Waking up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday was one of the hardest things Danny had done in a long time. As he stood outside Casper High with his friends, he wiped the sleep from his eyes and released a jaw-splitting yawn.

"Geez, Danny. Were you up late last night? You look terrible," Sam remarked.

"Thanks, Sam. I couldn't fall asleep. I was too freaked out about the test," Danny explained.

"What do you have to feel freaked out about? We've been studying like crazy for this thing. You'll do fine," Kagome soothed while rubbing her hands along Danny's shoulders soothingly.

"Sure. We'll see."

"Don't be so pessimistic, Danny. If someone like Dash can get into college, you're more than capable," Tucker soothed with an easy-going grin.

Danny tried to smile, but it felt strained. It wasn't just the test that was on his mind. Danny couldn't shake the mounting feeling that he shouldn't be here. Every day that he didn't hear from his evil self, Danny couldn't help but feel that something was terribly wrong. Where was he? Why wasn't he coming after them? His older self had wanted revenge right? The waiting was driving Danny crazy. What if he was coming up with a plan that would be worse than last time?

"Why are we here?" Danny asked before he could stop himself.

"Because we have to take the SAT?" Kagome replied with a brow raised curiously.

"Doesn't it feel weird to you?" Danny asked with a hopeless shrug.

"Trying to live life like a normal teenager?" Kagome replied.

"But we're not normal! Nothing about our lives are normal," Danny said with a wide gestures before slumping. "I'm really getting tired of pretending to be something I'm not..."

Sam, Tucker, and Kagome exchanged worried glances.

"Sorry. It's just that... We're here taking some test when he's out there doing who knows what," Danny clarified.

"I know you're worried, dude. But Kagome's mom said to let it go. She can handle this kind of thing right?" Tucker supplied.

Seeing that Danny wasn't appeased, Kagome squeezed his shoulders once and said, "You can head into the ghost zone after we finish the SAT. How does that sound?"

"That sounds like a plan," Danny agreed with a firm nod.

~:~

"Good morning, students. My name is Mr. Lancer for those of you who don't know me. And I will be one of the teachers administering the SAT to you this morning along with my co-worker, Ms. Tetslaff," Mr. Lancer droned as he eyed the teenagers who sat before him. He could only recognize about 2/3 of the students here. The rest must have been students who attended private schools or were home schooled. It was well-known that Casper High was the only school in town that administered the SAT so there was always a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces.

"If at any time you have a question or need to leave the room for any reason, please raise your hand and Ms. Tetslaff or I will assist you," Mr. Lancer said as he gathered up a pile of test booklets and started distributing them.

Mr. Lancer let his eyes move over the students. His gaze couldn't help but stop on Daniel Fenton. The boy was staring down at his answer sheet with his foot tapping anxiously on the ground. Letting his eyes move over to the other corners of the room, Mr. Lancer observed Sam, Tucker, and Kagome. None of them seemed as nervous as Daniel. Mr. Lancer had felt it appropriate to separate Daniel from his friends. The less distractions Danny had, the better.

Danny stared down at the empty bubbles before moving his pencil over to start shading in his name. Why was his hand shaking? This was crazy. He'd taken tests like this before. Granted, the last time he'd taken a standardized test, his friends' and family's lives had been on the line. Squeezing his eyes shut, Danny took a deep breath.

He wasn't evil. He was different from the evil version of him. They were two, separate Dannys with totally different pasts. ...But that creep was still out there somewhere. What if he tried something here? In the middle of his mini-panic attack, Danny spotted something being scribbled along the top of his answer sheet.

Are you okay?

It was scribbled plain as day as if someone had just written on his sheet. Looking to his right, Danny spotted Kagome shooting him worried looks. She tapped the corner of her paper with her pencil. Quickly, he wrote something reassuring underneath her question. He watched her question and his response vanish from the paper before new writing took their place.

You sure? You look like you're ready to fly out of here.

He just might. Danny sighed softly and quickly scribbled a reply. He was fine. He'd studied and he would get through this. They hadn't seen his evil self (or any ghost) in weeks. Everything would be fine.

"You may now open your test booklets," Mr. Lancer announced.

~:~

"That wasn't so bad. I think I did a lot better than I thought I would," Danny said with a small smile on his face. He was standing with Sam and Tucker next to his locker in a nearly deserted hallway.

"Glad to hear it, dude," Tucker said and held up his fist for a bump.

"It's about time things started going my way," Danny said as he bumped fists with Tucker. "Who knows? I might actually have a future now."

"You always had a future, Danny. You just had to have a little more faith in yourself," Sam said with a small smile.

"So, do you wanna head out now, dude?" Tucker asked, the conversation now taking a serious tone.

"Sure. I'll let Kagome know that we're leaving," Danny started to say just before a breath of mist escaped his mouth. Just like that, the trio locked eyes before looking around themselves anxiously.

"You think it's him?" Tucker asked as he gripped his PDA and the green lipstick laser.

"I don't know. But I'm gonna go see. Cover me, guys," Danny said and reached for the door to his locker.

Before Danny could slip into the locker, a loud voice exclaimed, 'Amiko!'. Danny froze on the spot, a look of confusion on his face. "That sounded like-" Danny started to say, but was cut off by a barking, green blur grabbing onto the cuff of his jeans and yanking him away. Danny shouted in surprise as he was roughly dragged through the halls of Casper High by the tiny ghost. He could see students back away while screaming, not bothering to help him get away from the ghost that was dragging him around like a ragdoll. "What? Who is-" Danny asked as he raised his head to get a good look at the ghost. "Cujo?"

"Amiko!"

Glancing to his right, Danny spotted Wulf running on all fours with a wide grin on his face. At least it wasn't his evil self. "Wulf, kial vi estas ĉi tie?" (Why are you here?)

"Mi amiko, estas tempo batali," Wild replied with a serious expression. (My friend, it is time to fight.)

"Batali? Kial?" (Fight? Why?)

"Por libereco," Wulf answered with a loud howl. (For freedom.)

Danny's eyes widened just as Cujo phased them through the school's backwall. He was about to shout at Cujo to heel, but the small dog was already skidding to a stop. Without any hesitation, Cujo started growling lowly as he shifted into his larger form. Danny tried to stand and calm Cujo, but Wulf was pushing him backwards. "Amiko, kaŝi." (Friend, hide.)

"What? Why?" Danny asked and attempted to peer around Cujo and Wulf's large, furry frames.

"Let him go. I won't ask a second time," Danny heard Kagome's voice command.

"Kagome? Wait! It's not what you think!" Danny shouted, but was cut off by Cujo's loud snarl.

"Danny!"

"Are you okay!?"

Glancing behind him, Danny could see Sam and Tucker exiting the school with frantic expressions. "Don't worry. I'm fine," Danny soothed.

"Sorĉistino!" Wulf shouted with a low growl. (Witch!)

Running around Wulf and Cujo, he raised his hands with his palms forward in a placating gesture. "Wulf, Cujo. It's okay. She's a friend. Amiko. Okay?"

Wulf frowned deeply before shaking his head wildly. "Sorĉistino!" Wulf objected and ejected his sharp claws.

"Jes, sed ŝi ne vundos vin. Mi promesas," Danny soothed. (Yes, but she will not hurt you. I promise.)

This was not the place or time for this. Anyone could walk by and see him trying to soothe a wolf ghost in Esperanto. He could feel Kagome tugging on the back of his shirt and questioning him softly. This was a wrong move, however. Cujo's hackles raised as he snapped his jaws at her.

"Cujo! Down boy!" Danny commanded. With deliberately slow movements, Danny took Kagome's hand in his before pulling her to stand at his side. He watched Wulf's eyes widen in astonishment. "Amiko," Danny clarified again.

"Amanto," Tucker whispered to Wulf. (Lover.) If it was possible, Wulf's eyes widened even more. With confusion lighting his features, he pointed at Sam but Tucker shook his head in the negative.

"Amiko, vi flanke kun la sorĉistino?" Wulf questioned with hurt and confusion in his expression. (Friend, you side with the witch?)

"Mi ankoraŭ estas via amiko," Danny replied. (I'm still your friend.)

"Am I the only one completely lost right now?" Kagome asked as her eyes moved from one person to another.

"Kagome, this is Wulf. He's a friend. We met a long time ago," Danny informed.

"He doesn't speak English. You have to speak to him in Esperanto," Tucker said.

Esperanto? Was that a real language? "Okay. What does he want?" Kagome asked.

"He said that it's time to fight for freedom, but I don't understand what he's talking about."

"La ĉampiono estas ĉi tie. Li kondukos nin al libereco," Wulf elaborated. (The champion is here. He will lead us to freedom.)

"Freedom from what?" Tucker asked.

With a narrowed gaze, Wulf glared at Kagome. "Sorĉistinoj." (Witches.)

"Wulf," Danny started again, but stopped at the sound of a familiar jet sled. "Oh no. Wulf, Cujo, you guys have to get out of here. Escapi!" (Escape!)

Before Wulf could respond, a female voice exclaimed, "Paws where I can see 'em, ghosts!"

Wulf glanced up at the hunter pointing the gun at him, before eyeing Danny worriedly. His friend was mouthing for him to escape, but he couldn't leave him behind! Not with a hunter and a witch! Coming to a decidion, Wulf growled and slashed his claws at the air. Grabbing Cujo's collar with one hand, he grabbed Danny's arm with the other before leaping through the portal he had created.

"Danny!" four voices exclaimed at the same time.

~:~

Danny objected loudly to Wulf's rough handling and the sudden inter-dimensional transport, but it didn't do him any good. Wulf's grip on his arm was firm, but not bruising. Luckily, it didn't take long before Wulf had stopped and was gently placing him on his feet. Wulf grinned brightly, seemingly proud of what he had done. Hearing the happy yips at his feet, Danny glanced down. Cujo was once again an adorable puppy, happily slobbering away on Danny's sneakers. "Wulf, where...are...we..." Danny trailed off as he looked around him. This place looked familiar. There was an intense amount of forestry around him that was bringing back a dangerous sense of deja vu.

"Wulf! There you are! We've been looking for you!"

The trio turned at the sound of the new voice only to see Walker walking towards them with two of his goons flanking him. "Walker!" Danny exclaimed and quickly shifted into his ghostly persona. "Don't tell me you're after Wulf again."

"Who let the ghost child into our headquarters!? Sound the alarm! We have an intruder!" Walker shouted at the grunts before he saw them fly off quickly.

"No! Amiko," Wulf said and wildly waved his paws at Danny.

"He's no friend, Wulf. He's a traitor," Walker spat. Wulf growled in confusion, his eyes shooting from Danny to Walker.

"Okay. Now, I'm seriously confused. You aren't after Wulf?" Danny asked as his battle pose relaxed slightly.

"Of course not! I've been looking for him so he can get back to work. He's supposed to be recruiting in Canada right now. Not galavanting with traitors," Walker answered as his eyes narrowed at Wulf.

"Recruiting?" Danny asked and looked to Wulf for clarification, but the werewolf was looking more sheepish than anything. "Recruiting for what?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, ghost child."

Danny glanced up in time to register who had appeared. "Skulker!" Duh. This was Skulker's island. How could he forget the place he and Valerie had been hunted and nearly been killed in? "What's going on here?"

Skulker touched down onto the grass before walking over to Walker. "What's he doing here?" Skulker practically hissed.

"Wulf brought him," Walker replied.

Okay. Since when did Skulker and Walker work together? None of this was making any sense! "Can someone please tell me what's going on here? Since when are you two friends?"

"Times of war require you to set aside your differences to fight a common enemy," Skulker answered.

"War?" Danny repeated while feeling a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Against witches? Wait a minute. Is that what the recruiting is for? How long have you been doing that?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Skulker drawled. "You won't get anything out of us, ghost child."

"Your witch will have to get intel some other way," Walker said with a scoff.

"Look. Listen to me. There is no war. Kagome's not interested in fighting you all. She's not evil," Danny denied vehemently.

"But she's not the only witch out there. Is she?"

All at once, dozen of ghosts surrounded them, many of which he recognized. His friends and enemies surrounded him on all sides with matching looks of hatred. In front of him, several ghosts stepped aside to allow someone through. Even Skulker and Walker stepped out of the way. When Danny stared up at the red eyes of his older self, he felt his anger rise. "You!"

"Yes. Me. Who did you expect?" Dan asked with a smirk.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick your butt right now," Danny ground out while his hands and eyes glowed green.

"Ne, amiko!" Wulf objected and held Danny back by the shoulder.

"What?" Danny balked and shot Wulf a strange look. He couldn't be serious! Wulf had no idea who this was or what he was capable of! "Wulf, you don't know who he is. He-" Danny started to say, but stopped at the frantically pleading look on Wulf's face.

"Well aside from the reason that you barely pose a threat to me, I don't think anyone here would appreciate you attacking me. Not before I have a chance to lead them to victory," Dan answered. Danny's brows came together as he stared at Dan in confusion. "Judging by the even more vacant than usual expression on your face, I can tell that you're more than a little lost. Allow me to fill you in.

"Witches have wronged every ghost here and everywhere in one way or another. Every ghost here is tired of hiding. Tired of being hunted and threatened by the so called "agents of balance". So, it's time to take a stand and fight for our freedom!" Dan exclaimed. Suddenly, the crowd of ghosts around him shouted cries of agreement. Danny glanced around in shock before staring at Dan speechlessly.

"We will fight them as a unified front and anyone who oposes us will feel our wrath," Skulker said and narrowed his gaze at Danny.

"But you don't have to fight. There doesn't need to be a war! If you would just listen to me, you would see that ghosts and witches can get along!" Danny objected. He looked around at the crowd expectantly, but no one budged. He could see Wulf pull Cujo away from him feet while sadly edging away from him altogether.

"He's obviously been brain washed," Ember scoffed and sneered at Danny.

"No, I haven't. I'm sure that I've spent more time with witches than most of you. Don't you think that I know what I'm talking about?" Danny reasoned.

"So, you have never been threatened by a witch, dearie?" the Lunch Lady asked in her soft voice. Danny was ready to deny it, but he hesitated. He'd nearly been killed by a witch- Kagome's grandmother. But it was just one! Apparently, his hesitation was more than enough. "Ha! Then they cannot be trusted!" the Lunch Lady shouted in a violent and booming tone.

"It is time that you give in and accept the truth, Great One," Frostbite spoke up as he stepped through the crowd. "It is better to be with your own kind rather than against us."

"The ghost child isn't welcome!"

"We don't need a traitor amongst us!"

"He's in too deep with the witches! He can't be trusted!"

"He's not the only one. Plasmius has also betrayed his kind and married a witch!" Skulker exclaimed. At the sounds of disgust from the crowd, Danny's jaw dropped.

"No halfa can be trusted!"

"I always knew half-breeds were nothing but trouble!"

"Who needs 'em!? They aren't real ghosts anyways!"

Danny felt like his world was spinning. There were so many voices around him, overwhelming him. Right now, it felt like "halfa" had become a bonafide slur. While his back was turned, he felt something collide with it roughly. Hissing softly, his hand went to his back as he turned around. On the ground behind him, he spotted the rock that had been hurled at him moments ago. He was barely able to duck the second rock that was sent at him.

"See, Danny?"

Facing front again, Danny watched his older self walk towards him with a smug smirk. "It doesn't matter what you say. You can't heal centuries of pain with a few, pretty words. But you wouldn't understand. You're only half-ghost," Dan said and gripped Danny by the front of his jumpsuit.

Danny could hear the loud jeers and cries around him. This was wrong. This was all wrong. He tried to pry his older self's hand off of him, but the grip was tight. "You won't get away with this!" Danny promised.

"Fool. I already have!" Dan shouted with a loud laugh. Pulling Danny in close, Dan whispered, "You took away my future. It's not enough that I've ruined you here. I'm going to take away everything you have and everyone you care about. When I'm through with you, you'll be begging for a little explosion at the Nasty Burger."

"End him now!"

"Kill the traitor!"

Raising a hand, Dan summoned a swirling portal to the human world. In a louder voice, he proclaimed, "He's not a threat to us. Besides, I want him to be alive long enough to see that by going against his own kind, he chose wrong. You show your face here again, it'll be the last thing you do. Tell your little witchy friend that there's no place on Earth that she can hide."

The loud cheers from the crowd was the last thing Danny heard before his older half chucked him through the portal.

~:~

Moi-Moi: Wow. Dan means business. Kinda sucks to be Danny right now. I'm taking all bets for who you think is gonna win this war! The witches have won the last two, but will the ghostly underdogs taste victory!? (Lol. Sounds like I'm promoting a wrestling match. XD)

So, unlike Danny, I don't know Esparanto. So bear with with (probably terrible) translations.

Next time: "Clockwork! I need your help. Everyone's lost it. Non one will listen to me and instead they're listening to the evil me and trying to start a war!" Danny exclaimed frantically.

"I know," Clockwork replied calmly. "But I can't help you."

"W-what? Why not?"

"It's not my job anymore. My employers think that they can do a better job at keeping the peace so they let me go. I no longer have a responsiblity to look after you nor anyone else," Clockwork said and floated away.

"But everything's all wrong! It's not supposed to be like this! Just tell me what I'm supposed to do to fix it," Danny pleaded.

"It's too late for that now. I'm done giving you lessons, Danny."