So due to being insanely busy (yet again) during the weekend, I'm updating now instead of later. Hope you guys enjoy, please review!

~CWA


CHAPTER FORTY-THREE


A Few Weeks Later

Danny Fenton

Frustration. That's all I feel right now. All I can feel. I've spent a good portion of the day flying around the city, invisible and all of course, trying to find something to lead me to Vlad and what have I found? Nothing…. The image of a nice Waffle place across town that I hadn't seen before comes to mind. Well. Next to nothing anyway. While waffles can fix a lot of things, it can't fix this. I grind my teeth slightly as I land on a nearby roof of an abandoned warehouse at the docks. Just where can he be hiding? I know Vlad. He likes drama, flare, presentation, a true supervillian as Fred would gladly call him. I run my fingers through my hair as my aura flares up around me. He couldn't have just disappeared. He has to be here somewhere. Hiding until he wants to present whatever it is he's planning…. Even if I don't know what it is yet.

He wants Hiro's microbots, there's no doubt about it, but for what? What does he want them for? Unless he's planning on using them to destroy cities. Or worse, destroy cities as Plasmius and rebuild them as Vlad to build popularity. With technology like that, it'd be easy to gain control of the corporate world. Or maybe it's something more ghost-related? Maybe he's making them anti-ghost? Use them to gain control of the ghosts that I currently have as my allies? Destroy my allies? Destroy ghost lairs without worrying about them so much as touching him? My sight gets a red tint to them as they flash a deadly red and I can feel the tightness in my mouth from the elongated canines as I think about it. My hands shake at my sides as I let out a low growl.

The sound of something stirring by the warehouse gains my attention, causing my head to snap in that direction. Even with my enhanced eyesight, I can't make anything out. No ghost, human, or even robot, is nearby. Though a bird doesn't hesitate to fly up and nearly hit me as it flies off. Damn. I let out a loose, mirthless chuckle as I shake my head, my eyes flashing to an eerie green as opposed to red as I feel myself calm down. I'm getting paranoid that a damn bird made me over react. Figures.

I mindlessly watch the bird fly through the air, following it with my eyes as it goes off into the horizon toward a certain little off-shore island…. Island. I nearly forgot about that place. My eyes widen slightly as I realize that it must be where Vlad is- I've checked everywhere in the city, but the island (Akuma Island if I remember the name correctly) isn't part of the city. Not enough that I remembered to check it. The same place where I tutored and trained Ellie must be where Vlad is making his hideout.

My eyes narrow dangerously as I rise from the roof and head toward the island. I don't even bother with invisibility- with the speed I'm going, the naked eye can't see me and I'd be nothing but a white smudge in pictures. Determination and rage fills me to the bones, but just as I hover right above the island, barking breaks me out of my state of mind. A barking echo on a frequency that no human is sure to hear is all too familiar to me. Cujo.

But if he's barking, frantically and desperately at that…. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. No. No. No. The breath gets sucked from me as I find myself froze in sheer panic and fear, my skin turning ashen and pale.

Tadashi.


I'm at the hospital quicker than I can blink and I'm not even sure when I even developed that power since it seemed to be more teleporting than flying. But there's no time for that. What matters is that I'm now in Tadashi's room and as I look around, I can see that things are not doing good, not by far. Cujo looks injured and is laying in the corner weakly, but seems more content now that I've arrived, I give him a small pat on his head with a quick you did good boy that really cheers him up before I briefly glance around the room- things are knocked over, security cameras are taken out… Then my gaze falls upon Tadashi.

My heart lurches and stops for a moment as I take in the sight before me. The IVs are out of his arm- must have been done professionally since there's no blood- but there's no other wires connected to him. Nothing to let nurses to be alerted when his vitals are going wrong and boy are going wrong. I don't have to be a nurse or doctor or anything of the sort to see that Tadashi is… He's not breathing. There's no rise and fall of his chest as he thrashes on the bed in an almost sleep-like state, gasping for air that's not coming. There's no pounding of his chest. His heart it's not... He's not… Panic fills my veins as fear washes over me, freezing me on the spot as I think about all the people I've seen die. Every person that I failed. Every person that didn't deserve to die. He can't die. He can't. Oh God Tadashi. Tadashi. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. I can't loose you too. I just can't…. Why isn't anyone in here doing something? How long has he been like this? What if he- No. He can't be. I won't let him die. Not like this. Not ever. Especially not on my watch.

I'm at his side in a second, my eyes burning in a mix of green and blue as my hands shake and hesitate over him for a brief second. Only briefly. That's all it takes for me to snap out of whatever daze I had found myself in and back into reality of the situation. Tadashi. Oh God Tadashi. My mouth turns dry and the hot tears streaming down my face blur my vision and I can taste its saltiness as it seeps into my lips. I can feel my aura pulsing so wildly that it fills the room, shaking like static and is jarring against the walls- even if it seems to comfort Cujo who basks in it. My fingertips feel a mix of cold and icy as well as hot and green. My heart seems to have stopped and is leaping to my throat. But it doesn't stop me. I have to do something I have to…

I take a long, deep breath and close my eyes, when I open them, they're narrow with determination even as my powers cause a few nearby things to short circuit and break. My aura concentrates onto Tadashi, flowing into his now fading aura and fueling it with my power as they mold together. The energy I pour into him causes my knees to buckle from sudden weakness and I stumble a bit, almost falling onto of him.

"I can't loose you too," my voice cracks as I begin to use one power that I don't use very often.

Concentrate, I breathe, concentrate, Fenton, you can do this you can do this. Forget the heart-shocking things that I would likely break and focus on what I can do. The Ghost Stinger. Or rather a toned down, focused version of it. I can feel the electricity buzz at my finger tips as the weakness pulls at me.

"Come on, dammit," I give a small shock to his chest, "Come on… Don't leave me like 'Dashi… I can't loose you."

Shock after shock. Three shocks is what it takes before he arches his back with a gasping, loud breathe as his eyes shoot open before he collapses onto the bed, breathing heavily and hunched over with a hand to his heart. I don't care that my aura is more than visible as it still vibrates through the room. No. What I care about is him. He's alive. He's…

I throw my arms around him before he's even able to comprehend that I'm here, hugging him tightly as I bury my face in the crook of his neck. The tears are streaming down my face as I sob freely into the embrace.

"I thought I lost you, I thought I lost you," I repeat it over and over again, my voice soft and raspy as it cracks and breaks with each syllable.

It takes a moment, but my sobbing eventually dies down, even as the tears continue, and my aura, drained from powering his, soaks back into me faintly, returning to normal as I gain control of it. Cujo yips once before disappearing- turning invisible to the naked eye- just as the doors of the room burst open and doctors rush in frantically. Nurses try to pull at me, trying to get me to release him, but I have a firm grip that I won't let go.

"Where the hell were you," I growl at the nearby doctors, even as my voice gives away, my eyes flashing even as I hold onto Tadashi, "Where were you… He almost died, he almost died…."


It seems like forever before things calm down. Even if I, myself, haven't necessarily calmed down at all as I lay beside Tadashi in his bed, holding him the best that I can with each straining breath. He's not aware of it, but Cujo lays curled at our feet with his head resting on top of my ankle. At least one of us is doing better. I'm tired. Drained even. I can feel the pull of sleep tugging on my eyes from how my much energy I had poured into Tadashi. But I refuse to rest. Not now. Not when anything could happen. Tadashi comfortingly runs his fingers through my hair, loosening most of the tension in my body as I make myself comfortable on his chest.

"I thought I lost you," I whisper, my voice raspy, but no longer cracking, "I… I can't loose you, 'Dashi. I just can't. I refuse to loose another person I care about. Especially you."

I can feel the way he gulps thickly with an uneasy, but deep breath, as he lets out a small shudder beneath me.

"...I thought I was dead," he finally speaks up, his voice as soft as my own, "I… I know I was dead. For a minute, at the most, maybe. I could feel it. The coldness. The adrenaline. The fear. Then nothing. Just a brief glimpse of peace and suddenly… I'm back here and I… I don't know how."

I tense for a brief moment as he speaks, my eyes glazing over, knowing all to well what he's talking about. Hell, I've felt it myself. The accident that turned me half ghost killed me- I know it did- and I can remember all the adrenaline, the fear, the pain that hit me all at once before it eased away for the most blissful peace. Every time I transform, it hits me again. The adrenaline and the fear, the peace. I shift a bit from my place to look up at Tadashi with clouded, hooded eyes. His gaze is on his shaking hands as his breath hitches.

"….What did you do," he asks tenderly, turning his gaze to me allowing me to see the tears forming in the corner of his eyes, "...Danny, what happened? How did you...bring me back? I don't understand."

The crack in his voice causes my heart to lurch and sink to the pit of my stomach and for a moment, we do nothing but just stare at each other in a tense silence. My heart doesn't even beat for a moment before I finally let out a strained breath, my eyes reflecting just how tired I am as I look up at him and brush his tears off with my thumb.

"I should have told you sooner," I admit softly, briefly cupping his cheek with my hand before I pull away in favor of getting off the bed entirely, even if my body protests the movement, "I wanted to, believe me I did, but I just… didn't have the courage. And then it got too dangerous and-"

I trail off as he interrupts me with a frantic, slightly frightened look in his eyes as he stares at me,

"-Danny, what are you talking about?"

His voice is a bit harder than usual with a small, edge that rarely shows. Whether it's from fear or anger, I'm not sure, but no matter what the answer to that is, it makes me unsettled as my stomach turns. I suck in a sharp breath, refusing to meet his gaze as I let my aura become more visible. Granted, it's not much as it's weak, but it still pulses slowly as it fades in and out away from me.

"'Dashi… I'm not human. Not completely, anyway…"

When I look back at Tadashi, I meet his eyes as my own turn into an eerie glowing green and for a moment, it's back to a tense silence as I stare at him, waiting for him to say something, to let me know it's okay to continue. But all I see is concern shining in his eyes as he looks at me and the second that he opens his mouth to speak up, my legs give out from under me and I'm barely able to stumble back to the chair with a small groan as a pounding forms against my skull. I blink back the glowing eyes as my aura dims around me- both are out of my control from lack of energy. I can feel myself slowly lulling itself to sleep and with each second I fight the need to regain my energy, it pushes my limits. I sigh deeply and rub my eyes briefly, briefly wondering when the tears started to stream down my face, before I look back toward Tadashi with a pounding, nervously frightened heart.

The surprise that washes over me overwhelms any relief I feel when I see that Tadashi is just staring up at the ceiling with a concerned, yet thoughtful expression. His eyes briefly flutter to me, offering a tired, reassuring smile. His hand falls off the edge of the hospital bed and gently, loosely, grasps my shoulder.

"If you told me that when I first met you, I'd feel a lot different than I do now," he says softly, closing his eyes for a moment, "I probably would have gotten angry and think that you're trying to just play a joke. Accuse you of using light shows and technology to do what you just did. I wouldn't have believed you for a second and seeing how serious you are about this would have made me take you to the nearest mental facility…. Hell, if you told me this just a few months ago, I may have done the same thing. But now?"

He takes a deep breath, his grip on my shoulder tightening slightly. I weakly place my hand over his and rub my thumb over the back of his hand, calming both of us in a way that I can't quite explain.

"After the fire," he explains softly, "...I saw you, Danny. I didn't remember it at first, but it eventually, slowly, came back. Waking up in the fire, groggily, barely able to breathe, sure that I was going to die…. Then seeing you, run through the flames as if the devil was at your heels. Your eyes glowing brighter than any of the fire. Your body glowing white against the red. I felt your arms wrap around me and it was colder than ice despite the flames that threatened to burn us alive….Next thing I know, there's a green- dome, I guess- around us and I don't know how, but I know that you made it. Somehow. Just like how you somehow got us from inside of the building to a safe distance away in the blink of an eye…"

I can't even move. Aside from the fact that I don't have the strength to even if I wanted to (along with the fact that Cujo has moved from the bed to make himself comfortable on top of my feet). His words echo in my mind as I try to process what this all means. He knows? No. He doesn't know- not everything, not yet, that's why we're even having this conversation. But he knows that I'm not… human. Not normal… And he hasn't done anything? No lab experiments? No call to the government? No breakup? Has he just been sitting here while I've been out looking for Vlad, wondering if I'd ever come back to him and explain things properly? Sitting here wondering what it is that I am and if it means that we can't be together?

Oh dear Lord. If I haven't spent my tears today, I'm sure I would be crying right about now. I can still feel that urge swelling though, but I swallow it down. I can't imagine what he must have been thinking all this time. Considering most of my focus has been on Vlad, I haven't exactly been by to see as often as I wanted. Guilt builds up in my gut about not seeing him, leaving him to Aunt Cass- and Hiro I suppose, though I haven't seen Hiro that often lately either or anyone for that matter. Before I can even speak up, apologize, something, he continues.

"-I've been thinking about this for a while, actually and to be honest, it clears a lot of stuff up- your ability to pull off pranks without going noticed, aside. So the real question is what are you? Half human or whole something else?"

He shifts from his place on the bed, laying on his side so he can see me, his hand moving from my shoulder in favor of supporting his head and body. Any other emotion he may be feeling is out shined by the curiosity and concern shining in his eyes as he stares at me, waiting for an explanation. But there's no hostility. Nothing but concern and dare I say it love. The guilt is still stirring in my gut, but for the moment, I'm more focused on the bit of giddiness and excitement that lights up my face as I chuckle softly.

"Half-human," I answer him, smiling slightly, "As for the other half… You're looking at a specially made ghost halfa- purebreed and ready for breeding."

It's never soon enough to crack jokes, but at least it works as Tadashi flushes and sputters, followed by a few grumbled comments about how of course his boyfriend is half ghost. Heh. I figure it must be a bit ironic since when we first met, we couldn't stop arguing about the existence of ghosts and now Tadashi is dating a half ghost. He recovers from my joke quickly enough- quicker than he's ever recovered from one of my jokes before- and begins to eye me cautiously, up and down, choosing to ignore the suggestive faces I give him for it.

"So just how does someone become half ghost? But, uh, does that make Ellie half ghost? Or would she be one-third ghost- I'm sorry I don't really understand how this even works in the first place and to be frank, I didn't… I didn't really expect the answer to be half ghost."

A small, teasing smirk turns on my lips as I gently nudge him,

"Come on, 'Dashi, you didn't really think I was an alien did you~," as soon as he recovers from flushing at my teasing I continue with a more somber tone, "But to answer your questions…. When I was fourteen, my parents built a portal to the Ghost Zone. It didn't work so me, Sam and Tucker went to check it out. Sam wanted to get my picture of me in the portal and I was fourteen so I couldn't exactly say no to my crush, ya know? So I put on a hazmat suit, went in, ended up turning the damn thing on from the inside, next thing I know, I'm getting zapped with thousands volts of electricity and ectoplasm- pure ectoplasm, mind you, as that's kinda what turns the portal into a ghost portal- physically bonded into my DNA. 'Course I didn't come out unscathed. Scars and pain aside. I woke up with snowy white hair and glowing green eyes- a ghost… Freaked us all out, to be honest, since me waking up dead wasn't part of our little plan."

I chuckle though it holds no amusement. Tadashi's expression softens as he adjusts his position to hold my hand, gripping it tightly as I continue on. Maybe it's the lack of energy. Maybe it's all the stress and emotions. But I can already feel myself beginning to cry again as my voice wavers and crack,

"At that time, my parents actually thought all ghosts were evil so I wasn't exactly enthusiastic about my sudden transformation…. Fourteen, 'Dashi," my voice drops to a softer tone, "And I suddenly find myself as something I never even thought existed before. Something that my parents hate. With super powers to boot- suddenly I can't keep my pants up anymore because they keep phasing off of me because of the whole intangibility thing (ya know, the whole ghosts can't touch objects in this world bullshit), I can't stay warm, my heart beats slower than what should be humanly possible, I barely even had to breathe, I kept turning invisible and all sorts of things that got me into more trouble than you can even imagine….. On top of my sudden existential crises, the portal had a habit of never staying closed. Suddenly, Amity Park is home to lots of harmful ghosts. Ghosts that hurt people, possess people, cause general mischief, all sorts…."

I take another deep breath, refusing to meet his eyes as I continue. The dam's broken and there's no hope of closing it now. Hiro doesn't know everything, but he knows enough for now. But this isn't Hiro. This is Tadashi. My boyfriend. The man that I actually care about, love even. I can't keep things from him. Not anymore. And especially not when I know that he's been thinking God-knows-what since my absence trying to deal with things himself. And damn it, we're in a serious relationship. We have to tell each other things and right now, my only regret is not telling him sooner…. Though based on what he said earlier, maybe it's best that I haven't told him till now.

"And my parents, as brilliant as they were, weren't the best at capturing actual ghosts… and someone had to stop the ghosts and suddenly I can fight ghosts with my new powers so why not me? And I did. No matter what I did what it took to protect my town, my family, my friends… When I started out, my parents didn't know it was me- well they saw me all ghostly and thought a ghost just took my image, but it's not the same thing- and they, along with the whole town, thought I was just another evil ghost. Didn't matter if I saved them or not. But I still did what I had to do. Granted, I ended up fixing broken bones and injuries by myself or with Sam and Tucker's help. Mom always got onto me for missing my curfew when I was really out there fighting ghosts…. But don't get me wrong- I stand by what I've always been saying, not all ghosts are evil. Hell, I've been to the Ghost Zone more than once and I've met some of the nicest ghosts."

I tilt my head curiously at him, my eyes shining with a bit of confusion suddenly as I look at him closely.

"For someone who just found out that his boyfriend is a half ghost- not to mention, Ellie whose obviously at least one third ghost- you're taking this surprisingly well. Especially since you didn't even believe in ghosts when we met."

"I said I'd keep an open mind, didn't I," he grumbles slightly before sighing and speaking up at a more audible level, making intense eye contact with me as he holds my hand tightly, "Danny… I love you, for you, so I suppose it doesn't really matter to me what you are or anything, just that you're safe and not causing any problems…And I will admit that we will talk more about the whole no more secrets thing discussion we had before," he says dryly, "...Though this is really shocking, I'll admit, even with all the time I've spent thinking about things, but I just… I guess I'm almost more surprised that you haven't experimented on yourself or something."

It's obvious the last comment was made as a joke, but it causes the guilt that I've been shoving down to rise back even more, causing a lump to form in the back of my throat.

"It'd be stupid to experiment on myself," I say dryly, though it tastes wrong on my lips as my heart skips a beat.

Tadashi manages to give me a look I've only ever seen on Mom. The nagging, you know better than that young man look. All he's missing is a finger waving at me. But the look does make my stomach turn even more.

"It'd be stupid," he agrees, the expression not faltering, "Not to mention reckless and dangerous to even think about, but that's not the point…."

He trails off slightly and once again, we're met with silence as Cujo rests his head on my thigh, looking up at us with wide, puppy-dog eyes that make me feel as if he's expecting something. I'm not what he could possibly want me to say or do- Cujo is smart so I have no doubt that he understood every word we've said to some degree. But there's not anything that we could have said for Cujo to want a specific reaction from me. All Tadashi said was that he loves me and loves me for me no matter what I am….

The realization dawns on me. I love you for you, I suppose it doesn't really matter to me what you are or anything, just that you're safe and not causing any problems. I love you for you, I suppose it doesn't really matter to me what you are- I love you for you- I love you. I love you. I love you. He said I love you. He admitted that he loves me. Tadashi fucking Hamada just said he loves me. My aura flares up, rolling off me in emotional waves. I gulp thickly at the overwhelming joy that washes over me, almost making me forget everything else we talked about- or about Tadashi's small comment about us having a discussion later about secret- because nothing else matters. He loves me. He actually….

A goofy, lovey-dovey grin stretches across my face as a blush forms on my cheeks as I look toward Tadashi with mischievous eyes.

"~Why, Tadashi Hamada, did you just confess your love for me~"

He flushes a shade of red I've never seen on him before as he lets out a small, sheepish noise and drops my hand as if it's- heh- fire. It's cute and I can't help but watch him in amusement as he stutters and blushes, rubbing the back of his head nervously as if he didn't realize what he had said. But he manages to look at me with sheepish eyes, the blush still deep on his face, a shy smile on his face,

"...I guess I just did, what a way to confess huh? I was going to wait until all of this was over, but better now than never, right?"

The grin never falters as I lean over, causing Cujo to jump to the ground with a slightly disgruntled yip. The way he covers his eyes with his paws doesn't go unnoticed by me, but I focus entirely on Tadashi. My hand cups Tadashi's face as I kiss him gently, loving, in a way that leaves us both a bit breathless when we pull away for breath. Our foreheads touch against one another's as we stare into each other's eyes.

"You know there are a lot of things I want to do right now, but can't do until your body is healed," I whisper huskily, "… But when you get out of here, 'Dashi… Damn am I going to really show you how much I love you because I do love you, Tadashi Hamada, I'd be crazy not to… But first, I got a lot of business to take care of first."

I trail off slightly, but the vaguely hidden meaning of my words is pretty clear. His blush deepens as he refuses to meet my eyes. His eyelashes gently graze against his cheeks as he blinks not-so-innocently and I can hear how his heart pounds rapidly in his chest. The small pressure that's 'grown' between us doesn't go unnoticed by either of us. By some miracle, Tadashi is able to bring himself back to the present a lot faster than I'm able to bring myself out of my own fantasies as he takes a deep breath.

"What type of business," he asks carefully and slowly, almost a bit strained, "...Does it have anything to do with Vlad…?"

Mood killer, I grumble a bit under my breath as I pull away from him with a disgruntled frown, crossing my arms over my chest as I plop back down on the chair. My eyes flash green and then, briefly, even red, for a moment as I feel the anger at the mention of Vlad growing in my chest, clawing at me to be released.

"...It has everything to do with Vlad."