Kimiko poured out two cups of jasmine tea before taking a seat on the couch next to Nakoda. The smaller and older woman picked up her tea cup with a small smile before blowing lightly over the top of the cup. The two women were sitting alone in the living room around seven in the morning. Nakoda hummed in appreciation when she took the first sip of her tea. "This is delicious, Kimiko. I wonder if it tastes better because you didn't use magic to make it?" Nakoda teased lightly.

"Well, I prefer not to rely on magic to do simple tasks. It's better to do things the old fashioned way," Kimiko answered.

Nakoda scoffed. "I think you're slowly becoming a stick in the mud, Kimiko. You need to live a little."

Kimiko pouted slightly at that. It bothered her more than she cared to admit that a sixty-six year old woman was criticizing the lack of excitement in her life. "I like to feel normal. Like a normal human," Kimiko explained.

"Oh. But Kimiko, you're not a normal human. You're a witch. There's no such thing as living the normal human life when you have magic. Besides, why would you ever want to?" Nakoda replied and sipped her tea.

Deciding to cut right to the chase, Kimiko asked, "Nakoda, please don't be offended by me asking, but... why are you here?"

Nakoda smiled brightly and set her cup down onto the coffee table. "I'm not offended at all! It only makes sense that you would be curious," Nakoda said and waved her off. "Judai came to see me not too long ago. He told me that you'd moved here with the kids."

"Is that all he told you?"

"He also told me that you've moved on with an older man. Personally, I didn't peg you for the type to be interested in older men, but I suppose it makes sense. It's only natural to want a more mature partner after dealing with Judai's immaturity and irresponsibility for so long," Nakoda said with a sigh and roll of her eyes. "That boy, he's more like me than I care for him to be. It's a real shame."

Kimiko didn't know how to respond to that. Instead, she brought her tea cup up to her lips and took a long sip.

"He also told me that Kagome is starting to develop control over her magic. I wondered why you would continue to live in a literal ghost town when this was going on, but then I saw the necklace Kagome had on last night. Tell me. She was having more than just your run of the mill struggles with control. Wasn't she?" Nakoda guessed with a grin.

"Ghosts are already targeting her and he's stronger than I ever was at her age. I'm...slightly concerned for her future," Kimiko confessed softly. A powerful witch was instantly a target for powerful ghosts as well a potential recruit for other witches. Kimiko wasn't sure what she feared more- ghosts constantly challenging Kagome or another witch seeking her out, brainwashing her, and turning her into a ruthless hunter.

"Don't you worry. Once you raise your children right, they'll find their own way. You've been an excellent mother. Better than I ever was to Judai," Nakoda finished sadly.

Immediately, Kimiko wrapped Nakoda in a tight embrace. Nakoda's flighty behavior had been a staple of her personality forever. At twenty-four, she'd walked out on her husband and five-year-old son and never looked back. It wasn't until Judai had become an adult that Nakoda had made an effort to be a part of his life again. "I have to go in early to work today. We're getting some new inventory that needs to be displayed. Can I leave you and the kids alone?" Kimiko teased half seriously. Nakoda was a sweet woman, but she was also a bit irresponsible. Leaving Nakoda alone with her fourteen-year-old grandson was like leaving 100 lit candles in a house with a gas leak.

"Of course! We'll have a great time. Leave it to me," Nakoda said with a bright grin. Kimiko grimaced. Oh boy...

~:~

Danny laid on his bed as he stared up at the ceiling with a deep frown on his face. He'd been called a traitor by more ghosts than he cared to count. Ghosts that had once looked at him with gratitude and admiration were now scowling at him in displeasure. Even the normally accommodating Frostbite had asked him to leave because of the unease that Danny's presence was causing. Danny had tried to explain the situation to them, but they wouldn't hear of it.

"Soon, they'll show their true colors. And when they do, no ghost will want to help you fight them."

"No ghost can trust a witch. Not even a half-ghost like you."

But what did they know? From the way that they sounded, a lot more than he did. Their recent behavior couldn't be some kind of prank either. For so many ghosts to just pack up and flee without a second thought, this had to be serious. The only other time something similar to this had happened was when Pariah Dark had gotten out. Were witches really as bad as Pariah Dark?

Suddenly, the door to his bedroom slammed open. Danny sat up quickly with a raised brow as he watched Sam and Tucker lug two stacks of books into his room. "Uh...guys? What is all this?" Danny asked and stared at the books.

"I went to my favorite book store and started looking for anything that we could use as a reference," Sam explained. "All these books have information on witches and ghosts that we can read to figure out what we're really dealing with."

Danny glanced at the book at the top of Sam's stack. "Witch Trials Throughout the Ages?" Danny read the title. "Sam, you do realize that there's a family of witches right across the street who could answer our questions. Right?"

"I also realize that those same witches have been pretty vague about this ghost-witch war. It wouldn't hurt to do a bit of research first," Sam argued and picked up the book.

"Research? On summer vacation? Why does this already sound like a bad idea?" Tucker said, but picked up a book nonetheless.

Danny watched his friends take their books to different spots in his room before flipping them open. Sam was serious about this. She'd bought almost twenty books for them to read! While Danny would have preferred to get the abridged version from Kimiko, he did pick up a book, take a seat on his bed and begin reading.

Three hours later, Danny sighed deeply as he closed another book. So far, the three books that he'd skimmed through had only reaffirmed what he already knew. "Please tell me that you guys are having better luck at this than I am," Danny groaned and rubbed his tired eyes.

"Did you know that witches don't hunt ghosts in the Ghost Zone? Apparently, when witches first started hunting ghosts, they used their magic to create the Ghost Zone for ghosts to live in so that they couldn't haunt people," Sam said.

"But that's a good thing, right? The witches were trying to help," Tucker inferred.

"Actually, it was used as a place to trap the ghosts that they had captured. But once ghosts started getting out through natural portals, witches started using harsher methods," Sam corrected. "Listen to this. One of the first accounts of witch brutality dates back to twelfth century Russia where a coven of witches captured several ghosts before subduing them, disabling their ghostly abilities and trapping the ghosts in a brew of blood blossoms," Sam read. All three shared worried looks.

"Does it say why they did it?" Danny tentatively asked. Did he even want to know?

When Sam shook her head in the negative, Tucker decided to speak up. "I think this would help. It's an autobiography from a witch talking about what it was like for him growing up," Tucker said and held up the book he was reading. The book described itself as an autobiography, but the critics reviewed it as fiction. "He says that normally, when a witch is first learning to use their powers, they're taught by older witches. But they aren't just taught how to use their magic. They're taught how to hunt ghosts, too. Like some kind of weird, ghost hunting boot camp."

"All of them?" Danny asked with a troubled expression.

Tucker flipped through the pages before holding up the book to read from it. "I'd never known that to be a witch was a lifetime commitment to fighting for justice for the natural world. When I started my training, I was surprised at how many of the kids I grew up with were being trained just like me. I'll never forget the first thing that we were taught. Ghosts are unnatural, evil and mischievous abominations."

"Woah. Harsh," Sam commented with a frown.

"But not all witches think like that. If I could just show that to those ghosts, they'd have to believe me. If I could just get them to talk to Kagome-" Danny started.

"I really don't think that's a good idea, Danny. It sounds like there's a lot of bad history. I don't think you'll be able to erase it so easily," Sam reasoned rationally.

"If I can get one ghost to change their mind, it wouldn't be a complete waste. I'm calling Kagome," Danny said and pulled his cell out of his pocket. Sam sighed loudly and shook her head. She didn't want to sound pessimistic. Honestly, Sam considered herself a realist (which was completely different). But right now, her realism wouldn't be able to get through Danny's stubborn optimism.

~:~

Nakoda approached Kagome's bedroom door with her gift in hand. She'd been looking forward to this moment for some time. As soon as Judai had told her about Kagome's lack of control and quickly growing powers, Nakoda had seen this as another opportunity to bond with her only granddaughter. Hopefully, Kagome would like this gift. Suppressing an eager grin, Nakoda stopped in from top the door and raised her small fist to knock. However, she stopped when she heard Kaome's voice inside the room.

"You want me to what?... I agree with Sam. I don't think that's such a good idea, Danny..."

Who was she talking to? Was it a boy? Nakoda smirked. Looks like she found something else to bond over. But, that would have to be for a later date. Raising her fist one again, Nakoda quickly rapped twice on the door. "I'll call you later, Danny," Nakoda heard Kagome say just before the bedroom door opened.

"Grandma! What's up?" Kagome asked brightly.

"Well, I already gave your brother his gift so I felt it was time to give you yours," Nakoda said. Judai had been easy to appease. The boy had been more excite than a child on Christmas day when he'd unwrapped an enchanted, flying skateboard. He'd immediately rushed out of the house to try it out. Nakoda wasn't completely irresponsible though. She'd give him a new helmet and some new safety pads.

"Grandma, you don't have to give me anything," Kagome waved her off.

"Of course I do, sweetheart," Nakoda said and grabbed Kagome by the hand. She pulled Kagome back into the bedroom before making her take a seat on the bed. With a proud smile, Nakoda presented the wrapped, rectangle she had in her hands. "Ta-da!"

Kagome giggled softly before accepting the slim package and proceeding to tear open the wrapping paper. When she spotted a book with a brown leather cover, Kagome frowned. Once she had all the colorful, pink paper off, Kagome inspected her present. A thick, brown book with a light brown star on the front cover and two, leather straps to keep it closed. "A book?"

"Not just any book- a grimoire," Nakoda said before taking a seat at Kagome's side. "I know that your mother has already given you several of them, but this one is special to me. It belonged to a dear friend of mine. She gave it to me before she died. And now, I'm giving it to you."

"Grandma, I can't accept this. It sounds like it's very important to you," Kagome declared and tried to give the book back.

Nakoda shook her head and pushed the book back towards Kagome. "I want you to have it. You'll need it as a reference for your upcoming lessons," Nakoda said with a smile.

"Lessons?"

"Of course! You didn't think I was just going to dump all this knowledge on you without giving you some guidance, did you?" Nakoda said with a playful scoff. "Kagome, I know that your mother has been teaching you a few things, but I want to teach you a few things of my own. There's more to being a witch than saying a few magic words or making something levitate. I can show you so many things. I can even help you get your magic under control so that you don't need to depend on that gem around your neck."

Kagome's hand rested on the sapphire as her eyes widened in surprise. "Can you really do that?"

"Of course! I'm sixty-six years young. I've learned a few things over the course of my life," Nakoda said with a laugh. "Why don't you open up that book so we can get started?"

Kagome quickly unbuckled the straps, flipped over the brown leather cover of the book and glanced down at the first spell. Immediately, she was struck by how advanced the spell look. It was a barrier spell against physical attacks. Kagome noticed several, handwritten notes scribbled onto the sides of the page. 'Works against ghostly possession.' With pursed lips, Kagome flipped through the book, her eyes glancing at the spells and the notes in the margins. 'Energy consuming. Best used with more than one witch... Excellent for disabling ghostly abilities... Use when expelling a ghost from a possessed human body...' As she moved further along in the book, Kagome couldn't keep the small frown off her face. These spells seemed to have a variety of effects on ghosts. But, it was the last page in the book that made Kagome freeze. "Grandma, this spell..." she started.

"Hmm? Oh! Don't worry about that, Kagome. That's not what I wanted to show you," Nakoda said and flipped the page back to a different spell. "I know how your mother feels about ghosts. I'm sure that you know that her ideals aren't very popular amongst most witches. But, I would never force you to take up something that you were uncomfortable with, sweetheart."

Kagome could tell that her grandmother's smile was meant to be reassuring, but she couldn't help but feel a bit defensive at what she'd seen. That last page had a curse that she'd never heard of before and although she wasn't completely sure how it worked, the note on the side had been very clear. 'For ghosts only. Use on sight. Deadly.'

"Grandma, I'm not sure I can take this from you," Kagome said as she tried once again to hand the grimoire back.

"I understand your concern, Kagome. But you should understand mine as well. I'm not asking you to harm a ghost or to learn that spell. I'm just asking that you spend some time becoming better prepared at defending yourself," Nakoda explained.

"I don't understand."

"Your mother told me about your recent run-ins with those ghosts. It's important that you be able to defend yourself and others at all costs," Nakoda started. "Ghosts can be ruthless and extremely dangerous, especially to an untrained witch."

"But what if they aren't all like that? What if one was good?" Kagome argued.

Nakoda frowned slightly. "Are you referring to this town's superhero, Danny Phantom? Now, I understand that he's not your run of the mill ghost, but he is still a ghost. Which means that he possesses all the weaknesses of a ghost. All ghosts have something that drives them- an obsession that defines them. When their obsession is threatened, they become dangerous," Nakoda declared. Before Kagome could argue further, Nakoda spoke up again, "Has Kimiko taught you how to sense a ghost's presence before?"

"...Not yet," Kagome admitted sheepishly.

"Well, that just won't do! Stand up, sweetheart. We're going to fix that right now," Nakoda said and stood up from the bed. She waited for Kagome to stand before looking up at her with a small smile. "As a witch, you literally have a sixth sense that connects you to all living things and provides you with access to supernatural powers of the universe. And having magic means that you are obligated to uphold the natural balance."

"Natural balance? How do ghosts fit into that?" Kagome asked.

"Excellent question. All living things are filled with energy. It's this life force that allows you to connect to nature in some pretty awesome ways. But, ghosts are different. They aren't alive nor are they truly dead. The energy that animates a ghost is... well... unnatural. It makes a mockery of the life force in living creatures. You can sense both types of energy easily- the natural life energy and the energy in a ghost," Nakoda lectures. "A ghost's energy feels different from a living being's in that... well... I'm not sure how to describe it other than it just feels wrong. It feels unnatural in every way. Personally, it gives me the heebie-jeebies."

Kagome frowned pensively. Unnatural? Danny and Vlad didn't feel unnatural to her. Sometimes, they gave her goosebumps whenever they used their ghostly abilities around her. But it usually had to be a serious amount of power they were exerting. Suddenly, Kagome furrowed her brows as she stared down at her grandmother. "Grandma, do you hunt ghosts?"

"Me? I'm sixty-six, Kagome. Do I look like a woman moonlighting as a ghost hunter?" Nakoda laughed. Kagome rubbed her arm awkwardly. It was a bit silly. "I won't lie. When I was your age, my mother made sure that I learned all the techniques and gained the skills that a witch would need for a life as a ghost hunter. But, I never took it seriously. Like your mother, I had my first child at a young age. I used your father as an excuse to avoid ghost hunting. Not a day goes by that I don't regret that decision. Maybe if I had taken it seriously, I could have changed things for the better."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I never saw ghosts as a threat. They had been harmless in my opinion. But I was wrong. My ex-husband, best friend, and mother were all killed by ghosts," Nakoda admitted sadly and hung her head.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry, Grandma. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories," Kagome said and immediately embraced the elderly woman.

"It's alright, sweetheart. You didn't know. Honestly, it's all part of the job," Nakoda said with a deep sigh. "It's just a shame that no matter how peacefully a witch lives, we're all lumped together. To a ghost, it doesn't matter if you would show them mercy or not. If they spot a weakness, they'll exploit it. It's just the kind of creatures they are."