Do you ever just want to scream because you want two characters to get along and then shit happens?
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~CWA
CHAPTER NINETEEN
A Month Later
Danny Fenton
Hiro's ghost hunting training begins sooner rather than later. Mostly because the little mini-nerd doesn't have much patience and frankly, I can't wait to get started either. So for the past few weeks, we've agreed to meet in the garage on the days that Tadashi is busy at work to train. Considering that Winter Break just ended and I'm back at the dorm in the college, it's a lot easier to dodge Tadashi and not make him suspicious.
So far, I've taught him some of the basic things about ghosts, ghost rules, the Ghost Zone, and what the best ways to fight a ghost are. Thankfully, none of this training requires much, if any, contact because I doubt that Hiro has even turned off the Specter Deflector since I gave it to him. Maybe I should have waited to give it to him later because being so close to him, and by extension the Deflector, makes me nervous.
But this is only training. A way to make sure he's safe and Tadashi is safe because I know I can't always protect everyone even if it pains me to think about what may happen if something goes wrong without me there to protect them. I refuse to take Hiro hunting until he's properly trained and even then it's iffy, but knowing that he could take care of himself in a ghost emergency would bring me a lot of peace of mind.
Besides, Hiro is a lot easier to get on board with the whole ghost hunting training thing than Tadashi. I have a sick feeling in my gut that whenever Tadashi finds out that Hiro and I have been meeting for the past few weeks to train that he won't be happy. But as much as I adore Tadashi, this is really something I have to do. But I have Fred in on this whole thing- even if it means that I had to promise to teach him more about ghosts and the Zone and some basic ghost fighting stuff later- which means that while Hiro and I are at the garage training, Fred is at the lab as a lookout to let us know whenever Tadashi leaves.
It takes a while to get from the lab to the garage which works in our favor because it gives us time to clean things up. At the moment, we have several little 3D print outs of bedsheets ghosts on poles for Hiro to aim at with the wrist ray along with several other cutouts that will pop up at random intervals to test his reaction time. So far, he has yet to successfully shoot one.
"Arms straight, Hiro," I correct his form from a distance, "Keep a firm grip on your wrist, both eyes open, aim and then fire. Keep your feet apart, stand your ground firmly."
"Ya know," Hiro quips as he attempts to correct his stance, "It may be more helpful if you actually help me correct my stance instead of just telling me."
He makes a face at me causing me to crinkle my nose as my eyes go to the Specter Deflector around his waist. Hiro catches onto my stare and drops his arms to look at the device. A hand gingerly touches it in confusion before he looks back up at me.
"...Why are you always so hesitant around this? You're the one who gave it to me and it doesn't seem to have any short circuits or anything."
I wince a bit and rub the back of my neck sheepishly, a small white lie is already forming in my mind, but I can only hope that Hiro would believe it.
"It's an invention of my parents' and after a small accident I had with one when I was a kid, they make me kinda… nervous. Scared even. But it does work, so you don't have to worry."
Scared sums it up pretty well. No matter how powerful I get, those Specter Deflectors make it feel like I'm getting electrocuted. It hurts to say the least, but at least I know firsthand that it works. Seeing the gleam in my eyes, Hiro lets out a soft oh and then doesn't hesitate to click the device off before he takes it off entirely and tosses it over to the couch, causing me to visibly relax. The tension is released from my shoulders and I can breathe easily again without worrying about accidentally getting shocked- if I actually got shocked by it, I doubt that I could come up with a reasonable explanation because Hiro is just as much of a robotics nerd as his brother and I.
"Better," Hiro questions as he gestures toward the device on the couch.
"Better," I nod, a small smile on my face as I calmly make my way to him.
Now that the Specter Deflector is gone, I can easily help him correct his stand better. I motion for him to get into position and he does so with his arms out and a hand on the wrist ray. I tap his foot gently and he moves it a bit more, causing me to nod in approval,
"Good. Always keep your feet apart and have them even with your shoulders. They should be parallel."
I tap the back of his knee with my foot, causing him to stumble slightly which makes me tsk,
"Keep your feet firmly planted on the ground, don't put all your weight on one foot."
I can visibly see the correction being made and as I make my way beside him, I can see the determination on his face. He's serious about this. Some part of me hopes that this will help him focus his attention on ghost hunting rather than bot fighting. But all I can do is hope to steer him in the right direction. Forcing him to do or not do something will only cause problems.
I gently move his arms so they're more steady and then help him aim at one of the ghosts and after a small countdown, he fires. The wrist ray shot at the little ghost, shattering it to pieces that causes me and Hiro to cheer at the success. We both let out a serious of whoops and cheers and high fives and I can't help but ruffle his hair fondly in excitement. Our excitement is loud, loud enough that I can faintly hear ringing that I just brush off as just hearing things.
"Way to go," I praise, "Told you that you could do it!"
"Pft, I knew I could do it," Hiro brushes off the praise lightly, puffing out his chest, "So the real question is when can we actually hunt ghosts?"
I give him a small amused smile as I pat him on the head, causing him to swat at my hands with a small protest.
"You only just now got a good shot, it's going to be awhile before we actually go hunting."
"But I want to shoot some ghosts," Hiro whines, "And not to mention how cool it'd be to actually see these ghosts you keep talking about, maybe even a few experiments and-"
The word experiments causes a drastic change in my attitude as my face falls. My jaw tenses as I grind my teeth slightly, holding back a few choice comments. There was something in his voice that grated under my skin. Images and noises from the Battle flash through my mind- the screams of ghosts ending, comforting small crying ghosts as they mourn, helping newly formed ghosts…
Forcing myself to stay calm, I kneel down to Hiro's level and put my hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at me with confusion.
"Hiro," I say firmly, "Don't talk like that. Don't talk like they don't have feelings, emotions, pain. They are people- some more so than others. But just like people, some are good, some are bad. It's important that if you come across a ghost, talk to them first. Talking can solve a lot more problems than you think. But I promise you that ghosts are just as human as we are with their own minds and souls. No unwanted experiments, no forceful capturing of peaceful ghosts, got it?"
I can see the gears rotating in his mind as he takes in my words before he finally seems to get what I'm saying. His mouth parts in a silent oh with a bit of horror in his eyes as he looks up at me, giving me a frantic nod signaling he's agreeing. I give him a tight smile and pat him on the shoulder a bit before I stand back up,
"Good, now let's get back to shooting..."
He looks like he's about to say something more, an apology perhaps, but he doesn't get the chance to speak as the door to the garage opens. We both can't help but stand there in silent horror as we stare at the figure in the doorway. Tadashi. My mouth goes dry as I lick my lips slightly, thinking back to the faint ringtone I had heard earlier. I suppose it wasn't my imagination after all if Tadashi is standing here now.
For a moment, it's just silent. Pure and utter, deafening silence. The only thing I can hear is Hiro's erratic heartbeat as he stands next me, both of waiting in tense suspense at what Tadashi will say. But Tadashi says nothing. His eyes are burning as they sweep across the room, lingering briefly on the little 'ghosts' and the small, soft pieces of what once was a 'ghost' before they land on the wrist ray around Hiro's wrist. Almost instantly, Hiro tries to take off the wrist ray and shoves it behind his back, acting as if the damage isn't already done.
His face starts turning red as his cheeks puff up. I can see his hands clenching at his sides before he finally explodes. All the anger and the frustration pour out of him at once.
"What the hell is going on?!"
I'm almost worried he's going to have some sort of breakdown from how red his face is turning. Hiro takes the smart choice of slowly backing away into the background before running up the back stairs to get away- causing me to briefly glare in his direction since he's left me with an exploding Tadashi. Taking a deep breath, I focus on Tadashi.
"Just calm down," I try to say calmly, "Hiro and I were just practicing some ghost hunting skills- I did tell you I was going to train him, remember?"
I try to defuse the situation to the best of my ability before it can escalate. But it's getting harder and harder for me to stay calm. His emotions are so strong and overpowering that I can see it in his aura as it starts to reflect into my own aura and emotions. I can already feel the anger starting to seep into my veins and it's getting harder and harder to ignore. My hands are twitching slightly as I try to keep my cool, but in my heart I know that it's useless.
"I thought you were kidding," Tadashi snaps, "My God, Danny, you can't believe for a second that I would be okay with this-"
He gestures toward the garage frantically, his eyes wide,
"You can't- can't just…. God…."
He struggles to find the words, muttering a bit with words that don't make much sense. He runs his hands through his hair frantically. My hands clench at my sides as the anger I've been trying to push out finally becomes too much to hold back.
"You know I don't joke about things like this," I snap back, "And Hiro needs to know how to protect himself!"
Tadashi's eyes snap to me, so quickly that it wouldn't have surprised me if he has whiplash. His eyes are harsh and hooded with emotions, his face contorting into an unattractive scowl.
"From what," Tadashi spits out, "ghosts don't exist."
My jaw tenses and I can feel my eyes flash an angry shade of green for a brief moment. My shoulders square and for a moment, I do nothing more than just stare at him in a hot rage. I thought we got over that. I thought he was okay with it, being open minded. I thought that maybe we connecting to ht level where my belief in ghosts and his disbelief wouldn't be a problem but apparently not.
I can feel everything unraveling, coming undone and just crashing all at once.
Without another word, I storm out of the garage.
