WoM- I think my computer's PMSing or something… Well, it's either that or Technus has decided to retaliate for all the times I called him lame. 'Grumbles' Heed my advice; If you more or less live on the computer, never insult someone who had absolute control over all things electronic and beeping.
Danny: (To Valerie) Head for a door, any door. Sometimes they're portals between the Ghost Zone and Earth.
(Valerie opens the door and a train starts coming towards them)
Danny: Not that door! (They quickly slam it shut)
Valerie: Then maybe you should have been more specific, huh!
Chapter 10; Hunting for Survival
"Valerie?" Phantom said, surprise clear in his voice as the ghost hunter awarded off the attackers. "What are you doing? I told you to take Heather and leave!"
"You're welcome," Valerie said dryly. "And don't think you can tell me what to do, Ghost boy!" Phantom raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything else to the ghost hunter as they fought off the Yovven.
"Hey, Valerie?" Phantom called to her as he punched one of the Yovven, "Any ideas? I don't think this'll keep us alive much longer…"
"I'm kind of working on it as I go along," Valerie admitted as she threw the last of the knives and backed away from the advancing Yovven. It was only when her back met Phantom's that she realized they'd been surrounded.
"Think you can work a little faster?" Phantom asked pointedly as the monsters continued to press forward. "Like BEFORE we end up dinner?"
"Hey, I'm only human, pal," Valerie snapped, glowering at the ghost.
"Hasn't stopped you before," Phantom pointed out dryly.
"I'm gonna ignore that until I know it's safe to hit you," Valerie said, glaring at him from the corner of her eye. Then she turned grimly back to the monsters.
'He's right though,' She thought to herself, 'I've never let it stop me before… so why now?'
"Look for anything we can use as a weapon," She told Phantom, her eyes scanning to do the same. "If we can find something, we might be able to clear a path and make a break for it."
"Way ahead of you there," Phantom said. "But I don't see anything. Not even a rock!" Valerie sighed.
"Same here…" She admitted as the Yovven drew closer. "Think you can at least pull off intangibility?" Phantom frowned glancing over the crowd that as getting closer and closer.
"Maybe…" He said doubtfully before his eyes widened. "DUCK!"
Both Phantom and Valerie dived away to avoid getting impaled by one of the monster's claws. Valerie growled in annoyance as she crawled underneath one of the Yovven, then rolled to avoid getting stomped on by another.
'This is getting us nowhere fast,' She thought frustrated as she flipped back to her feet and backed up to avoid another Yovven.
"You still alive out there, Phantom?" She called out before she considered her wording.
"I think so," Phantom responded from somewhere left of Valerie, "You?"
"Barely," Valerie sighed in frustration.
'I'm running out of time…' She thought desperately, 'I've got less then an hour on the clock, and there's no way I'll get outta here…' Valerie was starting to feel very foolish. Why had she allowed herself to come back of it only meant that both of them would die instead of just Phantom alone? 'But… I couldn't just leave him there… Not after everything he's done for me…' Valerie sighed.
Why was it that it was only during times of dire danger upon her life that her conscious started to act up like this?
"What's that?"
Valerie jumped at the question, surprised to find Phantom at her side. Apparently he had managed to work his way through the crowd of Yovven to find her again. The ghost hunter didn't know what he was talking about at first until it reached her ears too.
"Is that cheering?" She asked, frowning around in confusion to find the source. Phantom's eyes widened.
"No…" He said softly. "It's a battle-cry!" Listening closely, Valerie realized the ghost was right. And it wasn't just any battle cry either…
"It's the humans!" Valerie realized, pointing at the advancing army as they met the Yovven head on. It didn't take long for her eyes to find Treya, and her lips pursed when she did.
She had yet to forget the girl's deception, after all…
"Go on ahead," One of the humans called out to them as they drew close, "Treya will lead you up the pass, go now while there's a chance!"
'More like Treya will lead me right over a cliff so she can get her claws into Danny,' Valerie thought sullenly. Her eyes widened when something hit her, 'Wait, I didn't just call Phantom Danny… did I?' She never referred to people she didn't like by their first names. Never.
"Thanks!" Phantom called out to him grabbing Valerie's wrist and racing through the path the newcomers had cleared for them. Valerie stumbled at first before she matched his pace with her own strides, well aware that Phantom still had a grip on her wrist.
"This way!" Treya yelled, waving to them from the entrance of the mountain pass. "Hurry! You're running out of time!" Valerie and Phantom picked up the pace, not slowing as they rushed past Treya and into the mountains, and barely noticing her following them in…
"That was certainly a trip," Phantom announced grimly about ten minutes later when the three of them finally slowed their pace. They didn't stop, there wasn't time for that, but they weren't running anymore.
"Tell me about it," Valerie said, making a face, "That's the last time I save your butt, Phantom, remember that!"
"But it was so much fun!" Phantom told her, turning to the ghost hunter with a wide-eyed, innocent expression. Valerie didn't miss the glint in his eyes and the slight curl of his lips that ruined the look, though.
"Maybe for you," She snorted, "And can you be serious for more then three seconds?" Phantom blinked at her, cocking his head.
"Well, how about this," He said, smiling at her slightly, "Thanks for coming back for me." Valerie blushed, though she wasn't completely sure why.
"I was just returning the favor, alright?" She said, tearing her eyes away from Phantom's. "For the other time, when I got knocked out. You saved me then, and I saved you now. We're even,"
"Well, thanks anyways," Phantom insisted.
"Ahem!" Treya cleared her throat pointedly. "Sorry to interrupt such a cozy moment, but are you two going to hold hands all the way up the mountain?" Phantom and Valerie's eyes drew down to where Phantom still had the ghost hunter's wrist captured in his grasp, and the ghost-boy blushed vividly and drew his hand away as if he'd been poisoned.
"I was just, ah…" Danny babbled with a nervous laugh. "Yeah, maybe I should…"
"Hey, Phantom?" Valerie cut off the poor boy's nervous gibber. "Think you can go ahead and check on Heather for me? I don't think I have the energy to go after her myself."
"Need some help?" Phantom asked, sounding concerned.
"Just check on Heather," Valerie sighed, "I don't like her being off on her own,"
"Got it," Phantom said with a nod. He flew off to go ahead, his path a little shaky from lack of energy but he was at least able to make it out of Valerie's line of sight. And once he had, Valerie turned to take care of the real business at hand.
'SLAP!'
Treya gasped in surprise, lurching away from Valerie and holding her cheek, which was already starting to turn red and would probably start stinging soon.
"Are you insane?" The girl hissed, still gripping her face, "What on earth-?"
"You lied to me," Valerie growled, "You said that is we left Phantom here and went back to our own dimension, he'd just come back on his own, but that wasn't true, was it?" The ghost hunter glared at Treya who merely frowned back.
"I did," She said, not sounding too bothered by the confession. Valerie's eyes narrowed.
"Lemme guess, you were gonna tell him that I knew and went on ahead without him anyways too, weren't you?" She accused the other girl coldly.
"Probably," Treya admitted, "If he felt there was no one back in his home dimension waiting for him, he'd be more eager to lend his talents to our cause."
"I don't believe you…" Valerie said, disgust coloring her tone. "You were actually gonna set him up like that for your own selfish-!"
"I was doing it for my people," Treya said, her eyes icy as she returned Valerie's glare. "I will do ANYTHING for my people."
"How noble," Valerie sneered, "It'd seem a lot more respectable is 'anything' didn't include lying to an innocent person to get him to help you!"
"Since when did you consider Phantom innocent?" Treya asked, raising an eyebrow, "I thought you hated him."
'So did I…' Valerie thought softly to herself.
"That doesn't mean I'll let you use him like that," Valerie snapped. "Nobody should fight for something based on another person's lies like that."
Valerie didn't know what she'd do if she found out she was fighting someone else's cause just because they tricked her… but she knew for a fact that is she didn't kill the person who lied to her, she'd at least come as close as possible to doing so.
"What else could I do?" Treya demanded. "We're losing. We need all the help we can get."
"Then help yourself," Valerie snapped, "It's what I did. I'm not standing around waiting for Phantom or anyone else to hold my hand and take all the blows for me, lady, and you should try and do the same."
"I'm only human," Treya said, glaring at Valerie. Valerie frowned, a little unsettled at having her own words thrown back at her like that, and before she knew what was happening, she was already forming her response.
"Hasn't stopped you before,"
"Took you long enough!" Valerie scowled back at Heather's smirk.
Valerie and Treya had finally caught up with Phantom and Heather, both of which were waiting for them outside a small hut on the side of the mountain. It was a very modest place, and the ghost hunter couldn't help but doubt that it was the right one even as she turned to retaliate for that remark.
"Watch it, kid," she warned. "I'm not in the mood to kick your butt right now."
"Like you'd have the guts to try," Heather snorted. "All I'd have to do is tell my uncle and he'd fail you for good!"
"Right now, my grade in English is the last thing on my mind…" Valerie warned the girl with a dark look.
"Is this the place?" Phantom asked Treya, also eyeing the house skeptically.
"This is it," Treya confirmed, walking forward with her smooth, confident strides, "Come on, I'll introduce you," Phantom, Heather and Valerie all moved to obey (Though Phantom and Valerie were both a little reluctant) when Phantom stopped short, looking confused and a little concerned.
"What happened to your cheek?" He asked Treya, "It looks like someone hit you…" Valerie smirked slightly to herself at Treya's unreadable look.
"…It's nothing," Treya said evenly, "I just fell against the mountain is all. I'm fine, though. Thank you for being concerned for me." Phantom frowned at Treya for a moment before his eyes darted over to Valerie in an almost suspicious way, but he said nothing.
Still, Valerie didn't miss the amusement in his eyes.
'Smirk all you want, buddy,' Valerie thought sullenly, 'I might've stood up for ya, but that doesn't mean I have to admit it.'
"Hello, Treya," The ghost hunter's attention was diverted by the new voice, and her jaw dropped at the sight of the source.
Standing at the door of the hut, dressed in simple white robes with long, flowing hair that was such a dark shade of violet it was nearly black, was a beautiful, noble looking woman.
It she had to wager a guess, Valerie would've never thought the woman was over twenty. She was obviously the source of much of Treya's beauty, but she seemed far more awe-inspiring then her human granddaughter.
"Grandmother," Treya said, bowing low to the woman.
"You've brought guests," The woman said softly, eying the three of them knowingly.
"Yes, Grandmother," Treya confirmed. "They need-!"
"I know," The immortal cut the girl off, "And I know of all of your actions since you first cam here." She looked pointedly at Treya. "All of them."
Heather and Phantom exchanged confused looks as Valerie smirked triumphantly and Treya flinched slightly. Valerie couldn't say she was to sorry for the girl, who was obviously in trouble.
"Wait, you knew we were here?" Heather asked, sounding irritated. "Then why didn't you help us sooner!"
"Heather!" Valerie growled in warning, though she was wondering the same thing. Still, she wasn't about to blow everything now that they were so close.
"I needed to test you three first," The woman explained. "The only one I'm under any obligation to assist is Danny. I wanted to make sure you two were willing and able to both stand on your own and protect those near you,"
"And…?" Heather asked.
"Hea-ther!" Valerie hissed, blushing. Treya's grandmother laughed.
"Yes," she said, smiling "You pass. Both of you." She turned to enter the hut, "Come along, we don't have much time left…" exchanging looked, Phantom, Heather and Valerie all followed obediently as Treya and her grandmother led them inside.
All three stopped dead at the sight of the inside of the hut.
It seemed to stretch on forever in all directions, a mass of glowing marble and flickering candles. Statues and paintings decorated the floor and walls, and large marble columns held a stain glass ceiling over their head.
"…You know, I'm actually too tired and rushed to even ask." Phantom announced dryly. Valerie agreed with the ghost mentally, but the only physical reaction he got from her was a sharp tug on the wrist as she dragged him after the disappearing women.
"I've already set everything up for you three." Treya's grandmother said, coming to stop at too large black doors. "step through here and you'll be back in Clockwork's dimension."
"Really?" Heather said, brightening.
"That seems a little too easy to me…" Valerie said suspiciously.
"You wish to get home, do you not?" The contact said, raising an eyebrow. Valerie growled.
"Come on, Val," Danny said, tugging at her wrist, "We're almost out of time, and this is the one shot we're gonna get." Valerie sighed.
"Fine," she said sullenly. Treya's grandmother waved a hand, and the doors opened to produce a blinding white light. Just before she was about to step forward into it, though, Valerie saw something move in Heather's arms. "What's that?"
"What's what?" Heather asked innocently. Valerie scowled.
"Don't play dumb, Heather!" She snapped, "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing," heather answered immediately.
"Heather-!" Valerie growled, advancing towards the little girl. Heather dived forward through the doors and into the light, and Valerie followed her without thinking.
"Valerie!" Phantom called out, immediately plunging in after them. That was the last thing Valerie saw or heard before the light blinded her and the world faded away…
WoM- I'm really stretching it now, aren't I? 'blinks innocently.' ?Still, I couldn't help but do what I have planned out for next chapter… which, by the way, is in fact second form the last. (My third complete multi-chapter fic! 'tears up') so stay tuned!
Thanks to;
epobbp
AirGirl Phantom
Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet
Ginger Guardian Angel
Evilevergreen
Gmasangel
Ghost Writer's Assistant
Sammy
Light Dragon SunsSong
avearia
a reader
IwuvMyKenshyPoo
lilnovelist
Samantha-Girl Scout
Titan6
shadow
Darth Frodo
Petitio Principii
Punker88
A. Nonymous
KatrinaKaiba
conan98002
Dance of the Soul
Firehedgehog
the sleep warrior
JPElles
phantomshadowdragon
The Unknown Alias
SummersSixEcho
Mizuki hikari
BratCat
Mistress of Darkness
Inumaru12
SilverstarsEbonyskies
Next update; February 20th
See you then!