A/N: Long story short, I haven't seen the kid who "inspired" this fic for a while. That equals lack of motivation. D: And unbeta-ed too, so behold my freakish grammar.

And if anyone's noticed, this story's going through some... name changes. Titles of chapters and the story itself and whatnot. Why? Because I'm such an undecisive person who can't make up her mind. But it really has to do with future chapters and whatnot. Don't mind the altered titles though, no content in the fic itself's changed.

Summary :

Alternat Universe For centuries, ghosts have led fairly ordinary, even somewhat peaceful afterlives. Well, as ordinary it could get in the swirling depth of the Ghost Zone. No one would've guessed a young white-haired hybrid would change things so drastically…


Terrene

.:Chapter 1:.

Crawling


The Box Ghost: And beware! For I am merely one of your foes who reside in this realm! In fact, you might say we're a package deal!


"Oh yeah? How'bout you then? You've got the nerve call yourself the greatest hunter of the Ghost Zone when you can't even find a damned TV remote!"

"You speak like you're so much better yourself! Name one pathetic being in the human plane who still bothers to remember your name!"

"At least I'm not a two-inch ecto-glob wearing some uselessly fancy armor to attract other ghosts' attention!"

"THAT'S IT! I'm outta here!"

"Glad to hear it!"

Infuriated, the undead rock star gave one last icy glare as her boyfriend stomped out and slammed her ghostly lair door shut. What, she fumed, was I thinking when I started going out with a thick-headed asshole like him?!

KNOCK KNOCK!

"What do you want?!" She growled, flinging a metronome in response. It crashed into her door with a clamorous bang, its broken pieces flying around.

The purple door creaked open a little, revealing a green-haired girl who warily eyed the smashed chunks of the instrument beneath her feet. "Talk about friendly greeting," Kitty muttered dryly, "I was thinking of giving you some tips on dealing with dumb boyfriends, but now I'm having some second thoughts about it."

"Boyfriend?" Ember made a face for a moment before adopting an indifferent sneer in her unearthly glowing eyes. "What boyfriend?"

"You think, huh?" Kitty said, bemused, "you're giving up after one little spazz over a stupid guitar?"

"It was not a stupid guitar!" Ember rolled her eyes, "and I'm not about to waste any more of my time on insensitive tin-cans like him."

"Come on, a month of nothing but absolute hostility? That's a blazing Ding-Dong-Dang for lovey doey couples."

Ember, thoroughly annoyed that her friend wasn't taking her words seriously, mumbled complaints under her breath with a sour look and slouched on the navy couch sitting in the middle of her lair. Her narrowly slit eyes immediately shot wide open in surprise when a cacophonous noise reached her ears -the type of noise normally produced when someone accidentally sit on some mystical object innocently lying on a soft velvety couch. Like a few sheets of music paper, for instance.

"Wha-damn! It took me a whole month to write that stinkin' song!" She cursed, grabbing the paper and attempting to straighten it out with her hands.

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "A new song? You?"

"Hey, I resent that!" Ember scowled as her hands continued brushing over the sheets. "Just because my guitar decided to act wonky on me once, doesn't make me any less of a musician!"

"As far as my memory serves, that guitar of yours didn't have a choice in its performance. I'm sure it had something to do with you suddenly deciding it was a brilliant idea to use it on Youngblood to whack him in the-."

"Finish that sentence," the blue-haired ghost snapped her head upwards to glare at Kitty, "and I swear you're gonna regret ever getting into that motorcycle accident with that greasy boyfriend of yours!" Her eyes at the moment, however, managed to discover that her sheets were no longer in her grasp, but dangled in Kitty's fingers.

"Whoa!" The biker chick hastily ducked, holding the crumpled paper away from the temperamental ghost who made a giant lunge towards her precious music. "What's this? Remember? It was, it was September. Wind blows, the dead leaves-"

"An artist's work is very personal, thank you! And that one's not even done!" Ember snapped, fiercely snatching the paper away from Kitty's hands.

"Oh yeah. Two weeks, you didn't call…" Kitty snickered, only to yelp in surprise as a rather pissed-off Ember menacingly held out her fist. Kitty took a step back, a sheepish smile playing on her lips as she stammered an apology.

The catfight between the dead girls, however, was interrupted by a sudden high-pitched shriek that rattled the entire Ghost Zone.

Both ghosts froze, blinking in stupor.

"…What was that?" Ember said as she kicked her lair door open to scan the eerie depth of green swirls in search of anything out of ordinary. Kitty followed suit, curiosity radiating in her red eyes. Long sorrow wails of spirits mourning their lost lives were common in the Ghost Zone, but a panicked scream?

"I'm sure whoever didn't call you for two weeks wouldn't go for that kind of call…" Kitty nonchalantly commented, poking her head about until her eyes caught a distant figure being chased by a much larger spook a few feet behind.

"Will you shut it already?!" The fiery-haired girl hissed in annoyance, turning around to shoot a dark look at the biker chick floating closely behind. "Speak a word of my song like that again, I won't have any second thoughts about shoving my music stand up your-!"

"Hey look, that's your boyfriend over there!" Kitty cut her moody friend off and pointed at the flaming dot she'd detected in a distance, "Y'know, Skulker? And that-" she then directed her finger at a smaller dot flying a few feet away "-looks like another poor fellow ghost being hunted down like an animal. Figures he's going at it again, huh?"

Ember, not bothering to spare a glance at the mechanic ghost, snorted in apathy, her scowl stubbornly deepening.

"Wait a minute! That," Kitty's eyes narrowed in indignation as the specters flew a bit closer to her view, "is a little kid the maniac's chasing!" She fumed, urgently motioning to Ember as if expecting her to do something about it.

"So a stupid hunter ghost is chasing an equally stupid little kid ghost. How does that relate to my business?"

"Oh, c'mon!" Exasperated, Kitty shook her friend's shoulder, "It's our duty as reasonable females to keep unruly boyfriends in check so that they don't go around doing anything stupid! Like slaughtering an innocent little kid! You know all too well what Skulker'll do once he catches that poor little guy!" Kitty gestured towards the little ghost desperately trying to flee from his attacker who mercilessly fired glowing nets and laser guns with a predatory grin.

"Still none of my business."

"But-!" Kitty's eyes widened in alarm when she realized the young unfortunate prey of Skulker had abruptly changed his flight course; he was now headed straight towards-.

"Ember, LOOK OUT!" Kitty hastily shouted, frantically moving her arms about.

"I sincerely hope you don't think I'd actually fall for it, 'cause I'm not that-ACK!"

Too late. Kitty cringed as the small figure collided painfully into Ember's back, knocking out her balance as they ungracefully crashed into the purple door. Kitty, staring wide-eyed at the giant smoking hole in Ember's lair door, followed in hastily.

"Mommy! –sniff sniff- I want –cough- Mommy!" The unwelcome visitor wailed at the top of his lungs as he clung dear to the blue-haired ghost's back, refusing to let go, drowning shouts of obscenities from Ember who'd barely managed to get on her feet.

Kitty hastily discarded the useless crumbled door out of the way to help her friend, but the thought was instantly chucked out of her mind when her eyes landed on the ghostly toddler painfully sprawled across the floor on his back.

The tiny ghost stared up at Kitty, his thin silver mop of hair barely brushing over his wide green eyes brimmed with tear droplets. He thinned his lips in a sheer attempt to hold back his sobs as he rubbed his gloved hands over his tear-stricken eyes. The black material, which Kitty guessed was supposed to be a skin-tight jumpsuit, hung rather loosely over his tiny form along with white gloves and boots.

Or simply put, he was-

"-the cutest thing ever!" Instantly scooping the child up in her arms, Kitty burst out squealing in joy, accidentally knocking her friend over in the process. Ember protested loudly as she fell on her back again, but the red-eyed ghost paid no heed.

"Aren't you just precious? D'awwww!" Kitty gleefully wrapped her arms around the young spook and squeezed him into a suffocating hug. "Shh! It's alright! Don't cry!" The biker chick cooed, bringing her finger to wipe off his tears.

"Sheesh, Kitty," Ember irritably snapped as she shakily stood up from the wreck of her broken door, "some friend you are, fussing over a bratty kid rather than helping out your friend when she needs you!"

"But, but, Ember!" Kitty, holding out the white-haired little ghost to her irritated pal, stuttered in a defensive tone. "Don't you just want to hug him and love him forever and ever and ever?"

"Pass," the fiery-haired singer dryly said, "Little kids like him are nothing but an annoying nuisance who do nothing but chase you around with-!" She paused, her features hardening when her eyes found Skulker who'd finally caught up with his prey. He scowled right back upon seeing the blue-haired ghost, his jaws clenched tight in annoyance.

"Esmeralda," he growled coolly.

"Michael," Ember said in an equally unwelcoming tone.

"AHHH! Scary monkey!" The wide-eyed young specter shrieked, burying his face in Kitty's arms as if he'd seen something horrible that could incinerate his eyes. "It's the mean boogieman!"

"…!" Ember and Kitty burst out laughing at the nickname Skulker'd earned from the young boy. "A scary monkey?"

"I think I can totally see the resemblance…" Ember snickered, shooting the frightened toddler a "you get an extra cookie for this" look.

"Just hand over the brat," Skulker demanded, irritated by the fact that he had to face his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend yet again, only to be humiliated in front of her by a mere toddler, "now. He is my prey."

Kitty and Ember looked –in Ember's case, glared- back and forth between the sobbing little spook and the hunter for a moment before frowns of disapproval immediately crept their way to the girls' countenance. Kitty opened her mouth to counter as she defensively hid the little ghost behind her, but it was Ember who spoke up first.

"Now you're bullying a little kid, of all ghosts out there? This is low, even for a brute like you." Ember bristled with a pointed glare, snatching the toddler from Kitty and protectively pulling him in her arms, surprising both Kitty and Skulker. "Don't you have anything better to do for once?!"

Of course, the hot-tempered singer, as known perfectly clear to all her ghostly acquaintances, wasn't much of a baby-sitter material in spirit. She might've considered calendars decorated with illustrations of little children cute and desirable, but that was as far as her affection for young toddlers went.

Photos of little kids, unlike pesky real-life babies, don't whine for hugs, Ember thought. It was Kitty's business to downright squeal upon at the sight of one, eager to put smiles and giggles on their young face.

Ember decided, however, that she was a hundred percent willing to make an exception for this white-haired one if he could provide an opportunity to snap at the self-proclaimed greatest hunter of the Ghost Zone. The fight she had with Skulker wasn't about to be forgotten quite easily, after all.

"I so don't have time for this," the hunter ghost gave a matching glare, muttering incomprehensible words under his breath as he started up his jets. As Ember's boyfriend, he was all too well aware of the reason for her sudden change of demeanors towards young children. Skulker, scarcely in a mood to argue with the rock star again that day, flew off to his own lair without a fight, convinced that the little brat wasn't worth its troubles.

"I mean, seriously. All he can do is chase after a defenseless little kid?" The blue-haired singer said as she looked daggers at the black spot that was the hunter ghost flying away. She stomped into her lair, the little spook gently cradled in her arms.

Amused, Kitty dryly muttered as she followed Ember. "Not your business, huh?"

.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.

"Get it? Next time you see that ugly monkey, you hold out your hand like this-" Ember stretched out her fist close up to her face "-and go WHAM! At his hideous face. And then after that, muster all your strength and kick his-!"

"Whoa, slow down there, Ember!" Kitty cut off her friend hastily, "I know your feelings towards Skulker aren't exactly warm and fuzzy, but coaching a little kid to kick your boyfriend's privates isn't the way!"

"It," Ember argued, "totally is the way. It's not like I'm forcing the kid or anything. He hates that guy, too." She said, gesturing at the green-eyed toddler sitting on her couch, "You don't like that scary monkey, do you, kid?"

He let out a yawn and nodded wearily, bringing a violet cushion decorated with a turquoise flaming "e" in his clutch up to his nose. "Uh-huh. He's a big, big meanie."

"See?" Ember said, crossing her arms in triumph as Kitty rolled her eyes and slapped herself. Ember shrugged and instantly resumed to her lessons, lifting her foot up to demonstrate how to kick. "See this? The best spot is his knees or ankles, but remember, you can always go for his-"

"Hey there, little guy," Kitty interrupted as she gently patted the drowsy young boy's shoulder, settling on the couch next to him, "What's your name?" She nonchalantly ignored a low growl from Ember, who huffed in annoyance as she quickly caught on to Kitty's tactic to steer the boy's attention away from her lessons.

"I'm not wittle!" The newborn ghost puffed, crossing his arms, "I'm a big boy! I'm gonna get my own big boy bedwoom soon!"

"Okay then, big guy," Kitty tried again, "do you mind telling us your name?"

He seemed to consider his options for a moment, before nodding in satisfaction, "Danny," the white-haired ghost answered, "Danny Fen-" he stifled a yawn, mumbling in a less-than-coherent tone "-ton."

"…Danny Phantom?" Kitty repeated, an eyebrow raised. Eyes clouded in drowsiness, Danny nodded, leaning back on the comfortable couch as his brain slowly shut itself down to sleep. "What kind of last name is Phantom?"

Ember shrugged. "Who cares? Maybe he came up with it after he died."

"Right," Kitty snorted, "and every single toddler who doesn't know his months knows what 'phantom' means."

"Weell, Ms. I-Know-Everything-about-Little-Kids, he said his name is Phantom, and unless you can prove it otherwise, that's what we're gonna call him." Kitty shrugged back, turning her attention back to the half-asleep toddler.

"Hey, he's about to sleep! Don't-." Ember admonished a tad bit too late; Kitty had already shaken the kid awake, who agitatedly opened his glowing eyes back.

"So, Danny, do you know where your mommy is?" Kitty questioned, ignoring Ember who groaned something along the line of her liking little kids the best when they were asleep.

"M-Mommy?" The young ghost's half-lidded eyes instantly shot wide open in wet tears, his lips quivering upon hearing his trigger word. "Kitty?" Ember quipped uneasily, "You do realize you just asked the last question you'd wanna ask a toddler ghost who looks like he'd died not a week ago, right?" Covering her ears, Ember cringed as she prepared herself for the oncoming assault of her auditory senses.

"Three, two, one-."

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"What did I say about little kids being the most compliant when they're out cold?!" Ember growled at Kitty who flinched guiltily. "I'm sorry, okay? I totally forgot about that!" Kitty stuttered defensively as she hoisted up the wailing child in an attempt to sooth him.

"Sweetie, it's alright-"

"Jazzy was thewe, and, and, and, I did clickys and tehn-." His eyes watered as the painful memory came back, lashing at his vision. He shakily continued babbling, "and, and, dis big monkey came, and den he hit me, but mommy didn't came and- and-!" Breaking down, the little ghost cried with his teary eyes buried in his hands. He stood up suddenly and attached himself to Ember's legs, his sobs growing louder.

As for the blue-haired ghost, she didn't forget to let out an agitated growl at his actions.

"What the hell, Kitty?!" Annoyed, Ember snapped at her friend, "At least I didn't make him cry!"

"Keep it down, will you?! I'm not the one bent on some childish revenge on their boyfriend!" Kitty shot back, scowling, as she uneasily kneeled beside the white-haired tot. "There, there, sweetie… It's gonna be alri-"

"MOMMY!" He burst out even louder, sniffing and coughing, both Kitty and Ember wincing at the assault on their ears. "I want my mommy!"

"Nice, Kitty. Real nice." Ember added and slapped her forehead in exasperation, cringing slightly as the child tightened his grip on her legs, anxious for comfort. "I thought you were supposed to be good at this! Didn't you say you used to have a whiny sister? Y'know, until you ditched babysitting the kid to run away in the arms of your boyfriend?"

"Shut up, Ember," Kitty snapped, displeased by the sensitive subject, "now you're just being more of a baby that him!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who broke him down! How is this any of my fault?!" Ember retorted.

"I dunno, maybe leaving him to be killed by your IQ-deprived boyfriend?"

"Bullshit! I ended up saving his butt from the psycho! You didn't do anything!"

"We-ell then, if you saved him, he's your responsibility, not mine!" Kitty fiercely shot back, her arms crossed as anger boiled within her. "And watch your language!"

"You just said it –he's MY responsibility! I can swear as much as I feel like in front of him! In fact, I was doing a fine job of taking care of the brat until you thought it was a brilliant idea to ask a dead kid where his mom was!"

"Fine! Since I suck so much, I'll just leave you alone to babysit him by yourself!" Kitty stormed, angrily kicking the broken door aside as she strode her way out the entrance-

"May I ask what this whole racket is about, ladies?"

-only to come face-to-face with a white-clad warden ghost. He lit a cigar with ease, grabbing a notepad from his pocket. "Damaging a portion of a lair owned by other spectral entity, creating a disturbance, displaying violence-"

"And where the hell did you come from?!" Kitty interrupted, her tone laced with façade bravado; no ghost so far had opposed the warden at work and turned out intact for decades. He wasn't just infamous for his unjust spontaneous rules –his unsympathetic nature was a must-know fact to survive in the Ghost Zone. Walker silently raised his eyebrow at the defiance from the girl, his frown darkening. Kitty flinched.

"-and exhibiting vulgar language at a superior." He ended with a smirk, jotting everything down on his paper as he calculated the heaviness of the red-eyed apparition's crimes.

Both Ember and Kitty tensed up.

"Hold on a sec, Walker!" Ember hastily spoke up to save her friend, "what about him? He caused this entire mess!" She motioned at her legs where the green-eyed spook clung to, paying no attention to the vicious look Kitty shot her.

"Him?" Walker questioned skeptically, "I'm disappointed, Ember. I am aware of your dislike towards adults, but you should have passed the age of imaginary friends years ago."

"Imaginary friends?" The blue-haired artist stared at the warden in perplexity until it hit her moments later; it was quiet. Too quiet. No more obnoxious whining of a certain white-haired toddler.

"Walker?" Ember said, "do you, by any chance, see a bratty kid clinging at my knees?"

"No."

"Well then," the fiery-haired specter swore, "…fudge."


A/N: ...Am I the only one who thinks the entire Ghost Zone is totally like a giant dyfunctional family? xDDD; Vlad can be the disobey-me-and-die Dad, Skulker and Technus can be the insane uncles, Walker can be the...evil babysitter! (shot'd) Oh, and Desiree's the unpredictable auntie, Spectra's the mean sister, Kitty, Ember, Youngblood, Johnny, Danny can be the out-of-control "kids!" See? Perfect! (cricket chirp) C'mon, it's all based on their ghost age -i.e. how long it's been since they turned into a ghost! ...Except for Vlad... Y'know what? I'll just stop talking.

And as always, reviews are very much appreciated! The reviewers get sneak-peaks from the next chapter which involves a ghostly prison and the reveal of Danny's hybrid state.