"Dude," Tucker grinned as he posed in the mirror. "You are lookin' fine."
"Thanks," Danny quipped, moving up beside Tuck. The techno-geek paid him no mind and continued to admire himself in Katou's looking glass.
The eve before the ghostly ball had arrived, and the two boys and Katou sat in the samurai's basement, waiting for Sam. For whatever reason, she had gone home after school, rather than accompanying Danny and Tuck to Katou's. But the boys had gone ahead, and after Danny got his kanji practice over with, the boys dressed for the event.
Tucker and Danny had been told that this was not the most formal event in The Ghost Zone, but it was a bigger affair than a school dance. Through Sam, the boys had managed to obtain tailored, black jacket tuxedos. Danny wore his over his ghost half's uniform, while Tucker left his beret on despite his new clothing. Katou had changed into silk robes, with kanji and fine designs sewn into the black fabric. His black hair had been tied back neatly into a topknot, and he wore a sword with a handle decorated with a silver dragon.
Earlier that day, Danny had asked Katou exactly why he and his friends needed to come along to this ball. Even with a truce in place, Danny had a very uneasy feeling about this outing. Katou's response was that it would be part of Danny's training to actually go out and face Tá eagla orm directly whenever it was possible and not life threatening.
Tucker paid that conversation no mind, though. He continued to gaze upon his reflection. "So, how are you gonna make Sam and me look like ghosts?" he asked as he kept on posing.
"Well…" Katou began. Before he could finish, however, a knocking came from upstairs. "Ah," he said. "That must be Sam." He rose to his feet and headed up the stairs. Soon after, he was back down, Sam behind him. She had pulled back her hair and held it there with a decorated band, and a black and deep red shimmering dressed covered her form.
"…Sam," Danny stammered. "Uh…whoa. You…look great!"
Sam flushed slightly. "Nice tux." Both she and Danny smiled shyly. Tucker both rolled his eyes and grinned. Katou looked among the trio, eyebrows cocked.
"Are we ready, then?" the samurai asked.
"As soon as you make us look like ghosts," Tuck answered.
"Aha," Katou nodded. He stepped over to the long table that held all of his things, and lifted up a long, corked green vase. He popped the top off, and out drifted a thin blue mist.
"This potion," said he, "is a very special form of ectoplasm. A small dose given to a human being will allow them to obtain solid form in The Ghost Zone and a glow about them. You will not have any ghostly abilities – you will merely have a spectre's appearance. But the dosage is crucial. Take too much, and you'll end up a true ghost. Now I'll measure it out this time, but be sure to see how much. This may come in handy later, and I may not be around to measure it out."
The samurai motioned with his hand, and two very small green glasses appeared at the edge of the table. Each was half-filled with a shining blue liquid.
"This will be here," Katou said as he placed the vase at the far right corner of the table. "Those," he gestured toward the cups, "will be next to it. Drink up."
Sam and Tuck glanced between one another before the goth girl lifted up her glass and drained the liquid. She gagged as it went down, but a ghostly aura quickly lit up around her, and her amethyst eyes began to glow. Nevertheless, her reaction to the potion caused Tucker to take his time, sniffing at the concoction and dipping his finger into it before finally choking it down in exaggerated fashion.
"Are you through?" Katou asked, crossing his arms in annoyance.
Tucker watched as a spectre's light began radiating about his frame. "Ready," he piped, rubbing his hands together. "Let's get that sceptre! And see if any ghost-girls at that ball don't have a dance partner." At that, Danny and Sam both rolled their eyes.
"Come here, all three of you," Katou said, motioning for them to come closer. As they did, he placed his hands on Danny and Tuck's shoulders, and asked one of them to take hold of Sam. Danny offered her his arm, she took it, and they both flushed slightly.
Katou closed his eyes, concentrated a moment, and in a swirl of green, the foursome vanished.
---
The Haunted Mansion floated about in The Ghost Zone, with no bit of land to support it. It was a black building, designed in the Gothic style. Gargoyles covered the walls, and spire towers erupted from the roof. Sickly yellow light filtered through the arched windows, as did melancholy melodies and saddened lyrics. Yet over the dreary compositions could be heard murmurs of conversation, laughter at jokes, and the exchange of blows and ecto-blasts. A green piece of energy went smashing through one window and out into nothing.
Danny, his friends, and his mentor floated before the ten-foot door to the palace, Sam and Tucker holding on to Danny for support. A snippy-looking woman in a Victorian dress and her hair in a bun stood at the door, glasses covering her shut eyes. Another ecto-blast erupted through the window just above the door. The woman paid it no mind. The children gulped together.
"Peaceful night, huh?" Danny muttered, his eyes narrowing as they shifted over toward Katou.
The samurai shrugged. "Things must have changed in eight years." His demeanour seemed calm, but Danny thought he heard the old ghost gulp as well. "Shall we?"
The foursome flew forward until they were just in front of the woman. "Good evening," Katou said cheerfully. He bowed, and Danny and his friends did the same. The woman did nothing but open her eyes, which were completely blue.
Katou went on. "If you'll forgive me, I've been away for eight years, and my friends here are coming to the ghostly ball for the first time. Was the peace of this event revoked recently?"
"It has been gone since the Order and the Family fell," the woman spoke disdainfully, with a thick Russian accent. "Do you wish to enter?"
"One more question, please," Katou said. "Has Walker arrived yet?"
"The chief of police will not be attending," the woman droned. "He is out searching for a samurai ghost."
Danny had a silent sigh of relief at the fact that this ghost seemed to make no connection between his new teacher and Walker's samurai fugitive.
Katou, now noticeably more worried than before, looked down at Danny and his friends. "Perhaps I should go alone, then…"
"No way!" Tucker protested. "I'm all dressed up and ready to dance!"
"Danny?" Sam asked, looking to her friend for an answer.
Danny sighed. He really wanted to leave. He had a terrible feeling about this ball, which had substantially increased with the news that there was no more truce. And he really wanted to have as little to do with Pariah's relics and Tá eagla orm as possible.
But, much as he disliked the notion of going on with all this, he could not forget the faith Clockwork had in him, or the fact that if he did run away, then his old samurai master would have to deal with all of this on his own.
He gulped. "Let's just get this over with."
"Are you sure?" Katou asked. With great force, Danny managed to nod.
"Then…may we go in?" the samurai asked.
The woman closed her eyes once more, stepped to the side, and slowly pulled open the aged door, which groaned as it moved.
"Enjoy your stay," the ghost grunted in the least attractive tone Danny could imagine for an invitation.
Katou bowed again, and Danny and friends followed suit. "Thank you very much," the samurai said. "We will indeed enjoy the evening." And with that, the foursome stepped into the mansion.
Danny felt his jaw slide down as he beheld the spectacle before him. A vast ballroom with marble floors, pillars circling the entire area, a ceiling with the most detailed and beautiful paintings of ancient ghostly battles, and an ornate chandelier with a thousand flickering candles lay just down a short white hall from the door. The floors were so finely polished that crystal clear reflections could be seen in it, and the lights of the chandelier filled the ballroom with a yellow glow so warm that Danny could scarcely believe it the source of the haunting aura he had just seen through the windows.
More spectacular than the setting was the crowd of the ball itself. Most everyone had donned tuxedos and dresses, and some went as far as to have gowns and white ties and coat tails. Yet while a small percentage displayed exquisite manners and had the right touch of smarm and restraint that Danny always associated with this level of class, many of the guests enjoyed the ball in a much more wild and exuberant manner. Ghosts in coat tails and monocles were gathered in groups on the floor, intently focused on their games of Pirate's Dice. There was hardly a dancing couple in sight. Spirits flew about the room screaming like delighted banshees, while laughter and loud conversations and arguments leapt from the far end of the floor. At least several of these arguments had broken into fistfights and ecto-wars, and at least one of these had involved some ghosts that Danny had fought. They weren't spirits that he saw on a regular basis, but nevertheless had been difficult to defeat.
The ghost-boy tried to resist dabbing at the sweat beginning to build on his face.
"OK," he breathed. "The truce for this dance is gone, but that's OK. We just need to find this Zheng He, get the sceptre, and get out. There's nothing to worry about."
He remained still for a few seconds, and then jumped up to Katou's level and grabbed at his robes. "Where the heck is Zheng He!?"
"Relax, Danny." Sam's voice came to his ears, and he felt her pull him back down to the floor. "You'll be fine. Right?" she looked up at Katou at her last word, voice tone a bit less sure.
"What's the rush?" Tucker asked. His tone was oddly dreamy, and Danny saw that he was staring at two very lovely young ghost-ladies who were not doing anything at the moment.
"Tucker, you may go and…socialise," Katou coughed slightly on his last word, but seemed sincere. In any event, Tucker dashed off so quickly that Danny couldn't follow his movements.
"Why don't you two go and have a bit of fun, too?" Katou said. "I'll come and find you when I've met up with Zheng He."
Danny let his shoulders slump as he turned gravely towards his teacher. "Katou, there's no peace here anymore, there's a bunch of ghosts fighting each other, and I've seen a few that hate me. How am I supposed to enjoy myself!?"
Katou chuckled. "Enemies, you say? I wouldn't worry about it too much. There's plenty else to occupy their time." He nodded towards the ballroom, and sure enough, no one that Danny knew had their attentions directed at him.
"…Why don't we just come with you to get the sceptre?" Danny said, sliding over to stand by the samurai.
"I like that idea more," Sam concurred.
"Zheng He's a bit eccentric," Katou said, gently pushing Danny back over by Sam. "Seeing me after eight years will be a bit of a shock for him. I think we should have a few words before I introduce you to him. But, if what you say is true…"
He took his sword from his robes and placed it in Danny's hands. "There is more than one infamous figure in this realm. The ghost who originally carried this blade was a terrible presence, and it was only after a terrible battle that I managed to retrieve this. Carry it with you, and I think that most potential foes would be a bit hesitant to strike." He smiled. "Now go on and enjoy yourselves."
His smile was for once more warm than sad, giving Danny some assurance. And a second look towards his old foes showed them no more attentive than before. With a sigh, then, Danny smiled, linked arms with Sam, and headed into the ballroom, though making sure to keep towards the walls and not the open floor.
And he actually found himself beginning to relax, despite noticing that Sam cast a curious glance back towards the old samurai.
---
Katou continued smiling until Danny and Sam rounded the corner of the hall and disappeared into the ballroom. As soon as he was sure that all three of the children couldn't see him, he turned his attention to the grave matter at hand. He glanced towards where he had seen the menace. He sighed in relief when it was clear that the figures hadn't seen either himself or Danny.
Vlad Plasmius and Prince Aragon were just across the ballroom, huddled together in hushed conversation. Aragon was dressed as he always did, while Vlad was draped in a high-collared, red-lined black opera cloak draped over evening wear. The cape and clothes did not completely manage to hide the fact that his belt buckle was now in the shape of Pariah's Mark.
Katou looked away quickly. He struggled to keep his breathing tempered. He should have foreseen this. Vlad knew of the ball. He might not have known of the sceptre, but he could easily be on the trail of any of the artefacts. And now that he was here, he might see Katou with Danny, and make the connection.
Katou groaned. Why hadn't he told Danny yet?
The samurai's first thought after seeing Vlad was to take the children home and come back for the sceptre, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He had no excuse as to why they had to leave, and no reason to go back alone. And, though he did need to explain the link between Plasmius and himself, now was not the proper time.
He looked towards the two cads again, and felt his back go stiff. Plasmius was staring right at him.
---
"Look at me, slave!" Aragon snarled. "You're supposed to follow my lead!"
"Prince, I do wish you would shut up," Plasmius muttered. He barely heard the grunt of the arrogant prince's response, but he truly didn't care what the man had said. He had other matters to focus on.
There, right across from him, was the samurai Katou. He felt his lips curl up into a wicked smile as he noticed the old fool staring at him like a deer in the headlights.
Plasmius was surprised. Despite the scars he had left on Katou, the samurai looked very much the same. He was more gaunt and his hair carried more grey, but that and the wounds aside, he seemed quite unchanged. His sad and tired eyes especially had survived eight years with Walker. Such eyes made it very easy to sense the nervousness of the man.
The smile on the half-ghost grew. Should he manage to get the sceptre as well as slay the samurai, it would be a night for celebration indeed.
He rose to his feet and silently drifted across the ballroom, going around crowds and dancers and ignoring Aragon's incessant commands to return. All the while Katou remained where he was, his grave stare poignant but flying off Plasmius's devilish sneer.
Within moments he had crossed the floor, and he and his old master stood face to face for the first time in eight years.
"Why hello, Katou," Plasmius greeted him in the most exaggerated fashion, clasping his hands together and grinning from ear to ear.
"Vlad," Katou hissed out in quiet pain.
The grand performance continued. "Oh, do call me Plasmius. How long has it been, old man? Eight years? Why, you've barely changed at all." Cold menace slid into his voice. "You've even healed more from that burn than I would have thought."
Katou bristled, giving Plasmius a delicious rush.
"To what do I owe the…pleasure of your company?" the samurai asked, remaining solemn and grave.
"Oh come now, Katou," Plasmius purred, cocking an eyebrow. "Do you really think I wouldn't hear when a samurai escaped from Walker's high-security cells?"
"And what of it?" Katou demanded. "I'm no threat to you. You found that out eight years ago. Leave me in peace."
"Ah," Plasmius tisked. "But I know you and your code, Katou. After all the things I've done that you disapprove of, you won't let me be, will you? So how can I let you be?"
"Plasmius!" Aragon's voice brought an abrupt halt to the half-ghost's delight. "What do you think you're doing!?"
"Do go away, Aragon," Plasmius said simply, his face slipping into a frown as his eyes remained on Katou.
"You will not command Prince Aragon!" And with that roar, the arrogant royalty reached around, ceased Plasmius by the collar of his cloak, and pulled the half-ghost around to face him.
"We are not here for you to have fun with old friends," the prince growled. "Your master, my lord, needs something that is here!"
"And I'm sure he'll be pleased that you so subtly discuss it," Plasmius sneered. "I have other things to worry about."
"You'll need to worry about your life if you displease your superior."
"We'll get to that, don't worry. Now, if you'll excuse me…"
Plasmius turned back around, but Katou had gone. The half-ghost searched the nearby crowd, but there was no trace of the samurai.
"Fool," he growled at the prince. Why couldn't that imbecile keep his mouth shut?
"Enough of this," Aragon sneered. "We have a ghost to find. Where is he? You served the Order, tell me of his appearance."
"You don't even know what he looks like?" Plasmius spat.
"Well…" the prince started, but whisked his head around as something caught his eye. "Phantom?!"
Plasmius looked towards the main doors to where Aragon was glaring and, sure enough, there stood the spirit from the future. He too had donned an opera cloak, though under it were just his typical clothes. His head was held low, and he had a devil's grin, as always.
"Well, well," he crowed, floating over to join the twosome. "Not much luck?"
"What are you doing here?" Aragon demanded, and for once, Plasmius concurred with him. He did not need another one of his so-called "allies" meddling now.
"We told you to go with the Knight and follow my map to the Order's sanctuary," he snarled.
"I know," Phantom feigned a yawn. "He's in this with you, isn't you? So if he's going to get the chest, then why do I need to go with him? You'll still get what you want. Now leave me alone."
"Pariah will know how little you did to serve him," Aragon hissed, careful to speak in more hushed tones than before. "If you ever wish to be free or to live, you will do more to aid us!"
"Fine," Phantom sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes as he did so. "What do you need?"
"The ghost of Zheng He is here somewhere with the sceptre," Plasmius said. "We need to find him. What he looks like, we don't know."
"But," Aragon took over, "the sceptre is…"
"Long, gold, and topped off with a flaming crown on a skull and bat-wings, with Pariah's Mark on the crown?" Phantom cynically stated.
"How did you know that?" Aragon questioned, and Plasmius found himself curious as well.
Phantom sighed again and pointed over Aragon's shoulder. The prince and the half-ghost turned to see a stocky, clean-shaven Asian ghost with blue skin, white robes, and a red cloak on the far side of the ballroom, heading down another hallway. In his right hand was a sceptre – Pariah's sceptre. With his left hand he was fumbling with a black cloth that had apparently covered the top of the staff and fallen off. The robed ghost quickly slipped the cover back on turned to another ghost, leading him along.
That other ghost was Katou.
Plasmius gritted his teeth. He would have liked very much to believe that the two ghosts across the room were merely old friends going off together to catch up on old times. But Katou doubtlessly knew of Tá eagla orm from the Order. He would have known, too, of the artefacts, and at the very least known about the balance.
Apparently, he also knew of the sceptre.
After getting Katou locked away, Plasmius never envisioned the old fool being a threat to him again. News of his escape merely gave Plasmius some sport, and the chance to further humiliate the aged windbag by showing off how much he'd succeeded by following the course Katou disdained so.
Now more than ever, the samurai was a threat to Plasmius – and possibly didn't even realise the extent to which he had endangered the half-ghost.
And so Plasmius raised no objections when Aragon commanded him to come along and follow the two men of the Orient.
---
"In here, my old friend."
Zheng He silently turned the knob and opened the fourth door on the left side of the hallway. Katou quickly hurried inside.
The room was small and dark, with two chairs covered in blue velvet. Katou slid into the left seat with a sigh of relief. That was too close.
Zheng He sat across from the samurai, setting Pariah's staff on the floor near his chair. "That was rather close," he observed the obvious. "Usually, I have the staff better covered than that. But, no harm done." He smiled. "It has been some time, Katou. It is good to know that one of the Order remains."
Katou smiled at that. Zheng He hadn't changed at all. It made him cringe slightly at having told Danny that the old explorer was a bit off his rocker. But he couldn't go and fetch Danny now – not with Plasmius around. Until Katou told the children of his history with Vlad, Vlad could not be allowed to see them together.
The samurai sighed, and asked himself again: Why hadn't he told Danny?
"I suspect that you wish to do more than visit," Zheng He sighed as well as he crossed his legs. "What is it you want of me?"
Of course, Katou thought. There was the immediate objective to consider. But he thought himself a bit too relieved at the shift of his focus.
"Yes," said he with a cough. "Zheng He, you've travelled The Ghost Zone and ran missions for the Order. Surely you've learned of Tá eagla orm."
The answer came from the explorer's shuddering.
Katou went on. "Then I suspect you know what his six relics hold within them."
Lights seemed to go off in Zheng He's eyes. "And you are standing in his way, I take it?" he asked.
"Aiding the one appointed to stand in his way," Katou corrected.
"And where is he?"
"…Occupied," Katou threw out sloppily.
If Zheng He noticed, he made no sign. "Unfortunately," he said, "I will not part with this treasure so easily, even for Tá eagla orm," he gestured toward the sceptre. "You must have something to trade."
"And I do."
Katou reached into his robes and withdrew a small vial. He cast it down on the ground, and in its place rested a fat blue bottle. Zheng He picked it up and removed the top. Green smoke puffed out in the shape of a heart.
The explorer smiled. "Rare is it to find a good trader and an honest one," said he. "The crew of my ship have been in need of this for some time. For such a thing, you may have the sceptre."
Katou sunk down in his chair in content and relief. But it did not last, for but a moment had passed before a crashing sound emerged from behind the door.
"What was that?" the samurai asked as he jumped out of his seat, alert.
Zheng He remained where he was, but turned his head toward the door. His eyes lit up in a blazing teal, casting a glow about the room.
"Two ghosts are outside our door," he reported. "One is Prince Aragon. I do not know the other…"
Katou grimaced. "I do."
---
Tucker sat upon the marble floor, pouting. His endeavours to find a partner for dancing had thus far proven unsuccessful – again. Worse, the music remained melancholy and dull. Sam and Danny stood over him, the girl glancing down in pity and the ghost-boy nervous once more, his brief repose gone.
"Where is Katou?" Danny muttered as he rubbed his hands together continually.
"Danny, just relax," Sam said, though she too was a bit uneasy. "No one's noticed you're here. And besides, we have the sword, and it's doing a good job at scaring everyone off." It was true – many ghosts were intentionally striving to avoid the trio.
"I know," Danny sighed. "I know. But he's taking too long! And I…I just have a bad feeling about this ball. I want to get out of here!"
"I'm with you, man," Tucker pouted. "I can't believe I can't get a date, even here!"
"Like anyone wants to dance to this music anyway," Sam muttered. It was true – there didn't seem to be a ghost at the ball who was enjoying the music being played. "Isn't there one decent song at this ball?"
She had no sooner yelled than the latest song of dreariness ended and a low rhythmic beat from a timpani began. A sixty-piece orchestra of oboes, flutes and piccolos, clarinets, bassoons, violins and cellos, French horns, and percussion accompanied by three long-haired spirits with electric guitars had materialised off to one side of the ballroom. The horns, strings, and flutes soon sounded, followed by the guitars with the melody. The key was minor, like the rest of the songs of the night, but energy and drive flowed out from the music, and it was more than welcome by the spectres. Cheers erupted from the crowd, and calls and names were thrown out. At last ghosts turned away from their conversations, fights, and games, and flooded the floor to dance. Couples swept into each other's arms and soared across the room, while some flew high into the air and waltzed about. One couple was even upside-down, dancing on the ceiling. Not a soul seemed interested in anything else, and all delighted in the wordless song – including Sam.
"Now this is more like it!" she joined the crowd in their adulation. Danny and Tuck had to agree – while the techno-geek found any orchestral music a bit square, anything was an improvement over what they'd been subjected to earlier.
"Sweet!" he said with a grin. "Time to get a date!"
"And time to start dancing," Sam chimed in. She grabbed Danny's arm and pulled him onto the dance floor, blending into the sea of waltzing spirits. The ghost-boy just barely had enough time to toss Katou's blade into Tucker's hands. Tense at first, Danny could soon be seen to lighten in spirits considerably. He was soon leading, and Tucker lost sight of his two friends as they spun about and disappeared into the crowd.
He let himself smile for them, then turned his attention to a more important matter – finding an available ghost-girl. There was hardly a soul left who wasn't in somebody's arms on the dance floor, but there were a few fetching lasses on the sides still, seeming to wait for someone to come along and ask them for a waltz. Two especially caught his eye, and Tuck began mulling over which one to choose when a strange white flame across the room made itself known.
Tucker went up against the wall in fear, struggling to keep on his feet.
"Oh no…" he whispered.
There, clad in a black opera cloak , was the future version of Danny. He leaned against a pillar with his arms folded, a disinterested look about his face. His eyes darted around occasionally, seeming to look for somewhere he could cause harm.
With a gasp Tucker pulled himself together best he could. A thousand questions flooded his analytical mind – chiefly, how Phantom could possibly still exist, let alone be present here – but those would have to wait until a later time. There was a much more important task at hand. He searched the ocean of happy couples, but could not find Danny and Sam anywhere. Katou was nowhere in sight either. Tucking Katou's sword into his cummerbund, he stepped onto the floor and began moving across, but he could not manage to navigate around the dancing. Constantly couples were bumping into him, or he was tripping over somebody's feet. His beret was nearly knocked aside at one point, and his glasses were smacked away. As he searched for them on the floor, an aged and gnarled voice came from behind him.
"You look like you could use a dance partner, sweetie!"
Having found his glasses and put them back on, Tucker looked up to see an ancient witch with a giant nose containing two hairy warts, clad in black and reeking of the stench of old cabbage.
"Oh, come on!" Tucker moaned, but there was no time to complain. The hag grabbed for his hand, placed an arm on his shoulder, and yanked him to his feet. The witch was moving much too fast for the music and spinning Tucker so wildly that he feared he would be sent flying into a pillar at any moment. Doing his best to ignore the frantic steps – and his partner's smell – he searched the crowd for his friends, while trying to keep an eye on the menace from the future.
You think you could have mentioned this, Clockwork? He thought, wondering if the departed Master of Time could hear him from beyond.---
"Where is he?" Aragon snarled.
"I'm looking," Plasmius shot back. The prince would have made a retort, but he had other matters to worry over.
They had searched through the first six rooms along the unlit hall, and no sign of either the samurai or the spirit with the sceptre had revealed themselves. Aragon was getting tense. Pariah did not like to be displeased, and loss of the sceptre when it could not be retrieved again for a year would indeed upset him. Aragon did not fear for his own safety, and under ordinary circumstances, he would have cared little for the fate of such riffraff as Plasmius or the Fright Knight or Phantom. However, if in his anger Pariah chose to waste then, then Aragon would be left alone to track down the remaining artefacts – and, much as he hated to admit it, such a task would inevitably require help from such minions as Plasmius. And so Aragon was determined to find the staff of his king.
"Here!" he pointed at the seventh door – fourth on the left. From his mouth came a blast of white-hot flame, and the barrier to the room was disintegrated. Inside sat the robed spirit from before, but neither the samurai nor the staff were with him. His only companion was the smoke from the lost door, which carried an odd blue tint to it.
"Yes?" the robed ghost asked calmly, raising an eyebrow.
"You have the staff of Lord Pariah Dark!" Aragon hissed. "Where is it?"
"And where…" Plasmius began, but cut himself off. Aragon soon saw why. The tinge of blue within the smoke quickly separated, and began travelling of its own accord as vapour. It quickly slipped down the hall and towards the ballroom, becoming lost amongst the crowd.
Plasmius dashed after the mist, and Aragon, after giving a nasty sneer to the ghost within the room, followed.
---
Danny was happy. Truly, sincerely happy. For the first time since Clockwork had told him of Tá eagla orm, he was fully caught up in something else, something enjoyable. The music was genuinely fun, and he liked dancing with Sam. She was lovely at it, and she looked lovely in her formal wear. Her hair had become slightly dishevelled from the festivities, and she was clearly as enwrapped in the music as Danny was. They were holding each other close as they danced, much closer than they had back at the school dance when they had first encountered the Aragon family.
That dance seemed so long ago, with all that had happened since. Not the least of which was the incident with Ember. Though the rocker ghost's spell had long worn off, ever since then, Danny found himself noticing more and more often – Sam was really a beautiful girl in all respects.
As they danced, so did Danny's thoughts, and his expression apparently was showing it, for Sam started to blush. Danny felt his face grew hot as they moved even closer together.
They found themselves both relieved and a bit upset when Tucker called out to them.
Danny struggled not to burst with laughter at what he saw. Tucker was being held by an old smelly hag, who was dancing much faster than the tempo of the music suggested. She was also spinning him too quickly. In fact, she began to go so fast that he slipped right out of her grip, leaving him stumbling along and crashing into the pillar that Danny and Sam were near.
"Nice date, Tuck," Danny chuckled, unable to restrain himself anymore. He and Sam stopped their dancing to help Tucker to his feet. The second he was able to stand, he grabbed Danny by the collar of his jacket, a grave expression etched deeply into his face.
"Dude, we've got a problem," he said urgently. "I just saw…"
"Danny!" the trio all turned together towards the voice, and they saw Katou coming towards them. In his hand was a sceptre with the top covered in black cloth. Danny was about to berate him for taking so long when he saw that the samurai's face was as nervous as Tucker's.
"We need to leave now," Katou said, taking his sword back from Tucker.
"What?" Danny began.
"Now!" Katou barked. The ferocity of his voice caught the trio off-guard, and Danny felt himself growing nervous once more. What could make the usually gentle Katou so distraught?
He scarcely noticed the ending of the song, but the immense explosion and the screams that followed it had him whirling around.
The entire orchestra – every last member – had been reduced to a large cloud of billowing green smoke, and a thick but straight line was missing from the attendees of the ball. That crowd was now in a panic, with many scrambling towards the door, flying upwards and blowing holes in the ceiling, or flooding down the hallways of the mansion, trying to find an escape.
Amidst all the chaos, it was still easy to spot the catalyst, as no one dared approach him. It was a ghost clad in an opera cloak, with one smoking hand outstretched, flaming hair, and a sneer that would send Satan fleeing back to Hell.
Danny's knees buckled beneath him, and his eyes grew wide with shock.
"No…" he whispered. "No way…"
"Danny, get up!" Katou growled, but Danny scarcely heard him. His eyes were fixed straight ahead at the sight of what was once his future.
How?
Phantom let out the most wicked of laughs, and with a grand sweep of his arms, prepared another ecto-blast, and Danny felt himself awakened. He needed answers, and ghosts needed saving. He sprung to his feet and launched himself forward, ramming into Phantom with full force. The wicked spectre fell against a pillar across the room, but recovered quickly, continuing to flash his evil grin.
"Danny," he drawled, his voice glacial. "Nice to see you."
"What are you doing here!?" Danny yelled, firing off an ecto-blast as he did so. "I never cheated on that test. I shouldn't turn into you anymore!"
"You don't," Phantom said as he deflected the blast. "At least, you don't turn into me from that test. Clockwork's meddling let you 'set things right,'" he rolled his eyes at that. "But you already caught me in a Fenton Thermos before he did that, and he took me away before he re-set time. I'm not in time anymore." Danny shot another blast, and Phantom blocked it again.
"Oh, and by the way," he snidely added. "That means I don't have to keep you alive anymore." His eyes lit up, and green rods leapt out from them and met with Danny's chest.
---
Katou looked on as his apprentice was hit by the twin eye beams and fell to the floor with a thud. The cloak-clad spectre seemed to pounce forward like a tiger, roaring with pure evil, when Danny managed to roll to the side, jump up, and kick the wicked ghost in the face. The two fought on, and Katou, a bit in shock, took it in. From the combatants' exchange earlier, the samurai had roughly inferred their relationship – Danny once had the chance to turn into this creature, and the affair that stopped that was what led Clockwork to trust Danny and make him his ward.
And if Danny had indeed managed to change his fate so drastically, then Katou was now more firmly than ever convinced of Clockwork's choice.
He reached down for his sword to help when he saw Plasmius and Aragon emerge from the hallway. Their heads turned towards the two-man war before them, and they appeared not to have noticed Katou standing with Sam and Tucker. Yet all it would take was a turn of the head from Plasmius in order for the traitor to put two and two together.
Katou cursed himself for the third time that night. Why!?
He looked from his former apprentice to his current one, and back again. He looked to Sam and Tucker, whose eyes had not drifted from their friend. He went to and from his students again.
He let go of the handle of his blade.
I'm sorry, Danny.
He grabbed Sam and Tucker by the shoulders, and soon they had all been moved to the roof of the mansion.
"Stay here," he commanded, throwing the staff at them. He teleported back down, giving the children no time to reply.
He did, however, catch the incredulous look that Sam was giving him.
Again the samurai stood in the ballroom, where Danny still warred against himself. The last of the crowd was fleeing, and Katou joined them – making sure to cross the vision of Plasmius. As he ran down the hall, he turned to see the nosferatu and his royal companion following him. He waited until he was sure that Danny would be out of sight before turning, drawing his sword, and letting loose a sharp wave of green ecto-energy.
Plasmius flipped over the wave and thrust his hand forward, a red ecto-blast leaping from it. The samurai ducked and came forward, sword raised and a green ecto-shield materialising on his arm. Plasmius put up a red shield, blocking each swing of the samurai's blade and trying to get a blast in. Aragon, his amulet glowing, let out several blasts of fire. Katou managed to dodge all advances from his adversaries, but he knew he was in an uphill battle. He knew he couldn't defeat Plasmius, especially after eight years, and his green ecto-shield couldn't withstand the blood red of the half-ghost for long.
They had retreated far down the hallway, and Plasmius finally broke through Katou's shield, knocking the samurai off his feet. Katou narrowly escape a blast of Aragon's flames and leapt back up again, sliding between his two combatants and throwing a large ecto-blast into the floor as he did so. A thick blanket of green smoke flew up, blinding Plasmius and the prince. Katou used the opportunity to flee back down towards the ballroom – and Danny.
---
Danny gripped his side. He had just been tossed into a pillar, and he had felt something in his ribcage snap. And that was only the greatest of many pains that had come over his form.
Phantom very clearly did not need to keep Danny alive anymore, and was enjoying drawing out the infliction of wounds upon his former self.
The wicked spectre hovered before Danny, a manic smile plastered all over his face. He very well could have been mad, he looked so far gone in sadistic joy. Danny grimaced back as he struggled to remain in the air. He wished very much that he could trap Phantom inside a Fenton Thermos and see to it that it was locked forever, but he had no trap, and knew that he wasn't a match for his future self. He had no element of surprise either – Phantom had started this battle, he knew that Danny had gained the Ghostly Wail, and he no longer had to worry about time.
"Getting tired, Danny?" Phantom crowed. The ghost-boy struggled for a response when he saw where Phantom was hovering – directly under the chandelier.
He smiled. "I'm just getting started." Danny let go of his side and inhaled deeply. From out his throat poured the haunting and pulsating waves of the Ghostly Wail. The entire mansion seemed to tremble and shake at the rhythm of the cry. Phantom was pushed backward at first, but managed to stall long enough to encase himself in an ecto-dome, around which the waves passed without effect.
"Oh, please," the future ghost fleered. He too breathed in as a small hole in the dome appeared over his mouth. He let loose his own wailing. As the two forces collided and ricocheted off one another, great pulses rattled the mansion. The ceiling, already full of holes from escape attempts, began crumbling, and cracks and crevices appeared in the pillars and the marble floor. The building seemed to bend, loud groans and unsettling booms sounding all around. All the while Danny kept his eyes upon the chandelier as it shook and swung around violently. Its support loosened with each wave from the wails, and the piece inched further and further downward. The waves continued rocking the old house. At last, the support snapped, and Phantom's dome was broken by the unexpected crushing weight of the chandelier bearing down upon him. His wail stopped, and seeing that his plan had succeeded, Danny ended his cry too. As always, the attack had drained him of his energies, and, becoming Danny Fenton once more, he fell towards the floor of the ballroom.
Out through the corner of his eye he saw Katou flying out of a hallway. Danny briefly wondered where the samurai had disappeared to, but the strain of the wail and his other injuries began to take their toll. His vision clouded, and he barely felt Katou taking hold of his hand before all went black.
---
The chandelier glowed neon green for a few moments, then shattered into a thousand pieces, each one spiralling across the ballroom in all directions. Phantom quickly rose to his feet from beneath the rubble, shaking specks of metal and glass off of his cloak and looking about for his former self. The little runt was nowhere in sight, and Phantom took out his frustration on the nearest pillar, blowing it to pieces with an ecto-blast and letting even more of the ceiling cave in.
Plasmius and Aragon came running up from a nearby hallway, which only soured Phantom's mood.
"Where is he?" Aragon snarled at Phantom.
"Danny flew the coop," he drolly replied.
"Not the child! The samurai with the sceptre! Where is he!?"
"How should I know?" Phantom shot back. "I was busy."
"Busy making a fool of yourself by wasting time on worthless destruction when you should be aiding in the search for Lord Pariah's relics!"
Phantom raised a glowing hand. "Well then, how about I…"
"Enough!" Plasmius barked, loud enough to gain the centre of attention. "Katou is gone, true, but now that he has the sceptre, it will be easier to find than before."
"That doesn't change the fact that we don't have it!" Aragon hissed.
Plasmius smiled. "Ah, but now it is in the hands of a ghost that isn't impossible to find. And you don't know Katou like I do. He is like a candle, the better half burnt out. It would be most easy to overcome him and take back the sceptre."
A beeping noise began echoing across the ballroom, and Plasmius rolled up the sleeve of his evening wear to turn it off on his watch – and see the message that the noise signalled.
His grin grew wider. "The Knight has found the map to the balance," the half-ghost declared. "He's on his way now. And Skulker is still on the trail of the bow."
"…Very well," Aragon conceded. "But for your sake I hope you can find this samurai of yours! And you!"
The prince turned his attentions back to Phantom, who had largely lost interest in the conversation. In fact, he was using ecto-beams from his eyes to slowly melt part of the chandelier to fend off boredom. But he stopped, and made a greatly exaggerated ninety-degree turn of his head to face Aragon.
"You will come with us on the quests for the bow and the balance, and you will use your abilities to help, for once!" Aragon commanded.
Phantom gave a half-laugh, half-cough. Who did this "prince" think he was? "Or, I could…"
Aragon cut him off. "Do you wish to live?"
His voice carried enough menace for Phantom to look down at the spot of his suit where Pariah's Mark remained. And he was forced to admit that he had yet to find a way out.
"You win," he shrugged. "But don't get in my way," his wicked grin slid back across his face. "Pariah never said I couldn't waste you." He watched in delight as Aragon grunted, but backed away a few steps.
"So," Phantom said as he straightened his form and turning to face Plasmius, "where is this balance?"