I own nothing, not the characters, the space where this story exists, or even the eyes that you are using to read it. This is for entertainment proposes only, no money involved.
Danny had snuck into the underground records room in the night and started searching around the open cases trying to find the info on Shaula. He had gotten lists of cases and locates and sightings. So much information that it could have let him and Sam find the witch ten times over by then if they had just had it earlier. Danny pulled out papers and started copying the relative information.
But before he could finish he hear a key turning in the door. Danny's eyes bugged out and he snapped the book shut before retreating into a corner and turning invisible and focused on lowering his souls output. Such a measure wouldn't help him against anyone with heightened soul perception, but if he was lucky and they weren't paying attention he might just get away with it.
The door creaked upon and in came Meme. Danny almost lost his composer from shock. Why on Earth would the ditzy Meme of the NOT class be there. She wasn't supposed to be allowed in there... well neither was Danny but that was beside the point.
Meme moved a little drunkenly towards a shelf and looking along the bookcases she pulled out one of the school records and started reading. Her moments didn't seem like her normal natural movements. Danny vaguely remembered Tsugumi telling them that Meme was some kind of drunken boxer without the alcohol once she got sleepy.
Turning around Meme stepped up onto a chair behind her, jumped onto a table and then leaped up to the second story and grabbing onto the outside of the railing to search the shelves up there. She was a graceful drunk, as much of an oxymoron as that sounds. But Danny still couldn't figure out how she was even there.
"Meme." A whisper shout came from the door that crept open. Ayna and Tsugumi were standing in the doorway. Anya was the one who had been calling out to Meme, Tsugumi seemed to be doing her best not to look at her partner candent. "Meme, what are you doing? Please wake up. You're not supposed to be in here."
Meme looked towards them but her eyes still seemed almost closed. Danny was shocked. 'Sleep walking... could she be hypnotized?' Anya continued to try to get Meme's attention until she was interrupted by two people coming up behind them.
"What's going on? It's rather late for you all to be out?" Akane asked as he and Clay came up behind Anya and Tsugumi.
"Akane! And Clay!" Tsugumi said confused.
"What are you two doing here?" Anya asked crossing her arms as if to say that she had every right to be up and shouldn't have to explain herself.
"Professor Sid called us in." Akane said smiling down at the younger Meister and Weapon. "We're helping him with some late-night overtime."
"At this hour?" Anya asked suspiciously. Meme dropped the book she was holding and started to give a loud yawn. But as she stretched out she lost her balance. She screamed as she started falling from the second floor railing and down towards the table below her. Her head was on a collision course with the edge of the table.
Noticing this Danny rushed forward, quickly shoving the table out of the way with a burst of his soul wave, he caught the girl before she could hit the ground.
"Pha... Phantom?" Meme said confused as she looked around.
"Good morning sleeping beauty." Danny joked as he helped her to her feet.
"Meme, are you ok?" Anya asked but the others were to busy looking at Danny.
"What are you doing here, Phantom?" Clay asked frowning at the younger student.
"To do research on Shaula, whether Central Intelligence wants me to or not." Danny said flashing the notes he had been taking. Clay glared at the underclassman.
"Where are we?" Meme asked as she tried to get her bearings. "What's going on?"
"Tatane, are you ok?" Akane asked the sleep walking meister. He didn't seem all that surprised to see Danny in the room, even if he wondered how he got in when it was locked and Danny didn't seem to have a key.
"Yes." Meme said as she checked herself. But when she make eye contact with Tsugumi, the weapon adverted her eyes. Danny didn't understand what was going on there, but it didn't seem like it was his business.
"I hate to ask this..." Akane said looking to Danny and Meme. "But would you two come with me so I can report this to Professor Sid?"
"Miss Meme was just walking in her sleep..." Anya started to abject but Meme cut her off.
"Alright." She said accepting what was happening.
"Suppose that's what happens when you get caught." Danny said rubbing the back of his head. "Can I still keep all my notes?" Clay glared. "Didn't think so." Danny sighed.
"Clay, can you take Tsugumi and Anya back to their dorm? I'll take Meme and Phantom to Sid." Akane said and his partner nodded before leading the two girl out.
The next day Tsugumi and Anya found out that Meme was being held as a suspect for stealing information for a witch. Danny was also being held on the grounds of equality, though that it was really because they wanted to use him as bait to lure out Shaula, since they knew he was an object of the witch's attention.
Tsugumi and Anya had also been told that Meme was probably not in control of her action all the time and that her sleep walking and tendency to forget were the result of a hypnosis placed on her by Shaula. Tsugumi felt terrible because she had yell at Meme for her thoughtlessness whenever she forgot things that were important to other people. But it was not something that she could have controlled.
"I'm sorry, Meme." Tsugumi said to a pumpkin carved in the ditzy girls likeness.
"What are you doing? That's not Meme." Anya said scolding Tsugumi.
"But..." Tsugumi said sniffling. A extremely heavy knock came from the door startling the two inhabitance.
"Tsugumi! Anya! I know you two are in there, I can sense your souls! Now stop moping and upon up!" Sam shouted from the hall. After a moment when the door didn't open. "My hand is a spade!? Do you want me to break the door down!?"
Anya ran to the door and quickly opened it to show a casually dressed Sam with a spade hand. "About time you answered."
"Wh... what is the matter with you. You don't have to be so vulgar." Anya said indignantly.
Sam walked in straight passed the royal meister. "No, what is wrong with you two, princess." Sam said angrily. "I had to find out what happened last night from Black Star. From Black Star! Seriously, you didn't think to tell me that Danny and Meme were taken into DWMA custody?"
"Oh... I'm sorry." Tsugumi said but Sam put up a hand to stop her.
"Save it. I'm not here for anything like that. I'm here to make sure you two aren't being stupid. And considering the tears on your faces I'm guessing you are." Sam said then her harsh voice got a lot softer and more motherly even though the other girls were the same age as her. "You don't need to worry. Sid is a good man. He isn't going to punish Meme for anything she couldn't control."
"Than what is going on right now, huh?" Anya demanded, angry at being called stupid.
"Meme is under a witch's hypnosis. Don't you remember what happened to Eternal Feather?" Sam said looking at the two. "He wants to keep a close eye on her to protect her until she is safe." Then Sam's cocky attitude came back. "Of course he wants to do the same thing for Danny, since Danny has gotten the witch's attention. But that's stupid. No one can control Danny but me. It's a proven fact. Many a crazy fruit-loop as tried." Sam walked back to the door to exit since she had given the two cents she had wanted to. "Cheer up. If you really want to say your sorry or worried or something then just write a letter and have Sid give it to her, or prepare a party for when she's in the clear. Doctor Stein is working on an antidote for the hypnotic drug, so it shouldn't be too long." And with that Sam was gone leaving the two girls in a very different state then before. Mostly confused as if a tropical storm came in and left and they didn't understand why.
It was too easy. Controlling humans to make them do what she wanted. Especially the children. Shaula had been doing it for over eight hundred years and even if the level of control was greatly increased by her drugs, she didn't need them to make people do small things. Such as break her favorite spy out of DWMA custody for her.
All she had to do was send one of her messenger bats to the poor girl's friends telling them her location and how scared she was and they jumped to go and save her. They were to stupid to realize that Meme wouldn't have been able to use the messenger bats herself while in DWMA custody.
She was fairly certain that the moment her chosen one realized that his little friend was in danger that he would not hesitate to come to her rescue, no matter what the officers of the DWMA did to stop him. Even though she had not planned for her spy to get captured, it would still all play right into her hands.
Danny was bored. After wishing for months that he could just lay back and relax he found that the moment he was forced to do so he had to much on his mind to enjoy it. He had to find Shaula before anything happened, but he couldn't just storm off out of DWMA custody and make a huge scene. He didn't really know what to do.
He looked over at his door. Unlike Meme's door they didn't even bother locking it. After all, he could just as easily blast his way through the wall as walk out the door. It was not a threat to his mortality but a threat to his future that was keeping him locked up.
But all those things drained out of his mind when he heard what sounded like struggle in the hallway followed by a window crashing and a familiar scream. It was Tsugumi's.
Danny got up and ran to the door pulling it open. "What's going on?" He asked immediately before he realized that he was looking down at four DWMA agents with Anya sprawled out on top of them as if she had been thrown.
"We... we came to rescue Meme." Anya said holding her stomach as if she had been hit hard as was trying to regain control of her stomach muscles. "But Sid was right... the witch took control of her and... she took Tsugumi." Anya said looking towards a broken window.
Danny's eyes widened. Two of his friends lives were now in danger. Before anyone could try to stop him he ran and jumped through the already broken window effertlessly landing on the ground two stories below. He saw Tsugumi in weapon form stuck up in a tree and jumped up to pull her out. After getting to the ground Tsugumi returned to human from.
"I'm... I'm..." Tsugumi stermered.
"No time, Where did they go?" Danny asked a little relieved that one of his friends was safe, but Meme was still in danger. Tsugumi pointed towards Death Plaza and Danny was off at a speed that Tsugumi had never seen from him before. Danny was using every last drop of his ghost powers that he could maintain in his human from. "I'm coming Meme, so don't die on me."
Sid had taken Shaula's bait and followed her back to Death Plaza were she stopped running. In the middle of the plaza was a miniature replica of the statue of liberty. Shaula thought it was a fitting place for her to finally take control of the piece that would secure freedom for all witches.
"Not bad, Professor." Shaula teased. Sid stood in front of her prepared for battle.
"Aren't you going to release your soul protect and use your magic?" Sid asked wondering why the witch had not done so already.
"There is no need for me to do that." Shaula laughed.
Sid was confused but with all his attention on the witch he didn't see the hypnotized Meme coming up from behind him. He gave a gasp of pain as Meme drove an arrow into his back. Sid turned and back handed his attacker only to find that it was his own student. "Oh no!" He said as he realized who he had just hurt. But in the time that he had been distracted by guilt and pain Shaula wrapped her stinger like hair around his neck and injected him with her venom.
"You should be proud. You have very strong students, Mr. Professor." Shaula said. Sid was unable to control his body but he was still fighting off the hypnosis. "Tell me, Mr. Three Star Meister, how many of my sisters have you killed." Shaula said, her voice full of rage. Sid was unable to answer with her chocking him and the venom coursing through him. "You can't even remember can you? Do our lives mean so little to you?" Shaula asked her voice cold as ice. She released her hair and Sid fell to his knees. "You wish to be with you master... then let me give him to you."
With as much magic as she could muster without breaking her soul protect she tore the statue of liberty out of the ground with a loud crack, and drove it into Sid's forehead.
"Will you just shut up Black Star." Sam said angrily. Black Star had been annoying her for the last hour.
"Why shouldn't we!? It would be a piece of cake to bust Phantom out!" Black Star said crossing his arms over his chest.
"But Danny doesn't need us to break him out." Sam snapped. "He can take care of himself."
"Sam's right Black Star, I don't think anything bad would happen with Professor Sid on guard..." Tsubaki said but just as she finished they could hear a large crash coming from Death Plaza.
"Tsubaki... I think you jinxed us." Sam said sighing.
"Alright! Let's go then!" Black Star shouted running off towards Death Plaza. Sam and Tsubaki trailed after him. Sam wouldn't admit it, but she felt like something was going to go horribly wrong.
Danny arrived at Death Plaza to find Sid laying on the steps in the middle of the plaza with the torch from the miniature Statue of Liberty stuck through his skill. A large pool of blood had formed beneath him.
Danny felt sick as he saw Meme kneeling before the dead body of their teacher writing on the ground using his blood. "Done." Meme said in her usual ditzy voice. As she turned to him he could see a Scorpio mark inside of her right eye. Written on the ground were the words, 'No one will sleep tonight!'
"Why...?" Danny murmured before shouting. "Why!? Why would you do this, Shaula!? How is this supposed to stop all the killing!?"
Meme's voice changed to Shaula's. "Do you know how many of my sisters this man has killed. And then he teaches children to do the same." Shaula said looking at Danny with a smile on her face. Blood was dripping down her forehead from a head injury.
"How does that make this right?" Danny shouted angrily.
"Do you not understand. The only way to protect my sisters is the stop the ones that would cause them harm." Shaula said looking back at Sid's dead body. "Though I will admit that this method is not ideal. It is necessary."
"Phantom!? Meme!?" Anya and Tsugumi arrived at the Plaza. Akane and Clay came a half second later.
"Stay back!" Danny shouted causing them all to halt.
"None of this will end it, Phantom. This will only slow down the witch hunts. In order for them to end, for us to have true peace, I need you." Shaula said through Meme's body. The observers were shocked. "Join me Phantom. Together we will bring an end to Death's rule. Death is the one who has always determined good and evil. With him gone, our kinds will be free from all this pointless fighting. We could bring an end to all the world's madness. But I need your power to do it. Won't you join me Phantom?" She said extending a bloodied hand out to Danny.
"Shaula..." Danny said looking down so that his bangs covered his eyes. "I will stop you."
A look of absolute hurt went through Meme's eyes. But then she took looked void of emotion. "I'm sorry you feel that way." Danny heard but it wasn't coming from Meme.
"Danny, behind you!" Sam shouted having entered the plaza with Black Star and Tsubaki. A wave of pain rushed through Danny's side as a thick needle was driven into him.
He staggered around and turned to see an older girl. She looked around seventeen with a long braid in all the shades of pink, purple and blue. Her eyes were like pink and blue yin yang symbols and she wore a black private school uniform with a Scorpio sign over her chest. She dropped a veil to the ground that once contained a red liquid.
"You were promised to me over eight hundred years ago by Fate himself." Shaula said her voice seemed like honey in Danny's ears. "I don't care if I have to sacrifice my mind, body and soul, you will be mine." She said as she reached out and pulled him into her. Meme walked up next to her.
"Danny!" Sam shouted desperately running toward them.
"Meme!" Tsugumi and Anya shouted.
There was a blinding flash of light, and the group was gone. Sam found herself standing over the message that had been written in her teacher's blood. 'No one will sleep tonight.' She could hardly hear the cries of rage that were coming from Black Star. She was to numb. The witch had taken her partner.
Back at her hide out Meme's head injury was being seen to by one of the other Traitors. Danny was in the back with Shaula. She had rested his head against her breast and whispered her strongest hypnotic spells into his ears.
"You have joined me, my chosen one. You will help me deliver this world from those who had ruled it." Shaula said her voice full of love. And yes, it was love. The reason that she had kept her youngest appearance for all those years was so that she could still be young enough for the boy from her vision when the time had finally arrived. "Please show me your true form. Show me your power."
Danny nodded and the blinding white lights appeared around his waist. The power that radiated from him was intense beyond words. It was just as Shaula had always hoped. His white hair rested gently against her. One of his eyes was the same pink and blue yin yang sign as her's, but the other was his own deep green only without any pupil. "Wonderful." She whispered. Danny's giant green soul was kept hidden by her special room. In the center of the soul was a thin red thread and surrounding it was a pink scorpion tail.
"Rest now, my chosen one. Tomorrow is when it will all end, and all began a new." Shaula said. She new that he was completely under her control. She had used a hundred times the usual dose of mind control venom and had infected him with a Kishin egg to weaken his soul's resistance by distracting it with something else to fight. All to make sure that the kind hearted boy would be ready to finish off the evil Lord Death.
"Yes... my lady." Danny said calmly causing Shaula to shiver with pleasure. But she didn't notice when his green eye momentarily flashed a deadly red.
Sam felt numb as she sat in Doctor Stein's hospital with Anya and Tsugumi. She just couldn't believe that Sid was dead and that Danny was gone. 'If we just found her before it went this far.' Sam couldn't help but think that it had all been her fault. If she had only agreed with Black Star and gone to bust Danny out.
Black Star had ran off in a fit of rage after what had happened to Sid and Tsubaki had gone after him. She couldn't blame the hyperactive ninja boy. From what she new about his past it seemed Sid had been like a father to him. Just like Danny was like a brother to her.
The door to the operating room opened up. Tsugumi and Anya looked up to see Akane and Clay walk out. "How is he?" Anya asked.
"He was impaled through the forehead and drained of his blood. How do you think he is?" Sam hissed. Akane and Clay looked away trying not to make eye contact with the two NOT class students who cried a little. Sam didn't want to be cruel, but she could stand it. She had told them to think, to trust in Sid, and because of there stupid actions their teacher was clearly dead. "I'm going home." Sam said getting up and walking out. She couldn't think clearly anymore.
She could just hear Akane and Clay telling Anya that she was going to be sent back to her home country. They couldn't afford to protect a spoiled little princess anymore. And it was true; that night, Sam couldn't sleep.