Alone in the Shadows

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Robin has been alone all his life, even in the presence of his mentor he felt isolated. The Titans take a break from crime fighting to go camping in a beautiful forest and Robin is not too thrilled by the prospect of leaving his city behind. When a bizarre turn of events finds Robin and Starfire lost deep in the woods, can they save themselves from a strange new enemy? RobinxStarfire

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans.

Chapter 1: Away From Home

The mid-day sun cast shimmering rays of light through the canopy. The tall trees of the forest stretched their way to the sky like hands reaching to the heavens; one could get vertigo by simply looking up. A symphony of sounds populated this area, from the melodious singing of birds to the cool spring winds that lightly rustled the leaves. Deeper in the woods, the trees parted to form a clearing where tall grass and flowers gently swayed in the breeze. A small river flowed quietly through, its crystal clear waters sparkling playfully in the light. Five friends stood where the grass was shortest and the ground was rocky and dry, setting up tents and a campfire. Today was quite an unusual day for these friends who were known as the Teen Titans. Today was the first day... of a vacation.

The largest of the five was quite an abnormal young man... abnormal in the way that he was part robot. Cyborg stood up as he finished pitching his tent and took in a breath of fresh air, looking up to the sky. He may not have looked it, considering he was made mostly of metal, but he enjoyed getting away from the loud and crowded city every once in a while.

A girl had separated herself far from the group; she wore a dark blue cloak and an emotionless look upon her face. Raven levitated with her eyes closed, enjoying the quiet and peaceful environment. She too, was simply glad to be away from the noisy and stuffy urban jungle.

The impish green changeling known as Beast Boy jumped from the inside of his tent, perhaps the most enthusiastic about their venture into the outdoors. "Ah! So nice to get back to nature!" he exclaimed enthusiastically as he morphed into a bear and proceeded to prance around in the tall grass beside his tent. At first, he had been somewhat dismayed by the thought of no TV or Gamestation, but it seemed his animal sides had changed his mind.

A beautiful young girl took her eyes off of her work, stepping away from the base of her tent to look out at the surrounding wilderness. Quite different from the usual crowd, she was the princess of Tamaran, the Titan from another world. Looking around herself and admiring her surroundings with resplendent curiosity, Starfire took to the air. Flying to the tops of the trees, she marveled at the rolling hills and towering mountains. Jump City was so far away; all that could be seen was a small patch of gray and a cloud of smog beside the ocean. Turning herself in the air, she took notice of a large lake in the distance. Flying closer to the ground, she hovered above and began running a hand through the river.

A young man remained inside his tent, his eyes hidden behind a mask. Listening to the sounds of his friends outside as he stared at his tent's open entryway, Robin reluctantly stepped through it, looking rather out of place and uneasy. His mind preoccupied by the city he left behind, he hardly noticed the tranquil forest environment that surrounded him. Looking to the ground, Robin saw a pebble; bored and frustrated, he kicked it across the dusty ground and into the river that ran beside their campsite. Hearing a distanced giggle, Robin looked up from the ground. Seeing Starfire running her hand through the river while she flew by, he couldn't help but smile. His expression quickly faded away as thoughts of the city under a possible attack flooded his mind. Cyborg turned his attention to Robin and, walking over, slapped him humorously across the shoulder.

"Aw, lighten up man. I didn't form Titans East just to make a statement y'know," said Cyborg jokingly. "I'm sure Bee and the others got it covered. It's only for a few days anyway," he continued with a good-natured smile.

Blind to Cyborg's enthused spirit, Robin simply let out a pronounced huff through his nose, crossing his arms in blunt defiance. "Two Titans aren't enough to protect one city," he replied sternly, not making eye contact with his robotic teammate.

"Hey, that's my team you're talkin' about," Cyborg replied, a little put off. Breaking the once-relaxed moment, Robin and Cyborg began glaring at each other. Causing a calm sweeping of wind, Starfire suddenly descended from above and landed between the two quarreling Titans, looking worried.

"Friends, this is not how we should act while we are vacationing. Should we not do the relaxing?" she asked, shooting both a pleading glance.

"Hey, I'm all for that," Cyborg responded, defensively holding his hands in front of himself. "Talk to Mr. Enthusiastic over there," he continued sarcastically, pointing an accusing finger to Robin. Scraping his feet against the dirt as he turned around, Cyborg walked to an area just outside the tent circle and proceeded to grumpily adjust the rocks around the campfire.

Starfire turned to the disquieted Boy Wonder, "Robin?" she inquired.

"Star... It's just... I'm worried about the city," he said, trying not to look her in the eyes.

"You should not worry, the others are quite capable."

"I know--"

"Promise me you will try to have the fun with us. Please?" clasping her hands in front of herself, Starfire gave Robin a smile--the same smile that got him to pack his things, the same smile that got him out of the tower in the first place. Robin felt a lump in his throat as he attempted to speak. He found it incredibly ironic that out of all the battles he had fought, all the enemies he had faced, it was her he couldn't handle. Looking deep into her jewel-like green eyes, he lost himself.

"O-kay," Robin's voice cracked; he quickly cleared his throat, "okay, I promise," he said as a goofy smile spread across his face.

"Oh, glorious!" Starfire's face lit up, "I have been to the forest many times, but never have I been able to enjoy it. Come, we must--as you humans say--see the sights!" Starfire grabbed Robin's hands and pulled him from the campsite, an action to which he was more than happy to oblige. Walking out into the trees and paying no mind to the others, Robin followed close behind Starfire as she flew about the forest asking questions about the various animals and plants that flourished in the woods. The other Titans wondered if Robin ever tired of explaining the ways of earth to her. The truth of the matter was he enjoyed answering Starfire's questions. He loved how she was enthralled by the simple things life had to offer. It was a way to teach himself as well as her, but above all else, it was an excuse to spend time with her.

The blue sky above was well disguised by the prickly looking leaves of the towering flora. Through the dense green canopy, thin but bright rays of light managed to pass their way through, brightening the forest in the distance as they converged. Ringing in a splendiferous melody, many birds could be heard chirping their songs to the gentle rustling wind in the treetops. Taking in a breath of the surprisingly refreshing air, Robin looked around himself as Starfire continued to fly above. 'Maybe... this isn't so bad,' he thought, finding a smile hard to resist.

As the two progressed through the trees, the sound of a large body of water could be heard in the distance. Both stopped to gaze at the scene in front of them as they reached the edge of the forest. The relatively large lake, like an enormous mirror, reflected the image of the forest, the mountains, and the sky perfectly. A small island in the center parted the small waves that glided calmly across the surface of the water. The island was highlighted by astonishingly beautiful trees--cherry blossoms--in full bloom, their pink and white petals almost glowing in the sunlight. In a few days the petals would be carried away by the wind, painting the lake like a canvas. Starfire's eyes widened as she was overwhelmed by the magnificent view. Breaking away from Robin and running down to the shore, she stopped just short of entering the water. Eyes on the scenerey as well, Robin followed.

"A place of such beauty would be considered sacred ground on Tamaran," Starfire stated in awe. "Robin? We may swim in this water just as we swim in the ocean?" Starfire asked, unsure of whether or not this place would be sacred ground to humans as well.

"Of course. Places like this are pretty common on earth. It would be all right to swim here," Robin replied, still admiring the captivating island at the heart of the lake.

"Wonderful! We must bring our friends here!" Starfire exclaimed. Retreating back up the shore, she began leading Robin back to the camp with a smile.

- - - - - -

Interrupting the image of dark brown tree trunks, a girl appearing to be a teenager, stood still among the trees on the island. She wore a simple sleeveless white dress appearing to be a nightgown which ended just below her knees. Her face displayed no readable expression, remaining calm and subtly focused. Catching the sunlight, her long, platinum blonde hair wavered as a gust of wind passed by. The girl watched closely through shocking ruby red eyes as Robin and Starfire made their way back into the forest.

"This is the one you seek?" she asked in a quiet voice, sounding a great deal older than she appeared.

A moment passed before a strong wind whistled through the island's grouping of trees. "Yes. I sense many shadows dwell within him... Bring him to me," a deep omnipresent voice responded to the girl, a voice that seemed to resonate with the wind.

"Of course."

- - - - - -

Reentering the forest, Robin realized he had been paying more attention to Starfire than his surroundings on the way to the lake. As a result, he could hardly remember the way back. Squinting his eyes, he looked around, trying to find his bearings, but it all looked the same to him. The trees seemed to blend into one another, hardly any recognizable features from their journey away from camp. 'Next time... keep your eyes on the road,' Robin thought to himself disdainfully.

Looking over her shoulder, Starfire noticed Robin looking a little distressed. "Robin, is there a problem?" she asked, concerned.

Robin stopped in his tracks, beginning to massage the back of his neck as he looked around himself. "Uh... Well, I kinda... don't remember which way the camp is," he admitted, a little embarrassed.

Starfire covered her mouth as she let a small giggle escape. "Oh, do not worry," she said, reaching a hand out to Robin with a smile. Robin took her hand, wondering what she was doing... that is, until he was drawn up into the sky with her. As gravity pulled him down, he ended up hanging from her hand, but found that he didn't mind it, knowing now what she was thinking. Noticing where he was in relationship to her, he immediately averted his gaze to the ground, blushing. Starfire placed her free hand above her forehead and scanned the trees for the camp, taking notice of a clearing in the distance. "Ah, I have located it," she said as she began to fly in the direction of the campsite, pulling Robin in the air behind her.

Robin found it quite frightening to be flying without anything to keep him from falling but his and Starfire's grip. However, it caused a great deal of adrenaline to rush through his body. A truly exhilarating experience; he now understood why she loved it so much. Robin watched as the trees passed by swiftly below, until the two reached the clearing and began to descend slowly to the ground. Robin reluctantly let go of Starfire's hand as he decided he was close enough to the ground. Standing just outside of the camp, Cyborg and Beast Boy merely stared, looking confused. Raven, sitting on one of the logs that encircled the unlit campfire, looked up from her book at the others.

"Where were you two?" Beast Boy questioned, arching an eyebrow inquisitively. "You just disappeared all of a sudden," he said, suddenly getting a rather mischievous expression. Grin in full shine, he elbowed Cyborg in the side, who responded with a similar expression. "Maybe they just wanted to be alo--" he stopped himself as Robin shot him a death glare, "never mind," he gulped, sweat drops forming on his forehead while he backed up several steps.

"Oh, we have found the most wonderful place. You must come and see," Starfire gleamed, pointing back into the forest, obviously too excited to have paid any attention to Beast Boy's comment.

"Yeah, you guys wanna go for a swim?" Robin asked, surprised to find himself finally joining the others on vacation--despite his famous claim that heroes don't take vacations.

"Wait, did you just suggest something fun?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow at Robin. He turned to face Starfire, looking shocked. "What did you do to him out there?" he asked her, jokingly.

"Don't push it, Cyborg," said Robin with a slight smirk, attempting to be a good sport.

Deciding a trip to a lake sounded like a good idea, the Titans retreated to their tents, aquiring their swimming gear. Carrying their bags, they began following Robin and Starfire into the forest until they realized someone wasn't coming along. Raven sat in the same place she had been since they arrived, continuing to read her book without pause. Seeing that everyone was staring, she turned her attention to them, eyelids slightly lowered.

"No thanks. I think I'll just stay here," she said plainly, turning her eyes back to her book.

"Oh no you don't," Beast Boy grabbed Raven's hood and began pulling her along. A vein pulsing on her temple, Raven looked a little disgruntled, but decided not to hit him... it was a vacation after all.

- - - - - -

"Wow," Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven commented in unison as they stared at the lake.

"It's so cool... I almost don't wanna--" Cyborg was interrupted by Beast Boy who had already changed into his swim shorts.

"CANNONBAAAAALL!" Beast Boy shouted as he leapt high into the air, morphed into a hippo, and plunged into the lake, soaking everyone with the resulting splash.

"--swim in it." Cyborg finished, water dripping down his face.

Author's Note: Heh, screw November. You guys rock, so I'm releasing my new fanfic now. I hope you like this one. Review please :).

(Edited on 4/26/06)

Changes include several minor dialogue edits and paragraph additions. Nothing major just yet.

Next Chapter Preview: The Titans spend the entire day at the lake. Upon returning to camp, Robin and Starfire share a moment next to the campfire. In the dead of night, something mysterious looms in the forest. Who is this strange girl? Chapter 2: By the Fire.