Fan Fiction ❯ Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You ❯ The Demon King and the Alien Princess ( Chapter 33 )

Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You

 

Chapter Thirty-Three

“The Demon King and the Alien Princess”

 

A/N: As always, I must thank every one of you for your reviews and your time in reading. This chapter, as promise, is all about Robin and Starfire; since they have not had a spotlight chapter in quite some time. Don't expect a happy ending, though. This chapter to be dedicated too LadyHood. Thanks for reading and reviewing so much; you're awesome. Also I need to give a special thank you to Caitlyn, who left the 264th review, which is actually review number 300 when added to the Mediaminer count. Wheeeee! Thank you sooooo much Caitlyn, for ze reading and ze reviewing and ze helping me achieve big pretty number. XD Seriously though, thank you to EVERYONE who has read and reviewed so far. It's awesome; and I'll be sure to work extra hard on the rest of this story. Oh, and did I mention that Tuesday, June 14, 2005 is the four month anniversary of this fanfic's debut? Well, I have now.

 

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“Robin! What the hell's wrong with you man?!” Cyborg shouted as he watched Robin fling Starfire into the kitchen counter.

 

“What's wrong with me, tin-man?” Robin replied with venom in his voice. “For starters I'm stuck here with you losers, that's enough to piss me off.”

 

“Dude, look at his eyes.” Beast Boy pointed a gloved finger towards the boy wonder's masked face. His eyes were entirely red, glowing with a fearsome light that reminded everyone of the glow they had seen inside Trigon the Terrible's eyes whenever he became enraged.

 

“Enough talk!” Robin leapt forward, grabbing his bo-staff from his belt and extending it. He brought the edge of the silver staff down on Beast Boy's head, sending the green teen sprawling to the ground. Robin twisted around and landed a kick in Cyborg's back, knocking the half-man, half-robot forward. As Cyborg tried to turn around, Robin smashed his bo-staff into Cyborg's face. His head snapped backwards and knocked against the kitchen floor.

 

“Robin, stop it!” Raven commanded. A moment later she had wrapped him in her energy; containing him briefly. Robin didn't stay trapped for long, though. His glove glowed with a black light and Raven's aura disappeared into the garnet jewel.

“You'll have to do better than that!” Robin hissed; then he threw his bo-staff like a spear. Raven didn't have a chance to dodge as it collided swiftly with her stomach, sending her falling down to her knees clutching herself in pain. Robin grinned and started to step forward when a pair of green tentacles wrapped around his feet and caused him to trip and fall on his face. As he tried to get up the floor burst open and large columns of dirt and mud shot from the soil beneath Wayne Manor and covered the boy wonder's body. A moment later the mud and dirt hardened into stone while glowing yellow from Terra's powers. Once Robin was contained safely by the hardened mud and dirt, Beast Boy, who had been an octopus, released his grip on Robin's legs and shape-shifted back to normal.

“Okay, somebody want to tell me what his problem is?” Beast Boy asked angrily as he hurried across the room to Raven's side and helped her up.

 

“Seriously.” Cyborg seconded Beast Boy's statement while rubbing his own sore head.

 

“Dick, what the hell's the matter with you!?” Batgirl was standing over Robin, shouting at him.

 

“Are you alright?” Bruce Wayne, meanwhile, had found his way over to Starfire and helped the alien girl off the floor. Starfire had her face buried in her hands, but Batman gently forced them away. Her hands were covered in a mixture of blood from her forehead and tears from her eyes. She was just as confused by Robin's sudden outburst as everyone else - but it affected her in a way none of the others could possibly imagine.

“No.” Starfire whispered quietly. Physically she was fine. Her forehead had received a nasty cut just below her hairline when Robin smashed her head into the counter - but she had been through much worse. Starfire was tough, and it would take more than that to break her physically. Emotionally, however, she was a wreck - and everyone could understand why. While Batman tried to come to Starfire's aid, the rest of the group had gathered around the imprisoned Robin.

 

“It's that red chick! She must have him mind-controlled.” Beast Boy was saying to the group. “Like she did with me and -“”

“It isn't Sadira.” Terra shook her head. “Robin absorbed her with his glove.”

 

Raven shut her eyes. “It's the glove. This has something to do with that glove. He should not have it. No human should. It's done something to him; corrupted him somehow.”

“No kidding. I can't believe he attacked Star.” Beast boy said, lowering his head and his voice as the realization of what had happened hit him powerfully.

 

“Oh cry me a river.” Robin hissed.

 

“Shut up.” Batgirl took off one of her gloves, balled it up, and stuffed it into Robin's mouth.

 

“So what do we do?” Tim Drake asked as he leaned back against one of the kitchen counters, his masked eyes trained on Robin. “I mean, this is only temporary, right? We can change him back, can't we?”

 

Everyone seemed to turn his or her eyes to Raven. A few feet away the still-trembling Starfire looked up for the answer to this one. Raven cast a glance towards the Tamaranian girl, and then she looked down at her feet.

 

“I . . . don't know.” Raven said her voice dropping down to a barley audible level. The truth was, this was her department. The weird, creepy, demon things were her territory. She had always been the one who understood the supernatural and the strange. The others had turned to her for answers when faced with problems like this; and this time she had no answers.

 

Raven leaned against the opposite counter, running her hands through her lavender hair. She was not sure what she should do. She knew the problem. Robin had fooled around with demonic powers beyond human control; and now he was paying the price. This was all Arella's fault. She had given Robin that stupid glove. She should have known better! After all, she was a human who had messed with the dark realm. She knew the eternal price she had to pay for her own foolishness. She knew the scar she had left on her daughter because of her sins. How could she willingly invite another human into that kind of world?

 

Raven's eyes shot open. She reached a hand up around her neck and brought her finger in contact with the cold gold chain of the pendant she wore around her neck. The golden pendant that Robin had given her on behalf of her mother was still in place around Raven's neck. She recalled fooling around with the trinket before, telling Beast Boy about it as she pondered the cryptic message from Arella.

 

Open the right side when you are in need or protection; open the left for when you need wisdom.

 

Raven clasped her hands around the circular pendant. She could use some wisdom right now. She had not been able to open the pendant before in her room; no matter how hard she tried. Still, she could see the deep look of sadness inside Starfire's emerald eyes; and she saw the evil inside Robin's ruby red ones. She would have to figure this out, for their sakes.

After all, at the end of the day, all of this was her fault. Every twist, every turn, every battle and every death along the way was because of Raven. The trap on Tamaran, all of the chaos since they got back; it was all rooted in her existence. She tried to ignore that fact whenever she could, but it was becoming harder and harder these days.

 

Raven gripped the medallion tightly in her hands and tried to open the left side. She dug her nails down deep into the crevice between the main gold medallion and the left door; but it would not open. The hedges refused to swing. Raven concentrated her energies on it and the medallion turned black with light; but it still refused to open.

 

“Damn it mother, why do you insist on making things so complicated?” Raven muttered.

 

The others had fallen quiet in the meanwhile. Cyborg, Terra and Tim Drake were standing guard over Robin's body. Batman and Beast Boy were doing their best to comfort Starfire. Alfred and Batgirl had vanished to the Batcave. Alfred was busy searching Batman's extensive computer network for anything that could help them with possession; while Batgirl was trying to contact other heroes around the world by videoconference for advice. She had already spoken to Superman, the Green Lantern and Wonder Woman; and sadly, none of them could be of any help. Alfred was halfway through Batman's entire database; his luck no better than Barbara's.

 

Raven sighed and stopped struggling with the pendant. Her mother had said she could open it in a time of need and get the wisdom she sought. Well, she was seeking wisdom but could not get the pendant open. That was ironic; but not in a good way. Raven glanced over at Robin and she felt guilt twinge up inside her. Then she turned her eyes to Starfire and she almost broke down.

 

She was hurting her friends again.

Robin had been the first person on Earth to earn her trust. After she came here from Azarath, she had been shunned by every superhero she had met. She tried to join the Justice League, but they turned her away. It was not until she went to Gotham and met Robin that she found acceptance among the heroes of this planet. It was because she met Robin that they founded the Teen Titans. He had always been there for her. She could not describe it. Some might have said he was like a brother to her - but all of her actual brothers were psychotic demons who wanted to destroy Raven, so she could not quite picture him like that. Now Robin's soul had been tainted evil while he was trying to help her.

Moreover, Starfire. Sure, Starfire could become annoying. No matter how many times Raven said `no', Starfire always convinced her to go to the `mall of shopping' with her. And no matter how many times Raven refused, somehow Starfire always managed to get the goth girl to try on and buy at least one article of clothing she detested. Raven's closet back at the tower was filled with outfits that she would never wear, but had bought just because Starfire had insisted. Sure, it was a weird friendship - but it was one that meant a lot to her. Now the person whom Starfire loved the most in the world was possessed and had attacked her; because of Raven.

 

Raven gritted her teeth and pulled on the pendant again. She needed some answers; and if this pendant had any, she was going to get them no matter what. Raven stopped pulling the sides after a moment as a realization dawned on her. Why was she wasting time doing things physically? If this pendant had something to do with Azarath and had, as Robin claimed, come from The Azar, then it would have to be opened telepathically.

 

Closing her eyes and clearing her mind, Raven set the pendant down on the floor and then sat down in front of her. She crossed her legs and extended her arms to the side in a meditation pose.

“Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos. Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos.”

 

The pendant rose up into the air, surrounded by a black aura, and the left side popped open. There was a blazing blast of white light that illuminated the entire kitchen and caused everyone to shut their eyes tightly and shield their faces. Raven squinted her eyes open just a tad and watched, as the figure of a woman appeared to step out of the pendant.

 

When the light faded, Arella was standing in the kitchen of Wayne Manor.

 

The reaction was instantaneous. Everyone there, save Raven, struck up a battle pose. Obviously since none of them aside from Raven and Robin had ever met Arella, they only did what came natural to heroes. They prepared for the worst. It had been one villain after another for as long as they could remember; so they just assumed this strange woman in white was next on the list. Raven quickly rose to her feet.

“Mother!” She shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. Those who had been ready for a fight lowered their weapons; and Beast Boy scratched his head and looked at Cyborg in wonder, but Cyborg had no answers.

 

“Hello child.” Arella smiled. “You opened the pendant I see.”

 

“You have some nerve.” Raven hissed, anger melting in her voice.

 

Arella seemed hurt by this outburst. “What do you mean?”

 

“What the hell were you thinking?” Raven demanded; there wasn't a shred of respect or kindness in her voice as she berated her mother. “Why did you give Robin that glove?”

 

Arella shut her eyes. “It was the only way to help you, Raven.”

 

“Damn it Arella, what makes you think I'd even want to be helped at this kind of price?” Raven asked bitterly.

 

“It was Robin's decision. He choose to bear this burden.” Arella said simply. One of the nearby lights in the kitchen was covered in a black aura for a moment and then exploded into pieces; Raven was angry.

“And now he's got all of Trigon, Azarock and Sadira inside him; and he's completely evil.” Raven accused.

 

“Raven.” Arella turned away from her daughter and walked towards the still-bound Robin. Her white cape enclosed tightly around her body, as if it was being blown against her by some unseen wind. She bent down low and placed her hand on Robin's forehead. A moment later, Robin passed out. “He is not yet lost. There is still time to save his soul.”

 

“How?” Starfire blurted out. All eyes in the room turned towards her.

“It is quite simple, actually.” Arella said with a soft smile on her face. “I shall use my powers to project his soul onto an Astral Plane; and then I shall send someone else to that same Astral Plane. The evil inside of Robin will manifest itself and the person sent there must break the evil's hold on his soul. If it is done successful, Robin shall be free of the evil infestation and I can return his cleansed soul to his body. And should we fail to cleanse his soul, it shall remain in the Astral Plane forever; so that the evil that had taken root of him cannot be reborn.”

 

Beast Boy timidly stepped forward and asked the question nagging at his brain. “Right. When you say `the evil', you're talking about Trigon, aren't you?”

 

Arella turned around and surveyed Beast Boy with her quiet eyes. Then she nodded her head. “Not quite. The glove breaks down the soul-selves of the demons it absorbs. Trigon, Azarock and Sadira's soul-selves would have all combined into one inside the glove.”

 

“. . . So I have to go inside Robin's soul and fight Trigon again?” Raven asked her mother in a somber voice.

 

“No.” Arella replied; which surprised Raven.

“But you said -“” Beast Boy began.

“I said someone must battle the evil inside Robin. However, that someone is not you Raven. Not if you want to prevail, anyway.”

 

“What do you mean?” Terra asked, with a confused look on her face. She hadn't been with the group during their many battles with Trigon the Terrible; therefore she knew very little of the subjects. And even with her limited knowledge she realized Raven was the obvious choice to battle her father.

“Yeah, if Raven doesn't fight `em, who will? I mean, I'll do it if you want, but I don't think . . .” Beast Boy was hushed by Arella before he could finish.

 

“Were this merely a battle with Trigon, I would agree that Raven is the most qualified. However, the battle will take placeinside of Robin's soul. Because of this, Robin may be able to help the person fighting; but only if his will is strong enough to break the evil's hold on him. I believe it is wisest to send whomever Robin would fight for the strongest.”

 

As Arella said this, her quiet eyes focused on Starfire; as did those of everyone else in the room. It was a clear choice. If the person to save Robin had to be someone Robin would fight for at his fullest; then Starfire was the clear choice.

 

“Are you willing to face Trigon?” Arella asked.

 

“Yes.” Starfire replied without any hesitation in her voice.

 

“Starfire -” Raven began; but the redhead shook her head and held up a hand to silence her friend.

 

“I am aware of the danger; but you must understand that I have no choice.” Starfire said swiftly, in a loud voice that made it clear the discussion on this issue was closed. In truth, it was Raven who had no choice; she had to watch her friend do this dangerous deed without stopping her. Starfire was the best choice to save Robin's humanity - but to do so she'd have to face all the horrors of Trigon the Terrible; alone.

 

“Well, we haven't got all day.” Arella said promptly. “Close your eyes Starfire. Try to relax. This won't hurt a bit.”

Starfire let in a deep breath, shut her large green eyes and waited. She felt someone place their hand on her chest over her heart; and then white-hot warmth spread through every inch of her body. The feeling was strange, like someone was pouring a thick liquid over her. She imagined that if a piece of toast could feel butter being spread on it; this is how it would feel.

Just as suddenly as the strange feeling began; it vanished. She could no longer feel the odd sensation on her skin, or the hand that had previously been on her chest. When she opened her eyes, she realize why.

 

She was no longer in her body. She was floating above it. She was still in the kitchen of Wayne Manor; but now she was transparent and floating three feet above the ground; where he body now lay motionless. Everyone in the room had their eyes fixed on her and Starfire felt strange being in such a position. Arella approached her.

 

“I've removed your soul from your body, as you can tell.” Arella said simply as if this kind of thing were normal - although for the Teen Titans it practically was. “So all you need to do now is enter Robin's body. Here, I'll help you along.”

 

Before Starfire had a chance to speak Arella held up her hand and a flash of white light illuminated the room. Starfire's spirit vanished.

 

“. . . Arella.” Raven asked quietly.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Will she be alright?”

 

“That is up to her; and to Robin.”

 

----

 

When Starfire's brilliant green eyes opened, she was in a dark, lonely place. It was the Astral Plane; and as always, it was void of color or life. The ground appeared to be gray sand, and leafless black trees sprouted up in the distance like a giant dead forest. The sky was pitch black and stars twinkled up above in the distance like tiny pinpricks of light that struck through a velvet curtain in the skies. Starfire did not like this place.

 

“Starfire!”

 

Starfire's head twisted around so quickly it made a whistling sound in the air. A voice had called from the middle of the dead forest - Robin's voice. Starfire lifted off into the air and flew towards the sound of her boyfriend's voice.

 

“Robin!” She called out. “Where are you?”

“Star! Over here!” Robin replied, his voice coming from her right.

She made a sharp turn and darted off through the dead trees. She flew at an incredible pace; impressively dodging in and out and leafless branches and rotten vines as she scanned every inch of the forest for some sign of her beloved. Her eyes were glowing with a green flame; and he hands were balled up into fists. She was ready for a fight and she knew one was coming.

 

“Robin?” Starfire asked again as she stopped in her flight and fluttered in mid-air, looking from left to right for a sign of the boy wonder.

 

“Over here!”

 

Starfire turned in the direction of the voice and there she found him. Robin. Her Robin. He was tied to one of the trees; a crimson aura of light bound around his body like rope. Starfire flew to him as fast as she could and she threw her arms around him and the tree he was attached to.

“Robin!”

“Starfire, there's no time for that.” He said, a hint of remorse in his voice that he had to say such a thing. “You have to hurry before -”

 

“Too little, too late; as the saying goes.”

 

Starfire twisted around in mid-air, releasing her grip on her beloved. Robin glanced upward in front of them and spotted it too. Trigon had appeared. In the Astral Plane, physical bodies do not exists; only soul-selves. Therefore Trigon was once again in his original form - a gigantic man with leathery red skin, long silver hair, massive horns on his head and four eyes glowing with yellow fury. However, he did have some changes to this form. In addition to the classic look his skin was now even an even darker red; and he seemed to have a bug-like shell encasing him. It was because the soul-selves of Azarock and Sadira had been absorbed into Trigon's soul-self; creating a new creature who was comprised of all three demons.

 

“Starfire; get out of here!” Robin shouted.

“I will not!” Starfire replied without hesitation as her hands turned green and she charged her bolts. “I cannot leave you Robin!”

 

“Star, you can't beat him.” Robin whispered. “Only Raven could stand a chance against him now.”

“You do not know that.” Starfire replied; her eyes still focused on the new and improved Trigon.

 

“Damn it Starfire; just go! I don't want to see you get killed because of me!” Robin pleaded. “It's not worth your life!”

 

“Without you in it, my life has little meaning to me.” Starfire whispered as a silent tear fell from beneath her glowing green eyes.

 

“Star . . .” Robin whispered, unable to respond to that.

 

“If our roles were reversed; would you leave me?” Starfire asked, even though she already knew the answer to the question.

 

Robin's face cracked into a small smile. “No, I wouldn't. Alright Star, if you won't leave, at least promise me you'll kick his ass?”

 

It was Starfire's lips this time that worked their way into a miniature smile. “I shall.”

 

“Amusing.” Trigon laughed in a cold, harsh voice that stung the skin like a gust of winter air. “However, you must realize how futile any attack would be against me. I must thank you two, however. Being killed on Tamaran was an inconvenience tremendously; but now I am more powerful than I have ever been before - and once Robin's soul is fully corrupted, I shall have a new vessel for my evil being. Then my daughter, and all of your world, shall perish in fire and smoke.”

 

“You're blowing smoke alright, Trigon.” Robin replied as he struggled against the demonic aura that kept him pinned to the tree. “Even if you manage to corrupt my soul - my friends won't allow you to use my body for your evil deeds. Raven knows better. She'd destroy me, and you, the second that happened.”

 

“And besides, I will not allow you to corrupt Robin!” Starfire shouted; the very idea of Robin's corruption caused a burning anger to swell up inside her.

 

“You won't allow me?” Trigon repeated. “You will die for your insolence.”

A moment later bright beams of light fired from Trigon's eyes. Starfire had to act fast. She fired a beam of green energy from each of her hands; and matching beams from her own eyes. The four yellow beams of Trigon connected in mid-air with the green beams of Starfire and there was a massive, multicolored explosion that toppled several of the trees in-between the demon king and the alien princess.

 

Before the smoke had even begun to clear, Starfire yelled out a battle cry and hurled several starbolts into the smoldering debris. On the other side, Trigon had a similar idea. His eyes began to glow crimson and the same dark red aura that had Robin trapped on the tree began to cover two of the trees on either side of Starfire - it was the same thing that Raven did all of the time with her powers. The trees were uprooted a second later and smashed together in mid-air, squashing Starfire between them.

“Starfire!” Robin screamed at the top of his lungs.

 

The trees exploded; engulfed in bright green lights. The dead wood shattered into thousands of pieces, which were hurled in every direction like tiny black toothpicks. Starfire floated in the same spot she had been in before, breathing heavily and covered in small scratches and bruises from the trees; but no worse for the ware.

She yelled loudly and charged her energy into her hands; then she smashed her fists together and fired one large green energy ray. Trigon had not expected that and it caught him off guard. He had been so sure in his superiority over the Tamaranian that he hadn't even thought to block the attack. It struck him powerfully in his chest and sent the demon toppling backwards into a cluster of dead trees. Trigon tripped and fell backwards, landing on a large portion of the forest and crushing it flat.

 

The wounded Starfire twisted in the air and floated to Robin's side. She grabbed hold on the crimson aura that was binding him to the tree and pulled, grunting the entire time. It didn't budge an inch.

 

“Star, that was incredible.” Robin marveled at how powerful her last attack had been. Trigon had been dropped like a bag of bricks; a feat that had always been nearly impossible in the past. He knew her powers grew with her emotions - and that had been the most powerful attack he'd ever seen her use. It made Robin feel good, actually, to have witnessed that. It was only further proof that she really did love him the way she said she did.

 

It was funny, looking back on it. Their confessions and declarations of `love' had seemed so strange at the time. When Shady had forced the truth out of them. Robin had been happy to hear those words; but he didn't know if either of them truly meant it. Not that he doubted their feelings; he merely doubted if either of them knew what love really was. How could they? Neither of them had ever fallen in love before. But after what happened during the Trials, and at the prison, and here today Robin knew that they both honestly had found love that was true and pure; and he was grateful for that.

 

“Star, you can't break them with your fists. Try using your Starbolts.” Robin suggested as she continued to struggle with his bindings.

 

“But Robin, if I miss—” She started, but he cut her off.

“You won't. I trust you Star.” These were the only words he said. Starfire bit her lip, she was a bit nervous; but if Robin wanted her too, and if he trusted he not to mess up, then what choice did she have. She flew back a few feet and started charging her energy into her hand. Before she could fire it; however, Robin cried out.

“Watch out!”

 

Starfire twisted around in time to see the blast of yellow light as it struck her in her chest. She squeaked, having taken the beam from one of Trigon's eyes at full force, and fell to the ground. Starfire landed roughly beneath the tree, her face contorted in pain. Her entire front was covered in blood; it had stained her shirt and skirt and the bare skin between the two. Robin's eyes widened in horror as he saw her lying there, her breathing shallow and her eyes closed.

 

“STARFIRE!” He screamed in anguish.

 

“Did you expect me to stay down?” Trigon asked. He had risen to his feet once again and was towering over the tree Robin was bound too. “The stupidity of your kind amazes me; not to mention the arrogance. I am Trigon the Terrible, Skat the Master of Hell; who are you to challenge me!?”

 

Robin's eyes were burning with tears as he watched the woman who has stolen his heart lie bleeding to death. This was becoming too common for Robin's liking. She would not die. Not here, not today, not like this. Robin would not let her die now. There was so much he had left to say to her, so many he still had to do with her. He loved Star, and he could not allow this to be her fate. He would not allow it to be her fate.

 

It was because of that love that Arella had insisted Starfire was the one who went to save Robin's soul. Arella had known how dangerous it would be; she was an expert when it came to Trigon the Terrible. She also knew that Starfire did not have a prayer of defeating the incarnate of evil. However, it had never been Arella's plan for Starfire to prevail in the battle. She only needed to fight her best for Robin.

Technically, they were still inside Robin's soul; and Robin had completely control of every aspect of the Astral Plane. He was like a God in this plane of reality and could control and change whatever he wanted too. This power was not a conscious one, though; and was uncontrollable. The only way to unlock the powers he had while in this plane of reality was with a surge of emotions stronger than he'd ever felt before.

 

Now, because of Starfire's predicament, he felt those emotions. Arella knew how dangerous this was, and how angry Robin would be when he learned the truth - but she had decided it was better to have him angry than have him a mindless servant of Trigon.

 

“Mwa hahahaha. As always you humans amaze me.” Trigon was ranting on. “You become so attached to your mates. You fall in love. Truly, you're the most pathetic lifeforms in the universe.”

 

Robin glared at the gigantic foe with pure hatred in his eyes. “It's a hellova lot better than your way!” Robin spat with a voice fueled by the same flaming loathing as his eyes.

 

“I disagree.” Trigon rebuked. “With my way there is no love; no weakness. Your love for one another will lead to my victory. You all would do anything for the person you care about; and that leaves you open to my will. It's not so hard to kill you when your mind is elsewhere. First you and the Tamaranian; then my daughter and the earthling.”

 

Robin was shaking now. He couldn't stand for any more of this. Starfire was hurt, and on the verge of death once again; and now Trigon was threatening Raven and Beast Boy as well. Robin would not allow that to happen. Starfire would recover; Trigon would fall, and his friends would be safe. He wasn't sure how that would happen, but he knew it would.

 

“Now to send you to join her.” Trigon smirked. “And then your body is all mine.” Trigon raised one of his enormous hands and it began to glow with a red aura; and the bindings around Robin began to squeeze him tightly against the tree. Robin grunted.

 

“I. Don't. Think. So!” Robin grunted between breaths. The ground began to shake. Robin didn't know how he was doing it; but he realized that he had to be the one doing it, because Trigon looked confused. Suddenly large vines shot out of the earth and wrapped themselves around Trigon's legs, rooting him to the spot. Additional vines exploded out of the dirt and wrapped around his wrists; they pulled tightly and brought the demon's arms to his side. Then even more vines launched from beneath the soil; these tied around Skat's neck.

 

Trigon struggled against these new bindings; but he couldn't break them. They were mere vines, but they were strong enough to hold the demon king in place; because Robin wanted them to. This was his soul; and he made the rules of reality here. Robin was beginning to understand that.

 

Robin concentrated hard. He tried to think about what he needed. A moment ago, he'd needed a way to stop Trigon; and he'd gotten it in the form of the massive vines. Now what did he need?

 

I need to be free of this tree. Robin thought; and like magic he felt the tree behind him vanish into thin air. The bindings of Trigon's aura were still there; but with the tree gone, there was nothing to be bound too and Robin slipped from out of the aura ropes. He dropped towards the ground; but he landed on his feet. Then he quickly dashed to Starfire's side.

 

Let her be okay, she has to be okay. Robin picked up the injured princess in his arms and cradled her limp body against his chest. The bleeding had stopped; but her injuries were severe.

 

“Insolent fool!” Trigon bellowed in his loudest voice. He was fighting off the vines; zapping them with his eye-beam lasers. Robin turned on the demon, still holding his beloved in his arms.

 

“You're the only fool here! You're a fool if you think you can do this and get away with it! You can't toy with people's lives and loves and expect to survive!” Robin yelled with seething anger pouring out of his mouth with a flood of rage-induced words.

 

Something flooded out of Trigon's mouth too, and it was seething hot as well. Unfortunately, it was not words; but a jet of bright orange flames. The demon king was breathing fire right at Robin where he stood. Robin's mind instantly went back to thinking about what he needed most; which right now was some cover.

 

Several of the dead trees on either side of them jumped out of the soil and threw themselves in front of the jet of flames. The sheer heat of Trigon's deadly breath incinerated the trees; but it gave Robin ample time to run off into the dead forest, still carrying the unconscious Starfire in his arms.

 

This is ridiculous; I can't beat him like this. Robin thought miserably. Even with his strange control over the world inside his soul, Robin was no match for the demon king. It was only a matter of a time before Trigon found them and destroyed them. Robin couldn't let that happened. There had to be some kind of answer.

Between his mind's preoccupation and his heart's worry, Robin was running blind. He was so focused on everything else that he didn't notice the root of one of the dead trees as he scampered around the forest. His foot caught in the root and sent the boy wonder flying forward. He spun around in mid air so that he'd land on his back; and so that he'd be able to keep Starfire from hitting the ground. Robin landed on his back with a crunch and cried out in pain.

 

He looked down at Starfire's body. She was breathing very shallowly as she lay spread out across his chest. He ran his hand through her long red hair softly, wishing he could protect her somehow. He could feel the ground shaking, and hear the sound of trees falling as Trigon crashed his way through the woods coming right towards them.

 

As Robin brushed her hair, he looked down at his right hand. It was still the golden glove Arella had given him; and then his eyes widened as he realized something. Technically Trigon's soul was still trapped inside the glove's gem. Trigon only manifested himself inside Robin's soul because Robin was wearing the evil tainted glove. Which gave him an idea.

 

“I'm growing weary of this game.”

Robin looked up above him and saw the towering form of Trigon the Terrible. He grinned slyly.

 

“Me too.” And Robin whipped the glove off his right hand. Trigon's eyes, all four of them, went wide with fury and he shot a second jet of flame from his mouth - but as the glove slipped off of Robin's fingers Trigon and his fire vanished into thin air.

 

With the glove off his hand, Trigon could no longer infect Robin's soul - which meant he couldn't exists in this Astral Plane. Robin would have been amused by how simple victory had turned out to be if not for Starfire's predicament.

 

“ARELLA!” Robin screamed into the night. “Arella, wake us up! Please! She needs to be healed!”

Robin knew he could heal her with the glove; but doing that would bring Trigon back and they'd both be killed. He could only hope that Arella heard his words, somehow.

 

Robin looked up. A blinding white beam of light that engulfed both Robin and Starfire broke the pitch-black skies. When Robin next opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor in the kitchen of Wayne Manor; held to the ground tightly by the masses of earth that Terra had trapped him under earlier. The moment his eyes opened, he heard several gasps.

 

“Robin? That you?” Cyborg asked, looking down at him.

“Yes! Let me up! Star's in trouble!” He shouted. Terra looked reluctant to release her grip on him; until she heard a scream from behind her. The group turned around to find that Beast Boy had been the one to scream. Starfire's body had just become covered in blood as if from nowhere.

 

“Dooohuuuude! What the hell!?!” Beast Boy screamed.

 

“Raven; heal her!” Robin shouted from where he was bound to the ground. “Please!”

“Now that sounds like the Robin we missed.” Barbara grinned as she looked down at Robin's panic-stricken face. No one could fake emotions like that. This was the real deal Robin; back to normal from his ordeal. Terra seemed to think so too, because she waved her hand and the stones holding Robin in place vanished and retreated into the ground underneath the torn-up kitchen floor.

Robin hopped up in an instant. The first thing he did was take the golden glove and throw it on the floor, as if it was some kind of poisonous spider. Then he ran across to where Starfire lay and dropped down beside her. Raven was already kneeling at Starfire's side, placing her hands gently on the redhead's chest and muttering some ancient words Robin couldn't make out.

 

As always, Raven's healing ability is a complex one. She is an empath and able to absorb the damage and pain of another to heal them - however, the process leaves her drained, weak and injured herself. Raven had to squint her eyes shut as she felt a white-hot burning in her own chest. She couldn't heal Starfire fully, or it would leave Raven every bit as weak as Starfire was now; but she could do her best.

 

Finally, when the pain became too much Raven cried out and tumbled backwards. Beast Boy had been behind her the whole time, looking over her shoulder and watching the process. When she fell, he caught her placing his arms under her own and allowing her to fall back into his chest. Raven panted heavily and looked over to Robin.

 

“That's all I can do.” She sighed. “I'm sorry. If I absorb anymore than I'll--”

 

“I understand.” Robin whispered softly, his voice cracking.

 

Starfire was still unconscious, and still in bad shape. She was less injured now; but her wounds were still sever enough to be life-threatening - and now Raven was injured too.

 

Arella knew what she'd have to do. The purple-haired woman sighed quietly and walked over. She bent down onto her knees and took Starfire's hand with her left hand and Raven's with her right. Raven stared up at her mother tiredly.

 

“Arella, what are you --?”

 

“My job.” Arella replied. “The job of any mother.”

Raven's eyes widened a bit. Surely she wasn't going to -

 

“Robin, I thank you for being so kind to my daughter.” Arella said abruptly, confirming Raven's worst fears. “I am sorry this happened to you and Starfire because of the glove. Perhaps someday when you have a child of your own, you'll understand why I gave you such a burden.”

 

“Arella, no!” Raven screamed, now fully understanding what her mother was doing and trying to shake her hand away from Arella's grip. Arella, however, held on too tightly. The woman closed her eyes and began to chant softly. Raven struggled to make her mother release her hand; but Arella was too strong.

 

There was a blinding flash of light that caused everyone to close his or her eyes. When the light disappeared the wounds on Starfire were gone, and the pain Raven had felt inside of her disappeared as well.

 

“Robin!” Starfire cried out, opening her eyes and mouth and sitting up. Robin wrapped his arms around her before she could even turn to face him and he buried his head against her shoulder. For the second time in two days he'd almost lost Starfire; and that was too much for the boy wonder to bear. His eyes leaked tears of joy.

 

Raven was crying too; but her tears were anything but happy. She was crying because Arella had healed both of the young girls; but just like with Raven's powers, Arella could only heal by absorbing pain, and the combination from Raven and Starfire had been too much.

 

Arella lay on the floor in front of Raven, her eyes half-open. Raven threw her arms around the mother she'd barley known and always shunned and for the first time in her life she embraced her the way a daughter should.

 

“Why did you do that?” Raven demanded.

 

“To right my wrongs. Don't cry Raven; it doesn't suit you.” Arella whispered weakly.

 

“Mother!” Raven protested.

 

“Shhh. Live your life, Raven. That's what I want you to do. Protect your friends, enjoy your life.” Arella smiled weakly. “I'm glad I got to meet your friends, my sweet Raven. And I'm also glad you found someone to love you. Never let that go. No matter what, never lose that love you feel for him. It will keep you strong even at your weakest times.”

 

Raven shook her head in disbelief. She and her mother had never spoken like this before; and it figured it would take a moment like this to make such emotions come out.

 

“Beast Boy . . . be good to my daughter.” Arella sighed.

 

“I, I will.” Beast Boy stammered from behind Raven. “I'll do whatever I can do for her, always.”

“I'm glad.” Arella smiled one last time at her daughter and reached up with her weak hand. She wiped the tears away from under Raven's eyes, and then she shut her own and fell backwards.

 

Arella had passed away.

 

Raven collapsed against her mother's chest and began to openly sob for the first time in years. She'd never shown sadness like this before; and she'd never felt despair this strong. Before today, she never realized how much her estranged mother meant to her.

Never before she lost her.

 

Beast Boy silently placed a comforting hand down on Raven's shoulder, and eventually she raised up from Arella's body and threw her arms around Beast Boy; pulling him into a tight hug and crying against his shoulder.

No one knew what to say, or what to do, to help her. So they all just stared silently.

 

And as they did, Magus took that as the perfect opportunity to slip out of his hiding place and steal the golden glove from where Robin had dropped with. With the demonic glove in his possession, Magus vanished back to where Slade was waiting for him, a jovial look on his face.

 

Arella was dead, and if Magus had his way, Raven would soon join her.

 

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

 

A/N: And zat is thirty-three! Heheheh! A few quick notes. As I mentioned before, a third romance will soon be joining this fanfic when Cyborg gets his girl. Now what I did not mention was the circumstances of this romance. You see, so far this fic has had many of the elements I love about fanfiction. Drama, romance, plot twists, evil villains, death, cameos; ect, ect, ect. But it has been missing one of my favorite elements: the love triangle. There was a little bit of a love triangle before with Rob/Star/Babs and BB/Rae/Terra; but you all already know who was going to end up with who in those. This time, for Cyborg, I'm not even sure who he'll end up with. Why am I not sure? Because I'm not the one who will decide. After Cyborg and both of his possible romances have been introduced (which will happen soon… ish) I will be holding a review vote; where you the readers will pick who he ends up with by telling me who you want him with in your reviews. Please, don't vote yet; since you don't even know the choices yet, and `cause it's not time. But rest assured, it is coming. Anyway, now that that's been announced; let's see the review replies, shall we?

 

scathac's warrior: O'course it's okay to like Sadira. Actually I'm glad you do, `cause when someone likes an OC it usually means they're not the plain old bland type of OC that usually pops up in fanfics. As for your question… well, it was answered in the chapter, I believe; although technically you could ask the same thing again. XD! Thanks for reading m'friend.

 

LadyHood: Well I'm ecstatic to hear you say that! Heheh! I hope you liked this one as much as you did the last one. I'll keep on trying to make `em all good. Take care, and thanks for reading.

 

Lambbaby: Mmm. Waffles. XD I'm glad to hear the story gave you a bit of a boost. Hahah! Heheh, you asked about both the necklace and Arella; and this chapter answered those questions. ^^ Hope you liked it. Yeah, Magus is evil, isn't he? But look at the family he comes from. Unlike Raven, his mother was every bit as evil as the father they share. Thanks a million for reading, see you later!

Dramaelfie: Hmm. I didn't even think of Titan's Rising, but now that you mention it you're totally right about the connection. Cool! Yeah I know. The girls have some serious men trouble in this story. Heh. Aww, but it'll work out.
O'course they'll be more BB/Rae fluff! That's my favorite; so you can be sure there's more planned for the future. Thanks for reading and reviewing dude.

 

Goddessruling: Hahah, yeah, I'm evil. I'll admit that. Hey! Cheer up! Like I just said to Dramaelfie, there's more BB/Rae coming soon. Just gotta get everything with evil Robin outta the way and whatnot. As for the Cyborg's girl thing; well like you've probably seen already, now you have a chance to cast that vote. So hopefully you will my friend, and it'll help decide who Cy winds up with. Anyway, thanks for reading, I'll catch you later!

 

IllegalDayNightSnappingIguana: XD Optimistic is the way to go m'dear. I say that, but I can be both an optimist or a pessimist, depending on my mood. You're out of school now? Lucky, lucky little ducky. Mmm. English projects. Well, I can understand how that would stop you from updating. Don't worry, I'm patient, I can wait for an update. …. Okay, so that's a lie. I'm an impatient little bugger who wants you to hurry up. XDD! Just kidding. Yes, I did twist the plot. Well Caitlyn is right, you can't kill your story. If you do it'll make everybody sad. And sad is bad. So don't be mad, get glad. Yep, I am coming to Maryland; but nope, I've no relatives in New York. Buuuuut last time I was in Maryland my dad and I went to New York for fun, cause I always wanted to go and he didn't mind taking me. Why do ask Winter dear? And finally, to answer your final question; in ze Harry Potter world I support Ron/Hermione, Harry/Luna and Draco/Ginny most of the time. Don't ask about the second one. I know, it's strange. I don't care. XD As always it is a delight to hear from you m'dear, thank you for reading, I'll catch you later.

 

Inuluvsu: Hahaha. Yes, I'm evil. Not just quasi-evil, or the diet coke of evil; I'm the pure 100% genuine evil. XD. But I had to make Robin try to hurt Starfire because it helps set up all the Rob/Star goodness in this chapter! You have a lot of good theories and stuff, and I guess by now you've already seen which ones were correct and which weren't. Although you did give me an idea for later . . .

 

MIDNIGHT-PIXIE: XD. Never sleeping again? I tried that once. But it didn't work out too well. Yeah, ol' Robbie was a busy boy last time, wasn't he? Ah, the reason stuff happens in the kitchen… nope, no real reason. XD. Actually its probably because I like kitchens. Mainly cause I like food. XD I like fire too dude; but not being lit on fire. XD. Dude, you should never touch candle wax while its hot. It HURTS! >< I used to pour candle wax on my hand because I liked the way it would harder and I could peel it off . . . but it hurt so bad. >< It still didn't stop me though. XD. Yeah, I know I said “The cat enchilada mrs” in the Spanish bit; it was meant as a joke. Heheh. I missed the first half of stranded; but I saw the last half. It was great! Five days left of school, eh? Hmm… I wonder if you'll be out by the time I post this chapter. Well, if so, congrats! And if not, hang in there. Nope, I still haven't tried tofu. >< But I will. Adios Kara m'dear, thank you as always for your lovely review and for taking time to read my stuff.

 

Death's Wicked Truth: Umm… do I get a say? How about congratulate. That sounds better than the bamboo stick beating. XD Thanks for reading m'friend, I'll try not to be as evil from now on…. No I won't. XD

 

Samanthe2121: Well, that's why we're all glad Robin's not a chick, right? Heheheh. Thanks for reading; I'll be sure to work hard on the rest of the story so it's good.

 

dancrgrlttluvr:  Wow, thank you so much for saying so. ^^ Awesome! Not only do I get you as a new reader, but maybe some of your friends too. I feel all warm and fuzzy now. XD. Thank you so much for reading; I'll write some more soon.

 

Pickles12: Oooh. Rhetorical. Heh. I knew that. …. No I didn't. XD Well, I hope you enjoyed this one. Thanks for reading dude.

 

xBxMYxJaMeSxDeANxcandyclouds: Oh you overreacted a LOT. Now onto your question. No, I'm not evil. Well… not THAT evil. I don't like torturing children or little animals, unless you count ants and spiders as “little animals”, because I simply love killing ants and spiders. Blowing up a peanut? Maybe if I had some firecrackers I would. Normally I only update on Fridays, but I tried to update early this time. See! Robin and Starfire! You're happy again. :P Who wouldn't be with Rob and Star? Mmm. I haven't written any original stories that are online; but I am in the process of planning one. I plan on writing a novel; and trust me, if I do I'll be sure to let you know. You're views sound pretty good to me… `cept the cat part. I'm allergic to cats. They make my eyes all red and puffy. XD Psychologist are submitting subliminal messages through television!? … yeah, I'd believe that. XD. Dude, you sang the advantix song. That was random. And oddly enough, that was on TV around the same time as I got your review. Scary. I wish they'd put House back on. That was a great show!
Wooo! I'm glad you like 24. It's an awesome show. You should rent the DVDs of the first three seasons and watch them. They're so much fun to watch, especially if you have time to watch a bunch of them in a row. Aww, it's nice of you to say, but I highly doubt this story is the best. The new layout is… weird. July 11th is your birthday? Hehe, good to know. Maybe I'll put something special in the story for you when I update around that time. Kirby dance is fun. Dude, I missed the first half of stranded. Wah! >< Anyway… I'll talk to you later m'dear, thank you for reading, as always; and expect a special little present later on in this story.

 

lilac-lily510: Wooo! A new reader! That's so awesome! Howdy hi! Thank you so much for reading; hope you liked this chapter.

 

Roi-Tan: *snickers and elevates himself into the sky to avoid spork attack* Nice try dude. But ze evil author cannot be defeated! Mwa hahahaa! Okay, I'll stop now. Stranded was hilarious! I loved it; from the little bit of it I saw. Hehe. Beast Boy and Cyborg are kind of like Fred and Barney, aren't they? I never would have made that connection before, but when you mention it…. Whoa dude; you box? That's awesome! My friend boxes. He's tough as nails. He loves it. Me… I'm a huge wimp who hates getting hit. XD! I'll admit it, I don't care. But it cools that you can box. Just remind me not to get on your bad side, eh? Hehehe. Thanks for reading dude; I'll write some more story later on, so make sure you come back, okay?

 

a-1991: Wow, you read all 32 chapters since the tenth? I'm impressed; that's a lot of reading dude! I'm glad you thought it was worth reading so much, that makes me feel all accomplish and stuff as a writer. I'll have to make sure I work extra hard so that the next chapter is really good for you, and for everybody else whose been reading it. Thanks for your time and the reviews; I'll be coming out with more fic very soon m'friend