Jason in the Ghost Zone

Ugly The Offended

"Damn ugly thing!", the younger ghost was screaming at Skulker, using words that, even at 15 Danny wasn't comfortable repeating, not even in his head. His head that was pounding in complaint at the effort it took to sit up and examine the sight before him.
This new ghost, this weird, red eyed ghost so new he didn't even know how to fly yet, was beating Skulker with a tied to a rope of braided vines. Even as he cursed like a sailor, the image in front of him was beautiful. He watched as the ghost spun the thermos above his head and swung it to wrap around Skulkers leg, yanking the ghost to the ground.
He kicked, and punched, and kicked like he'd somersaulted right out of an action movie... and he'd just done a somersault. It was so much easier to take note of this when he wasn't on the receiving end of that round house kick.
" Now", the clown-ghost said in a low, dangerous voice while gazing right into Skulkers eyes. .. welĺ Skulkers suits eyes," what was that you said about me and time? ".
Skulker growled, "Child, you have a lot to learn." With that the hunter kicked the clown in his face, freeing his leg and taking off. He eyed the new ghost from just high enough to be out of reach. The clown went for the thermos, but Skulker shot it away into the forest. The bigger stronger ghost continued shooting at the other, who somehow managed to last, even from the ground, longer than Danny had in the air.
True the halfa had been tired and messed up -now even more so- but this other ghost didn't even seem to know he had ghost powers.
The clown-ghost did last longer, but he was still at a severe disadvantage. Skulker was bigger, armed, stronger, and could fly. The clowns anger was wearing off, and with it the temporary boost it had given him.
One of the hunters blasts hit him, unable to dodge after that, the boy was hit over and over again, covering the air around him in dust. Danny waited half a minute for the young ghost to get up, when that didn't happen the halfa forced himself to his feet. True the clown-ghost had attacked him not to long ago, but without the other boy he would have been Skulkers new pelt.
If the clown didn't get up soon Skulker would come for the halfa anyway. Danny knew there wasn't any way he could defend himself if that happened.
The dust cleared away, revealing the monochromatic form of the clown-ghost, laying sprawled on the ground and breathing heavily. Seeing a ghost breathing was strange, stranger were the green streaks at the corners of his mouth , and the cut atop one eye, leaking more of the same fluid over the sensitive organ, keeping him from opening it. It made the ghost seem alive, human even. There was no way a hero could turn away from someone so helpless, not even a ghost.
....................
The ugly thing picked him up by his checkered tunic with a frown. 'Ugh how embarrassing', the boy berated himself. At least uglys breath didn't stink.
"Overconfidence is an uncommon trait in the newly formed", it said, " most know instinctively to stay away from those older and stronger than themselves".
The boy turned his head away. Damn his body hurt his whole body. If his throat were able of producing anything other than a sick, rasping sound he'd have said something about the oldness of the thing holding him.
'Hope I didn't puncture a lung,' he coughed, 'again,.
It was studying him now, with its freaking ugly, beady eyes.
"What the hell are you looking at," he tried to say. Even he couldn't really make out the sounds that came out.
Ugly-bastard laughed again. The boy grit his teeth and twisted, striking out with his legs he managed a kick to its groin. It didn't even flinch, but continued laughing.
'Yep, definitely not human,' he made a note of that information incase there was a future it could come in handy for.
He tried to wriggle out of its grip only to be rewarded with more laughter.
'At least it's not creepy', he though and gamely ignored snippets of a truly terrifying laugh.
He was lifted higher and the thing holding him made as if to toss him aside. No way he would survive a fall from this hight. He gripped its arms tightly, as tightly as he could, wich still felt embarrassingly weak.
It tried to shake him off, but with a new surge of terror driven strength he clamped on tightly, going so far as to wrap his legs around it as well. He would have held on with his teeth to if his head were close enough. He wasn't ready to die, he focused on the hats jingling to mask the pounding of his heart. He focused completely on the bells and holding on as Mr.Ugly twisted and pulled, trying to detach him.
Then the green haired thing was gone, and Jason found himself falling, the ground rushing up to crush him.He was glad now that he couldn't make much sound with his mouth, if he could he wasn't sure he'd have been able to keep from screaming. The hats jingling followed him the whole way down.
'It doesn't feel right. There's something else, something different from this. This shouldn't be happening'.
He wasn't falling anymore. His eyes snapped open almost before he'd realised they'd ben closed.
'I'm still here', he sucked in a deep breath. A beautifully painful breath of the beautifully stale air of the place of green swirlyness. He laughed, a whispery, gravely sound that hurt even more. It hurt because he was still here, he hadn't gone splat on the island below. It hurt because it could.
'I'm so glad it hurts', he sighed, looking up at his pointed shoes. 'And now I'm floating.. ' maybe I didn't make it'.
He checked below him for a body, nothing.
'Okay pain, go away.'
...............
Danny watched the falling ghosts, wondering if he should catch him. The look in the boys face was frantic, terrified even. The fall couldn't kill him for obvious reasons, but it was still uncomfortable watching someone panic like that. Someone injured who had saved Dannys life.
In the end the choice was taken out of the halfas hands when, still above the tree tops, the ghost caught himself.
The clown seemed about as surprised about it as Danny was, maybe even more so. The other boy stared up at his feet, then he frowned, and winced.
To the hero it seemed like it would have been a good idea to leave the ghost and hurry home, he had homework to finish. He held on to the hope that he wasn't so late that pulling an alĺ nighter wouldn't be enough to finish it all.
He sighed, even as he humoured the thoughts he knew he couldn't. Heroes didn't leave confused, hurt kids all alone in strange places. Even if the kid was a ghost and looked to be around the same age as the hero.
Technically the ghost was at most a few days old, and even to a ghost the ghost zone was probably plenty strange. Cautiously the hero aproached the young ghost. Up close he looked even more beat up than Danny had first guessed at.
"Hey", he greeted cautiously, and did his best not to flinch when he caught the ghosts attention.
"Hey".
"So, uh, is there somewhere I can help you get to?", Danny offered, it was hard to focus on anything but all the bruises and cuts visible on the ghost. The halfa felt bad about it, but he wished the ghosts checkered clothes were all black so he wouldn't have to see green smudges where skin was covered.
The ghost shook his head, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Okay", Danny nervously scratched the back of his head. "Is there anything you need help with? You did kind of literally save skin, you know , from Skulker. Thats the guy we fought just now... He wants to skin me, literally. "
"Gross, I heard", the ghost was already looking better. Danny hadn't often seen such realistic wounds on a ghost, to have heard of Skulker and still taken him on, brave. "Where'd he go?"
"Huh", the halfa tore his focus from a slowly closing cut above the ghosts eye.
"The ugly metal thing, Skulker, " the name sounded weird coming out the ghosts mouth.
"Oh", Danny shook the thermos, smirking at the screaming coming from inside it, and the look on the ghosts face. "I told you there was no soup".
"You also said I was the joker", the ghosts eyes hardened.
"What?", the hero frowned ,"I don't... oh".
The ghost, who had been only marginally cival up to that point looked ready to attack again. The childish part of Dannny was screaming for a rematch now that he knew h3 he could easily beet the weakened ghost. The dominant, heroic part wasted no time in stomping that part down. He backed up a little, raising his hands to appear less threatening.
"Sorry, in my defence you were acting really weird".
The ghost didn't seem placated by this, but he didn't move to attack.
"You don't go around calling people that, what are you, an idiot?"
That unheroic choking sound escaped Dannnys throat yet again.
"And you don't go around calling people idiots, not when you go around dressed like that. If you're going to attack every one who brings it up, you should think about changin it". Danny knew reasoning with most ghosts wasn't possible, it had never worked before but this ghost had just seemed so human. Now he was tired, and sore, and had enough of ghosts as he could take.
The ghost pulled off his hat and threw it at Dannny. The halfa dodged easily and turned away. "You know what, forget it, you can probably look after yourself. Go back to doing whatever you were doing".
'He's a ghost he'll be fine', Danny thought to himself, 'I have homework'.