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.
Sam had been up the whole night. Her thoughts were flying in circles from worry. 'Danny, please comeback. Please be safe.' She kept saying to herself over and over again. Whenever the doorbell rang in the morning Sam nearly pulled the door of its hinges hoping that it was somehow Danny.
But standing there was Black Star with his usual grin and a large box in his arms. Sam was about to scream at him for looking so happy after everything that happened, but she could see the red rimming his eyes, proof that he had been crying recently. Tsubaki stood behind him looking a lot more solemn.
"Hey you crazy weapon. Happy birthday." He said trying to put his usual heart into his voice but falling a little short.
Sam didn't say anything. She had forgot that it was her birthday. It seemed like another sick joke that the universe was having on her. She wondered if this was how if felt to be Danny, with the world having it's sick jokes at every turn.
"Hey, cheer up." Black Star said pushing out his chest. "You're in the presence of the great Black Star. You aren't allowed to have a face like that." He said laughing a bit. But his face turned serious. "We're going to find Phantom, and will take out that stupid witch that took Sid from us too. You'll see. Tsubaki and I will make everything right!" He finished with a lot more of his usual bravado.
Sam actually smiled a little. "Thanks... Black Star." She murmured.
"Wow, your thanking me? You sure you're feeling alright crazy weapon." Black Star joked. Then he pushed out the box. "Here, Phantom had been coming over to our room for a week working on this for your birthday. He probably spent his whole allowance for the month on it." Black Star said then turned away. "I would stay and force you to eat a cake whether you want it or not, but I've got other things to do right now! So take care, you crazy weapon!"
Tsubaki lingered after Black Star went away. "He's really worried about you." She said as she watcher her meister walk off.
"Yeah... I know." Sam said holding the box close to herself. "You stay close to him. The only thing that stops me from worrying about the squirt is the fact that your with him." Sam said trying her best to smile. Tsubaki nodded and went after her meister.
Sam went back inside and stared at the box with Danny's gift to her for a good thirty minutes before finally deciding to open it up. She found a inside the box a dozen different types of ecto weapons and a jumpsuit, just like the one she had worn during the Pirate Ratio fiasco, only this one was dark purple instead of orange and had a ghostly 'S' on the chest. Finally there was a card addressed to her.
'Dear Sam,
You were never the one to like being stuck on the side lines or feeling helpless, so I made you these. You'd hardly believe how hard it was, I wonder how my dad makes it look so easy.
I hope this helps remind you of the good old days back when it was just you, me, Tucker and Jazz shoveling the Box Ghost back into the Fenton Thermos and telling Vlad that he needed to get a cat.
You were always the reliable one that would bail me and Tucker out when things went wrong, which was all the time. And you know that I still depend on you.
Well here's to praying that Black Star was wrong and that the first thing you will did is not hunt me down for the jumpsuit.
Always your partner, Danny Phantom.'
Sam chocked down on her tears. She realized how stupid she was acting. Since when was Sam Manson helpless without Danny? She grabbed the jumpsuit and weapons and got ready to go hunt down her best friend. It was a good thing there was an all day Halloween celebration.
Mira Nygus was on the verge of breaking down. Her partner was dead, and she had been left in charge. On one side of her was Stein telling her that they were about to have a catastrophe and that she should try to evacuate the city and implement martial law. And on the other side were the bureaucrats that said she couldn't do such a thing without clear evidence that the system that was in place was not enough.
Security was rendered impossible by an giant city wide Halloween Festival and open house, with costumes and everything. All of the EAT class students were going to be gathered together for a tournament and Spirit was given the day off to watch his daughter, leaving Death without a Deathscythe.
It was all bad even without the witch that they believed had hypnotized a large number of the civilians in the city, accessed all of there personal files, and the abduction of Phantom Moon. Add the fact that Doctor Stein believed that Phantom had been injected with a hypnotic drug that was modified using a Kishin egg that could potential turn him into a category four pre-kishin and everything became hell.
"It's the perfect storm." Nygus muttered to herself starting to tear up. They were trying to create an antidote for the hypnotoxin, but they didn't have much time, or a subject to test it on. Even Stein wasn't a miracle worker. And even if he successed it wouldn't save Phantom. They would have to kill the boy. The knowledge of that was making Nygus even more ill. "I need you Sid." Nygus said looking to a picture on her desk of herself with her old partner, Black Star in the background trying to get in on the picture without anyone noticing. "I just can't do this alone."
"Mira!" The loud shout snapped the grieving woman out of her thoughts. Standing in the middle of her office was Black Star giving her one of his famous grins.
Nygus blinked before scowling at the little ninja. "Black Star you aren't allowed..." She started but Black Star pulled her into a hug.
"Mira... cheer up. You now Sid wouldn't want us to mop around." Black Star said more than a little sad. "He'd be going on about how he's not the kind of man who would let something stop him from getting the job done, and then he'd go off to do something or other." Black Star said grinning. "And... you don't have to worry. I'm here. And I'll keep you safe. So cheer up, Mira... please." Black Star said trying to keep the tears out of his own eyes as he looked up at his adoptive mother figure.
Nygus couldn't help but to smile down at the boy's face. She and Sid had raised him well, even if he had his quirks. "Thank you Black Star, but I need to get to work." She said sternly even if the expression on her face didn't match the voice. "And my name is Professor Nygus to you. Now go to your Halloween tournament and leave me be."
Black Star grinned wide. "Sure thing Mom!" He shouted and bolted out the door before Nygus could do anything.
"Oh that boy..." Nygus said before focusing on her work. Black Star was right. Sid had never been the kind of man who would have let personal feelings stop him from doing what's right.
All of the EAT class students and most of the instructors had gathered in Death Square to compete in there little tournament and Shaula was in the roof of the bell tower with Meme and Phantom. Everything was going to come to an end. Her eight hundred years of living in fear of Death was going to come to an end.
Her plan was simple. She had equip all of her men with the same finger nails that her first Traitors had used and coated them with a modified version of her hypnotoxin. It would render the victim impassive until she could change their memories. After Phantom had destroyed Death, she would simply rewrite the DWMA's memories so that they would work for the witches and protect them. Since even with Death gone, the prekishins would still walk the earth, and they would need to be dealt with for everyones sake. The witches' great enemies would become there protectors.
She had scattered her hypnotized civilians throughout the city to attack the dorm and school to infect any of the NOT class students or any EAT class that might not be at the event. But she would send Phantom alone to fight against the EAT class students and instructors. It would be a show of his power that would force Death to come out of hiding. And she had intelligence that said that the only Deathscythe in Death City would be there. If she took him out before the main battle, then Phantom's victory would be all but assured.
"Are you ready, my Guardian?" Shaula asked her chosen one. Guardian, it was the name she decided on for him. Phantom didn't seem proper for him. He was not going to be unseen, he was going to be the face of her revolution. So he need a name to match.
"Yes, my lady." Guardian said. He had one of her stinger arms that could just be seen under the black cloak that she decided to use for his great unveiling.
"Then go, but remember to not let them see you until I give the word. Don't want to ruin the performance." Shaula said chuckling. Guardian nodded and disappeared from sight. "Now for the great unveiling." Shaula said lifting up her hands and with so little amount of magic as to be undetectable she created windows in the air from which she could see the whole city. "Show time."
"Black Star!" Maka called as she ran up to her friend with Soul, Estelle and Repede following close behind.
"Oh, hey guys." Black Star said grinning trying not to let all his worries show. "Nice to see you all didn't chicken out of the tournament just because you knew Tsubaki and I were going to be here." He said in his usual pig headed manner.
Maka sighed. "Told you we didn't have to worry about Black Star, he bounces back quickly." Soul said shrugging ticking off Maka.
"You should be more concerned about your friends Soul." Maka said angrily.
"Maybe, but threating about things that we can't help just isn't cool." Soul said earning him a Maka Chop.
"Maybe Black Star is alright, but what about Sam, and Kim. Both of them have been worried sick about Phantom. And Anya's been forced to leave, and Meme has also been kidnapped. What about Tsugumi?" Estelle said sadly. Repede gave his own short whimpers.
"Anya, Meme, Tsugumi? Who are they?" Black Star asked earning himself a Maka Chop as well.
"Black Star!" Tsubaki said and looked over Black Star's new injury like the threating mother that she is.
"Hey, it looks like they are starting." Someone in the crowd said.
The group looked up to see Spirit walking out onto the stage to give an introduction. "Oh no, not papa." Maka groaned looking at the ground. "Please someone stop him before he does something embarrassing." Maka begged.
And Maka's prayers were answer, but not in a good way. As Spirit opened his mouth to speak a strange laugh filled the air. Spirit stumbled back as a magic circle appeared on the ground next to him and the image of a young girl appeared.
"It's her..." Black Star growled getting the others attention. "She was the one... that we saw take Phantom. She's the one that killed Sid!" Black Star rushed the stage faster than anyone could stop him. He jumped into the air and flew at the witch. "You bitch!"
But his fist just passed straight through her and Black Star tumbled to the ground. Shaula's image chuckled. "That is the kind of welcome I had been expecting from the DWMA. But you could at least let me give my name first. I am Shaula Gorgon. And as your friend has been so nice to demonstrate, I am not actually here right now."
Murmurs of 'witch' ran though the gathered students. "I see that you violent little children have decided to spend this day which is sacred for us witches beating each others heads in. So I thought that I would help you to that end." A small man in a black cloak appeared next to the witch's image. "Here will be your opponent. Meet, Guardian. He will be defeating all of you today."
"What the hell is this about?" Spirit said angrily as he walked up to the intruders.
"Oh, I see we have our first volunteer." Shaula giggled.
"You shouldn't underestimate a Deathscythe!" Spirit shouted and a blade appeared out of his right arm and he swung it at Guardian. But the whole crowd was shocked when Guardian blocked the blade with a single finger that was wrapped in metal to look like a stinger with a bit of poison dripping out.
"Do it." Shaula ordered and Guardian's arm shot out and stung Spirit in the neck. The Deathscythe's eyes widened and then he fell to the ground.
"Papa!" Maka shouted, she didn't like her dad, but she didn't want him dead.
"He isn't dead. The toxin will only render him asleep for now. But should you all lose, then your memories of the DWMA and your despicable Lord Death will disappear." Shaula said most of the students were preparing for battle by then. "I'm sorry, I believe I forgot to release my Guardian's Soul Protect so that you can see what you're up against. Let me show you." Shaula snapped her fingers.
A soul like nothing the students, or even the faculty, had ever seen before expanded out of the black cloak which was thrown to the side by the wind the soul produced. The soul was gigantic, quickly expanding outside of the bounds of Death Square and continuing to grow. It was dark green with a steam of red in the middle and wrapped round the outside of it was a pink and blue scorpion tail. Even those with no soul perception could see its power as a visible force that wrapped around his body.
The Guardian himself looked like a young boy with snow white hair. He was dressed in loss black jeans and white shirt with a black sleeveless jacket over it. On the back of the jacket was the Scorpio symbol. His right eye was a pink and blue yin yang sign and his left eye was a dark green with no pupil.
"Go on Guardian. Enlighten them." Shaula said grinning. Guardian flew forward, and the carnage begin.
Kim had just let Tsugumi go after Anya and Meme. She didn't care if she had been told to keep watch over her. It didn't matter. All she could think about was whether all of this would have happened if she had used her magic to help Phantom find Shaula in the first place. She had been so afraid of being discovered as a witch that she hadn't given it her all.
"Kim... Kim, please talk to me." Jackie said trying to pull her partner out of her funk. "Please Kim. I'm your partner. Let me know what's wrong." She said tearing up.
"Phantom." Kim whispered before tearing up herself. "He was my first friend. The first person who really understood me and let me be who I really am. He was the first person to trust me. I... I think I was in love with him." Kim admitted through her tears.
"Then how about we get him back?" Kim and Jackie looked up surprised out of there little world to find Sam standing there in her ghost hunter's jumpsuit with a rifle flung over one of her shoulders. "Because I don't know about you, but I'm tired of moping. It's time we take back our friend."
Kim and Sam each felt a giant soul form in the middle of the city. All doubts and questions left Kim's mind and she got up and followed Sam out, Jackie right behind them.
Shaula was extremely pleased as she watched her ultimate weapon tearing through the ranks of the DWMA's most elite fighters. The massive power and flexibility of the Ghostboy's soul coupled with the focus created by shutting down the parts of his brain that were unnecessary for battle had created the perfect fighter. Her key to destroying Death once and for all.
"Wonderful, simply wonderful!" She said laughing to the heavens. Everything she had been working towards for all those years was finally coming to fruition. "By the end of the Halloween Festival, the witches will have a new reason to celebrate!"
But Shaula was distracted when one of her massager bats started to flutter around her head. "Meme!" Shaula heard someone shout and looked to see the spoiled princess riding on top of a flying halberd with little pink wings, heading straight for them. "Meme!" Anya shouted.
She reached the top of the church beneath Shaula's clock tower lookout where they had a not so graceful landing before Tsugumi returned to her human form. "Meme, we're here to rescue you!" Tsugumi shouted, but Meme was too far under hypnosis to hear them. They had gotten an experimental antidote from Doctor Stein and were hoping to cure their friend.
"Please tell me this is a joke?" Shaula said looking down at the two children with surprise on her face. "You two? You two are the ones that found me?" She started to laugh her insane laugh. "You two are hardly elite fighters, and yet you come to challenge a powerful witch only! Are you simply stupid!?" The two of them looked a little afraid.
But Shaula just turned away from them and back to her screens to watch her Guardian take down a small squad of intelligence officers. The number of DWMA members left around him was dwindling. "But I suppose that I should make my entrance before everything is finished." She started to jump away going from roof to roof. "Take care of those two, my Meme!" She shouted as she left them behind.
Meme turned to the intruders with a dead look in her eyes. "Kill them... kill them... kill them..." She kept saying and then the battle between friends started.
"Get... get back!" Ox shouted as Guardian walked towards him. He swung his spear but Guardian grabbed it in mid swing as if he was stopping a pillow. "No... No... Royal Thunder!" Electricity surged through Guardian but the monster didn't even react. He swung the arm which had the poisoned nail on it. The arm seemed to grow longer until it struck Ox in the neck and he fell down unconscious.
"Ox!" Black Star shouted and took a swing at Guardian with his scythes and chains Tsubaki. Guardian lend back and dodged by a mere inch before grabbing Black Star's leg. But just like each other time he tossed the hyperactive ninja away. "Damn, I thought I had him that time." Black Star said.
"Black Star you need to remember the assassins rules. Silence, disappear into the darkness and erase your breath. If you keep shouting then we won't be able to get a clean shot." Tsubaki said to her partner.
"Sorry Tsubaki, but it's kind of hard to disappear into the darkness in the middle of the open at high noon. Not to mention when you are as big of a star as I am." Black Star said with his normal bravado.
"You need to focus Black Star. This isn't your average opponent." Maka said standing next to the ninja with her scythe partner at the ready. "I've never seen a soul like this before."
"What does something like that matter? I'm going to surpass god, this guy is nothing special." Black Star said angrily.
Repede ran up next to him and growled. "Repede is right, we're the only ones left." Estelle translated. And she was right. only Black Star, Repede and Maka remained out of all the meisters that had been there.
"Yeah, but it's not because of skill, or even dumb luck. For some reason he hasn't been targeting us, or finishing us off whenever he stops our attacks." Soul observed.
"So you're saying he's been just messing with us? But why us?" Estelle asked.
"Don't know, but just look at him. Now that everyone else is down for the count he's just stopped." Soul said. And he was right. Guardian was only standing there not looking at them or anything. Just waiting.
"He's underestimating us." Maka said lowering her stance. "Lets show him what he's up against."
"Right." Soul agreed.
"Lets go, Soul Resonance!" Maka and Soul shouted together. Maka lifted Soul up behind her, his blade became covered in light and extending out in both directions until it looked like a crescent moon. "Legendary Super Skill of the Scythe Meister, Witch Hunter!"
Maka run as fast as she could, closing the distances between herself and Guardian. "Your soul is ours!" Maka shouted as she swing Soul and cut Guardian in half at the waist. A wide tear appeared in the ground behind him as if the pressure of the attack was enough to cut through stone.
"They did it!" Tsubaki said. But Repede just continued to growl. Wisps of energy came out of both halves of Guardian and reconnected pulling him back together as if the attack never happened. He then grabbed Maka and threw her back towards the group again, where Black Star caught her.
"Wh... what the hell was that!?" Soul shouted confused.
"He just pulled himself back together after you cut him." Estelle said fear showing in her voice.
"That's not what happened." Maka said as she tried to pull herself up. "He split himself in half and just let our attack go by. We didn't even hit him."
"What the hell is this guy?" Black Star said standing in between the group and Guardian in case the creature decided to attack.
"I... I think I know." Maka said. "I've never seen one, but I read a few books about them. I think that he's... I think he's a Ghost."
Eyes widened. "So this is the kind of thing that Phantom had to fight before he and that crazy weapon of his came to the Academy." Black Star said angrily.
"I can see why he didn't like to talk about them." Estelle said. Repede growled. "I know. I feel like I've seen him somewhere too."
"Did your books ever tell you how to fight them?" Soul asked his partner.
"It said that the only way to get a solid hit off would be to take them by surprise. Other than that the information was alway stupid and no one could ever agree one what worked. Some said to you magnets or salt but others said that it wouldn't work." Maka said as she started to recover from the last hit. "I wish I had asked Sam and Phantom how to deal with them."
"That must be why the witch waited until Phantom was out of the picture before attacking." Soul reasoned. "He would have known how to stop it."
"But if Phantom had done it in the past then that means it can be done." Black Star said grinning. "So it should be a piece of cake for a guy like me."
Laughter filled the air and Shaula dropped down from a roof top behind them. "My Guardian is far more than just an ordinary ghost. Do you think that a normal ghost would be powerful enough to defeat the entire DWMA?" Shaula said laughing her face twisted in pleasure. "My Guardian is not just some ghost. No one can defeat him. Not even Death."
"You plan on beating Death huh, that seems a little argent. But even if you can beat Death, there is no way you could defeat me!" Black Star shouted. "I'll make you pay for what you did to Sid!"
Black Star ran forward and tried to attack the witch, but Guardian intercepted the attack, blocking it with his single nailed finger. Grabbing Black Star's leg his punched him in the stomach before throwing him aside again.
"Black Star!" Estelle shouted worried about her friend.
But Shaula frowned. "Why did you not inject him, Guardian?"
"I... am sorry... my lady." Guardian said trembling a little.
"Do not apologize. Just infect these children so we can move on to finding Death." Shaula said angrily.
"Yes... my lady." Guardian choked before he started to walk towards Maka and Repede. Maka was starting to tremble as the fear she had been keeping at bay started to take control of her.
"There is no way... there is no way we can win." She said horrified.
"Maka, what are you talking about!?" Soul shouted but then Guardian simply disappeared into thin air, only to reappear a second later straight in front of the young meister. Maka screamed and tried to swing Soul around but the scythe was blocked with ease. Guardian reached out and injected the girl with the hypnotoxins. The next moment Maka was on the ground unconscious.
"Maka!" Estelle shouted. Repede growled.
"Oh, a monster dog." Shaula said in surprise. "Well, my venom was not designed to work on his kind. Guardian, kill him." She said in an off hand manner.
Repede growled and tried to attack Guardian, but Guardian shifted his weight and the monster dog went flying passed him. Then Guardian hit Repede on the back sending him to the ground.
"Repede, no!" Estelle shouted as the point came down towards Repede's head. But Guardian stopped two inches before his finger would have been driven into the dog's brain.
Everyone was surprised as Guardian's arm began to tremble. "Re...pede." He said in a shaky voice. "Run."
"Tsubaki, Smoke Bomb mode!" Black Star shouted. The ninja smoke bomb went off and concealed both Repede and Guardian from sight.
After the smoke cleared, Guardian was standing alone and Repede had been moved away from him. Black Star was standing in between them and was holding a dagger silently watching Guardian's moves.
'Why, why did he stop?' Was the question on everyone's mind. Shaula couldn't understand. She was using the most powerful mind control magic she could use without releasing her soul protect. And yet the boy was resisting her. She was shaking with sadness and anger. "Why?" She asked. "Why do you still resist me? You were always destined to be mine. So why!?"
"What... what is she talking about?" Estelle said confused.
"Who cares!" The voice startled Guardian. It was Black Star's, but it wasn't coming from the Black Star he could see standing in front of him. "Black Star, Big Soul Wave!" The attack impacted Guardian's back and the energy rushed through him throwing him forward and causing him to roll across the ground as the shock of the soul wave rushed through him.
The Black Star that had been in front of him disappeared and Tsubaki was standing in it's place. "That was our Dumby Star technique." She said proudly.
"And now you see why I, Black Star, will be the one to surpass god!" Black Star shouted.
Shaula glared. "You are a fool if you think that little attack would be enough to defeat my Guardian. End this Guardian!" She shouted. Guardian stood up, his white hair covering his face. Tsubaki returned to her dagger form and Black Star got ready to fight.
Guardian lowered himself into a stance with his left arm held out wide, his hand was shaped as if there should have been a weapon in it. "Kill... kill... kill..." He was saying over and over again, but he didn't move.
"Black Star... that stance." Tsubaki said.
"I don't believe it..." Black Star said after realizing what Tsubaki meant.
"Kill... kill... kill..." Guardian kept repeating then he stopped and looked up so that they could see past his white bangs. His one green eye had a trail of tears coming down from it. "Black Star... Kill me."