Heeeeyyyyy! So, I know, I am the worst person on the planet. Go ahead, you can say it. I can take it. *braces self*

Okay. Done now? Hope so. My excuse is basically the fact that I go to an early college, and I am doing my last two years of highschool right now. It is hell on earth. I also made the brilliant decision to take driver's ed, which required staying at my school an extra 3 hours. Luckily that's over now. But it was extremely difficult. I also had to pick college classes, and get my stuff together for graduation project... It's insane, I tell you. INSANE. But anyway, I'm here now. I am on spring break at the moment, so hopefully I can get another chapter out. However, there is also the chance the next may take a while. Why? Because if I can, I want to condense chapters. Meaning you will get longer chapters, but it may take more time. Not sure yet, it's just a thought.

Also, I just want to say something about Death. I'm not sure if I ever clarified this, but he's not actually the personification of Death. He is an OC I created that just happens to go by Death. He has an actual name, but he hates it. Just figured I should mention that.

Death - Might be important.

Yeah. Anyway, I suppose I should let you guys read the chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer - DEATH IS MINE. MIIIIIIINNNNEEEEE. As well as Luna, her parents, and Luke. The DP characters belong to Butch Hartman, and the other OCs belong to their respective authors.

Chapter 9 - Observing

Death

Ah, a room full of angsty teenagers. Just the way I wanted to spend my day. Everyone seemed to be worrying about something or other, though the importance of these worries was probably varied. I ignored them, instead gesturing for Luna and Danny to follow me down the hall. I passed by a girl with black hair and blue eyes, and my mind was flooded with suspicion and… fear? I glanced at her, to see her watching Danny and Luna warily. She couldn't know… could she? I'd have to ask them about it. We went into their room and closed the door.

"So, you guys have been stuck here?" Danny nodded, sitting down on the bed.

"Yeah, we crashed during the field trip." I crossed my arms, leaning back against the door.

"And the mini yous?" Luna sat down beside Danny, closing her eyes and leaning against his shoulder as she spoke.

"They crash landed in front of us. They were hurt, but luckily there was a ghost nearby to help. And then they told us about the new threat…" She sighed, trailing off. I gave a nod, that was all I needed.

"We need to get the humans out of here, before something worse happens." Danny shot me a look at that.

"You would know, wouldn't you. What was that back there?" It wasn't really an angry tone, but he knew that I knew more than I was saying. I sighed, shaking my head.

"Danny…"

"No, I need to know. Are we all going to make it out of this?" I gave him a serious look.

"Don't make me answer that."

"Just tell me! Is it really so hard to do that?"

"Yes, actually, it is! But if you really have to know…" I shook my head, directing my gaze at a photo of the five of us, Sam, Tucker, Danny, Luna, and I. "No." It was silent for a moment, as the two took it in. I didn't want to tell them, I knew just the thought of them losing someone hurt. To know that at least one person wouldn't make it…. They wouldn't take it well.

"...Who?" It was a choked whisper.

"I can't tell you." Frustration, anger, guilt, all three flooded my senses. It was hard to focus with the two of them so close, their turmoil so strong. I needed to get out of there. "I'm sorry, but it would only make things worse. That, and you would try to save them. You can't. It doesn't work like that." My tone was darker, and they could tell something about me was off. I heard someone stand up- probably Luna.

"Death," she said. "What is it?" She meant what was bothering me. I was silent for a moment, trying to think of the easiest way out of this.

"Nothing to concern yourself with." And with that, I left the room.

It's not that I had lost someone. Not yet, anyway. I've just been recently…. reminded of my role. In an unpleasant way. But that is unimportant. What I needed to do was figure out a plan to help get these guys out of here, and fast. I had to keep the ones that didn't have an appointment with me safe.

3rd Person

"Ash, please! This is important, can't you just listen?" Kiki was talking more than usual, even given that she was talking to Ash. She wasn't sure what to do, she wanted to ask him.

"Just leave me alone, I don't want to talk right now." Unfortunately, he wasn't cooperating. He was still sour about his crush (and sexuality) being revealed, and wasn't really much for conversation at the moment.

"But Ash-"

"I said go," his words were harsh, though not as much so as they would be had she been someone else. She gave him a sad look, then stood up.

"Fine." She walked off, trying to figure out what to do.

Kiki knew something she shouldn't. She didn't think she'd get in trouble for it, but she really wasn't sure. The only way to find out would be to tell, and she really didn't know if she should say anything. However, after a moment of thinking… she realized something. It made her a bit mad, and she made her decision then; walking down the hall towards the closed door.

Danny

Not long after Death walked out, a few minutes at most, there was a knock on the door. Luna and I shared a look, before I stood up and went to open the door. We were met with the sight of Kiki, frowning and looking a little angry.

"I-I need to talk t-to you two." Her voice wavered slightly, though I was surprised she managed to speak that well to us at all. She tended to stick with Ash, and he normally spoke for her. She didn't speak in class that often either. Still, I nodded and went back to my spot beside Luna, gesturing for her to come in.

"What's wrong?" She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"I know." I tensed, feeling Luna do the same beside me. She couldn't be talking about that, could she?

"Know what?" Luna's voice was calm, not giving anything away. Kiki shut the door, standing close to it and watching us carefully.

"About you. Y-you two aren't… h-human." I sighed, looking down. I should've realized someone would figure out while we were here. I looked back up, crossing my arms as I watched her.

"What do you mean, Kiki?" She stared me down, not letting this go.

"You're Phantom. And s-she's Spirit." Her voice was growing more confident, and I could tell she believed this wholeheartedly. I kept my expression flat as Luna responded.

"Why do you think this?" Kiki moved her hand from behind her, revealing a small book. I recognized it instantly- it was the journal on Halfas.

"I found this in a drawer in the hallway," she said quietly. "There was also a picture of you two. It flickered… between you and the ghosts." I sighed again, standing up and taking the book from her outstretched hand. I flipped through it briefly, it was filled with all of our notes about halfas along with Luna's parents' notes. I shook my head, handing the book to Luna and turning to look at Kiki.

"What do you want us to say? You've obviously got enough evidence, you know the truth. I can only hope you haven't told anyone." She shook her head.

"N-no, I… I was going to tell Ash, but… He's not up for t-talking right now." I nodded.

"Good. Don't. We don't need anyone else knowing unless it's necessary." She looked at me, as if trying to figure me out, before speaking again.

"Why haven't you gotten us out of here yet? Even if you wanted to keep your secret, all you'd have to do is disappear for a bit and have Phantom and Spirit take us home. We would all be safe by now!" She was angry now, and I guess I could see why. She had a point. But there were a few problems with her suggestion.

"And what about Danny and Luna, huh? Our parents wouldn't leave without us, especially with a ghost. And no one would be able to find us once Spirit and Phantom appeared." I crossed my arms, waiting for her reaction. Her expression faltered before she continued on.

"You still could've helped more. What about this place? Isn't there a way back home through here?" Luna nodded, standing up and setting the book down on the bed.

"There is, but how are we supposed to explain a door from Phantom and Spirit's lair in the Ghost Zone to our bedrooms? It would reveal our secret. It wouldn't work anyway, the majority of people here don't know the truth. Our lair has security measures." Kiki shook her head.

"Still, there has to be something-!" I cut her off.

"Is taking charge and leading you guys out not enough?!" I was getting a bit annoyed at this point. "We're risking a lot already, and you don't seem to understand that. You're all lucky to even be alive right now! Yes, I'm Danny Phantom, and yes, she's Luna Spirit, but that doesn't mean we can do everything." Kiki was frozen in place, eyes wide with shock. A faint blush colored her cheeks, most likely from embarrassment. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, doing a pretty good impression of a fish. She didn't appear to be able to think of anything to say to that, muttering only a soft apology before fleeing the room.

Shaking my head, I leaned against the door.

"We have to get them out of here," I said. Luna nodded in agreement.

"Soon."

Death

I stood behind Danny and Luna as they gave the news to the group. We would be heading out soon, and I would escort them to the portal to make sure that those who were supposed to would made it through.

"-sten to everything we say. Got that?" They nodded silently, even the adults. At this point people had recognized that it was dangerous in here. They had finished their explanation of the plan. I stepped forward, looking over the group.

"We need to be careful. It's dangerous out there, and I can only do so much. That being said…" I reached up to the charm on my necklace, pulling the scythe off of its chain. I grinned as everyone's reactions as it became a full sized scythe. "It doesn't hurt to have a little insurance." I looked at Danny and Luna, then nodded towards the door. "Shall we?" They smiled, nodding.

"Lead the way," they said. I opened the door, floating out into the expanse of the Ghost Zone. The others followed close behind, looking around as they did so. We didn't want to be caught off guard, so everyone was told to keep a sharp look out for anything potentially dangerous. Things were going smoothly so far, which was, unfortunately, suspicious. There was light chatter in the group as people tried to fill the silence with small talk. Danny and Luna were tense, trying to watch in all directions at once, and Sam and Tucker were trying to help them. The kids, Luke and Dani, were in the middle of Sam, Tucker, Danny, and Luna. It wasn't their choice, but the five of us insisted on it to keep them safe if the need arose.

I held my scythe at the ready, just in case we happened to encounter anything, but so far we were in the clear. We were nearly at the portal and I wasn't paying quite as much attention to our path, instead talking to Danny and Luna about what to do next. We had just reminded the group to be on the lookout, since we were almost to the portal. Suddenly Kwan spoke up from the group, voice tense.

"Uh… Would that count as a potential hazard?" Immediately we turned around to see something blocking the portal. A very big, angry, something. This something just so happened to be a dragon. My eyes widened, and I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Holy shit."

The dragon roared at the sight of us, rearing up and spreading its wings. The dragon's scales were pitch black and he had a purple under belly, though his eyes were glowing red. I looked to Danny, hoping he had a plan.

"You wouldn't happen to know this pleasant creature, would you?" He nodded.

"Unfortunately. It's Aragon, though I thought Dora had had him locked up…"

"Great, an escaped dragon. He's not going to let us through, is he." Danny and Luna shook their heads.

"Not likely." Danny turned and shouted to the group. "Stay out of the way, we'll take care of this! Sam, Tucker, get them to the portal if you get an opening." The two nodded, though it was clear they didn't like it. Tucker looked to me.

"Keep them safe, alright?"

"I'll try." Tucker and Sam shared a worried look, before proceeding to direct the group. Before they could do anything though, Dani and Luke stepped forward.

"What about us?" asked Dani. Luna shook her head.

"No way, you two could get seriously hurt. You stay with the group." Danny nodded in agreement, but the kids were surprised.

"But-" started Luke. Danny interrupted him.

"You guys are already injured, we don't those to get worse. Please, just stay with Sam and Tucker." Both halfas were looking at the younger versions with concern in their eyes, and eventually Dani and Luke both lowered their heads, mumbling.

"Fine." But I could tell that was a lie. My scythe began glowing softly, barely noticeable, and I watched the kids as they trudged back to the group. They planned to intervene, their lie said that. I just didn't know when. And I couldn't tell Luna and Danny, though they wouldn't understand why. Instead I turned away, facing the dragon as started to stomp closer. The group was directed to a (hopefully) safe distance back, and Danny, Luna, and I stood side by side to watch the oncoming threat. Danny and Luna couldn't do much with the group watching, as they didn't want to give away their identities. They pulled out wrist rays and charged them up, glaring at the dragon. After a few more seconds the dragon roared again, charging straight towards us.

We scattered in different directions, Danny and Luna letting loose blasts of ecto energy as I shot what appeared to them to be black energy at the dragon.

"Aim for the amulet!" shouted Danny. "If he loses it he'll be weaker!" Luna and I shouted back our acknowledgement, continuing the attack. Aragon turned to focus on the two halfas, considering them a bigger threat at the moment. He swung his tail towards me, trying to knock me out of the air.

I just barely managed to dodge, the wind from his swing ruffling my hair, and spun to slice at the passing appendage with my scythe. It just barely nicked him, nothing serious, but a roar of pain a second later alerted me that Danny or Luna had gotten in some good hits. I flew towards Aragon's head, to help Danny and Luna. As I got closer to his neck he must have sense me, because he whipped around and breathed a stream of fire directly at me. My eyes widened and I shot to the side, but he still managed to catch my left side in the flames. I cursed, briefly icing over the wounds.

It stung, a lot, but I would manage. Luckily I had a pretty high pain tolerance, otherwise I'd probably be plummeting to my doom at the moment. Another stroke of luck, I was right handed. I could still hold my scythe, which was very important. Suddenly there was a cry from a few feet away, and I looked to see Danny holding his side with Luna rushing towards him.

"I'm fine!" He pulled his hand away, wiping the blood on his clothes and preparing to attack again. Aragon seemed smug at having hit him, and continued on the attack. Luna and I shared a look, nodding before rushing him from both front and back. I held my scythe at the ready, swinging once I got close and tearing a huge gash in his back as Luna shot him with a highly concentrated blast from her wrist ray. He roared louder than before, limbs going every which way as he writhed in pain. Luna and I moved back as he did, while Danny pulled out the thermos. Unfortunately, as he did this, he didn't notice the large dragon paw coming towards him, claws outstretched. Luna and I were blocked by the dragon, we couldn't do much more than yell as claws drew closer.

"DANNY!" shouted a girl's voice, and a black and white blur shot forward. Danny's head jerked up, his eyes wide as he looked right as the paw reached him. He uncapped the thermos, and the dragon roared one last time as it was sucked into the device, the sound mixing with the pained scream of a child.

When the thermos was capped, what remained was the broken form a girl, ectoplasm gushing from her body in rivers. Danny and Luna sped forward, Danny reaching her first and cradling her in his arms. The group of students inched forward, no one saying a word as they stared at the girl.

Danielle Phantom lay still in her parent's arms, unconscious and pulse slow.

I stood back, face grim as I watched. I stepped no closer, knowing it would draw everyone's attention to me, and I didn't that. I wouldn't do anything for her, though they would beg. So I stayed where I was, observing, as the glow of my scythe pulsed softly.

MWAHAHAHAHA!

Death - See, if they didn't hate you before, they will now.

Meh. Sorry guys (not really), had to do a cliffy here. Do you guys hate me? Love me? What do you think is going to happen to Dani? You should totally let me know in a review. Now, for responses to reviews.

muney73 - Yay, thanks! ... ;-; dangit, I had forgotten about that... now I remember... *cries in corner* Anyway, thank you. Glad you enjoyed the chapter, and it's cool. To be honest, I have to keep rereading things because I forget what was going on. And hey, it's not like Death's doing it on purpose! Though, they may not forgive him for this... And I'm glad you're psyched about the DP/Corpse Bride crossover, so am I!

Shadowed sword - Hello, and thank you very much ^_^ Here's the update.

Oh, and special shout out to BaconLover1800, a new favoriter/follower. Due to the amount of email alerts I keep getting, I have a sneaking suspicion this person was binge reading my stories. And also thank you to Shadowed sword, who PMed me constantly, nagging me to no end about this chapter.

Peace out!

~ Attic