Author's Note: I do not, in any way, own DP. Wish I did, but I don't. This chapter gets interesting, and introduces a couple more layers to the plot, so read on! Also, try and imagine that the ghost in this chapter has the same voice as the cartoon Luthor from Superman, and he'll seem even cooler.
I figured I'd get ch.7&8 in on the same day to make up for the fact that this is the official "Halloween" special of my fanfic, and I didn't get it in on Halloween! NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I'd like to thank the following for their reviews, and I apologize for not mentioning you in chapter 8:
the sleep warrior- I just put those little suspenseful moments there to drive you people up the wall. That and the hit count. You can never have too many hits. And stop bragging about the big spinny business chair. I have a spinny chair too you know. I'm spinning on it right now. WWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Ha! It's not a big fancy business chair but it gets the job done. Anyway, yes, I did update soon after chapter seven hit the net. I can't believe this doesn't have its own show either. I'd be known by many more people than I am now. And by the way, I think I did a good fight scene too.
By the way, sorry I couldn't get this in yesterday, and this will be the last update for about a week or so.
This chapter is pretty long, so for those of you who aren't complaining about a little extra reading, here you go!
Chapter 9 (Yurei, Shiro and Halloween Night)
"Okay, Tantarra," I taunted, "Now are we gonna make this easy, or real easy?" The response was instantaneous.
Tantarra charged at me, I ducked to the side. The trap was set.
"Now!" I roared at the top of my lungs. The sky was immediately filled with a wave of green missiles and nets. Tantarra stood no chance. Bundled up and returned to the Ghost Zone in five minutes flat. A new record on Team Yurei's part.
People had been surprised when the Yurei Ninja started appearing with a partner. They called her "Shiro Girl", or just Shiro, because her combat suit was white. To say the least we were becoming a town legend.
We even had t-shirts. T-SHIRTS, for the love of God! They wrote songs, books, animes, manga (which, by the way made me look very cool), and even a couple of movies on us from what little they knew. And if those were any indication, then they knew very little. Either way, we were a huge hit.
People would come from across the world just to see us. We dealt with the press too. We only answered a very few questions though, and just the very vague ones, nothing specific. As far as we knew, no one knew who we really were. As for classmates...
The girls thought Yurei was the hottest guy around, and they thought Shiro was the coolest. One of the female students in my art class drew and painted a wicked collage of us two, fighting various ghosts that had been seen on the news.
The guys, on the other hand, thought that Shiro Girl was gorgeous, and they both respected and envied Yurei.
They respected him because of his powers and reputation, and they envied him because at least eighty percent of the girls in the school, including a lot of the good-looking ones, thought Yurei was very, very attractive, both physically and according to the school foodchain.
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It was October 29th, and things were looking good already by second period. Midterms had been handed back to us, and I had passed with no less than a 75 among them, with an eighty-five average.
But what really made me happy were Tai's results. Relatively speaking he'd done better than me! He was beaming with pride when he learned that he'd gotten an even eighty-one as an average for his tests.
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"Morgan-san, I-" Tai was about to ask me, but I cut him off.
"Tai, please do me a favour," I said stoicly. He nodded and I continued, "Just call me Tir. You'll swell my head so much by calling me "Morgan-san" that I won't be able to get my hoodie on in the morning. Now, you were saying?"
"Mor- Tirrell, I would like to thank you for helping me with my studies over the past week. I could not have passed without your guidance."
"Hey, thanks Tai," I answered. "Is there something else on your mind? You seem a bit uneasy."
"For a blind man you see many things," Tai chuckled.
"I'm not blind, Tai. I just can't use my eyes. Now about that question?"
"Ah yes," he mused a bit awkwardly, "Are you-"
He was interrupted as a group of girls walked by. "Can we move somewhere we aren't going to be overheard?"
"Oh, sure," I replied, starting to wonder what he could ask me that required so much privacy.
He led me outside, just behind an old tree in front of the school. Then he sat me down under it.
"Tirrell, are you or are you not the Yurei Ninja?" the breath caught in my throat, and I momentarily choked on my own spittle.
After I gave myself a whack in the chest, I asked, "How did you figure it out?"
"Well, when you first told me to "cover" for you, I didn't know what you were talking about. But after you seemed to vanish and Yurei appeared seemingly out of nowhere, I put two and two together."
"So, when are the feds comin' for me?" I joked awkwardly.
"Tirrell, I have not, nor do I intend to reveal your secret identity to anyone," he assured me. I stared in his direction blankly, as if I could actually see him.
"Uh, can you hold that thought for a second?" Without waiting for a reply I ran for the cafeteria as fast as I could.
"HE WHAT!" Ronnie exclaimed after I'd given her the news. "Tir, we cannot let this get out. If it does, who knows what'll happen. We have to make sure that he doesn't tell anyone!"
"He's given me his word, Ronnie," I whispered after she'd calmed down a bit, "And as much as I can't believe I'm saying this, I think we can trust him."
I could feel Ronnie's eyes boring into me. It was not a good feeling.
"Fine, we'll let him go with it," she relented, "Though if it weren't for the fact that he's changed so drastically, I might try to find a way to mind-wipe him." Far-fetched as that sounds, I knew that Ronnie wasn't joking.
Last period. Friday. After a long, exhausting week. Just two days until Halloween and the school dance. Math. Need I say more about that living hell?
Either way, I was getting through it. We were just starting on the day's assignment when the door opened and Vice Principal Ishiya walked in.
"Please excuse me, Hashimi-san," she apologized to the teacher, "But I was wondering if you would mind a new student in your math class."
"Not at all. Bring him in," Mr.Hashimi said brightly.
"Actually, Hashimi-san, she can bring herself in," a young feminine voice answered as she stepped into the room. If her voice and the sound of jaws dropping was any indication, then this girl was the perfect sight for sore eyes.
"Very well then, Miss Kara Nami," Mr.Hashimi said a bit shamefacedly, reading her name off a slip of paper no doubt, "Would you please sit beside Morgan-san back there?"
I heard light footsteps approach me, then someone sat down lightly to my right.
I extended a hand in her direction and said, "Welcome to Ayamatzu High, truly one of the most low-budget and boring places to attend school."
I heard a giggle as my own hand was shaken in turn by a smooth, warm palm as Kara replied, "You are the class clown, then?"
Tai, who sat right in front of me, turned in his seat and quipped, "Nah, that's my job. He's my ventriloquist dummy."
"Ah, so we have Beavis and Butthead in the same class?" she countered, starting to giggle again.
Tai didn't answer, so I explained, "TV show back home about two idiots."
"Oh," Tai then chuckled a bit to himself. Class passed by pretty quickly after that. We talked quietly to each other while we worked. I learned that Kara had actually moved to Japan from Amity Park, though she had gone to a different preschool than me so we'd never met.
Like myself, she enjoyed karate, and if her tales proved true, then she would be testing for her black belt around the same time as me. She was an interesting girl. And she respected me, something most people only did with marginal generousity.
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"So you almost botched an entire math class making friends with the new girl?" Ronnie was asking me as we headed home. All things considered, she didn't have any homework, and neither did I, so we were both in high spirits.
"Exactly. She's smart, she's funny, she participates in karate-"
"And you're thinking of asking her to the Halloween dance," Ronnie cut in.
"And I'm thinking of ask- What!" I almost roared, "Ronnie I only just met the girl! Right now she's a new friend, and for the moment I like it that way."
"Whatever you say, lover boy," she taunted in her googly voice. No matter what else that girl does, the one thing she does that I cannot stand is the googly voice.
"Don't call me "lover b-" yes, you guessed it, my eyes sparked.
"Mission time, lover boy?" Ronnie prodded. I glared in her direction, then took cover behind a building and went ghost. She followed and in a second Team Yurei was in full operation.
"That way," I indicated off towards the older part of town. Within moments we were just outside an ancient Japanese mansion. The place seemed sturdy enough, but it still looked very old.
"Ready?" I asked. Ronnie nodded, and just as my foot came in contact with the door, I felt it. An enormous shockwave of pure ghost energy rippled out from the house.
It threw me a ways back, and when I got up, I realized that Ronnie hadn't been shifted so much as an inch.
"Okay, let's try that again," I murmured, drawing my dagger this time. I flew at the door as fast as I could. When the blade came in contact with the door, It almost seemed to bend the light around the door. I was then thrown back a second time.
"I hate ghost barriers, don't you?" I seethed as I got back to my feet again.
"Let me try Tir," Ronnie suggested. Before I could answer she barked, "Railguns fire!" The guns at her hips swiveled up, fired twin ghost-rays, and swiveled back into their places in about one second. There was a small explosion, then the door, now barely on its hinges, opened.
"After you," she offered. I stayed out on the front steps of the house for a moment longer, then entered. The place was dark and secluded. Cobwebs hung from every corner and rafter.
The floor creaked on my entering, and I heard a tiny squeak echo from up the rickety old stairs. Doors, long since rotted and torn away, left open gaps in the walls.
I took hold of Ronnie's shoulder, and we disappeared from natural sight. I phased us through the ceiling, and we searched the upstairs. We found nothing aside from a few old books.
All but one, "The Tome of Kitaiyou," fell to dust as soon as we touched them. The tome seemed a bit newer than the others, so that made sense.
"There's nothing up here," I whispered as my eyes sparked again, "But my eyes are still zapping in my sockets. If there is anything here, It's downstairs."
Ronnie nodded her assent, and I phased us back down to the main floor.
I tried to ghost us down into the basement, but once again we were met with a ghost barrier.
Ronnie tried her railguns again, but they weren't powerful enough.
"Great, just great," I groaned, "looks like we'll be stuck here forever, unable to find one stinking ghost."
"Not true, little brother," Ronnie answered, flipping a button on her visor. "I can set my visor to find the base point energy source of this barrier, then blast it with my ectos-net. Sound like a plan?"
"Good thing I asked you to join the team," I answered, "Let's get to it."
Very slowly she revolved arount the room, searching for the chink in the barrier's armor. "What kind of ghost, I wonder, could maintain a barrier this powerful? Why would it need to go to such great effort to keep everybody out?" I asked.
"Maybe it doesn't want everybody out, Tir," Ronnie answered, even though I hadn't actually asked her, "Found it. Ectos-net fire!"
There was a barrage of missiles and nets, and the barrier, as well as the floor, gave way.
"Well, that oughta get the attention of anyone within twenty miles," I remarked, "Now what do we have here?"
We descended into the pit. I held up my dagger, invoking its glowing energy, and shed some light on the place. Unused lampstands stood all over the place, along with a long line of pillars, marked with symbols and scrawls of various sorts.
We walked in between these pillars, staring in awe of what we saw before us. The place seemed even more ancient than the building above us.
Finally, at the end of the tunnel, two huge double doors, round in shape, stood bolted shut, and they too were covered in scrawl.
"I'm detecting serious ghost energies behind these doors," Ronnie observed, "and these seals appear to be holding back those energies. If those seals are removed, I don't know what will happen."
To our horror, one of the seals glowed blue, sparked, then burned up. Then another. Then another and another, until they were all gone.
"All weapon systems auto target next ghost signal. Fire on command." My dagger was in hand, ready to be used at any moment. Then, the warmth started draining from the room.
A huge tremor of fear spasmed down my spine, and something slammed against the other side of the doors. To our horror, it struck again, and again. I floated ever so slightly into the air, then drew back my dagger for the lethal strike. Finally, the door burst. And all hell broke loose.
First, Ronnie's railguns and ectosnet went off. Missiles and nets arced through the air, as did the high-powered energy beams from her railguns. Next her sniper fired a Zone beam, a beam of pure ectoplasm that acts as a temporary Ghost Portal. Finally, when the smoke and dust cleared, there appeared to be nothing there. Nothing save a permanent Ghost Portal.
"Uh, sis, we've gotta shut this thing down," I murmured. She nodded, and as I used an energy blast from my dagger, her railguns fired. The two blasts seemed to intertwine, and when they finally came in contact with the portal, it was no small shockwave that hit us.
When a second wave of dust and ectoplasm died down, the portal was gone.
"Well, that's a relief," I sighed as we turned to go.
"INSOLENT FOOLS! YOU HAVE DESTROYED THE WAY TO MY LAIR! NOW YOU SHALL PAY FOR IT WITH YOUR AFTERLIVES!"
There, standing in front of us, was an enormous ghost. Its eyes glowed red, and it bore the appearance of a half-dead samurai. Its armor was grey, its face black, and on one hip it bore an enormous katana in a blood-red sheath. "I AM KITAIYOU, THE ARCHSPIRIT OF FEAR. YOU HAVE RELEASED ME FROM MY PRISON. NOW YOU, AND ALL THE WORLD, SHALL PAY!"
"Can I ask what you're doing here? What, you couldn't get the Fright Knight to show?"
"NAH, HE'S BOOKED UP IN SOME TOWN IN NORTH AMERICA. I'M JUST FILLING IN."
"Really?" I asked incredulously.
"NO."
"Ah. I had a feeling you'd say that."
"AS I WAS SAYING," Kitaiyou hissed, "I AM GOING TO DESTROY YOUR WORLD, AND WARP IT UNTO MY WILL."
"Not on my time, pal," I barked as I charged forward. In a split second Kitaiyou drew his sword, caught my dagger under the hilt and disarmed me, all in one movement.
I tried to throw a punch but he kneed me in the gut, and I collapsed to my knees.
Just as he was about to finish me I heard something go off, and a second later Ronnie's whole arsenal caught him in the chest, ECTOS-NET and all. A grey form shot out of the smoke and Kitaiyou, almost totally unaffected by Ronnie's efforts, brought his sword down hard on Ronnie.
Just as it seemed I was an only child there was a loud clang, and Kitaiyou, no matter how hard he pushed, couldn't force Ronnie's anti-ghost sword wielding hands down any further.
With a roar Ronnie heaved herself to one side and twisted her sword in the opposite direction.
Kitaiyou's blade struck the ground with a loud clang. Kitaiyou never saw her roundhouse kick coming. It caught him square in the head and threw him to one side.
"Now!" She yelled.
"Kassil!" I barked, and just as my spell struck its mark I felt as though I'd been hit with a bus.
"FOOLISH CHILD," Kitaiyou bellowed, "DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT I COULD BE SO EASILY SNARED BY SUCH A WEAK POWER AS YOURS? YOU HAVEN'T EVEN FOUND YOUR MEDIUM YET, AND YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME? HA! I'LL BE AROUND." Before we could stop him, Kitaiyou was gone.
"That is the first ghost we haven't been able to capture as a team," Ronnie said as she helped me up, "You okay? You seem a little spacy."
"Me? Oh, it's nothing," I lied through my teeth, "By the way, can I look through some of those ghost books of yours? There's something I need to check on."
"Medium: an ancient form of energy that involves the channeling of a ghost's energies." Oh well that explains why I haven't found one," I said sarcastically to myself as I sulked in my room, "Now how am I supposed to defeat Kitaiyou?"
I heard a knock on my door. "Come in," I called. I knew it was Ronnie coming through the door because her knock, "dum do do do do doo doo doo," is more complex than mom's simple three-knock warning.
"I found something you might want to see here," she indicated to the book we'd found in Kitaiyou's mansion. Before I could answer she plopped down on my bed beside me and flipped to a page marked, "Tales of Kitaiyou." Just on the opposite side of the title, there was a piece of Japanese script. Translated, it goes something like this:
If Kitaiyou is freed
And his powers reformed
Then the world shall need
A goodness unborn.
Between medium and darkness,
The end shall draw near,
But who then can see
When the future is here?
"Over six hundred years ago, during the feudal age of Japan, there arose a famous shogun, Fukashin Hitori. He held a very great influence over Japan, especially Hokkaido and northern Honshu. But he himself was not the main reason for his great influence."
"His king daggers, or tanken-kai, were several hundred of his greatest, most skilled samurai, and of these, Kinto Taiki, nicknamed Kitaiyou by his swordbrothers, was the foremost."
"He was among the most skilled and powerful of samurai, said to fight with the spirit of jissen (or fire) and the power of a mountain. There were very few who could withstand the ferocity of his sword, the Taisencha, which was said to have been forged in the fires of Mount Fuji.
"After they had cleansed the land of most, if not all raiders and marauders, the lands that Hitori held enjoyed some degree of peace. Naturally, Kitaiyou and his fellows did not enjoy this peace.
"Eventually, they caused an uprising, and tried to overthrow Hitori and rule his land themselves."
"They were among the most skilled and spirited of samurai, but they were still heavily outnumbered and eventually thwarted just outside the gates of Hitori's castle."
"Kitaiyou, having led the uprising, was put under death and banishment, whilst his men were merely forced to commit seppuku, or ritual suicide. Their bodies were cremated, then buried under the house we visited earlier today."
"Great, just great," I murmured, "Now we've got a six hundred year old samurai, perhaps one of the greatest samurai ever born, on the loose."
"Oh, don't get down on yourself Tir," she soothed as she got up to leave, "I couldn't do anything to him either. He's just too powerful."
"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" I asked, eyeingly my sister sarcastically.
"We'll get him, Tir," she said as she left. That thought in my head, I decided to turn in for the night.
The next day I found out that Kara was in more than just my math class. In Science, Japanese Language arts, and phys ed. I also enjoyed her presence. I also learned that she was very quick on her toes.
There was a light whoosh as a ball flew past my head. Of all the actual games we play as warmups, I will never like another more than dodgeball.
Tai was on the opposite team, throwing balls with pinpoint accuracy. Every time someone raised a hand against him, they were twarted immediately with a spongeball to the torso, arm, leg or otherwise, all save the head.
The gym had gone quiet. He was the only one standing. And so was I.
A ball came at my stomach, and I dodged to one side. Another shot towards my leg. Instantly my whole leg whipped up and out of the way, evading the blow by a hairsbreadth.
"Hey Fenbutsu-san, you're gonna have to do better than that!" I taunted.
"If I did any better than that, Morgan-san," he called back, whipping two balls at once, one at my torso and the other at my legs, "You'd be on the ground."
"Oh please!" I yelled as I jumped into the air to evade the ball to my legs.
Just as the second ball closed on me I flipped backwards and down, actually kicking the ball high into the air. I heard it slam against the higher end of the wall, then the roof.
I did a quick mental calculation, then rushed forward. I did two consecutive front flips, then I leapt into the air over Tai's head. As I knew it would happen, the ball I had kicked a second before landed perfectly in my hand.
I brought my arm over my head, but just as I was going to release it, I heard a blunt "slap" as another ball struck Tai. He was already sitting by the time I landed. A moment's silence, then we actually got applause.
"Nice distraction Tir," Kara called out as she approached me.
"Glad to help, even if I'm the drumstick in the trap," I said jovially.
She giggled at this, then asked, "Hey Tir, you know the Halloween dance is tomorrow, right?"
"Uh, yeah, why do you ask?" I inquired, expecting the answer she gave me.
"Well, since I'm new here, it would probably be pretty hard for me to get a date, so could you come?"
I think my face must have paled slightly, because she added quickly, "Just as friends though, okay?"
"Uh, okay," I answered, "When can I pick you up?"
"Quarter to seven good?" she asked.
"Actually, when I asked if I could pick you up, I'd forgotten that I'd never even been to your house before. Could I walk you home this afternoon to get an idea of where you live?"
"Oh, sure," she replied, "I'd be happy to."
"Great!" I yelled, jumping up and throwing my fists into the air. I then realized what I was doing and said, "Uh, I mean, okay. See ya!"
"So karate is cancelled tomorrow night then?" Kara asked as we jogged to her house. Something I realized I could do, not long after Kitaiyou had eluded our grasp, was that I could I could actually invoke the sight I had in ghost-mode while in human form.
There was one drawback though. While doing this, I couldn't see anything that was living, so I could see Kara's clothes, but not Kara herself. That and everything had more of a greyish tinge to it than I remembered.
"Yup. Sensei Yamato doesn't like the idea, but since everyone's going to be busy, he gave in. I don't think he'll even need a costume to be scary tonight."
She laughed, then said, "Here's my street. The numbers are a little blurred, but you should be able to pick them out."
It was at that point that I realized that I hadn't told her I was blind. While mentally slapping myself I memorized the street corner and resumed following her.
Her house was the fifth one from the corner, and it was almost identical to mine.
"See ya tomorrow," she said as she walked up to the porch. Just as I was walking home, my eyes went off. "Aw, man," I whined as I ran behind a dumpster and transformed.
Following experience I flew for the nearest intersection. My hunch was correct. Kitaiyou was there.
Using the two-way radio I had in my ear I contacted its twin, which was in Ronnie's ear.
"Yurei to Shiro, we've got a code 47 at intersection 3, do you copy? over."
"Shiro to Yurei, I copy. I'll be over in a few minutes. Hold him down until I get there. over."
"Roger that," I finished. Drawing my weapon of war, I descended on my armored foe.
What looked like smoke was emerging from every person in range, and it was being absorbed into Kitaiyou's hands.
"GIVE ME YOUR FEAR, HUMANS. FOR IN THAT FEAR LIES MY OMNIPOTENCE!" I struck like a cobra.
Three vicious kicks to Kitaiyou's head, and one dagger-blast sent him reeling. I leapt into the air, and roared as I brought my blade down for the lethal stroke. There was a huge clang as Kitaiyou's sword met my dagger. He was ticked, no doubt.
"FOOLISH CHILD! I'LL CARVE YOU UP AND SPIT YOU BEFORE I'M DONE WITH THIS PLANET!"
"Now see, that might be harder than you'd think," I grinned.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHELP?" Kitaiyou asked harshly.
I pointed behind him, just in time for him to see the huge semi slam into him. I simply went intangible and it passed right through me.
I flew over to the wreckage in an attempt to locate and then banish Kitaiyou, but he was already gone. Cursing under my breath, I removed the semi-driver from the semi and flew off.
"So, lover boy has a date for the dance tomorrow," Ronnie taunted me the minute I stepped in the front door.
"At least I have a date," I countered effectively. Ronnie growled momentarily, then led me up to her room.
"So, refresh my memory sis, but you're coming to the dance, with or without a date?" I asked.
"Exactly," she answered bluntly, "I need to keep an eye on you two, you know."
"Oh please. We're just friends, and I'm just showing her the ropes, that's it," I explained.
"Just don't start showing her the wrong ropes, wildcat," she taunted. I stormed out of the room without another word.
"So Tir," Kara asked as I was at my locker the afternoon before the dance, "What are you going as for the dance? Costumes get in at half price."
"I'll just leave everybody guessing on my guise at the last minute, then I'll scare the pants off them with my costume's great accuracy and significance. How about you?"
"Let's just say you're brain will freeze up at the mere sight of me," she replied as she walked off down the hall.
"You, Tirrell C. Morgan, are a worm," I whispered to myself, "A gutless, slimy, courageless little worm."
I was totally ready for the Halloween dance. In a manner of speaking I'd decided to go as myself, dawning my white raiment.
I hid my dagger inside my one wrist, so that it wouldn't easily be discovered. At the moment I was standing on Kara's doorstep, still trying to summon up the courage to knock.
I took a few deep, cleansing breaths and told myself, "She's just a friend, and you're just going to the dance as friends. This is not a date, and she is not your girlfriend."
Just as I was finally ready to knock the door opened for me, and my heart stopped beating in my chest.
Her now blue and white-streaked hair had been cut until it was just down to her shoulders, then combed and gelled into perfect curves that extended back from her face.
Blue bat earrings hung from each ear, and her skin was pale, with one tiny mole drawn on the left side of her mouth. Curved fangs and bright red lips made her look especially vampiric, as did her cool blue eyes.
A sapphire necklace hung around her neck, adorned with patterns of twisted gold. Long silken gloves extended from just below her shoulders down to the ends of her delicate fingertips. A long, dark blue dress with a slit down each thigh, as well as the ankle bracelets and blue heels she was wearing really added to the mystique.
"So ninja-boy, how do I look?" she asked, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.
"Like a vampiric princess, ready for the night," I replied. "Does this vampire mind her escort being a Ghost Ninja?"
"Not at all, now let's head for that party," She exclaimed, grabbing me by the wrist and sprinting for the school, almost dragging me in her wake.
"So Yurei," Tai, doing a fairly good job of being a zombie samurai, asked, "Had your ecto-goo sucked yet?"
"Nah, I think she's saving me for her main course," I answered, slapping Tai a high-five, "I like the broken crest and half-skeleton face, by the way. Nice touch."
"You are too kind. Naturally, Your costume is the greater of the two," he conceded.
"Oh, well thanks, though you're not looking too bad yourself," I complimented him, "So, shall we hit the buffet?"
A fair few heads turned as we entered the gym. I removed my mask and shouted, "Relax people, it's just me." Most nodded and then resumed whatever it was that they had been doing. Others, however, kept staring inconsiderately at Kara.
"So Kara, want some punch?" I asked over the music as we headed to the buffet table.
"Thanks," she said.
"Orange, kiwi, grape, apple or strawberry?" I asked again as I looked at the large variety of drinks.
"Strawberry please," she replied as I poured her a cup.
"I'll just have the same, and- ooooohhh! I didn't know they had nachos and kettle chips!" I exclaimed as I rushed off towards the other end of the table.
"No one's even touched the jalapeno and cheddar chips, or the cayenne and parmesan nachos. And how on earth could they refuse pure, one hundred-percent habanero salsa?" I asked as I scooped up a combination of all three and savoured the intense heat in my mouth.
In my opinion, if it doesn't give you the feeling that there's a party in your mouth and everybody's trigger happy with flamethrowers, it just ain't spicy.
"So wildcat, how's the date going?" Ronnie taunted as I turned around, dressed as Shiro Girl, "And are you eating three of the spiciest substances on earth right now?"
"I know, and nobody had even touched them yet," I replied gratefully, "Chose to dress as yourself too, eh?"
"The only thing I could find, buddy boy," she replied, "Just don't press your date there too hard."
"Why do you say that?" I inquired.
"Because she's standing right behind you," Ronnie grinned as I whipped around and was confronted with the smiling face of Kara.
"A double team?" I asked indignantly, "Oh come on, that is so not fair."
Both girls grinned diabolically as Kara dragged me off in the direction of the dance floor.
I tell ya, that girl can dance! Leaping, flipping, spinning, ducking, dodging, weaving, she was by far the fastest and most impressive thing on the floor. Then she came at me.
I wasn't sure whether she was dancing or sparring with me, but she was doing it well. We kicked and struck at each other, until she deflected my simultaneous kick/punch combination and placed a hand on my shouder, indicating we should stop. I was relieved, because I was out of breath, while she breathed lightly, having enjoyed herself greatly.
"Nicely done," I complimented her.
"You were pretty quick yourself, Ninja boy," she grinned slyly.
"Well thanks I-" a huge jolt shot across my eyes, and a split second later, a giant beast of black flames burst through the gym wall. I didn't have to look for a second to know that it was Kitaiyou.
While everyone was distracted by this beast, I returned my mask to its place and flew at the monster for all I was worth. My dagger shot from my wrist, into my palm, and I released three huge dagger blasts in quick succession.
Kitaiyou was knocked back several paces, out onto the front lawn of the school. I followed immediately.
His armor was a bright red now, not quite the blood red of his Taisencha, but it was still very noticeable.
"FOOLISH CHILD!" his huge, warped voice grated, "MY TAISENCHA WILL DESTROY YOU!"
His huge sword whipped out of its sheath and came down with savage speed. I flew to one side as a huge blast of red energy exploded from his sword, blowing a huge crater in the earth where I had been a few seconds previous.
I took the opportunity to sprint up his arm as fast as I could. As I reached his shoulder I leapt, aiming a blast of energy for his head. His left arm whipped up and out, trying to catch me. I just phased through it and fired.
There was an awesome explosion as my attack collided with his face, and he was knocked backwards. A huge roar rippled across the front of the school. Both Kitaiyou and myself stared as the entire school, teachers included, cheered my name.
"AH, MY FOOD WANDERS SO WILLINGLY INTO MY GRASP," Kitaiyou said pleased with this turn of events, "FEAR ME, REALM OF THE LIVING!"
He extended his hand, and again dark wisps of smoke came from everyone there. To my horror, Kitaiyou grew larger, and his armor darker, until it matched his sheath perfectly.
"AH, THAT WILL DO IT," he groaned contentedly, "NOW I MUST BRING FORTH MY TRUE POWER, AND THIS WORLD WILL BE MINE!"
He cloaked himself, and was gone.
"Kk, Yurei to Shiro, Yurei to Shiro, do you copy, kk, over?"
"Kkk, Shiro to Yurei, Shiro to Yurei, kk, I read you loud and clear, kk, over."
"Kk, good. I've got a code 47 over here, kk, waiting for serious backup, kk, over."
"Kk, I'll be there in a minute, kk, just give me some air, kk, over."
"Kk, roger that. Over and out."
A minute later we were both flying at breakneck speed for the ancient building where we'd first encountered Kitaiyou.
"What's the plan?" Ronnie asked as we landed outside the old mansion.
"I fly in for the distraction, you scan for weakpoints, then hit him with everything you've got."
"That's not a plan!"
"Too late, let's go!" I hissed as we headed for the open door.
"Mind if I cut in?" I asked as I descended to basement level in order to confront my ample adversary, then the breath caught in my chest.
The number of pillars in the room had considerably lessened, and as Kitaiyou's enormous claws released two more, they glowed blue for a second, then vanished.
"FOOLISH CHILD! I WAS GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN MYSELF, BUT YOU HAVE BROUGHT THE MEAL INTO MY WAITING MOUTH."
"We'll see about that," I barked as I leapt into the air and swung a ferocious blow to Kitaiyou's shoulder.
"IT IS FOOLISH TO TRY AND STOP ME, CHILD. AN UNDERDEVELOPED WHELP HAS NO CHANCE AGAINST A SAMURAI OF MY POWER."
He was unphased by my blow. I tried again and again, but each time he just ignored my blows and continued dissolving his pillars.
"I CANNOT BE STOPPED CHILD. YET YOU PERSIST, EVEN IF IT BRINGS ABOUT YOUR DESTRUCTION ALL THE SOONER. WHY IS THAT?"
"Because my purpose in this world is to stop slimeballs like you. That's why!" I roared as I struck again, applying even more force to my blows. Kitaiyou seemed to have had enough with me, and grasped me like a tiny creature in his iron grip.
"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INSOLENCE, WRETCH," he growled as he threw me to the ground. A huge crater marked where I fell.
I got back to my feet, trying to keep myself from collapsing with exhaustion.
"DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY WARRIORS I HAD AT MY BACK SIX HUNDRED YEARS AGO, WHELP?"
"Five hundred," I answered angrily, "What does it matter anyway, they're all-" It hit me like a tidalwave.
"You came back to gain the power of their spirits! Each of these pillars marks the burial place of one of them, so all you have to do is absorb each pillar in order to-"
"RULE SUPREME OVER THIS PLANET. VERY GOOD, WHELP, I WAS WONDERING WHEN YOU'D FINALLY FIGURE IT OUT." Looking around I realized that there was perhaps three pillars left.
I could feel the enormous power pulsing in waves from Kitaiyou's enormous form.
"I won't let you do this!" I roared, the fight returning to me, "I will stop you if it kills me, Kitaiyou."
I released a harsh cry as I raised my arms and released an enormous blast of energy.
"FOOLISH CHILD," Kitaiyou murmured to himself as he held up a hand to stop my attack. His grim onfidence was instantly replaced with a roar of pain as, to our great surprise, my attack blew his hand to pieces.
A split second later, energy beams, ghost rays and missiles rained down on the severed appendage like rain. Kitaiyou roared and howled with pain as his other arm fired an energy blast that knocked the wind out of me and Ronnie out of consciousness.
Kitaiyou absorbed the final pillar just as I caught my breath back.
"NOW, CHILD, YOU SHALL FACE THE UNFATHOMABLE WRATH OF MY HORDE."
Kitaiyou grew dark, as shadows flickered and separated from him, forming upon the ground before me. Within moments, Kitaiyou was normal sized once more, and I was surrounded by five hundred dead, angry-looking samurai.
"FEAST ON HIS FEAR, MY BROTHERS! SHOW HIM THE WRATH OF THE TANKEN-KAI!" My dagger proved invaluabe against this new threat. Thrusting, kicking, parrying, punching, slashing, blocking and giving a good account of myself all around, many of them fell into ruin under the withering wrath of my blade and body. As I grew tired, my attacks grew more vicious.
I was a blur of pure energy as my towering rage surfaced in the form of my seering energy blades. As I vaporized the last of them, Kiatiyou came at me fiercely.
My numbed hands were shocked so badly by his blow that they nearly dropped my dagger. His knee dug viciously into my stomach as his fist slammed into my jaw, propelling me backwards.
"YOU ARE NOT EVEN WORTH THE EFFORT TO ME ANYMORE, WHELP. PERHAPS I SHOULD JUST FINISH YOU NOW AND BE DONE WITH IT."
"I am not finished," I growled, "No matter what you may think or do."
"NOT FINISHED? MY BOY YOU ARE DEFENSELESS, BEATEN AND PIG-HEADED. YOU CANNOT HOPE TO BE ANYTHING ELSE."
"I don't care," I rasped, "It will take much more than you to finish me."
"YOU ARE ALONE, WHELP. AND ONE ALONE CANNOT EVEN HOPE TO STAND AGAINST ME."
He's right, I murmured to myself, You are alone.
You are not alone, my son, a strange, yet familiar voice said faintly, I am, and will always be with you.
I felt something pulsing in my hands, and they were gripping the handle of my dagger, now sheathed, like iron.
"ALL TOO EASY," Kitaiyou chuckled as his blade came crashing down on me. Suddenly, time seemed to slow down.
Kitaiyou's blade fell, ready to spill its first blood in six hundred years. My right arm, the one wielding my blade, drew my weapon from its sheath. A loud clang sounded throughout the chamber, clashing and slamming off the walls over and over, singing our wrathful battesong.
As the dust and sparks from our attacks cleared, I beheld a great white blade, longer than the arm that held it. I stared up at Kitaiyou, his jaw slack.
He stepped back a pace as I rose to my feet, blade still extended in a block.
Ever so slowly a malicious grin spread across my face as I grated, "Ready for Round Two?"
He turned and ran. Ran as fast as his ghostly-legs would carry him.
I lowered my sword to my left side, then swept it out in a sideways arc, unleashing a blast of pure energy unlike anything I'd every seen before.
As the attack closed on its target, I chanted, imbuing my wrath with its greatest power.
"If Kitaiyou is freed,
And his powers reformed,
Then the world shall need
A goodness unborn."
"Between medium and darkness
The end shall draw near,
But who then can see
When the future is HERE!"
I roared the last word to my sealing spell, just as it closed on my prey.
Long after the dust had cleared and I realized that Kitaiyou was gone, Ronnie clapped me on the shoulder and said those three wonderful words, "Let's go home."
What a nice way to end my Halloween special. Tir gets a new ghost power, one of the greatest ghosts in existence is back under seal, and I almost get this on the web on Halloween. Yes! Yes! Hahahaha!