-holds out baseball bat- Please feel free to beat me senseless.

Thanks for those kind reviews Hordak's Pupil, TexasDreamer01, bloodmoon13, Plushiemon, NarutoxxAddict, Wishes for Wings, MutantLover09, pearl84, inukagome15, Death Note Owner13, spiritmind675

13. Parting of Ways

"So, Vlad was being an absolute prick or something? I don't get it." Tucker frowned and looked down at his PDA, typing in some things and leaning back in Danny's chair. "I know it's like him to get really angry at a citizen and stuff, and I know you two have a really long time of hatred towards each other. But really- don't you think this is a bit much?"

Danny shook his head. "I dunno. That confrontation three days ago was really weird and everything. You know, like something happened that wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know. He swore and everything under his breath, but it wasn't at me. More like at the fact that he saw something about me that wasn't good at all." The teenager moaned. "What makes me better than him?"

Sam shrugged. "Besides the fact that you're the hero, he's the villain, you're both half ghosts, and everyone in the city wants him dead in the worst way possible? Honestly, I'm not sure." She cast a glance at Valerie and sighed. "You have any ideas?"

"None," Valerie replied, merely looking out the window and watching more clouds come into view. "I can't say right now that things are looking good for the city." She turned to her friends. "What if the city discovers it's being controlled by some homicidal maniac whose real intensions are unknown right now? Then what's going to happen? I mean, we can't just announce to the world he's kind of… a freak."

As much as it pained Danny to say it, Valerie had a valid point. The group couldn't just go barging into the streets and proclaim Vlad's secret to the world. There would more than likely be some deadly consequences before they even got the word out. And the last thing the group wanted was to die at the hands of the most powerful being known to man. The raven-haired teenager put his head in his hands and gave a soft moan. "I dunno what to do. There's gotta be some way to take him down without getting ourselves killed and banished in the process."

Tucker looked away from his game momentarily. "But what could that process mean? Seriously, I don't think there's a permanent way to get rid of him. If we can find out a way to prove he killed Danny's parents, though…"

There was a loud gust of wind that filled the room a moment later, and the group of four looked at each other in fear. Danny glanced towards the window and froze. He didn't have to say a thing. The other three looked at him for a moment before turning to the window and feeling fear embrace them. Plasmius was sitting on the ledge of the window, looking inside with a casual demeanor. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked mildly before swinging his feet over the ledge and allowing him inside the room.

Danny clenched his fist and felt energy of hatred swirling between the two of them. Valerie stood up and clenched her fists, pulling out a Fenton bazooka in the process from under the bed. "What do you want?" Danny snarled.

The tyrant made a tsking motion at Danny and shook his head in disgust. "You teenagers. You're all the same," he told the boy blandly, moving towards Valerie, Sam and Tucker. "Always disrespecting your elders. How dare you do such a thing to me, the one who put you all out of your misery."

The teenage hero allowed the rings to appear around his body, transforming into Phantom and pulling a battle stance. "How about I teach you what misery really means?" he told Plasmius, his hands glowing with bright green energy. "You know, I haven't been able to really defeat you yet, either."

In an instant, Valerie, Sam, and Tucker were all suddenly wrapped up in a rope of red energy. The billionaire pulled on the string and smiled deviously at Phantom, who froze. The other three teenagers struggled in the hybrid's grip of the rope, but it did nothing but cause more pain. Sam's eyes began to sparkle with tears as she tried to break free. "What do you want from us?" the Goth asked desperately. "What did we ever do to you?"

"Oh, it's not what you have done to me, my dear," the wretched ghost/angel replied. "It's what Daniel has done to me. Or should I call him Seraphim?"

Sam glanced at the white-haired teen. "What is he talking about?"

He shook his head, confusion fogging his thoughts. "I don't even know. I don't know what he wants! I don't know anything about this!" He glanced at Vlad and clenched his fists, his energy shining even brighter than before. "You don't want to do this."

"I want to do this," Plasmius whispered hatefully.

Phantom snarled and dove for the other man, colliding with his chest and knocking him to the floor. His hand landed on Plamsius's chest, and he willed for the energy to fire at the murderer in front of him. He could feel the ghost ray leaving his hand, but it didn't seem to connect to his chest. Blindly, he felt a gloved hand pushing him off his body and an energy blast hit him square in the chest. A foot connected with his stomach, and he cried out.

Plasmius looked gleeful. Phantom looked pained.

Valerie struggled to break free. "Stop doing this to him! Damn it, stop this and let us go!"

"I have no intention of ever doing that," he replied coldly, pulling the twine tighter and earning a gasp from one of the girls. "It's time that your friend learned what his true destiny is really about, and I am going to make sure he does this task within a matter of hours." He turned to the hero still on the floor. "It is your choice. You can discover all about your past, recognize what you really are- or you can allow your foolish companions to die by my hand."

Phantom didn't reply, tears streaming down his face in not only hurt from the stomach blow, but also from hate for this billionaire. Hate for everything that had occurred. Despair for trying to save his friends.

But most of all, defeat.

No. He had looked everywhere and had found nothing about his past. Nothing at all. No family photos of him when he was a child, no moments in which he could really remember of the first few years of his life. He sat on the couch, slumped down and having an absolutely miserable look etched in his features. Damn it, he was going to lose Sam and Valerie and Tucker. He'd failed.

Clenching his fist, Danny stood up and looked around the room with one last desperate hope in mind and stopped his gaze on an open dresser drawer. Frowning, he walked over to it and took out the envelope that lay neatly inside. On the front of it, neat calligraphy had inscribed the words "To Daniel."

His hands began to shake as he fumbled to open the letter. He walked back over to the couch and took a deep breath. Trembling fingers pulled out the letter, and he read it aloud to himself, voice becoming softer and softer with each word…

-

Dearest Daniel,

It has been a long time since you and I have met one another- perhaps ten or twelve yeas now. I am not sure how your days on Earth are measured compared to our days here in Angel City. But I am quite certain that you do not remember who I really am. My name is Suagru, and I am the reason that you are living a life on Earth.

My deepest apologies for having to live a life of lies and deceit and pain. It has been a long and hard road for you as I watch from the city where you truly belong- the city of angels and of life. I know who your parents are, and I know how they died. There was no way to prevent it, seeing as Vlad Plasmius wanted you as a son. But the truth has finally revealed itself to us, and we're very afraid for you and the future. You cannot join Plasmius, Daniel. If you do, it will mean the destruction of a thousand nations and much more than that. I am quite sure that you see him as one of your enemies right now, and I have complete faith that you wish to defeat him in some way possible.

There is something I have wanted to tell you for the longest time. You do not belong amongst the human beings, child. You are so much more than those who walk the earth with no powers at all. I know that you are not really normal- you're different and untamed in the ways of an angelic being. Yes, I know what you truly are. You're not a human, and you are not a half-ghost hero of Amity Park.

You are Seraphim, the chosen angel of legend destined to help the human world, the ghost zone, and the angel city to become a peaceful land once more. I wish you were here in Angel City do I could tell you the truth, but alas, I can only reach you by letter. However, in due time, I will be able to speak to you in real life. I cannot say right now how that will be possible, but… Daniel…

No.

Seraphim, I'm trusting you will get rid of Plasmius before all hell truly breaks loose on Earth. Please… just stop him.

Everything will reveal itself in due time. I promise.

-Sugaru

-

Danny sat there, holding the letter in his hand and hearing nothing but the loud ringing in his ears. His hands lowered the note, and he leaned back on the sofa, swallowing and shaking his head. No… impossible. He wasn't an angel of a strange world. He was just a teenager who had to rescue his friends from the sadistic ruler of the city who had taken his friends hostage in the midst of…

"You can discover all about your past, recognize what you really are- or you can allow your foolish companions to die by my hand."

He froze. His stomach dropped ten stories as he allowed the sheet to slip out of his hands. The teenager sat there for several long moments before standing up and bolting to his sister's room up the stairs. A moment later, he banged the door open and stared at Jazz, who was calmly sitting at her desk writing out something. He was panting heavily for several seconds before he finally gathered his breath and burst out with "What do you know about my past?"

The girl glanced up from her writing and blinked. "Why?"

"I just need to know, and fast!"

She frowned and leaned back in her chair, having stopped writing. "Well, I do know that you're not from here. Mom and Dad adopted you when you were really young. Dad was killed, and then Mom was really upset for a while. Nothing was really the same after everything went down, and Vlad just tried to flirt with her all the time." Her voice grew bitter. "It was actually really disgusting for a bit. Everyday, he'd come over and try to cheer her up. And everyday, he failed.

"Sooner or later, more things began to occur. Vlad came over less, but when he did come over, there were confrontations between 'Mom' and him, on the verge of physical violence. You and I both know he wouldn't hurt a fly in his human form, but as a ghost, he can be a monster. And everything just went into the pits for a while." She groaned. "You remember. It was hell for a few weeks."

Danny nodded. "But what does that have to do with my past? Jazz… where am I really from?"

The girl eyed him long and hard. He felt awful for asking for a couple of seconds

When she spoke finally, though, she sounded quite afraid.

"I'm not sure. You... you fell out of the sky, Danny. I was the one who watched you fall from the heavens when you were really a tiny child. And before that time- I can't say I know really. But I will say this." She swiveled around in her chair to face him. "The fact that you are an angel, Danny. That much is true. You're not human, and you're not half ghost. You adopted parents were killed by Plasmius in an attempt to get to you."

He stumbled backwards. His stomach now leapt into his throat, and he found himself sitting on the bed. His head went into his hands, his breathing accelerating by the second. No… this was all just an attempt to get to him? The one question was what was Plasmius planning to do with him after he got to him.

"Danny- about Vlad."

Jazz sounded different now- more worried. Hell, she had a completely different voice. As if someone had possessed her. Danny looked at her confusedly. "What?"

"He's not who you think he is. He's worse than anything you can imagine. Worse than a half-ghost hybrid."

"What is he, then?" Danny whispered.

Jazz closed her eyes, wincing and taking a deep breath.

"Danny- Vlad is your brother as an angel."

I hit a block. Simple as that. I wanted to do it, and I couldn't. There was no inspiration for anything. NOTHING. Then FernClaw got me to work on it- don't know how- and after nearly two months of working on this chapter, I finished it tonight. o.O

-grumbles- I'm not making any promises when the next chapter will actually come out, but I will say this- it will involve an epic battle between two half-ghost/angel hybrids. More sadistic Vlad, more angsty and revenge-driven Danny, and kidnapped people. The truth about Jazz being supposedly possessed comes into play. Angels will be seen once more. And there will be hopefully be a total shocker revelation. I'm not promising when it will come out, but... you people need to beat me senseless to get me to update, okay? DO SOMETHING to get me to work on this story more! Six months is a LONG time for me not to update.

I am SO SORRY for not updating at all. -hold out scythe- I will die fifty thousand times for the horridness of this chapter. PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND REVIEW.