damiana has no idea when it happened, but at some point his hair and eyes transformed to the colors of pale blue. Currently, they're the same colors as the Earth's sky.

"No, Damiana. I don't want you to survive. I want you to live."

Jump City: Titans West Tower

The Next Morning

"What?! I can't come with you?! Dude, that is so unfair! What about our men-only road trip?!"

The five Titans and Frostbite stand in the garage, Cyborg working on the T-car, and everyone else watching from a distance. Expressions of seriousness and nonchalance paint over everyone's faces. All besides Beast Boy's, that is. Rather, his face appears put-off and angry.

Lifting up his head from its place under the hood, Cyborg replies to the green Titan. "Sorry, but this isn't a road trip, BB. The Titans East have some important technology that they got from Black Shadow, and they want me to check it out. Black Shadow just declared war on us, and the information I learn from that machine of his could be vital."

"Not to mention that they've also gotten very involved with this Leila girl," adds Robin from a few feet away. Sounding concerned, he continues. "I didn't want to tell you this in front of the Titans East, but Cyborg, while you're there, find out as much about Leila as you can. We need to figure out what kind of powers she has, and I want it confirmed that she is our ally. The Titans East might trust her, but I want to make sure that we can trust her, too. Remember, if she joins the Titans East, then she becomes one of us."

Once Robin is through speaking, Cyborg is ready to respond. Before he does, however, Beast Boy beats him to it. He still sounds just as put-off as he did a second ago.

"So Cyborg gets to go to Steel City, play with fancy technology, and meet the Titans East's new girl, while I'm stuck here with the Ice Wizard?! Seriously, I can't play video games with Frostbite! He never laughs at my jokes, and his personality's so cold it gives me chills!"

Knowing that the man he speaks of is in the room, the other Titans turn sharp glares on the green boy. The only one who doesn't glare is Frostbite, who observes the scene in nonchalance. Realizing what he'd just said at long last, Beast Boy rubs the back of his neck and chuckles in discomfort.

"Not that being cold is a bad thing. A lot of good things are cold! Like…uh…tofu ice cream!" Pausing, he adds with another chuckle, "Uh…I like the ponytail…"

Confused by his last statement, Starfire looks at Beast Boy wide-eyed. "But friend Beast Boy, as I recall, you stated that you are not at all fond of the length of friend Frostbite's hair. You said that it is 'girly' and makes him look like a man from the historical period of the French Renaissance."

The Tamaranean doesn't notice, but Beast Boy's and Cyborg's eyes widen in fear at her words. Meanwhile, from their places several feet behind her, Robin and Raven slap aggravated palms to their foreheads. The whole time Frostbite doesn't react. He simply stands in place like a statue until turning around and heading for the stairs. If the Titans didn't know any better, they would almost swear that he sounds mildly annoyed when he speaks.

"Thank you for showing me the T-car, Cyborg. It's very impressive. I wish you a safe journey." Pausing slightly, he adds, "Now if you'll excuse me, my ponytail and I are going to go set up my room."

With that being said, the pony-tailed man steps into the stairwell and out of sight. Once he's gone, they stand in the garage silently for several long minutes before somebody finally speaks. The person who breaks the silence is none other than Raven.

"Hopefully you're not gone for too long, Cyborg. Something tells me that while you're gone, things in Jump City are going to remain interesting."

Steel City: Titans East Tower

Damiana has never felt so comfortable when sleeping before. Since coming to Earth, she has always slept on park benches, under canopies, or in abandon buildings to name a few places. Sure the girl has a motel room now, but the mattress it has is filled with springs and uncomfortable lumps. Even if it wasn't, Damiana wouldn't be able to sleep well, anyway.

With fights breaking out in the rooms around her, guns going off, and police sirens blaring for half the night, she usually wakes up to check the locks on her door every two hours. On most nights, every two hours is the bare minimum that she wakes up. When it gets really noisy, it is sometimes every forty-five minutes.

Sometimes even her fire isn't enough to make Damiana feel safe. After all, if she is in bed sleeping, activating her fire is impossible. When Damiana sleeps, so does her fire. Thus, if someone ever broke in, there wouldn't be any way for her to defend herself. Because of this, the girl makes sure that she never sleeps too soundly. Or at least this was true until today, anyway.

In spite of the fact that it goes against her every instinct, Damiana went to sleep and stayed asleep. She can't quite remember where she's at, but the mattress she's on is comfortable, and the blankets are warm. There aren't any sirens, gunshots, or angry voices cursing at each other. The room she's in doesn't smell of mildew and rat feces. Instead the room smells clean, and the whole environment has a cozy feel to it. It has been a long time since Damiana has felt this…safe.

Flipping over so that she's on her stomach, Damiana pulls the covers up so that they're all the way up to her neck. Head buried in the soft pillows, the girl feels like she could sleep for ten more hours. Of course, despite her drowsiness, Damiana is still awake to the point of stirring. As she stirs, she hears voices speaking in English. As of yet she is unable to place who the voices belong to, but still she listens.

"…I'm just saying that I'm getting worried about her. She has been asleep for twelve straight hours! It isn't normal for people to sleep that long," says a concerned, male, voice.

It is a female voice that responds, sounding equally concerned. "Don't go around thinking you're the only one. I'm worried about her, too. I checked on her an hour ago, and she was completely passed out. The lightning she used really must have taken it out of her."

"Are you sure it's just the lightning?" A different male voice inquires. "Leila does work a lot of different jobs to scrape by. The night that she called us, she was on her way home from a late night babysitting job. With the work and then with Black Shadow, maybe all of it was too much and she passed out from exhaustion."

It takes a moment, but at last the first voice speaks again. "Maybe you're right. I definitely hope you're right. If she's just tired, then at least we know that she isn't dying or something."

Suddenly, upon hearing the first voice a second time, the girl's eyes pop open and she sits up like she'd been hit by ice water. That voice. She knows that voice. After everything that has happened recently, Damiana would know that voice anywhere. Upon making the connection, the girl is immediately able to guess her location.

False green eyes widening, Damiana gapes around the room. It is large; larger than her entire motel room, and ten times as pretty. The walls, Damiana notes, are painted mostly yellow and have black trim running along the ceiling's edges. Shoved against one wall is a bookshelf, and beside it is a desk. There are several framed pictures hanging up as well, which Damiana doesn't look at too closely.

Instead she looks over at what appears to be the door to a walk-in closet. Beside it is a dresser, next to that is a screen that is meant for getting dressed behind, and in the corner is a full-length mirror. Only a few feet away from the mirror, directly across from where she sits, is a sliding metal door that most likely serves as an exit. Peering down slightly, Damiana also takes note of how large the queen-sized bed is, and how the comforter is patterned with black and yellow stripes.

This definitely isn't her motel room, that's for sure. Not having a single doubt about where she's at, the girl's instant guess is that she is somewhere inside Titans Tower. The lightning did leave her pretty weak, and when she fell unconscious, who was there the help her other than the Titans? Or, more specifically, a certain arrogant archer with red hair, but Damiana doesn't want to think about that.

Slapping a palm to her forehead, she grumbles internally. "Hopefully he didn't carry me back here bridal style! Just the thought of it is humiliating!"

Directly after the thought, that is when somebody speaks again. Now that she is awake, Damiana realizes that the voices are coming from the other side of the sliding metal door. The person speaking being female, there is no doubt that it is the Titan leader, Bumblebee.

"Why don't you two go back to the common room while I check on Leila again? If we're lucky, maybe she'll be awake this time."

"Okay," states the voice that Damiana recognizes as Speedy's. "If she's awake, we probably shouldn't crowd her. I don't think that she would respond well to that."

"Let us know how she's doing, okay?" says Aqualad simply.

Sounding both concerned and kind, she replies, "Don't worry, I will. I'll be out to the common room in a minute."

Once that is said, the sound of masculine footsteps are heard retreating down the unseen corridor. Though she'd made this guess previously, the girl is now completely certain that she is in Bumblebee's room. Sitting up further, Damiana leans so that her back is against the bed's headboard as the metal door slides open.

She doesn't know why, but for some reason the girl feels nervous as the winged Titan enters the room. Last night before passing out, she thought for sure that ending up in Titans Tower would make her angry. Surprisingly, she doesn't feel any irritation at all. The only thing Damiana feels regarding her presence in Titans Tower is discomfort.

"Wow, Damiana, what is with you? You're never nervous about anything! Could this be because of your strange dream about Daddy?"

Damiana immediately shoves the thought aside as the sliding metal door opens completely. A moment later the winged Titan appears in the doorway, her eyes wide at the sight of her awakened form. Bumblebee simply stands in place for a second, staring at Damiana with surprised brown eyes. Damiana returns her gaze hesitantly, unsure of what to say, what to do, or how to act. It's one thing talking to superheroes about a criminal inside of a café, or fighting alongside them against a crazy villain. Waking up inside one of their rooms, on the other hand, is a different thing entirely.

It takes a moment, but eventually Bumblebee gives a cheerful smile an enters the room completely. She doesn't fly, but rather, walks across the pearl gray carpeting. It is only once she has reached the foot of the bed that the Titan speaks.

"You're awake! Well isn't that a relief! We were starting to get worried about you."

Another moment of silence passes, Damiana feeling very uncertain of how to respond to the comment. At last, when the girl does speak, it is in the form of a question.

"Who brought me here? I thought that I would wake up somewhere…but not in your Tower."

Moving from the foot of the bed to the right side, Bumblebee sits on the bed's edge as she explains. "Aqualad and Speedy both brought you back here, but Speedy's the one who carried you. He told us that you took out Black Shadow's robots with some kind of large scale lightning attack, and that it knocked you unconscious." Pausing, she adds, "He was pretty irked at you for not telling him the side effects of the lighting; worried too. It'll make him glad knowing that you're awake."

The very mention of Speedy is all it takes for her nervousness to instantly morph into irritation. Crossing her arms and rolling her eyes, the girl speaking using heavy sarcasm.

"He carried me back to the Tower, and he's worried about me. It's a dream come true."

For a moment Damiana is expecting Bumblebee to gape at her in shock. When the dark-skinned girl starts to release fits of giggles, however, it is the pale-faced one who is surprised.

"I can definitely confirm to him and the others that you're alright. Even after helping us fight Black Shadow, I can tell that you still don't like Speedy."

Though she still feels a tad drowsy, Damiana kicks away the covers and gets to her feet as she replies. "Hey, don't get me wrong. I can work with him in battle if I need to. When it comes to fighting, he's got skill. Of course, anything other than that, I'm not willing to be friends with him. Or any of the Titans for that matter. I don't belong here. My place is the streets, working hard and getting by."

Standing up, Bumblebee looks at her with a disappointed frown. "That doesn't sound like much of a life." Pausing slightly, she continues. "It's not like I'm trying to hold you captive here, but you're not leaving right now, are you? It's already two in the afternoon, so you probably missed most of your jobs. Why don't you stay for a while? We can let you use our shower, and you can have something to eat. After sleeping for twelve hours, you're probably hungry."

Upon hearing the time, Damiana's eyes widen. "Did you say two in the afternoon? It isn't really that late, is it?"

Noting the anxiety on her face, Bumblebee nods. "Yep. It's after two. You slept for a long time."

Those short words of confirmation are all it takes for her eyes to widen further and her mouth to hang agape. Both hearts racing, the girl begins pacing around the room as if she'd forgotten that the winged Titan is there. Panic seen clearly in her gaze, the girl begins ranting. Lucky for her, she remembers Bee's presence just in time to use English in her moment of distress.

"It's two in the afternoon?! How can it be after two?! How the heck did I sleep that long?! Nobody in their right mind sleeps that long; not when they have to pay rent! If I don't meet rent this month, Mr. Peterson is going to kill me! How could I be stupid enough to let this happen?!"

Damiana paces the room like this for several endless moments, appearing more panicked at the thought of not being able to pay rent then she did of fighting Black Shadow. Immediately picking up on this small fact, Bumblebee stares at Damiana in curiosity. A minute or so later she does cease pacing, though it isn't for the reasons that Bumblebee would've hoped. Facing the Titans with bloodshot green eyes, the girl speaks to her.

"I'm sorry, Bumblebee, but I can't stay here. I have to go. Thanks for bringing me back to your Tower and letting me sleep here. I really do appreciate it, but I need to get back to my motel room so I can make some calls. The people I work for are going to think that I'm skipping my jobs otherwise."

The small frown Bumblebee wears never vanishes. Eyeing the girl, she speaks to her with a mixture of kindness and caution. "It's okay, Leila. I understand that you have other things in life to worry about besides the Titans. Of course, I still think that you should at least take me up on the offer of using our shower."

Damiana, while still visibly nervous, quirks an irritated brow at the statement. "I have a shower back at my motel room. I may be broken financially, but I at least have that much."

Clearing her throat in an uncomfortable fashion, Bumblebee explains further. "I know. When we met yesterday, you were clean, so I guessed that. But today…you don't look as clean as you did yesterday…"

Before Damiana can say anything in response, Bee moves toward the corner of the room with the full-length mirror. Taking the mirror in her arms, the winged girl flies the reflective object to where she stands in the room's center. For a moment Damiana has no idea why it is she's doing this. Once the mirror is sat in front of her, however, the alien girl learns the exact reason. Before looking at her reflection, Damiana wanted to leave the Tower and begin trekking across town. Of course, now that she's actually seeing herself, she suddenly wants to hide under Bee's covers and not allow a single soul to see her.

Wide-eyed, the girl sees a reflection that is very different from the one she saw the day prior. Her brown curls, which used to be neat and orderly, are now a thick rat's nest of snarls that will be nearly impossible to untangle. Not only that, but it appears a tad oily as well.

Damiana's eyes, while they handle contact lenses better than humans due to the energy from her second heart that coats her corneas, are still incredibly bloodshot. They're so bloodshot that it almost looks like she has a case of pinkeye.

"That's what I get for sleeping in them," says Damiana to herself. Then she adds, "But it's not like I had much of an option."

Bloodshot emerald eyes straying away from that part of her reflection, she takes note of the fact that her face also appears oily. Damiana also notices that her clothes are wrinkled from sleep, and that there is a thin coating of ash on them from using her fire. Not to mention that she has worn the same pair of jeans and same black sweatshirt for three days straight, and they're starting to smell a bit foul. The girl really should invest in more than two sweatshirts and two pairs of jeans…

It takes a lengthy few seconds, but eventually the sight of her reflection sinks in. When it does, she expresses her distress verbally.

"What the heck happened to me?!" The girl exclaims in shocked horror. "I've never looked this awful in my life! I look like a complete wreck! I can't go across town looking like this!"

Resting a hand atop the mirror, Bee gives a shrug followed by a smile. "Believe me. I know how you're feeling. It took a year as leader of the Titans East for me to let anyone else on the team see me first thing in the morning. It's okay for a woman to look like a wreck; just not in front of guys." Giggling, the dark-skinned girl adds, "Why do you think I haven't been letting Speedy, Aqualad, or Mas and Menos step foot in here?"

Turning her gaze away from the mirror and toward the Titan, Damiana returns her smile. She might not like Speedy, but she has to admit that she does like Bumblebee. Other than Darcy and this one old woman she works for, never has she met a person who has shown her such honest kindness. As strange as it is, it almost makes her want to stay for a short while. She does always carry a spare pair of contact lenses, so the fact that she needs to put in a different pair isn't preventing her from staying…

Looking from Bumblebee, to her reflection, and back again, she speaks once more. "The offer to use your shower is still available, right?"

Again, the Titan nods. "Absolutely." Pausing momentarily, she asks, "Do you need to borrow some clothes and a hair brush? I have plenty to spare, so I don't mind."

Feeling bad about having to take things from her, Damiana is prepared to tell her no. However, when the smell of ash and body odor hits her after inhaling deeply, the girl's mind is instantly changed.

This time, rather than smiling, the alien girl gives a nod. "That would be good. Thank you."

Moving the mirror back to the corner, she replies cheerfully. "Don't mention it. Now hold on while I get you some clothes. You're pretty small, so they might be kind of loose, but they'll do."

A Short Time Later…

Bumblebee's room was certainly nice, but the Titan's bathroom is even nicer. The floor is covered by glimmering white tiles, the walls in blue tiles, and there isn't a rat or a spider in sight. There isn't a single stain on the white porcelain of the toilet or the sink, and the black granite of the vanity is spotless. Built into the bathroom's back left corner is a massive shower stall coated in black tile, with a large glass door that reaches from top to bottom. Across from the shower in the back right corner is a large garden tub of flawless white porcelain.

Until now, Damiana had no idea that a person could fall in love with a bathroom; or a shower stall, for that matter. The stall is very roomy, she doesn't have to be on the lookout for spiders, and the water here is actually warm. There would be warm water back at her motel room, but Mr. Peterson charges extra for it. With as much as it costs and as little as she has, Damiana usually skips the warm water and suffers through cold showers. So honestly, Bumblebee has no idea how much the use of their shower is actually appreciated.

After washing her entire body down with lavender-scented soap three times, washing her hair with pomegranate-scented shampoo twice, and using conditioner, Damiana finally feels clean. Following cleaning herself, the alien girl stood for approximately twenty minutes, allowing the wondrous feel of warm water to wash over her skin.

How long Damiana has been in the shower for, she hasn't a clue. All she knows is that at some point she turns off the water, opens the glass door, and steps out onto the cold tile. The cool air hits her like a flood, forcing Damiana to wrap her arms around herself as she crosses the room to grab a towel.

"I shouldn't have spent so long in there. Then maybe it wouldn't feel so cold," Damiana says aloud in Dabnodian.

Once this is said, she grabs a towel and swiftly dries off before dressing. If there's one thing that Damiana can thank her lucky stars for, it's that while she only has two pairs of jeans and two sweatshirts, she owns eight pairs of panties and three bras. So even if the rest of her clothes are covered in stench from too much wear, her undergarments are still relatively clean.

Happy that she didn't have to ask the Titan Leader for anything too embarrassing, Damiana slips into her own undergarments. Following this, she puts on a pair of dark blue jeans that are two sizes too big, and that are much too long on her. Bumblebee as to be anywhere from five-foot-seven to five-foot-eight, while Damiana is only five-foot-three. Thus, why the jeans are so large on her. It is because of this that Damiana is happy to discover that Bee's green tank top and light gray sweatshirt fit her much better. They're still large on her, but they fit decently, nonetheless.

As soon as she is finished dressing, Damiana picks up the hairbrush that was lent to her and gets to work on detangling her curls. The girl's clean pair of contact lenses are already in and her eyes are no longer pink, so all that's left for her to deal with is her hair. With the tangled mass it is currently in, this is obviously going to take her a while.

Meanwhile, as the girl brushes, it is heard as two voices argue from outside the door. Or at least one of them is arguing, anyway. The other just sounds amused. With as loud as they are, missing what they're saying is impossible.

"You jerk! How could you do this to me after you promised you'd stop?! I've been cheated and lied to!"

Though she hasn't heard him speak as much as Bee and Speedy, Damiana is instantly able to place this voice as Aqualad's. She can't help but arch a brow at how angry he sounds. When the voice she recognizes as Speedy's responds, this brow arches further.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I kept my promise," the archer says smugly. Then he adds, "I haven't eaten a fish taco in months, just like I said."

"That's your excuse?! Laying off of fish tacos doesn't help if you're eating fish sticks! The kitchen looks like some kind of fish graveyard! Why would you buy an industrial-sized box of fish sticks?! We sent you to the store for eggs and cereal!"

By now Speedy is chuckling. "They were on sale. You know I can't resist a good bargain."

Damiana didn't think it was possible, but Aqualad sounds angrier than before.

"That isn't true! That's a lie! You could care a less about saving money! You hate shopping more than you hate washing dishes!" Pausing, he adds in irritation, "Sometimes I think you like to do things purposely to torture me!"

Speedy is no longer chuckling. Rather, he is laughing openly in amusement.

"You're just now figuring this out?"

This time the aquatic man doesn't reply. Instead he gives a shout of irritation prior to stomping down the hallway and grumbling to himself. Damiana doesn't know why, but she can't help but laugh at what she just heard. The fact that he would go as far as buying an industrial-sized box of fish sticks just to annoy his teammate is…unbelievable! Normally this would disgust her, but admittedly, Aqualad does sound funny when he's angry. She can only imagine what his reaction was when Speedy sent Brittney and the miniskirt crew after him a few days ago. It must have been hilarious!

As she laughs, Damiana scolds herself internally in Dabnodian. "Shut up, Damiana! There is nothing funny about Teen Titans torturing each other! Now get a grip on yourself before he hears you!"

Sadly, the alien girl's self-scolding comes too late. A second later the archer's voice is heard once more. The only difference is that, this time, he isn't speaking to one of his teammates. What he says actually causes Damiana to blush.

"Well, it sounds like somebody's happy. Either you enjoy torturing Aqualad too, or you just had a really nice shower."

Upon hearing him speak, the girl doesn't say a word. Shutting her mouth tightly in order to avoid conversation, she continues brushing her hair vigorously. Surprisingly, it's starting to look somewhat neat again.

Meanwhile, Speedy speaks once more. This time he sounds slightly offended.

"What, is this the silent treatment or something? We let you sleep here, let you use our shower, and are about to share our food with you. Last night I carried you across the city! The least you could do is talk to me."

Running the brush through her hair to untangle it farther, she replies bluntly. "No, I'm not giving you the silent treatment. I appreciate it that you didn't leave my unconscious body back at your villain's hideout; thanks for that. But you need to know right now that we're not friends. Whether or not you heard me laugh doesn't matter, because the moment I step out of this bathroom I'm leaving and not coming back."

A moment of silence passes before the archer responds. If he didn't sound offended before, then he definitely does now.

"What?! After everything we've gone through, you're up and out of here just that fast?! Black Shadow isn't the Titans' villain anymore, Leila! You agreed to help us, you fought alongside us, and Black Shadow has you pegged as our ally! He's your villain too, and the Titans are your friends!" Pausing slightly, he adds, "You agreed to using our shower, and even if you don't want to admit it, I did something to make you laugh. That has to mean that you're friends with us on some level."

Sighing in irritation, Damiana marches over to the door with the brush in hand. Her hair still has quite a few snarls in it, but she doesn't care. Instead, the moment the sliding metal door opens, the alien girl looks at him sternly. He stands only a few feet away from the door, staring her down in return.

"Listen, Speedy. I really do appreciate everything the Titans have done, and I didn't mind helping you take down Black Shadow's robots. I was there, I helped you guys out, and the Titans East helped me. You may not like it, but that's really all there is to it." Running a hand through her curls in frustration, she sighs before continuing. "I'm not a Teen Titan, and I never will be. I don't belong in the hero world. My place is elsewhere."

This time it is Speedy's turn to sigh in frustration.

"Look. I know your life has been hard. I can tell just by looking at you that you haven't had it easy. That doesn't mean that you have to keep pushing us away, though. I'll admit that I didn't like you at first, but after we took down those robots, I thought that maybe we could be friends. Bumblebee, Aqualad, Mas and Menos, they want to be your friends, too. Together we could help take down Black Shadow." Hesitating, the archer gives another sigh before continuing. "I'm not usually one for compliments, but I'll be honest. You'd make a great Titan."

Once he's finished speaking, Damiana doesn't answer. She doesn't glare at him, either. Instead the girl gapes at him in a combination of shock and disbelief. The whole time she stutters surprised statement inside of her head.

"F-Friend?! He really thinks of himself as my f-friend?! How did this happen?!"

It takes a lengthy moment, but eventually she regains the ability to speak. When this happens, she doesn't sound stern. Rather, the girl sounds frightened. While speaking, she rushes back into the bathroom to gather her sweatshirt, jeans, and the tank top that she'd worn previously.

"I need to get out of here. I can't stay here for another second."

Her clothes in her arms, Damiana rushes past Speedy and dashes down the hallway. As he watches her, Speedy's face is filled with shock and confusion. Never has he ever seen her act scared before. The only thing that frightens her more is when the very confused archer steps forward to grab her by the shoulder. No longer does he sound angry, but instead he sounds genuinely apologetic.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I made you upset. I have no idea what I did, but it wasn't on purpose."

It isn't just his words that get to her this time, but his touch. Feeling both angry and taken off guard, she turns to shout at him. Only, due to the intensity of her emotions, Damiana forgets one very important rule that she sticks to whenever speaking to humans. Use English.

Shrugging his hand off of her shoulder and turning to glare at him, she yells loudly, "Stay away from me!". Of course, even if that is what the words spoken mean in English, that isn't at all what comes out. Instead, this is what Speedy hears:

"Nax granixindath!"

Features filling with surprise, Speedy raises his hand away from her shoulder and takes several steps backward. Realizing the words that left her mouth, Damiana's false green eyes widen fearfully and she slaps a hand over her mouth. His gaze never leaving the girl, Speedy speaks out in shock.

"W-what did you just say? What the heck was that?!"

Afraid of accidentally using her native tongue again, Damiana doesn't respond. Hand still covering her mouth, she turns and sprints down the hallway. A very confused Speedy is left in her wake.

Jump City: Titans West Tower

Meanwhile…

The room was completely bare when he got here this morning, but after spending many long hours putting it together in solitude, it is finally starting to feel like home. Even so, the young pony-tailed man doesn't consider this his personal home. To him, this room simply serves as "Frostbite's" home. The same can be said for his apartment on the other side of town. His small yet clean apartment, this sizable room in Titans Tower, none of it is home to Saeran. All of it he considers home to Frostbite. His home, Saeran's home, is gone forever; and it always will be.

Sitting in the center of his twin-sized bed with the icy blue covers, Saeran tosses his mask so that it lays partly on and partly off of his bedside table. He never admits this, not even to himself, but Saeran never feels more pain then when he is near the Titans. Seeing them together, happy and laughing like they're family, makes him remember that he lost his own family. Mama, Damiana, the rest of the Fire Phoenix clan, Adriel and his sister, his fellow Knights, all of them are gone. The worst part is that no matter how hard he tries, he can never seem to move on. Dabnod was his life. He was a Knight, and now the one thing he was training to protect is gone.

"I wish something would happen to help me get over this," whispers Saeran to himself. "For just one day, I wish I could forget Dabnod and move on!"

Saeran has said this to himself a million times. Of course, no matter how many times he says it, it never works. In the end, the memories always come back to haunt him. Whether they're happy memories, sad memories, or memories of his roughest days of Knight training, it doesn't matter. In the end they always haunt him, and they always make his heart ache.

All of the sudden, in his mind's eyes, Saeran sees himself at twelve years old. He is running through a purple field filled to the brim with wildflowers. Like usual back on Dabnod, Saeran wears his dark green tunic and black pants as well as his ponytail that hangs just past his shoulders. Beside him is another boy, this boy wearing a dark blue tunic and brown pants along with a ponytail that hangs to his waist. He was a year younger than Saeran, though he looked a year older. He was more skilled at swordsmanship, too, and could control his heart energy better. Saeran was never jealous, though. This boy was his best friend from the time they were small to the point of toddling.

"You're never going to beat me, Saeran! I don't care if you are from the province's strongest clan! One day the Ground Badger clan is going to stomp the Fire Phoenix clan!"

Performing a few simple hand movements, the boy wearing the blue tunic tossed several medium-sized boulders his way. Laughing, Saeran dodged the boulders and shot icicles at him.

"Don't count me out yet, Adriel! Sure I got stuck with the recessive element and not the dominant, but I'm going to make my father and the Fire Phoenix elders proud! I'll be the best Knight Dabnod has ever seen, and I'll keep our planet safe! You'll see!"

His eyes turning a shade of stormy gray, Saeran does his best to hold back tears at the memory. A second later another memory comes, the same purple field with the wildflowers in place. The only difference is that this time he and Adriel are older. Saeran appears to be about fourteen, and Adriel thirteen. Not only that, but instead of tossing their elements at each other, they're sparing playfully with wooden swords. Much to his humiliation at the time, Saeran was losing.

"Ha! I said that you would never beat me, Saeran! Glory for the Ground Badger clan!"

Despite his embarrassment, Saeran remembers smirking smugly. "Glory for the Ground Badger clan, huh? Then how come Knight Master Urrvink got mad and made you polish the armor yesterday?"

Adriel wasn't bothered by his comment. All he did was laugh. "That's the argument you're using against me? He made you polish the armor, too!"

Rolling his eyes, Saeran spoke bluntly. "Master Urrvink needs to calm down before he dies of a stroke. It's not like we did anything bad! We just tried combining our powers to form a new technique."

Again Adriel laughed. "Yeah, and we ended up knocking down half of Queen Guayusa's stable in a mudslide and setting the ice phoenixes free!"

Shrugging, he went at Adriel more intensely with his wooden sword as he replied. "Oops."

Rolling his eyes, the other boy replied jestingly with sarcasm. "Yeah, oops."

Saeran remembers that they planned on spending the whole day sparring that day. He can also remember how badly their plans failed. Before they could spar for another second, a voice came from behind them. It was the lovely and innocent voice of Adriel's younger sister. She was only a year younger than Adriel and two years younger than Saeran, but she seemed so much more mature.

At twelve years old she had the beauty of someone who was two years older, and the intelligence of a grown woman. There was never anyone else like her. Her name was every bit as lovely as everything else about her; Jaegana. Even now, after all this time, he can still remember her carefree laughter as she walked across the field to meet them. Before he even had the chance to look at Jaegana, he could still tell it was her just because of her beautiful laugh.

"You get my brother into more trouble, don't you, Saeran? Our mother wants to keep you separated from Adriel, you know. She thinks that you're a troublemaker." He can remember how timid she sounded during this next part; so timid, that he almost wasn't sure if it was Jaegana who said these words. "I don't think you're a troublemaker, though. Just mine and Adriel's mother."

Remembering the pure sound of her voice, Saeran's eyes begin welling up with tears. He'd never met a girl stronger yet more innocent than Adriel's sister. Not even Damiana was as innocent as Jaegana was, as she was able to fight, and even kill a Tamaranean man on the day of Dabnod's destruction, without batting an eye. Jaegana was a capable fighter too, but she could never do it without batting an eye like the people in the Fire Phoenix clan. That girl was something else, and Saeran loved her for it.

Giving a pained sigh, the pony-tailed man reaches a hand to the nape of neck where his ponytail is held in place. Using his middle finger, he traces over the crevices of his hair tie. It isn't a normal hair tie from a general store, but a thin metal band made out of gold. Holding the golden band together is a silver charm whose design appears similar to a sideways hourglass trapped inside of a diamond.

"Don't worry, Jaegana. Your Zirnoth Charm hasn't left me once. It's just as I promised," whispers the man in the Dabnodian language.

With these painful memories zooming through his head, all Saeran wants to do is curl up on his bed and stay locked in his room for ten more hours. Though one of the Titans is gone, he can't go out there in front of the rest of them; not in this condition.

Before the man has a chance to pull himself together, however, that is when echoing knocking comes from the door's other side. For a moment he is afraid that it might be Starfire who has come to his door, asking if he is okay after being locked in his room all day. Or he thinks that it might be Beast Boy come to challenge him to his favorite racing game, needing somebody to play with in Cyborg's absence. It is only lucky for him that it is neither of them. As if the fates have decided to bless him for once, the person on the other side of the door just so happens to be Raven.

"I'm sorry, Frostbite. I don't mean to disturb you. I just need to ask you something."

Wiping the tears away from his eyes, Saeran tugs the mask back on as he replies to her through the door. "Don't worry, Raven. You aren't disturbing me at all. Whatever you want to ask me, feel free to ask it."

The dark Titan doesn't hesitate to do as he says. Her usual monotone having a bit of an odd lilt to it, she comes right out with what she wants to say.

"This might sound strange, especially since you have been in your room all day, but I thought that I should ask anyway." Pausing slightly, she continues. "Have you seen Beast Boy at all? I just remembered that I haven't seen him since Cyborg left, and neither have Robin and Starfire."

Brow raising beneath his mask, he replies in befuddlement. "No, I haven't seen him. Not since he told me that my personality is cold like tofu ice cream."

Disappointment ringing through her voice, Raven gives a response. "Okay. I guess I can confirm to Robin and Starfire that you haven't seen him either. Thanks." Hesitating once more, the dark girl asks another question. This question is completely unrelated to the previous topic. "Would you like to come out of your room for a while? Robin and Starfire are leaving in a few minutes to see a movie. It will just be the two of us here. We could play a game of chess if you'd like."

For some reason, Saeran smiles in spite of his previous sadness. "Sure, why not? I would love to play chess. I've never played before in my life, but it would be nice to learn."

Her monotone is still in place, but happiness is heard there as well. "Good. Now come on out. There's some leftover pizza we can eat while we're playing."

Standing up from his bed, Saeran moves toward his room's exit. "Okay, I'm coming."

Steel City: Lola's Cafe

Later That Night…

"Leila, are you sure you're okay to sing tonight? You look like you're going to be sick."

Damiana stands at the foot of the stairs leading up to the small wooden platform that is built into the café's back wall. Once she got back to her motel room after dashing out of the Titans East's Tower, she finally finished brushing her hair, she got a peanut butter sandwich, and she called all of the people she missed working for earlier to apologize. In the past few hours since leaving the Titans behind, everything has gone completely back to normal; or at least this is what she tells herself, anyway.

For some reason, from the moment she ran out onto the street and away from the Titans, Damiana has felt completely sick. Not sick in terms of feeling nauseous or unwell. Rather, it is her personality that has been affected. She has felt confused and upset all day, causing her to suffer from awful migraines and for her skin to turn pale. Of course, from the eyes of someone else, it truly does look like she feels physically ill.

Darcy, whose pale blonde hair is pulled into its usual bun at the nape of her neck and who is adorned by her blue waitress uniform, stares at her with concern. Apparently several of the surrounding people heard the young waitress' comment, because they, too, begin eyeing her worriedly. This only causes Damiana to sigh. She is absolutely not in the mood for this.

Picking up her guitar, which has already been tuned, the girl steps onto the platform's bottom stair as she replies to her concerned friend. "Don't worry about me, Darcy. I'm fine. I've had a rough couple of days, but everything is okay now. Life is good."

Shoving a strand of hair that has come free from her bun behind her ear, Darcy gazes at her with skeptical cerulean eyes. Damiana doesn't pay this much attention, though. Instead, the adolescent girl asks the waitress one quick question before starting tonight's ritual of endless singing.

"The first song that was requested for tonight was that song by Ashes Remain, right? What was it called? 'On My Own'?"

Skepticism never leaving her gaze, Darcy replies easily. "Yes. 'On My Own' by Ashes Remain. That's the right song." After a short moment of hesitation, she asks, "And what do you mean you've had a rough couple of days? What happened to you?"

Sighing deeply, the girl makes one final statement before ascending the stairs the rest of the way. "What happened doesn't matter. It's over and done with."

Once this is said, Damiana doesn't look at Darcy again. She makes it to the top of the platform and walks over to the microphone. She hasn't said a single word at this point, neither has she done anything significant, yet the entire café is bursting into applause. They shout out phrases such as "Whoo! Go, Leila!", "You're the best!", "Sing forever!", and "Are you sure you aren't looking for a boyfriend? My offer is still available!".

Damiana, however, doesn't hear a single one of them. Her only focus is on the first song that she is supposed to sing. She did a quick run-through of it on her guitar before coming here, as well as several of the others. Of course, for a reason unknown to her, tonight's first song bothers her greatly. If she could, she would skip over it and start with the second song. Of course, Damiana knows that she can't do this. She promised that person who made the request that she would sing this song a week ago. She doesn't want to hurt a customer's feelings, not to mention make the café look bad.

It is for these reasons that, in spite of her feelings, the girl speaks into the microphone.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to Lola's Café. I hope that all of you have been having a good time tonight." Damiana pauses as the crowd cheers, waiting for the noise to die down before speaking. Once it is again quiet, she continues. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Leila, and I am the last singer of the night. Because of this, I will do my very best to make the rest of your evening enjoyable. So order some food, have fun with your friends, and enjoy the music."

Once that is said, Damiana takes a seat on the wooden stool and adjusts her guitar as the crowd again cheers loudly. Only after the noise dies down once more does the girl start the song. She was really hoping that this wouldn't be the case, but from the moment she starts strumming the notes on the guitar, this song is a hard one for her. The only song that could compare to this one in terms of emotion is "Looking for Angels" by Skillet. The only difference is that this one is harder still. For what reason? Because it forces her to have thoughts that she was trying so very hard to ignore.

Gulping nervously, Damiana takes one final deep breath and begins singing the song lyrics.

"There's gotta be another way out. I've been stuck in a cage with my doubt. I've tried forever getting out on my own.

"But every time I do this my way, I get caught in the lies of the enemy. I lay my troubles down, I'm ready for you now.

"Bring me out. Come and find me in the dark now. Every day by myself I'm breaking down. I don't wanna fight alone anymore.

"Bring me out, from the prison of my own pride. My God, I need a hope I can't deny.

"In the end I'm realizing, I was never meant to fight on my own."

Taking a short gasp of breath, Damiana forces herself to continue. It is a complete mystery to her, but suddenly her migraine from earlier is returning.

"Every little thing that I've known, is everything I need to let go. You're so much bigger than the world I have made.

"So I surrender my soul, I'm reaching out for your hope. I lay my weapons down, I'm ready for you now.

"Bring me out. Come and find me in the dark now. Every day by myself I'm breaking down. I don't wanna fight alone anymore.

"Bring me out, from the prison of my own pride. My God, I need a hope I can't deny.

"In the end I'm realizing, I was never meant to fight on my own."

Apparently Damiana isn't the only one who is aware of her current condition, because there are several people in the audience who are looking at her in concern. Nonetheless, she ignores them and finishes the rest of the song.

"I don't wanna be incomplete. I remember what you said to me. I don't have to fight alone.

"Bring me out. Come and find me in the dark now. Every day by myself I'm breaking down. I don't wanna fight alone anymore.

"Bring me out, from the prison of my own pride. My God, I need a hope I can't deny.

"In the end I'm realizing, I was never meant to fight on my own."

Once the last line of lyrics is finished, Damiana plays the last few notes on her guitar and concludes the song. By now her skin is pale and she doesn't look like herself. The people in the crowd, Darcy, and the other waitresses eye her in blatant concern. Damiana, of course, pays them no heed. Instead she quickly moves to a song that she can sing without feeling any of these intense, conflicting, emotions. It's a song that she normally hates to sing because of the fact that it is pop music and that it is outdated, but right now she is thankful for it; "Hit the Lights" by Selena Gomez.

The moment she switches to this song, her face turns less pale and her migraine goes away. A few seconds are all it takes for people to stop staring at her and to go back to whatever they were doing. Of course, as she's singing this song, her mind is still on the previous one. The whole time there is one question ringing through her head: What would have happened if she hadn't run away from Titans Tower?

~End Part I~

A/N: Okay, my friends. As I stated in the first author's note, this is the end of Part One. At first I was going to add more to Part One, but then I decided that Leila has already gotten in deep with the Titans East. Not only that, but I have introduced Saeran, the plot with Black Shadow as the main villain has been set in stone, and Cyborg is on his way to Steel City to help out the Titans East. As a whole, Part One was meant to get everything set up for the drama, action, humor, and everything else that is supposed to happen in the rest of the story. After looking the other chapters over, I realized that this goal has been achieved.

So now that everything is set up, it's time to move on to Part Two where things really start to change for Damiana! I am so excited for Part Two that I can hardly contain myself! I have so many plans for this story!

Again, if you didn't read it in the first author's note, Part Two is a part of the same book as Part One. Even if "Firelight" is split into parts, all of the parts are in the same book. It makes it much less confusing that way. :)

Also, if you haven't listed to "On My Own" by Ashes Remain, I recommend that you do. It as excellent song that, if you ask me, defines the entire story incredibly well. To be honest, Ashes Remain in its entirety is a fantastic group!

Well, the first chapter of Part Two is the next chapter coming. Until next time, my friends! :D

Forever and Always,

OCQ