Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom nor "Lacrimosa" by Kalafina.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Valerie sighed as she rung up another customer's order at the Nasty Burger. It was so annoying to be standing there, listening to others' complaints and whatnot. The only thing that was keeping her sane was the fact that her shift would be ending soon.

As she felt another presence approached, she said her usual, emotionless welcome. However, it wouldn't be a customer oblivious.

"Hey Valerie," a familiar male voice said. She opened her eyes to see Kwan standing there. Immediately, she rolled her eyes.

"What do you want, Kwan?" she asked curtly. The boy looked offended.

"I can't say hi?" he said.

"No, you can't," she paused. "If you're looking for Dash—"

"No, it's not that. It's just...You know Mikara?"

Forest-green eyes widened in recognition. "Yes, why?"

The boy of Chinese descent smiled sheepishly. "She's sort of my tutor."

She raised her eyebrow. "If you're thinking what I—"

Kwan frantically waved his hands in front of him. "It's not like that at all! I just see her as a younger sister."

A skeptical, "Yeah sure," escaped her lips as she remembered the subject of hand. "So what about Mikara?"

"Has she been acting strange to you?"

Valerie took a pause as she looked at the clock.

4:50 pm... Ten minutes before the end of her shift.

"Can you wait in a booth for about ten minutes? My shift is about to end soon anyway."

The boy nodded in agreement as he found an empty booth to pass the time. The brunette sighed as she 'took care' of the customers who didn't care that the food they were digesting was probably killing them slowly.

She was about to get ready to turn the register over to another teenager when chestnut-brown locks caught her view.

"Excuse me, young miss," a seductive masculine voice said into her ear. "Valerie Gray is it?"

The girl froze at her spot, her eyes as wide as saucers. 'I forgot my name tag at home and I've never met him before,' she thought. 'How does he know my name?'

"I know you can hear me just fine," he leaned over the counter, into her personal bubble. "I was wondering if you knew anything about Phantom?"

She took a step back, annoyed by the closeness of the stranger. "I'm sorry but I can't help you," she turned away from him to look at Kwan. "I have things to do."

His hazel eyes bored into the back of her head, a smirk dancing in its gleam. "I'm sure you do, Miss. Gray. Meeting a friend of yours? Perhaps someone with midnight-blue hair?"

'Mikara... What does she have to do with this? She's innocent...' With a cold voice, she hissed, "Leave now. If you're not ordering, then don't loiter around here."

An expression of mock hurt crept across his face. "And I was hoping you would be of help."

"Leave or do I have to contact my supervisor?" He looked around the restaurant. He received glares from all those he had approached in the past two days, including Kwan . He sighed dejectedly.

"I'm getting the vibe I'm not welcomed here anyway. I hope to talk to you soon, though," he paused as he stopped at the door. "Along with that nice friend of yours."

The fast food place remained silent as the stranger closed the door behind him. Signing off her shift, she approached the jock at the booth.

"He knows something," the boy said. "He threatened Mikara earlier."

Forest-green eyes narrowed. 'How dare he!'

"That jerk," she managed to say out of her anger. "What did she do to deserve that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing, just defending Danny. Which is funny since she rarely mentions him or looks like she cares. She's not a fan girl either."

A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "That's Mikara for you. She cares and worries about everyone in her own special way. She just doesn't show it unless the situation demands it."

"You don't say? An in-the-closet fan girl?" he asked her amusingly. When he didn't receive a chuckle out of his companion, he rose a confused eyebrow then realization. "How long have you been sitting in that booth?"

The dyed bluenette ignored his question. "I'm not a fan girl, Kwan," she said from behind him in the neighboring booth. "Just a person who dislikes those who live dishonestly. Or others talking behind my back."

The two older teenagers exchanged a look before looking to the subject of their brief conversation.

"It wasn't that we were talking anything bad about you," Valerie stated. "Just concerned about that guy and your well-being."

She nodded her head as she stared at the two teenagers with silver orbs. "He's up to something. My gut's telling me to be wary of him," she paused in her serious mood. But like all the other times, she changed the subject and mood in the drop of a hat.

"Who's up for melon bread? I made some yesterday!" She exclaimed, grabbing Valerie's hand and Kwan's as well. "C'mon before Hana decides to eat it all with Jazz!"

"Acting strange?" Valerie asked her fellow captive.

"Yeah," the boy's reply as the two older teenagers were dragged out of Nasty Burger with a determined sophomore leading the way.

-----

Danny laid on his back, ocean blue eyes staring up at the ceiling. The last quarter moon shone its brilliance onto the world outside. Its rays played shadows in his room, giving it a soft pale blue tint. White curtains swayed as a breeze through the crack of the window blew. The same rush of air ruffled the black strands on his face.

He couldn't sleep. He tried but only that dream filled his subconscious, leaving the poor boy more vexed at the message every time. Anxiety of what was to pass did not escape his thoughts. The ghosts were roaming outside the outskirts, not wanting to go into Amity nor back to the Ghost Zone.

He could understand as Dani informed him that three other ghosts have disappeared, which now included Ember.

He may not like his enemies, but he wasn't the type to truly wish some ill fate on them. Especially since both humans and ghosts are being preyed upon by those dark spirits.

"And me as the sacrifice?" he whispered to the shadows in his room. That was what unsettled him the most, ever since the mysterious Kuroi Chou said it ever so bluntly in their last encounter.

'Why me? And how? We're separate entities... It wouldn't work,' he mused.

'Would it?'

His face twisted with vexation more so as he sat up on his bed. He stared out the window to the chilly autumn night longingly.

'Maybe I should go out for a bit...'

With that resolve in mind, he called those rings of light and became Phantom. He flew out the window, hoping that flying would calm his ever-pressing conscious.

The night tried to soothe his troubled soul. It observed the strange entity that floated about its playground. Its fingers played with his snow white hair and its soft lights glimmered in admiration.

He sighed as he began doing aerial tricks in the air. He laughed bitterly, his neon green eyes glistening.

'I sure attract trouble, don't I?' he thought to himself. It was at this point of time did he really take in his surroundings.

He was floating above the cemetery, crispy leaves about its grounds. Despite its purpose, the moon made the final resting place of the dead friendly and inviting. It was Sam's interest back in middle school, before ghosts came through the Fenton Portal and Danny himself became half of one.

Now, it served as one of the few places that Danny could go that the media wouldn't be so keen on entering.

He was about to leave the cemetery when he heard it. It was a sad, soft tune that floated about the gravestones. Curious, the young halfa decided to see where the tune was coming from.

As he became closer, he could hear what he perceived to be lyrics to a song.

...no basha wa yami o wake
Hikari no aru hou e
Yume to iu wana ga boku tachi o
Homura e izanau

'Kuroi Chou?' he thought as he peered around the corner to see the mysterious girl sitting in the arms of one of the angelic statues. The wings curled around the black-donned girl protectively. She continued to sing as she gazed at the night sky, her hands reaching for the sky.

Sora no ue no mujihi na kamigami ni wa
Donna sakebi mo todoki wa shinai

Lacrimosa

She stopped abruptly, looking at Danny's hiding place. Before the poor halfa could react, his hands were pinned against his back and the transparent blade that had saved him so many times was now at his neck.

In a low, stoic voice, the girl commanded into his ear, "State your business here, Phantom."

"I-I was i-in t-the neigh-bor-hood a-and I—" He barely gasped in surprise as he felt the edge of the weapon a bit too close to his jugular vein.

"Your stuttering is a nuisance," her voice hissed. "Along with your existence."

Again, not allowing a word to escape his mouth, Kuroi Chou kneed him in his mid-back, forcing him to kneel. She swiftly moved in front of him, face-to-face with the boy. Neon green eyes narrowed at his assailant.

"What was that for? I thought you were—" The pointing of her blade at his chest let the rest of the words die in his throat.

"You assume many things, Phantom," her voice stated stoically. "I never said I was your ally or I was helping you."

"But at school, with my friend Sam..."

"Humans need to be protected at all costs. I have no duty to protect ghosts or halfas. However, now I can fulfill my mission..." She stepped closer to the enraged teenage boy. "...to terminate your existence."

Danny's eyes widened as he looked at the girl that stood before him. "Terminate?"

"If I let you continue your existence, the balance of the world will be tipped. I cannot allow such a tragedy to take place."

"And you're willing to take my life? How do you think everyone else will feel?"

"My hands are already tainted with many sins. Another will not hurt or help it." She fell silent as she lunged at the ghost boy with determination.

The young hybrid dodged barely as he let his own attacks aim for Kuroi Chou.

Ectoblasts and sparks flew as the two opponents fought. Kuroi Chou was more determined on Danny's destruction as she made swipes and slashes towards his vitals. Danny wasn't bent on the other's demise, for he didn't want to hurt her unnecessarily and just wanted to talk. He also wasn't sure if he could beat her anyway, considering her plane of battle.

"Let me help you," he insisted in between attacks and dodges. Kuroi Chou didn't pause in her graceful movements to Danny's jerky ones.

"You cannot help unless your existence is vanquished," she droned, his ice blast connecting with her chain blade, sparks signaling the successful block. "

"Can't you just tell me what's going on? Why these dark spirits are here? And why they want me as a sacrifice?"

"Why must you know?"

"Because I don't want to be in the dark anymore!" he shouted at her as his last ectoblast caught her a bit off guard and pushed her back a little. She paused to listen to the halfa's words. "I want to stop whatever you're trying to stop. There must be another way to stopping it than just killing me."

"Another way?" her voice muttered then said curtly. "Not probable."

He nodded affirmatively. "There always has to be another way."

"Prepare yourself for your demise, Phantom!" With a mighty thrust, she swung her chain blade once again towards Danny. Instead of trying to slice him like before, the chain itself wrapped around him, immobilizing his movements. She stood over his struggling form, readying herself for the deed that had to be done by her hand.

"Please give me the chance to show you another way..." As much as he despised the idea, he was pleading to her to not kill him. With his hero complex, there was no doubt that he really wanted to help, no matter what. And he had a feeling that ridding the world of himself wouldn't be the solution to the problem that had arisen.

She continued to stand over him in brief silence, probably looking at him through the shadow that obscured half her face.

"A chance? You do know what you are asking, don't you? The severity of the situation?"

"Yeah. If we don't defeat this threat, you can 'terminate my existence.' If we do, then there will be no need for any of that."

Her lips frowned at his words, her voice replying, "You're basically giving me your essence on a silver platter."

He chuckled, rubbing his neck nervously. "I kinda am, huh? I don't know why, it's just you feel familiar, despite your...ways. So why not we shake on it? Temporary allies?"

He stuck out his gloved hand to shake. The other seemed to stare at it, probably contemplating whether or not she should follow through.

He was about to say something when she lifted a trembling, pale hand slowly to meet his. She grasped it with...trepidation? It was like that for a moment or two, with an awkward silence hanging over their heads.

Then she let go.

"You bestow too much trust in people," her voice stated. Without a second glance, she turned away from Danny.

'Trusting?' he mused as he watched Kuroi Chou disappeared once again into the shadows of the night.

Unknown to them, there stood the strange man behind another angelic statue, its wings outstretched threateningly.

"Quite an erratic girl," he whispered to himself, watching the two go their separate ways.

He smirked cunningly as the glint of a lens shone in the moonlight.

A/N: Finally, I updated! Thank teachers who didn't give me too much homework over the weekend and the end of field shows!

I'm sorry for the wait but school comes first. It's National Novel Writing Month so I decided to work on this story more. Good news for you! So don't feel too upset now, okay?

Until next time, adieu faithful readers and thanks for your support!