His Redemption

The Ghost Zone

Danny gradually floated back into consciousness, feeling utterly exhausted. His head was pounding, and his body ached. What the hell happened to him? Slowly, the memories returned. Danny remembered confronting Vlad. He remembered how Vlad gave away his human half. How, despite Danny's fears, the Titans didn't turn on him. Yet, a cynical voice whispered into his thoughts.

Danny had yet to open his eyes, despite his consciousness. And, when he heard footsteps approach, he kept them closed. Danny wasn't quite ready to face the Titans.

"Why doesn't he trust us!" Beast Boy exclaimed loudly, clearly frustrated. Danny internally flinched at his words. Did he trust them? Danny didn't think he had an answer to that.

"Calm down Beast Boy." Came the monotone voice of Raven, scolding Beast Boy as usual.

"No! I don't get it! Why won't he trust us?" He exclaimed, sounding more hurt than anything.

"Beast Boy." Robin said, seeming almost sad. "We may know more about his past, but not on his terms. Which is bad enough, but he was also tortured for two years, and his entire family was killed. While we may have never hurt him, we have also never given him any reason to trust us. Give it time." His voice was calm, despite the obvious pain in it. Danny felt guilt twist in his gut at the words. Was his indecision really hurting them that much? How could he possibly have that much of an affect on (at least two of) the Titans?

Danny thought he had finally heard enough. Slowly, as to not give away his eavesdropping, he opened his eyes. Danny couldn't help but blink at the harsh artificial light. He looked up slightly, seeing all of the Titans with worried expressions. Though, they didn't seem to notice his 'consciousness.' That, however, quickly changed when he tried to sit up.

"Danny?" Cyborg asked quietly, alerting the other Titans. They all took a slight step forward, coming a bit closer to Danny's bedside. "How're you feeling?" The half metal teen asked, glancing at a machine Danny was, once again, hooked up to.

  "Like crap." Danny muttered, rubbing at the back of his neck. This caused a chuckle to run through the group, meaning from Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Robin.

"Danny, Mr. Masters asked me to give you a message." Robin spoke, causing Danny to tense upon hearing the name. Robin however, pushed on. "He said 'the state of things are far worse than Wulf said.' What does he mean? Who is Wulf?" Robin questioned.

  Danny tensed even further. Things were worse than Wulf said? How was that possible, especially in such a short period of time?

  "Danny?" Robin questioned, concern lacing his voice.

  "Wulf is a ghost that I know." Danny answered quietly, hoping to avoid the other question.

"The overgrown wolf that tackled you?" Cyborg asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know him?" The skepticism was clearly ringing in his voice.

  "Of course. Why do you think I was speaking to him?" Danny asked, completely forgetting that it wasn't normal to speak to sentient animals. Robin coughed, gaining Danny's attention. Robin merely looked at him with a raised eyebrow, clearly telling him to answer the other question. Danny sighed, finding himself wishing he were anywhere else. "As for what Vlad was talking about, that's a bit more complicated." Danny looked down, taking a deep breath. Why was it so difficult to explain this? "Something strange is going on in the Ghost Zone." Danny started, only to be interrupted.

  "The Ghost Zone?" Beast Boy asked, a very confused look on his face.

  "Where the portal Cyborg and I fell through led to; where ghosts reside." Danny answered, desperately pushing away memories of his family. "Anyway, something's wrong there. More portals have been opening, and for longer periods of time. Not to mention in unusual places." He muttered, glancing up to find the confused faces of the Titans. Oh yeah, they didn't know anything about the Ghost Zone. Danny sighed again. This would be a long explanation. "The Ghost Zone is essentially made up energy that opposes that of the Living World, as I'm sure Cyborg already told you. However, the two planes do collide, though some places more than others. For example, the Bermuda Triangle is often subject to portals." Okay, now Danny really felt like his father. The thought had his breath catching slightly, though if the Titans noticed, they didn't show it. "These portals, while they vary in strength, are usually relatively small and weak, lasting only a few moments. That seems to have changed. They're getting stronger, larger, and lasting longer than ever. And this has been having major repercussions in the Ghost Zone. It causes the power of ghosts to flux at an unusual rate." Danny said, pausing for a moment.

  "Unusual rate?" Robin asked.

  "The Ghost Zone is unstable compared to Living World, another reason why the two worlds collide. Because of this instability, the ghost's, who draw their power from the energy of the Ghost Zone itself, have managed to adapt to this slight instability. Now, however, their powers become significantly weaker or stronger depending on how much energy is left in the Ghost Zone at that time. This, for obvious reasons, causes complications." Danny answered. "And, if it becomes bad enough, it will affect the energy in the Living World." He said solemnly.

"Wait, what?" Beast Boy asked, confusion clear on his face. To be perfectly honest, Danny wasn't sure if the young teen understood any of what he said, but he wasn't too worried. One of the other Titans would likely explain again later.

"While they may be opposite in nature, the Living World and the Ghost Zone are undeniably connected." Danny responded, repeating words he had heard from his parents countless times. Though, Danny refused to let his thoughts go there.

"If ghosts are affected so much, then why haven't you been?" Came the monotone voice of Raven, surprising everyone in the room. Danny, more than anyone. Though, more so for the question itself over the sorcerous speaking in the first place. Why wasn't he affected? Based on what Wulf said, this had only been happening for about a year, so it couldn't solely be because of his incapacitation.

"Perhaps because of my human half?" Danny said, more so to himself than anyone. A murmur of agreement went through the group at Danny's answer. It was the best they had, after all.

"The question is, what's causing all of this?" Robin asked, a thoughtful look on his face. To Danny, it was a disturbing thought indeed.

Though, what none of the Titans nor Danny knew, was that the very reason for their concern was quietly watching them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The time would be soon, but not quite yet...

A/n: Sorry that this chapter I so uneventful, but I swear that will change! Please comment what you think so far!!