Disclaimer: Don't own DP.

Chapter 21: Anger Management

Danny tapped his pencil nervously against his desk. He stopped for a moment to chew on the eraser, before resuming his insistent tapping. His eyes flicked to the right and then back to stare straight ahead at his 6th period Spanish teacher. The young half-ghost wasn't actually listening to the woman, but it was easier to pretend that he was. Danny resisted the urge to look to his right again and stared down at his desk, drawing a quick doodle on the edge of it.

Just don't look, Fenton. Just avoid eye contact, and maybe he'll lose interest. The boy gritted his teeth as the feeling of being watched did not go away. Danny turned in his seat and glared across the room at the person watching him. Tyler, his arms crossed over his chest, narrowed his eyes in response. The two ghost teens stared each other down before Danny eventually broke away, looking back to the front of the room.

No matter how brave he was trying to act, the young half-ghost was feeling very nervous and anxious. Tyler knew his secret. What would the other boy do with that information? Would he decide to use it against him? Or worse. Danny shuddered at the thought, anxiously interlocking his fingers.

Though Danny knew Tyler's secret as well, he couldn't use that information against him. Who could he tell? No one else had really seen Tyler in his ghost form, so there was no proof that he even existed. And even though Danny despised the older boy, he couldn't bring himself to blackmail someone. It just wouldn't be right.

So where does that leave me? The dark haired teen looked back up at Senora Harding, not really seeing her. Could Tyler blackmail me? … I wouldn't put it past him. The boy ran his right hand through his hair, his expression worried. What do I do?

He hadn't had the guts to tell Sam and Tucker about what happened yet and at the moment he felt so alone and confused that it hurt. The only thing that he could take comfort in was that Tyler hadn't tried anything ... yet. But he only found out yesterday, so he could still do something. What would that be though? Danny didn't even want to think about it.

What would he do to protect his secret? How far would he go to save himself and his friends? I'd do anything, the boy realized in growing fear. Tyler must know that. I would do anything to protect them because if I go down, they might too.

The half-ghost could feel Tyler's eyes on him again, and he looked up just as a folded piece of paper landed on his desk. Danny stared down at it and then over at Tyler. The ghost teen scowled and mouthed, 'Read it.'

Swallowing, Danny slowly reached for the note and unfolded it behind his book, so his teacher couldn't see what he was doing. In messy handwriting the note read, 'Meet me after class. We need to talk, pal.'

Even though there was no actual tone of voice, Danny could feel the disdain in that last word. He shuddered as he refolded the piece of paper and stuffed it in his pocket. The boy didn't want to listen to Tyler, but what choice did he have? If he didn't, who knew what the other ghost teen would do. Danny clenched his fists, his anger rising. That dumb jerk. I won't let him blackmail me. He glared quickly at the older boy, gritting his teeth in fury. It's not gonna happen.

When the bell rang signaling the end of class, Danny jumped to his feet, angrily grabbing his purple backpack. He slung it over his left shoulder and walked steadily towards the door, ignoring the brief smile his teacher sent him along the way. The half-ghost pushed his way through his classmates and out into the hallway where he saw Tyler leaning against the far wall of lockers. The blond haired teen smirked darkly and stood up to his full height, crossing his arms over his chest.

Danny scowled and mimicked Tyler's stance, though his head only reached to about the other boy's chest. "What do you want?" Danny growled bravely, as the students around him continued on to their classes and then the hallway was empty. They were alone.

"Just to talk," Ty answered casually, his light golden eyes narrowing. If Danny had been paying more attention, he would have realized that Tyler's eyes were normally brown, not gold. But he was much too angry to pay attention to the little detail. "Old friends can talk, can't they?"

Danny clenched his fists. "I wouldn't call us old friends," he shot back, hoping to force a rise out of the other boy. Tyler chuckled harshly in response and shrugged.

"I suppose you're right, hero." the ghost teen sneered, his lips quirking. "We were never friends, were we? It was all just a little game, wasn't it? You knew about my secret, so you decided to keep an eye on me. Clever, I have to say."

The half-ghost said nothing to this, his anger growing in strength. That's not really true, Danny scowled, his eyebrows drawing together. But he won't believe me if I say anything against him.

"And the fact that you have your own secret …" Ty trailed off with a smirk. Danny's eyes opened wide.

The dark haired teen stepped forward angrily. "You won't tell anyone," he growled, his self-control dwindling rapidly.

Tyler smiled sweetly. "No. You're not worth it."

Danny's mouth popped open at having his own words thrown back at him. He stared at Tyler's infuriatingly smug grin, his fists beginning to shake. That's it! With a cry of rage, Danny threw himself forward and tackled the older boy to the ground. Tyler, who had been taken by surprise, fell heavily onto his back, banging his head against the ground.

"This is for Jazz!" the half-ghost snarled, smashing his fist into Ty's already bruised, left cheek. The older boy screamed in agony as his head was whipped painfully to the side. And this is for being a jerk! Before Danny could hit Tyler again, the blond narrowed his eyes and arched his back, throwing the half-ghost off of him. Danny was tossed backwards, but he quickly rolled to his feet, just as Ty staggered upright. The other ghost teen wiped the back of his right hand across his lips, glaring darkly with dull, golden eyes.

"You're gonna regret that, you prick," he snarled, and charged forward. Danny ducked to the side, missing Ty's initial attack. But the blond pivoted quickly and managed to catch the half-ghost with a powerful roundhouse punch. Danny stumbled backwards, his back slamming into the lockers lining the wall. Before he could move, Tyler leapt forward and drove his fist into Danny's stomach. The boy's breath left him, and he bent over, painfully gasping for air.

"I know how that feels," Ty hissed, leaning down so his face was level with Danny's. "Kinda like your lungs are about to explode, am I right?"

Danny's face contorted with pain as Tyler punched him again in the gut. "Or, does it feel that way now?" the blond haired boy asked, not noticing how much he sounded like Blaze at that moment. The half-ghost glared back at Tyler. No way was he going down like this.

He straightened up forcing away the pain in his stomach, and he rammed his right shoulder into Ty's chest. The blow knocked the taller boy back, and Danny tackled him to the ground again. Both ghost boy's shouted and snarled as they rolled across the floor, both trying to gain leverage over the other. They continued their battle until a shout of surprise sounded in the hallway, followed by large hands pulling them apart.

Danny tried to pull away from his new captor, and he looked up into Mr. Lancer's face. "Let me go!" he demanded, glaring across at Ty who was being restrained by two other male teachers he didn't recognize.

"Mr. Fenton, Mr. Matthews, stop this right now." Lancer said seriously, holding on tight to the squirming half-ghost.

"Get off me." Tyler ground out, trying his best to pull away from the hands holding him at bay. He wanted to use his shadow powers so badly, but he held them inside. That wouldn't help anything. He just wanted to beat the snot out of Danny, that little liar. Make him beg for forgiveness. As Tyler was hauled in the opposite direction of Danny, the golden glow slowly left his eyes, returning them to their normal brown color. His struggles ceased, the fight draining from his body. I wanna do what?

He stared over at the scrabbling Danny, his eyes widening. What did I do? Everything that had happened since yesterday was all a confusing blur. He couldn't even remember coming to school this morning. Did … did I attack Danny? Tyler's mouth opened slightly. He had never seen the youngest Fenton so angry before. It was scary. Tyler must have done something, but, why?

"D-Danny?" the ghost teen said, trying to find some words to describe what was going on. "I-I." He just couldn't form a sentence. He was so confused. The boy yelped as the two teachers holding his arms jerked him back, heading towards the office. Danny was pulled in the same direction, but a few feet back.

"Mr. Fenton, what is the matter with you?" Lancer asked in total disbelief. He had never seen the quiet Daniel Fenton fight anyone before. Let alone someone who he thought the boy was friends with.

"That jerk started it," Danny growled, but he was no longer struggling to get away. He was still angry, and he still wanted to hit Tyler right in the face, but he knew that would be bad. He was probably in enough trouble as it was. The half-ghost scowled. I can't believe I let my temper go like that. I've never lost it that bad before.

"Even if that's true, that doesn't give you a right to fight in school." Lancer said, guiding his student towards the principal's office. "Fighting isn't like you, Mr. Fenton."

The half-ghost's shoulders slumped, and he sighed. Ugh, he's right. He bit his tongue and followed his teacher sullenly. I'm in so much trouble.

Tyler tried to glance over his shoulder at Danny, but the two men holding him forced him to continue walking forward. I wish they would stop treating me like I'm a psycho! He stumbled for a moment, but the men dragged him back to his feet almost immediately. Ty wanted to tell them to let him go, but he was pretty sure that they wouldn't listen anyway. The ghost teen closed his eyes and let his body get dragged along without resistance.

It would be best not to cause anymore trouble. He was most likely in enough of it as it was.

The Shadowhunter grimaced as he was pushed down into a wooden chair in the office. He looked up at the two angry faced teachers before staring forlornly back at his hands placed in his lap. On the other side of the room, Danny sat down in a similar chair as Tyler, but didn't turn to face the other teen. Ty couldn't blame him.

He looked away quickly, feeling self-contempt rise inside his chest. He'd lost control. Of what, he didn't know for sure. All he knew was that it was his fault he'd lost it. He was too weak to control whatever was inside of him. I feel just like I did last time. Ty rubbed his blond head slowly, staring at the ground beneath his feet. Something is wrong. He narrowed his eyes, a spark of anger igniting in his dull brown orbs. I bet Blaze is responsible. It's always his fault.

The more Tyler thought about it, the more he realized how close to the truth his assumptions probably were. Something just wasn't right. Not that his life had ever been right, but now it was worse. The boy frowned and looked up when he felt someone watching him.

His eyes opened wide when he saw Jazz Fenton standing in the doorway of the office, her eyes also wide and expression shocked. The two teens stared at each other, powerful emotions battling in their gazes. Ty's was torn between anguish and joy. This was the first time he'd seen Jazz since the incident in the park. God, she looked good.

Jazz's expression was similar to Ty's, but there was a hint of anger tugging at her mouth. A part of her was overjoyed to see the boy she cared so much about, while the other part was beyond angry to see the person who'd hurt her so badly. She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. The girl had no idea what to say. Instead, she let her eyes slide to the opposite side of the room and land on her younger brother. He looked up at her sheepishly.

He was the reason she'd been called to the office. She didn't say a word to either of the boys and walked up to Mr. Lancer. "You wanted to see me?"

The overweight teacher nodded, taking Jazz by the elbow and leading her a few feet away from the two ghost boys. "Yes, Jasmine, I wanted to talk to you about those two." Lancer nodded his head back to Ty and Danny. "They were fighting. I'm not sure who started it, but Daniel claims it was Tyler. And since you know both of them …"

Jazz swallowed. She shifted her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. After a moment, she said quietly, "That … doesn't surprise me." The girl sighed under her breath, glancing past Mr. Lancer at Tyler. He sat slumped in his chair, refusing to meet her stare. Jazz scowled at him. Why can't he just look at me? Why can't he just be a man and tell me his feelings? Why did he have to leave me? Jazz bit her bottom lip to suppress the sob rising in her throat. "Tyler is troubled," the girl heard herself speak, as if from a distance. She frowned at how emotionless her voice sounded. "He and Danny haven't been getting along lately."

Lancer nodded, looking troubled. "Thank you, Jasmine. I don't believe this incident will be blamed on Daniel … but as for Tyler," the man trailed off again. Jazz paled, but quickly pushed away the concern building inside of her.

She didn't care if Tyler got in trouble. As long as her brother was okay, she would be fine. The girl nodded, trying to convince herself. "Is it alright if I take Danny back to class?"

"I think Ms. Chan will want to speak to him," the balding man said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry to have taken you out of class, Jasmine, but I thought you might like speak to your brother."

Jazz forced a small smile to come to her lips. "No, that's alright, Mr. Lancer. I think I'd just like to go back to class now," she said as politely as she could muster. The teacher nodded at her, turning to face the secretary as she called his name. Jazz's gaze was drawn back to Tyler, and he glanced up at her momentarily. In his eyes, Jazz could see agony, but she couldn't understand why unless … unless he still felt something for her. Jazz gasped quietly. Could it be true?

The girl walked slowly towards the exit of the office, keeping her eyes on Ty's face. He opened his mouth slightly, as if to say something, but no words formed. Jazz examined every inch of his face, tracing the familiar line of his jaw and the sharp angle of his cheekbones. Her eyes rested on the bruises dotting his skin the longest before she looked him directly in the eye. She had missed those eyes. No matter how betrayed she felt, Jazz knew that she could never truly hate Tyler.

Not after everything they'd been through together. As she gazed into his eyes, she knew that Ty still felt for her as much as she did for him. Jazz knew it. But … then why is he pushing me away? Why? Jazz didn't understand, and she wasn't sure if she ever would.

As the girl opened the door to leave, she looked back at Tyler. The ghost teen was staring back and forth between the two men standing in front of him. Their backs were facing Tyler, their attention diverted elsewhere. Jazz sighed and took a step out the door, when Ty's rough, calloused hand grabbed her elbow. She turned to face him, surprise flittering across her face. "What-?" Jazz started, but the ghost teen cut her off.

He placed a finger gently to her lips. "Jazz," he whispered her name, enjoying the sweet sound of it. "Jazz, listen to me." Tyler swallowed hard. He wanted to tell Jazz everything that had happened to him, but he knew he couldn't. He just couldn't. Blaze told me never to see her again. What if he finds out about this? Fear entered his eyes, and his hand tightened around Jazz's elbow, causing her to wince slightly. I-I can't put her in danger like that, but her face …

"Yes?" Jazz breathed, her heart jumping into her throat at Tyler's presence.

The ghost teen stared down at Jazz, unable to look away. Her expression was tearing his already torn heart into pieces. He knew Jazz was in as much pain as he was. And he could stop it. He could stop all of it with just a few little words, but at what price? The boy briefly closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of Jazz's lilac soap. It reminded him so much of old times. For a moment, all of his problems disappeared and he found himself feeling completely care-free, just like he had when he first met Jazz. The boy sighed deeply, a small smile coming to his lips. He was going to tell her.

But of course, reality had to burst in and destroy his chance. Tyler's eyes snapped open when he felt two sets of hands land on his shoulders and pull him away from Jazz. "Come along, son." one of the male teachers said solemnly. "Ms Chan will see you now."

Tyler glared at the man, jerking his arms angrily. "She can wait one second," he snarled insolently. The two teachers shared an angry glance, but Ty ignored them, staring intently at Jazz. "Listen, Jazz, please listen." He tried to reach forward and hold her hand, but the men's grip only tightened on his arms, forcing him to wince. "I-I never meant to hurt you," Tyler whispered, praying truth rang throughout his words. "I love you, Jazzy-pants. I always have."

Jazz's left hand shot up to cover her mouth, a gasp escaping her lips. He's telling the truth. I can always tell when he's lying. It's the truth. Jazz smiled through the tears in her eyes. Her lips wobbled, and she blinked quickly a few times. Jazz forced herself to nod.

Tyler grinned when he saw this. She believes me! I knew she would. Jazz is so smart. "I love you, Jazzy-pants. I. Love. You." The words felt so wonderful to say, and he felt so relieved to finally utter them. He'd been waiting so long to do so.

Jazz watched as Tyler was forced to turn around and walk towards the other side of the room. He craned his neck around to look at Jazz, a desperate glint in his brown eyes. "Same here," Jazz whispered, her voice sounding thick. The last thing she saw of Ty before he was pulled into the Principal's office was his bright smile that seemed to light up the room.

--

"Excellent," Vlad Plasmius murmured. He paused from his work and shut off the small, handheld welding tool he was using to connect two pieces of metal. The half-ghost pulled the black goggles away from his eyes and placed them on his forehead. He flicked his gaze over to his companion and offered a small grin. "You've done well, Skulker. I will have your payment as soon as possible."

Skulker nodded, glancing around at his surroundings slowly. He had to admit, Plasmius knew his way around human and ghost technology. From the outside, the building looked nothing like a lab at all. It looked more like an abandoned warehouse. But the inside, Skulker shook his head in awe. Plasmius had to be working on this place night and day for it to look so high-tech. The hunter ghost looked at the half-way built device in the back corner with a curious expression.

The ghost titled his head a bit to the side, looking the machine up and down. So far, it consisted of two curved, metal towers, bending in towards each other with a circular structure built into the ground between them. It looked like two more towers were in the process of being built, but Skulker didn't know for sure. One of the already built towers had a small keypad attached to the side with a plasma screen above it.

"I call it, The Plasmius Dimension Ripper," Plasmius explained, noticing his friend's stare. "Interesting device, isn't it?"

Skulker nodded, looking back at the machine curiously. "What does it do?" He glanced back at his employer. "If you don't mind me asking."

The half-ghost waved his hand through the air. "Not at all, Skulker." He moved around the table and stood beside the machine, placing a hand on the steel structure. Plasmius looked up at the device that towered over him and grinned. "It does exactly what the name says it does," the half-ghost said. "Once completed, it will open a portal to the Ghost Zone."

Skulker frowned thoughtfully, watching his employer's every movement a bit nervously. He had never seen Plasmius look so … relaxed before. That usually wasn't a good sign. "Why?" Skulker asked slowly, resisting the urge to scratch his head. What was the point of creating the device when Plasmius already had a Ghost Zone portal? Did Plasmius finally lose it? The half-ghost had never been the most stable being in the world.

Plasmius chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he said smugly.

"Why can't you just tell me?" Skulker asked in annoyance. He hated it when his employer got this way. And he knew that Plasmius knew that, which made him even more annoyed.

"Because that information is on a need to know basis," the half-ghost explained, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned his back against the Dimension Ripper. "You don't need to know, Skulker."

The hunter ghost scowled and rolled his eyes. "Fine," he grumbled, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of Plasmius. "I'll take my leave then."

Before Skulker had taken two steps, Plasmius said, "Don't you want to know why I asked you to reveal Daniel's secret?" Skulker stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around. I do want to know, actually. How does he do that?

The ghost sighed and turned to face his ally/friend. His expression said that he did want to know and that Plasmius should go do something anatomically unlikely with himself if he did not tell him.

Plasmius grinned. "I'll give you that because I enjoy your company, Skulker." the half-ghost said teasingly. "I needed Daniel out of the way, you see. My new plan, that I am sure will not fail, is depending on the fact that Daniel not get involved." Plasmius chuckled softly, shaking his head. "And now that Tyler knows his secret, I'm sure he will be very busy. Too busy, in fact, to pay any attention to a few, small robberies being committed in his home town."

Skulker's eyebrows raised, and he rocked back on his heels. "And your plot, I'm guessing, has to do with the head Shadowhunter, Blaze," the ghost stated. Plasmius nodded, looking quite full of himself. "You do know that he can not be trusted, right?"

"Of course, Skulker," the man said with a wave of his hand. "The foolish Shadowhunter is underestimating me, and we both know that is not a wise thing."

Skulker nodded in agreement. So what does the whelp, two Shadowhunters and a portal creating device have to do with anything? The hunter ghost resisted the urge to rub his temples. He had never tried to figure out his employer's schemes before, and he didn't know why he was doing so now. Everything just seemed so confusing. And he was sure that Plasmius wouldn't reveal anything else to him.

"Interesting," Skulker murmured, hoping his voice didn't sound too confused.

Plasmius laughed sympathetically. "I would tell you more, Skulker, but at the moment, I want that information to remain confidential."

Skulker shrugged as if he didn't care one way or the other. "Whatever you say, Plasmius. As long as you know what you're doing."

The half-ghost nodded, his expression looking quite sinister. "Believe me, I do, Skulker. I really do."

--

Suspended until further notice. Suspended. No matter how many times Ty thoughts the words, he just couldn't understand them. How had it happened? No, he knew how it had happened. He just couldn't understand why.

Ms. Chan had obviously had enough of his antics, and she'd suspended him until further notice. Which, Ty suspected, meant a long time. But the salt in the wound was the fact that Danny had gotten off with only a couple of detentions because, "it was his first offence."

First offence, my ass, the boy thought heatedly. He was in a bad mood again. Though he didn't know it, his eyes were that odd, golden, brown color again. It was weird. He couldn't remember anything now but the fight and getting suspended. The ghost teen sighed and rubbed his right hand across his cheek. He'd never been suspended before. Tyler didn't know how to react to the situation. Part of him said to get angry and the other said to stay calm. He wasn't sure which side was winning but, at this point, he really couldn't care less.

The ghost teen mounted the steps to his home, glancing wearily behind him. He'd been literally kicked out of school and since his mother was at work and couldn't come pick him up, he had to walk home. Not that I should be surprised, Tyler thought, sticking his key in the lock. Mom's never around to pick me up. In fact, mom's never around at all! He pushed the front door open and slammed it shut behind him.

Angrily, he chunked his keys at the kitchen bar table and threw his bag down. He stared down at it, breathing heavily. There goes my last chance at passing High school. Now I'll be a bum just like my o'l man. Funny, he always said I'd turn out like him.

Tyler began to laugh at the irony. It was a sad, pathetic laugh. The laugh of a person who has given up any chance of happiness. Who has given up everything they hold dear. Who is ready to just give in. The boy stopped laughing and leaned his left arm against the living room wall. He was so tired of it all. At this point, he didn't care about anything.

I just … I can't take this anymore. Tyler chewed on his bottom lip, staring despairingly at the ground. He suddenly sighed and sank down to his knees, all of the fight gone from his body. I really do give up. I can't fight anymore.

He was done. Ty had nothing left to fight with. He had nothing left to give. Tyler sighed in defeat. For some reason, it tasted less bitter than he first thought it would. The gold color faded from Tyler's eyes, but the defeated feeling remained inside of his body.

But Jazz still loves me. His head perked up at the thought, a bit of happiness shining in his eyes. That counts for something. Not that I can see her again, anyway. God, I'm such an idiot. When Blaze finds out, he's going to kill me … or worse.

"There's no way out," he whispered hoarsely, shoulders drooping again. He wouldn't be able to see Jazz again. The boy knew that Blaze would not allow it, and strangely, he knew that he wouldn't be able to not listen to the ancient Shadowhunter. Tyler couldn't fight the man anymore. He was just too strong, and Ty was much too weak. Anytime he tried to resist the Shadowhunter's ways, he failed.

What's the point anymore? Tyler found himself not wanting to disobey his mentor. But I know that I should. I should want to fight against that psycho. But … I just can't. I don't know why, but, I can't. The boy gripped a chunk of his hair with his right hand, a grimace of pain on his exhausted face. He was so confused.

The ghost teen stiffened as a large hand landed on his right shoulder, followed by a silky voice that said, "I believe you wanted to speak to me."

Ty didn't look up at Blaze. He could already hear the grin in the man's voice. The boy continued to stare unseeingly down at the floor. How does he do that? How does he always know the worst time to show up? Tyler shook his head miserably, hoping Blaze would take the hint and just leave him alone. Although he knew that he wouldn't.

"Hm," the ancient Shadowhunter murmured, tapping his chin with a forefinger. "I was almost positive that you did." He smirked down at his young student, looking straight into his dull, brown eyes. He's under the Mark's influence right now. I can sense it. I wonder how much control it has over him …

Blaze crossed his arms behind his back and leaned down so his head was close to Tyler's. "I heard you had a bit of trouble today, Shade," he stated, keeping his face carefully blank. The boy shifted uneasily, fear filling his wide eyes. "Something about fighting your so-called friend, I believe." The ghost teen's eyes went wider if possible, and he dug his hands into the fabric of his jeans legs tightly. "And you ran into dear Jasmine, didn't you?"

Ty looked away from Blaze's fiery, orange gaze, his own eyes darting back and forth quickly. What do I say? What should I say?! How does he even know that? He yelped as the ancient Shadowhunter grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced Ty to look back at him.

"Answer me, Shade. Didn't you?" Blaze asked firmly, taking in Ty's reaction with honest curiosity. If the boy responded with anger, then the Mark wasn't having much of an influence. But if the boy behaved submissively, then the Mark was having an even greater effect than Blaze first thought.

Tyler visibly winced, gasping a bit as the grip on his hair tightened. He wanted to change into his ghost form and escape so badly, but he knew it wouldn't do him any good. Blaze would just find him again and humiliate him before beating him to a pulp. I just need to face facts, Ty told himself, opening his half-closed eyes slowly. Blaze is my mentor and there's nothing I can do to stop him from being that. He won't leave me alone, and he'll always have the upper hand. Besides, it's not like I can lie to him, anyway.

"Y-yes, sir," Ty whispered, grimacing at the pain rushing through his scalp. "I did." He quickly averted his eyes, not wanting to see the rush of anger fill the ancient Shadowhunter's face. Ty gasped in surprise when the hand released his hair, and Blaze took a step back, smirking knowingly.

The Mark was working. If it wasn't, the boy would have never admitted that, nor called him 'sir.' Blaze rubbed his coarse beard for a moment, narrowing his eyes. I should see how much of an effect it is having. This should be quite interesting.

"How-how did you know?" Ty asked quietly, staring at a spot on the ground just before Blaze's boots. He couldn't even look his mentor in the eye.

"You forget," Blaze answered without missing a beat. "I know everything that you do, boy. A part of me is always with you, just like every other Shadowhunter. There is nothing you can do that I am not aware of. You know this."

I do. Tyler thought in growing despair. He'd just never accepted it until now. "Then, you know about Plasmius?"

The Shadowhunter actually didn't know what his student was talking about, but he nodded anyway, watching in amusement as Tyler shuddered. Blaze did not pay attention to all of his student's actions because, at times, it could become very tiring. And although his powers were strong, they were not limitless. But I must remember to pursue this matter further. I am curious as to why the half-ghost is still talking to Shade when I specifically ordered him not to.

"Tsk, tsk, Shade," Blaze said, shaking his head. He clicked his tongue in clear disappointment and locked his arms behind his back. "It is most disheartening that you are keeping secrets from me, my boy," Blaze said gravelly, keeping his expression blank. He turned his back on the teen and walked several feet away before sighing loudly. "And that you disobeyed me."

Tyler rose shakily to his feet, eyes shining a faint gold. He stared at Blaze's back, shaking his head dully. No. He didn't want to disobey his mentor. He didn't want to disappoint him. The teen couldn't really remember what he had done to upset Blaze, but he knew he'd done something wrong. The boy felt shame wash through his body, and he looked at the ground sadly.

Blaze sighed again, shooting a glance at Ty over his shoulder. "I thought I was teaching you better than this." The man almost sputtered at seeing the hurt expression on his student's face. He actually cared! The boy cared that he had disappointed Blaze. The ancient Shadowhunter looked away from Ty, covering his mouth with his left hand to hold back his grin and laughter. This was just too rich.

I've been waiting for this moment since I met him, Blaze thought, a smile forcing its way across his face. And it has finally come.

"I-I'm sorry," Ty whimpered, lurching towards the man on unsteady legs. "I didn't mean to, si-"

"Oh, I think you did mean to, Shade," the ancient Shadowhunter interrupted. He turned to face the boy, his expression solemn. "I think you meant to disobey me. You never have been obedient. You've always broken my rules."

The ghost teen raised his hands and said desperately, "I can do better. I promise I can." Just don't be disappointed. He can't be disappointed in me. I'm supposed make him proud. What can I say to apologize? Ty searched his mind for anything that would make his mentor happy. He needed to make him happy. After a moment, Shade found it. The boy immediately kneeled down on one knee, bowing his head. "Please, Master Blaze, believe me. I can do better."

The man's mouth fell open at hearing the boy's title for him. Did he just-? Blaze quickly hid his surprise and hummed softly. He stepped forward and lifted Ty's head up. "Can you, Shade? Can you really do better?"

"Yes, Master Blaze." the boy's response was automatic, his light, golden eyes full of unrelenting loyalty.

"Will you follow my every order without question?" Blaze prompted, a slight smile growing on his face. He is mine.

"Yes, Master Blaze."

"You will defy me no longer, Shade?"

"No, Master Blaze. I will not defy you."

The ancient Shadowhunter paused, his orange eyes glowing with pride. He had done it. He had finally managed to break the child's will. I finally have the boy under my thumb. I now have the perfect weapon at my disposal. Blaze laughed, closing his eyes momentarily as the feeling of victory washed through him. "Tell me, boy," Blaze asked languidly. "Who do you belong to?"

Tyler didn't answer for a moment, his eyebrows drawing together. He seemed to be fighting an internal battle. Though most of his mind was being controlled by the Mark, a small part still fought against the ghostly influence. It was the human side of him that was fighting back now. It did not want this to happen. It knew that if Tyler answered, he'd be gone. Lost to the ways of a race of ghosts he didn't belong with. This part of the boy clung to life with an iron grip, but it slowly lost the battle and was pushed away, far into the back of the teen's mind.

"You, Master Blaze," Ty obediently answered, any emotion now gone from his voice. All expression had left his face. He felt dead inside, as if there was nothing left of his old self. Perhaps there wasn't. The only emotion the boy felt was a need to serve his mentor, to make him proud. Everything else had just drifted away. Except for the pounding ache in his head, there was nothing else. Nothing mattered.

"That is correct, Shade," the man said, one corner of his mouth quirking up into a cruel smirk. "Only to me." He chuckled for a moment, gaining intense amusement from the blank stare his student was sending him. Blaze knew that stare. The newly turned Shadowhunter's always reacted this way. The feeling of having your freewill taken from you was hard to deal with, especially for one so young. Blaze frowned momentarily, his eyebrows knitting together.

He is young, even if I don't want to admit it. The man tilted his head a bit to the side, looking straight into Shade's dull, golden eyes. Young enough, even, to be my son … if he was still alive of course. Blaze scoffed, dragging his right hand through his shaggy, black hair. What am I thinking? The Shadowhunter scowled and shook his head. The past is the past. I need to leave it there. Shade is not my son, and I do not want him to be.

Blaze cleared his throat at the uncomfortable thoughts whirling through his mind. He always tried not to think of his past human life, or the people in it, but sometimes he lost what little control he had over his thoughts. It usually happened more often around Shade. He just looks so much like Joseph – No. The Shadowhunter clamped down on the thought. He did not need to think of his son. He didn't need that headache now.

The ancient Shadowhunter narrowed his bright, orange eyes, all indecision gone from his expression. The man had gone too far to back down now and it was really too late to do so, anyway. He grabbed Tyler's chin and said softly, "I have a job for you, Shade." The boy perked up, and Blaze smiled harshly. It was time his new and improved student had a little test run.

ML: Uh … heh, hello. Yes, it has been a while, hasn't it? But, hey, when life gets you down you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming … what do we do? We swim, swim. Was that drawn out? Yes. Do I mind? Nope, not really. But I have no idea what to say about this chapter. I bet you thought it was going to end well for a second there, didn't you? Well, so did I. -laughs- Don't know what the heck happened in this chapter. I like the way it turned out, but no idea where it came from.

And Blaze's kid, yeah, that's part of his past. Before he died he had a kid named Joseph, who looks like Ty. -evil laugh- Coincidence? I think not. I just wanted to throw in that, yes, Blaze does in fact have a heart. It's tiny, but still there. That's basically why he is like he is. He lost everything when he became a Shadowhunter. His entire family died before he could escape back to the human world, so he's kinda pissed at everything, really. Can you blame the poor guy for being a heartless jerk? … Yeah, you can.

Well, hope ya'll enjoyed. Feel free to share your angry, excited, upset, etc. views with me.