Raven had hardly slept at all that night after her conversation with the other Titans all she could think about was Beast Boy. She had managed to fall asleep about 2 hours but she was having a nightmare that Beast Boy was being tortured and killed by her father. With all her spare time she tried to think of the good times she had with him. They did have more than their fair share of moments, and she truly enjoyed them more than she ever thought possible. And her last few moments ended up with them getting even closer.
Raven looked over at her clock, and it said it was 8:00 A.M. She remembered Robin mentioning something about Beast Boy's ceremony started at 9:00 A.M. sharp so she had about an hour left to get ready, but in all seriousness she really didn't even feel like leaving her room. The last thing she wanted to do was tell people she didn't know her feelings for her green teammate. She already hated to do it in front of her friends and now she was expected to do it in front of a crowd of people. They very idea of it made her feel beyond uncomfortable.
She walked over to her drawer with the giant mirror on top of it. She looked at her physical appearance for a moment and saw that her hair was in absolute disarray, her eyes were still blood shot from all her crying yesterday, and her cheeks were red and puffy as well. If anyone saw her they would not believe that this was Raven at all. But her outward appearance was not what was really bothering her. It was the piece of paper on top of her drawer that was bugging her. After her meditation yesterday, she knew that the others would want her to say something about Beast Boy so she got a piece of paper out and a pencil so she could write down her thoughts of him. But the piece of paper on the drawer in front of her was blank.
This blank piece of paper in front of her was just laying there laughing at her. She had plenty of things to say about him but nothing could be formed into words on the paper. Time around her seemed to stand still as she glared at the paper. 'Can I really have nothing to say about him? Does he really mean nothing to me that I can't write a few words honoring him? Were all those moments we had lies, and I really didn't feel anything for him at all?' Raven thought as she questioned her relationship with her green skinned friend.
All these thoughts were swirling around in her head and before she knew it 20 minutes had already passed and she still did not have answers to her questions. Eventually she gave up on the questions and decided to get ready for Beast Boy's funeral. Raven left her room and went to the bathroom just down her hallway. She got undressed and turned on the shower. She stepped in and when the water poured down her pale skin, it felt as though all her pain was being washed away. She closed her eyes and basked in the feeling she was having. The only other time she felt like this was when she and Beast Boy had slept together up on that tree limb. She stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel on the towel rack next to the shower and wrapped it around her curvy frame. She wiped the fog on the mirror so she could look at herself and what she saw surprised her greatly. A large smile was upon her face. Its true at times a small, ghost of a smile would play across her face but not a big one. She remembered that when she helped Cyborg rebuild his car that when they were done she had a large smile on her face but that was only one time. And here she is with an even bigger one then she had back then. When she thought of Beast Boy holding her on that tree limb complete bliss was upon her. For a moment she wondered why that was but she decided to ignore it at the time and would come back to it later. She exited the bathroom and went back to her own room.
Raven put on a new violet bra and panties and then got a fresh leotard and cloak. Just because it was Beast Boy's funeral doesn't mean she was going to dress any different. She went back to her mirror and looked at herself one more time to be sure that she was ready to go. Her short purple hair was still a bit damp so she grabbed the towel she had before and tried to dry it off as best she could. It was now dry so she grabbed her brush and straightened her hair out once more. She was satisfied with how she looked and then looked at the clock once more it read 8:50 A.M.; she could not believe how much time had passed already it felt like nothing to her. She decided that it would be best to grab some tea before she left it would probably help her calm down before she went to his funeral. She walked down the hall and then entered the Common Room. She noticed that everyone else was down there already and looked like they were ready to go. "Hey Raven, what took you so long?" Cyborg asked a bit loudly for the early morning.
"Sorry I didn't realize how late it was when I got ready," she replied in her normal monotone voice.
"That's alright Raven, but I suggest we get going otherwise we are going to be late," Robin stated in a calming tone. He was always one for punctuality. He would always scold everyone else if they got home late or were late doing something. He didn't mind so much if they were early that would actually make it better in some cases but being late was one of the few things he could not tolerate.
"Do you mind if a get a cup of tea before we go?" Raven asked quietly hoping that they would allow her, her cup of tea.
"Sure Raven go-ahead," Robin said calmly. Raven walked over to the stove and saw that her pot was already set and warm. She looked at it curiously raising an eyebrow as to why there would be a pot of her herbal tea out. She turned around and saw Starfire step forward.
"Friend Robin wished to get to Beast Boy's ceremony on the time. So he asked us to make you your tea and put it in this strange container," Starfire said quietly and kindly to her dark friend as she handed Raven her drink.
Raven looked at Starfire for a moment then at Robin, he truly did not like being late she thought. She sighed and said, "First Starfire, this is called a thermos. And second, thank you for making my tea this morning guys. It was thoughtful of you," Raven said with her voice still unwavering it normal monotone tone. Robin looked at the cloak on his communicator and knew that if they didn't leave now they would be late for Beast Boy's ceremony.
"Well Raven I don't mean to rush you, but if we don't go now we are going to be late," Robin said with a little force in his voice. The others looked at him and knew he was right. Raven nodded and they made their way to the T-Car. Raven was happy they considered putting her tea in a thermos so she could drink it during the car ride. Although she wasn't quite used to the idea of having to drink her tea out of a thermos, but at least she could drink it and that's all that mattered to her.
They all jumped into the T-Car and drove out of the garage. They managed to make great time since Cyborg had been able to turn his baby into an all terrain vehicle during his time as leader of Titan's East. They jetted across the bay until they hit land and then continued to drive normally the rest of the way. All the while, Raven couldn't help but look at the empty spot between her and Starfire. Beast Boy on more than one occasion would sit in between them in order to tell jokes to Raven. He always tried so hard but each time she either shot him down, criticized him, or just complete ignored him. Raven then felt a wave of guilt washed over her as she thought about all the times she had done that to him.
This did not go unnoticed by Robin as he sat next to Cyborg in the passenger seat. He saw that Raven had a saddened look on her face as she had barely had any of her tea. He then began to question if it really was a good idea to bring her along for his ceremony. He thought once again and decided it was for the best if. She had stayed at home then she would have felt worse and then truly would have remorse.
They soon arrived in front of the city hall where Beast Boy's ceremony would be held. They all stepped out of the T-Car after Cyborg had parked it and began to walk over to the platform where they would begin Beast Boy's funeral. All the honorary Titans had made it to Jump City today and were here when Robin had told what had happened to Beast Boy. So they all decided they would come here and honor him, after all he had led them basically when they defeated the Brotherhood of Evil in Paris. So they thought the least they could do is honor his funeral. As for the residents many showed as well, not really understanding why the mayor made this arrangement. But since all the Titans around the world were in their city again, then it must have been important. 9 o`clock struck and that meant it was time to start. The mayor was the first one on the platform and started with an opening speech while the actual Titans got ready to go on. "Does everyone have their speech and what they are going to say about Beast Boy?" Robin asked quietly as to hear when the mayor would call him up. The other's nodded in response except for Raven, she shook her head.
"Sorry Robin I couldn't think of anything to say. I wouldn't even know what to say," Raven said shamefully since she could not put into words what she thought of him. Robin looked at her for a moment and then sighed.
"That's alright Raven. You don't have to say anything. I'm sure by you just being here, it's making Beast Boy beyond happy," Robin said as he smiled to her. Raven looked at him for a moment and then nodded as a way to say 'thank you' without having to say it.
"Now without further ado, I give you the Teen Titans!" The mayor said with emphasis on the last part.
"Well guess that's our cue. Come on guys," Robin said sadly as he went up the steps to get to the top of the platform. The others followed him a sickening feeling in the pit of their stomachs. They weren't really sure if they would be able to handle this. When they reached the top everyone in front of them gave them a roaring round of applause. After about a minute the applause began to die and everyone was quiet again. The mayor handed the microphone to Robin and then proceeded to the chair at the end of the platform. The other Titans followed him and sat down next to the mayor. All was quiet for a moment as Robin took a deep breath and began the ceremony.
"Hello everyone, and thank you all for coming, I know that a lot of you know why we are here today. However many of you don't and I'm here to tell you why," Robin said as he braced himself for the inventible. He paused for a moment and then continued, "As all you all know we Beast Boy a.k.a Garfield Mark Logan is a member of the Teen Titans. Last week we the Titans went down to South America to stop the Brotherhood of Evil from once again trying to take over the world. We managed to stop them, however in the process we lost one of our own. We lost Beast Boy; he died saving the rest of us." Robin did his best to not cry or show any emotion at all. He needed to keep a level head and set the best example he could for all the other Titans. Everyone in the audience gasped at what he had said and at first did not believe him but they knew Robin never lied and this would not be a good place to start. Everyone in the audience looked down with their head in shame and despair. "Well each of us would like to say something in regard to our fallen teammate and friend," Robin stated.
"I will begin. Beast Boy was a wonderful person to be around. Combined with the fact that he had the ability to change into different animals he was by far the best person to rely on when it came to outdoor survival. He was always kind to his fellow man; he was even kind to a complete stranger. No matter what he always thought of everyone else before himself, making sure that they were at their happiest even when some didn't ask for it. He was truly a strong person always protecting anyone and everyone even though some of them didn't even deserve it. He truly knew what it meant to honor one's life even after they passed. I am grateful and proud to call him a teammate and a friend," Robin said as he tried not to cry. His words were carefully chosen after seeing all the kind things Beast Boy had done over the years to both friend and foe alike. "I will now send the next Titan up to make a statement," he said and then walked over to the other three. He patted Cyborg on his shoulder and Cyborg got up so Robin could sit down.
Cyborg walked over to the podium and looked at the audience before him. He took a deep breath and began. "Hey ya'll my name is Cyborg, of course most of you know that. Anyway like Robin said this is a ceremony dedicated to Beast Boy and I would like to say my piece. So here it is. Beast Boy was truly one of a kind and not from the fact that he was green. When I first got my robotic enhancements no one would shake my hand, talk to me or even look at me and I felt so alone. Then I met Beast Boy, to be honest I thought he was kind of dorky with that mask on, but more to the point he didn't shun me or avoid me at all he welcomed me with open arms regardless of how I looked. We argued almost every day about how he ate tofu and how I ate meat it was constant but that was how we befriended one another. We would argue then have a great big old laugh about something else the next minute. He would always know how to make everyone smile and laugh even when things looked bleak and to me that helped me through most of our fights. He may not have been the most powerful member of our team but he was defiantly the most loyal. No one will ever be able to replace my little buddy… no one," Cyborg finished as a stray tear exited his pupil. He then walked back to the group and said, "Ok, Star your turn."
Starfire was hesitant at first but she decided that since it was for Beast Boy she would do it. She slowly got up and walked over to the podium as Cyborg sat down where she was. Starfire reached the podium and began to speak not hesitant at all. "Hello everyone, my name is Starfire. I wish to speak to you about friend Beast Boy. Beast Boy was truly wonderful. He was truly caring and kind and wonderful. Beast Boy did many of the pranks on his friends, but would always apologize quickly. His jokes were most humorous and would always look on the bright side of things for everyone. He would also help explain the earthly ways of your planet to me. I will truly miss my friend and pray he is in a better place. Goodbye friend," Starfire finished as tears were streaming down her face. Being Tameranian she had no trouble showing her emotions in public but that didn't mean that this didn't hurt any less. Starfire walked back with her hand over her eyes and an arm wrapped around her stomach.
She reached the others and Robin immediately ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her down. She managed to calm down enough and said, "Raven, you may proceed." Raven kept a stoic look to her face but on the inside she could not be more nervous. All of her friends had given wonderful speeches about Beast Boy and she still couldn't put one sentence into what she wanted to say about him. She slowly got up and walked to the podium. Cyborg moved over so Starfire could sit next to Robin. Each step that Raven took made the podium seem farther and farther away in her mind. But sure enough she reached the podium and looked into the crowd. She felt as though everyone was judging her waiting for to make a mistake. She closed her eyes tightly as tears threatened to come out. She couldn't do this it was too much for her to handle. Raven opened her eyes and was about to leave when something caught her eye, or rather what didn't catch her eye. Everyone in front of her had mysteriously disappeared and she wondered what happened to them. Only one person remained and she couldn't make out who it is. The dark figure stood up and walked up to her until she could see who it was. Once the figure was in view, her mouth gaped at who she saw.
It was Beast Boy he was standing there with a gloved hand in his pocket and a sweet smile on his lips. Raven was about to run down to him, but he raised his hand and stopped her. "Wait, I want to hear what you have to say, Raven. Yours means the most to me," he said kindly and sweetly.
She smiled to him and said, "Ok." Beast Boy put his hand down and began to listen to what Raven had to say.
"Hello my name is Raven. I guess you're expecting a big speech on how I feel about him, but the truth is I really can't tell you at times he can be annoying, insensitive, and rude. But at other times he is like no other. He's kind, gentle, caring, and sweet. When it came to his jokes I would always shoot him down or criticize him. But the more I think about it the more I realize how sweet it really was. He would pay attention to me when I needed it and sometimes when I didn't; when I was broken he would help me pick up the pieces. He was always kind to me and now I wish I had done more to repay him. I just hope that this ceremony is a start. I truly hope that you are in a better place, Beast Boy," she said with the sweetest voice she had ever done.
Everyone in the audience could not believe their ears. Raven the girl who would barely talk opened up and gave a speech from her heart. The Titans and the mayor were dumbfounded as they heard Raven's speech but the Titans surprised looks quickly turned to smiles as they took in what Raven had said.
Raven smile quickly faded as she saw that it was the crowd of people from before. She thought she was saying this all to Beast Boy but apparently her mind was playing tricks on her or rather her emotions were. They knew that if she saw Beast Boy one more time that she would have the courage to tell him what she means to her more or less. When she realized that it was no longer Beast Boy she was talking to, but the crowd of people, her face turned blood red and she closed her eyes tightly and ran behind the curtain. She had never been more embarrassed in her entire life, and yet it felt good to relieve some of that feeling she had inside her.
Robin stepped up to the podium and took over after Raven's interesting speech and said, "That concludes our portion of the ceremony. Now I believe the mayor has something to add before it is over."
"Thank you Robin," The mayor said nodding. "Since Beast Boy helped save this city time and time again we've made this statue in his honor." Once he said this, the curtains opened to reveal a large statue of Beast Boy standing up straight his fists at his hips as if he were proclaiming he was a hero. "This statue will be a reminder of how he had saved our city and how much he means to each of us. I will now put on the engraving to finish it," the mayor said. He took out a plaque and placed it and the base of the statue. "Here lived one of the greatest hero's of our time," The mayor said as he read off the engraving.
"Thank you for your time and I hope the rest of your day is fruitful," The mayor finished. He then entered his limo and drove off to his home. The remaining Titans went back to the T-Car where Raven sat waiting. The other Titans just smiled and entered the car and drove off home in silence.
In a dark room the ceremony was being broadcasted so people who didn't make it to the ceremony could watch it on their televisions. "Well that was a nice ceremony would you agree," a dark figure said as he looked into the darkness of the room. All he got in response was a low and threatening growl. The figure just stood there and laughed as it echoed around the room.