Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ Journey Through Life ❯ Episode II: Sisters ( Chapter 2 )

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is temporarily on hold until I get some reviews. While I am not one to normally use this tactic, I haven't gotten any. I do not see myself able to continue putting my time and energy in this for if no one is going to tell me what they think of it.

On a happier note, writing this is proving to be a lot easier than I thought it would be. After the sixth or so chapter, it might slow down, since I have been using the online episodes and do not have a DVD player. However, I might be able to buy a portable one for a couple hundred dollars and it will take me some time to save up and buy one. That being said, here is chapter 3.

Disclaimer: Nothing has changed; I unfortunately did not receive the title deeds to Teen Titans.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Chapter 2: Sisters

A bright streak of light tore through the galaxy, dodging asteroids and meteors at nearly impossible speeds. As it scanned the planets it passed, it dismissed each one as inhospitable to the prey it was searching. As it passed by a blue planet, the probe paused and sampled the environmental systems and habitats. Deeming the planet suitable for life, it decided to try to find its prey there. As it entered the atmosphere, it immediately detected signs of the prey. Scents and energy patterns typical and indicative of its quarry filled the air and the probe quickly zeroed in on the source. The machine was purple with black stripes, shaped like a missile with four long tentacles trailing behind it. Though the trail was difficult to follow, and even disappeared a time or two, the probe did not stop its search…

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Please remind me why I'm here,” Raven groaned as she waited on line with Cyborg and Beast Boy.

“Because Starfire's never been to a carnival,” Cyborg reminded her.

“Yeah, and when I asked you said no one's ever won anything for you at one,” Beast Boy grinned. “So I'm here to end that.”

“Oh friends, thank you so much for agreeing to come with me to this festive celebration,” Starfire gushed as she looked around like a two year old in a candy shop.

“No problem Star,” Robin said as he leaned against a wall. “Besides, we needed to get out of that tower for a while.”

“Coming from the guy who works us harder than a drill sergeant,” Beast Boy grumbled loud enough only for Raven to hear. The corner of her mouth twitched but other than that, her face remained impassive.

“Come Robin, let us go on the coaster that rolls first; I want to know what that is like,” the enthusiastic alien girl cried as she dragged her friend away.

“Uh… guess we'll just hang out by ourselves,” Cyborg muttered as he watched the two leave.

“Um, Starfire, don't be disappointed if this ride isn't that great,” Robin whispered to her as they were harnessed into place.

“Oh, I shall not be. This ride looks most antiquated,” Starfire commented as she looked around at the wooden tracks.

“Yeah, it's supposed to be one of the oldest original coasters around,” Robin said as they began to go up the chain lift.

“I wonder what this will feel-” Starfire began before they went over the edge and plummeted down. The rest of her sentence was drowned out in a scream of joy as she lifted her hands up and closed her eyes. Robin did the same as the ride jerked them to the left and right, up and down, and occasionally upside-down for a few seconds. “This is so much fun,” Starfire shouted to him as she grinned.

“How can this be fun?” Robin wondered to himself. “She can do fancier tricks flying that this coaster could ever do. Maybe its because she's strapped to a seat,” he thought. Robin stopped thinking as the car went up and over another chain lift and his stomach jumped into his throat. The two Titans were thrown to their left at a sharp clockwise turn and let out identical shouts of excitement.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“So, where do you guys want to go?” Cyborg asked after watching Robin and Starfire get on the roller coaster.

“Anywhere: the entire park looks soooo inviting,” Raven replied sarcastically.

Cyborg rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Beast Boy. “Let's hit the arcade: I wanna win some tickets,” he grinned. “And I bet that I could whip you at that new Soul Calibur game.”

“You're on, little man,” Cyborg taunted. “But if I whip you, then you get my week of dish duty.”

“Done. But when I win, you have to do my laundry.”

“Oh that's low,” Cyborg groaned.

“Not to mention disgusting,” Raven muttered.

“Still confident?” Beast Boy challenged as they reached the machine.

“You know it,” Cyborg retorted as he started up and selected Nightmare.

“Ha, I knew you'd pick him. Let's see how he deals with this guy,” Beast Boy grinned.

“`The Apprentice'? Who's that?”

“You'll see,” Beast Boy grinned as he started the round and gave Cyborg a thorough trouncing.

“No fair man: how am I supposed to land a hit on you if all you do is jump around and use projectile attacks?”

“That's not my problem,” Beast Boy returned. Raven watched the duo taunt each other with a bland expression and waited for Beast Boy to win. She could tell from his confident mood that he had been practicing at this specific game to beat Cyborg.

“Hey Raven, I thought you might want to try a game, so here,” Beast Boy said with a large smile on his face as he handed her a couple of tokens.

“Thanks, I can undo all the hours of meditation and studying I've done this week in a few minutes by rotting my mind,” she replied sarcastically. Beast Boy's smiled faltered but did not fall as he went over to a game that had something to do with timing.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Robin, why did they create an entire house filled with mirrors? Only one is enough, unless you are getting new outfits. Is this a type of mall,” she asked hopefully.

“No Starfire,” Robin said, smiling at her logic. “Its… you'll see for yourself,” he said, unable to think of a way to explain it. Starfire followed Robin in, her bright eyes looking around curiously.

“It is… a house filled with mirrors,” she said in a disappointed tone of voice. She looked around and saw dozens of Starfires mimicking her actions.

“Yeah, the trick is to find your way out,” Robin smiled as they walked through the corridors, often bumping into their reflections. Robin almost laughed at the look on Starfire's face; she was bewildered and animated simultaneously. “And this is the `wild mirror' section,” he added as they reached a room filled with bent and distorted mirrors. Starfire giggled as she looked at her appearance in each one. One made her look about ten feet tall, and she saw Robin in another one that made him look short. They laughed as they walked through the hall, their reflections becoming bigger and smaller, with disproportionate heads and feet and hands. Robin struck a heroic pose in a mirror that puffed out his chest while Starfire wrapped her hands around her head in one that gave a new definition to the phrase “fat head.”

“Splendid! I had no idea that reflective glass could be the cause of so much merriment and joy,”

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Dude, I cannot believe you spent all my tickets on a video game,” Beast Boy griped as the trio left the arcade.

“Dude, how could you say that? This isn't just any game. This is the new SithNinja 2.0! What could be better? What else were you gonna buy with ten thousand tickets” he asked, getting only a grumble from Beast Boy in response.

“Uh, Raven, thanks for not complaining about us taking so long in there,” Beast Boy said as he walked up to the girl.

She spared him a glance before responding, “It's not like anything was going to pull you away from that game anyway. Even I know a lost cause when I see one.”

“Yeah, but that tech dude's face was priceless. I still can't believe you got a perfect score on your third try BB,” Cyborg said. “So, what do you guys feel like doing now,” he asked as they walked around.

“Hey Raven, you wanna check out the haunted house?” Beast Boy asked as he posed in front of a sign that was nailed in front of a decrepit house.

“I suppose it can't be worse than those `Scary Movie' series,” she responded as she walked through the doors, triggering a peal of spooky laughter. Beast Boy and Cyborg followed after her but couldn't find her, due to the inside of the house being like a maze.

“Dude, which way did she go?”

“I dunno,” Cyborg responded. They looked down two corridors. “You take that one,” he suggested, pointing to the more forbidding-looking one.

Beast Boy scoffed and walked down boldly, affirming that nothing in the house could scare him. Seconds later, he screamed and changed into a cat as a ghost dropped down from the ceiling. He could have sworn he heard a chuckle as he continued his search for Raven. He ran into Cyborg twice more as they searched the house, enjoying the pranks and tricks the house would pull. Six minutes later, they found Raven wandering down a corridor. “Hey Raven,” Beast Boy as he ran up to her, stopping short when he ran into an invisible wall that had been there entire time.

Raven turned around just in time to see Beast Boy's face get flattened and smirked. “I've had enough of this place,” she declared as she walked through the wall and opening a portal to the outside. “It was cheesy, but not terrible,” she confessed as they emerged.

“Glad it wasn't terrible for you,” Cyborg said, chortling. “BB here almost had an accident when he turned that corner and the guy in the armor suit took a swipe at him,” he snitched, causing the green changeling to splutter and complain under his breath.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Robin, why are we in boats?” Starfire asked as they boarded small one-man vehicles and were released into lake.

“They're called `bumper boats'. You just ram into other people,” Robin said as he took off in his boats and slammed into a boy around thirteen.

“But will I not sink his vehicle?”

“No Starfire, it's just for fun,” Robin said as he laughed and zoomed around. Starfire began to chase him and tried to rear-end him, but Robin's boat was too nimble for her and he dodged the attack, causing her to ram another innocent bystander. Robin chuckled before almost being capsized by the boy he had rammed before. Robin backed up only to get smashed by Starfire. Laughing, Robin tried to avoid the two and wound up making them crash into each other. Robin crashed into Starfire and made her hit the teenager again. Robin and Starfire started an obstacle course around the lake, weaving in and out of other people and accidents. Dripping from the waves the boats had made and laughing, the pair emerged from the ride with pink faces from the wind.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Come on Raven, just try,” Beast Boy begged as he held the orange ball in front of her. Raven sighed, took the basketball from Beast Boy, and aimed at the hoop. She threw it and frowned when it missed the hoop completely.

“Nice try Raven, but this is how you shoot,” Beast Boy said as he tossed his shot. It hit the backboard- too hard- and fell off the rim.

“Man, you throw like a girl,” Cyborg laughed as he threw a ball through a hoop flawlessly.

“No fair, Cyborg, you can use your tech to never miss.”

“Don't need to, shrimp, its just part of being a perfect athlete,” Cyborg bragged as he did it three more times.

“Bet you can't do it with your eyes closed,” Raven said as she stared at him impassively.

“Not only can I get it in with my eyes closed, I can do it tossing it over my head,” Cyborg affirmed.

“How much?”

“If you can't… you have to go three days eating the food Beast Boy cooks.”

Cyborg looked at her in disbelief. “I didn't know you did evil Raven. If I'm gonna do that, then I gotta make you do something as bad. How about… you have to wear pink for a week. Bright pink. With frills. And bows,” he said with an evil grin. Raven gulped: she detested the color pink.

“Deal,” she said nervously as she shook Cyborg's hand. The android aimed at the hoop before closing his eye and turning around. He motioned to throw three times before letting the ball go. It soared through the air and hit the backboard before rolling around the rim. As it neared its second spin, Raven frowned and narrowed her eyes. The ball teetered for a moment before falling.

On the outside of the hoop.

Cyborg's face dropped in disbelief. As Beast Boy roared with laughter and began plotting Cyborg's next meal aloud, a suspicion dawned on Cyborg. “You,” he said accusingly to Raven. “You did that. You made me lose,” he charged.

“Did not,” Raven denied. “Guess its just part of being a near­-perfect athlete,” she said, emphasizing the third to last word. Cyborg and Beast Boy stared blankly after her as she left them.

“Did she just… crack a joke?” Beast Boy asked in a wondrous voice.

“Yeah, I think she did,” Cyborg responded in a stunned tone.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Step right up, step right up and test your strength,” a runner announced. “You, sir,” he said, grabbing Robin and dragging him to a long pipe with a bell on the top. “Want to try your luck? Ring the bell and win a prize for your pretty girl,” he said with a grin. “Of course, if you don't think you can…” he continued, seeing Robin's face. At his last comment, Robin frowned and had a determined look on his face. The attractor smirked- he could tell which guys could never back down and would try to prove themselves.

“Robin, it is unnecessary to make the bell ring. We can do it from our home by pushing the one at the door,” Starfire whispered, not liking the way the pitcher had manipulated Robin.

“No, I can do this Star,” Robin whispered back as he took out a dollar and paid the man. He picked up the fifty-pound hammer with one hand and hefted it. “This is it?” he asked in a smart-aleck tone of voice. “This'll be easier than I thought,” Robin declared, making the pitcher's face fall. Robin brought the hammer behind his back and smashed the lever as hard as he could, causing the peg to soar up and strike the bell. The man's face fell as he gave Robin his choice of certain prizes. Robin selected a pink and purple gorilla roughly the size of his fist before an idea dawned on him.

“I'll make you a bet. This was so easy, I bet my friend here could do it with one hand,” Robin taunted, causing the man's face to go red.

“I can't bet you any money,” he said.

“That's fine,” Robin said casually. “If she can, you can have this small one back and she gets to choose one of the bigger ones.”

“And if she can't?”

Robin shrugged. “Then you'll get a hundred bucks.” The man considered the offer. That was more than he made in an hour, and he would be able to pocket it.

“Deal. Here ya go, little lady,” he said to Starfire, handing her the hammer. She looked slightly confused, but had caught on to the general idea.

“Just ring the bell?” she asked for clarification. Robin nodded and smirked at the man. Starfire smashed the hammer into the lever so hard that the peg zoomed up and cracked the bell. The man's jaw dropped and he simply stared as Robin exchanged the tiny gorilla for one roughly the size of Starfire herself. As the duo left, Starfire happily clutching her prize, Robin tossed a final smirk back at the man, who glowered and sulked.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Cyborg trailed Beast Boy and Raven, who walking several feet apart. Grumbling about the bets he had lost, Cyborg glowered at the pair and began plotting revenge. He saw a ride that had just opened up and thought maybe it would cheer him up.

“Yo, I say we go on this,” he called to the two. Beast Boy looked at the ride with interest while Raven wrinkled up her nose.

“I don't want to go,” she said as she waited by the gate. “You two go.”

“But it's built for three,” Cyborg complained as he looked at her sadly. “Come on Raven, you gotta do this for me.”

“Why?”

“Consider I have to eat Beast Boy's tofu stuff for three days and do his laundry.”

“That does suck pretty bad,” Raven agreed, smirking at Beast Boy's expression as she joined the line with them.

As they neared the start of the ride, a thought occurred to Beast Boy “Um, can you even go on this ride,” he asked Cyborg as the three of them got into a coaster car shaped like a log floating in a river.

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“Um, because you're a machine… and, uh-”

“Electricity and water don mix very well,” Raven said dryly.

“I'm waterproof,” Cyborg declared as they go to the entrance. Unable to decide on who would sit where (Raven opting for the back and Beast Boy and Cyborg arguing over who got to sit in the front) they played Rock-Paper-Scissors to see. To her disbelief, and not to her liking, Raven won the chance to go up front.

“Aww man, Raven, I can't believe your luck today,” Beast Boy whined as he got the back.

“Oh yes, lucky me,” Raven grumbled as she got in, knowing she would get sopping wet.

The android and shape shifter whooped for joy as they rounded turns and climbed steadily higher.

“This is it y'all,” Cyborg shouted as they reached the apex of the ride. As they rushed down, Raven closed her eyes as a spray of water drenched her. Cyborg and Beast Boy laughed as they got off the ride and saw the hood drooping and her hair plastered to her face. Raven blushed as he clothes stuck to her skin and dried herself off with her powers before gesturing to the ride and causing a jet of water to shoot at the boys, soaking them in return.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Rockets flew into the air and exploded, creating a dazzling effect on the carnival below. Robin and Starfire sat on the top section of the Ferris Wheel to watch the fireworks (being the leader of the local superhero team came with a few bribing perks).

Starfire let out a sigh of wonder and amazement. “Beautiful,” she sighed as she leaned forward to watch the light show. “Tell me again what they are called,” she said as she sat back.

“Fireworks,” Robin said as he relaxed against the chair.

“On my planet, such explosions would mean the Gordanians were attacking. You are certain Earth is not under attack,” she asked, suddenly concerned.

“Positive,” Robin reassured her as he reached down and brought up a pink fluffy wad of cotton candy on a cone. He took a piece and ate it before offering some to her.

“The last time I ate a bowl of cotton, it was white,” Starfire said with a reluctant look on her face, “and it did not taste very-”

“This is different,” Robin said as he took another piece. Starfire, willing to try everything at least once, took a piece and popped it in her mouth. She smiled at the sweetness and let out a gasp as the candy melted in her mouth.

“It vanished,” she said in a surprised intonation.

“Yeah, it'll do that sometimes,” Robin chuckled as he watched the amazing display of light and sound before them.

Starfire leaned back and relaxed her shoulders, letting a sigh of contentment come out of her. “When I first came to this planet, I did not think I would ever fit in,” she confessed. “Earth was full of strange things. But now I see-” The rest of her sentence was drowned out by an enormous explosion.

“Here comes the finale,” Robin said excitedly as he leaned forward to watch as the fireworks doubled in intensity. Starfire kept an eye on the fantastic display but kept Robin in her peripheral vision. Robin called out enthusiastically as the fireworks began to die down. “Amazing” he said, reclining as the Ferris Wheel creaked to life and began to bring them back down.

Starfire's eye twinkled in the night sky as she looked at Robin, who was oblivious to her gaze. “Earth is full of amazing things too,” she whispered to herself. A second later, she was rudely yanked from her seat by the flying pod, two of its tentacles wrapped around her body. She let out a scream of surprise as Robin sat stunned.

“Starfire!” he yelled as he saw her be taken away. A moment later, he sprang into action and jumped out of his seat, using the steel bars of the Ferris Wheel as gymnast bars to swing himself to the ground.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Starfire struggled against the machine that was holding her. She grabbed at the tentacles, but they were too thick to get her hands around and too slippery to get a grip on. Her eyes glowed green as she wriggled her body to get out of the grip, but the tentacles were covered in suction cups that made escape quite difficult.

“Wherever you are taking me, I do not wish to go,” she yelled as she leveled a starbolt at the machine and fired. The result was shocking: Starfire felt her own energy being channeled through the machine and channeled back to her. The shock, however, did weaken the creature's grip for a moment, and Starfire used the opportunity to free herself and start flying as fast as she could back to the land where her friends were. She turned and looked behind her to see the machine still giving chase.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“I'm not leaving until I get the jumbo prize,” Beast Boy snapped stubbornly as Cyborg tried to drag him away from the hoop and bottle game over towards a concessions stand.

“Dude, give it up: you're not going to get it,” Cyborg said, his stomach growling.

“Wanna bet,” Beast Boy grinned as he slapped his last dollar on the table.

“Yeah. I bet… uh actually, no, I don't want to bet,” Cyborg said as he remembered the last few times he had tried gambling. Beast Boy turned and concentrated before letting the ring go with a flick of the wrist. It hooked itself around the bottle in the direct center and Beast Boy whooped in joy as Cyborg breathed in relief at his wise decision not to make another bet. He gave Beast Boy a high-five at his victory and Beast Boy selected his prize.

“Told ya I'd win you a prize,” he said, pushing the doll into Raven's hands.

“A giant bright blue dragon. I must be the luckiest girl in the world,” Raven said sardonically as she held the prize.

“Titans, trouble,” Robin said as he landed on the ground. This simple sentence dispersed the carefree mood as the others prepared for battle.

“Where's Starfire?” Cyborg asked as he ran a quick systems check on his body to make sure he was fully functioning.

“That's the trouble,” Robin said mysteriously as he pointed towards the docks. The others followed him as he took off, Raven moving the dragon back up onto the prize racks before running after the group. As the group neared the edge of the docks, they saw Starfire whizzing towards them, the purple machine still chasing her. Starfire glanced behind her and saw the mechanism try to grab her. She dodged by doing a somersault in the air and sent a pair of starbolts at it. The shape of the apparatus seemed to be built to withstand the type of attacks Starfire was capable of unleashing, however, and the energy was dispersed harmlessly to the sides.

“No more chasing me now please,” Starfire pleaded as she weaved back and forth to try to throw the machine off balance. Unfortunately, it seemed to have an advanced tracking system and was not distracted by such tactics. The rest of the Teen Titans watched as she flew past them, followed by her adversary.

“Who's her new best friend?” Beast Boy asked as he waited for Starfire to circle back towards them.

“Don't know, but I can't wait to meet him,” Robin said as he punched one fist into his palm and cracked his neck.

Starfire had given up trying to lose the machine in the carnival and turned back towards her friends. She put on a huge burst of speed and landed on the ground behind everyone else to catch her breath. As the pod zoomed towards her, Beast Boy leap at it, morphing into a crocodile. As his powerful jaws snapped down, the armored machine dodged to the left, only to smash into a hot dog stand that Raven had sent careening at it.
Cyborg took advantage of the stunned contraption and grabbed it by the tentacles, his muscles groaning from the strain. “Don't know what you did to make this thing mad, Star,” he said, struggling to keep a grip, “but it couldn't hurt to apologize.”

“I am… sorry?” Starfire said hesitantly as she watched the machine begin to wiggle out of Cyborg's grip. Robin threw a bird-a-rang at the probe, which embedded itself in the front of the machine, but did nothing to slow it down. As it shook out of Cyborg's grip, Beast Boy caught up with it in the form of an ape and smashed his fist into it, knocking it off course. Cyborg rammed it with his shoulder and sent it flying off in another direction, and Robin leapt into the air and smashed it over the top of the hull with his bo-staff.

The pod began to slow down; its armored hull battered after so many attacks, and flew off course into the ocean. As it sank with a splash, Beast Boy looked over the rail for any signs of movement on its part before turning back to his comrades. “So… did we just win?” he asked, surprised it had been that easy.

As if in response to his question, the pod came bursting up through the wooden planks before looping down at Starfire. Cyborg fired his Sonic Cannon at the machine while Beast Boy morphed into a pterodactyl and picked Robin up. Raven sent blasts of mental energy at the machine and Starfire joined in with her starbolts.

Robin and Beast Boy landed on the hull of the machine and looked for a way to shut it down while hanging on for dear life.

“I don't see an `off' switch anywhere,” Beast Boy said before turning into an octopus to keep himself and Robin stabilized as they went on a ride more harrowing than anything they had experienced at the carnival.

“I guess that means I'll just have to make one,” Robin responded as he flexed his wrists. The green material of his gloves shimmered before turning a metallic sheen, and Robin plunged his fist into the curved hull of the machine before pulling out random wires and parts. As the machine began to sputter and smoke, the duo leapt off and flew towards the ground, Robin holding onto Beast Boy's feet.

The team watched as the machine flew up into the night sky and detonated, its explosion lost among the last of the fireworks, which were finally beginning to die down. “Whatever that thing was, it can't hurt you now,” Robin said to Starfire as he smiled.

Starfire refused to be caught up in the team's happiness. Only one thing was on her mind, and now she gave voice to her thoughts; “but… why did it wish to harm me at all.”

“Dunno, but I managed to get a piece of the thing when I was holding it,” Cyborg said, holding up a shard of black metal. “I'll take it home and analyze it, see if I can figure out where it came from.” As the group headed back home, Beast Boy stopped by the game he had been playing before and reclaimed his prize for Raven.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Friends, I shall share with you my appreciation for my rescue by reciting for you the Poem of Gratitude. All 6,000 verses!” Starfire exulted as the group entered the main room. Unaware of her teammates behind her completely stunned, Starfire continued walking, her eyes closed and humming to herself to get the rhythm of the song in her mind.

“I see you haven't changed one bit,” a voice rang out. The team behind Starfire instantly readied for battle, since nothing was supposed to have been able to get through their security system, but Starfire turned towards the source of the voice and gasped. A light flicked on, revealing a woman who could have been Starfire's twin, right down to the half-inch long eyebrows, save that she had black hair and purple eyes. Also, her clothes, while in the same style as Starfire's, were black, with a metal weave underneath instead of skin showing. “When we were little, I was always the one rescuing Starfire,” she said smiling.

Starfire screamed and zoomed towards the unknown girl, grabbing her into what sounded like a bone-crushing hug. “Sister,” Starfire screamed in joy, spinning in circles as she hugged her sibling.

“Brought you a present,” she said as Starfire released her, dangling what appeared to be a large emerald from her hand. Starfire gasped as she recognized the distinctive mineral formation patterns.

“A… a Centari moon diamond?” she asked breathlessly, soaking up the beauty of the gem and the way it absorbed the light. “Where did you get-”

“On the Centari moons, of course,” he sister giggled as she put it around her younger sibling's neck.

“Oh look, it matches your eyes,” she said happily, as she looked at the effect it had. Starfire just looked at herself in the mirror for a minute, blushing, before remembering her teammates were still behind her.

“You must meet my friends,” she said as she grabbed her sister by the hand and dragging her to the back of the room. “I wish for you all to meet my big sister-”

“Blackfire,” the aforementioned sister said, stepping forward to look at the Titans. “And since Starfire's told me all about you in her transmissions, let me guess. You must be Cyborg, right?”

“Pleased to meet you little lady,” the android grinned offering his hand. Blackfire gripped his hand and squeezed, buckling the outer armor. “Little lady, big handshake,” Cyborg laughed as he flexed his hand and popped the metal back into place, “well alright.”

“You're Raven,” Blackfire stated rather than asked as she locked eyes with the brooding pale girl. She stared at the telepath for a moment before commenting, “I like that gemstone on your Ajna-chakra.”

Raven's eyes flew up and glared at her forehead for a moment before coming down to look at Blackfire, surprised. “You know about chakra?”

“I got way into meditation on Altara Prime,” she said by means of explanation. “Beast Boy, what's up?” she smiled at the green changeling.

“Nothin' but the ceiling baby,” he cracked, drawing a chuckle out of Blackfire.

“Good one,” she complimented as she moved on to Robin.

“See, she thinks I'm funny,” he whispered to Raven, playfully nudging her in the ribs.

“Statistically, I suppose someone has to,” she replied dryly, causing the green teen to grumble to himself.

“And you must be Robin,” Blackfire said as she came to the leader of the group. “Oh I am loving this cape,” she gushed as she held it up and let it slip through her fingers. “It's positively luscious.”

Robin looked a little embarrassed to have his equipment referred to in such a way, but smiled nonetheless. “Thanks. It's a high-density polymerized titanium interlaced with small shreds of carbon steel and diamond. Very protective for fire and other energy attacks, and if you run an electric current through it, it becomes ten times harder then carbon steel, but has a weave like Kevlar to stop projectiles,” he explained.

“Fascinating,” Blackfire said, her face showing that she had actually understood Robin and was not covering. She leaned in until their noses were only a couple of inches apart, causing Starfire's smile to become frozen as she watched her sibling. “And this mask makes you very mysterious,” Blackfire continued, leaning in closer.

“So, beloved sister,” Starfire said, forcibly inserting herself between the two. “What brings you to Earth?”

“I was in the quadrant,” she answered with a smile as she sauntered back towards the couch and lying down. “Besides, I needed a rest; nearly got sucked into a black hole on my way here,” she said nonchalantly. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy seemed to teleport to where Blackfire was, their faces eager.

“A black hole?” Robin said interested.

“No way,” Cyborg said in a skeptical tone, thinking Blackfire was making up the story.

“Cool,” was all Beast Boy could say.

Starfire and Raven were left alone by the kitchen counter, the latter shaking her head, and muttering “Boys.”

“Okay, so I'm cruising through the Draconis Nebula,” Blackfire began, “when all of a sudden-”

“Sister, that nebula is notorious for being full of black holes. You know travel there is forbidden,” Starfire interrupted, shocked that her sister would so casually flaunt such practical rules.

Blackfire looked back at her sister with a crooked grin and shrugged. “Most fun things in life are,” she retorted. “Now, be a sweetie and get me one of those `sodas' I've heard so much about,” she said before continuing her story. Raven leaned back and smirked, eager to see how the argument would go, but to her surprise, Starfire closed her mouth after a moment and walked dejectedly over to the refrigerator.

“I see you have not changed either,” she muttered to herself as she grabbed a soda and walked over to Blackfire.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Probes identical to the one the Titans had destroyed soared back to a ship, inserting themselves into their reception tubes. The first three tubes glowed green as their probe was received, but the last one began to flash red, its probe not returning at its scheduled time. A hulking figure encased in red bulky armor smashed his hand down on a screen.

“Our target was not located,” he growled angrily. “These things are useless, the drones have failed,” he seethed.

“Have they?” an older, calmer voice asked as he put a hand on the younger cadet's shoulder. He pushed a button to see where the last one had been sent and a picture of Earth came up. “The one that probed Earth did not return,” he noticed. “I have told you that you will need patience and a cool head to go up the ranks here,” he admonished slightly. “Think. If the probe was only programmed to apprehend the girl, and it did not return…” he began, encouraging the younger one to sort the puzzle out.

“Then that is where the girl is,” he deduced, earning a nod from his superior. “Okay then, prepare for teleportation. Opt for thirty light seconds outside of Earth's atmosphere. We shouldn't attract any attention from their technology at that range,” he ordered, causing the crew to snap to attention and follow orders.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Sister?” Starfire asked as she wandered through the hallways of the T-tower two days later. “Sister,” she called again, wondering where Blackfire had gone. She entered the living room and saw Cyborg and Beast Boy playing video games yet again. She leaned forward on the couch and smiled at the racing game they were engaged in.

“You wanna pass me,” Cyborg taunted as he drifted around in front of Beast Boy's car, “but you can't pass me, you can't pass- hey, you passed me,” he said, shocked as Beast Boy's car got ahead in a tight turn.

“Tight in the turn, jets, and nitro,” Beast Boy bragged as he leapt off the couch and did a victory spin before sitting back down and continuing to mash his controller.

“Tell me, have either of you seen my sister?”

“Blazin'-B?” Beast Boy asked as he narrowed his eyes and continued to concentrate on his game. “She was here just a second ago,” he said turning to face Starfire. This was the momentary distraction Cyborg needed, and he quickly did a move that put him back in the lead. “Dunno where she took off to though,” Beast Boy told Starfire before turning back to the screen. His face fell as Cyborg's car smashed into his and sent it zigzagging off the screen.

“Oh yeah, back in the lead,” Cyborg laughed as he left Beast Boy behind.

“What fun,” Starfire said, smiling at her friends. “May I join in your game?”

“Sorry Star; winner plays Blackfire,” Cyborg said as he passed the lap line.

“Yeah, she rules at this game,” Beast Boy said, a sappy smile coming over his face.

“I see…” Starfire said before leaving the duo alone and began walking again through the corridors. As she passed Raven's room, she wondered whether or not Blackfire might be in there discussing meditation techniques. She softly knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before the door opened a few inches and half of Raven's hooded head emerged. “Is my sister in there with you?” Starfire asked.

“No,” Raven said shortly before going to close the door.

“Oh, Starfire said, leaning in to prevent Raven from leaving. Might you wish to do the `hanging out' with me? We could visit your favorite depressing café,” she offered, hoping the teen would be willing to spend some time with Starfire.

“Already been,” Raven said, shooting down Starfire's hopes. “It was open mike last night and Blackfire wanted to share,” she elaborated. “Your sister's poetry is surprisingly dark,” Raven said, meaning it as a compliment. Starfire's eyes dropped to the floor and mumbled something as she continued on her way. Raven watched Starfire leave for a moment before closing her door and going back inside.

Starfire continued walking around before she decided to try to find Robin. The leader of the Teen Titans was usually very good at talking to Starfire and helping her sort out her problems. “Perhaps we may have one of our late night discussions,” Starfire said to herself as she began to float down the hallway towards the gym. As she rounded the corner, she saw two silhouettes that were easily recognizable to her. Starfire watched, frozen in place as she saw Blackfire bring Robin into a tight embrace.

“That's perfect, Robin,” Blackfire said softly as Starfire's mind unfroze and she slowly walked up to the gym, afraid of what she might find. “Hold me just like that, and…” Blackfire let out a loud yell as Starfire entered the room and Starfire saw Robin go flying across the room and crash into a padded wall.

“How… how did you do that?” Robin asked, panting for breath.

“Learned that from a Ven-Zo master on Tyrus Three,” Blackfire bragged as she helped Robin to his feet.

“Hello Robin and, my sister,” Starfire said, giving a warm smile to the former but only able to conjure up a smaller one for her sibling as she walked in. “Am I interrupting anything?”

“Not at all,” Robin said and rubbed his head. “Blackfire was just teaching me some alien martial arts. How come you never showed me these cool moves?” he asked curiously. Starfire closed her mouth and looked down at the floor, a blush beginning on her face.

“Probably because she doesn't know them,” Blackfire said as Starfire sank from out of the air down to the ground. “I always was the better fighter,” she bragged proudly. Slipping one arm around his shoulder and rubbing his upper arm, Blackfire began to lead Robin back towards the sparring ring.

“Come on, I'll show you the move I once used to take down a rampaging orthax,” she said, making Starfire feel increasingly inadequate. Realizing that Robin and her were not going to have one of their talks tonight, Starfire turned and went to her room. The cheerful colors did nothing to pep up her mood, and Starfire sank into an uneasy sleep.

When she woke up in the morning, Starfire felt slightly better and decided to try to talk to Robin again. She wandered into the kitchen, looking for everyone, but could only find Cyborg, who was just finishing a plate of tofu eggs. “Don't ask,” he groaned when he saw the look on Starfire's face. “Long story short, I lost two bets and now Beast Boy and Raven are making me suffer for it. You looking for someone?”

“Yes, I am wondering where Robin is. He is usually in here now eating breakfast, and I am eager to have a discussion with him.”

“Good luck. That boy is still sleeping; he was training last night until at least three in the morning. He's out cold in his room.”

“Oh,” was all Starfire could say. She felt conflicted. One the one hand, she was happy that Robin was training and getting stronger, but bitter that it came at the sacrifice of spending time with her. And the fact that her sister was involved complicated the matter even more. “What are you going to do today? May we do the `hanging out' and perhaps play games or a sport?”

“Sorry Star; I have some work to do today. I need to run a full diagnostic scan on the T-Tower and Blackfire was gonna take a look at my Sonic Cannon and see if any alien technology could boost the power.”

“Oh,” Starfire said again. “Perhaps I could be of assistance?”

Cyborg winced and scratched the back of his head nervously. “Well, the Tower is something that only I can do, since it's hooked up to my system, and Blackfire's actually in my room already getting everything ready. She said she's taken advanced cybernetics at a space research facility, so I figured it would safe for her to help me. Sorry Star, I don't mean that you're not smart, it's just-”

“She is more qualified to be in a position to be of assistance to you than I am,” Starfire said, painting a smile on her face. “It is all right, I am fine with it. I shall see you later perhaps?” she asked as Cyborg got up and stretched.

“Definitely,” Cyborg said confidently. “I'll warm up with Beast Boy and Blackfire before playing you tonight,” he grinned, causing Starfire to smile faintly. After sitting around for a few minutes, Starfire decided to go up onto the roof to try to relax and calm her mind.

As the sun's rays hit her face, Starfire felt her spirits rise. Something about the sun forbade her from being in a bad mood. She sat back on a sunning chair and relaxed, looking out over the tower at the ocean. Her eyes fluttered as she stared at the beautiful sight and they opened to see the sun in a completely different position than last time. Starfire jumped up and realized that she had fallen asleep- for a few hours judging by the sun.

She flew downstairs to see where her teammates were but as far as she could tell, the T-Tower was empty. Robin was apparently still sleeping, and Cyborg had left her a note on the TV.

“Star,
That surgery that Blackfire and I did really took it out of me. I'm in
my room recharging for the rest of the day, but I'll definitely chill with
you tomorrow.
Cy”

Starfire's mind clouded with loneliness again, and she decided to go to the gym. She supposed doing some exercises would cheer her up and take her mind off her sister. Starfire loved Blackfire, but she knew her sister had a habit of becoming overbearing.

“Good Raven, but try to use less energy stabilizing yourself and more keeping yourself on the needle,” she heard her sister say. Starfire entered the gym and saw Raven, Blackfire, and Beast Boy in the gym already. The changeling was lifting weights in the corner while the telepathic teen was hovering upside-down above a needle. Her pointer finger was resting on the needle and a ball of telepathic energy was the only thing keeping her up. Curiously, while Raven's hair and hood had fallen down, her cloak remained upward, resisting the fall of gravity.

“I, uh, don't feel that confident yet Blackfire,” Raven said, her face turning red from being upside-down. She grimaced as the wear of focusing so much energy into her finger began to take its toll on her and after taking a few breaths, she managed to stabilize herself again. “What exactly will this do for me?”

“I've noticed that whenever you use an attack, you use your whole hand, giving you an increase in blunt force but taking away your precision and penetration. Channeling through a finger will let you become more precise, useful in infiltration or piercing armor,” Blackfire explained. “Hey, baby sister,” she said, turning around and seeing Starfire. “How are you?”

“I am fine sister, though I have not had much time for your companionship,” Starfire confessed.

“I know, but I've just been getting to know your friends. I have to say, you really chose well when you picked Earth. The people here are so much fun, and your friends are great to hang out with.”

“Thank you,” Starfire muttered. “What are you doing now?”

“Well, I think the exercises I've given Raven will keep her occupied for a couple of hours,” Blackfire said, looking over at the girl, who only nodded in response. “But Beast Boy managed to get tickets to a concert, and he asked if I wanted to come. Never been to an Earth concert, so I figured `why not'.”

“Ready Blazin'-B?” Beast Boy asked as he put the weights down.

“You know it, BB” Blackfire smiled as they left the room. As they exited, Raven grunted and gasped for breath, the training Blackfire had set for her draining her energy. Her cloak fell down around her head and Starfire saw that Raven was not going to be up to having any conversations. She left the gym and went back into the kitchen. As a pleasant surprise, Starfire saw Robin slumped at the table, eating a steak and wincing with almost every movement.

“Robin, are you all right?” She got only a groan as a response.

“Star, your sister almost worked me to death. I slept all day, and I think I'm going back to bed after this. Sorry that I haven't talked to you lately, but I'll have to catch up tomorrow; I'm just too wiped out now,” Robin said as he patted her on the shoulder. Starfire gave him a sympathetic smile and watched as he left the room before realizing that she was all alone. Sighing, Starfire felt a flash of bitterness and jealousy towards her sister before guiltily pushing it away. Her sister was only happy to be with her again, and was meeting her friends. She went to her room and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She wandered towards her closet and decided to sort through all her belongings and organize them for a while. A few hours later, Starfire had collapsed in her closet and was snoring while holding a boot.

A loud crash startled Starfire awake in the morning and she quickly rose into the air, charging her starbolts and preparing to fight. When she heard another crash from outside, Starfire rushed over to the window and looked for the source of the disturbance. She looked over at the training obstacle course and saw Robin going through it. She went to join him but stopped when she saw her sister flying around behind Robin, helping him train by firing starbolts at him. Starfire's heart sank as she saw the two do something that had once been something that only she and Robin had used to do together.

Later that night, Starfire peeked into the living room and saw all four of her friends there. Predictably, Raven was reading while Robin watched Cyborg and Beast Boy play video games. She let out a happy squeak, dashed to her room to grab some items, and came through the doors.

“Friends, I invite you to join me in the togetherness of a `stay-home movie night.' I have brought us popcorn as well as non-cotton candies. Tell me, what sort of movie shall we view?” Immediately, each Titan spoke up, trying to have first say. After a few seconds of watching them fight, Starfire silenced them by holding up a starbolt. “Please, let us go around the couch and each name our choice before perhaps deciding on one,” she said, pointing at Robin.

“Action.”

“Comedy,” Beast Boy argued.

“Sci-fi,” Cyborg jumped in.

“Horror,” Raven suggested.

Starfire stayed motionless for a minute before having a suggestion. “Perhaps a double feature?”

“Forget the flicks, kids,” came Blackfire's voice from the back of the room, causing everyone to look at where she was. She stood in the entrance dressed in one of Starfire's outfits. “We're going out,” she declared.

“We are?” Starfire asked. As Blackfire walked by her, Starfire realized that her sister had stepped into her wardrobe. “Are those my-”

“Heard about a downtown,” Blackfire said, cutting across her sister. “Cool crowd, hot music.”

“Yeah,” Beast Boy said enthusiastically.

“Why not,” Robin shrugged.

“If y'all are down, I'm in too,” Cyborg agreed jovially.

Raven had up to this point remained silent, choosing to immerse herself once again in her book. “And it's in a creepy rundown warehouse,” Blackfire added, trying to coax Raven. Raven looked up and shrugged. “Hey sweetie, raided your closet,” Blackfire said as she and the rest of the Titans walked past her. “Hope you don't mind me borrowing your look,” she called out as they went through the doors.

“Why not,” Starfire said bitterly, standing alone in the living room where she had not thirty seconds ago had her friends ready to hang out with her. “You have already borrowed my friends.” With that, Starfire gloomily followed the group out the tower.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

The music shook the thin walls so badly that Raven thought it was a small miracle that the warehouse hadn't fallen in by now. She followed just behind Starfire as the group entered the party. She noticed that Starfire had not been her usual chipper self as of late, and Raven was fairly certain that she could pin Starfire's new behavior to the date that Blackfire had arrived. Even the fact that Starfire was in the back leapt out at Raven: Starfire was usually the first person to try new things.

“Step aside Earthlings, the Queen of the Galaxy has arrived,” Blackfire said as she waltzed through the crowd and made room for the others.

“Self-proclaimed,” Starfire mumbled so softly that Raven wasn't even sure she had heard properly. Raven sped up to catch up with the rest of her teammates and saw that Starfire was trying to politely work through the crowd. This was made slightly difficult by the fact that most people were simply dancing wildly with no thought to the presence of others. Shaking her head, Raven continued on her way, knowing telling Starfire to muscle her way would not do any good.

Blackfire laughed at the three boys as she let her body flow with the music. “Now don't tell me you big, tough superheroes are afraid of a little dancing,” she teased.

“Betcha Cyborg can do `The Robot',” Beast Boy joked as he imitated the dance. Cyborg glanced down at him before smacking his friend lightly in the back of the head. The three Titans began dancing along with the crowd, Blackfire dancing closest to Robin.

Starfire and Raven stood by a corner and watched the surrounding events. Starfire sulked, watching Blackfire flirt with Robin, while Raven seemed to be focusing on the group in general. After a few minutes, Raven began massaging her temples, getting a headache from the music and lights. “This party is pointless.”

“Everything's pointless,” a guy said as he stood behind her. “Wanna go talk about it?” Raven looked him over and shrugged before leaving Starfire and walking off. Starfire stood self-consciously in the corner before two friendly looking men came up to her.

“Hey little hottie,” one of them complimented, a smile on his face. “You diggin' the scene?”

“I… did not know that we were supposed to bring shovels,” Starfire said bashfully, scratching the back of her head nervously. The two boys simply stood still for a moment before laughing and walking off. Starfire did not know exactly why they were laughing but she was able to deduce that it had been something that she had said and was embarrassed.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

The alien ship materialized near Earth's orbit and the two officers gazed down at the blue planet. “The girl might have been able to defeat one drone, but she will not fair so well against three,” the younger one said as he pushed a button that released the other three probes into space. They rocketed towards Earth and began following their quarry's trail. They were thrown off track since the trail seemed to go in two different directions at a few points but they still did not stop looking.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Hey Star, you seen Raven?” Beast Boy asked as he came up to her with a couple of soda's in his hands.

“She went with a boy to discuss the pointlessness of everything,” she said, noticing that under the light Beast Boy seemed to be very tense. “Beast Boy, are you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah I'm fine,” he said grinning as a new light moved over him and his face seemed to relax. “Brought you a soda,” he said, handing her a drink. Starfire gave a small smile and accepted the drink before watching Beast Boy go over to the rest of the Titans. She sighed and suddenly felt very much like being alone. She wandered through the party before masking her way onto the roof. She looked up into the sky and saw three shooting stars in the distance.

Starfire let out a sad sigh, feeling terribly alone. “Perhaps I do not truly belong her after all,” she mused.

“Of course you don't,” Robin answered. Starfire jumped and turned around, seeing Robin walking up to her with a smile on his face. “You belong down there having fun with the rest of us,” he continued, sitting down next to her. “What's wrong?” he asked, looking into her eyes. He had not seen Starfire so moody and distant in a long time.

“Nothing is wrong,” Starfire said with false cheeriness. “Everything is wonderful,” she lied, trying to convince Robin she was fine. “The deafening music and blinding lights are quite enjoyable.” Robin said nothing and simply stared at her for a few moments. Starfire let out a sigh and finally confessed what had been weighing on her mind lately. “I am pleased to see her, but Blackfire rules the video games. And she is able to share very depressing poems. And she knows the cools moves. And she can perform complicated cybernetic surgery. And she is able to give meditation training tips. And she is pretty and popular. And she is willing to go to concerts. And she is always in the mood for training. And she always knows when people are not talking about shovels,” Starfire spilled, her words coming out so fast that Robin had a hard time keeping up. Starfire brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around herself as she gazed up at the night sky, ashamed to look at Robin. “And I am nothing like her,” she confessed in a whisper.

“No, your not,” Robin agreed, putting an arm around her. “And I think-” he was cut off by the sound of a hatch opening.

“How do I look?” Blackfire asked, showing off a pink wig she had gotten.

“Pink,” Robin said shortly. Blackfire's eyes focused on something and widened before looking at Robin, not really listening t what he was saying. “Look, could you give us-”

“Oh, I love this song,” Blackfire said excitedly, rushing over to Robin and dragging him back inside. Starfire stood and sighed again before turning sharply to her left, something having caught her eye. She gasped as she saw another drone appear from behind a sign.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Beast Boy was dancing away when a series of green flashes caught his attention. He looked up and saw a silhouette of Starfire fighting a figure that looked remarkably like the one they had beaten a few days ago. As he watched, it was able to get a grip on Starfire and dragged her out of sight. “Cy, Star's in trouble,” he called out. Cyborg instantly stopped dancing and turned around, ready for a fight. Beast Boy looked around for Robin and Blackfire, but saw no sight of them, and according to Starfire, Raven was out with some guy. Beast Boy turned around looked for Starfire, a snarl on his face when four tentacles lunged out of the darkness and grabbed him.

Cyborg stood still for a moment before roaring and running after where Beast Boy had been when he was blindsided by another monster. He slammed into a wall and got to his feet cracking his knuckles. He ran forward and aimed a punch at the monster but it dodged and wrapped a tentacle around his arm, using his momentum to throw him away again.

Raven frowned behind her hood as the guy in front of her flirted with her, badly. She wondered why she had went away with him in the first place and silently prayed for a distraction when suddenly Beast Boy appeared being dragged by a purple machine. The boy she was with ran away while Raven quickly grabbed two crates with her powers and threw them at the droid, stunning it long enough to let Beast Boy get out of its grip. A crash made the two look up as the droid unsteadily got up and they saw Starfire being dragged by a second machine. A third drone came up behind them but was diverted by Cyborg jumping at it and planting both his feet on it.

Starfire flew up into the air, having escaped the creature's grip when it hit the ground and sent it flying back with a starbolt to the side. As it hit the ground, Beast Boy back flipped and morphed into a tiger. He lunged forward and batted it with his paw, hitting into a second droid that had been closing in on Starfire. Raven repelled the third one with an energy field and it flew backwards into Cyborg, who unleashed his Sonic Cannon on it.

As the Titans fought the machines, they couldn't help but notice that all three most frequently attack Starfire. “Congratulations Star,” Cyborg grunted as he kept a grip on two of them, “you managed to piss off something with friends.” Cyborg slammed the two he was holding together, disorienting them before chucking them both at the third one. It sped towards Cyborg, dodging its brethren and tackled him to the ground. Raven used her powers to pull it off Cyborg while Beast Boy morphed into an octopus to keep the other two away from Raven. Starfire blasted those two with starbolts before they wriggled free from Beast Boy's grip and resumed chasing her.

Cyborg growled and sent one flying away with a powerful kick. As another one attacked him, he grabbed it by the tentacles and hurled it before getting smacked by the third one. Cyborg let out a painful yell as he went soaring backwards.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Where are you going,” Blackfire pouted as she followed Robin up a flight of stairs. “Stay and talk to me,” she laughed, trying to get him to come downstairs.

“I just wanna make sure that Starfire's okay,” Robin said, starting to get a little annoyed by Blackfire's clinginess. No sooner had those words left his mouth than did Cyborg come smashing through a wall and landing in a pile of rubble. “What's going on?” Robin demanded as he helped Cyborg up.

“Remember that thing that attacked Star? It had friends,” was all Cyborg said before taking off again.

Robin followed but noticed Blackfire had remained still. He couldn't believe that with all her training, she froze when it came time for action. He supposed it had something to do with her sister being the one in trouble. “Didn't you hear him?” he asked incredulously. “Your sister needs help.”

“Right, of course,” she grinned, taking off the wig and following him.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Starfire grunted as she went crashing through a wall. Beast Boy and Raven followed, trying to keep the drones away but realizing that without backup they were going to lose this fight. As the three closed in on Starfire, she began to scream as they dragged her away. Beast Boy and Raven made to follow but stopped when a bird-a-rang flew out and sliced two of the tentacles off one of the machines.

“Teen Titans, go!” yelled Robin as he emerged from the hole with Cyborg and Blackfire. He leapt at one of the creatures and smashed it with his bo-staff, spinning it around. Blackfire narrowed her eyes and a stream of violet energy impacted the drone on its underbelly, causing it to explode. She waited for the weak spots of the other two probes to be exposed before firing at them too. In less than a minute, all three were nothing but pieces of scrap.

“Oh yeah, good times,” Cyborg said, giving Blackfire a high-five.

“Nice shootin' Tex,” Beast Boy grinned as he caught up with them.

“Very nice,” Raven admitted.

“How did you know where to hit them?” Robin asked, while also mentally kicking himself for not thinking of hitting their underside.

“Lucky guess,” Blackfire shrugged as Starfire walked over to them, hugging a large bruise on her arm.

“We could use luck like that,” Cyborg complimented. “Maybe you should join the team,” he offered with a smile.

“Me? A Teen Titan?” Blackfire asked breathlessly. Starfire let out a sad gasp as she stared wide-eyed at her friends.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Starfire walked on the roof of the Titans' Tower, staring at the moon. She looked down at the floor, imagining her friends celebrating the initiation of Blackfire and her heart sank. Starfire knew she had to leave quickly without saying goodbye; otherwise, she would be unable to fly away. “She will be a better Titan that I ever was,” she said, though that provided little consolation.

“Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye,” Robin asked as he stepped out from the shadows.

Starfire took one look at the dejected Titan's face and she sank to the ground, unable to keep herself aloft any longer. As her legs hit the ground, she sank to her knees, almost in tears. “Robin, I-” she started to say before he silenced her with a finger to the lips. He helped her up and supported her as she started to cry, angry at her sister and herself, and ashamed that she had tried to run away.

Robin opened his mouth to say something but was distracted by what sounded like an airship. While air traffic above the tower was not uncommon, this was much louder, sounding as if it came from very close by. As a small hovercraft appeared out of nowhere, Robin readied himself for potential combat. The two beings that had been tracking Starfire were on board, and Robin eyed the one closest to them, as his right hand had what looked like a gigantic robotic claw arm.

The being stretched his arm out, and a long green tentacle shot out and whacked Robin in the chest, sending him stumbling back a few feet. As he got up, he saw the tentacle wrap around Starfire and rag her towards the ship. He yelled her name desperately and ran at her, trying to catch her before she was taken away. As her body left the roof of the tower, Robin gave no heed to his own safety and leapt off, trying to catch her foot. At the last instant, his hand fell short and Starfire watched in horror as she was dragged aboard the ship, her last image before her vision was obscured by clouds that of Robin falling to the jagged rocks below.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

“Yo, where's Blackfire?” Cyborg asked as he pulled a few bottles of soda out from the fridge.

“Said she had to go to the bathroom,” Beast Boy called out from the couch. Raven was sitting across from him as he played Aerial Combat 3, intently reading a book. Suddenly her communicator began to flash a warning, just as Cyborg's and Beast Boy's did too. They all instantly stopped what they were doing and checked their links.

“Looks like Robin's in trouble, but he's not at the tower,” Raven said as her communicator locked in on his location. “And Starfire's had been turned off.”

“Then let's move,” Cyborg commanded after leaving a note for Blackfire. “Blackfire'll join us when she gets back, I'll leave her my communicator.”

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Starfire's muffled screams were muted completely as she was placed in a cage. She attempted to struggle against her bonds, but her strength and flight had left her, leaving her as helpless as a human.

“We're almost ready to leave Earth orbit,” the younger cadet said as he surveyed Starfire with intense dislike. “We finally have the Tamaranian,” he said triumphantly.

“Once we return to Centari, you will pay for what you have done,” the older one stated. There was no hatred in his voice, no anger, simply justice. Starfire looked down and closed her eyes, confused but unwilling to fight any longer.

“Nobody's taking her away,” Robin declared as he leapt up onto the dock of the ship. “My friend stays here,” he demanded as the older one ran at him. The younger being looked as if he clearly wished to enter the fight but was unable to leave the controls, and was also unwilling to leave Earth's orbit when he knew it would mean the death of the human.

Robin leapt over the man as he smashed his claw arm down into the ground. He turned and took a swipe at Robin, again with his claw arm, causing Robin to start thinking of a way to disable his right arm.

“Take out that main weapon, and he won't be so tough,” Robin thought to himself as he dodged another swipe. His fist slammed into the shoulder joint, causing sparks to fly out. He threw an uppercut to the man's mask and kicked off the chest as he went stumbling back. Robin landed a foot away from Starfire, but she did not know he was there. Her prison blocked out everything but sight from the outside world, and her eyes were still closed. A slight vibration made her look up and she saw Robin huddled behind his cape to defend from energy blasts. He threw a bird-a-rang as a counter defense, but the guard smashed through it and tried to hit Robin, who ducked under a vicious punch. A quick three blows to the crab-arm had it dented and sparking again, and when the tentacle came shooting out, Robin deflected it with his cape and sent it shooting into one of the repulsor lifts.

“No!” the guard flying the craft shouted in panic. His hands worked at the controls furiously as the ship began to sink, and Robin knew he had to act fast. He freed Starfire from the prison and removed the tentacle from around her.

“You came for me?” she breathed, her eyes shining.

“Always will,” Robin smiled at her kindly. “Now let's get out of here,” he said, taking her hand and running off the ship. Starfire went with him, and for the first time in what felt like ages, she soared through the air with joy in her heart. As the two of them touched the ground, the saw the ship crash and their teammates come running up behind them.

“You guys okay?” Cyborg asked as they reached the pair. Robin made to answer but settled for a quick nod and pulled out his bo-staff as he saw the two behemoths rise up from the dust of the crash.

“Titans, get ready,” he ordered, putting everyone else on their guard.

The larger one walked right up to the group, his arms at his side. As he got close, his normal hand went to his chest, causing everyone to tense up. He took it away and was holding a badge. “Under the authority of the Chief of Interplanetary Justice, in the name of the Grand Ruler of the Centari System, you are all under arrest for the aiding and abetting of a known criminal. You will be tried for assault of a police officer and obstruction of justice,” he said, pointing at Robin, “and you, Tamaranian, will be tried for high treason, theft, piracy, arson, impersonation of Grand Centari officials, and general depravity and lawlessness,” he stated in an authoritative voice.

The Titans just looked at him blankly, their faces full of shock. “Um… you can't be the good guys,” Beast Boy said, his mind unable to think of a witty comeback. “We're the good guys.”

“And we are Centari policemen,” the younger one snapped, held back from attacking by the older one. He pointed an accusing finger star at Starfire. “The Tamaranian is a liar and a thief, among other things. She has committed high crimes throughout the entire Centari System.”

Starfire was finally able to speak up. “I have never even been to the Centari moons,” she said in her defense. Robin didn't have to look in her eyes to know she was telling the truth; Starfire was a terrible liar. As tried to think of an explanation for Starfire's innocence, his mind replayed something from a few days ago…

“Brought you a present.”

“A Centari moon diamond? Where did you-”

“On the Centari moons of course…”

Robin's eyes opened as the pieces fit together. He hesitated, knowing that was he was about to reveal would be highly painful but he also knew there was no other way. “But I know someone who has…” he said sadly, as he took Starfire's necklace off and held it up in front of her. Starfire gasped and her eye began to leak out a tear as the implications of what Robin was saying hit her. “You've been chasing the wrong girl,” he told the policemen before turning around to the other Titans. Raven looked like she had a clue about what was going on but Cyborg and Beast Boy were in the dark. “Where's Blackfire,” Robin remanded, opening the other two boys' eyes up as well.

“Uh…” was all Beast Boy could say as he pointed to something flying into the sky. Cyborg looked like he was seeing red, and even Raven looked angry at Starfire's betrayal.

“Don't worry Star, she won't get away with this,” Robin said gently, not knowing how Starfire would be right now.

“No she will not,” Starfire said, surprising everyone with her tone. Every word had an undercurrent of rage, and her eyes were glowing brighter than any of the Titans had seen before. Starfire's hair began to flow, though there was no wind, and with a growl she took up into the sky like a bullet.

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Blackfire had seen the Centari police and figured it was only a matter of time until Starfire was apprehended. Even if she got off the hook, it would buy Blackfire enough time to get out of the quadrant.

“Hello sister,” an angry voice said. Blackfire opened her eyes to see Starfire hovering in front of her, her eyes glowing bright green and her arms across her chest.

“Aww, you're mad. I know, I should've told you I was leaving, but you know how I hate goodbyes, and-”

“You are a criminal and you were going to let me take your place in jail,” Starfire interrupted, leaning in.

“Oh,” Blackfire said, aware that Starfire had figured everything out. “Well, yeah,” she said with a sheepish smile.

“You will give back what you have stolen, apologize to those you have wronged, and turned yourself over to the police immediately,” Starfire ordered, poking her sister in the chest.

Blackfire was surprised at Starfire's aggressive attitude but quickly got over the shock and went into her bullying mode. “And what will you do if I don't?” she challenged, flying a few inches higher to look down on Starfire. The surprised look on Starfire's face and lack of response told Blackfire that her sister had not planned on Blackfire refusing or resisting. Blackfire grinned sinisterly at Starfire as she raised a hand slowly, charging up a starbolt as she did so. She slowly and deliberately pointed it in Starfire's face before firing and sending her sister towards the ground. “I always was the better fighter,” she laughed.

Starfire did a few somersaults before righting herself and looking up at her sister. “Not anymore,” she shouted, unleashing an attack of her own. Starfire's attack caught Blackfire completely by surprise and hit her dead on. Snarling, Blackfire straightened herself out and put her hands together. A meteor storm of starbolts flew towards Starfire, who quickly flew to the left to avoid them. Blackfire turned with Starfire, keeping her little sister on the defensive.

Starfire weaved in and out of the blasts, unable to get any closer to Blackfire but still able to attack. She threw three well-aimed starbolts, the first two causing Blackfire to dodge while the third caught her in the hand. Blackfire clutched her hand in pain, unable to shoot starbolts and saw Starfire coming in. At the last second, Blackfire twisted and hit Starfire in the ribs with a powerful kick. Starfire flew back a few feet but did not rush in again. While she may have disable her sister's long range attacks, Starfire knew she hadn't a hope of beating Blackfire in hand to hand combat.

Blackfire glared at Starfire and shot a purple beam out of her eyes; Starfire flew down and dodged, causing Blackfire to give chase. As the two streaked towards the ground, Robin and Beast Boy prepared to go help her but were stopped by Cyborg.

“Don't do it man,” he said, keeping his eye on the fight. “Star's gotta show her big sister up this time.”

“Besides, it's not as though I'll let Blackfire escape,” Raven reminded him. Robin frowned but listened to his teammates.

Starfire saw her friends and the police and an idea occurred to her. She flipped and continued flying towards the ground, but rotated so that she was still facing Blackfire. Luring her with starbolts, Starfire flew closer and closer to the ground, getting nearer to the police. Blackfire, consumed with anger at Starfire, did not pay attention and as Starfire stopped and simply hovered, Blackfire rushed in and prepared to hit her sister. As she got closer, fist raised, a green slime shot out and snagged her around the waist, wrapping her hands around her chest and snaking its way up to her neck.

“Blackfire of Tamaran,” the older policeman said grimly, “you are under arrest.” He reeled her in and quickly put her in the containment cage.

As Starfire watched, she felt sorry for Blackfire, knowing the Centari prisons were very harsh.

“Farewell sister,” she said, waving sadly. “Although you did betray and attack me, it was still nice to see you,” she said, remembering the first day when she and Blackfire had spent the entire day together.

“Next time it won't be so nice,” Blackfire snarled. “I will get out of jail, little sister,” she spat, “and I will get even,” she warned ominously.

“Shut up,” the younger Centari policeman snarled before turning and looking at the rest of the Titans. He looked at the ground for a moment, embarrassed, before speaking up. “Apologies, Starfire of Tamaran, for the case of mistaken identity. I hope you accept our regrets on behalf of the Interplanetary Justice Department.”

“It is all right,” Starfire reassured him. “My sister and I do look very much alike,” she admitted.

“But your personalities are nothing similar,” Robin told her, making her blush faintly. The rest of the Titans did not hear this last comment, as they were watching the Centari police leave, the repulsor life on the transport having been fixed quickly.

 

As they arrived home, the sin was just beginning to rise. Grumbling about how her meditation schedule would be out of sync, Raven went to bed. Cyborg and Beast Boy quickly followed, leaving Robin and Starfire alone on the roof. Starfire sat at the edge, unaware of Robin's presence as she watched the sunrise.

Robin watched her for a few minutes before deciding that she shouldn't be alone and walked over to her. “Hey,” he said to let her know she was there. She looked at him, her face glum. “How are you doing?”

“I am… sad for my sister,” Starfire confessed, though Robin could tell she was hiding something.

“And for yourself?” he prodded, trying to get her to open up. It was a new experience for him; Starfire usually never needed help in opening up.

“I am just glad that the truth was discovered before I was replaced,” she admitted.

“Replaced,” Robin asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Well you-” Starfire blurted before blushing and changing her tact, “and everyone else was having such fun with her. And then Cyborg said-”

“Look,” Robin said, cutting across Starfire's worries. “Your sister was…” he searched his mind for a word that wouldn't hurt Starfire's feelings, “… interesting, but she could never take your place. No one could ever take you place,” he told her firmly, smiling at her. Starfire smiled back and blushed slightly before scooting closer to Robin. Shyly, she rested her head on his shoulder, and the two of them watched the sunrise together...

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

Well, if you've reached this part I want to thank you for reading this, as I think this is the longest chapter I have ever written. I really expanded quite a few scenes, as I said I would, and I hope they came away looking decent. Very hopeful that the carnival came away looking decent, as writing carefree things is not my style: I've been told battle scenes are much more up my alley. I also added a little back-story to BeastBoy's promise to Raven to win her something, and those who paid close attention noticed I changed the prize (intentionally, as it will come up later). I hope I was able to convey Blackfire's overbearingness as well as Starfire's isolation. Didn't intend for Starfire to come off mean, but I always thought that she might mutter something when she thought no one else could hear her.