EDIT: I was told in a review by DJTimmer for this chapter that Vlad didn't yet know about Danny not having ghost powers, so I went back and fixed that. Thanks for catching that, dude.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Danny Phantom or any other franchise used in this story!
Flaring Tempers
Vlad and the others couldn't believe their eyes. It really was Danny Fenton who was the emperor! The very same boy who had left Amity Park seven years ago, but they can clearly see that with time he has clearly become stronger and wiser than he once was. And with several lovely and powerful looking ladies by his side to boot. Which sparked a great deal of jealousy in Samantha who hadn't let go of the feelings she'd been harboring for Danny when they were teenagers, but never worked up the nerve to just tell him to his face and instead chose to wait for him to notice her feelings.
Yeah, clearly the girl doesn't really understand that sometimes you need to be blunt to start a relationship with someone. Especially if the target of one's affection might be considered socially awkward.
'Is that really my little brother? Wow, he's really grown up well.' Jazz mentally quipped.
'THAT'S Danny? Geez, the dude is jacked! He must be crushing that five by five!' Tucker thought, feeling a little bit jealous over his own lack of musculature.
He never was the most physically fit boy in his age group. He was always more tech smart than book smart or physically gifted. And because of that he always saw physical education and exercise in general as a waste of time.
'My baby boy… he's alive and all grown up! And an emperor to boot!' Maddie thought to herself, happy to see her son again after so long.
'Danny…' Valerie thought in sadness at seeing her former beau as the emperor.
'That's my boy! I knew he'd be a great man when he grew up, but I sure didn't expect his life to turn out like this.' Jack thought with fatherly pride before feeling immense guilt and mentally asking '...And where were we?'
'Okay, this may not be as easy as I thought it would be.' Vlad thought, still in shock.
Danny smirked and asked "What's the matter? You all look like you've seen a ghost. Well, maybe you have."
"Danny… YOU'RE the emperor?" Sam asked incredulously.
Only to cry out as she was forced to her knees and made to bow by one of the guards. A young Saiyan recruit who seemed a little too eager to do his job.
"You insolent insect! Bow before our mighty and honorable emperor! And it is 'Imperial Majesty' or 'Emperor Fenton' to you, weakling!" he growled.
But Danny was quick to wave the young guard off.
"It's okay, Toma. There's no need to use such excessive force right now." Danny said.
The Saiyan, Toma, sent one last glare to Sam and released her from his grip before bowing to Danny and falling back in line. Vlad was glad that the situation hadn't escalated too far too quickly, but he was certainly in shock at seeing the young man before him was now this all-powerful emperor who had united these lands into the empire that it is today. But since it's still in its infancy as far as empires and kingdoms go, Vlad was certain that he'd be able to use his ghostly influence to gain control some way or another.
With the vast resources of such an empire and the skill of its warriors from what he's seen thus far, he could easily conquer the rest of the world and rule humanity with an iron fist, all while driving back the ghosts that had been attacking for so long. But he would need to play his hand carefully. He couldn't afford to blow these peace talks just yet. After all, the cuffs he was wearing were somehow negating his ghost powers, so he needed to play the diplomat until he could find an opening to overshadow Danny and have him step down as the emperor so he can rule in the younger man's place. Shouldn't be too hard to do, what with his (Vlad's) obviously superior will.
"Well, this is quite the surprise, your highness. We didn't expect to see you after all these years, and as an emperor no less." Vlad said, bowing his head as he tried to keep things civil.
"It wasn't my choice to become an emperor, Vlad. It was the will of the people." Danny replied. "But enough of your stalling. Tell us why you have trespassed upon our empire's soil."
"Straight to the point, I see. Well, I can respect that." Vlad said, not dropping his smile.
This was where his years as a businessman were about to come in handy. Granted he used his powers to achieve much of his success and fortune, but he was confident enough in his overall skills that he could get the better end of the deal from Danny.
"You may already know this, but many natural portals to the ghost zone have begun opening up all over the world." Vlad said, to which Danny nodded as he had outside information. "Well, with these portals opening up many ghosts have begun using them to enter the human realm. At first it was only the mindless ectopi who the Fentons, along with Miss Manson, Mister Foley, and Miss Grey along with the Guys in White have been able to fight and repel easily. But in time stronger ghosts began coming through those portals in greater numbers, and it's gotten to a point where every last sentient being has had to live their lives under the protection of a ghost shield as these ghosts have been causing nothing but destruction and mischief everywhere they go. And so, we have come to humbly ask for the empire's assistance in driving off this ghostly threat and restoring peace to-"
"No."
"No? What do you mean no?"
"I mean exactly what I just said. My people have spent far too much of their history fighting an endless war thanks to the machinations of the rogue spirit of the Sengoku warlord, Nobunaga Oda, and I refuse to drag my people into another unless there is no other choice. I'm afraid that you've all wasted your time coming here, because if you wish to end your war between the humans and the spirits of purgatory, you'll do it without the aid of my empire." Danny said firmly.
"Yeah! And if you bunch of shitheads think you can fucking intimidate us into fighting your battles for you, you've got another fucking thing coming!" Tayuya exclaimed, ever the sailor mouth.
"Language please, Tayuya." Danny admonished with a grin.
"Japa-English, I think." Tayuya quipped back with a grin of her own.
This response made some of the more immature people in the room such as Urd, Fasha, Korra, and some of the guards laugh. They're used to Tayuya and her sailor mouth and know that she probably won't cut back on the cursing until she has a kid of her own to worry about. Danny just shook his head with a fond smile at his wife's antics before schooling his features and sending a glare to the people of Amity.
"As I said, Vlad, the empire will not be sending aid to you, and we will not get involved in a war that doesn't involve us." Danny said.
"But surely there must be something we can offer you in exchange for your aid! We can give you weapons, diplomatic immunity, we could even establish trade and bring in resources to help your people!" a GIW agent said, attempting to change Danny's mind.
But it didn't work. Not by a long shot.
"Again, I must decline. Besides, do you really think I have want or need of what you offer?" Danny asked, starting to get annoyed at the persistence. "You offer resources for trade? What could you possibly have that we do not? The lands of our empire are rich in resources that will last my people for generations to come. The only ones who would benefit from such a trade agreement would be you people. Diplomatic immunity? I have no desire to go back beyond the veil to those lands that have been ravaged by the spirits, so such a thing is worthless to me and my family. And why would we need your flimsy weapons when we have far superior technology and weapons advancement here?"
"Stop being so petty, Danny! Just come back home to Amity Park and help us save the people! You have a responsibility to-"
Sam couldn't even finish her rant as she suddenly found herself being lifted up off the ground as her throat felt like it was being constricted! She knew that nothing was physically gripping her neck, but she still couldn't breathe. Was it a ghost attacking her while she couldn't fight back? No! It was Danny! Everyone was shocked to see him holding his hand out as if he was grasping something while Sam was being choked and raised into the air, kicking her legs as she tried desperately to get some oxygen into her lungs! And for some reason, his left eye had gone from the usual icy blue color to a more sickly sulphuric yellow. This was Danny calling upon the power of the Force to perform a Force technique he's only ever used in battle, and even then, it was only as a last resort. But Sam's attempt to guilt Danny into saving Amity Park again like in the old days caused his now great patience to run out instantly.
He was using Force Choke!
"I have a responsibility to what, Manson? Save a town full of people who would sooner see me permanently dead?" Danny asked with no small amount of venom in his voice.
Let it be known that Danny can hold one hell of a grudge. He abruptly canceled out the technique and dropped Sam to the floor, the gothic woman gasping and coughing as she sucked in air like her life depended on it. And quite frankly, it did.
"I see exactly what's going on here. You don't simply want aid from me and my empire. You simply came here to try and butter us up, perhaps play on my past obligations, and simply allow us to do your dirty work for you!" Danny said with a scowl.
"What? No, that's not it at all!" Tucker exclaimed, trying to diffuse the situation.
"Isn't it, mister Foley? After all, you and Miss Manson ended our friendship seven years ago after all we had been through protecting that town, and now you come to try and convince me to fight for them again and try to act as if nothing ever happened?" Danny asked rhetorically. "My decision is final! You will get no help from the empire, and you will be sent back beyond the veil in three days' time. Guards! Escort the lot of them to the dungeon where they'll be interrogated, so that we may learn more of their true intentions! Tell Anko and Alucard that they have free reign over these ones."
Giving a quick salute, several of the Saiyan guards moved to take Vlad and the rest of the prisoners to the dungeon for interrogation. But as they did, Danny stopped them for a moment.
"Wait. Those three," he gestured to his parents and sister. "Let them go. The rest of them can go to the dungeon."
Though slightly confused by the order, the guards simply nodded as they trusted the judgment of their emperor. One of the guards removed Jazz, Jack, and Maddie's shackles and left them alone as the rest of the group was dragged off to the dungeon where they would await their interrogation. The Fentons rubbed their wrists where the cuffs had been and looked to see Danny looking at them, no longer with hate and fury and a sickly yellow eye, but with a kind smile and icy blue eyes full of love for his family.
"Hello mom, dad, Jazz. It's been a long time since we last spoke." Danny said as he tried to break the ice.
***To Be Continued…***
Ending AN: Yeah, this chapter's a little on the shorter side than I had intended, but I hope you all like it anyway. Next chapter is definitely going to be a longer one, as I intend to go into further details about how Danny met some of his wives and what led to them falling in love with our former halfa. As always, I thank you all so much for reading, and I'll see you all next time! Please don't forget to leave a review for this chapter, and feel free to share your thoughts. Any and all constructive criticism is more than welcome.
