Phantom: Hey everyone. Sorry for the long update, but I've been kind of busy with… a number of things.
Trainer: Yeah, she's been trying to finish her submission to university. Also, a tragedy has happened in our home.
Vlad: Perhaps it would be best if I say it. Phantom and Trainer have recently lost their dog due to illness and both have taken it pretty hard.
Phantom: I-I-I c-cried for h-hours! Ahhhhhhhhh.
Vlad: There, there, my dear. Everything will be alright.
Danny: Yeah, he'll always be with you and your sister.
*Phantom transforms into her human form, still crying into Vlad's shoulder*
Danny: Well, that was…
Vlad: Unexpected?
Danny: Yeah.
Trainer: Didn't you know that she was only half ghost? We are twins after all.
Vlad and Danny: Actually, I never even thought about it.
Phantom: *sigh* Thank you, all of you. I think I'll make it through this. But, I have made a decision.
Clockwork: And what would that be?
Phantom: As if you don't already know. I've decided to dedicate this story to my dog. Maybe not entirely, but he's getting a story dedication that I'll make at the very end. Stitch is also getting a chapter dedication. So I give you chapter 16.
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom and some ideas are owned by Pearl84 and Truephan, but the plot is mine!
Chapter 16: Family Connections
Danny woke up sleepily from his rest. His already messy black hair becoming even messier. Danny stretched and tried to stifle a yawn. Looking around, the young hybrid realised – albeit very slowly – that he was back at the castle and in his room. Danny scratched his head and wondered "When did I get here? Did Vlad find me after I was kidnapped and… bring me back?"
Danny yawned again and looked over to the nightstand to see the small digital clock. The glowing red numbers read 5:30 a.m. Danny groaned and flopped back down into the pillow he had been on seconds ago. It was too early to be up, but Danny didn't feel tired. In fact, he felt amazing – minus the fact that his back was slightly sore from being tied to a tree.
The black-haired teen rolled onto his side and attempted to fall asleep again. He tossed and turned and even started counting sheep. He stopped doing that when the sheep turned into ghost animals he had seen when passing by a farm-themed lair in the Ghost Zone.
Releasing a sigh, Danny turned towards his clock again and nearly threw it across the room. It now read 5:45 a.m. 15 minutes. For only 15 minutes he had tried to get to sleep and failed because… why couldn't he fall asleep?
Danny sat up again and positioned himself so that his back was against the head rest. Danny thought about the different reasons that could have kept him awake.
There was hunger: usually if someone was hungry, they tended to wake up to satisfy their body's needs. Danny discarded that idea immediately. He wasn't hungry, he usually just grabbed something quick for breakfast and so he didn't really eat a lot in the mornings.
Having to use the bathroom was ignored as well. If that was the case, he would have been in the bathroom as soon as he had awoken. He did not need to release anything at the moment.
Danny tapped his chin, trying to remember if there were any other reasons. Suddenly, he remembered a conversation he had had with Jazz about a month after the Dan-incident where Jazz had found him getting a glass of water after a horrific nightmare.
"Danny?" Jazz asked as she entered the kitchen.
Said person turned and asked, "Jazz? What are you doing out of bed? It's like, four o-clock in the morning."
"That's what I should be asking you," she replied. "And don't even try to tell me that it was because of a ghost because you and I both know the reason for when you get a glass of water at night."
Danny sighed and placed his glass on the table before sitting down. Jazz followed his example and sat down next to him. "Danny, you know you can tell me what's wrong," Jazz said, wrapping an arm around her little brother.
Danny flinched slightly from the touch, but soon relaxed again. "I know, I know, it's just… I can't sleep. Not without… you know what, never mind. The point is, I can't sleep," Danny said while rubbing his eyes. Dark circles were starting to form from lack of sleep and Jazz had taken notice.
"If it's because of a nightmare, Danny, then maybe keep a journal or a sketchpad nearby. You probably can't sleep because you're thinking of too many things and can't focus on sleep. Most insomniacs have said that they can't sleep because they have too much going on up here," Jazz said while pointing to her head.
Danny nodded and said, "Thanks, Jazz. Maybe I will keep a journal/sketchpad. God knows I need some mental relief from time to time." Danny hugged his sister and left to go back upstairs. He paused and turned to his sister before saying, "But, I will be hiding it in a place that you'll never find it. Can't have you psychoanalysing me without me knowing, right?"
With that, the two Fenton siblings returned to their rooms for the rest of the night.
Danny tapped his chin as the memory passed. Maybe he did have too much on his mind. He had been through a lot for one day; it was bound to catch up on him. On instinct, the young hybrid reached over to the side table for his journal/sketch pad that he had always phased into the wood until he needed it. When he came back with nothing, he nearly face-palmed for forgetting that he wasn't in his own home. So much for that idea.
"Ok, time for plan B, which would be the original plan; getting a glass of water and think things through," Danny said to himself.
He swung his legs out of bed and proceeded to make his way to the door. When he reached the knob, he realised that he wasn't dizzy, sick or weak. He felt… normal. Hmm, maybe Koŝmaro did help him. Just another thing to wonder about – why did he help him?
Danny shook his head and quietly made his way out of his room. He didn't want to use his powers since 1) Vlad would then sense him if he wasn't already in bed and even then might wake up because he could sense him and 2) all of Vlad's ghostly staff resided in the castle somewhere and he didn't need to get anyone up who may or may not alert Vlad. They were all loyal to the messed up fruitloop.
Danny snickered at his special name for the man and continued on his way. He passed by several doors and as he passed, he noted what he could remember each door had behind it. "Bedroom, bedroom, closet, special hiding place in case Vlad gets mad, the place I hide one of my thermoses… hm, I'll remember that for later, bedroom," Danny counted off as he walked.
When Danny got to the main staircase, he paused. If he recalled correctly, some of the stairs squeaked if you stepped on the wrong area; they had done that earlier that day when he first made the journey down the stairs. Now, which ones had squeaked?
Danny took a cautious step and waited for the unforgiving noise that would betray him to the castle and its residents. When nothing happened, he took another step, then another. So far so good. At least Bad Luck Tuck wasn't here. He would have said something like, "we're doing great! Nothing could possibly go wrong." Danny face-palmed again and cursed himself for thinking that because the next step he took not only squeaked, he placed his foot wrong and proceeded to slide down the rest of the stairs on one foot. Each slide making a loud thud as he went. When he reached the bottom, not only was his foot sore, but he fell forward and landed flat on the marble floor.
Danny lifted his head and muttered, "next time I see Tuck, I'm so going to blame him for this." with that, he stood and made his way to the kitchen. Thankfully, George didn't appear to aid him in his search for a glass of water and the young halfa left for the living room where Vlad had been just hours before.
He sat down on the couch and placed his glass down on the table. He picked up the diamond king from the chess set and gazed into the sparkling stone, watching as the moon light bounced off it. "Ha, as if gazing into this was going to give me the answers I'm looking for," Danny thought.
Danny placed the piece down and got into his signature thinking pose; he crossed his legs Indian style as well as his arms. He shut his eyes, furrowed his brows and his mouth became a slight frown. So many questions were bouncing around in his head, it was no wonder that he couldn't sleep.
Why did Koŝmaro help him? Why did he cure him of his illness? He could have just let him to suffer, but he didn't! Not only that, but when Danny had asked him flat out why, the man responded with "Maybe, I had never wanted to be the enemy. You may find that we have more in common than… you… think." What did they have in common? The man reminded him more of his evil self than the current him. Maybe it had to do with the magician's past? He had read that the man had had a good life until an "accident" occurred and he was never heard from again.
"Gaaahhh, this is impossible! What am I supposed to think? The dude has had as messed up a life as mine. He's evil one minute then nice the next! I don't know what to make of it, I give up," Danny exasperated to the empty room.
Danny opened his eyes to see the room as it was before he went into thought. "You know, there are people asleep right now and you're yelling very loud for 6:30 in the morning," said a voice from the doorway. So much for an empty room.
Danny gasped in surprise and turned to the source of the voice. He then sighed in relief when he realised that it was just Clockwork. The time spirit must have stayed to keep an eye on him until he was needed back at his lair.
Clockwork floated further into the room and over to the raven-haired boy. As the time master past him, he dropped something into the boy's lap before sitting down next to him. Danny looked down and saw a badger no bigger than a cat. Danny blinked a few times but smiled softly as the badger tried to make it more comfortable. It was just too cute!
"You do remember that Familiars can transform into a number of forms and that Frostigi's animal form is a badger, correct?" Clockwork said as he fiddled with his time piece.
Danny nodded his head in slight shock as he realised that the badger in his lap was really Frostigi. This was the first time he had seen him in this form. Danny sighed and leaned back into the cushions of the couch. Clockwork turned his attention away from his staff and stared at his ward.
"Clockwork?" Danny asked.
"Yes."
"Do you… can you… explain to me what's been going on? With Koŝmaro and everything that's been happening?" He continued.
Clockwork sighed – yep, definitely doing that more – and said, "Yes and no. Daniel, something is happening – something big – and unfortunately, my sight is being blocked from time to time. Someone or something is impeding my vision of the future, so I can only explain bits and pieces to you. I can't reveal what the future will hold for you unless it involves a similar case like Dan, but I can tell you a little bit more about the beings you will or have already met."
Danny's eyes widened as soon as he heard "sight is blocked" and "impeding visions of the future". He quickly turned to his mentor – it was a wonder that he hadn't had whiplash yet. "W-w-what do you mean…that you don't know what's going to happen?" Danny asked.
"I said that I can't see parts of the future, but yes, I can't. Someone is blocking my view of the time stream, similar to how I prevent the Observants from seeing the time stream when I know they'll – how do you say – screw it up," Clockwork replied.
Danny chuckled at that and Clockwork gave one of his rare smiles. After a few minutes of calm silence, Danny said, "Ok, so you can see the future, just not all of it. But, what does that have to do with everything that's happened… unless; it's because of certain people that you can't see the time stream; like Koŝmaro!"
"No," was the time spirit's reply. "I can see some pieces of the timeline that contains Koŝmaro in it just like how I could see Dan's future. No, someone else is pulling the strings and I can't see who."
Danny thought about this and then asked something that Clockwork didn't expect him to ask – or at least not this soon. "Clockwork, who is Koŝmaro Magiisto? He shows up out of nowhere, beats the crap out of me, accidentally gives me and my friends some powers and then helps me later, after unintentionally kidnapping me."
Clockwork gave another sigh, like the ones a father does when hearing what his child has been up to and doesn't like. "How much do you already know?" he asked.
"Well," Danny said. "I know that he's technically an orphan since he was given to the king and queen of an ancient kingdom, so I guess that makes him a prince. He was gifted with supernatural powers that made him a magician. He disappeared but then returned the following year where the castle burned down and only he and a mysterious man had survived. Oh! And his name was given to him by a spirit."
Danny looked to his mentor to show that he was finished. Clockwork nodded and said, "That is all true. But like most stories, there is another part that most do not dive into or has been lost to time. Fortunately, I am master of time and so these parts are not lost to me."
Danny nodded his head in understanding. "Then, is there another side to this story?" he asked.
"Yes, and it could be considered to be quite dark," the master of time replied. "First off, Koŝmaro is actually a very unique child. He –"
"-Was born with his own powers. I know this Clockwork," Danny interrupted. He was then hit on the head with the time staff.
Ignoring the outburst and glare the young hybrid sent him, Clockwork continued, "yes, he was, but how do you think he got these powers?"
Danny rubbed his sore head and thought about the question. How did Koŝmaro Magiisto get his powers? It could have been that one of his parents passed on the gene for it. Or maybe he had gotten into an accident like Danny had at a young age and never told anyone. Or maybe… "Did it have to do with his origins or maybe the spirit who named him?" Danny asked.
Clockwork smiled mysteriously and said one word, "Yes."
Danny blinked and questioned, "Yes? What do you mean 'yes'? You didn't specify which answer you were talking about."
"I was talking about both. It has to do with his origins and the person who named him," Clockwork replied. "Think about it Daniel. How did Samantha get her powers or you with yours?"
"Well, mine were through an accident with a ghost portal and Sam's powers were sort of natural to her being and were just awakened by Koŝmaro's energy. What does this have to do with Koŝmaro and his?" Danny asked.
"Your powers are ghostly in origin while Samantha was born with hers buried deep inside her. Both of you in the timeline Koŝmaro came from would have been considered witches, warlocks and magicians," the time master explained.
"So, that means that, Koŝmaro's abilities were born to him but… were ghostly? How does that work?" he asked.
Clockwork raised an eyebrow. "How does one obtain looks or skills from their parents?" he countered.
Danny's eyes grew wide as he stuttered, "Wait a minute. No way. You mean he – he was – his parents…"
Clockwork nodded his head at the poorly asked question. "Yes, Daniel. One of his parents was indeed a ghost while the other was human and had their own natural abilities."
"So, does that mean that the spirit who came to name him was actually… one of his parents? Why didn't they just, you know, keep him? Also, would Koŝmaro be considered the first actual halfa?" Danny questioned.
Clockwork gazed off into space and closed his eyes. Danny watched before he let his own eyes drift to Frostigi as he thought. "I wonder what Koŝmaro's parents were like. Besides his powers, did he look like them? Are they ghosts now… ok, actually, Clockwork said one of them was already dead so…" Danny continued like this until his thoughts were interrupted.
"Koŝmaro is in all meanings of the word a halfa, but he is a special case," Clockwork explained. "When a ghost and human have a child, several outcomes could happen.
The child could be entirely human. No ghostly attributes at all.
The child could be human but have some abilities that vary from many to almost none. I think it's obvious what Koŝmaro got.
The child could be born with equal parts and be a halfa. This is more common if the parents share more in common of if one of the parents is a halfa themselves.
The child would be born as a ghost or spirit.
Koŝmaro was born as the second option but when he died, he became a spirit because his father was a spirit as well."
"Wait. What? I thought that you had to be a master of something in order to be a spirit. You know, like you being the master of time or the Observants being masters over big boring council-y things. How is Koŝmaro considered a spirit?" Danny asked.
Clockwork smiled and said, "There are different levels of spirits, the same way there are different levels of ghosts. There are some lesser spirits who reside over something small like Nocturne with his mastery over sleep and dreams. Other spirits can control something on a much grander scale like Undergrowth with plants or Vortex with weather. Then there are beings like me who play a bigger role.
Koŝmaro is somewhere between the latter two since he is born from a powerful spirit, but not as strong. If I was to say what his mastery was, I would think it was his ability to summon his own brand of creatures. He would most likely be like the messenger for the spirits if given the chance."
Danny thought about this and decided that this made more sense than what he had originally thought about the magician. "So, why didn't his parents keep him? They must have had a good reason unless they didn't love him."
"His parents did and still do love him, Danny. They gave him away for similar reasons that humans do it today. The father was/is a powerful spirit and had no time of his own to spend raising a child – let alone his own. The mother was a lady of good standing, but her parents had arranged for her to marry another – not knowing that their daughter had already wed and had a child. To escape them, she ran away with the child and left him for the king and queen to find. She then disguised herself and worked in the castle so that she could watch over her child along with the spirit. They never truly left him until he disappeared. But because of their situation, they had to let him be raised by another," Clockwork said with his head down.
Danny didn't take notice of this as he was lost in thought. It must have been awful to watch their child call someone else mom and dad. Did Koŝmaro even know about his true parents? Will he ever? "Clockwork? Does Koŝmaro know about his true origins? Who his parents were?"
Clockwork sighed. "No he doesn't, and he may not know this for years to come. I doubt he even recalls who his adoptive parents are or his life before he disappeared."
Danny chuckled, which confused the time master greatly. "I guess Koŝmaro was right. He never did want to be the bad guy," Danny said. Someone who had so many great parents looking out for him couldn't be all bad, right?
Clockwork smiled too and said, "No, I suppose he is right about that."
Danny closed his eyes as he was finally becoming tired. "Clockwork?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you know who Koŝmaro's parents are, or where they are currently?"
"Yes, I do. And both are still trying their best to look out for him," Clockwork stated.
A long comfortable silence drifted through the room until the raven-haired boy spoke up again. "You're not going to tell me who the parents are, are you."
Clockwork smiled fondly and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "No, Danny, I won't. As you know, I can only reveal so much before it messes with the timeline –"
"-and the timeline comes first. I know, Clockwork, I know," Danny finished for the master of time.
As Clockwork stood – floated – up, Danny released a huge yawn. That was his signal to leave. Clockwork grabbed a blanket off of the back of the couch and gently pushed the hybrid down into a lying position. Danny – still holding but more like cuddling Frostigi – looked up at his mentor with sleepy yet curious eyes as if to ask what the spirit was doing.
Answering the unasked question, Clockwork placed the blanket over his ward and said, "Get some sleep Danny. It's not wise for you to stay up to this early hour, especially since you've been up since 5:30." Danny sleepily nodded and readjusted himself and Frostigi into a comfier position before falling asleep. With that and a spin of a clock hand, Clockwork left for his tower.
Back at Clockwork's tower, a blue portal appeared. After two clock hands turned, the portal disappeared and left an adult version of the master of time in its place. He looked around the circular room. He looked at his screens of past, present and future. He saw the stained-glass window that overlooked the Ghost Zone. He took in the entirety the room – looking at every piece of detail.
Finally, his eyes landed on a picture frame hidden on one of the many bookshelves. It showed himself in his adult form standing – floating – next to a beautiful woman who had a newborn baby in her arms.
The woman had long brown hair that was tied back into a pony-tail and went down to her tail-bone. She wore a beautiful snow white gown with light purple accents and a small cape that came to her mid-back in the same colour. She was tall and skinny with her bright golden eyes shining along with her smile.
The child in her arms was wrapped up in a purple blanket where only his face was showing. He had a lighter shade of brown for his hair, but had the same golden eyes as the woman. His skin was slightly paler than most humans and at the time could have been mistaken for illness, but Clockwork knew better.
Clockwork picked up the frame and studied each occupant in the image. That had been one of the happiest days in his after-life. He absentmindedly started to trace his hand over the woman and child.
"It's not your fault, you know," came a feminine voice from behind him. The next thing the master of time knew, the owner of the voice had her arms wrapped around his right arm.
Clockwork turned his head to see the speaker and said, "Hello, Kristalo (1). How are you?"
The woman was tall and skinny. She had bright golden eyes and her skin was an extremely light blue – almost white. Her hair was long and went all the way to her tail-bone even after being put it into a tight pony-tail. The hair was sapphire blue and had a slight flame-look to it. She wore a light purple gown with white accents along with a white cape that only went to her mid-back. A 'CW' pin held the fabric on.
Not many knew her and she preferred it that way. In her life, she was a maiden who was going to be forced to marry another even though she had already married – albeit secretly – and had born a child. With the help of her lover, she escaped and came to a new kingdom where she gave up their child to the royals and watched over him as the head maid. Or at least, that's what everyone else knew.
Kristalo tilted her head up so her eyes met the master of time's and said, "I am fine, but you are not." She looked at the photo and said, "I don't like this anymore than you do, but like you told me; everything is as it should be. We can't interfere, no matter how much we want to. However, that doesn't mean we can't… cheat a bit." She finished with a smile.
Clockwork smiled too and placed the picture back on the shelf. "You know," he said. "You've changed quite a bit since you were alive. And I don't just mean how you appear either."
Kristalo smirked as they floated back to the middle of the room. "You have too," she replied. "But, you should keep your guard up. You never know what might be taken from you." She giggled as she floated towards the screens with the time staff.
Clockwork smiled but had to wonder how she always managed to steal his staff away. He floated up to the female ghost and wrapped an arm around her waist. The two beings stared at the screen which showed Koŝmaro sitting on his bed with Purpura resting on his lap.
Kristalo stared at the image with a motherly stare and said, "So, you aren't going to tell him who dear Koŝmaro really is and your connection to him?"
Clockwork stared at the woman and then back at the screen before shaking his head. "No, I believe I have been quite generous in giving him the clues I left for him. As for Koŝmaro, he doesn't even know who we are to him, let alone his adoptive parents," the master of time replied.
Kristalo sighed as the image faded and returned to black. "You can be so mischievous Clockwork. It's no wonder that our son is too," she said as she closed her eyes. Clockwork managed to take his staff back by this time.
"I am Clockwork, spirit of time and space. I know everything that has, is and will happen. It's quite boring to know everything. I need to have some fun every once in a while," he said.
Kristalo opened her eyes and asked, "Are we doing the right thing? Are we being good parents?"
"Like in my riddles for Daniel; we must live through the nightmare in the time stream before things can become crystal clear for us. We have to wait and see and face any and all consequences that might arise from it," Clockwork stated. "But in all truth, I cannot say."
"In other words; you don't know," she said bluntly.
Clockwork didn't answer but she could tell that he was really starting to hate that phrase. Smiling with her next thought, she snatched the time staff without Clockwork realising until it was too late. As she floated away, she started giggling and called, "If you want it back then you'll have to catch me, Clocky!"
Clockwork started to float after the woman and mumbled to himself, "of course it's the being that I marry that can steal my possessions." Then a little louder he called, "Kristalo, get back here. I have a job to do and I need my staff." With that he chased his wife around the tower trying –and failing – to get his staff back.
An hour after Clockwork left…
Vlad walked down the hallway to Danny's room to check up on him. He hadn't been able to sleep well and all because he was worrying about the boy. Did Koŝmaro do anything to him? Was the boy injured more than before? Would he ever be the same? Vlad didn't know and that's what brought him to this; a man with slightly de-shelved hair dressed in a black suit striding down the halls of his home.
As soon as the billionaire got to the door he walked in and looked at the bed. The covers were pushed to one end of the bed and the being who was supposed to be there was gone. Where did he go?
Vlad remembered bringing the boy in here just last night while the temporal spirit and Frostigi had left for the mini lounge. Wait! That was it! He probably woke up and made his way up there. With that in mind, Vlad made his way into the closet and into the mini lounge above it.
"Daniel, how are you -" Vlad began but paused when he saw that there was no one up there. "- not up here?" Vlad finished instead of his original question.
Vlad returned to the main bedroom and began his search in the other rooms staring with the game room and then the bathroom. When he didn't find the boy in either he began to pace. It was much too early for this. Vlad checked his watch and it read that it was close to 8:00 a.m. Vlad wanted to find the boy before breakfast, but it didn't look like he would.
With a sigh, the billionaire halfa made his way downstairs to the kitchen. There, he saw that his staff was already there and eating. George was cooking obviously and Niane was chatting with the cook. Patricia and Martha were fighting over whether Fantastic or Windex was a better cleaning product. Bennie and Jasper were eating plates of glowing scrambled eggs. And finally, Carl was sitting on a stool looking at one of the new car models that he would no doubt ask the man to buy later. The only one not present was Derek.
Vlad would have dwelled on it more, but he desperately needed a cup of coffee. Not having a good night's sleep did not agree with the man. "George, a cup of coffee if you please," he said.
"Right away sir," replied the chef. Seconds later, George came back with a mug and handed it over. Not really sure if he should ask, George looked his employer over with a critical eye. Deciding that it was better to ask, he took the chance. "Rough night, sir?"
Vlad took a gulp of the hot liquid and then looked at the chef. Sighing and showing how exhausted he was, Vlad said, "Something of the sort. This whole situation is taking its toll I suppose."
George and Niane shared a worried glance with each other, but everyone otherwise left the conversation at that. Vlad was about to take another gulp of his coffee when Derek finally entered the room. Normally, this would have gone on unnoticed as a normal occurrence, except when the ghostly butler entered the kitchen; he was smiling and looked as if he were laughing at a private joke. It was rare enough for the butler to smile but to laugh; something was off.
Vlad cocked an eyebrow at that and asked, "What is so amusing at this hour, Derek?"
Derek - not expecting the man to be in the room - jumped slightly and gasped. Carl snickered, but turned his head away and whistled when Derek glared at him. Composing himself, Derek asked in return, "What do mean, Master Plasmius?"
Vlad knew that his employee was hiding something so he played along. "Well, it is so rare to see you smile, let alone laugh, especially at such an early hour. Something must have caught your attention. Otherwise, I would have to assume that you're going mad." Vlad smiled at the reaction he got from the butler.
His cheeks were slightly whiter as he blushed and coughed at the embarrassing remark. "Uh, yes. Um, I did see something rather… humorous. I was just checking on a few rooms before coming in because I heard something. What I found was what put me in such a good mood." Derek wouldn't make eye contact with anyone as they all – minus Vlad – began to chuckle.
Vlad was smiling too, but he was wondering what Derek had found. As Vlad continued with his breakfast, the members of his staff went off to do their individual jobs. Every now and then he would hear giggling, each from a different member of the ghost staff. When he heard a twin set of 'aww', he had to investigate.
Vlad stood and thanked George for the food and left the kitchen. It didn't take him long to find out where all the noise was coming from. He made his way towards the living room at an easy pace; trying to imagine what could get his staff acting like this. On his way he passed Martha and Patricia who – for once – weren't fighting, but rather giggling like sisters do about a secret.
Vlad turned the last corner and into the living room. He walked in slowly and looked at every inch of the room. He knew he wasn't alone; he could feel someone's presence. Wait, no, make that two. Vlad walked slowly and practically made no sound as he went. It was only when he heard the shifting of fabrics did he light his hand up with an ecto-blast.
It quickly disappeared when he saw what the source of the noise was. Curled up on the couch next to the diamond and emerald chess set was the boy he had been looking for most of the morning. He was fast asleep with a blanket covering him. Vlad looked closer and saw something white underneath the blanket as well and the half dead child was hugging it like a stuffed animal.
This must have been what caught his staff's attention. He had to admit, it was as funny as it was adorable. Still, Vlad wondered what the boy was hugging. It was white and furry and he then dreaded that it might have been Maddie. Just as Vlad thought that however, a slight pressure on his leg told him otherwise. He looked down to see Maddie rubbing against his leg. He looked behind him, but didn't see TJ, which meant that he was still elsewhere.
Turning back to the sleeping child, Vlad began to wonder again. If Maddie was here… then who or what did the boy have? Danny shifted again, but caused the blanket to move down his body revealing his waist up.
Vlad nearly broke down laughing when he saw what Danny held. It was Frostigi in his animal form! Vlad couldn't miss this moment. He pulled out his phone and took several pictures of the scene. If he was to submit this somewhere, it would be a yearbook. Boys hugging things other than girls always make a yearbook funny. But blackmail would worked just as well.
Vlad didn't know whether he should wake Danny or let him sleep. From the looks of it, the boy had woken pretty early and snuck down to this room and fell asleep. With that in mind, Vlad picked a book off a nearby table – he must have left it there at some point – and sat in the chair next to the couch waiting for the child to awaken.
About an hour later, Danny began to stir and Vlad put down his book. Danny sleepily rubbed his eye and sat up. Vlad noticed that Frostigi was still in his arms as he sat up. In fact, the little badger was still asleep anyways.
Danny stifled a yawn and tried to adjust his eyes to the light coming through the windows. Vlad chuckled at how oblivious Danny could be and couldn't help himself. "Well, good morning sleeping beauty. Sleep well?" the man teased.
Danny - not expecting anyone to be in the room – jumped and whipped his head towards Vlad. His eyes were wide and devoid of their previous sleep. When he saw that it was just Vlad, he turned his stunned look into one of annoyance. Yawning again, Danny asked, "What do you want, Vlad? I was sleeping."
"Clearly," was the older hybrid's response. "But I believe the better question is why you are asleep down here, when I left you in your bed last night after coming back from the forest."
Danny gave a confused look at the billionaire and said, "I… just had a lot on my mind. Normally, I wouldn't need to leave my room, but since my plan A wasn't around, I went with plan B; get a glass of water and think. I usually end up on the couch when that happens though."
Vlad scratched his beard at the explanation. It made sense, but now he had another question. "And what exactly was plan A then?"
Danny absentmindedly began rubbing Frostigi and was then brought out of it when Frostigi started to purr. "Well," Danny said. "After I faced a certain ghost, I had trouble sleeping and Jazz found me one night. She recommended that I keep something like a dream journal; something to draw and write in when I have too much on my mind and can't sleep. It's worked so far, and it's better than my plan C when neither A or B work."
Vlad stared at him expectantly. Danny caught on and said, "Plan C is for a midnight flight, but that usually ends up becoming a patrol."
Vlad nodded, but still wished to know who this ghost that the boy mentioned was. It couldn't be the one that was locked up in a thermos in Clockwork's lair… could it?
"…ad? Vl…? Vlad? VLAD!"
"What?" was Vlad's so remarkable reply.
"I said; is there any breakfast Vlad? Wow, you really spaced there. Something wrong?" Danny said.
Vlad smiled and stood up. "Not at all my boy. How about we go ask George for something to eat, hm?"
Danny stood up too and nodded. The two hybrids walked into the kitchen and while Vlad went to ask his chef to prepare something, Danny moved to the small table with Frostigi still in his arms. When Vlad walked over to him, he found Danny staring intently on Frostigi's form.
Cocking an eyebrow, Vlad asked, "Daniel, what are you doing?"
Danny tore his eye off the animal and simply replied, "Trying to wake up this lazy animal, but nothing I've done yet has done the trick." Returning to his previous doings, Danny started to snap into the badger's ear, but that didn't work. Frostigi just readjusted himself. It went on like this for several minutes before Danny shot up from his seat and ran into the busy section of the kitchen.
Vlad was about to ask what he was doing when George and Danny returned to the table holding a large bin full of water. "Daniel, might I ask what you're doing with that?"
Danny smiled mischievously before he explained. "Well, when I refuse to wake up at home, Jazz does some things to wake me up. Depending on the severity, she chooses a method. Frostigi isn't responding to sounds or movements so…" Danny picked up the sleeping badger and held him above the bin. "A little ice water should do the trick." With that he dropped the animal in with a loud splash.
"DAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ! COLD AND WET! COLD AND WET! DO NOT MIX WELL! DAHHHH!" Frostigi popped his head out of the water and was met with a chorus of laughter. His attention focused on Danny though.
Pulling himself out of the bin, Frostigi transformed in a cloud of green into his humanoid form – still soaking wet too. "Oh, you think that's funny do you?"
Danny stopped laughing and gulped. "Um, heh heh. George, I'll take that breakfast to go, if you wouldn't mind," the young hybrid said.
George handed over a bagel with cream cheese spread on it and smiled as he said, "You might want to run young halfa. An angry badger is usually a very dangerous one."
Danny gulped again and said, "gotta run!" with that, he transformed and flew out of the room.
Frostigi flew after him saying something about Danny never seeing a day of his after-life after that stunt. Seconds later, Danny returned and said a quick, "Thanks, George!" and then flew out again.
Vlad broke out into a full on laugh while George chuckled and returned to his station. For the rest of the morning, the whole castle could hear Danny and Frostigi as they chased each other. At about noon, the two had exhausted themselves and were lying on Danny's bed.
"You know… I… still hate… you… right?" Frostigi asked, still slightly out of breath.
Danny grunted in response, still too out of breath to speak. "Looks like you two have calmed down. How about some lunch? George made quiche," said a smug voice from the doorway.
Both boys turned to the voice and groaned when they saw who it was; Vlad Masters. He was cleaned up from the morning and was currently typing away on a handheld computer. He paused and looked at them and said, "Well?"
Frostigi and Danny looked at each other and in unison, "Sure."
Danny and Frostigi followed Vlad down to the dining room. Danny talked to his Familiar about what each of their powers was while Vlad continued to type away on his device. Neither boy paid any mind to the older man, thinking that he was just working on business. In reality, Vlad was doing business. However, it was ghostly in origin.
When all three were seated, Derek entered with three trays and gave one to each of them. When he saw the two boys he had to hide a smile. Even though he tried to, both still saw it and blushed out of embarrassment. They had figured out about an hour ago that everyone in the castle – minus George, but was most likely told by Niane – knew that the two had been sleeping on the couch and how they looked at the time. Both of them wanted to disappear, but that wouldn't do them any good at the moment.
Danny and Frostigi pushed aside their problems and dug in. Vlad, however, didn't. He was a little preoccupied. Before Daniel had been kidnapped, the billionaire had witnessed a new power in the boy; on several occasions in fact. Daniel could now create exploding balls of energy. Almost like an ecto-grenade. He figured that it had something to do with the black liquid the idiots in white had injected into the boy's body, but he wanted to make sure. If it could give the boy new powers, then why not him?
"Hey, Vlad. Aren't you hungry?" Danny asked.
Vlad looked at the younger hybrid and said, "Yes, yes I am. I'm just puzzled about something."
"What about?" This time it was Frostigi. He was licking some juice from his lips.
Vlad thought about the best way to phrase his response. "Well, it's about the liquid that was injected into you, my boy. I believe that it had something to do with your newfound power to make things explode. If that is true, then it could be that this liquid is useful for… other purposes."
Danny stared at his plate as he remembered the moment the liquid was injected. It had hurt. Especially when that Chrome guy electrocuted him to actually start the liquid. Danny could only think of one reason Vlad would be thinking about it; he wanted to see if it had the same effect on him. He had to at least warn him.
"Vlad, I know what you're thinking and I don't think you should try it. You have no idea what you'd be doing to yourself," Danny tried to reason.
"And what do you know about it?" Vlad retorted.
Danny sighed. Vlad was not going to make this easy. "Vlad, look. You saw what happened to me. What that stuff did to me. The liquid itself doesn't hurt until electricity is added. Vlad, you seriously don-"
"What do you know, Daniel? You are a child and seem to be afraid of a little competition," Vlad said. "You can be such a little –"
"VLAD!" Danny was standing now and shaking from both fear and anger. "Why can't he just trust me?" he thought. "Vlad, I don't care if you get a new power. I care if something horrible happens to you. I cared when Dazzler tried to kill you, I cared when we went on our little treasure hunt and I cared when I had to leave to save my sister. Vlad, I don't want to see something happen to you."
"Then why do you not want me to try this? Tell me that, Daniel," Vlad said as he reined in his anger.
Danny sat back down and sighed. Yep, never easy when dealing with Vlad Masters. "Before Agent Chrome injected the black liquid into me, he told me that there were two outcomes, and both of them could lead to death. One option was that my core would go into shock; the other was that the liquid would excite my core so that they could see what kind of core it was. Still, both ways could have killed me. They injected that stuff into my core. I don't even know if it's still in me or not and if it's harmful. After they injected it, they turned on the machine connected to it and it sent electricity through me; activating the liquid. I don't remember anything after that except that I was in pain; so much unbearable pain. I probably wouldn't even be alive if you hadn't shown up."
Danny turned away from the stunned man. He had only been able to guess what had happened when he had found Daniel in that room. He never imagined this. If what the boy said was true, then Vlad might die if he tried to use it himself. Was he really willing to use it and take that chance?
Vlad sighed and said, "I'm sorry that you had to go through that, my boy. If it makes you feel better, I'll do some research about the liquid before attempting anything."
"And you have to tell me when you plan to use it," Danny added now facing the man.
The two stared each other down before Vlad relented and said, "Agreed." The two shook and then returned to their meals. Frostigi, having finished during the "talk" was happily waiting for them to finish.
The day had continued on from lunch with Danny and Frostigi sharing their knowledge about themselves and their powers with each other in Danny's room where they played video games until the late hours of the day. Before they knew it, it was time to get some sleep.
Vlad had said something about taking care of some work and had headed to his private study after lunch. He had gone through several piles of paperwork for his companies and then proceeded onto other forms of work; he went to his private lab.
He needed to know more about that black liquid. He needed to get one mystery out of the way, so why not the simplest of them all. He had run tests and experiments on the sample he had retrieved from the GiW headquarters and each time he found nothing. The liquid itself was fairly harmless, but added with electricity, it could be dangerous.
Just then, Skulker – along with Ember – flew through his portal. "Hey, Big Daddy. How ya been?" Ember asked. Honestly she didn't really care. She just liked calling him 'Big Daddy' since she knew it irritated him. Skulker rolled his eyes and floated further into the room.
"Hello, Plasmius. How's the whelp?" He asked, hoping to distract his employer from his girlfriend.
"Daniel is upstairs with Frostigi, most likely asleep. He's fine, but I got some interesting information out of him about his stay with the Guys in White," Vlad replied as he looked through a microscope.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Dipstick is here? You mean what Skulker told me was true? Dipstick actually got caught?" Ember started to flip. This was something that deserved to be spread around.
Vlad turned to face the two ghosts and said, "Yes, he was captured and I – with Skulker's help – saved him. If you're going to spread that around, go ahead. Just remember to tell people that Amity Park is now under my control until Daniel is well enough to return. This means, no trespassing. Got it? Good."
Ember rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her excitement in being able to gossip this later. She was still technically a teen after all. Skulker sighed and asked, "So, what did you find out?"
"When Daniel had been there, they injected this," Vlad held up the vial of black liquid, "into his core and proceeded to electrocute him. It somehow gave him his ability to make things explode."
Skulker took the vial and examined it. "I think I've seen this somewhere before," he commented.
Vlad turned to his employee and said, "Really? Where? What was it for?"
"What, are we playing 20 questions now? Is it a thing?" Ember jumped in and laughed at her small joke. The two males ignored her as Skulker continued.
"Yes, I have. It's quite rare nowadays. Only found in one section of the Ghost Zone and no one dares go there anymore. Pariah Dark used to have it close to his castle until he was overthrown. That chunk of land was then thrown into a deep section of the Zone and out of sight. The land was covered with these plants that created two different liquids; both black and both dangerous," the hunter said.
Then the rocker ghost jumped in. "Oh, yeah. I remember that place. The only difference on the plants was that one bloomed black flowers and the other white flowers. They were a pair plant called Mortiga Promeso (2), or Deadly Promise. The plants with the black flowers had a black liquid that caused a ghost immense pain just from contact. Pariah used it on all his weapons so he could punish those who went against him."
Vlad scratched his beard. "So the liquid from the black flowers were deadly and painful. Understandable. And what of the white flowers?"
Skulker ran a hand through his flaming hair. "Well, it was said that they could restore a ghost's strength and improve it tenfold. But that would only be for powerful ghosts. For weaker ones, it could still cause a lot of pain even to the point of death. Judging by what you have here, I'd say that you got lucky and got a vial of white Mortiga Promeso liquid. However, both liquids are more effective if charged." Skulker thought for a moment and added, "You said that the white hunters injected this into the whelp?"
Vlad nodded. Skulker hummed and said, "Well, then that's how he got the new power. Still, he could have been killed if it hadn't been stopped."
Vlad took the vial back and examined it again. So, if he did use this, then he would need someone nearby to stop it and take the electricity away if things began to take a turn for the worst.
Skulker watched his employer already knowing what he was planning. He was only confirmed when Vlad transformed into Plasmius. "Plasmius, I don't think this is a good idea," he warned.
"Don't you think I know that? However, there are just as many pros as there are cons," Plasmius stated.
"Yes, but one of those cons if becoming full ghost, Big Daddy. Plus, what will Dipstick think once he finds you dead?" Ember reasoned. She may not like either halfa, but that didn't mean she didn't take them both into account when it really mattered.
"First off, there is a chance that I don't die as long as I am monitored during the procedure. Second, who said anything about not having the little badger here when it happens?" Plasmius said.
Both the hunter and rocker ghost stared at the man and before they could say anything, he teleported in a puff of pink smoke. Ember started laughing and Skulker gave her a deadpan look. "What?" She asked. "He uses pink energy. PINK! It just doesn't look that threatening when coming from a man in his forties."
"Try saying that again when you're on the receiving end of it," Skulker said with a smirk.
Not a second later, Plasmius teleported back into the room with a dazed teenager and badger. After Danny regained his balance, he glared at the man and demanded, "What the hell, Plasmius. I was asleep. What in goddamn name are you doing?"
Plasmius frowned and hit the boy with a small ecto-blast from his finger and said, "Language, Daniel."
Danny sat up from the spot on the floor he had landed on and replied back, "English, Fruitloop."
Ember and Skulker couldn't help but chuckle at the younger hybrid's response, which earned them a glare from the older. Skulker coughed nervously while Ember laughed some more at the look on Plasmius' face. "What? It was clever, and totally a teenager thing to say," Ember replied before she helped Danny up and fist-bumped him.
Danny was slightly startled by the sudden generosity from the female ghost, but that was quickly reminded about where they stood when she said, "Don't get me wrong, Dipstick. We're still enemies. I just dislike adults more."
Danny nodded and turned his attentions back to the other halfa. When he saw the vial with the black liquid in it, he knew why the billionaire had brought him down there. "So, you're actually going through with it huh?" Danny stated more than asked.
Plasmius smiled his infamous fanged smile and said, "Yes, I am. And you are going to be on standby with Skulker to make sure that nothing goes wrong."
Danny's eyes widened and Frostigi became so shocked that he transformed into his humanoid form. Both then yelled, "WHAT!"
Before anyone could contemplate what was happening, Plasmius quickly grabbed a needle and injected the white Mortiga Promeso liquid into his own ghost core. Everyone was shocked. No one moved. No one breathed (especially the ghosts in the room). No one did anything, afraid that it might start something.
When nothing happened, everyone let out a huge sigh of relief. "Why didn't it work?" Plasmius wondered. Then he recalled what he had been told and how electricity played a major role in it. Smiling again, Plasmius lit his hand with ecto-electricity and let it run throughout his body.
Immediately, Vlad started to feel the pain that was expected. That still didn't stop him from grunting and eventually yelling in pain and agony. No one had expected the hybrid to shock him, so when he did they all jumped. Especially after the scream that erupted from his throat.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Everyone started to call out to him, but Vlad could barely hear them. "I hope I'm not going to regret this decision," Vlad thought.
Every now and then he would hear someone call him, but it was very choppy. "..ey…Bi…Dad…dy!" "Pla…mius!" "Y…id…ot…d…n't…do…tha…!" The one that came out the clearest was the one that Vlad wasn't expecting to be the loudest.
"VLAD!" Danny yelled as he raced across the room. "Please don't let me get there too late," he hoped as he ran towards the pained man.
Phantom: Translation time again!
Trainer: you guys get two this time.
(1) Crystal
(2) Deadly Promise
If you guys didn't notice the secret message in Clockwork's talk with his wife, this is what it was. Clockwork, Kristalo and Koŝmaro's names are all Esperanto. Not only that, but life (or time itself) can be a nightmare until you see things clear like a crystal. (Clockwork *time* is married to Kristalo *crystal* and have a son named Koŝmaro *nightmare*). Their names create the normality of life. Ha ha. Bet you wouldn't have gotten it.
Phantom: *still in human form* O_O; Did I just do that? … Yes, yes I did. I just left you all at a cliff-hanger! Ha! I can be so evil sometimes. Hey, guys. So, sorry about my little outburst from the beginning, but I'm better now. Really. I am.
Trainer: Yeah, we're all recovering slowly but surely.
Phantom: So just a little announcement. Trainer has the first chapter of her story up on her 'SpiritTrainer' page and it's called Red Aura. I read it and love it. If you guys like Pokemon, then go read it. I promise you it's really good.
Trainer: Good to know that you kept your promise to advertise for me. Anyways, yesterday we went to this annual Chilli cook-off where our family won two prizes. One for overall best and another for most trendy. Cool right? Anyways, while we were there, we got bored and began writing lines for a DP version of the Boom deyada song. So far we wrote lines for Danny and Vlad.
Phantom: Yeah, we'll have it up in a little while. But until then, maybe you guys can give us some ideas for lines for Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Dan, Ghostwriter, and other characters. Remember, it has to be a full verse followed by the chorus. If you don't know the song, then go look it up.
Trainer: Until next time, please go give my story a chance.
Phantom: And we'll see you later!
P.S. Have a happy March Break everyone!