Chapter Four: Training Day

Okay, I thank you all for reviewing in my last chapters! :D I love you guys! Anyway, next chapter is the moment you've all been waiting for: when Danny meets Sam! Yay! XD Yeah, you guys have been asking for a while, so you'll have to wait awhile. Guess what? My computer privileges are banned after all! I got my report card and got mostly A's *with a couple of B's and an A- XD*

Okay, enough about the past and me. In this chapter, Daniel *remember, he's not 'Danny' until the next chapter* starts losing control of his ghost powers, so he surprising as it is, gets help from Vlad by agreeing to have trained him. There's not much to say about this chapter except that Danny is gonna learn about his powers and stuff, so here ya go! Read and review, as usual! *btw: I was so happy when I reached 21 reviews! In four chapters! Thank you all! I luvs you so much!* also, there will be Avatar: The Last Airbender action, such as bending the elements and such.*

The next morning, Daniel slowly woke up, a blinding light shining in his eyes. He groaned and quickly covered his eyes, the sunlight already giving him an unpleasant sight of the day ahead. He slowly sat up and stretched, his body slowly regaining consciousness. He glanced at his surroundings, blinking at the sight for a moment. Suddenly, it hit him. He was no longer in his room-

He was just below it; in the living room.

"What the hell…?" Daniel mumbled, rubbing his head in confusion. He stood up and just walked around. "How'd I get here?" He thought to himself. There was no way Vlad picked him up and tossed him in here because for one he didn't hear or feel anything and for two-

Vlad, strangely enough, didn't beat him last night.

Daniel's eyes widened, suddenly realizing that his room was vulnerable to Vlad. Since he had ghost powers, he could easily phase through the door and check on Daniel, regardless of him locking the door every night when he went to bed.

Then, he'd find the bloody writing on the walls and surely kill him.

"DANIEL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?!" He heard Vlad call out from above him. Daniel closed his eyes, tears springing to the surface. He knew Vlad finally found the writing and was awaiting the half murder he'd surely receive. Maybe, just maybe, this would be the day. He could finally see his mother, run on the beach he dreamt of in the sky, holding her hand tightly. He'd stare up into her Amethyst eyes and whisper, "I love you, mom. Don't let me go."

He carefully made his way down the hall. His skin felt cold and clammy while he shook with fear. "I'm ready." He whispered. He carefully opened the door to his room, but when he peered inside, the room was empty.

"Hello? Master?" He called out, walking into his room. He searched around, wondering if he could actually sense Vlad near, awaiting his punishment. He carefully walked out of the room and locked the door.

"Where could he-"Daniel began, when he heard a noise from behind him. He pressed his body against the wall, trying his best to hide from the one person he feared most. "Where are you, Daniel? I know you're hiding somewhere..." He heard Vlad from the pantry. Daniel knew he couldn't remain plastered against the wall, so he made his way down the hall to the pantry, where Vlad may have been having his morning tea.

Sure enough, when he arrived there, Vlad was sitting at the armchair next to the window, sipping an elegantly decorated cup of tea. "Please sit, Daniel," He whispered. Very hesitant, Daniel eased his way over to the sofa across from him and sat down. He felt a wave of uneasiness wash over his body before asking, "Why is it that you wish to speak with me, Master?"

Vlad sat down the teacup and drummed his fingernails together in thought. "You weren't in your room this morning, I could tell." He said, his expression never changing.

Daniel took a deep breath and said, "Well… it seems that I… fell through the ceiling and ended up in the living room." He waited for him to answer.

"Just as I thought- your powers are still unstable. We'll just have to work on that, won't we?" Vlad stood up and walked to the doorway. He motioned a hand for him to follow. Daniel stood up and walked a few feet behind Vlad. He was afraid of the dangers lurking beneath what Vlad had in mind for him.

Suddenly, Vlad paused. Daniel followed suit and stopped just behind him. Vlad chuckled a bit. "Ah, Daniel. What are you- afraid that I'll hurt you?" He said in an amused tone. Daniel shook his head, already lying. He and Vlad both knew that he was afraid of him. He never knew what dangers, destruction and pain lie beneath him.

But when Vlad opened the door that led to the backyard, all Daniel could feel was…

Mesmerized.

The entire backyard area was embedded in a flourish of beauty. The grass was a perfect shade of green, its blades tickling the bottoms of his feet. Trees overlooked the area, fresh apples growing from a few of them already. Flowers bloomed everywhere in a many array of colors; from crimson red roses to honey yellow lilies to ivory carnations. A wooden gazebo stood in the middle of it all, freshly painted white and covered in an abundance of flowers. They slid down the sides of each pole, all coming from the ceiling or 'roof' of the structure. Bright, rosy pink stairs led to the gazebo's entrance gate, which was carefully carved into the finest scroll of decorative.

Daniel felt a sudden twinge of sadness in his heart when he remembered the black vase on the kitchen table when he was a baby, covering in white painted leaves. His mother used to place a fresh batch of red and pink carnations in the vase's icy water. She'd pinch the stems just under the blossom and bring it to her nose, taking in its intoxicating smell. Then, she would pull the flower from the vase and bring it to him. He remembered his stubby, little arms reach out from the carrier in awe. He knew the familiar silk touch of the flower come in contact with his tiny fingers. He let out a squeal of delight, causing his mother to laugh.

"Those carnations…" He whispered aloud. Vlad turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "What was that?" He asked, curious to why the boy was commenting on something so… common such as the carnations in his garden.

Daniel walked over to the ivory carnations and knelt down. He carefully picked one up, pinching it in between his fingers under the blossom, just like his mother. He stood up and closed his eyes, breathing in the flower's scent. Vlad watched him with interest, until something hit him:

It was the same thing that the love of his life, Madeline Fenton, once did when she was alive.

Suddenly, Vlad swiped the flower away from Daniel. "Why'd you do that, Master?" He asked in a feeble voice. Vlad frowned at him for a moment before sighing. "No reason…" He walked towards the gazebo, motioning for Daniel to follow. He reluctantly obeyed and walked over to the steps, careful not to splinter his feet on the wood. He stood behind Vlad, who was almost the exact to a statue. His hands were placed behind his back and his head was tilted to the sky, a firm stare positioned off into the distance.

"Daniel… I brought you out here for a reason," He began, not turning to him. Daniel nodded before he continued.

"Your powers… they have many unique values to them. But today, I will only show you a few of those, and this evening… I will show you the one ability that you'll need to know, got it?" He explained, slightly turning his head.

Daniel's eyes widened in curiosity. "What kind of values?" He asked.

Vlad finally turned around before saying, "Disappear."

"What?"

"Disappear, Daniel. Now."

"But, Master, how do I-"

"Do it now, Daniel! Damn it, DO IT NOW!" Vlad shouted, grabbing him by his shirt collar.

Without thinking, Daniel closed his eyes tightly and concentrated. Suddenly, he felt his body slowly fade away, as of the rest of him. He fell from Vlad's grip and landed on the floor. "W-what did I do?" He shook, staring at his hands. Vlad smirked. "That, my dear boy, was being intangible." He said, helping him up. Daniel took his hand hesitantly and pulled himself up.

"Now, I need you to try it again. This time, stand perfectly still and don't close your eyes." He instructed. Daniel took a deep breath before staring into open space and concentrating. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he tried becoming invisible once again. He kept his stance and once again, felt his body vanish. He reappeared, a broad smile on his face. "I did it!" He exclaimed, feeling proud of accomplishing one of Master's commands.

Vlad smiled. "Good. Now, I'm going to teach you an exercise that will combine intangibility with a sensation called a ghost sense. When you feel this, your body will reply by shivering and a mist of icy smoke will escape your lips." He walked down the steps and across the garden. "I'll be over here. When I throw an item at you, you must respond by going intangible. Your ghost sense will come in once you complete this task. Ready?" He picked up a large tree branch and, in a blink of an eye, tossed it at Daniel.

Daniel closed his eyes and concentrated. He was about to become intangible, when the branch made direct contact with his chest and threw him backwards. He fell against the rails, wincing in pain. Vlad shook his head disapprovingly. He walked over to Daniel and picked up the branch from his body. "I can see that you can't go intangible properly without closing your eyes." He pulled the clean handkerchief from his jacket pocket. He stood behind Daniel and tied it around his head, covering his eyes.

"This will help you better concentrate until you can go intangible without closing your eyes," He explained. He returned to the same spot and threw the branch, this time yelling, "Get ready, Daniel!"

Almost automatically, Daniel disappeared, the branch going right through him. Vlad smiled in gratitude and walked back to him. Daniel lifted the handkerchief from his eyes and looked up at Vlad. "How did I do, Master?" He asked. He nodded. "Well done. Now, this next one will involve your ghost sense. You'll be able to sense me coming towards you when I go intangible. Don't be afraid when you suddenly become cold."

Daniel nodded and pulled the handkerchief over his eyes. "Ready."

Vlad dived towards him, preparing to go right through him.

Suddenly, Daniel felt an icy sensation wash over his throat. He tried gasping for breath as the power became stronger. For a second, he couldn't breathe right, but he finally went intangible just as Vlad flew through him. He grabbed his chest and fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Vlad appeared beside him. "Are you okay?" He asked in a mildly concerned voice. Danny nodded, his coughing finally ceased.

"I think you're ready," Vlad complimented. He stood up and pulled him with him.

Daniel took a deep breath and finally asked, "What's the ability you wanted to show me?"

Vlad walked over to the garden, motioning Daniel to follow him. He followed behind, keeping a good distance between them. Finally, Vlad stopped in front of a large pond, just about the size of a lake, but a little smaller. "This is it." He whispered. He allowed Daniel to stand beside him.

"Why are we here, Master?" Daniel asked, brushing his feet against the grass. He was about to sit down, when Vlad stared at him a little longer, he stopped and stayed in the same position.

Vlad walked to the edge of the pond. He knelt down and without a word, dipped his fingers in the water. He carefully pulled them out and stared at the water particles on his fingers for a second. "Now watch carefully," He whispered. Then, right before Daniel's eyes, the water on Vlad's fingers floated in midair; the liquid glimmering and swirling.

"How'd you do that…?" Daniel whispered in awe, his mouth was still opened. Vlad smirked and made the water disappear into thin air.

"That is what I'm about to teach you. Are you ready?" He asked.

For a second, Daniel had to reframe from jumping ecstatically. He kept a calm exterior and nodded with a determined frown on his face. "I'm ready."

Vlad nodded. "Good." He knelt down once again, this time, allowing Daniel to follow suit. They sat on their knees for a few seconds quietly before Vlad scooped up the water in his hands and kept it firm in his palms. He exhaled calmly before allowing the water to form a globe in his cupped left hand. He held his fingers over the top of the globe, letting strings of water glide up his fingertips up to his fingers. Then, froze the water on his fingers and shot them towards a nearby tree, stabbing the trunk like hunting arrows.

"In a while, with some practice, you'll be able to create ice. In the meantime…" Vlad took Daniel's wrist and pulled it into the water. "Now, close your eyes and allow your hand to take control of the water. Got it?" He instructed. Daniel nodded. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He waited for the water to respond to his hand, just like Vlad had done before.

Nothing happened.

"Master? Am I doing something wrong?" Daniel asked shakily, hoping that Vlad wouldn't beat him tonight.

Vlad sighed and released his wrist. "No, Daniel. Your body's energy must be blocked." Vlad placed his own hand in the water once again, but this time, a glowing icy blue hue formed around his hand.

"Hold still." He placed the hand on Daniel's chest. The water began swirling around his heart, reaching through his body and creating a blue glare around his body. For an instant, he couldn't really feel his heart beating, but after Vlad removed the glow, he was back to normal.

"What was that?" He asked in curiosity. "I tried unblocking your energy. Fortunately, I was able to relieve most of it, however, you've been in too much pain to actually let yourself go." He explained.

"Now, try again."

Daniel closed his eyes again, pushing his hand in the water. He concentrated, feeling a smooth electric flow wave through him. Suddenly, the water formed around his hand, and when he pulled it out of the pond, it remained still on his palm.

"I did it!" He cried, a broad smile placed on his lips. Vlad smiled, for once delightful to see Daniel excited. "Very good." He complimented. Daniel watched the water bubble up on his fingers, then glide up the tip of his fingertips onto his other hand. He moved the water around elegantly, amazed at what beauty he was creating. He made shapes with the water, including globes, swirls, and spirals.

"This is amazing." He whispered, watching the water glow bright blue with his words. Vlad looked on, gazing at the boy playing with the water. For a second, he considered Daniel to be… more than insignificant in his eyes. He somewhat felt that Daniel….

Was just a confused, hurt child that needed love.

"Daniel…" He began to say. Daniel looked up, the smile never parting from his lips. He looked so happy, what with the glistening, swirling water, and the excitement in his eyes expressing curiosity a greater truth than they really were.

Vlad quickly shook away the thought. "Never mind. You need to learn one more thing before we finish up for the evening." He motioned his hand over the water Daniel had control of and pulled it back into the pond. For a second, Daniel seemed saddened at the sudden departure, but followed Vlad to another area in the garden.

This time, the spot he took him to had a beautiful, hilly view of the sunset. The colors were in aligned with a blur of sky blue, orange-golden, spots of yellow, and pinkish- purple hues. The grass was exceptionally warm here, so Vlad allowed Daniel to sit on the ground. He carefully rested on his knees, the warmth of the grass soothing his skin. He took a minute before falling back and taking in every bit of comfort he could.

"Alright, Daniel, enough of the lazing around, we've got work to do." Vlad said, pulling him by his arm onto his feet.

"Now, the last thing with being half ghost is flying." He said.

Daniel's eyes widened in wonder. He never flew on a plane, let alone by himself. He was really ready to try this out.

"Okay, the first thing you do- is to concentrate, just like before. Only this time, really see yourself in the sky, flying above and beyond your wildest imagination." He explained. Vlad closed his eyes, and without a second thought, began to lift from the ground. Daniel watched him, his mouth wide opened the entire time. He watched Vlad stretch out his arms and soar through the diminishing skyline. He flew as far as physically possible, just enough to have Daniel make him out as a speck in the middle of the multicolored sky.

"That's amazing..." He whispered in wonder, his eyes following Vlad's every move. He slowly landed in front of him, the wind somewhat picking up.

"Now.... let me see you try it." He said, pulling Daniel towards the edge of the hilly cliff.

Daniel stared at the long distance from him to the ground below. Sure, there was grass just below, but the impact would still be painful. His eyes widened and his breathing tightened. "A-are you s-sure?" He stuttered, his hands now clammy and shaking.

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Daniel, don't tell me you're afraid?" He asked, a demanding glare glinting in his eyes. Daniel gulped nervously. He knew Vlad could always tell when he was afraid...

Just like now.

"I'll try," He whispered. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He lifted his arms slowly, feeling the wind rush through his shaggy hair. He stood on his toes and, without a second thought, jumped off the edge. He tried screaming, but his vocal chords wouldn't work. He tried to cry out, but his lips were too dry. His eyes were squeezed shut, tears falling through the cracks of his lids.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Daniel carefully opened one eye. Strangely enough, there wasn't a hard impact to the ground. He was just a few feet from it, but...

He was floating.

He took a moment before he stifled his body into a standing position. His legs wobbled a bit at the sudden motion, but he became stable again and slowly pushed his arms in front of him. He pushed his body in the same direction and began to fly. "H-hey! I'm doing it! I'm flying!" He cried out, his smile growing bigger with every moment. He took off faster, soaring through the now night sky. He felt the wind whip his face rapidly, and his eyes matched the oncoming stars in the sky.

"Master, look! I can fly!" He called out, turning over in a back flip in the air.

Vlad stared at him for a moment before a soft smile curved onto his lips. He never saw Daniel so happy in all the times he been there. In fact, when he first got there, he was the most miserable soul he'd ever seen.

Finally, Daniel found his control and landed in front of him. He stumbled a bit but regained balance. "How was that?" He said, out of breath.

Vlad nodded. "We'll call it a night. But I'd like to have further training with you sometime this week. Got it?" He explained, retreating from the garden. Daniel followed behind, the smile still on his face. Vlad chuckled to himself at seeing the boy so pleased with his powers.

When they reached the house, Vlad allowed Daniel to retire to his room for the night. "Good night, Daniel." He whispered, departing into the dining room and turning off the lights in the house.

Once Vlad had disappeared, Daniel ran to his room and shut the door. He locked it and reached into the dresser. He pulled out the bag of butterscotch and took out five pieces. He hid four of them under his pillow, but unwrapped one and began to eat it. He walked over to the window and pushed it opened, which was rare because most of the time, the window would either be stuck closed or wide opened on a chilly night.

He stared into the sky, complementing his eyes with the stars in the midnight blue sky. He smiled and began to whisper silently. "Hey, mom, guess what? I finally learned how to fly, just like an astronaut! You'd probably be really proud of me, you and dad. But... I just wanna let you know: I love you guys very much. I mean, I thought happiness didn't exist until I learned how to fly. It's kinda weird to do it this way, but at least I can reach out and touch something other than the ground. I can finally go as far as I can go. I wish you could see me....

"Cause I miss you."

With a tired yawn, Daniel slipped under the blankets and placed his head onto the pillow, falling into a restful sleep.

*takes a deep breath with a sigh of relief* I finally finished! yay! *dance* XD but... Sam's gonna appear in the next chapter! Bet you guys can't wait, huh? Well, read and review of course! I promise to update soon! :D