14 years old and so much responsibility. He wasn't supposed to be doing this, spending his time fighting ghosts while his friends sat back to watch the latest monster movie marathon. Especially not right here in his basement where all of his father's precious ghost-hunting equipment would undoubtedly be trashed by the time it was over for the hundredth time since this whole ghost-kid thing started. Maybe it was time to try to find non-violent solutions to these problems.
"Violence is the answer!" The enraged brute of a ghost flung himself at Danny, massive claws springing forth from the backs of his hands. Danny whirled, his body flickering into intangibility as his attacker passed by, his hands beginning to glow with green ecto-energy.
"I'll be sure to take your advice into consideration." Danny smirked, throwing his hands forward as a wave of powerful green energy lashed out in front of him. It slammed into the ghost's chest, sending it hurtling back into the swirling vortex of the Fenton Portal. Danny smiled to himself as the energy vanished from his hands. "I'm getting too good at this. I'm barely breaking a sweat."
As if just to prove him wrong, a massive burst of energy lashed out from the Fenton Portal, wrapping around his body and dragging him back toward it. Danny screamed in surprise, suddenly finding himself floating in the Ghost Zone facing the burly ghost he'd just tossed in. "Note to self: Close the Fenton Portal, THEN gloat." He grunted and struggled against his energy bonds, swirling randomly through the void as the ghost floated closer to him.
"Nyehehehe." The ghost cackled, the blades on his hands sparkling with green ghost energy. "My blades haven't tasted blood in over twenty years. This will be fun."
"Do ghosts have blood?" Danny asked confusedly.
"I guess we'll find out." The ghost grinned and raised his arms over his head. Danny watched wide-eyed, unable to even phase through the energy field. The blades began to arc down toward him, but something slammed into him from the side, sending him hurtling through the empty space. A smaller, more slender form came to a stop, her fists up in front of her as her flowing dark green hair floated about her pale green face.
"Leave him alone, you bully!" the girl commanded. The burly ghost hurtled back, then stopped in mid-air, his blades glinting dully in the green light of the Ghost Zone.
"Nobody gets between me and my kill." The ghost sneered angrily and launched himself forward. The girl in the flowing dress stood her ground, moving her arms slowly out to the sides. Just before the burly ghost struck she flung herself downward, underneath his blades as her hands shifted into a pair of long swords, slashing upward in a pair of wide-arcs.
The burly ghost hurtled past her and came to a stop, but his arms didn't. They continued to float away into the Ghost Zone. "Y... you..."
"I always aim to disarm rather than kill." The girl quipped, turning to look back at him. "Now get lost, before I change my mind." The ghost growled darkly.
"You will both suffer for this." He whirled and vanished into the depths of the Ghost Zone.
The girl smirked and turned to look at Danny, giving him a good look at her for the first time. She was a beautiful girl who looked about as old as him, with hair that framed her face like a halo, and sparkling green eyes that looked like they were constantly glowing. As the blades on her hands faded back into the shape of hands, she took on the look of a beautiful princess, complete with a flowing dress and a prominent necklace hanging about her neck. "Are you okay?" The girl asked.
"Um, yeah." Danny struggled against the energy that bound him. "I'm fine. Hrgh... just gotta get some... HRRRGH! Leverage..." He panted. The ghost giggled and one arm swept out in blade-form, slicing through the energy and cutting him loose. Danny floated up from it, rubbing his arms. "Thanks... why did you help me?"
"What? Is a woman not allowed to help those in need?" The ghost huffed.
"No, of course a woman can! I just mean... ghosts tend to not like me." Danny replied.
"Yes well, some ghosts are too ungrateful for the eternity they have here to realize that this really is what's best for them." The girl turned slowly, her arm sweeping out across the vast existence of the Ghost Zone. "They don't remember how things used to be... but then, there aren't many ghosts left from those days."
"Those days?" Danny asked. The girl glanced at him, then shook her head.
"I'm sorry, I have been rude. I am Crystal." The girl held out her hand.
"Danny. Danny Phantom." Danny took her hand in a firm shake, a half-smile spreading across his face.
Crystal looked surprised. "The ghost-child. It is quite an unexpected honor to save you." Danny blushed deeply and put his hand on the back of his neck, stumbling over his tongue to explain what happened. She simply laughed and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry, I tease, nothing more. Tales of your deeds travel throughout the Ghost Zone, though it's difficult to separate fact from fiction. Perhaps you could help separate them for me."
"I'd love to." Danny smiled back. This woman seemed nice enough for a ghost, downright friendly actually. He'd known that not all ghosts were evil, but it was easy to forget that when they kept trying to kill you every other week. Well, not he could see into the mind of a ghost and truly get to know one. It was the opportunity of a lifetime... and he felt himself drawn to her for other reasons as well.
Danny walked down the sidewalk with his books in hand, a slight smile on his face as he approached the door of his best friend, Samantha Manson, and knocked. She opened the door, blinking when she saw his expression. "Wow, you look like you just got a kiss." Sam smirked. Danny sighed wistfully and put a hand to his cheek, prompting Sam to blink. "You... you didn't, did you?"
"Uh-huh." Danny smiled absently.
"Whoa... um, I'm happy for you." Sam smiled, her face almost cracking from the force of it as she stepped outside. "Spare me the details and let's get to school, alright?" She turned and walked away from him stiffly, her fists clenched. Danny was too distracted to notice anything wrong as he turned to follow, still rubbing his cheek with one hand and staring at the back of Sam's head like it wasn't even there.
They walked in silence until finally Sam seemed to snap. "Okay, who was it and how did it happen?" She demanded forcefully.
"I met her last night. Her name's Crystal." Danny smiled absently again. "We got to talking and well, I think I really like her."
"That's what you said about Valerie too and look how that ended." Sam sneered. Danny stared at her a moment, then frowned angrily. Sam raised her hands defensively. "Wow, okay, I'm sorry, a little too soon I guess." Sam blushed. Danny simply nodded, staring at her. "Well, how did you meet? I thought you had a ghost emergency to take care of, doesn't leave time for flirting."
"Well... I kind of met her... in the Ghost Zone." Danny said. Sam stared at him, her jaw dropping open like she simply didn't have the strength to hold it up.
"A ghost? You kissed a ghost? Danny, I know you're on the rebound from Valerie, but this is just insane! Ghosts try to hurt you with the powers and the evil, you can't have a relationship with one." Sam complained.
"Hey, not all ghosts are evil Sam!" Danny exclaimed.
"Every single one of them has tried to kill you or take over the world! Even the ones who are merely stupid are destructive!" Sam shouted back.
"I'm a ghost and I'm not evil!" Danny countered.
"You're not a ghost! You're my friend!" Sam shot back.
"I'm a friendly ghost!" Danny shouted. "And if I can be a friendly ghost, who's to say there can't be others? Maybe the evil ones are just the ones that bother to come out of the Ghost Zone! If we went in there and met some people, maybe we could find more who are pretty, nice, sophisticated, and pleasant to talk to!" He glared at her, his fists clenched at his sides and shaking slightly. Sam looked down at his hands, then looked back up at him. Danny blinked and looked down, his fists relaxing.
"Can ghosts be friendly?" Sam said darkly as she turned her back to him. "Sometimes I wonder." She walked away quickly, leaving Danny staring after her.
"Sam, wait, I..." Danny moved to follow, then slowed and came to a stop, looking down at the sidewalk. Everyone got angry, it wasn't because he was a ghost. He wouldn't have hit her, he didn't even mean to do it. It just sort of happened. With a sigh he turned to take another route to school, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Ghosts weren't inherently evil. He wasn't evil... neither was Crystal.
He stopped suddenly when his breath caught in his throat, a puff of blue smoke emanating from his mouth. He whirled when he heard a massive impact from a nearby alley, coupled with yelps and grunts as if someone was locked in combat. "Well, at least I'll have something to take out my frustrations on... not that I like being violent or anything."
He rushed into the alley, his body shifting as he ran until he emerged from the top of the alley in a suit of black and white, his eyes glowing green. He floated over the buildings until he spotted the disturbance, Freakshow's old mind controlled cronies fighting what looked like a pre-teen girl. Even more amazing than this was that the girl appeared to be putting up a decent fight.
Until the Strong Man managed to pin her up against the wall and knock her through it, of course. That she survived was a definite clue that there was more to this than he knew, but he wasn't about to let her get wasted by a bunch of ghosts, no matter what was really going on. He vanished from sight, his body fading into intangibility as he phased through the building, plunging down several stories until he came out of the roof of an empty hotel room where the girl was sliding away from the gathering ghosts.
"This is all a misunderstanding really..." The girl said nervously as she slid away from them. She wasn't bad looking, with long black hair tinged pink and an oriental skin color, with small brown eyes and a flat stub of a nose. "I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to release you from your eternal wandering."
"How sweet." The Tattoo Freak said in a dark hiss. "Then maybe we should return the favor by freeing you from the pain of your flesh." She opened her cloak, as the Strong Man stepped forward, the midget riding on his shoulders while the serpent-lady pulled her hands into a pair of razor sharp blades.
Danny had enough, he wouldn't let this happen. "Get back!" Danny threw himself forward suddenly, becoming visible just before he slammed into the freaks, knocking them all back out into the alleyway. He landed in a heavy crouch, his fists glowing with green ecto-energy. The circus ghosts quickly rose to their feet, facing him in their own combat stances. "Just back off and there doesn't have to be a fight here."
"Move aside ghost-child, she attacked us." The Tattoo Freak insisted angrily. "And we will not stand for that insult!"
"I'm the hero here, I'll deal with her." Danny said more calmly. "Just go and let me handle it, get back to your 'lives', or whatever you'd call them. Just don't let me catch you fighting anyone else."
The Tattoo freak growled deep in her throat, but her stance relaxed when Danny saw the girl step up beside him in the hole in the wall. She let her cloak fall back around her shoulders, covering her body. "Very well ghost-child, we'll leave her to you. But we will not stand for another of these insults." Danny nodded and the Tattoo Freak gestured to the other ghosts as she turned to leave. They all walked toward one of the other walls, fading from sight as they went.
When they were gone Danny turned to look at the girl, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay, do you want to explain your side of what happened here?"
"What are you, my father?" The girl rolled her eyes and moved past him, walking toward a corner of the alley. She knelt down to retrieve something, giving it a long curious look. Danny could see a bit of red light coming from around, but she soon stuck it in a pocket and rose to her feet again, brushing herself off. She turned back to him again, looking more composed than she had a moment ago. "Look, I didn't mean to be rude, but you don't have to be so mean about this."
"Hey, I don't really like it when people pick fights with ghosts. It makes me have to fight and I'm not a violent person." Danny replied. "What did you think you were doing?"
"You're a ghost, aren't you?" The girl asked suddenly.
Danny was caught a bit off-guard by this sudden question. "Huh? Yeah, are you gonna pick a fight with me now?" Danny asked.
"No no." The girl replied quickly. "I don't want to fight... but what is it like?" She asked. Danny stared at her cluelessly. "Being a ghost, with nothing but hope for a future that will never come, an endless futile search. That can't be a pleasant thing to go through." She said softly. Danny had never thought of that before, hadn't known anything about that. Was that what ghosts were? If it was... what did that make him? Were they simply mindless thing searching for something unattainable? He didn't feel like that... Crystal didn't seem like that. "That's why I'm here. I don't want ghosts to have to search anymore. I want them to rest."
Danny thought about it, then turned away from her. "You don't know anything about ghosts." He said in a quick growl. "They're a lot more than you think, a ghost isn't mindless, they have lives, personalities. They're people..."
"They're people whose time has passed." The girl told him serenely. "They need to move on." Danny looked down at his own hands. Was his time passed too...? Did he die in that accident? What about everyone he knew, his friends family... what about Crystal? "Please, will you help me?"
"Forget it." Suddenly Danny vanished from sight and took off into the air, leaving the girl far behind as he streaked through the sky. No, she was wrong. He wasn't mindless, or single-minded, and his time wasn't passed. But he WAS a ghost... did that mean those in the Ghost Zone were also more than mere lives that had passed long ago? They had thoughts, feelings, dreams and ambitions. They were so much more than 'ghosts'.
Danny forced the thoughts out of his mind, heading straight toward school. He was already late by the time he got there and transformed back into his human self, rushing inside and running through the empty halls, taking a few shortcuts through the lockers and walls to reach his classroom in short order. He took his chiding and sat down to wait out the rest of the school day, occasionally glancing over at Sam, who didn't look back.
When school let out Danny darted out of the school, vanishing once he was out of sight to fly back to his house, heading straight down through it to the basement, where he quickly opened the Fenton Portal and floated through into the infinite spectral realm beyond. He glanced around quickly and moved through the space. She was supposed to be here by now. He really needed to speak to her, please don't let her bail.
"Welcome, Danny Phantom." He whirled when he heard the sweet dulcet voice from behind him. Crystal floated toward him, her green eyes glittering. "I have been waiting with an anxious heart."
"Hey." Danny smiled gratefully. For a moment he was sure it was either a trick or a trap... he was just getting paranoid. Just because she was a ghost didn't mean she was out to get him.
She seemed to see his doubt, her expression turning worried. "Is something the matter?"
"You said you've been around a while, right?" Danny asked. Crystal nodded. "What exactly are ghosts? What is this place?" Danny gestured to the Ghost Zone, his arms sweeping out in a broad motion. Crystal looked around, then gazed at him in confusion. "What are ghosts... are they just... just memories that don't feel or... anything?" Danny's arms fell to his sides.
Crystal's eyes flashed in understanding and she nodded. "I see. We ghosts are simply what we are, nothing more, and nothing less."
"But... but where do you come from? What is your purpose?" Danny asked. "Are you just wandering emotionlessly until you find rest?"
"We could ask the same of the humans." Crystal replied. "Are you simply creatures that wander only to die?"
"But humans eventually do die. Ghosts don't... so you just wander for eternity. Is that really something worth doing?" Danny asked.
"I don't know. Sometimes I ask myself that question as well." Crystal replied, turning to gaze absently into the depths of the Ghost Zone. "I've been here for a long time, since before the Ghost Zone. And even I cannot answer that question." She turned back to him, staring into his eyes. "We merely... exist, Danny. That is all I can tell you with any certainty."
"Are you happy?" Danny asked bluntly. Crystal stared at him for a moment, then turned away to look at the Fenton Portal. She didn't answer for a long time, her hands clutched behind her back. Danny waited patiently, his arms hanging at his sides as she seemed to be staring into the abyss of some unknowable creature, trying to wrestle some great truth from its iron grasp.
At last she shook her head and turned back to him. "I truly do not know. But I do know that I wish to be with you longer." She floated over to him with a gentle smile on her face.
"Really?" Danny smiled and blushed slightly as the ghost moved up close to him.
"Yes... I have always been so lonely... you make that pain go away." Crystal told him softly and moved up against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. Danny looked down at her in surprise, then looked up.
"Make the pain go away...?" He said softly. He closed his eyes and put his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her away. She looked at him in surprise, her eyes going wide. "Crystal, is that really all this is? Am I just a vessel for this ghost-mission you have? Someone you can cling to, to try to fulfill this ghostly desire of yours?" Crystal stared at him in surprise, then her eyes softened.
"I truly do not know." She told him. Danny let his hands loosen on her arms, sliding down to his sides. "For my long years of wandering... it seems I have few answers."
"I see..." Danny turned away from her slowly, looking down at his hands. They glowed softly white like a strange shimmer, like all ghosts tended to. So unnatural. "Maybe ghosts really are just mindless, tortured souls..." He clenched his fists tightly. "Maybe she was right..."
"Danny?" Crystal asked.
"I need to go... goodbye." Danny turned and flew out of the Fenton Portal, turning to watch as the thick doors closed behind him. He stared at the thick door for a moment, then turned intangible and flew through the several stories of the Fenton Works building, emerging into the waning light of evening. He'd spent longer in the Ghost Zone than he thought. It was possible she'd left already.
He streaked in and out of many buildings, flying through room after room, combing every hotel and back alley in Amity Park. He searched until he could feel his eyes becoming heavy, but he didn't give up, room after room, empty lead after empty lead, embarrassing social situation after embarrassing social situation. He combed half the city well into the night, still searching until finally he spied her from across the street through a window, her slender form limp on a bed, her chest gently rising and falling in a sleeping pattern.
He floated over to the window, placing his hands on the window around where her face appeared. She knew about the ghosts, and she seemed to want to help them. And maybe she was right... maybe the ghosts were just miserable, single-minded spooks looking for their life's dream. They couldn't really have hearts, after all... not with what some of them wound up doing. Even Crystal didn't really know love, just a desire for it.
Danny put his hands on the bottom of the window and slid it up slowly, sliding up onto it and swinging his legs inside, perching on it and watching her sleep. A gentle wind was blowing in the night, flowing past him to push the girl's long black hair gently across her face. She stirred slowly, a small groan escaping her lips as her eyes opened, reflecting the light of the moon to look almost mystical.
"Huh...?" The girl sat up quickly in surprise, staring up at him. "You? What are you doing here?"
"How do you know about the ghosts here?" Danny asked curiously, probing for any warnings that he couldn't trust her. "What do you know about them?"
The girl glanced down at a dog sleeping soundly beside her, then looked back up at him again with a more focused look on her face. "I know about them because it's part of my mission here. I want to lay them to rest after their long journeys... I told you this before."
"And who are you?" Danny asked curiously. The girl seemed to hesitated a moment, but when she answered it was with confidence and conviction.
"Juniper Lee... my friends call me June." She told him. "And you are...?"
"Phantom." Danny replied. "Danny Phantom." He held out his right hand to her for her to take, watching her face. She glanced down at it in surprise. "Come with me, and I can take you to where the ghosts hide." The girl looked up at his face again in surprise, her brown eyes shining in the light of the moon.
"You want to help me now? Why the change?" Juniper asked.
Danny choked up a bit as he spoke, realizing what this could mean for himself, Crystal, and his entire family, but if it was for the best, he would go through with it. "Because I think you may be right... they... we... need to rest." Juniper glanced back at the sleeping dog again for a moment, then turned back to him with a determined look on her face and gripped his hand. He threw himself back off the windowsill, dragging her through the wall with him to take flight through the night.
"Yaaargh!" Juniper flailed underneath him for a moment, almost pulling him off balance, but he held himself steady until she calmed down. He didn't stop to appreciate the view, with too much on his mind. So he flew straight for Fenton Works, diving straight into the ceiling and down through several floors to the basement, where he came to a stop and landed, placing Juniper beside him.
"What is this place?" Juniper asked breathily, looking around the lab. "It's so... cold and metal."
"Yeah well, it's the best place to make something like this." Danny approached the Fenton Portal and the doors began to slide open, revealing the swirling green vortex of the Ghost Zone. He heard Juniper's footsteps as she moved up to stand beside him, looking into the vortex in wonder. Suddenly Danny was blinded by a red flash, and looked over to see her holding a ball in her hands that was glowing brightly. "What is that?" Danny asked.
"It's my Spirit Orb." Juniper replied simply. "It detects ghosts and puts them to rest, but I didn't know it could get like this. There has to be hundreds, maybe thousands of ghosts in there."
"It wouldn't surprise me." Danny replied, covering his eyes with one hand to protect them from the intense glow. "The Ghost Zone is where ghosts go. They used to all be trapped in there until my d... I mean... an inventor decided to build this portal and accidentally let them out."
"Is that a fact..." Juniper said thoughtfully. Danny glanced over at her when she finally stuck the orb back in her pocket, dulling its shine. "I think I have to get to the center of this Ghost Zone. From there I should be able to neutralize it and let all of the poor souls rest." Danny stared at her a moment, then looked at the swirling vortex again. He wasn't sure he wanted to do this, he knew what it would mean... but no more ghosts. No more threat, and no more aimless wandering and suffering. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." Danny gripped her wrist firmly in one of his hands. "Center of the Ghost Zone... where else would a king put his throne?" Danny plunged into the Ghost Zone, yanking Juniper in after him and flying through the empty green space. He went straight there, knowing the path well enough by now. Past the endless sea of doors and through the spectral energy until it hove into view. The massive castle that once belonged to the king of ghosts. Pariah's Keep.
"You coming in?" Juniper asked. Danny thought about it, but really, what would he do? Stand by and watch while she obliterated the Ghost Zone.. and took him with her? Watch and wait until he found out truly, once and for all, whether he was dead or alive. He could simply cease to exist, and he would only sit and wait for it to happen. No, he would prefer to not see it coming.
"No..." Danny replied finally. "I don't think I can. I need to go... do something." He turned away quickly and pushed off from the landmass, floating through the Ghost Zone and not looking back. He floated aimlessly, not really wanting to get anywhere except away from the castle. His life would possibly be over in a matter of minutes, along with the 'lives' of everyone here. It was for the best... it would keep the world safe and put these beings out of their misery.
He blinked when he realized the doors around him were shifting faster than normal, drifted through the Ghost Zone ever faster until they became blurs, whirring around him like arrows. Danny whirled in alarm, watching the doors shift until once again they began to slow, and resumed their slow drifting as if nothing had ever happened. His eyes continued to dart back and forth, looking for any danger.
A large wooden door slowly swung open before him, showing two portly ghosts inside, one lying on a table while the other hovered over her. Danny slowly floated forward, pushing the door open further and entering the room. The Box Ghost was hovering over the shoulder of the Lunch Lady, his normally angry eyes looking with surprising tenderness at a small bundle in her arms.
"Isn't she so sweet?" The Lunch Lady asked in a sweet voice.
"The world should beware!" the Box Ghosts exclaimed. "She will become the most fearsome ghost in all existence!" He proclaimed to the Ghost Zone. Danny blinked and slowly floated closer, watching the small bundle. Strangely, neither ghost seemed to realize he was there, all of their attention on the bundle. He drew closer as the Lunch Lady gently moved the blanket aside.
"Our sweet little Box Lunch..." The Lunch Lady said as the glowing green face of a baby girl appeared in the blanket. Danny's eyes went wide, the realization suddenly dawning on him. The ghosts couldn't be mere ended lives... because they could still give birth to new lives. They weren't just dead people, they were living things with their own world and their own way of existing.
Which meant Juniper Lee was about to commit mass genocide. "Oh man... what have I done?" Danny shouted as he whirled to leave, but found the door gone. He whirled again and found that the images of the Box Ghost and the Lunch lady had faded as well, replaced with Pariah's Keep floating peacefully through the void, though the large double doors were open. "I've got to stop her!"