Chapter Text
"Danny, are you sure this is safe?" Maddie asked, eyeing the Specter Speeder.
"It's fine, Mom. Jazz, Sam, Tucker, and I have used it plenty of times before." Danny smiled at his mother's nervousness.
"And where are we going again?" Jack asked.
"Clockwork. I guess he's like a second father to me, though he's actually more of a mentor. Besides, if Clockwork doesn't think you're ready or if he doesn't want to, we won't be able to find his lair. He is the Master of Time, so most ghosts consider him a myth. His lair is only found by those he wants it to be found by," Danny explained.
"It'll be fine, Mrs. Fenton. Danny's half ghost and I'm half demon. Just relax," Rin told her as he sat in the back of the Speeder.
"Alright." Maddie sighed, climbing into the Speeder, Jack following.
Sam and Tucker sat in front, Sam at the wheel. They all put on Fenton Phones so they could communicate with Danny from the inside of the Speeder.
Danny transformed into Phantom, rings washing over him. Jack's eyes widened in awe. "I'm never going to get used to that!" Maddie merely laughed at her goofy husband.
The portal doors opened, a swirling, glowing green mass lighting up in front of them.
"To Clockwork's!" The trio cheered.
Sam lurched forward, plunging into the portal.
Maddie and Jack gazed at the surrounding area, eyes wide with interest. "This place gives you the chills." Maddie observed.
"Well, it is the Ghost Zone." Danny laughed, his voice echoing through their headsets. "It's going to be colder, and most humans feel a bit uncomfortable here. Maybe it's weird, but for me, it feels like home."
"You are half ghost, Danny." Tucker reminded the boy.
"I know. I think that's why." Danny laughed.
"It feels odd, but not a bad odd. I think ghosts feel at home here, but since I'm a demon, it's different for me. It feels weird, but it's a nice weird. It's complicated." Rin blushed when he realized he probably sounded dumb.
"It's fine, as long as you're not getting ill." Sam joked.
"Ha ha." Rin mocked, rolling his eyes.
"What are all these doors?" Jack asked as he eyed all of the floating doors.
"Those are lairs," Danny's voice explained through the headsets. "Every ghost has one. The doors are like rooms for ghosts. Each door belongs to a certain ghost and revolves around its obsession. For example, Ember's lair would revolve around music. Islands are for the more powerful ghosts. They also revolve around the ghost's obsession, but it's not just a room, it's a whole piece of land."
"Do you have a lair, Danny?" Maddie asked.
Danny blushed green, at least that's what it looked like from inside the Speeder. "Uh, yeah. I'll show you it sometime."
Rin smirked, because he knew that if Danny was the Ghost King, he was going to have an island. The half ghost was obviously embarrassed.
Eventually, the group reached their intended destination. They stepped out as the Speeder was parked in front of the doors.
"It's a Clocktower." Maddie observed.
"Fitting, isn't it?" A voice replied.
Maddie and Jack yelped while Sam and Tucker only jumped slightly. Rin and Danny made no such movements, only turning around to look at the old ghost.
"I'm used to it by now," Danny said as his parents gave him looks.
They all raised their eyebrows at Rin. He shrugged. "Things aren't that surprising anymore. I'm always on guard."
"I see you've told your parents? And that all of you and Rin know the truth of one another?" Clockwork asked.
"Like you don't know." Danny rolled his eyes.
Clockwork simply smirked, transforming into an adult in the process.
"How do you do that?" Jack asked, referring to the time ghost's aging.
"Time moves differently for me," Clockwork replied, "Come. We have much to discuss."
They followed him into the doors of his lair.
"So, I assume you all know of Rin's Satanic heritage?" Clockwork asked, making sure to specify.
"How could we not? He practically flaunts it, waving that stupid tail of his around." Sam pointed at Rin's wagging tail, proving her point.
"Hey!" Rin barked out, offended. "My tail is not stupid!"
Clockwork merely smiled slightly before turning to his screens.
The group watched as an image flickered onto it, and when the image appeared, Rin's breath caught in his throat, tears threatening to spill.
"Dad..." His voice was hoarse, a quiet whisper that burned with agony and pain.
The rest of them swallowed as they realized the old man on the screen was Rin's adoptive father.
The image switched to a small, angry boy that was about seven. He looked exactly like Rin, except without the pointy ears, fangs, and tail.
The child continued to throw stuff at the students and teachers, screaming childlike profanity. He threw chairs, toys, anything he could get his hands on.
They realized that even when Rin's powers were sealed, he still had his demonic strength.
"How can you raise a child like that?!" A teacher gasped. "He really is a demon!"
"Rin, you hurt your friend. He's in the hospital." Shiro frowned.
"He's not my friend! He called me a demon! It's his fault! He mocked me!" Child Rin cried.
"It's your fault for being so violent!" Shiro barked.
Rin's dad didn't flinch as a chair flew past his head, breaking as it made contact with the wall behind him.
Rin's dad realized the boy wouldn't stop, so the man bent down in front of him and quickly wrapped his arms around the child.
Child Rin froze in shock before letting out a angry roar and punching his dad in the ribs.
Shiro jerked, glasses flying off his face from the force and landing behind Child Rin.
Suddenly, the trio gasped, realizing this was the scene of what Rin told them before.
Child Rin froze, eyes wide. "Dad..."
"Ha! As if! Just kidding! Did I scare you?" Shiro laughed, still hugging the kid.
"Dad..." The small boy repeated, eyes wide and glassy.
"Listen, Rin, if you keep acting like this, you'll be all alone. Use your strength for something else...for a gentler purpose. I want you to become a cool guy with lots of friends, who's loved by all the girls," Shiro whispered.
"What do you mean? How can I be like that?" Child Rin asked quietly.
The old man pulled back, but kept his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Struggle! If you try hard to be nice to people, one day, you'll become like that."
Child Rin stared at his father with a new light in his eyes, a light that shined with hope for a better future.
Suddenly, Shiro's face turned blue. "Ugh! I can't take it anymore! My ribs are broken!" He collapsed onto the floor.
"Dad! Dad, are you okay?!" Child Rin shouted in a panic while a few gasps and sirens could be heard in the background.
The screen flashed, skipping to a scene where Shiro was lying on a gurney while getting loaded into an ambulance while Child Rin stood on the sidewalk, watching with tears in his blue eyes.
"Hey! It's okay, sport! I'm fine, see! I get to look up the cute nurse's sk- Ow! Careful!" Shiro yelped as the gurney was bumped.
Child Rin did nothing but ball up his fists and let tears cloud his vision. An echoey voice could be heard as it displayed Rin's thoughts.
'I'll try to be kinder! I don't want to hurt anyone ever again!'
The screen turned black again and Rin's voice was shaky as he turned to Clockwork and spoke. "W-Why d-did you-you sh-show every-everyone th-that?"
"Your past is an important part of you, Rin. It'll make it much easier on you if you didn't carry such burdens." Clockwork smiled sadly at the young demon.
"I never got to say sorry. He died, and it was all my fault. I yelled at him, screamed and betrayed him. How could I?" Rin whimpered.
"As much as this is going to get me in trouble, would you like to see him one more time and apologize?" Clockwork asked.