Silent Departure Chapter 3: Social Disorder, a danny phantom fanfic

There are a few notes I want to put in before you read this chapter

1) certain characters may seem to behave OOC. There are reasons behind this that will be revealed in later chapters.

2) I've forgotten to put a disclaimer on the past couple of chapters so here it is now:

I do not own Danny Phantom or any of it's characters. They belong to Butch Hartman.

It's posted three times to mark this chapter and the previous two )

3) If there are spelling or grammer errors, forgive me. I am no longer using a computer with the ability to point such out to me.

Thanks to all who reviewed )

rikagirls - glad I could amuse you. i was worried that might be a strong opening but hopefully there will be more in later chapters.

Meowth168 - As did I, my friend. I'm glad someone else got the reference.

Bunny Bubble - I'm so glad you read my work I plan to update as often as possible.

animegurl008 - thank you

gabriella phantom - yay! i was hoping to find more Danny/Danny fans with this -nibbles on cookie- thanks a bunch!

Mr. Snuffles - Yay! Thanks for reading.. I love your SN by the way, lol

and now, without further adue...

Silent Departure

Chapter Three - Social Disorder ((Ember's POV))

Unh... did he have that shield thing the last time we fought?

"Spill it, Ember," he demands, snatching my guitar. "You obviously planned this, so where's Lancer?"

"Why worry about that out-of-shape old fool?" I try for my guitar, only to have it pulled back and come down on me. I go intangible at the last moment, then take solid form as he pulls away and I get a firm grip on the guitar.

"After having your plans foiled twice, why return to Amity Park?" he asks honestly. "Do you have something against me, other than anger because I stopped you both times?"

"Every ghost hates the halfa," I tell him coldly, shifting my weight and using his hold on the guitar's handle to flip him over and smash him into the teacher's desk. I pounce on him and grab his neck with both hands, pressing my thumbs against his throat. I add with a hiss, "why shouldn't we?"

"Because," he whispers, and I let up just enough for him to speak. "You guys got to live your lives. I'm sure you know how hard it is being a teenager, now imagine that coupled with having to fight ghosts all the time, constantly straining to protect a town that fears and despises you. Living with parents who want to kill you, not knowing it's you. Always being late to class and rarely getting a chance to do your homework or study. Never being able to hang out with the only friends you have without putting them in danger. Never being NORMAL!"

He emits a ghostly wail and sends me flying into the wall, only to continue being hit by the infuriated cry. I couldn't believe my eyes - he'd actually been crying as he spilled to me the drama of his dual life. Maybe he doesn't deserve our crap every day... or at all. Maybe we're all just selfish, narrowminded fools. Danny falls off the desk, turning human again in the process. Once on the floor, he's practically too weak to even lift onto his hands and knees. Cluthing my guitar, I approach him slowly and say, with tears in my eyes and all sincerity in my voice, "I'm sorry. I never thought of it that way."

I pick up the Fenton Thermos, intending to hand it to him, when our moment is ruined by his gothic friend.

"Danny, no!" she runs between he and I, holding her arms out defensively. She glares at me daringly and hisses, "Go back to the Ghost Zone where you belong."

I have half a mind to attack her, but I want Danny to see that he really got through to me. I speak softly, but sternly. "You are all he has. You and that Techno Geek. Danny doesn't even have himself. He is a broken child, a hybrid hated by both worlds." I shove the thermos against her chest and she takes it from me. "Stay good to him, no matter what."

Surprisingly, the girl is too stunned to capture me. Danny has his energy back now and stands up. Amazingly, he is able to transform. "Danny has himself, and he has me."

That voice is more dramatic than usual. What's going on? The goth girl seems to realize something, but before I can speak, Danny takes the thermos from her.

"Other than that," he continues with a slightly smug grin, "you're right. Thank you for listening to me and seeing things my way. Thank you for saying what you did to Sam, and thank you for being so cooperative." he opens the thermos and points it at me and I allow myself to be sucked in.

((Sam's POV))

"What was that all about?" I ask, considerably more confused now than ever.

"There's something I must tell you, Samantha," Danny says, but this is not my Danny. I mean, the Danny I know and... ugh... this is the superhero Danny - the being his ghost half becomes when they separate. But... are they separate now? They can't be, Tucker and I saw Danny transform this morning, and we know he did again when Ember showed up. There's no way he went all the way home, through the Ghost Catcher, and came all the way back in the times since Tuck and I left the room.

"What did you do to Ember?" I ask. "Why was she..."

"I simply told her the truth! The hardships of life as what they call a 'halfa'."

"Okay," that's answer enough. "But why are you here? Where's Danny?"

"Daniel is resting," he says tenderly. "While I take all the physical damage of our ghost battles, the emotional strain takes a toll on the both of us."

"So he's... inside of you?" I struggle to understand. It's just so sudden, and so different from the way Danny used to be. Is he blushing?

"His soul, is in this body, yes," the phantom replies delicately, as if the words have dual meanings.

"So is that what you had to tell me?" I probe. "That you and Danny... are sharing control differently?"

The tip of his tongue meets the roof of his mouth, but instead he sighs and says, "Yes."

Before I can scold him for lying, Tucker barges in. "Everyone's coming back!"

Danny instantly returns to human form. I think about asking him, then remember what the phantom had said about emotional strain and decide against it. I don't want to be the cause of anymore stress in Danny's life. He looks around a moment, as if he's forgotten where we are, then glances down at the thermos in his hand and smiles. As I'm about to smile too, his expression becomes troubled. Could he be talking to the Phantom? Could he still be emotionally troubled? Whatever the case, my interference would just make it worse, so I keep my thoughts to myself.

"Manson! Fenton!" Lancer's voice interrupts mt train of thought. "Get to your seats! We're lost enough valuable class time as is."

((Danny Fenton's POV))

Danny, talk to me, I plead.

What's there to say, Daniel? he replies. You should pay attention in class, while you can.

I... is that what this is about?

Hmm?

That speech... everything you said to Ember. Are you...

I only told her the negatives of my existance.

But you seem to be taking your thoughts personally.

Silence, I need to rest.

But...

"Clockwork Orange, Fenton!" Lancer scolds. "Do I have to contact your parents again?"

"No, sir," I reply dejectedly.

"Then pay attention!" he orders.

"Yes, sir," I say.

((Tucker's POV))

"Hey guys!" I greet Sam and Danny as we head to lunch.

"Hey, Tuck," Sam replies.

"Yeah, hey," Danny says. He seems distracted.

"What's wrong, dude?" I ask. "This morning you were all hyper, and since Ember came, you've been..."

"I'm just sick of ghosts!" he snaps, then seems embarrassed. "Fighting ghosts, I mean."

"Why don't you just destroy the Ghost Portal, then?" I suggest. "There's only yours & Plasmeus', right?"

"They'll just rebuild them," he counters, then adds defensively, "Could we please talk about something else?"