I left you with a cliff-hanger with full intentions of not updating 'MIB' until I'd finished 'Shadows Are Supposed to Stay Sleeping.' I am such a liar. I couldn't help myself; I want to keep writing this at least until I get more (if any) reviews for 'SASTSS.' And now…the fun begins…

Six: Taunting (of the future)

The mystery of the note had to wait. Sam and Tucker couldn't exactly dive into the Ghost Zone when their parents were expecting them home to complete some homework and Jazz was not about to go in there by herself. Sitting alone at the kitchen table, she tapped her fingers on the surface, frowning at the scribbled handwriting.

However much he annoys me, I agree.

Well, the certainly sounded like Danny. He enjoyed Clockwork's presence and assistance but was often irritated by the Ghost of Time's lectures and warnings. Danny didn't like to be told how to do things. Nor did he like it when someone told him off for doing something he believed was right.

Stay away from the Ghost Zone.

A typical, protective Danny line. Nothing unusual there, really. There were plenty of times when he'd warned his friends and sister to stay out of a ghost fight for their safety. Most of the time they didn't listen to him and this might be one of those times. Danny didn't have his ghost powers anymore, he could barely protect himself, no matter how happy he felt about it and no matter if Clockwork was protecting him it still wasn't safe for Danny to be in the Ghost Zone without another human.

We'll sort it out.

And that was were it started getting weird. By all logical means, Danny was never one to "sort things out." That was not his job. His job was to focus on the fighting; Danny rarely thought about why the ghosts were attacking him because there was usually a legitimate vendetta that was held against him. Jazz shook her head, tracing the line with one finger. If Clockwork was helping Danny, then her brother was probably deep in trouble.

Her eyes trailed to the numerous amount of scribbles blocking out the other words after the words 'and I.' When Danny scribbled something out, it usually meant he didn't know what it was he wanted to say. But this…this was completely different. Jazz wasn't going into psychology for nothing; she knew how to recognize the status of a person's emotions by the way their handwriting was. The handwriting here indicated that the person; Danny; was confused, angry, determined, and possibly even worried. It was almost like he was fighting with himself.

--took care of Skulker for you.

Well, yeah, that's what Danny did. He fought with ghosts, it was like past-time that he lived for. Or half-lived for. Whichever.

A Ghost You Forgot

That was what struck Jazz into confusion the most. 'A Ghost You Forgot.' Why would she, Sam, and Tucker forget Danny? It was impossible to forget him. But the proof was clear; Danny's ecto-signature was on the note and-.

Jazz gasped and straightened up, slapping her palms on the table top. That was it! Danny's ecto-signature! He shouldn't have one! If Danny had lost his ghost powers because of the Observers then he shouldn't leave an ecto-signature! Jazz stood up so fast she knocked over her chair and reached for the phone. Sam and Tucker had to know about this.

Danny's head swam, his mind trying to wrap around the fact of who it was that was standing in front of him. Emotionally, he was rejecting the thought, the sight, of them but rationally he could not fight with himself. The cold, numbing shock made his limbs feel like frozen lead and he couldn't move, like he was trapped in a nightmare, seeped into him.

"Hello Danny, it's been a while." Dan Phantom smiled coldly, his sharp fangs prominent, the same smile that had chilled Danny the first time he'd met his evil future self, "You forgot about me, didn't you?"

He was the same. The same flickering, fiery white hair, the same burning, hate-filled red eyes, the same unearthly, pale bluish-green-white skin, and the same haunting, unsettling air around him. The only things that seemed to have changed were his outfit which no longer had the jagged bottomed cape; it had been replaced by dark purple cloak clasped at his throat by a silver button; and an odd black mark over his left eye like a mock of Clockwork's own mark; an upside down 'V' with one end, the side closest to the inside of his face, a simple curved end and the other the zig-zagged lightning dash.

But Danny still hated him. Hated him for what he had tried to do to his family and friends. Hated and feared him. Dan Phantom was all ghost and Danny…well, Danny wasn't anything ghost-like at all anymore. He was a normal, fragile, human.

Dan sneered at the look of mixed hate and fear he saw on his younger self and crossed his arms over his broad chest, turning his flaming red eyes on the Ghost of Time.

"I told you, Clocky, he hates me." The voice echoed, cold but not emotionless, "He'd never trust me, not if it took him a thousand years."

Clockwork let a small, half-smile creep onto his lips,

"And what have I told you before. Even your older self doesn't listen, Danny."

"MONSTER!" Danny screamed and, regardless of his injuries, threw himself at his future version, digging his fingers into Dan's shoulders and hooking his legs around his waist, furious blue eyes inches from those surprised red ones, "I SWORE IF I EVER HAD THE ENERGY TO KILL YOU AFTER WHAT YOU DID I'D DO IT!" Danny grabbed the front of Dan's shirt in one hand and drew back his other, fingers curling into a tight fist. But as he swung forward with a snarl of hatred, Dan Phantom snatched Danny's wrist, ripped him away from him, and slammed him into the wall.

"Don't make me laugh, Danny! You don't have the energy to kill the ghost of a fly let alone me!" He swept the groaning Fenton boy off the floor, suspending him in the air by his arm, "Does this feel familiar, boy? Well!? Does it!?" He shook Danny and the human yelped in pain as his arm twisted in its socket.

"That's enough!" Clockwork snapped, "Dan, put him down. Gently…!"

Growling and muttering fowl language, Dan Phantom lowered Danny carefully to the floor and stepped back, his fists clenched and shaking with rage. Red and green energy glowed off of his spectral body and Danny pushed himself to his feet, looking away. Clockwork's eyes narrowed as he swept his gaze from one to the other before settling on Danny.

"Danny, sit down, there are a lot of things to discuss and we don't have much time." Dan chuckled darkly, still floating inches off the floor, Clockwork scowled in his general direction, looking more like a kid who didn't get his way since he was in his toddler form.

"Why did you bring me here, Clockwork, for a lecture? Because that's all you've been doing." Danny was furious to be in the same room as Dan but plopped back down on the bed, holding a hand over his bandaged chest.

"Let me explain. Dan already knows so he can be quiet." The words were tense and Dan bared his fangs at Clockwork's back, "Danny, your ghost powers are not gone…they are simply separated from you. And you must get them back or your life could end sooner than it is supposed to. The Observers have, by making a decision I never thought they would, disrupted the entire time stream for your present future."

There was a silence in which Danny's eyes remained locked on the floor as though he was searching for something inside himself. Dan watched him through silted eyes that stilled burned with anger and Clockwork, now a young man, waited patiently for an answer. Finally, Danny slowly looked up at the Ghost of Time.

"No."

The Observers had seen fit that only one guard should remain outside the room, seeing as it wasn't like "it" could go anywhere. The guard, in question, was bored of standing outside the closet sized room with nothing to do. He yawned, stretched, and slouched at his post, not caring if the Observers berated him later or not.

A crash from inside the room made him jolt upright and swing around to go inside, only to forget about the door and slam right into it. Frustrated, he fumbled with the keys, unlocked the door, and kicked it open only to freeze in horror.

"It" was gone.

Somehow, "it" had broken the treated glass of the containment unit, blown a huge hole in the wall, and escaped!

The guard slouched forward. He was doomed now.

Outside, flying as fast and as far as he could, was a boy with shocking white hair and brilliant green eyes. At the moment, those brilliant green eyes were filmed with worry and fear. He blazed through the Ghost Zone towards the Fenton Ghost Portal, hoping against hope that it was open.

"I have to find him…" Danny Phantom murmured, biting his lip so hard a sliver of green ectoplasmic blood, welling from beneath his pale skin, "I have to find Fenton…!"

How do you like them snickerdoodles!? Okay, there's got to be some wicked feed-back on all these events! Yes, Dan Phantom is back! Hoo-rah! Next chapter (hopefully): the reason Fenton and Phantom need to join together again is revealed! And also why Clockwork let Dan out of the Thermos and why Dan actually listens to him! :D Happy days!

I've had a really good day so I felt like writing this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! Why it was a good day: I beat the GBA game 'The Ultimate Enemy' twice, once on hard mode and once on easy. Now have to get through those stupid bonus stage. Darn you Dan! You gave me too much trouble! RAWR! Alright, alright, alright, I'm sorry I ranted I just felt the need to.

Thanks for reading! See you soon! Byes!