A Sane Insanity: Wally West

Chapter 2

Wally walked, his hands deep in his pockets. He had waited until after the funeral, because he wasn't sure he could take all the reporters treating Dick-- his best friend, his whole world -- like another news story. He was a person; a great one, at that. But no one seemed to think of him as more than Richard Grayson, ward of Bruce Wayne.

He walked through the now empty cemetery. The day was bright and sunny, almost trying to cheer him up, but he couldn't find the decency to smile at the bright day in Gotham. Probably the only one it'll ever have.

Instead, he keeled in front of the newest grave, it's dirt freshly turned, covering the cold body underneath it.

Right under the words " A loving son, grandson, ward, and friend " on the gravestone, were flowers. More importantly, flowers known as Asters, Dick's favorite word right next to 'whelmed'.

Wally smiled and touched the small, thin brightly colored petals, knowing Bruce got these. His bright smile turned weary, though, and soon disappeared as he realized that he was smiling when Dick was dead .

His hand retracted from the flowers, resting at the base of the grave.

Dick was dead. It didn't sound right. Yeah, Wally was there. He was the one who couldn't save him, he was the one who watched him die in his arms, but yet he couldn't accept the fact that he was gone.

His shoulders shook as he tried to keep in his tears.

Dick would never laugh again. He would never feel the heat in the back of his neck like Wally was doing now. He would never graduate Gotham Academy, go to collage, or become a police officer like he always talked about. He would never take up Batman's name, or train his own Robin. He would never fall in love. He'll never have his own family, take down the Joker, or take over Wayne Industries. He would never live again, because he was dead.

And Wally couldn't save him.

It was a second. Wally let his guard down for a second, and Dick paid the price. And now Dick was never going to come back. And it was Wally's fault.

He lowered his head into the floor, next to his hand. Tears passed his defences, streaming down his face one after another. Small sobs racked through his body, his chest heaving in pain with each shaky breath. What was he going to do? How was he going to continue? He still had the rest of the team, but Robin, Aqualad and him were the founders. Without Robin, he wasn't sure if they would really be a team anymore. He wasn't even sure they could be themselves anymore.

A warm hand placed itself gently on his back, and immediately Wally stopped crying, but his eyes were still red and his chest still hurt. He tried to ignore the hand, but then he heard M'gann say gently,"We've been looking all over for you, Wally. I know it's hard, but the world still needs saving. Come on, we have a new mission."

Wally stayed where he was, her words almost sending tears back down his face. It seems as if the world continues on, because it does, despite the fact that it just killed off one of its greatest heroes.

But he nodded anyway, slowly getting up, stretching his limbs that were tired from being in the same position for so long when he cried for Dick. He followed M'gann onto the invisible ship, but stopped right in front of the door, holding onto one of the walls, and looked back as a soft, invisible to the untrained ear, sound bounced through the air. Dick's laugh seemed to echo in the graveyard, making the place just a bit brighter.

"Wally, you just gonna stand there like an idiot?"

Wally blinked twice as Kaldur bickered with Artemis about him just needing time, and walked into the ship, taking his regular seat. His seat belt strapped itself and he could feel the back changing to fit Wally's comfort. Connor added a blunt comment into the argument, and M'gann tried to break the fight, but was failing due to her shy personality.

Wally could still hear Dick's laugh in his head.