It had taken three full days to bury all the bodies, and Damian had never felt so physically or mentally exhausted. True to his word, he'd tended to each of the fallen himself, despite Kent's frequent attempts to offer help. He suspected the clone might be trying to compensate for something.
The only exception was Titus, whom he and Raven had laid to rest in the compound's sacred plot while Conner watched from a distance. Somehow, when the time came for that task, she'd known just where to find him and he'd been unable to refuse her. This one is both of ours, she told him.
Once the deed was done, he sat numbly next to the grave, one bare hand laid lightly on the upturned soil.
"This plot is reserved for Al Ghuls and those they cherish most," he told her, his voice distant.
She sat beside him, brushing a strand of blue-black hair behind her ear with muddy fingers.
"It's worthy of him, then."
"I never really thanked you. For giving him to me."
"Sure you did. You just didn't need to say it out loud."
Silence reigned for a moment, and he felt a sudden need to confess something to her, knowing she might very well hate him for it.
"I was going to use the Lazarus Pit. Maybe I should have. For Grayson, Titus, the other Titans."
In his peripherals, he saw her head whip towards him and her entire body became tense. He used to enjoy the rare occasions he could catch Raven off-guard.
"No," her voice was angry, and Damian pointedly kept his eyes forward to try and hide from her disappointment.
She didn't let him, laying a hand on the side of his face and jerking his gaze to her.
"Promise me right now you will never use it. No matter who it is. Promise me."
Her eyes sparked with distress and he couldn't help feeling guilty. Even so, his natural defensiveness kicked in and he had to argue.
"I know you hate it because of your father, but it's just a tool at the end of the day. If it can help-"
"No." she repeated emphatically, "Trigon's gifts are poisoned. The Pit...it's not meant to help. It's meant to corrupt. You have to promise me."
Her hand was still on his face and her violet orbs bored into him. Damian swallowed his protests, feeling he owed this to her but not liking it one bit.
"...I promise."
A month at the compound resulted in some semblance of a routine for the three of them, but for the first time in his life Damian was at a loss for what to do next. They had a greenhouse to keep them fed, a roof to keep them sheltered, and enough basic supplies laid by for a moderately comfortable existence.
Even so, he didn't want to stay. This place was full of ghosts and broken dreams for him. Then again, he supposed those would follow him anywhere.
Damian had resigned himself to the fact that his entire family was dead, and that his lifelong goal to one day take up the mantle of the Bat would never be realized. The best any of them could hope for anymore was survival, and without a higher purpose to strive for he felt adrift. He wished more than anything that his brother had survived, needing the older man's guidance and irritating optimism more than he would ever admit. The image of Nightwing being impaled flitted through his mind's eye, accompanied by familiar guilt and bitterness. Damian had been a terrible brother, but Grayson had died protecting him all the same. And now what?
He closed his eyes and sighed, feeling tired and defeated down to his bones. His entire life there had always been something to work for. A task to fulfill, a mission to complete, a plan to enact. He grieved for his lost purpose almost as strongly as his family. Even rousing the energy to train was a chore, and he often caught himself standing frozen in the sparring yard, lost in his thoughts and his grief.
Making his circuit of the grounds, he came upon Raven and Conner at one of the compound's wells, where the mage was wringing soapy water from her heavy cloak. Her leotard was draped over a nearby beam and she was wearing a loose green and gold robe she must have found somewhere. Seeing her in League colors and doing something so domestic caused Damian's heart to stutter. Half-formed feelings festered beneath a thick wall of grief, and he forced them down ruthlessly. They were thoughts from another life.
"Hey," Raven smiled.
"Rae was telling me how her clothes powers work," Conner chimed in, "Still makes no sense."
"Of course not, it's magic," she said with a shrug before turning back to him, "I, um, hope you don't mind…" she told him apologetically, gesturing to her current attire.
"No, it's fine" he replied with a swallow, "But can't you just use magic to keep your uniform clean?"
"Sure, but it seems like a waste of my powers right now. And there was nothing else to do."
Damian couldn't argue with that, "On that subject, I'm not sure what our next steps should be. The Justice League and Titans are gone, and what should have been a haven for us here has been wiped out. We can't fight this war with just the three of us," he paused and let his words hang in the air.
Both his teammates had their eyes averted, and he was surprised when Conner was the one to break the silence, "I have nowhere else to go. I'll stick with you and Rae, if it's all the same."
He held back a biting refusal. Even if his company had been less objectionable than usual lately, Robin and Superboy had never particularly gotten on well, and he'd never paid attention to Raven beyond his normal over-the-top flirting. The first time they met he'd propositioned the witch so brazenly that Damian immediately called Gotham to demand his father's supply of kryptonite before Grayson calmed him down.
A vindictive voice in the back of his mind wanted to blame Conner for Superman's failings; the moronic, unscouted assault on Apokolips that had taken everything from them. That same voice wanted to dwell on every slight the Kryptonian had dealt him in his year with the Titans.
It was a child's voice, eager to punish and blame something for the horror around them and the heaviness in his heart. They were all orphans now, and he had no right to send Kent away.
Damian Wayne. Damian al Ghul. Ibn al Xu'ffasch. Drifting in a broken world.
Both of them were looking at him expectantly, and he understood with a jolt that they were awaiting judgement. He reflected on the last month, the natural roles they'd all fallen into and realized somewhere along the way he'd taken charge.
It was an alien, bizarre feeling. Despite being groomed for leadership since birth, his temperament didn't exactly inspire loyalty. Now that he had a taste, he wasn't entirely sure he could handle it.
They would be my responsibility.
Did he really want that? Even as he wondered, he knew the answer. Damian needed purpose.
"Then we'll stay together. As far as I'm concerned, we're family now. I will do everything in my power to keep you alive and well," he said firmly.
Conner only blinked confusedly at the proclamation, but Raven just smiled, trust radiating from her dark eyes.
Damian's sleep was interrupted by a sharp cry, and before he knew what he was doing he was up and reaching for a sword that wasn't there.
In the dim moonlight, he could see Raven sitting upright and clutching her head. Conner stood nearby, glancing around in a way that suggested he was scanning the area with his x-ray vision.
"I'm sorry," she forced out, "just a nightmare."
She took a few deep breaths and seemed to level out, glancing at the two of them apologetically. "Go back to sleep, I'm fine,"
Damian frowned. Even before the paradoom attack Raven's nightmares had been increasing in both frequency and severity and he had a suspicion as to why.
"Is it Trigon?" He asked quietly.
Her silence confirmed it.
"He's not-"
"No, he's not getting out. Trust me," she interrupted forcefully.
He wanted to, but... No, stop it. I do trust her.
"I trust you, Rae. You're tougher than you look," Conner said with a yawn. "Give him hell for waking us up, though."
Raven shot the Kryptonian a grateful glance as she laid back down. Both of the boys followed suit, but Damian made a point of moving his cot closer to hers. He wasn't entirely sure why, but it felt right.
The next day found all three of them in the training yard. Raven meditated while he sparred with Conner - despite his personal grievances with the clone, Damian enjoyed testing his skills with such a strong opponent. Besides, Kent said he always wanted to learn to use a sword.
"Quit hacking at me like you're wielding a meat cleaver," Damian snapped, exasperated by his partner's poor form.
"It feels more natural that way," he argued.
"And it leaves you completely wide open," he countered, parrying an exceptionally sloppy cut and sending the blade flying from Conner's hand.
"So? Not like you could cut me anyways."
"I'll get a sword made of kryptonite. Just for you."
Conner scowled, but there was no venom in it. As hopeless a swordsman he was, he seemed to be having fun. He turned to pick up the wayward blade and suddenly stiffened.
In the blink of an eye, he was across the yard and Raven was pinned beneath him. It took Damian only a second to spot the knife embedded in the ground where she'd been levitating and he raised his own blade in time to deflect a second projectile aimed for his forehead.
He instantly leapt and rolled for cover beneath a nearby awning and scanned the rooftops, knowing the assassins had the high ground and not wanting to get pinned down. There!
Two black clad figures darted along the apex of the roof before his batarangs found them. Just as they stumbled, a black-and-blue streak snatched them both and dangled them in front of Damian by their collars.
Conner's eyes were glowing with red, and he was momentarily surprised by the clone's deadly countenance.
"Don't forget this one," Raven said, guiding a third man towards them with rings of black magic keeping him restrained.
Damian nodded up at Conner, who dropped his two captives unceremoniously at his feet.
"Ibn al Xu'ffasch, you have returned," one man said in their mother tongue, "Many apologies, we did not recognize you and assumed you three were responsible for the devastation here."
"Whatever he just said, he's lying," Raven informed him.
Damian kept his eyes forward, "You take me for a fool."
"Your witch deceives you, honored grandson. Allow me to prove my loyalty and cut out her black heart."
His glare sharpened, "It is your death that would satisfy me, traitor."
One of the other captives spat at him then, his brown eyes hard and angry, "Save your entreaties. He has aligned with chattel. Know this, boy, you disgraced your clan and your name long before we sacked this compound."
"You speak boldly for a coward and failed assassin. You are at my mercy now." He replied darkly.
"You will do nothing. You are weak now."
Damian only smirked. "Raven, I want them all on their knees."
She obliged, her magic pulling them all into a prostrate position before him.
"You have betrayed your clan, attacked your rightful lord, and proven yourselves unworthy of the League of Assassins. Speak your final words," he instructed, readying his sword.
"Die slowly, Ibn al Xu'ffasch," one replied, the others staying silent keeping their eyes on the ground in preparation for what was next.
Damian poised for his swing, confident he could take all their heads in a single blow. He paused, wondering if one of his teammates would try to intervene, and was met by silence.
A flash of silver steel and it was over.
He turned from the corpses in disgust, sticking his bloodied sword into the earth.
"Neither of you stopped me," an observation, not an accusation.
"I wanted them dead, too," Conner replied with none of his normal levity.
Raven's hand alighted delicately on his shoulder before she spoke, "Things are different now. We're not the same as we were before."
He exhaled, more relieved than he wanted to admit. Father would have been horrified with him, but he was gone and the world he left behind had no place for moral absolutes. When he was ready, he turned to meet their eyes.
"We can't stay here anymore. I'm not sure why these three came back, but we can assume they won't be the last."
Conner shrugged, "Lead the way."
Sorry this took so long to post. Hope you enjoyed, feedback is appreciated. Thanks, as always, to my beta jt!