Hi everybody :) Got chapter 3 up and ready for ya. If your a SamxDanny lover then I'm sorry your not really going to enjoy this chapter haha I love Sam and Danny's awesome but I'd rather not they be together in this, sorryz. Also I wanted to explain Danny's actions near the end of the chapter cuz I know he'll seem really OC but just try to keep in mind Sam broke his heart and he's looking for closure, also remember that he's older now. Even if he's the same clueless Danny we've all come to know and love he's grown up a bit and he's not as innocent as he once was.

But that's all I wanted to say, hope you enjoy the chapter. Action's coming up soon, I promise :)

Disclaimer: If I owned Danny Phantom, oh the things I would do Muhahahaha!

Manifest Destiny

Chapter 3: Hello Misplaced Aggression

Danny scanned the town as he floated high in the air, trying to find any notable disturbances that would clue him into where a ghost was lurking. However he hovered there for ten minutes without anything happening, he scratched his head as he did a slow spin,

"Huh…guess there isn't any ghosts around. I wonder why my ghost sense went off then, maybe it's broken." Danny wondered aloud before shaking his head,

"Nah that's just stupid, my ghost sense can't break. The ghost must have decided to return to the GZ when he saw me floating here. I guess my reputation is spreading."

Danny chuckled at the prospect of a ghost being so afraid to haunt because of him as he made his way back to his house but on the flight down he heard a faint melody. He turned towards the sound and noticed it was in the direction of Lake Eerie, a nearby lake just outside Amity Park. He decided to investigate the noise seeing as he had nothing better to do. As Danny got closer he could hear the sound better and when blue mist escaped his mouth, he knew what the source of this music was.

"It's Ember." Danny said to himself before slowly advancing towards the rock-star teenage ghost.

Ember was sitting cross-legged against a tree looking out over the lake, playing a slow acoustic tune. Ember was a teenage ghost who embodied teenage rebellion against authority and wanted everyone on the planet to know her name. She was pale like Danny but her skin glowed with an ethereal light, she wore a black choker around her neck and a single shoulder tank-top that stopped under her breasts, exposing her midriff along with tight leather pants with knee high skull boots. On one arm she wore a lengthy black glove that stopped below her shoulder and on the other she wore a black bracelet. She had pierced her ears and wore purple lipstick and her eyes glowed a fierce green, Danny wondered how she managed to hold so much life in those eyes when she was very much dead. Her most notable feature, besides her guitar of course, was her flaming blue hair. Her hair was put up into a large ponytail and reflected her power, the size or intensity of the heat dependant on how many people chanted her name. Her guitar was the outlet for the majority of her ghost powers, a knob on the body of her guitar changed what kind of attack she unleashed when she strummed the guitar.

Danny landed a little ways behind Ember and slowly made his way to where she sat. When he walked around the tree he noticed her eyes were closed as she played her guitar and hummed sadly in tune and it took Danny awhile to catch onto the song. It was her hit song, Remember, played in a soft acoustic key. Danny had never truly noticed Ember before, on account that she was always hurling purple fists at him or hypnotizing people but as Danny looked on at her peacefully sitting there, she looked a lot less ghostly and a lot more…human. Her face seemed so calm; a stark contrast to the sometimes furious or smug looks she sent his way.

"You stalking me now dipstick? I never would've pinned you as the type." She smirked as she opened her right eye to look at him, "Though I understand, it's easy to be awed by my sheer brilliance." Ember finished proudly as she waited for his reaction. He jumped at the sound of her voice which broke him from his reverie,

"I uh um," he stuttered before he shook his head and cleared his thoughts, "You know there's like nobody here to hear you play right?" Danny saying the first thing that came to mind and obviously regretted it when he saw Ember's eyebrow rise up in mock surprise,

"Wow! I didn't even think about that when I flew to Lake Eerie where nobody visits to chill by myself!" Ember's sarcastic voice replied, "Seriously, I'm not as clueless as you Phantom."

Danny frowned as he regarded the rock-star,

"I wish everyone would stop calling me clueless, I've gotten better." He mumbled to himself.

"If that's what you want to believe babypop." Ember replied before turning her gaze back to the lake.

"So…what're you doing out here?" Embers eyebrow raised but he spoke before she could comment, "I mean out here all, you know, by yourself." Danny finished as he rubbed the back of his neck, a habit he had developed years ago whenever he was nervous.

Ember regarded Danny with a cool stare before shrugging and turning her gaze back to the water,

"To be alone, I…needed to think." Ember explained slowly, though why she was explaining herself to Phantom was beyond her. She just couldn't find the energy to argue with him, and frankly she didn't' really want to. She'd be the last to admit it, especially to him, but some part of her was glad that the halfa had sought her out.

"Ah I see, well what're you thinking about?" Danny enquired. Ember smirked and tilted her head towards him,

"What's it to you dipstick?" She responded.

"Well It's just odd seeing you all passive and non-threatening," Ember's eyes narrowed instantly, "I mean not to say there's anything wrong with being chill and all but just seeing you do it, wait that came out wrong, I mean…ugh. Just forget it."

Danny sighed and turned to fly away before he heard one of the most pleasant sounds that ever graced his ears. He snapped his head towards the source of the voice to find none other than Ember…laughing. Her head was tilted upwards and one of her hand was holding her forehead as she continued to laugh and Danny felt his mouth fall open and he forgot everything as her eyes found him,

"Damn, that was too good. Nothing to be afraid of dipstick, I won't bite…much." Ember teased as she noticed his expression.

"You…laughed…" Danny replied slowly, trying to piece together the words in his head but all he was getting was mush.

"Yea so what's your point Phantom?" Ember asked dangerously, her hair beginning to flair in her impatience

"You should laugh more often, it sounds nice." Danny said before his mind caught up with what had just slipped out his mouth and his eyes widened. He tensed, expecting a sharp remark or a punch in the face but surprisingly enough, Ember had a similar reaction to him before she quickly looked away,

"Thanks baby-pop." Ember said as a small smile graced her face, "You know if I thought about it, you sound almost concerned for me." She said thoughtfully before turning those brilliant green orbs in his direction,

"Well, I am. You're out here at Lake Eerie to be by yourself, that practically screams 'help me'." Danny said as he made his way to Ember. He hesitated taking a seat beside her until she nodded, her eyes never leaving him. He sat down beside her, their shoulders almost touching.

"Well isn't that sweet? Looks like Goth girl managed to teach you how to be a little less clueless." Ember remarked before turning towards the lake. After a moment she asked,

"What happened between you and the Goth girl anyway Phantom?"

Danny chuckled and ran a hand through his snow white hair,

"Geez, even the ghosts are in my personal life now."

He leaned back against the tree and stayed silent for a moment, contemplating whether he should be telling Ember about this but he hadn't really talked to anyone about it and well, why not a ghost?

"She said she didn't love me anymore." Danny said sadly. Ember whistled before looking at him,

"Ouch." She offered.

"Yea, tell me about it." Danny sighed as he looked at Ember, "I think it was everybody's expectations that pushed us into becoming a couple. The fact that ghosts kept interrupting any spare time I had for her was a problem too I guess." He closed his eyes and tilted his head skyward, "I suppose it wouldn't have worked out, I mean I was always busy and as friends we understood that but…it was totally different when we became a couple, you know?" Danny sighed as he opened his eyes, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she dumped me but still it hurts so much because I love her…or at least I thought I did, but now everything's all…" He trailed off and Ember finished for him,

"Fucked up?" Danny laughed and nodded his head,

"Yea, that works."

Ember wasn't used to being the comfort person to people's sob stories, that was more Kitty's job so she really didn't know what to say, so she awkwardly patted his shoulder and he turned his head towards her and smiled,

"You have no idea what you're doing do you?" He teased as she took her arm back,

"Well, what do you want me to do? I don't know what to tell you Phantom but damn…that sucks."

Danny chuckled lightly before looking back out at the lake,

"Yea, but just got to get up and move on...however long that takes." He muttered sadly.

Ember followed his gaze and the two sat together in silence for a moment, they watched as a pair of birds swooped in and plucked two fish out of the water. Ember pulled her knees up and rested her chin on the top of her knees,

"Skulker and I had a fight…again." She sighed as she hid her face from view, "He was ranting about you again and I was just sick of it so I told him if he wanted you so much he should go take you on a date instead." Danny chuckled at that and she looked over at him and couldn't help but laugh with him at the mental image. Her laughter faded and a small frown settled on her face as she recounted the ending of the story, "Then the rowing started and then he told me I was worthless to him so our relationship was over and…now I'm here feeling like...like..." Ember said trying to end her tirade,

"A dipstick?" Danny offered and she chuckled as she copied him,

"Yea that works."

Danny nodded silently when she was finished and they sat for a moment, not knowing what to say. Suddenly Danny had an idea and he reached back and unhooked the Fenton Thermos he had been using for the day from his belt. Ember's gaze narrowed slightly and she couldn't keep the trace of venom out of her voice as she regarded that small insufferable prison,

"What the hell are you going to do with that Phantom?" She asked suspiciously,

"I'm not going to do anything to it." Danny replied as a matter-of-factly before presenting it to Ember, "You are."

"What?" Ember asked confused as she gripped the soup thermos and looked down at it but before she could go any further Danny explained,

"I don't really know what to say to comfort you Ember, I don't know you so well but I think I could help you feel better with some misplaced aggression." Danny smirked as he noticed Embers eyebrows narrow in confusion,

"In that thermos are the ghosts I caught today, namely the Box Ghost, the Lunch Lady and…Skulker." Danny finished proudly.

Ember's eyes widened and glared at the Fenton Thermos so intently he briefly thought if it would burst into flames. She slowly looked back up to him with a menacing glint in her eyes,

"What can I do to him?" She asked; her voice thick with anger. Danny tapped his finger on his chin in mock thought before answering,

"Well, you can't do much but I've heard that shaking the thermos is like tossing the ghosts into a tornado and oh imagine if it suddenly got very hot, I couldn't imagine the inside of that thermos being all that pleasant." Danny answered and couldn't help but smile as Ember stood up and began spinning the thermos this way and that.

The whispered pleas of those inside going unnoticed by the pair, as she wrapped her ponytail around the thermos and began to intensify the heat of her hair whilst twirling the thermos around. Soon enough, Ember was laughing maniacally and she chucked the thermos into the air and as she caught it she twirled in a circle and slammed the device into the nearest tree,

"You think I'm worthless?" Ember yelled as she slammed the Fenton Thermos against the tree again,

"Have you forgotten who I am?"

Slam.

"I'm the most valuable thing you could ever hope to have in your possession asshole!"

Slam.

"My name is Ember Mclain you pathetic excuse of a hunter and you!

Slam

"Will!"

Slam.

"Remember!"

Slam

"My!"

Slam

"Name!"

She slammed the device once more before turning and with a growl threw the Fenton Thermos as far as she could and was all too satisfied when it landed in Lake Eerie with a loud splash.

She merely stared at the spot where it landed in the water, watching the ripples disturb the peaceful surface of the water, her chest heaving from the exertion before she remembered she had company and slowly straightened her back and turned to stare at Danny, daring him to say something.

Completely ignoring the fixed stare she was giving him and its' silent meaning, he smiled at her and said,

"Wow, that was…pretty awesome. Now don't you feel better inside?"

She was about to retort with a smartass comment before she realized that she did feel better. With that giddy thought in mind she couldn't help herself when the giggle escaped from her lips and before she could stop it, Ember broke down in a laughing fit. The fact that Danny freaking Phantom had helped her work out her own relationship problems was just too rich and she fell to her knees, tears coming out of her eyes she was laughing so hard. When Danny began watching Ember break down into a fit of insane laughter he did the only thing he could think of, he joined in.

As their laughter died away they found themselves spread out side by side, breathless as they turned their heads to regard one another,

"I guess I'm going to have to get that." Danny said first and Ember looked back at the lake,

"Yea, sorry about that Phantom." She said sympathetically before she began to sit up, "Here, I'll get it for you." She offered but Danny shook his head as he propped himself on his elbows,

"Nah it's cool. Besides it'll be nice going a couple of days without being woken up at three in the morning to 'Beware!'." Danny said and Ember chuckled at his impression of the box ghost.

"Thank you." She said before she was even aware of it but as he turned his warm electric green eyes towards her, she knew she meant it, "For helping me with…you know." She finished shyly, though why she was acting like a little fourteen year old around Phantom was, once again, beyond her. He smiled at her,

"Don't worry about it Ember, couldn't have you moping around. I think I do enough of that for the both of us." He said jokingly.

Ember wasn't fooled by his act, she could tell he was still hurting a lot inside but was trying to hide it from her so she wouldn't feel bad.

'Ever the chivalrous knight.' Ember thought as she regarded the smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. It was then that she had an idea, a brilliant idea that was just too good to pass up.

"You know, you're not so bad for a goodie-goodie too-shoes hero." Ember teased as she flashed Danny one of her rare smiles and somehow he knew that smile was going to cause him a lot of trouble. He smirked as he countered,

"Thanks, your actually pretty cool when you're not trying to light me aflame with your hair or put me under a love spell."

As he looked up at the sky he finally noticed just how much time had passed and realized he would have to return home before his parents got suspicious. He started to stand up and as if reading his thoughts Ember picked herself up and slung her guitar over her shoulder as she turned to face him. Danny felt his hand reach for his neck before he forced it to his side,

"Well this was fun but I got to get home bef-what're you doing?" Danny ended up asking suddenly as Ember advanced towards him, slowly sliding her guitar off her shoulder. He began backing up as he saw her eyes darken in a way that hinted at the dangerous thoughts being played in her head,

"Hmmm? Oh, I was just coming up with the many ways I could help you out; I mean it's only fair." She said seductively as she continued moving towards Danny,

"Um and how is backing me up against a tree help me exactly?" he asked as his back finally bumped into the large tree.

Ember smirked as she began slowly grazing her hand along his left arm, leaving goose-bumps in its wake before placing her hand on his broadened chest,

"Well haven't you ever heard the old saying baby-pop?"

She pressed herself against him as she grabbed his right hand and began tracing figure 8's on his palm, their noses touched,

"The best way to get over one girl,"

Her other hand stuck in between them slowly began to slide down his chest, Danny's breath hitched and she had to force down the chuckle that threatened to ruin the mood before pushing her face past his, so that her breath was tickling his ear as she finished,

"Is to get under the next one." She pulled her head back to be able to see his priceless expression, though what she saw was nowhere near the look she expected to see.

Danny's mouth was set into a thin line and his eyes bore into hers, piercing green orbs stared into hers as if debating something before he smirked and his eyes darkened and that was all the warning Ember had before he moved.

Danny couldn't believe Ember was...flirting with him. Hell, she was practically telling him to take her there and now. Of course he wouldn't go that far but her face was so close, his breath hitched when he felt her hand on his chest begin to move downwards. He was waring with himself, in his mind he knew he shouldn't do this, she was a ghost, he was a ghost hunter, he still loved kinda loved Sam but his body was pulsing, his blood was racing and his hormones were screaming at him. A voice that could only be his conscience made itself known,

'Let go of Sam. For this moment, let her go like she let you go. Your hurt, your upset and Ember's presenting you with an opportunity so stop wasting time. This is how the healing starts.'

His reaction was immediate…and it was the exact opposite of what she expected. She expected the dipstick to turn intangible or to push her away or to mutter some kind of excuse as to why she shouldn't be flirting with him and she would tease him about and they'd have a good laugh about it. She did not expect his left hand to wrap around her waist and pull her closer, she did not expect to feel something nudging at her inner thigh nor for said 'something' to be so…prominent and she absolutely did not expect for Danny to bring his face within an inch of hers, whispering a sensual,

"What're we waiting for then?" and crash his lips onto hers.

Danny had half expected her to pull back. Obviously, by how her eyes grew to the size of saucers she wasn't expecting this but he was more than surprised when her eyes closed and she kissed him back. Later, when his hormone ravaged mind gave him some room to think, Danny's first thought was how…alive her lips felt, he half expected them to be cold or numbing on the account that she was a ghost but they were surprisingly warm. He wondered about how that could be briefly but then Ember gripped a fistful of his hazmat suit and moaned in his mouth and he lost all train of thought.

Ember slid her tongue along his lips and his mouth parted to let her in, her tongue aggressively wrestling with his. His right hand slowly removed itself from Ember's and he gripped her hips before sliding his hand up along her back and her body responded instantly, her back arched slightly and a shudder ran through her body. He grinned at her reaction but suddenly let loose a low moan when Ember repositioned herself, her thigh purposely rubbing against his lower member.

They stayed that way for awhile until Danny remembered the time and kissed Ember one last time before pulling back.

They stared at each other for a moment before Ember suddenly chuckled as she looked away, her cheeks flushed, she knew if her heart was still beating it'd be racing,

"Damn Phantom, who knew you grew a pair. I didn't think you had it in you." Ember complimented which garnered a blush from Danny and he rubbed the back of his neck,

"That makes two of us. I guess it comes with the deep voice and the hair." He joked lightly and was rewarded with another laugh from Ember.

They began to detangle themselves from each other as they left the tree line and walked towards the lake; Ember licked her lips and noticed they tasted distinctly like chocolate. Danny couldn't help stare at her and catching him watching her Ember couldn't help but comment,

"Seems like the Goth girl taught you a thing or two after all, or maybe you're just a natural with those lips." She winked at him and his face became a darker shade of red and he turned away from her, she quickly made her way to him and gripped his shoulders with her hands and whispered suggestively in his ear,

"Although I bet she didn't teach you everything."

Danny shook himself out of her grip and turned to her with a serious expression on his face,

"You're enjoying this way too much." He muttered before attempting to fix his hazmat suit, specifically in his lower regions.

"Yea but its so much fun messing with you babypop." She replied sweetly and smiled at him, and he pretended to miss the way his heart gave a beat at that smile.

"I'm sure it is, but I have to get home." He said before flashing a smile,

"Um…thanks for um…that. You were right, it definitely helped." Danny said, muttering the last part but she heard anyway.

"No problem dipstick, you can call on me anytime you need some more 'help'." Ember replied smoothly and smirked as he smiled and rolled his eyes. She really liked that smile,

"Oh and thanks for letting me wail on your soup thermos Phantom."

"It's cool Ember. I know a thing or two about misplaced aggression." Danny replied and began rising into the air before turning back to face her,

"Oh by the way, you can call me Danny. That's what my friends call me." He called out and before she could reply he shot off into the sky and headed for Fentonworks, his mind replaying what just happened over and over again on the flight over.

Ember watched the halfa fly off into the distance before she sunk onto the ground and settled her guitar in her lap. She strummed a random chord,

"Hmm, this day just gets better and better." Ember said aloud to herself before closing her eyes, the fresh taste of chocolate still lingering on her lips,

"This one's for you…Danny."

With that she began to play a song she heard on the radio the other day, she hummed the lyrics and quickly lost herself to the music. As she played her mind formed images of herself and Danny and she didn't notice the subconscious smile that appeared on her face.

The Ghost Zone was a place unlike any other. The space that made up the GZ's sky and architecture was all green. It's sheer size and magnitude was unfathomable and stretched so far it encompassed past, present and future, leaving the element of time unavailing; for the Ghost Zone was a land of the dead and the dead had no use for the living concept of time.

In all of the Ghost Zone there existed a door that floated over a pit of darkness, surrounding this pit was a circular plateau of ice. A harsh arctic wind whipped around the ice in a spherical way, shielding the door from outsiders, this was known as the Netherlands. If one were strong enough to brave the unforgiving storm, they would find the fabled Netherlands' Door, the entryway into the hellish land known as The Void.

The Void was a prison of sorts, made to hold the darkest, most vile ghosts the GZ has ever known. It also served as a holding place for ghosts who had been deemed too dangerous or uncontrollable by the Observants High Council. It was a place where these souls did nothing but tear them-selves apart, fighting and killing one another, exercising their cruelest fantasies for all of eternity. No one knew what the Void was like, though it was fabled to be the realm of Death himself. The Netherlands' Door radiated such a powerful malevolent aura that the area around it glowed red and if a ghost of weak will or power were to appear before it, they would be frozen to the spot in fear and the icy wind would push their still bodies into the pit of darkness where they would never be heard from again.

Through the miasma held in place by the powerful whirlwind, the shadow of a lone figure could be seen forcing its' way out of the spherical wind shield. As the figure broke free of the Netherlands it quickly flew away from the maniacal prison and found its way to a drifting piece of ghost rock. When the figure landed it situated itself into a kneeling position, whilst sitting erect and its' hands placed on the inside of its thigh. Slowly it looked around the Ghost Zone and simply allowed himself to breath. The figure was clad in ancient samurai armor, there were permanent signs of battle etched into the red and gold armor, his face was covered by an oni mask. The ghost's body was male and humanoid in shape and came to be 5'8" in size. There were two sheathes situated on his belt, one held his wakizashi and the other held his katana, which he had affectionately named Crimson Moon.

Patience, his master had once taught him, was an important key in battle so he breathed and waited. The figure continued to kneel there as the rock carried it slowly but surely into the more populated areas of the GZ, to where more ghosts awaited to do battle with him. He was a samurai, he was a warrior, and he would not cease fighting until he found one who would grant him the final honor of death.

Well that's that. I hope Danny and Ember weren't too out of whack, I tried keeping things realistic, well as realistic as I could. Hope you enjoyed it. :D

Review please :)