Yay! I tried to make it better! Don't know if it turned out that way, seems a bit disorganized to me…Anyway, sorry the update's a little late! I didn't expect five reviews so fast!
:ahem:
Kyon kichi! I have a little poem for you!
:ahem:
I don't like requests
(They are too much pressure)
But for you, my reviewers
It would be my pleasure!
Tell me what I shall write
No specific title
Whether anime or book
Just make it worthwhile!
And on Christmas day
(The 25th of December)
By post or e-mail you'll get it
(If I can, please remember)
Not just about x-mas
Any occasion, I don't care
Why, I've wanted a Kwanzaa
All of these years!
She swept off her beanie
"Now to present
What I love the most
No delay, no ado:
"Interview with the Ghost!"
('Twas killing me, you know
My mind has been reeling!)
Chapter Three:
Dark Danny looked up and glared at the ceiling.
He had gone over everything in detail…Ember, The Box Ghost, The Lunch Lady, Skulker; he was going to have to surrender and tell him sooner of later…
He looked down again, meeting ClockWork's eye and held it for a moment. The contact gave ClockWork a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, and he inquired, "Something wrong?"
"I'm not sure how to explain this next part…" he said slowly, trying to stall yet again, still considering the master of time.
You cannot stall in a realm that exists outside of time!
"Why not explain it in the view of who your talking about?" he suggested, leaning on the table, breaking the contact to look at the shimmering gold medallions hanging on the far wall.
He could change all of this…he thought suddenly, He could…
"That's just the thing," said the eidolon, bursting ClockWork's bubble of thought," This is the encounter of both Vlad and Danny…it's tricky."
ClockWork raised a brow, "That is a bit of dilemma…who do you feel more attached to?"
He shrugged, "How am I supposed to know? I killed one and let the other one die miserably and alone." He tried to keep his tone even, but his voice cracked at 'killed'.
ClockWork did not notice," There must be some attachment to one of them…one you sympathized with more?"
"Pah!" he flicked his gloved hand, as of swatting the idea off like a fly, "Haven't you been watching me for these twelve years? There's no sympathy left in this thing!" he gestured to himself. Then, he stood, his hands slamming flat on the rickety wooden table, the chair screeched across the floor and clattered to the ground," I'm a villain, don't you get it! Emotions don't have a place in-"
ClockWork, an adult at the moment, a form he preferred to the other two, pointed to the table, "Please, be careful with that. It's as old as time."
Ignoring the amusement in that statement, the ghoul continued, "How could I sympathize with either? How could I still have feeling in this thing I call an existence!"
ClockWork kept a plain, unaffected look as he said, "You're here, are you not?"
Blinking, the spectra straightened his spine a bit. He opened his mouth several times, but closed it again. He had no answer to that.
"You came here because you saw Sam's headband. You were reminiscing over the fallen Amity Park because you were sorry, were you not? And, you let the old man live," he linked his fingers behind his back and floated away from him, "A rather kind thing for a cold, unfeeling ghost to do, don't you think?"
Because I didn't think I could handle doing it again…
The medallions glimmered in ClockWork's sight. He could change everything…if he only had one…he could go back…he could act the part and-
"Danny."
ClockWork turned, adopting his tyke form," Excuse me?"
"Danny." He repeated, gathering up the chair and placing it back, "The plot if Danny's life, and death, struck me right here." He placed a balled fist to where his un-beating heart was. He shook his head, "I always considered Danny to be my origin, not Vlad."
ClockWork turned, smiling subtly, "Please, I want to hear more."
He nodded, sitting again, "Well, on the eve of the reunion, my interest in Vlad was first sparked when he screamed at our former father that the portal incident had liquefied his youth. We had shrugged it off, but it couldn't be denied that it was suspicious. Plus, his mansion was swarming with ghosts; our ghost sense went crazy constantly.
"We-uh, woke up in the middle of the night that night. One of those vulture ghosts that were tracking our dad was roaming the halls, which, in hindsight, should have tipped us off to Vlad's identity, but he was mostly the brains, and he was only fourteen. We had to save our father, who was simple, just a matter of guiding him to the bathroom, then, back to fight the vultures. It was an easy task."
"Until Vlad showed up?"
He nodded," The creatures disappeared within a blink of an eye. We pivoted to see a towering ghost with pale skin and black hair spiked into two crescent-like shapes. His eyes were red and glowed like fire… his smile was wicked…"
"And it was Vlad?"
Casting a short glance up, Dark Danny nodded, getting irked by these interruptions, "Yes. I remember, from Vlad's viewpoint, thinking he resembled my love's-" there was that uncomfortable tone again-"second born child. On Danny's part, I tried to put on bravado, saying 'Well, I was expecting the vultures, but you'll do!'
" Vlad laughed, hitting him with an energy beam. He wasn't expecting to find the ghost boy in his midst, he desired Jack. Killing him was the one thing he had to have, above marrying Maddie.
"Well, as you've supposedly seen, ClockWork, Danny went down without much effort." Pressing his back against the chair, Dark Danny met ClockWork's eyes. His expression read a bit impatient.
"Of course," replied the old man, "After which, he phased back into his human form. And Vlad was amazed that he was, in fact, the ghost kid." He was beginning to believe he was the one confessing, not the phantom. "Am I getting this right?"
The aforementioned phantom chuckled, "Why am I even telling you this, you already know!" he leaned forward, his elbows on the wooden surface, and his hands rubbing together, "Yes. Once he saw this, a plan formed in his head. Maddie wasn't the only one he desired, Daniel was on his A-list, too."
"That night, they both had trances. I remember each one…vaguely."
There was a silence. ClockWork grew irritated, "Well?"
Dark Danny looked up at him, "These were private matters. I can't let them all go like this, I must have something to hang on to!"
There was the reluctance. He could not pull back any longer, he had an audience who was hanging on his every word, and he could not keep pausing like this.
"This is a confession, is it not?" demanded ClockWork, leaning over the table, bringing his face close to the older Danny's.
"Yes." He said shortly. His hand twitched, ClockWork could tell he was itching to shove him away.
"Then confess. Spill."
He rolled his eyes, and gave a disgusted 'ugh'.
"Are you?"
"I don't have to tell you another damned thing! I don't know why I wished to tell someone my secrets anyhow!" He stood, "I have things to destroy!" He stormed to the door, and ClockWork watched him calmly.
"You…I can help you, you know."
Dark Danny stopped. He looked back at the time spirit, "What…what did you say?"
"In return…I can help you."
You idiot! You were supposed to destroy him, not help him!
"How?"
"That will be explain in time…" he said, moving closer to his companion, "Once your story is complete."
He raised a brow, "Why should I trust you? Why would you help me, you nemesis, of all people!"
"Ghosts, I should think." He corrected, "You're lonely. You're dejected. And most of all," his eyes narrowed, a smile graced his lips, "You're sorry."
Taken aback, the ghoul clenched his gloves, "How-shut…" he snarled, moving towards the doorway out.
"I know what it's like to be alone." Said ClockWork, sighing, "Not to have a soul in the world to be with. The Observers…cold eyes, that's all they are. No one knows of my existence, no one except my foes, and, of course, you." ClockWork's crimson eyes dazzled a moment, and the surrogate was almost knocked on his side.
"Don't I fit in with the latter?"
"That remains to be seen…" he replied, inclining his head, "I need a friend…as well as you. Come. Sit. Tell me your story, and I will help you…tell me…about how you killed him."
An odd sort of "Tch" sound came from his throat. He pivoted on his heel; his face was contorted into shock and fear, though he tried to phase it back to neutral.
"Who?"
"Danny. You did kill him, did you not?"
"Yes!" he said, as if trying to convince himself." He's dead!"
ClockWork was beginning to suspect something, "Where…is he?"
"He's…" His reaction to everything: Anger, "Why's that so important? Other things happened! Anything! Ask me!"
"Just not that one thing, huh?" ClockWork moved forward, bringing a gloved hand down on the ghoul's shoulder. "He's haunting you, isn't he?"
There was that "Tch" sound. He jerked his shoulder away from ClockWork, or rather, tried. "How could a human boy haunt me?" he retorted, moving back towards the table.
"He's dead, is he not? Either he, himself, is doing it in his afterlife…or his memories and emotions are. Which one?"
Grunting, he sat down. He put his forehead to the table and gripped his hair, threatening to rip his own fire white hair loose.
"He didn't become a ghost!" he confessed, "The guilt from killing him is what's killing me!" he rolled his eyes, rising from the chair once again to pace, "Ironically!" he sighed again and again, trying to calm himself," I didn't…realize how much this was going to hurt." He said slowly," But I had to tell someone."
"Tell what? The accident?" said ClockWork, maintaining his aged form as he moved forward.
"No- well, yes. That, too. But…the day that made me what I am… I was born anew, and, and evil was what I assumed my path was…" he looked up suddenly, fiercely meeting ClockWork's gaze." Time master", said Dark Danny "Tell me. Am I a monster?"
Clockwork stared. "I-"
"Honestly, Clockwork." A ghost of a smile appeared on the phantom's lips. "As one would expect from a friend."
"Fr-". He stopped himself, smiling as well. "A monster could not possibly have a friend. So you, Danny, are no monster."
"Good," he decided, "Then shut up. I want to finish my story."
Chuckling, the old man replied, "Go on. You have all the time in the world."
"Because this place exists outside of time?" he inquired, almost playfully quoting himself.
"Of course."
"I'm about to tell you something you may not already know, Time Master."
"Not likely," said the tyke, flying around Danny to meet him eye-to-eye," I know everything."
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I hope you enjoyed it! But, please be honest. If you didn't like it, tell me so! There might have been some errors; I'm not perfect! I couldn't catch them after proofreading it a million times.
If you didn't understand the poem, I'll explain it now. I'M DOING REQUESTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS! If you have an idea, tell me in your review! If I'm familiar with the show or comic, I'll be glad to write it! It should be done by christmas time, and I'll e-mail or post it (your choice) if I can.
:Waves: Kyon-kyon!