PLEASE READ

So heres the deal guys.

I havent been online in almost a year, and I'm sorry to say, I left the fandom... So if you see any more fanfiction after this, it wont be Danny Phantom. Fortunately, upon going through my files saved on my computer, I found several unfinished oneshots I began so long ago, I dont even remember them. They're not bad either... So instead of leaving them to rot on my laptop, I decided to post them for your enjoyment. So do with them what you will. Some are pompous pep, some aren't. I'll put warnings on the ones that are.

This one is called, Beginnings. No slash in it.

I never asked to be half ghost.

I never asked to go inside the portal on that day.

And I never asked to be a hero.

Yet it happened.

Do I regret it? Well that's a question I still don't know the answer to. I never regret it when flying. How can I? As Sam once told me, I was born to fly…and I never doubted it for a second. but during many times in my life, I wished that my powers would simply fade away…

But they wont. They never will. At least not for the next twenty years.

I know because that's how much older than me the other of my kind is. Vlad Masters, aka Plasmius. My archenemy. In all the time he's had his ghost half, it's only gotten stronger.

Yes, being a halfa is a lifetime commitment. That much has made itself clear. It wasn't my decision to enter the portal that fateful day, but I will forever pay the consequences. Good and bad.

I remember that day so well.

Mom and dad stood in the shadows of the dark lab, their bright jumpsuits flashing like a beacon in the colored darkness. Occasional blue and green sparks lit up the far wall, throwing my parents outlines into sharp relief. Otherwise however, no lights lit the room. The sparks weren't new, but the lack of light certainly was. I wondered if perhaps dad had blown out the lightbulbs again. I could feel my curious friends right behind me as I walked down the final steps and stepped into the dark basement, my steps echoing with a thud. I felt my friends tense behind me, a bit anxious at the lack of light. I nodded at them reassuringly, and they hesitantly followed my footsteps. Loud curses and sparking noises could be heard from the general direction of my parents. I was unconcerned; as such behavior is nothing new to me.

"Hey mom. Hey dad. Watcha' doin?" I asked, not truly caring what they were up to. I only asked because my friends had been curious. In all the times I had had my friends over, I had avoided bringing them to the basement for obvious reasons. For one, my parents obsession is kinda embarrassing. Second, I've been told since I could walk that the lab is dangerous for those who don't know what they're doing. If I had my say, I wouldn't be down here at all. But Sam wore me down.

When I agreed to show them the basement, I had assumed that my parents were just working on another invention. Imagine my surprise when my parents stepped back from the deep crater in our basement wall, revealing complex wiring and finished outer rim. For as long as I could remember, that crater had remained an unfinished mess of metal. It seemed that after all these years of work and calculation, my parents work had finally come to the end. The finished portal. I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about what it would do. My proud father was the first to respond.

"Danny! You and your friends are just in time to witness what must be our greatest invention yet!" He boomed in his usual loud voice. My mother smiled at me.

"We call it the Fenton Ghost Portal." She told me happily, almost giggly from excitement. "Its meant to punch a hole straight into the ghost dimension!" I cocked my head at the object and Tucker behind me spoke.

"Why would you want to do that?" Asked Tucker. My father opened his mouth proudly, then slowly closed it as he considered the question. My mom saved him.

"To better our understanding of ghosts. The more we know, the better we can hunt them." She replied. My father nodded excitedly. I blinked, squinting at them.

"Can we turn on the lights? I can't see a thing!" I complained. My parents both shook their heads at me.

"No can do Danny! It has to be dark when we turn it on!" said my dad. I blinked.

"Turn what on?" I asked.

"Why, the portal of course! I just said that!"

"No, I meant…wait, you're turning it on right now?" I said, surprised. Both my parents nodded. I exchanged a look with my friends, who both seemed to be at a complete loss of what to do. Sam looked excited though.

"Lets stay and watch Danny!" She said to me in a way that made it clear I didn't have a choice. I rolled my eyes. I could never understand Sam and her fascination for all things dark and creepy. This portal was dark, and most certainly creepy.

"Alright. Is that okay mom?" I asked mom, half hoping she'd say no. Of course she didn't.

"Sure! Just be sure to stand back when we plug it in." she warned, studying a blueprint. Then to my dad: "Jack, I think that it is ready to turn on. Just put in the filtrator then we'll connect the wires." She told him, handing him an empty glass cylinder that I assumed was the filtrator. My dad, more than eager to help turn on his 'toy', hooked up the object to the portal in seconds.

"Done sweet cheeks! Lets turn this puppy on!" He said, bounding over to mom, who was holding two wires. She looked at Sam, Tucker, and I.

"Stand back kids. We don't want you to get hurt!" she warned. We all happily obliged, stepping back until our backs were touching the far wall, our eyes glued to the portal.

"Get ready…three…two…one…Bonsai!" shouted my dad as he connected the wires. All of our heads snapped up to see…

A spark, a fizzle, then nothing.

"That was dramatic…" Muttered Tucker dryly. I wasn't listening.

I was watching my parents, my normally so peppy, happy, excited parents, as their faces dropped into those of someone who's relative just died. Dad was still holding the connected wires

-unfinished-