Chapter Six
Another day had passed without incident, a situation that Robin knew couldn't last. Nevertheless, the Titans used the time to plan the funeral and memorial for Raven. Robin agreed to give the eulogy and had written several drafts. He finally arrived at what seemed a concise, yet sufficient, speech. He figured Raven would approve of it. He decided to keep it hidden, so that his friends would be hearing it for the first time, like everyone else, when he read it at the funeral.
As for attendance, Cyborg took it upon himself to manage it. The Titans East, a number of the Justice League members, including Batman, and a few other honorary Titans agreed to be present. And to Robin's surprise, and delight, Nightwing was also attending.
Robin recalled when he first met him, when he first fought alongside Batman. Then, he still thought of himself as Tim Drake. Now, he was Robin, the Boy Wonder and leader of the Teen Titans. He was afraid that now, he would also be recognized at having a member of his team commit suicide. He would not be surprised if Batman took him back with him. He might even have to give up being Robin. He wasn't sure if he could do that. Perhaps Nightwing might take him in, if that was the case. He knew that he didn't always agree with Batman. He hoped he would be there for him if it came to that.
The day had now arrived, and the guests had begun to show up. The each gave condolences to the Titans. Beast Boy took it upon himself to introduce Terra to the guests, as well as providing refreshments. Starfire also greeted the guest and noted just how crowded the roof of Titans Tower was becoming. 'All these people have come to pay respects to friend Raven.' she thought. 'She meant more to others than she realized.' She sighed.
An hour after the guests' arrival, Robin announced the beginning of the ceremony. Given that there were no chairs, everyone had to stand. Robin stood at a makeshift podium that Cyborg had made. He got everyone's attention.
"Good morning," he began. "Nice to see all of you here. As you all know, we're here to remember a fallen comrade. Not all of you knew her, but you are probably aware of what she has done for us all, as well as the world. So, I shall provide you with something with which I hope she would have approved of, in hopes that you will remember her as my team and I do."
Robin took a deep breath, and began the eulogy.
"Her name was Raven. She had a dark history, but was dedicated to doing good, fighting along side her teammates. She was a great friend, despite her reclusive behavior. For years, though, she harbored a secret, a secret about her past; that she was destined to end the world. She fought against her destiny for all her life. But one day, destiny caught up with her. At long last, she turned to her friends for help and comfort in getting through the difficult times ahead.
Unknown to her friends, though, she realized an unorthodox way to save the world; to save her friends, and our world, she must sacrifice her life. It was by no means an easy decision for her to come to, no doubt about that, but she carried it out. She felt this sacrifice was neither in vain, nor empty, and we will not question her wisdom on that matter. Thanks to her sacrifice, the end of the world will not come. What more, is that she used her dying energy to bring back another lost friend of ours."
He paused to look at Terra. She had tears in her eyes.
Robin continued. "From this day forth, we owe our lives to the bravest person I have ever known." He sighed again. "Raven, wherever you may be, we thank you. Rest in peace, friend."
With that, he stepped down from the podium. All the guests erupted in applause, many wiping tears out of their eyes.
The guests dispersed, either talking amongst themselves, or to the other Titans. As Robin walked through the crowd, a familiar figure approached him. 'Oh god." he thought.
It was Batman. "Nice eulogy." he said.
"Thanks." Robin replied.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure."
They walked to a mostly vacant area on the roof. From a distance, Nightwing watched them. 'Please don't be hard on the kid.' he thought.
"I can imagine how hard this must be for you." Batman said.
"You have no idea." Robin replied.
"I have somewhat of an idea."
"Your parents' death, right?"
"I know it's not the same. Someone took their lives. For you, Raven took her own life."
"She wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for Slade and Trigon."
"I've heard of Slade, but who's Trigon?"
"Her father. A demon, from what Raven's told us. A really powerful demon."
"Oh." Batman sighed. "At least she had you and your team as a family."
"Yeah. I wish she would've talked to us more about what was going on, instead of just killing herself."
"She thought she did the right thing, just as you said in your eulogy."
"Yeah, I know." He sighed. "Some leader I turned out to be."
"What do you mean?"
"Once, I didn't trust my team when I took it upon myself to try and catch Slade. Then, I had to turn against them! Later on, we took in a team member who later betrayed us, and nearly killed us in the process!"
"That girl, Terra? She redeemed herself, didn't she?"
"How'd you know who...?"
"Your little green friend."
"Oh. Well, anyway, then something like this happens! A team member kills herself, and we're holding a funeral for her!" Robin let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe someone else should lead the Titans."
Batman put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Robin, considering all that you and your team have gone through, I can't think of a better man to lead them than you."
Robin stared at him. "Really?"
"Of course!" Batman replied. "You're stronger than you know. You've come a long way since I've know you, exceeding my expectations. You're the ideal person to lead the Titans."
Tears welled up in Robin's eyes. He then embraced his mentor.
From his vantage point, Nightwing watched the exchange with interest. When he saw Robin hugging Batman, he smiled. 'Never was so gentle with me.' he thought. 'He's getting soft!'
Elsewhere on the roof, Terra loitered near the refreshments table. She was trying to dry her eyes, but with not much success, when a man approached her.
"You Terra?" he asked. She turned to face him and gasped; he had no face.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"They call me the Question. Sorry about your friend."
"Thanks. Did you want something?"
"Just to offer a proposition."
"Oh, and what would that be?"
"What if I told you that I can help you with your friend?"
Terra glared at him. "What do you mean?"
"I'm saying that you're friend can live again."
Terra gasped. "How? And what do I have to do?"
"Just be patient. We'll have to talk to a friend of mine."
Terra nodded and followed him. 'Even if I had to make a deal with the devil,' she thought, 'I'd do it just to have one more minute with Raven.'
She hoped what the Question had in mind was something less drastic, but with longer lasting results.