A/N: Please note due to school obligations probably for this year this will be the last in the main line (about some short ones I don't know, a longer one obviously takes longer time to put together, and I have to focus to things right now). Although while the hiatus is on, I will read comments and stuffs, I just won't start writing longer chapters (or at least I will force myself not to - hopefully, hardly though, but it will work). To perform nicely at the end of the year is very important right now, I am aiming for a Finance MA (in English, which is wow, scary!), which for I have to take earlier the final exams for school weeks before the original time (I'm so afraid, but at the same time I am so excited to start learning - hopefully - within the MA, so it's really stressing, deadlines are ahead, so yeah, that's about me...). So, here is now my final WTPH chapter for this year, I really hope I can return then with some good news!
"I hope you didn't expect I wouldn't notice your presence..." Danny recoiled to the voice, floating back a little, then completely petrified in the air as the other's elbows got loose from the smaller coffee table, looking up from the cover that until this moment hid the ghost's face, very much aware of him being there. Should he have… – Danny wondered, but before he could have drawn out the right thing to do (turn back to visible or fly away, pretending like he wouldn't have even been here at all), his thoughts were interrupted. "I am talking to you, Masters." his older version's head turned to another direction where Danny was currently hovering.
"What?" he gasped without a voice, stunned by the mistaken identifying, but then as with a blur the owner of the house materialised a few feet away from him, Danny astonished.
"What did you plan to do exactly, observing me from the shadows?" the ghost guessed, eyes almost flashing up towards the appearing man, but it still stayed the mimicked blue. Didn't he know he was there too? – Danny dumbfounded, not sure if it was good or bad news for him…
"The less I wanted to bother you," Vlad described, taking a step closer with a still kept tight lamely covered right arm like he wouldn't have had enough time yet to take the randomly created bandage off. Much to say, Danny didn't get surprised by the scoff that followed the note.
"Yeah, 'cause watching me, assuming I wouldn't notice, could have counted as less bothering… I thought you were wiser than to come up with such suppositions." his elder self grunted. "I don't want to talk." the arms got crossed underpinning the unwillingness to a conversation and unmistakable annoyance by the other's current presence. Though it was addressed to Vlad, Danny felt as if it could have been directed for him too.
"I noticed." the man remarked, but walked ahead, placing something on the smaller coffee table that Danny couldn't see yet what it was as Vlad's back blocked his sight. But then, the tall figure got in hand the object, making Danny recognise the borrowed book from Jazz in an instant, that he had seen too within the ghost's hands before. The bright blue eyes examined it, staring at it long, then with a scowl, the figure peered up with a puzzled look. "You left it in the lab as you stormed out." the explanation came. Danny blinked at the wording. Stormed out? Did they have a debate?
"You read it." the human disguised ghost said out. By the stating tone, not accusing nor questioning, Danny easily put together, it must have been about the notes he had noticed before too hidden within the original pages. (Hardly it was about reading a simple psychology book, only Jazz was capable of doing that…)
Until this moment Danny thought he should have disappeared and definitely did not dwell further, eavesdropping on a supposedly private conversation, but... He was sure too the longer he stayed, the more he would get to know about his other version, and the more he would be certain about the ghost's intentions, and... As unbecoming as it felt, Danny very soon convinced himself it was the right decision. The only thing he had to keep in mind was to be quiet the whole time. He could do that, right?
"I really hope you don't expect me to explain the content." the deep voice clarified, running a measuring eye on the standing man a bit away from him. There was no reaction, nor further inquiry, Vlad just as if it hadn't been a big issue admitting in silence the notes were indeed read, waved towards the opposite empty chair.
"May I?"
The ghost shrugged, muttering under his nose. "Not that I would have any other choice, wouldn't I?"
"You always have another choice, Daniel." Vlad corrected, neglecting the snort that followed his statement. It sounded like it would have been about something more but then as no further clearance came, Danny just followed the scene. Vlad took a seat silently. An awkward moment later, as the nicely mimicked human's fingers tapped on the cover of the book, the figure in the opposite chair broke the silence.
"So?"
"It's a rather lame way to start a serious conversation, don't you think?" Vlad gave a meaningful look to the other. The being made a displeased face, but then the suddenly clenched-in fists got released.
"First of all, I just wanted some peace, it was you who came to annoy me. Second, you read something that obviously wasn't allowed to you, a personal thing," was it pressed, enlightening its weight, "not even talking about I asked you one thing to do, for you, and you are refusing to help me. So, yes, taking it as a starting point, I have every right to start a conversation as I want."
The reply was nothing else but a surprised, arched up eyebrow, then Vlad blew up a harsh breath, patiently examining the grumbling figure.
"Daniel," the ghost uncomfortably grimaced.
"You just can't call me Dan, can you?" Danny could swear he even saw a shortly glinted red eyes to the name. It was one thing his elder version had a problem – or more like Danny had a problem – with him being called by his name, but Daniel too? He knew his other version preferred Dan now but it was just weird...
"Sure, Dan," Vlad tried again, though the familiar eyes didn't seem less frustrated, yet Vlad was on to continue without any pausing at the alteration.
"If you are going to say you won't let me do what I want, then don't even start it, all right?" the ghost cut in, "I will do it on my own then, I just need some time to calm down, okay? Probably not the best if you are around me until then..." was it added with a detectable swallow. Danny's mind stopped at the note. Did he just suggest to-
"I finished with it." Vlad quickly said, interrupting Danny's thoughts before his mind could have stuck at the idea that his elder version somehow felt it was the best if no one was around to avoid any incident in which others could get hurt because- because that was just- just something that couldn't have been imaginable… Jazz couldn't be right about a wholly changed behaviour, could she?
His elder version snapped his head up, just as bewildered as Danny was, but surely over something else. "What?"
"I did what you asked me to do," Vlad repeated, "it required some final modifications, here and there, but it's done now, I even implemented it to the device you worked on."
The rapid blinking said it must have been something unexpected. "But..."
"It doesn't mean I don't have hundreds of questions, cheese logs, I have thousands! But I won't stand in your way if I get now," the grey head pointed towards the book laying within them, "what it means for you."
The bright blue eyes for a long moment stared at the man, as if trying to read out something behind the outlook, then the vision diverted to the borrowed object, then with a tightened jaw, the body remained still, nearly completely unmoved. The eyes squeezed closed, keeping them like that for an almost entire minute, then with a sudden movement the being pressed the edge of his palm against his eyelids, letting out a moan. It was just so human, Danny had to admit, and it even seemed as-
"Don't- don't do this to me. Please." the muffled voice came, filling Danny with twisting guilt that maybe he shouldn't have stayed, but it was already late for going away, wasn't it?
A hand slipped through the small table, gently touching the spectre's elbows, attempting to grab the other out of the current state, though it was visibly hardly noticeable for the ghost. "Don't fight against it," Vlad suggested with a quiet voice, "you can't lock down something that is a part of you..." a ragged breath escaped the figure's lungs, making Danny swallow with regret about his presence. It just sounded so real, it couldn't be acted, right? But...
"It's just- just…" a faint whispering came. "I can't control it..."
Vlad's fingers a bit tightened, meaningfully. "Dan, listen to me, I know it must be hard, but it's not you. It's your human side affecting your ghost existence. It seems uncontrollable now because you didn't experience such thing since-"
"What?" the hand got off from the face suddenly, falling down harshly to the table.
Vlad moved back a little by the overreaction, but without any sign of being scared, kept on with the same tone as before, specifying to the oddly glinting baffled red eyes that stared at him. "Human side. Daniel. It fits together actually…"
"What the hell are you talking about?" the ghost asked slowly, pressing each word. The fingers clenched in and out, like trying to work off an annoyance. "Danny died. Forget that part in fine you all want to see in me, because that's not there! He died! Dead! Wasted to literal nothingness! Get that in fine!" the eyes flickered up angrily.
Danny floated closer to the growing tension in the air, he even could tell he sensed what Jazz had said about his other version: the dryness and throbbing warmness in the air. It was like his inside would have been suffocated by it, and screaming in alarm. But Vlad, against the unmistakable change of the atmosphere, stayed calm, standing without any recoil or flinching the lashing out.
"I double-checked my calculations," he continued with a common tone, untouched by the present situation, like giving out authoritatively the information. No matter the circumstance, seemingly nothing could unbalance him. "The bracelets detected your body heat. Ghosts can't perform it, regardless of their cores. Maybe they can mimic it for a short time, but you are essentially feverish. Then you burnt me. It's a unique and very rare formation of ecto-energy, but it wouldn't make you do much harm as a ghost on a human, except you are like me or your younger version: a hybrid. In our case, the energy merges with the human heart, filling the otherwise simple ghost core with emotions, turning both stronger by it, also unable to separate the two as turned one. For you, this human part was dormant until now, something might have triggered to work again as it worked before while you were just Daniel. You're not a human now with a ghost side in it, but not a wholly ghost either, with his and mine ghost-parts within. You, my boy, are rather somewhere between."
"This is ridiculous…" the scoff came, but Danny freeze, not because it could have been possible, but- Vlad was a crazed-up scientist, damn it, which was undeniable, besides not just had participated once in an experiment related to discover that other realm, but the man was too partly an entity from that other world and… after all, somehow that other Vlad had made it possible for him to exist and-
"I didn't believe it either at first," Vlad went on with the talking "but there were too many things about you that just didn't make any sense... This explains it. You said you are not a typical ghost. If you'd be a typical one, or fundamentally just two merged-together ghost parts, you wouldn't have any memories from Daniel, nor from me. You have both. The ghost part of us doesn't have memories, that's a shadow of the human base, an imprint. Without that, just as during the formation of a natural ghost, the memories waste with the death of the human body, like a complete reset of the previous existence. Ghosts are post-human consciousnesses, nothing else, just echoes of a once human being. There might be some reminders to the human life but no certain or clear memories. You see what I am getting at?"
Silence enveloped the place, it was harsh and just much, and in Danny's mind, there was blankness too, not sure what this whole meant. Was he a hybrid too? No, that couldn't be true. The memories part was right though, his older version had even called him 'little badger', which was still disturbing, but...
"You are a ghost, that's right. Daniel, your Daniel died, that's right too, but it is still inside you. Dead as being a human, yes, but it holds you together, able to recall for you the memories, my memories too." Vlad described, "It shouldn't be possible, not if there isn't a human side, with a still active nervous system attached to a human-like working brain, capable of transmitting them, and not letting them fade away. I am not sure how exactly you became but by this, it could be easily retraced. Your sides…"
"Halves." the deep voice cut in, making Vlad blink to the unexpected breaking off. "Two ghost halves." the tall figure clarified, elaborating then to the odd look, "The ghost halves of two halfas. That's the right word for it. Sorry, I've just felt, if you got so into the scientific part, to prove this absurd hypothesis, at least I should help you out with the proper definition. These are halves, based on the dual state, as being at the same time human and ghost." was it specified, with a clear mocking tone, but then the eyes narrowed, marking the other in the opposite chair with a tilted head. "You- you didn't know that word… well, that's the right appellation, you should note it down: halfa. You can keep going now. It just annoyed me." the ghost leaned back in the seat, crossing his arms.
There was an awkward silence, strengthening the effect of the sudden intermission, but then Vlad spoke again. "I don't think that's the right label for our state. Those are just contaminations, fusing with the human DNA, inseparable, yes, but- halfa?" Vlad repeated, pausing, then with widened eyes, stared ahead, as it most likely formed into a realisation in his mind. "Daniel is literally half-ghost, he is half-dead…"
"Yeah, the portal, it zapped him to death, and?" his future ghost let out simply, like stating an already known fact. Danny was aware of that too (unfortunately), but as a matter of fact, it was still flooring to grasp that in a way he was dead, that was just- just felt so unreal, after all, he was here, alive and like nothing had changed since his accident. Reading from Vlad's astonished face though, as the elder part-ghost leaned back in the chair, holding his chin thoughtfully, it might have been new information, But, Vlad wasn't like him too? - Danny marked the man's troubled expression.
"Well, that explains a few things…" Vlad whispered ahead, disappearing into some thoughts over it, hardly aware of the confused face in the opposite seat, but then, finally looked up and unfolded, "I didn't die. My accident, it messed up my biology, unable to live without the ghost part anymore, yes, but I am not dead, neither halfway. It took me a long time to get the lead over the side-effects of the contamination, anchor it mostly to my other form, but that's... So, that's why you referred before to Daniel as a perfect base. In a way, you always knew I wouldn't be enough for your plan, for a followable basis to copy…"
"I am starting to think you lost it somewhere, Masters…" the disguised ghost sighed.
"You didn't get much into the details of exactly how your formation happened, neither you wrote about it, but if I try to reconstruct it... Daniel's ghost half and my ghost side…" Vlad followed the same train of thoughts like nothing had happened. "On their own, that must have been just unstable, not enough to sustain existing on itself, to keep 'alive' a fusion… maybe if those had been halves in both cases, but it…" the murmuring descended, making him fall silent, keeping on the reasoning only internally, and even visibly Vlad was just completely somewhere else in mind.
"I'm not Danny, Vlad. I'd know if I am, besides you told me I - that he died…" Danny turned his head to his elder self, as the being attempted to put a decisive word in that.
The steel-blue eyes slowly glanced up, with a furrowed look, as if it had been the first time in past minutes to grasp the other's presence too. "You called me Vlad in the lab too…" was it denoted, with an amazed tone. "when you tried to tell me it wasn't my fault that you died. Is it because when you tell something that you in fact are addressing to him you are distancing less, because otherwise, calling me the same way, it would just hurt more, seeing me this way? That's why you are referring to your earlier life as in the third person too, to Daniel? Because..."
"You keep forgetting I have two sets of memories," the ghost grunted the reminder, shutting off right at the beginning another externally shared thinking, "which is just as great as it sounds. It's not an easy ride, either at 'home' it was, not even talking about being here, or seeing you two in front of me constantly, you or Danny. I'm getting very tired of it too, so picking on some unimportant details like how I say out some things, or what I say, hardly explain it properly, and it's just utterly irrelevant. Ignore it, spend your time with something else, and quit analysing me like a damn rat in a frigging lab." was it slurred out with one frustrated breath.
Vlad glared ahead with narrowed eyes, but then let out the comment. "I see deflecting with a great speech to avoid giving a straight answer, is coming from me…"
The ghost with flashed up eyes opened his mouth, visibly to give a nice retort to it, but then with a scowl murmured. "You can shut up now, you know that, right?"
"Nagging like that, my boy, won't solve anything," the edge of the voice was spilling about a resentment, "but I am surprised if you are partly me, and I was there for you after their accident, how did you never realise that your attitude like that, and your whole destructive anger during the years, is in fact a way of serious mourning, and suppressing being in pain? A stage of a whole recovery process, even a textbook case of it. Without accepting help, or listening to others, you might never get out of it."
The shifted back bright eyes stared at the man, jaw clenched, but there was no word this time that left the mouth. After a bit of stalling the human mimicked fingers began to move on the small coffee table, tapping slowly, one finger after another, as if being uncomfortable, greatly annoyed, waiting for this chatting to come to an end or just processing the said out things.
"All right, I see momentarily I can't make any headway with you," Vlad stood up, "you are just too obstinate to perceive what I am saying, unfortunately getting this very lovely quality from two sides…" was it commented, taking a stern look at the other, "Promise me then, when your mind is a bit cleared up, you'll consider what I said... if you have half of my knowledge too, you can see my points. I highly doubt it would change your intention, but if I am right – and I am right, even if you can't get it now – then at least I would be calmer I helped you and didn't assist you to destroy the only thing that remained from that Daniel. And if it counts to you anything, and I'm sure it does… he would be calmer too. Just as I have a very strong feeling, he didn't agree with your decision or either aware of your stubborn foolish plan."
The being glanced up, only briefly, staring off at the table again as the elder was on to walk away, but then Vlad stopped at the last moment, right before he could have passed by the sitting figure, putting a hand on the other's shoulder, squeezing it slightly.
"Even if you certainly can't sleep, do for me at least you'll try to rest, all right?" Vlad patted then on the shoulder, saying the last words. "Good night, Daniel." It could have said, the ghost entirely stiffened, staying unmoved until the gentle grip got released. The closed shut vision now opened up, blinking a second later and only processing the whole with a delayed reaction. The bright eyes lost gazed at the direction where the man had just disappeared. It was like missing something, missing something to say, or just missing the sight, it was just...
The jaw tightened, swallowing, then the figure slowly turned back, leaning against the back of the seat, pinching on the nose, taking in and blowing out a few breaths one after another, harsher and louder each time. Beyond that, everything seemed lulled, with no sign of any weirdness. Then a quiet minute later, like recognising something only at that exact moment the eyes snapped open, massaging the eyelids tiredly.
"Would you like to keep up with the lurking, Danny, or do you think you managed to gather together enough bravery to talk with me directly?" It grabbed Danny back to the present, making him gulp at the realisation that during the entire time he was here and just eavesdropping, being an unwanted third party that no one knew of. And now, for real, he was left alone with his older self, and he had missed the chance to go away a long time ago.
The question didn't sound biting, nor annoyed, rather just inquiring, attempting to ask about something, but still, that didn't ease on the fact he was there, pretending like he had had a great right to stay and listen to their discussion. Suddenly, Danny came to see, he must have known about his presence, harkening rudely and hearing everything that otherwise his other version might not have wanted to share with him.
"I thought- I thought you sensed Vlad…" Danny stammered awkwardly, trying to save himself out with the lame excuse, not sure at the moment why he had felt earlier staying was the right decision, as he turned back to visible, revealing clearly his misdemeanour. It was too late anyway to disappear, wasn't it, or to deny it?
The familiar blue eyes lingered at him, then with a calm attitude, the ghost fixed a bit the angle of the book on the smaller table, as he mumbled ahead. "No, he appeared a second later than you, but I didn't want him to hear us. The sense for you though must have seemed the same from the outside, but it's actually different for each ghost being. You are chilly, when he is like feeling static in the air. I don't know why is that exactly… but it was quite easy to tell you apart after I sensed you moving in the house in the past two days." was it explained, looking up, "Don't worry, I didn't expect you'd go away, I know how you are thinking, besides, well ... I didn't know what he wanted to say, but I'd like to show you I didn't hurt him. Did it work?" the ghost tilted his head curiously.
"So, it was a planned scenario all along..." Danny got the main point, ignoring completely the lecturing part about the different sensations. (Though he had to admit, if he had known anything about these variations earlier, that whole lie about the 'ghost-bugs' could have been avoided, making him able to recognise the ghost's presence immediately. In hindsight, he detected these slight little dissimilarities with each ghost, but he had just never really focused on that before to play with the idea it must have meant something...)
"You could say that." his other version shrugged, "But I'd rather say, I tried to follow the flow, turning the situation as it would be the best, hoping in the meantime you wouldn't attack me if I do or say something wrong." Danny hummed at the correction, seeing that indeed, it must have been the truth about the situation. Vlad's words couldn't have been controlled, nor predicted, but at the same time he had been aware all along Danny was there, it must have been strange, behaving according to it. But looking back, none of the moments seemed acted, none, either the weirdest ones.
"I assume, Jazz talked with you." it came a second later, with an uncomfortable gazing at the book, as the fingers were running up and down on the cover. "Or, you just came to watch over me?" the familiar blue peered at Danny, but then diverted away. "Well, it's late already, and I don't need sleep, but if that's what you are worried about… I won't spend the night at Jazz's room today. I'm fine here. And I can tell, you are still pissed off at her that she was hiding me from you. If it helps, I asked her, and both of us know she has a way too kind heart to refuse to help someone." a small smile appeared on the ghost's face, fading away a moment later as if knowing it probably shouldn't have been enlightened that his sister was helping him.
Danny didn't say anything, in a way, he picked up that even if it was about him, Jazz didn't need much convincing, neither overshadowing in that aspect. She was able to see something even in the hardest cases, that even that person couldn't see. Then this whole thing around him reached Danny's mind. Was he just having a conversation with him? The ghost must have seen his bafflement because at the exact same second a hand raised up, waving towards the opposite seat with an offering manner. Danny moved a bit, but then stopped. There was no way he was going to sit down and have a discussion with him!
"I won't bite," the note came like that could change on the strangeness of this situation.
Danny grimaced, trying to step over everything, fidgeting, as he was thinking, but then took a deep sigh, and with a whisper breathed out an 'okay' as he moved, taking the seat. It was so odd and just wrong, and he couldn't help on the hardness of it, squeezing his fingers in and out. Even if Jazz had said many things, even if he had heard many things from Vlad, but…
A squeaky noise interrupted his thoughts, inducing him to snap his head up to catch the source of the sound, furrowing his brows at the sight of the bit distanced figure. "Better now?" the ghost asked, making Danny piece together the opposite chair was moved further. "I think it is." got the question answered, without waiting for Danny to comprehend the action. Then the fingers of the man started to tap on the book, at first at a natural pace, then it soon turned into a quicker and louder rhythm, and before it would have driven Danny crazy hearing and seeing it, it abruptly stopped. "Okay, I have no idea why you are here, so enlighten me," was it asked, though sounding rather as an order that demanded an immediate reply, "is it because to keep an eye on me? Or is it because Jazz talked with you? Or is it because of what you heard? Because if it's the latest, I am telling that's nonsense, I don't even have any slightest idea of how he deduced that ridiculous assumption!"
To that, Danny could identify an off-the-scale frustration over something that impossible, and yeah, he saw the point. But hearing the annoyed moan over it, adding it to Jazz's theory, he could notice the slight changes in the mimics over it. "It disturbs you..." and that was it, beyond the absurdity of it, knowing the truth about his elder version… it wasn't a simple statement that bothered the ghost, it was like- "What if he is right?" Danny proceeded, catching as the other's face twisted into a frown.
"He is not right, because that's total bullshit!" that tall figure snapped, throwing his hands up in the air, telling how hilarious it was found. In that, Danny had to agree too, but- no, he couldn't say he understood Vlad's reasoning, or either seeing the chance of Jazz's words, that he changed, but... Was he really on to debate with him? No, it was just about getting the truth behind it…
"Jazz says you have some sort of conscience, humanity," the scoff was instant. "I am not saying I am agreeing with her-"
"Of course, you are not agreeing with her! Because only two of us could grasp the whole is just rubbish! She is too much stuck on that I am you, and Vlad is… he is lost in his mind. He always was, too much blended-in in his own stubborn head. At least you know where your senses are. Seriously, the least I want to hear, you, trying to convince me they are right somehow..." the other rumbled, grunting then crossed his arms over his chest. "Anyway, taking that whole nonsense away, what do you want? I believe it's not about staying here with me all night and playing a guardian over me. Probably you have hundreds of questions, after your nice act of lurking. So, start speaking or I'll pretend you are not even here and continue with the spacing out or something..."
Danny just blinked at the clearly huffing figure, but then the detail slipped into his mind, "You told him who you are…" and indeed, he was wrecking his mind over how that revelation could have happened. Especially that Vlad wasn't freaked out by it, or at least not as the man should have been. How he wasn't anyway? – Danny's mind shrieked at the thought.
The ghost's eyebrow arched up, maybe not expecting that note first, but then gave out the answer. "It was necessary," his alternate version said shortly, "but obviously I didn't tell him everything. I skipped some uh- how should I phrase it? Minor details…" Minor detail? How could anything that he had ever done or wanted to do could be counted as a minor detail?! "Okay, I might've not worded it well…" was it muttered ahead a beat later, "I mean as…"
"I know how you mean!"
The being slowly blinked at him, scratching his head in a somewhat embarrassed way, or just unsure what to do. "Okay, anyway… I don't want either to talk about Danny, and it's perhaps not the best issue either to discuss with you..." was it mumbled, eyes moving around, like trying to come up with a better topic, but then the glancing around stopped at the middle of the small table. A hand moved towards the book, but pulled back with a clear hesitation, wrinkling of the forehead too over a thought. It was enough odd for Danny to catch it.
The ghost lips curled into a forced smile, like knowing too his movement was noticed, "Well, now you get why I was hiding it from you, don't you?" his future version asked, slipping closer to him then the book, taking off only with a slow pace the fingers, and getting out of the hand the precious object. "If I were you, I'd skip some uh- parts ." Danny stared at the elder's face, confounded as it was elaborated. "You might have seen my time and he must have told you about me, but it's different to actually face everything, and not hear it from the old man's probably very catchy summarised narration…" Danny was sure now his frown deepened even more. "I made a list about the- well, about the ghosts... though I stopped it very soon." the other's mouth twitched to the note.
Danny's hand that moved towards the offered object, now paused. "You mean you-"
"That I wrote down what I did with them and with whom I started?" the ghost helped him out. It sounded as unimaginable that Danny only a second later could nod. "I did." the blue eyes wandered off, rubbing the back of his neck. "The worst is... the worst is that the whole is just distant. Not because it's ten years, it's- I don't know if I could describe it properly. It's like- it's like a dream by now, everything is just... I don't know... just distant ."
Danny perplexed observed the ghost who leaned back then into his seat, presumably leaving him space and time to- to what to do exactly? – Danny wondered, taking the book closer to him and turning its cover to himself. His other version with a blank vision gazed ahead. It was just too impossible to process this whole. Did he just-? But then Danny, with a slow turning of the pages, reached the notes, just a flip away to take a look at those, but his fingers halted, looking up briefly to the other and detecting a tensed posture. Danny blinked on the page that still belonged to the book, not to the added ones, with weird words that only Jazz could understand with her crazy interest in psychology. From the eavesdropped conversation Danny could guess what was on the written notes, especially what he had said now, it was like a confession, and- and it was just a movement away, but...
Danny slapped closed the book, slipping it back to the middle of the table, to the noise the disguise ghost's brows disconcerted furrowed, only a second later taking a look ahead, noticing in real the given back book.
"I think I trust you," Danny explained, catching a gape, then added. "I mean, obviously I still don't trust you, but-"
"Are you out of your mind?"
"What?" now, Danny got stunned.
"Are you completely out of your sane mind?" was it repeated with an even higher tone. 'would make sense though… – Danny commented, but no matter the stupidity, it felt right.
"Listen…"
"Is it because you think I am Danny too or what?" the mock cut Danny's attempt off to give an explanation to it. "I'm still the same! I thought you at least would get it. 'turned out my outlook fools you too, great." snapped the ghost bitterly, muttering under his nose, about some complaining it seemingly had to be proved. Danny really couldn't follow the indignant mumbling. But then a beat later a sudden flash of light blinded him, making him to blink confused, then as he glanced up to get the reason, just petrified at the sight, meeting with the exact view he tried to get out of his mind.
Danny wasn't sure when exactly he started to shiver, or when his mind gave it up, captured inescapably over the sight, but his brain right now couldn't perceive anything over it, neither to work properly. His eyes, again and again, returned to the features of the menace sitting in front of him. Something was there, a background noise, like a kept on grunting, but that was distant, hollow and…
"Danny!" the echoing voice called him, accompanied by a snapping voice, like trying to get his attention, but- "Danny!" was his name said out again, this time a bit louder, but it was faint within the shrieking warning to- to- "Damn it," came the curse, shutting off Danny's freaked out musing by the annoyed edge of it. "It was a bad idea, wasn't it? I'll change back, I should have known you wouldn't react to it well…"
"What?" his brain managed to form in fine a word.
"I'll change back," the sound repeated. "I think that would be better, or am I wrong?"
To that Danny for some unimaginable reason, looked up, blinking a few, then with a clear mind started to grasp the sight in front of him. The glowing crimson eyes stared at him with- with a worried look?
"Are you all right?" Danny's jaw almost dropped at the question. "I mean, you are certainly not. I will change back, okay?" was it said again as if waiting for a final approval for it from him. "I didn't know why I thought it would be a good idea…" the figure muttered, then the lights appeared, only around the gloved wrists, travelling upper, up to the elbow, then-
"Wait!" Danny shouted out, perplexed that it left his mouth.
"What?" the other flabbergasted, ceasing the light too as stunned it even transformed the already disguised human parts back. "Okay… I can't follow you. What do you want from me, to stay like that? Because that won't happen." it sounded stated and just…
Why did it sound like a statement? – Danny wondered, not that he could have said it was fine like this, or that it wasn't giving him creeps to see his other version – him – like that (again) so close to him, but… "Why?" he gasped out.
"What why? Simply because!" the ghost exclaimed, throwing the gloved hands up in the air, like questioning such a thing would have been a child's naivety not seeing the reason. But then the being just crossed his arms, snapping his head away, snorting annoyed. But then the outline remained still, only the unearthly fire-like hair flickered strangely, and upset, telling everything that couldn't be read from the nearly translucent turquoise face.
Danny was thinking to ask about this lashing out, but- this was just so odd, and in fact, he couldn't put it into words. The strangest was that even looking at the other right now, it was like seeing someone else in front of him. He was well aware the ghost was the same (god, the one from last week!), but... then the tightly closed eyes of the figure got Danny's attention, frowning at it, like he -
"You are really not on to hurt anyone, right now, are you?" Danny asked then. The shut eyes slowly opened up, turning to him. Whatever it was, whatever had made it, but at the present, even those red eyes glowed differently than before. Previously it was like a doll's, blank, just dead, without anything beneath, but now… "And you really didn't hurt Vlad." Danny went further, inquiring, seeing some sort of moral sense behind the look.
The lips parted, on to say something, but then the ghost pursued them back, keeping those like that for a long second, like gathering the words to then say out loud the proper ones. But then, when Danny thought, he wouldn't get an answer, the other spoke. "I did but- I... I didn't mean to. It was rather a reflexive movement, or at least, that's what he says..." It took a moment to realise, he was talking about Vlad here and not-
"I mean your Vlad." Danny specified.
"Oh." the edge of the blueish mouth a bit twitched to the clarification. "No, I didn't."
Danny couldn't say he believed in it, but couldn't have said either he didn't, after all… As a bit of silence fell on them, another thing occurred to him. In truth, he couldn't tell why it suddenly came to his thoughts, or if he wanted to get the answer for it, but…
"How did he die?" he rushed it out before his mind could comprehend he asked about it. As his own voice reached his mind, it was already late to take it back. And on the other hand, he had to know it, right? Until a certain point that Danny had been him too, and... The ghost baffled stared at him, blinking, "I mean, how did Danny die?" Danny emphasized though it had to be quite obvious who he meant under it. The weirdest thing was, he couldn't tell why he was so interested in that suddenly. Thinking about his – that Danny's – death was haunting him since future-Vlad (briefly though) had mentioned it. In a way, he owed to know about it, but maybe this wasn't the reason. Was it because he was willing to listen now to his other self? Was it because, learning from Jazz and seeing him showing indeed some sort of recognition or at least awareness over things he had once done, now he wanted to know how much remorse he was capable of feeling about things? In truth, Danny wasn't really sure...
"Vlad in your time didn't-" Danny began, but stopped as he peered up to the ghost, meeting with a puzzled expression.
"You- you don't know?" it sounded not a bit stuttered and confused and… "I thought- I thought you knew…" there was a faint whisper then, almost sounding like 'at least'...
"What?"
"I thought you knew. " was it repeated, pressing the word, "I mean as I thought he told you."
"He… didn't?" Danny said out, not sure why he had a weird feeling about it, crawling up through his spine. Especially that it made an eerie, creeping up sensation as it was reacted from the one who in fact had committed the named crime. "You- you don't…" Danny paused, swallowing and unable to process the thought that assembled in his mind about it because that just couldn't be possible, right? "You don't- you don't remember…" he gasped out, floored. He had to admit in a way he didn't expect the being would feel any regret over it, but this… At all? Now it was an entirely different thing...
The ghost for a long moment stared at him, opening and closing the mouth, then just scratched his temple, almost uncomfortably over this enquiring, or over making a confession to him about it. "I- don't? I mean I- I remember some uh- fragments... but-" the glowing red eyes moved around, like trying to recall something, always returning to Danny, more and more frequently after each time, and with a weirder and weirder glint that made Danny gulp after the fifth time. And it didn't stop. Why couldn't he just stop it? Danny's head was throbbing in alarm, the pounding of his heart raising up to an almost unbearable rate, flinching as he got a green glowing in the corner of his eyes. The gloved fingers were clenching in and out over the small table, tighter and brighter each time and just...
"Damn it," the figure out of blue jumped up from the chair, even before Danny's panicking could have reached the absolute level or that he could have grasped the whole sudden action. It took a minute to fix his breathing, and another too, to perceive what had just happened.
"What the hell..." Danny gaped, to the absence of the ghost, spotting the glowing figure then a few feet away, back leaning against the wall and with the side to him. In one moment he was sure something would happen, something bad, but- now, the ghost was unmistakably disturbed over something, with the pinched nose and the wildly flickering white hair and just... "What the hell was that?" Danny cursed louder, still in shock over the abrupt demeanour, but no answer came. He moved a bit, deciding to get up and-
"Don't!" a hand raised up, pointing towards him. "Stay there." it couldn't be denied it had a panicked edge, even the owner of the words refused to turn to him. "Just stay there, okay?"
"What... why?"
"If you are incapable of staying at your damn place, at least change to Phantom!" was it shouted out. It wasn't a wail, much lighter than that, but it was still reverberating in Danny's mind with the ghostly echoing voice. Danny halted, not because he got petrified in fear, it was just… " Please ." the ghost added, with a much lower voice this time. What the hell… did he just… "Did you change?" the being asked a beat later, sounded like a reminder over an action that required an immediate execution, without any further procrastinating.
Danny hesitated, but then summoned the rings, letting them travel through his body and transforming his outlook to the asked one, still not sure why it was needed right now. "I- I did?" he reported. Still, what the hell...
"Good. Stay like that." came the snap, but nothing else happened. Danny was just standing next to the small coffee table, completely abashed, fingers stretching on it nervously, totally lost what to do and just… he couldn't take his eyes off from the tall glowing outline. How was that the figure was him, from last week, but now the ghost was just undecipherable?
"Okay…" the ghost murmured ahead almost an entire eternity later, releasing his nose, on to move again or something, but then dropped the question, still not turning his head to the side, as the question was voiced. "You will not change back, will you?" Danny remained silent, frowning. "I will count it as a no then." the mutter came to the lack of response. The gloved fingers moved in and out, thinking over something, but then the movement stopped, and with a nod, the lights appeared, changing the form back to the human disguise.
"Just for clarity," the bright blue eyes stared sternly at Danny as the man passed by him, before sitting down again, "if you dare to try changing back, I'll make you not do it, got it?" Danny gulped, but as the figure took a seat, placing the elbows on the small table, clenching together the fingers and gazing ahead with a somewhat lost look, the recognition over this whole hit him.
"You- you can't look at me, while I am human, because..."
"What if that's it?" the bark shut Danny's mouth. "Hm? You have no idea what being me means. You want to see me nothing else but that way? Fine, then do it. I don't care! What is more, no, do exactly that! It would be easier anyway than conceiving with your partly human brain that yes, I can't stand looking at you, because you remind me of him, the only one I really did kill but I can't recall it at all. And then there is Vlad, the one I really wanted to kill and I just- just didn't – couldn't – do that at the end? Yeah, that's it. That's what you wanted to hear? Fine! Here it is then, now dwell on it well!" the fists balled over the outburst, trembling over something deeply suppressed behind it.
Danny remained silent, unsure what to do. It was something entirely different than dealing with the ghost in a fight, but… man, he knew it was nothing else but a perfected disguise, but… But then the expression hit him: 'really did' . At least what he learned from Jazz from one of her psychology stuff during the years, that there were two kinds of people who were truly honest: angry and the ones in a sort of delirious state. Because they were too engaged to care about the said out things, or to cover them. Right now, it was the first, and… Really did? Did it mean… no, that was just impossible, right? He had seen his time and- and…
Danny's eyes stalled at the borrowed book. Vlad had read it (without permission), and he- he got that permission to- to get to know its content (moreover he had offered it to him!) and it was just… That was a confession, no matter how Danny tried to word it else, and he had suggested to him to skip the most bothersome and sensitive part to read: the ghosts who he had seen ruined. But there was no mention of humans … Okay, so the future was destroyed, wrecked and most probably many people had died because of the actions of one ultimate threat, but… no, Danny didn't want to think about that right now, but still...
"What are you thinking?" the inquiring slipped into his mind, crossing his eyebrows over it. "I mean…" the known bright blueness eyed him, like trying to see through him, "you started hovering, we- I- you are always doing that when something is in your mind…"
Danny stared at the human disguise being, not sure since when exactly he was lost in the thoughts. It must have been long enough for the other to take the question. (On the other hand, why did he even ask about it?) Danny lowered back, taking place in the chair again and focusing to stay there – which was very hard when he was lighter than the gravity, to pull him down – but then he succeeded with it, even changing back to legs too, indeed unaware he was doing that, then Danny glanced at the man. There were just too many things that he had to sink somehow – if he was capable at all to do that. But by staring at him right now…
"You- you really want to do that, don't you?" Danny asked then, elaborating to the puzzled look. "To- to separate yourself, remove the Plasmius part, making again your Vlad a halfa – or part-ghost," Danny corrected it to the just learned difference. As the figure rubbed his neck in an awkward manner, Danny was musing that maybe it meant it was nothing but a laughable scenario to the things, and in fact, it was nothing just his sister's hopeful belief behind anything, even behind the worst cases... And yet, how could that be it, right? Even if his other version was a mystery right now and just unable to fathom out the duality over the action or what he was doing and how ... but that idea was just impossible.
"Jazz…" the ghost then whispered out, amazed, "so she indeed figured it out." No way …
"You…"
"I, what?" the tall figure tilted his head, "I'm sure I told you before I didn't come here to cause any trouble," came the recall, but… "nor for the same damn thing you assumed, I am here for. Why would I? Everybody can change, you know..."
"You're a ghost." Danny cut in, not saying more to the arched up questioning eyebrows. "I mean that you- that you can't…" he started, but then just muttered under his nose, "never mind..." And still, even if it wasn't fitting for a dead remained something to alter the thinking, but- no, it just wasn't possible, couldn't be, even if it was seemingly very much the admitted aim. Changed? No. But… so that could mean maybe Vlad was right too? No, that was far over the thinkable level. But Jazz at least was. For some inexplicable reason, he, the one from last week, the one from that horrible future, had changed.
Then his sister's fear came back. He was sure Jazz most probably didn't want to share with him his plan, but... Even if she was aware he hated him, she had told him because she hoped he could help him! Now, this just caused a terrible headache...
"What if you remove a part of you?" Danny was thinking aloud, not sure he wanted to know if it meant it would change him entirely, or- But as no answer came, he lifted his head up, marking the silent ghost. Why was he so quite suddenly? And there was no detectable fidgeting either, he indeed remained speechless over it. "You- you have no idea. You seriously have no idea what will happen..." the wide shoulders moved to a shrug, but instead, the eyes narrowed into a somewhat threatening look.
"If you want to get in my way, Danny, to save Phantom, then-" the sentence wasn't finished, maybe it wasn't even necessary to get ended. It made Danny wonder though. Was it because of that? No. And it must have sounded weird but in a way, he didn't feel he would have had the right either to have a word in that, but... Suddenly Danny saw the sense in Vlad's reasoning – not in the human side one, but in the remained part. Phantom was the only thing that was left from that version of him. So in fact, even if it sounded creepy and shivering to think about, but the one in front of him had the only connection to that Danny. It was even weirder to see it that way, but it made him think. Was it Phantom trying to help Vlad in the future, not caring about the consequences it might cause? Or, was it the Plasmius part still clinging on a personal gain only, and not caring if it would cause the Phantom part's end?
Danny peered up to the ghost, running an eye on the tall sitting figure, who stared back at him with a patient look like expecting to say something for the previously told threat. Until this moment, Danny had to admit, he actually never really realised how different his alternation was – not from last week, entirely, over the current human outlook. And speaking about the human outlook… Danny came to see, it wasn't about the parts, the aim was his own, formed into the messed up mind, and… sure, the other was two merged-together ghost parts, but- everything just assembled right now…
"Dan…" wow, that sounded weird, did he really say it aloud? The other's brows furrowed too in surprise, moving the mouth to open and form a question, but Danny was quicker with continuing the thought that appeared in his mind. "So, you need me as a base to recreate a working human-ghost hybrid." the parted lips closed back, falling silent for a long second, but then it was followed with a nod.
"Vlad's complete fusion took years, yours was instant. I don't have years right now to wait out if it would work or not that way," the explanation came, as the forehead was scratched thoughtfully. "I planned to run an up-to-date analysis on you, but I changed my mind." Danny was on to ask about the modification, but it was right away cleared up, "I don't want to hurt you, even if it's just an examination, I told it to your sister too. The one in my time will be enough, and I am sure he still has somehow that data, though I still will need you, but in something else. In something that wouldn't cause any harm to you." was it added.
Danny hummed, not sure what else to say. It was just much to unfold or just process somehow. This whole thing was just… so over his comprehension right now. But looking at Dan (man, this was still weird, no matter he started to see the other else... ), Danny had no doubt this was it, no evil plotting, no hided plan, no-
"Holy shit!" it escaped his mind, recognising what was his role in it. The figure's eyebrows raised up high to the reaction, then the lips curled into a wide grin, chin resting on a palm.
"So, it took you this long to put together in what exactly I'd need you?" no, the mocking didn't help on it, at all…
"You have to be kidding me…" Danny gaped, still paled over it and unable to get this into his sane perception. He- he couldn't be asked to- to do that, right? This was just insane…
"And I assumed, you'd be rather thrilled sinking your claws in me, if I told you I'd give you the proper hand to get rid of me once and for all…" the smile now was spreading from ear to ear, unmistakably finding clear enjoyment in his shock over it.
Danny ran his fingers through his hair, with a moan, pulling the root a bit. This was just crazy, so crazy. "I- I thought Vlad was the fruitloopest here… figures, there is even a worse type of that." he wasn't sure it was this much to perceive right now or his mind just simply shut off, giving up to process it. Momentarily he could find no way, but react to it to this way, through this- this behaviour, because there was no way, he was just- and it didn't ease on this whole either, as he heard a chuckle over his note. How could it be funny? Did he have any idea about what task he was just asked for? (No, he had to know, this was the worst…)
"It comes with my messed up inheritance, doesn't it?" was it said, sounding almost proudly, as the man gazed around, but then the eyes stopped at Danny, lips curling into a short smile. "I think you can change back now, Danny."
Danny blinked ahead, mind still blank as he crossed his brows, but then as he looked down at his hands, to the brightly glowing gloved fingers, he put together he was Phantom. "Oh."
"Yeah, well, even though the more tolerable sight you are right now, but I'm afraid if you can't make yourself act according to the gravity, I have to ask you to rather transform back. It's just annoying trying to focus on you if you are constantly hovering up and down." the bright eyes moved, mirroring the mentioned movement.
Danny didn't notice he was doing that again, but before he would have summoned back his human form, stopped, remembering the note that Vlad had said about a previously rattled out reason. Danny peered up to his elder version, hesitating over the earlier witnessed freaking out over his natural outlook, but then as nothing came, unsure at first, but changed.
It needed a moment to the other to take a look at him, but then with a rather forced smile, the other murmured. "Much better isn't it?"
Maybe it didn't need any admittance (and really Danny didn't have any problem staying in ghost-form) but it made an eerie feeling that maybe it wasn't only about him, maybe it was… As Danny eyed the form, indeed too much fitting to be a human-ish reflection to the ghostly form, he had to realise, actually he had never wondered about why he was so persistent over it, and why it was so important to keep this disguise on, and... was it connected this whole changed behaviour? Maybe he could ask about it now, after all… Wait, did he really have a sort of a nice conversation with him in the past hour? No, this just so couldn't be true!
A/N: Just as I couldn't make them stop talking - just consider the length of this chapter... (I tried to cut it short but I just couldn't, it always turned out longer) - so then, I had to create a short one within 'Bits of the Past', called as 'Inheritance', that works as its continuation. (Also please mind the earlier mentioned (did I mention earlier here?) 'Certain Moment Of Time', in what the first chapter could fit within this one too (or not, some things surely changed since I wrote that, but that was the basic point for this chapter here...).
Bit of a reminder: this one is the last for this year, have fun for the end of the year! The best for you until then!