His Redemption

A Realization

Danny spent the next few hours very awake, with an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. Despite the fact that he was oddly trusting of the quietest member of the Titans, he was terrified of the fact that anyone knew of his human half. And, not only that, but she also (somehow) knew about his nightmare. What else did she know? These thoughts, along with grotesque images from his nightmare, had been keeping Danny's brain far too active for sleep.

Eventually, he heard the sound of movement from outside the door, indicating it was a fairly reasonable time to be awake. Though, it wasn't as if Danny ever really left the Medical Ward in the first place. Between Starfire's seemingly endless stream of questions, and the painful similarities between his passed friends and Raven and Cyborg, Danny usually chose to stay in bed. However, his plans of lethargy were quickly put to rest when Robin walked through the doors, a determined look on his face. Danny already had to resist the urge to sigh.

"Danny, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to ask you a few questions about this 'Ghost Zone'?" Robin said, the title sounding foreign on his tongue. Danny just stared back at the Titan leader, not consenting, but not refusing either. Robin, deciding to forage on, continued. "Firstly, according to Cyborg, you said that the energy in the Ghost Zone is the opposite of that within this plane." Robin said, an eyebrow raised. The question was obvious enough, but Danny refused to make it that easy.

"That isn't a question." Danny said, facing the window beside his bed. He was several stories up, so he could see a clear city skyline. Anyone else would have called it a beautiful scenic view, but not Danny. He had seen better. Robin's muttering of 'annoying ghosts' brought Danny out of his musings.

"What do you mean by that." Robin said, managing to find some patience. Now, Danny thought, that won't do.

"You said you had a few questions. What you said was a statement, not a question." Danny said, barely holding in a smirk. Danny hadn't felt this mischievous since before the accident. That thought immediately brought his mood down, a frown overtaking his features.

"What did you mean by what you told Cyborg?" Robin responded through gritted teeth, annoyance clear on his face. Danny internally sighed. He could've screwed with the other teen a bit further, but Danny really wasn't in the mood anymore. He just wanted to sit on the bed in the Medic Ward in silence. With an audible sigh, Danny finally answered Robin's question.

"I'm assuming you want to know about the science behind the Ghost Zone?" When Robin inclined his head slightly in response, Danny already felt a bit put out. "The Ghost Zone, in essence, is the exact opposite of the Living World. That is why ghosts have intangibility, and living beings in the Ghost Zone, because their very being is repelled by the matter here and there. That, as Cyborg might be able to tell you, is also why the Ghost Zone is almost like a parody of the Living World. Though, no one knows which plane of existence was created first." Danny paused for a moment, making sure Robin was following. And, despite his hopes, Robin decided to question him about the subject.

"How do you know all of this?" Robin asked, causing Danny to tense at the unwanted memory flashing behind his eyes. Since Danny first went through the portal, he, Tucker, and Sam would try and discover all they could about the science behind the Ghost Zone. Tucker even managed to hack into the Fentonworks database at one point to compare information. Danny hated those memories. When he was happy, unknowing of what would happen; of what he would cause. After audibly sighing, he spoke.

"Been there a few times." Was all he said, ignoring the mildly irritated look Robin gave him. Danny refused to give away any more than that. He had successfully kept his human half from (most of) the Titans, and he wouldn't reveal that now, if ever.

"Alright." Robin sighed, thankfully moving on. "Cyborg mentioned a shifting ghost by the name of Clockwork, who is he?" He asked, a frown on Robin's face. Danny couldn't help but clench his fists.

"He's a powerful ghost that generally stays neutral in most things. He won't cause any problems." Danny said shortly, a frown deeply set in his face. Obviously, his answer wasn't enough for the boy wonder, as he just stared back at Danny. Eventually, Danny had enough of Robin's staring. "That's all you need to know." He growled out, sick of the other boy's presence. Dammit, he just wanted to be left alone!

Later, after what felt like a million questions, Danny finally ran out of patience. Interrupting Robin, he spoke. "Listen, Robin. I'm tired, so could you leave?"

Robin seemed take aback by this, obviously unused to being interrupted. He went to speak, but Danny had already turned away from him, blankets covering his face. With a bit of a huff, Robin turned and left the Medic Ward.

~~~~~~~~~~Line~Break~~~~~~~

Robin was honestly sick of Danny's attitude. He understood that Danny has been through more than anyone should ever have to, but the half-ghost was seriously getting on his last nerve. Honestly, all he wanted to know was if he needed to look out for any dangers from a new damn plane of existence! He had to protect the city, and the Titans, above all else.

Walking through the Tower, he barely looked where he was going, so it wasn't a surprise when he bumped into someone.

"Sorry." He muttered, not bothering to see who it was. Turning away, intent on brooding in the privacy of his room, he was actually surprised when a hand was laid on his shoulder.

"Robin." Came the high voice of Starfire, causing Robin to relax slightly. Though, not entirely, as her voice was oddly serious.

"Hey Star, what's wrong?" He asked, masking his own frustration in concern. Starfire had been acting a bit strangely since they rescued Danny. Her normal bubbly attitude had diminished a bit, and she was quite a bit quieter than before. His concern only increased when he saw the deep rooted sadness in her eyes.

"Robin, did you converse with Danny?" She asked, looking down ever so slightly. Surprised, he couldn't help but answer.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" He couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Why was Starfire asking about Danny? As far as Robin knew, she and Danny rarely saw each other, and he was perfectly fine with that.

"You were unfriendly to him?" She asked, not waiting for Robin to respond. "Robin, you should not act meanly to Danny. He is in pain." Robin was taken aback by this. This was the most serious Robin had ever seen the other girl. And how did Starfire know this? There was no way Danny had told her; he rarely left the Medic Ward. Did she figure it out on her own, perhaps?

"What do you mean, Star?" Robin couldn't help but ask confusedly.

"You are upset with him, but you should not be. Danny is in pain, so he does not always mean what he says." Uncharacteristically, she walked away before Robin could respond. The boy wonder stood there in shock for a moment. Finally snapping out of his mild stupor, he quickly made his way to his bedroom. Only, this time it wasn't to brood. Starfire had given him more than enough to think about.

One question continued to plague his mind, however. Was he wrong about Danny? And, if so, who was the half ghost really?