A Sane Insanity: Wally West

Chapter 5

"Kid Flash, report."

"Kid Flash, are you there?"

"Kid Dork, stop fooling around and answer!"

He didn't answer, not even to the distressed voice of his girlfriend. He just didn't have to time right now. He just couldn't loose him again! He was supposed to be looking out for Sports Master, but this was so, so much more important. He knew they were probably worried, but.. Dick... he was here. Somewhere.

That laugh. He had heard it. The cackle echoed through the forest, and he could have sworn he saw a yellow cape flutter in one of the trees.

"Come on, come on!" His voice was lost in the wind as he ran, his figure a yellow and red blur to any civilian. His feet were even louder and more careless than usual, and the only part of his brain working properly told him he should probably go into stealth mode. His eyes snapped around, tree branch to tree branch, trying to catch sight of the small bird. "Robin, I know you're there."

A laugh rang through the air.

Wally cursed as he changed directions, realizing that the voice came from behind him. Where was the small bird? Why didn't he just come out already?

Suddenly, pain erupted through the mind link and Wally doubled over, followed by a shrill scream of, "Aqualad!"

Their leader had been stabbed by Sports Master.

*

"You were supposed to be on the look out!"

Wally winced at his girlfriend's yelling. Truthfully, Artemis had a point. He was supposed to be on the look out. It was his fault that Aqualad was behind those doors, in the medical bay.

Artemis sighed when he said nothing. "What were you doing, anyway?" Her voice was softer this time, and everyone else looked at him too, curiosity in their eyes.

Wally looked down sheepishly. Their mentors had told him over and over it wasn't true, that he wasn't there, but he couldn't help it. "I was looking for someone."

Black Canary's eyes looked as if she already knew what he was going to say. They have talked about it often. "Wally, could we speak for a moment?"

"Hold on," Artemis was about to fire another question, when Black Canary gave her a hard look. Artemis gave her a glare of her own, but then seemed to think against it. "Or not."

Wally bit his lip and followed the Canary, out of the hall, through the kitchen and into his own room. She sat on the chair by his desk, and he sat on his bed.

"Wally," she started off, plain and simple. "How are you feeling?"

He just shrugged. He didn't joke as often as he use to, making the small talks harder but more bearable for Black Canary. Sadly, she knew this meant he was unhappy about something. And that was a price she was not willing to pay.

"Wally, I know you're hurt by Robin's death. We all were. It must have been painful, to loose you're best friend so suddenly, and to watch it happen." She placed a hand on his knee, looking at him with sympathetic eyes.

Wally nodded, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.

"But you can never get over the pain if you never let go of him." She moved her hand to his shoulder. "Wally, please, we don't want to lose someone so important. The team won't be able to take it. We need you to stay strong."

Wally bit his lip in anger. "You don't get it. I can really see him! I saw him in the forest! I saw his cape! I heard him, too! He's there..." Wally tried to blink back tears but they escaped. "I just want to find him."

Black Canary shook her head. "I'm sorry to point this out, but has it ever occurred to you that it could have been a trick? Something from the villains, perhaps?"

Wally rose. His voice came out low and furious, "Shut up," He said. And then he said louder, "Shut up! It was him! It wasn't a trick! I saw him! I'm not going crazy, and don't you dare go around thinking that! He was there!" Wally sobbed. "He promised me he'd always be here..."

"Oh, Wally." Black Canary got up and hugged the lonely boy. How could she have missed this? "Sometimes when people make promises, they don't realize what they're promising. I'm sure he intended to stay with you forever, Wally, but it doesn't always work out like that."

Wally, clinging onto her like his life depended on it, almost told her that Robin had told him that nearly a week ago, which was after he had died, but something caught his attention. Right there, in the reflection of the glass window of the room, was Robin, his finger tapping his lips in a shushing motion. He swung his hips lightly, almost as if he were enjoying himself, the usual smirk on his lips. Wally's mouth opened in shock. Slowly, he nodded his head in understanding.

Black Canary must have took that as an answer to her small speech, because she separated from Wally and told him that he should be on his way.

Still, Wally nodded numbly, stepping out of the room.

That night, he raced to his bathroom mirror, standing in front of it for hours until he just caught the sight of Robin. He did, close to midnight. Robin walked into sight of the reflection, sitting down mindlessly on Wally's bed.

Wally snapped his head around, hoping to see Robin, but the bed was empty. But he could see, hardly, where the bed went down under another person's weight.

"Robin?" Wally reached his hand out, walking to wards the bed. "Is that you?"

Wally's hand reached the empty space only to find that it wasn't empty. No, something hard and cold was there. He could feel cheeks, and he could feel ears.

Yeah, that's me. Wally could feel his head shake slightly. Huh. You know how weird it is to be dead?

Wally shook his head. Robin just laughed, letting Wally feel him. There were his lips, fastened into a smile, his eyes that closed as he put more pressure on them, his small shoulders... and his hands. He use to use his hands to fly through the air, springing off anything in his reach. Did he still do that? Why couldn't Wally see him?

"What it like," Wally finally asked, "to be dead?"

Wally kept his hands over Dick's mouth to feel his lips move.

It's cold, he said. His breath was like ice, and it seemed as if he never inhaled. Lonely. There are hardly any souls that get stuck in the mortal world. It's strange. Wally, I'm so sick of being dead.

"What," Wally smiled, and despite the fact that he was nearly on the verge of tears again he couldn't help but say, "is it a little bit too whelming?"

Dick sighed. Disastrous. Super heavy on the 'dis'. Even worse than the time that Alfred made me put a dollar in the Grammar jar every time I used a made up word because I made my English teacher cry.

Wally let out a bittersweet laugh. "I remember that weekend. We painted Bruce's car purple."

And shaved Roy's hair. Dick reminded him.

Wally nodded in remembrance. "We harassed Artemis at your school, too. Man, was she surprised to find out I was Billionaire's best friend."

Dick laughed. It was wispy, not like it always is. It sent shivers down Wally's back. Was this really the same Robin that had died in his arms?

It sucks to be dead. Dick said.

"Yeah," Wally said. "It sucked to see you die."