Why
Raven and Beast Boy: Life Lesson
Raven bit her lip, fighting tears as she stared at the grave of her dear friend, one of her oldest friends. They had been together through thick and thin; he had always tried to make her laugh, and she had always thrown him out of the window.
She had just left for a few years to find herself. The Titans were still together, and still had her communicator, but she was more of a traveling hero. She hadn't seen him in person for two years. Now, he was gone… and he wasn't coming back.
The preacher droned on and on about what a good, brave hero he had been. Raven tuned him out. That preacher had never even met the Titans before; he had no idea just how good that joking, green boy had been.
Raven's eye twitched as she thought about Beast Boy. He had always been pulling pranks and telling joke, arguing the benefits of tofu, and trying to make her laugh. She hadn't realized just how much he had endured and kept hidden. Everyone always Raven was the most enigmatic and complicated Titan, but they all knew about her past and her destiny. Beast Boy was so secretive no one had even seen he had a secret.
You must've been in a place so dark you couldn't feel the light
Reaching for you through that stormy cloud.
Now here we are gathered in our little hometown;
This can't be the way you meant to draw a crowd.
Oh, why? That's what I keep asking.
Was there anything I could have said or done?
Oh, I had no clue you were masking
A troubled soul, God only knows what went wrong,
And why you'd leave the stage in the middle of a song.
She choked back a laugh, remembering when they would play Stankball or volleyball. Beast Boy would always beg Raven to play, and would be really upset when she didn't. She remembered every detail of his sad kitten face, a guilt trip only Raven could refuse.
Beast Boy was always so passionate, even about his tofu and videogames. And when he fought, he was just as good as Raven, the most powerful Titan, and just as good as Robin, the best fighter in the Titans.
Now in my mind I keep you frozen as a seventeen year old,
Rounding third to score the winning run.
You always played with passion no matter what the game;
When you took the stage, you shined just like the sun.
Oh, why? That's what I keep asking.
Was there anything I could have said or done?
Oh, I had no clue you were masking
A troubled soul, God only knows what went wrong,
And why you'd leave the stage in the middle of a song.
Raven glanced around the graveyard, smiling softly when she saw all the nature surrounding his grave. Beast Boy always was a nature-nerd. The fall wind bent the oaks and birches, and the sun shone done on her face, warming her cold cheeks.
She laid her head in her hands, biting back a whimper as she thought about him and his antics. Back then they seemed so annoying and childish, but now Raven would do anything for just one more joke. A mocking bird sang to her, pulling her away from her troubled thoughts. Earth really isn't that bad, she mussed dryly.
Now the oak trees are swaying the early autumn breeze;
The golden sun is shining on my face.
Through tangled thoughts I hear a mockingbird sing;
This old world really ain't that bad a place.
Oh, why? There's no comprehending,
And who am I to try to judge or explain?
Oh, but I do have one burning question:
Who told you life wasn't worth the fight?
They were wrong, they lied, and now you're gone, and we cried!
Raven stepped up the purple and black coffin, holding a stiff, green body with pointed ears and a visible fang. That forever smile on his face, like he was truly happy to be gone, was it for her. With a sob and threw herself onto Beast Boy and began crying and screaming. The other Titans, both main and honorary, did nothing but watch with mournful eyes as Beast Boy's closest friend truly realized he was dead.
'Cause it's not like you to walk away in the middle of a song,
Your beautiful song, your absolutely beautiful song.
"Why?" Raven whispered.