Oh CRAP! Aw man aw man… I didn't know transferring between the formats would take out all my event separators! And not only that, but I could have SWORN I edited the movie theater scene! What anyone read there was my vague, unedited rough draft… Maybe I forgot to save it… Oh well, what's done is done. I think I got all the event separators in on this one, and will at least try to make them more clear from now on. So… Blackfox 14, you aren't slow, that was totally my bad!

That all aside, the reviews I got were very reassuring. Perhaps I'll be confident on this one, and might even hope for some criticism from one of the authors I consider my inspirations in this site, like… like… … NOOO! I cannot say who they are! They cannot know who I am! Disappears into the shadows

Well, that's out of the way… Now all I can say is please read and review. The reviews I've gotten are nice, but I WANT MORE! MOOOOOORE! Reviews feed my powah…

Right… riiiiiight… I guess I forgot this in the last chapter… but I'm only doing this ONCE!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, that's Butch Hartman… that genius bastard.

FAUST IS MINE THOUGH! XD

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Mr. Thomas's class was running out of the room in a panic. They all dashed passed Steven, who had indeed dropped the crate, but was ignoring it now and slowly backing away from the room, terror painted upon his face. Out of the room came… or more appropriately, floated a strange man.

Ayden had thought the figure would have been intimidating, but that was not the case. The short man had a stout, squarish frame with stubby legs, and wore work attire that greatly reminded Ayden of a stereotypical burglar, dark overalls, work gloves, a white undershirt, and that stupid snow hat. The only moderately foreboding aspects about this floating man were that he was… well, floating, he was blue and emitted a light glow. His expression could only be described as power hungry and a little dopey as he gazed upon the crate of telescopes. However, what really shook Ayden out was that when the man entered the hall, a cool and sudden breeze washed over him, inducing a light shiver through his body. As if he produced cold air.

Steven was shaking in fear. But his hormone induced instincts forced him to try to remain dominant, and ended up saying something he hadn't meant to say, or more like squeak, "Wh-What are you supposed to be?…"

"What?" the figure suddenly shot a blank look at Steven, then thought for a moment, "Oh, did I forget? Whoops…" the man cleared his throat, then roared up to the heavens, "I AM… THE BOX GHOOOOST! And I give you my thanks, human, for you have presented me with one of the finest boxes I have ever seen! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!"

"A… ghost?" Ayden whispered to himself still around the corner. He awaited his fear to wash over him… but it never came. His emotions seemed to be obsessing with something else, overwhelming fear entirely. And it at last hit him, "… 'Box' Ghost?" He dropped any defense that might have been in his position in disbelief, revealing himself from the corner and running to Steven's aid. He stepped in front of Steven and locked his eyes on the laughing spirit, "… 'BOX' Ghost?"

Box Ghost ceased is tyrannical laughter, observing the new human before him, displaying no fear whatever. Frustrated, he shouted at the impudence before him, "FOOLISH mortal! Do not attempt to hide your fear from… THE BOX GHOOOOST! It is futile, for I-"

Ayden raised a hand at last to silence the blathering specter, standing in front of Steven, "No-no-no. YOU shut the hell up. Are you serious? 'BOX' Ghost? Lemme get this straight: you're a ghost, so you can be anything you want, and you're 'The Box Ghost'? You could've been… The Shadow Specter, The Poltergeist of a Thousand Terrors… The Phantom of the Opera if you wanted, for chrissake, you're a ghost, they can't sue you! Despite it all, you decided to be… 'The Box Ghost'. Is that what you're givin' me?"

Box Ghost raised a finger to angrily respond, but no sound came from his mouth. It took a long and awkward silence for him to timidly mutter, "Uhh… Beware?"

Ayden sighed, "Look, I've got better things to do than deal with you, alright? Why don't you go contemplate your… afterlife or something, and let this school be? C'mon Steven, let's get this thing to Entwood, I don't think he's much of a threat," he glanced over his shoulder to Steven.

Steven's face was paler than any ghost's could be. He hadn't heard a word since the ghost yelled at him apparently. Ayden couldn't help but see a dark spot forming down the front of his pants too. With a very womanly scream, Steven scampered away down the hall.

"Heh, and I wasn't going to make him go through with the bet!" he returned to the side of the crate and began pushing it down the hall, the plywood sliding along the tile floor nicely, his head uncaringly bumping the foot of the dumbstruck entity hovering overhead.

Box Ghost looked back at the human pushing away the marvelous square object. 'Did he just… mock… The Box Ghost?' he thought furiously. He reared back and thrust his arms at the fleeting box, invoking his power over all containers, cardboard, and, yes, crates, and levitated it into the air, past the pathetic mortal, and over his hands.

"Hey! Give that back!" Ayden clenched his fists. But at this point, he could clearly see that Box Ghost now brandished a dangerous weapon, and any demand in his words was pure bluff.

Fire burned in Box Ghost's eyes, "YOU DARE MOCK THE BOX GHOST? FEEBLE HUMAN, FEEL MY PLYWOODED WRATH!" thrusting his hands forward, the crate was launched down the hall in a straight line, Ayden in its path.

"Eep," Ayden dropped, straight to the floor, flat on his stomach. The crate flew past and into a wall at a left turn in the hall, exploding in a cloud of telescopes, dust and debris. Ayden recovered, and grinned smugly at Box Ghost, "Feheh. Guess you can cross 'Apparition of Accuracy' of your things-to-be list. And by the way, 'ply wooded wrath'? Come on…" The Box Ghost cried out in rage, charging with fists out, "Eep again," Ayden sprinted at the cloud of dust with roughly half an idea of what he was doing. All he really knew was he had to get rid of this guy. With a fuming spirit closing in, he leapt into the cloud.

Box Ghost squinted as he entered the cloud of dust slowly settling upon the pile of telescopes, searching carefully for his prey. Even he wasn't that stupid, "Hahahaha… do you truly think you can escape The Box Ghost? Foolish child, nowhere is safe for you now!" pieces of the crate, sharpened by the break, levitated into the air as hovering plywood daggers, "No matter where you run, no matter where you hide, The Box Ghost will hunt you down, and hermetically seal your fate, and ship it… TO IT'S DOOM!" he might have had more to say, but was cut short by a sharp metallic blow to the side of his head, causing the wood to fall back to the ground, and sending him head over ass out of the cloud, tumbling to a halt seven feet away. Maybe he was that stupid.

Ayden emerged from the now almost settled cloud of dust, a huge, obvious grin plastered on his face and hands behind back, "Wow. Long winded speeches, third person point of view, arrogance, misinterpreting your enemy's motives, inability to pay attention to your surroundings, box puns, and here I am, just making things up as I go. As far as evil villains go, do you know how much help you need?"

Box Ghost was baffled at this turn of events. Not only had a mere human struck him, but continued to mock him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something shine behind Ayden. He was holding something back there, obviously metallic. With this knowledge, a calm spread over his ghostly form. He rubbed his head where Ayden struck him and stood confidently, grinning back at his adversary, "Heheh…I'll admit to underestimating you. You are indeed a formidable human. However! No matter how powerful the human, without a superior weapon, a human can never defeat a ghost…" Box Ghost reared back and launched himself at Ayden, flying superman style, "… And a telescope is NOT a superior weapon!"

A white gas sprayed forth from behind Ayden with a hiss, down between his legs and at the floor, creating another low visibility cloud that the Box Ghost couldn't stop from flying into and only attacking air, 'AND he has no knowledge of school regulations, which clearly state there must be a fire extinguisher at every hallway turn!' Ayden thought as he ducked beneath the attack, "Telescope? Entwood would remove my manhood if I wrecked one of those!" with both hands on the hose of the improvised mace, swung down over his head, blowing away much of the gas, and the metallic bludgeon once again connected with the spectral cranium of The Box Ghost with a satisfying CLANG. He couldn't see clearly himself in the cloud, so instead of trying to see if Box Ghost was down, he swung back for another blow. The force of the swing blew away the remaining carbon dioxide, revealing a grim, unfazed form glaring into Ayden's eyes.

"Do you really believe your pathetic human strength can affect me?" The Box Ghost smugly queried.

So, there Ayden stood, frozen with a fire extinguisher slowly swinging behind his back, eyes wide as he stared into the face that had just declared itself immune to human strength. And Ayden's strength was as human as it came. 'Hoo boy. What do I do now?' he thought. Box Ghost's fists curled, mouth grinned evilly, body hovered, and eyes…

…rolled into the back of his head.

The Box Ghost collapsed, retaining his expression, but his body going completely limp. Where he should have struck the floor, what appeared to be a silver ripple of energy appeared around the area his body made contact with, and he vanished through it, leaving an odd silence in the hall.

Still frozen, Ayden looked around moving his eyes only, trying to register this strange turn of events. He tapped his foot cautiously against the floor where the Box Ghost had vanished. Satisfied that he'd just won, he let the extinguisher fall to the floor and rubbed the back of his neck, "Kaaaay… Didn't see that coming… Phew!" the renewed silence in the hall brought his attention to a new sound approaching his ears: running footsteps, and a lot of them. He looked behind him to see who they were when they arrived, but double-took to the scene in front of him, a huge pile of telescopes and destroyed plywood at the foot of a row of lockers bent inward from the impact. Hesitating only long enough to briefly wonder why people were arriving now of all times, he said under his breath, "Oh-hoho, the hell with this…" and took off in the other direction.

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Outside, another ghost, hovering high in the air and invisible, had had a good laugh watching the brief show, courtesy of a pair of binoculars equipped with the function of seeing through walls. His robotic face curled into a grin at the thought of that boneheaded Box Ghost lying in the basement of the building, unconscious. That was when the concept dawned on him: A human had defeated a ghost.

'Hmmmm… well, it's not unprecedented. That pesky "Valerie the Ghost Hunter" is human, and then there's…' the ghost growled at the smug, green eyed child who entered his mind, 'but this human has no special abilities or weapons. No matter how… low standing the ghost, this human was able to triumph using only his wit. Hmmmm…' he looked back into his binoculars, finding the still running teen, now ducking and dodging past other students who had begun running to the scene, and running a vital scan, '… Huh. Good marks in stamina and reflex I suppose, but other than that… I'll need a more accurate scan to see what sets him apart from his peers. Of course, that will require getting closer…' he saw Ayden finally meet up with two people he assumed to be friends, and his vital measurements began to regulate in the calm.

"I'll give him a few hours," the ghost finally said aloud, eyes narrowing, "Wouldn't be healthy for him to be hunted right after a fight. He could very well help me learn more about the Whelp. At the very least, he could make an interesting addition to my collection: A human beyond ghosts."

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Faust stirred in his sleep, his bed covers long ago kicked off the bed, "No…. Not… her…. Get away…. GET AWAY!" he awoke on those words in a cold sweat, though only wearing boxers. He dried it with a towel he kept by his bed calmly, this procedure being routine for him. Also, when his breathing calmed, he picked up a remote control next to the towel and twisted a knob. A radar screen popped up, revealing no blips. He sighed and stood.

He could never remember the dreams after he woke, but from the residual emotions that lingered, and could easily guess what they were. Fear, hate, sorrow, and pretty much just overwhelming pain. He knew exactly what event in his life epitomized those concepts, but tried to keep it as far from his mind as he could. He guessed that in his sleep, his mind disobeyed his control and wandered forbidden realms that he locked away, his sorrows, his pains, his weakness….

Faust got dressed and checked the radar again. It still revealed no blips. He huffed angrily and left his room. His living room was unchanged, making him angrier. He checked the clock on the wall. 9:19.

'Huh… I think I'll skip class today. I've got better things to learn about right here.'

Faust put some bread in the toaster and got out some peanut butter. He usually ate the two together to as a nearly complete vital ration so if he didn't eat anything else while distracted by his work, he would he didn't really need much else. While he waited for the toast, he rebooted his laptop.

"Alright, let's see," he brought up the Fentonworks site again, "Any comments on the night of the class reunion at Master's Mansion?" he found the link he wanted, 'Ghostly Encounters Firsthand', by Jack Fenton.

'Well, it was a dark and stormy night, and as everyone did the pogo to the music of my youth, I felt something amiss. Suddenly, I felt something odd on my back. It was like a cold gas entering my skin. I blacked out, and when I came too, I saw carnage, the room destroyed by the ghost, using my body to do it! I still feel bad for my buddy Vlad that I couldn't break the ghosts hold on me sooner. I ran through the living room to get to my assault vehicle, only to find my wife already driving it. (Great minds think alike, eh?) Together we drove to where radar tracked the ghost, and ended up in Vlad's library where I saw it for the first time, a ghost that looked just like a vampire. Before I could do anything, it reached through the roof of the RV and phased Maddie through it, and took her away. He was mocking me! I leaped out of the RV and tried to grab for her, but he held her just out of reach. I don't know what happened next, I seemed to black out again, but this time in a state of righteous fury. The next thing I knew, the ghost was vanishing in a painful exertion of green smoke and my wife held me from behind me, unharmed…'

There was more, but Faust stopped reading and leaned back, "This doesn't add up… no, not by a long shot. There has to be more to it or he has to be lying… he couldn't have beaten a ghost with his bare hands while in a blackout…" he began to search for profiles on the Jack, hoping to find out more about him. "'Fenton Family Profiles', that should do. Let's see, Jack, Jack, Ja-"

Faust froze. Everything in him went dead for a split second, including the function that kept his jaw up. Right between the pictures of Jazz Fenton and Maddie Fenton, he saw a picture of someone he knew.

"No way," Faust clicked on the picture of the raven haired boy, "My… my eyes are going… that's it, my eyes are going from doing this all night, and it's a pretty small picture, right?" Faust's laptop lagged on the load, and he began to click rapidly, "It's just my eyes, it's just my eyes, it's just-LOAD ALREADY!" he shouted.

On command, the profile loaded into a three-paragraphed profile on the boy with an enlarged picture of him, waving timidly as if he didn't really wasn't to be on camera. Faust's eyes were perfectly fine.

"What… what's his name…" he searched the top of the page. 'Danny Fenton.' His name was Danny Fenton! "No way… this can't be… there is no way… no way! It can't be the Fenton kid!"

Danny Fenton, he didn't know that was his name, but now that he knew it, he wondered through his surprise how no one had pieced it together before. He felt dizzy…

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Ayden wondered why Phantom had left, as well as why this monster had changed his sights to a regular human. But he had no time to speculate…

"…Human. You know, I've had some stubborn opponents in my time, but you… both of you… on one hand, I've got a half-ghost that has no end to his little tricks and techniques, and then… there's you. A mere… human…"

He looked like hell. His mouth and head were bleeding, his clothes bore tears all over, bruises and bumps abundant…

"…Heheh. I don't need to beat it, but there are a few people that I have to make sure outlive me…"

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Faust shook his head. He had to stop doing that. He didn't let the past interfere with the present, that was a principle he lived by.

But it was pretty hard right that particular second. 'The son of Jack Fenton is… how!' before his thoughts went anywhere else, he heard a beep.

No matter how amazed Faust was, it was all overridden right then. He checked the radar remote, just to make sure. A blip appeared again on the screen. He was astounded.

Beep-1500 yards… Beep-1400 yards…

"Yes… Yes! YES, IT WORKED!" Faust proclaimed excitedly. Leaving his previous discovery for later, he ran to the door and locked it, wanting no distractions. His eyes found the gun on the couch, the EPCC protruding from its rear, and grinned darkly.

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"It's near… I feel it…" the ghost said to itself, feeling ever warmer, fuzzier as he approached. He flew through the air, driven by a hungry urge, "There…" his eyes fell upon the apartment building, "It's in there…" he flew through the wall of the second story. His eyes wandered absently, not sure of exactly what he was looking for himself. He saw it on a desk. A small, beautiful, ivory, carven, gold-specked, Chinese, handcrafted, fifty five in the world, 1956...

"…BOX!" Box Ghost cried happily, moving to touch the marvelous object. Only one such as he could be worthy of such a relic. His hand reached out for it.

"Hello Box Ghost."

Box Ghost averted his gaze to the other side of the room. He saw a teen with a green shirt with two stripes across the chest, long black shorts that reached the middle of his calves, and hair that draped down over his right eye. His arms crossed, each hand sporting a gun. He glared poisonously at the bumbling specter.

"YOU!" the ghost shouted, pointing. He hung in the air over the desk, "……Do I know you?" he scratched his head, "You look a little familiar, but, uh…."

Faust closed his eyes and lowered his head, "Three months back. Big crate. Got the crap kicked out of you."

"YOU!" he repeated, pointing again, "Ha-hah! It seems I have found two prizes in one day! This box among boxes, and my CORRUGATED CARDBOARD VENGEANCE!"

"Shut up," Faust stated, raised his head again, his eyes burning with resolve, "I got enough of your speeches the last time we met. You're not here to get a prize, I called you."

"What? You mean…" Box Ghost put up his guard, wary of the boy's abilities. The last time they met he was defeated... and frankly, if word got out in the Ghost Zone, he could never show his face the around other ghosts again… not that he really could now, but….

"I knew you would come for something like this, all I had to do was put it near you. You were the easiest to trap, being so obsessive…. It's time to pay, ghost."

"Pay?" Box Ghost pointed angrily, "What do I deserve as compared to what you delivered to me?"

"Yes, you're right about that. But when you attacked that day, you started something… you created a chain reaction that ruined my life. You destroyed my reality that day."

"I did?" Box Ghost scratched his head, but suddenly perked up cheerfully, "How? OH, this will make great for my reputation in the Ghost Zone!" he bounced happily in the air, "How did it happen, how?"

Faust had thought he'd seen a glimmer of redemption, but he was wrong and that was fine with him. He unfolded his arms and aimed both weapons at him.

"What? What are those? Oh, I get it," the foolhardy apparition cleared his throat, "Foolish human! I will NOT fall for such a scheme again! I underestimated you in our last meeting, but this time…" Box Ghost became intangible and smirked, "You will face the true wrath of…" he reared back, hands above head, "THE BOX GHOOOOOOOST!"

Faust chose not to remember why he found this so humorous. The past may not interfere with the present. Faust pulled the trigger of the weapon toting the EPCC. The room lit up for a split second as a quick shot of blue lightning was unleashed from the barrel, striking the intangible Box Ghost.

At first, he just floated there blankly. He became tangible, slowly floated to the floor and collapsed. His eyes lay open, wandering. Faust knelt down next to him and opened his desk drawer contently.

"What have you done to me? Release me human, or you shall feel my…" Faust removed a wooden box from the drawer and set it next to the ghost, "Oh, so that's how it is? You're just going to mock me with more beautiful bo-" he silenced. Faust opened the box and revealed a scalpel and a container filled with test tubes.

"I've waited a long time for this," Faust stood and closed the blinds to his window, shadow enshrouding the room. He barred his teeth in an insidious grin, "You see, I'm going to be a ghost hunter!"

"Oh… well… that's a unique profession…" Box Ghost muttered. He tried going intangible, flying, anything, but everything he tried to do he was incapable of doing. The weapon had done something to him.

Faust noticed the struggling on his face, "Oh, this?" he held up the gun, "I call it a Null-State Pulse Gun. It uses specially treated ectoplasm designed to neutralize other ectoplasmic particles temporarily. I wasn't sure if it would work, that's why I had this one in case!" he held up the other gun, the Pro 9, "No real name for this one, but its effects are a bit more…" he twirled it on his finger, "…damaging."

Box Ghost was silent. Somewhere in his subconscious, he knew he was pretty pathetic as a ghost. But he used that to his advantage so that no one, human, ghost or anyone in between would go out of their way to pursue him. Except now, it had backfired. And frankly, he was scared of this kid.

"But thankfully, I didn't have to use it. You should thank the engineering class I take at the junior college for being so good, 'cause you could have been in a lot of pain," Faust knelt down and picked up the scalpel. It gleamed in the dim light and Box Ghost's glow, "Well, a lot more pain. But to be a hunter, one must understand his prey, right? These devices were guesstimates and luck, but to fully understand what I'm up against…" Faust grabbed the pudgy arm of Box Ghost and held it straight, "I need more resources."

Box Ghost tried to shout out a threat, but he found that even his voice was useless now. He couldn't move or use any of his powers; all he could do was watch.

The scalpel pierced the arm, revealing glowing green fluid. It dribbled out of the cut into a test tube Faust held under it. Faust was surprised to see the flesh regenerate almost immediately. Surprised 1, because the Pulse Gun hadn't neutralized all functions of the ectoplasm, or perhaps it was something not caused by ectoplasm at all, and 2, because while it answered a few questions, it raised a lot more. He made the incision a few more times to get a full seven test tubes of the blood-like fluid, and saw that on repeated cuts, the skin developed a scar. More questions arose. He sliced off a few cubes of flesh and secured them in test tubes, the arm regenerating again. By this time, Box Ghost had begun to stir.

Faust frowned, "Feeling better already? I knew there was something wrong with the Pulse Gun. But don't worry, the worst is over…."

Faust put the samples back into the box and rummaged through it again. He pulled out a wide glass tube that he twisted unto the handle of the Pulse Gun. He twisted a knob on the side, "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, I built in another feature into this one."

He placed the gun against Box Ghost's stomach and shot, but instead of blue lightning, it made a sound like that of a transformer shorting out, a deep electric shocking sound. Box Ghost jarred, and the glass tube began to fill with a purple mist.

"Oh, so for some reason, the color of ghost's energy varies from ghost to ghost! Interesting… here I was thinking it was all green…." Faust raised the bottle to his eyes and examined it closely. The mist of energy glowed and swirled in a circular motion, like a galaxy floating in the abyss of the universe.

Box Ghost took this opportunity of his distraction. With all the strength he could muster, he painfully leapt into the air and hovered there. He strained to do it, but managed to become intangible and attempt to fly through the wall. Faust dropped the NPG and snatched up the Pro 9. He took quick aim and fired three rounds, the silencer absorbing most of the sound. The bullets enshrouded in green energy ripped through the air, leaving a light green trail, and gouged into Box Ghost's back. The bullets passed right through him, but the energy cut into his intangible form, leaving gaping holes in his shoulder and back. But instincts had taken over, and he jetted through the wall without slowing and took to the skies, fearing what would happen if he looked back.

Faust lowered the Pro 9. Box Ghost got away. Even unbeknownst to himself, even though he got all the resources he needed, he truly wanted to destroy him. He did not acknowledge a lust for vengeance, as that was succumbing to the past. So he justified destroying him with the fact that since he, as of yet, could not contain a ghost, destroying him would prevent any other ghosts from finding out what he was doing and quicken his progress. But it didn't matter to him that much, for with the samples he had acquired, he could begin testing for the production of a ghost containment device. The only thing that slightly discouraged him from this event was that there were now three bullets lodged in his wall. Overall, it had been a complete success.

With his first breakthrough completed, he placed the test tubes on a rack along with the energy capsule. The box he'd stored his tools in also contained a microscope and several other tools of science. He placed it next to the samples. But in approaching his desk, his eyes again confronted the picture of the Fenton kid.

"So," he sighed and sat in his desk chair. He rummaged through the papers he had printed out the night before. He found a picture of ghost named Ember, taken at a concert by a spectator and submitted to the Fentons, doing battle with the famous and feared Danny Phantom, "What the hell is your story, kid?" he compared the two next to each other. Absolutely no one must have ever done that before, or the facts of the matter would have been exposed long ago, "Was he serious? A 'half-ghost'? How the flip does that work?"

Faust's thoughts were thrown off track as a familiar light scent caught on his nostril, "Hey! I forgot the most important part of my research!" he jumped out of his chair and sped into the kitchen, where his toast had finished and unfortunately cooled, and the peanut butter had softened. He shrugged and contently began spreading the peanut butter on the browned bread.

"Well, I owe you one Phantom, so whether or not you're a ghost or a human or something in between, I guess I can sidestep you for now."

Meanwhile…

"Lancer actually gave me a B!" Danny exclaimed as he and his friends left English class for lunch.

"Way to go Danny!" Tucker cheered as he opened his locker, "This is the first time you really did so well in the same night that a serious ghost attacked since the whole ghost king thing! …And you missed your curfew!"

"Jeez, when you say it like that…" Danny's expression saddened as he opened his locker.

"Danny, I don't think he meant it like that. I think he means you're getting a lot better at this," Sam said in her mood rousing way. She stated firmly, "I do."

Danny removed his face from his messy locker, an eyebrow raised, "You do?"

"Of course! You can Dupe now, you're getting better at your Ghostly Wail, you can fly at… how fast was he last we checked Tucker?"

Tucker hit two buttons on his PDA and grinned, "159 miles per hour. Not to mention you're getting even stronger."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Danny placed his books in his locker and the three began toward the cafeteria.

"Look at yourself fight once in a while. When you hit something, it goes a lot farther than it use to. Your strength as a human and a ghost is increasing, dude."

"Huh… come to think of it, Star was in that group of Phantom fans, and she said something that sounded like 'cut and defined'…" Danny glanced around nervously and looked down at his abdomen where he felt something touch, "Think she was talking about me?"

Sam's eyes widened, "Oh, don't tell me she's after Danny Phantom too!" Sam's face twisted into an enraged scowl, being forced to think of Paullina, "Who's next, Valerie?"

"What's Valerie next for?" came a voice that infuriated Sam, put Tucker on guard, and in this case only, lightly pleased Danny.

"Hi Val," Danny said friendlily, turning to greet her, "Sam was just talking about how many girls are starting to talk a lot about Danny Phantom and how annoying it is."

Both of his friends looked at him as if he belonged in an asylum, but after thinking it through for a second, couldn't see any threat in what he said. Valerie looked like she wanted to strangle someone.

"What? Me, like a ghost? That's just… JUST-!" Danny interrupted her.

"I know! And therein lies the irony!" he said laughing, "We know you aren't too fond of ghosts, so…" Danny waited for her to get it.

"…Oh. Oh, I get it. A-hahahahaha! Yeah, imagine me, gossiping with the other girls about Danny Phantom! Hah!" Valerie laughed happily, wiping a tear from her eye, "Good one Sam."

"Hehe, yeah…" Sam couldn't quite make eye contact with her, or Danny, for that matter. The way he acted so confidently around her, so trusting of an enemy made her insides churn.

"So hey!" Valerie said suddenly, "You mind if I sit with you guys today? I've been feeling kinda… I mean it's kinda monotonous sitting alone every lunch… And you said you'd make a spot for me, right?"

"Sure!" Danny said quickly as his other friends opened their mouths to recite an excuse, "Right guys?"

"Yeah…" they said defeated. They walked into the cafeteria, leaving Danny and Valerie alone. They couldn't deny that she had posed little threat to Danny thus far when neither of them was in their ghost hunting suits, but they couldn't help feeling concerned for him

"Why don't they like me?" Valerie asked softly, "I've tried to be nice to them, but it's like they just refuse to give me a chance!" she looked away sadly.

"Uh…" Danny wanted to say something, but he couldn't quite find the words. If he explained the real situation, she would probably stare blankly, say 'Oh.' in an understanding way, and then blow his ass away with that wrist-rocket from hell.

"Well, I think the way you treated Tucker kind of had an impact on them both… you know, kinda used him and abused him? I mean, I could understand why you did it, you wanted to find out about ghosts from him after they ruined your life, right?"

Valerie blinked in surprise, "How did you know that?"

"Tucker told me," Danny smiled, "He might not look it, but he knew you were using him. He was just in denial. I guess it would have been better if you hadn't used him like that, but you know, I understand."

"So Tucker doesn't like me 'cause I used him, and Sam… what's her problem?"

"W-well…" Danny didn't have an answer, really. She just seemed to hate all girls, Paullina, Star, Valerie, but aside from protecting his secret, he couldn't think of much other reason, "I guess… she just feels inclined to agree with Tucker! Yeah…." Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

"Really? She's just defending Tucker?" Valerie eyed him thoughtfully.

"Yeah. I-I mean, I can't think of anything else, I've never really asked her…."

'Phew… at least he's still clueless…. I wonder how long it'll last?' she thought sadly.

Danny pulled at his collar, hoping to let some air in, "Ah, so! Wanna get some lunch now?"

She smiled her answer and he opened the cafeteria door for her, but suddenly jarred, "Oh crud, I just remembered…"

"What?"

"I left my lunch money in my English book as a bookmark. I gotta go back," Danny started back down the hall, looking back at Valerie, "Think you can handle yourself alone for a second with Sam and Tuck?"

Valerie blinked, unsure of herself, "Well, I could go with you…"

"Are you kidding? It's Friday!" Danny laughed, "The only day they serve pizza? Get a decent meal before it's all gone!"

"But…" she rose a hand after him.

Danny was now jogging down the hall, "Just, uh, don't make any sudden movements around them! They'll sense your fear…"

Valerie giggled, newly reassured, "Alright Danny, see you," she disappeared into the lunch area.

Danny watched her go as he strode. He wished Technus hadn't been so good at matchmaking, or maybe things could have worked out a little better between them. He'd become his No.2 enemy next to Vlad, and always made sure to give a few more punches than necessary when capturing him.

His thoughts were cut short as a wall that wasn't there before hit him. Or something similar… 'Oh boy…' Danny thought worriedly.

"Hey Fen-ton. Guess what?"

"What is it Dash?" Danny slumped, bored.

"I forgot my lunch money today, and you know what that means!" Dash grabbed Danny's collar, "Where is it?" he growled.

'Oh, I've been waiting for this,' Danny struggled not to smile. He pulled out his pockets and shrugged, "Sorry Dash, I'm broke today too! Guess you'll have to go beat up some other weak and defenseless freshman that isn't me for your lunch today."

"Hah! You're half right, Fen-toni. I will beat up someone else for my money, but for now…" he reared his fist back. Danny pretended to grit his teeth and look away, but for those who looked closely enough, the grit was easily distinguished as a smile.

A glowing gloved hand grabbed Dash's fist. He craned his neck to see who had stopped him from venting his issues on his favorite punching bag, and dropped Danny immediately when he saw who.

"Leave him alone!" Danny Phantom declared heroically, "What gives you the right to hurt those smaller and weaker than you?"

"Uh… the fact that they're smaller and weaker?" Dash shrugged stupidly. Fenton held back a snickering fit.

"Ugh… so that's it," Phantom smacked his forehead, "Look," he pointed his finger in Dash's face, "If I see you hurting anyone else, you'll end up looking like that ghost I thrashed last night, got it Baxter?"

"Uh, yes Mr. Phanto… wait! How'd you know my last name was Baxter?" Dash took a step back.

Fenton gasped in unison with Phantom, "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I'm sure, I never told you my last name! How would you know that?"

Phantom looked to Fenton for an answer, but obviously, if one didn't have an answer…

Phantom fidgeted, and before he had an idea of what he was saying, began to speak, "Um, I-uh… I'm… friends with… Danny Fenton there! He told me all about you!" Phantom stated strongly.

Fenton nearly threw up. Count on himself to say something stupid like that to Dash of all people. Fenton smacked his forehead this time, and Phantom shrugged nervously to him.

"R-really? I… I'm sorry Mr. Phantom, I won't hurt anyone anymore, don't you worry!" Dash smiled and pulled Fenton in a one armed bone-crushing hug.

Phantom mirror winced Fenton, "Right, see that you don't," he turned in the air, "But now I have a lot more to worry about from you…" he said to himself, "Stupid, stupid!"

Phantom turned invisible and floated back into Fenton, who had gotten free of Dash's attempts to show his change in lifestyle. When only one Danny remained, Dash turned back to him, looking like… sigh… like he'd seen a ghost.

"Why didn't you tell me you were friends with Phantom? Do you know what that could mean for you?" Dash shook Danny's shoulders, "You could be popular again! With a friend like that, you could be-"

Danny threw up his arms, knocking Dash's away, "I don't care about being popular Dash. I don't want to hang out with you and Quan, it doesn't matter to me anymore," he glared into Dash's eyes, "And as far as Phantom, he… he exaggerated," Danny turned away, "We're not really friends or anything, we… we just met once, uh, the night that pirate ship attacked , yeah! So… we're acquaintances, but not really friends…."

"Don't be so modest!" Dash smacked him on the back, making Danny lurch, "What matters is that he considers you a friend! And besides, you might not want to hang out with me or Quan, but what about Paullina, huh?"

"Uh… Paullina?" Danny had already kicked himself for missing a chance to hang out with Paullina as Danny Phantom the night before, but now….

"Well, you think on it Fento-er, Danny-no… Dan! Dan…" Dash thought for a second, "…the man! Dan the Man! I'll tell Paullina you're friends with Phantom, if you want!" Dash strode into the cafeteria, flagging down his usual posse, and piecing together why Danny Phantom had blasted him with a shrink ray on the suggestion of giving Danny a swirly last time they met.

Danny was stuck. He was being accepted into the popular ranks, yet again, this time willingly by Dash, for something he could back up this time. He could keep up appearances for once, now able to produce a Duplicate. But….

"No way. I'm not betraying my friends again. I can't do it. Even for Paullina, I can't sell out for the populars again. Nope, I've got friends that outshine them a million times and I'm not changing that for them or anyone else."

Danny put his hands in his pockets and trudged to his locker, 'The only thing I'm changing is the control I have over my stupid duplicates….'

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"Hey, I just realized, Danny's gone AWOL!" Tucker said through a bite of his sandwich, "What do you think happened to-" Sam raised a finger to his mouth as she listened to something behind her.

"…So yeah, I think we should take Fenton back. Know why?" Dash proclaimed to all that sat at his table.

"I still say I don't remember letting that loser into our group. What could have possibly changed now?" Paullina whined as she filed her nails.

"Well, I don't mind Fenton, as long as he doesn't take my place again!" Quan interjected, munching a Sloppy Joe.

"Ugh, Fenton…" Star said from reading her book. She couldn't eat during lunch, it could daunt her figure, "That kid bugs me…."

"Anyone else want to give their opinions before I say why?" Dash queried and crossed his arms. The remaining jocks in their matching letterman jackets looked at each other before turning back to Dash, "Good. It's because I just found out that Fenton's friends with Danny Phantom!"

From an overhead view, one could see four people jump/gasp/lurch/choke at the same time, Star, Paullina, Sam and Tucker. Tucker's hacking on bologna elicited glances from the popular table before turning back to their own business.

"Danny knows… Danny?" Paullina exclaimed loud enough for the whole room to hear, but since it sounded so weird, no one thought much of it.

"Oh… my… GOSHAREYOUSERIOUS?" Star threw her book up as she stood and landing in some poor nerds chili bowl, pelting him with barely edible stew.

"Whoa! You sure!" Quan stood too, not quite as amazed but pretty surprised.

"Of course! Phantom just stopped me from beating Fenton up!" Dash grumbled.

An unopened juice box exploded by the grip of a certain goth that will remain nameless on those words.

"Dude, he stopped you? What a goodie-goodie!" a random red-haired jock decreed laughing.

Dash picked up a cup of pudding from a table behind him and launched it in his face. It exploded on his head and pelted the kid behind him too, the same nerd whose presence was graced by Star's book, "Can it, Chad!" he roared, "Phantom is the coolest, and if he thinks that Fenton is cool enough to be his friend, then he's cool enough to hang with us! With Fenton, we might even be able to hang out with Phantom! Get it?"

All subjects agreed at the table except Chad, who was deep in silent glare, and Star, who was in deep thought.

"You know… by normal popularity process, isn't this something that Danny himself should milk publicly, the gossip spreads to us, and then we accept him upon certain terms like when he went out with Paullina?" Star questioned Dash.

"I told you, I was possessed by a ghost!" Paullina shrieked.

Dash sighed and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but I thought we'd just skip the standard procedure for once and get to the point."

All heads nodded again, except Chad.

Valerie suddenly strode up to Danny and co.'s table, carrying a tray of school lunch.

"Am I hearing this right? Are they… Sam? You okay?" she noticed Sam furiously twisting a sticky juice box in her fists. She was still listening to only them.

"So! Fenton seems a little reluctant to join from what happened last time, so let's just all act cool to him around school until he comes around. Paullina, I think you know where you come in," Dash leaned against the table and raised an eyebrow.

"Heehee! But of course!" she waved modestly.

"Ohhh, I'm going to kill him…" she glowered at the door, awaiting him to enter the lunch room, "He's gone too far this time…."

"What is it Sam? Why are they talking about making Danny a popular again?" she took a seat next to Tucker, who didn't particularly mind her presence, but shifted away from her anyway to avoid getting blood on him.

"Oh! Valerie!" Sam tossed away the juice box and smiled pleasantly at her, "When did you get here?"

"About the time you started torturing the corpse of that defenseless juice box. When did you get here?" she asked quizzically.

Danny abruptly pushed the cafeteria door open. Everything went silent and, since most people listened in on Dash's table to gather gossip, virtually all eyes fixed on him.

Danny looked around and frowned, "What?"

The spectators returned to their conversations, all but Danny's own table. Danny eyed them and started to the lunch line.

"You think Danny would really do that?" Tucker whispered to Sam while Valerie was still watching Danny.

"I hope not, for his sake I reeeeeeeeally hope not," her gaze was petrifying as Medusa's on Danny's back, and he shuddered beneath it, "But it sure is looking like the good ol' days…"

"No kidding! I thought he was kinda slipping away from Paullina, but-"

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, what was that?" Sam asked with a volume loud enough for Valerie to hear, but stopped caring, "Why would you think that?"

Tucker smirked, "Girls always talk about their flawless intuition, but between guys, there are some things that girls can never see like we can."

Valerie and Sam raised an eyebrow to each other, "Oh, hormonal telepathy?" Sam asked.

"Exactly!" Tucker said proudly. He thought for a second, "Hey! That's not what I mean!"

"Hey guys," Danny said with his food tray, "Is it cold in here?" he noticed Sam's unwavering glare, "Oh no, that's it. So I take it you overheard Dash?"

"Sit," Sam decreed grimly. Danny obeyed, taking a seat next to her.

"Dude, you turning traitor on us again?" Tucker blurted out.

"NO!" Danny slammed his fist on the table, "It was… an accident! I swear!"

"Is that so?" Sam glanced at Valerie, looking confused as hell, "Listen, could you excuse us for like, one minute? I don't want to reject you," she lied through her teeth, "but this is… kinda personal on Danny's part."

"Hmmm… if you say so…" the hunter left the table for the bathroom.

Sam watched her go plainly. Once she had left sight, she spun around and locked her fists on Danny's collar, "Explain to me exactly what Dash saw! Did you 'accidentally' make a Duplicate in front of him that came out Danny Phantom? Don't go and tell me that after months of having a second head practicing, you're having trouble controlling it now!" Sam whispered so harshly Danny feared she would burn his face with her words.

"Sam, I just wanted to stop him from trying to beat me up, and I thought a visit from Phantom would do the trick! But I guess I have some more work to do on-" the familiar blue vapor drifted from his mouth, pointing off to the east.

"Oh, for the love of-!" Sam shouted, drawing eyes to her, still holding Danny inches from her face. They blushed.

"Bad choice of words Sam," Tucker stated, "Maybe you should get off Danny and let him do his thing, that is, if you wanna keep up your little act."

Danny shot a surprised look at Tucker, "What? What's that mea-"

"He's right," Sam said quickly and let go of him, "Get going hero, but I want an explanation as soon as you get back, got it?"

Danny gave no answer and dashed through the cafeteria. As he passed the popular table, he froze in step at the table behind it.

"Hey Mikey. How's the chili today?" he casually asked the chili and pudding covered nerd.

"Improving… A little runny though…" he sighed routinely.

As Danny dashed through one of the double doors, Valerie came through the other, and missed her completely.

"Where's Danny going now?" she asked Sam.

"Uh… bathroom! The macaroni apparently didn't agree with his stomach!" she laughed nervously.

"Oh…" Valerie sat back down, making sure not to look too suspicious about Danny's untouched lunch tray.

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Danny realized as he soared through the skies of Amity that his ghost sense was leading him to the same warehouse where he fought Spectra the night before. The building came into sight, not looking half as foreboding as at night. He swooped in low and phased through the wall. Inside was lit by the sunlight and darkened by the residue of Danny rending Spectra into a hunk of black matter. A black ring adorned the floor and whatever else happened to get in Danny's way, resembling a crater from a meteorite impact.

Danny landed on the cold cement floor. He focused on his ghost sense again, allowing it to whisper from his mouth again. It drifted into the air and, before vanishing, pointed off to the left. Danny somersault flipped over the metal crate that barred his path and checked for any signs of a ghost. He didn't find a sign, he found a billboard.

A green trail of slime trailed across the floor, leading up to a crate. He had already had a feeling of who it was, but the trail threw him off completely. He phased through the crate.

"AAAAAAAHH! STAY BACK! I'M WARNING YOU!" a gloved finger pointed furiously.

"Box Ghost? What the-?"

He had never seen a ghost like this. Box Ghost huddled in the corner of the crate, reminding him a lot of Lindsey when she was cornered by Spectra. He cradled his arm over his chest as if injured. Dark rings hung around his eyes and his teeth chattered in unison with his profuse shaking. Danny hadn't wanted to help a ghost since the ghost king incident, but he definitely felt sympathetic enough to help Box Ghost now. He floated over to him and inspected him cautiously.

"Box Ghost, what happened to you?"

Box Ghost watched Danny float over him for a moment like watching his own doom approach. He realized it was only Phantom and calmed a little, "It… it was a ghost hunter! A human hunter!"

"Huh? You mean Valerie? Or the Fentons?"

"NO! It was a new hunter, hunter that-" Box Ghost coughed, and green fluid burst from his mouth.

Danny finally realized what the fluid was, "Whoa, Box Ghost, take it easy! What's wrong?"

He lowered his arm to reveal a gaping hole through his chest. It oozed the green blood that ran through all ghostly veins. Danny gasped in horror.

"Box Ghost…" Danny inspected the wound. The walls of the hole were blackened and burnt, and it wasn't healing, "Why won't it heal? What happened?"

"Heh," Box Ghost sneered, "What didn't happen? He lured me to his lair with the most beautiful box the world over, and sealed me in his trap. He shocked me into a Null-State, as he called it, that rendered my powers useless. Then he slashed apart my arm and took samples. Samples, as in my blood and skin!" Danny noticed his arm now sported a deep dark scar, and was lined with many lighter ones in the shape of squares where skin was taken, "Next, he used a device that sucked away my energy."

"That must be it. You don't have the energy to heal through the burnt flesh," Danny knew enough about his parent's tech to know that the energy used to make this kind of wound was a very crude energy, very unstable, but very strong.

"And to wrap it up, when I tried to escape, he did this to me. And if you think this one's bad, there are two more on my back that didn't go all the way through! This hunter is different from the ones you and I must deal with. This one, he's…."

"He's out for blood," Danny touched the green blood, collecting it on his gloved finger, inspecting it, "Damn, you think you'll be alright on your own?"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK GHOST PUNK?" he ended in a coughing fit that resulted in more blood bursting from his mouth.

Danny held up his hands defensively, "Calm down Box Ghost, I want to help you!"

His coughing ceased and he looked up wearily, "You do?…"

"Duh, I'm the good guy. And the good guys are supposed to help everyone, even the bad guys when they're in this bad a shape," Danny charged green energy at his hands, "So you think if I gave you some energy, you could heal yourself?"

"Are you stupid? Your energy cannot mix with mine! It's green!" Box Ghost looked disgusted and insulted.

"What? I don't think this is the time to be picky pal," Danny lowered his hands.

"Oh, wait, that's right, you're not really a ghost. You wouldn't know that the colors of energies are like blood types, and different colors cannot mix," he laid his head against the wall. The yelling was sapping his remaining strength.

"Oh… Well, then do you have any ideas?" Danny asked impatiently.

"…" Box Ghost looked at Danny's hands warily before answering, "Your ectoplasmic beam…."

"Huh? What could my Ghost Ray do? Believe it or not, I don't want to hurt you for once," he looked ponderously at his hand, glowing green.

"But… if you shot it through the wound, it could break apart the burnt area and I could heal on my own from there. Unless of course, you have a can of purple ghost energy in your pocket," Box Ghost spat.

"What? That's got to be the craziest plan I ever heard! And I read my dad's blueprints…!"

"Well breaking it apart by hand will be too slow! And painful…" he looked away, his eyelids becoming heavier.

"Alright, alright! Just stay with me dude!" Danny shouted, snapping the ghost back to reality. Danny charged a bright green orb at his fingertip, "But are you sure about this? It might just burn you more, and I could always miss…."

Box Ghost chuckled painfully at the ghost boy's naivety, "Pure ghost energy is far purer than anything humans can produce, and far more stable. Your power, and I know from experience, is more force than friction, and as far as your aim… I don't think that's an issue. You've always hit your target before!"

Danny stared at Box Ghost for a minute, 'Wow. He's actually pretty brave. I always thought he was just another cowardly punching bag…' Danny slowly raised his straightened arm, "Well, I'm still not sure about this, but if you're ready…."

Box Ghost slowly nodded, never taking his eyes off the ghost boy.

Danny focused hard on the hole he aimed for. It was true, if he could be called anything by title, it would be Ghostly Marksman. He rarely missed his shot, but now that he was challenged….

Danny grit his teeth and unleashed the green energy in a solid straight beam, traveling flawlessly through the air and into the Box Ghosts chest. It ripped through the flesh and the metal behind it, exploding at the floor behind it. Box Ghost froze in agony, and fell to the floor of the crate, unconscious. Danny flew to his aid and caught him in an arm.

"Box Ghost! You okay? Say something!" Danny shook him with his free hand. Though he didn't move, he saw the wound through his frame cease the bleeding and slowly close, leaving a slightly darker patch of skin.

"Phew, it worked! If he died again…" Danny eyed the sleeping spirit with curiosity, laying him on the floor face down to inspect the other wounds, "I wonder what would happen?"

Knowing both the human world and the ghost world, Danny often contemplated the outcome of death itself. He knew that if you died, you become a ghost. But did it happen to everyone? Was there another place that the deceased visit, aside from the Ghost Zone? Could there really be a heaven and hell as depicted in so many religions, and the Ghost Zone was just… something else? And with the very humanistic nature of ghosts, they too were capable of the trademark feat of mortals called death. But if they were already dead, or perhaps in a better term, had died once, then what became of them if they were to die again? Danny had more than once racked his fifteen year old brain for the answers, far lacking the knowledge to even begin to analyze the question. But no matter how many ghosts he fought and defeated, no matter how many ghosts and humans for that matter wanted to destroy him, it would never be his intention to kill a ghost or a human. Defeat, trap, and send away, that was how he did it and always would. This was because he feared the small part that he had already analyzed.

'Not everything that dies turns into a ghost. It's easy to see that much, otherwise the Ghost Zone would be absolutely crammed with dead guys. Fright Knight would be hanging with all his round-table buddies, Ember would be getting tips from Elvis, and I'd already have met my great-great-great-great-great-great grandpa Cornelius Fenton who invented dirt or something, but apparently, that isn't how it works. Instead, it seems a select few go to the Ghost Zone, while others… I dunno. Something else happens to the rest. But if a ghost died… it might have a different fate than whatever the others have, already being dead. If they're already in an afterlife, what happens after that?…'

Danny feared the part after that. He feared the word he had to use to describe the destination that seemed a probable fate for the death of the dead.

Oblivion. Nothingness.

To be unable to feel, see, hear, think. To be ripped entirely away from the concept of existence. Some think it is the fate of human death, but if ghosts exist, that isn't likely. Even for those that don't become ghosts. But to die in an afterlife….

And that was all he had. After that, he hit a roadblock and his mind trailed off to something else. He just hoped that heaven and hell were open to ghosts and humans alike and began to think about Paullina in a bathing suit or something.

Or in this case, he shook his head and cursed himself for letting the Box Ghost keep bleeding from his back. He knelt down and began prodding the burnt flesh with energy on his finger, breaking it apart until the wounds were closed and healed. Box Ghost showed signs of life, but didn't awake when he was healed.

Danny felt great relief in that he wouldn't be sending anyone to meet the fate he feared so much. That is, until he realized how long he'd been out of school.

"Oh man… Box ghost is safe, but Lancer's gonna kill me again…." Danny checked Box Ghost once more. He seemed to be peacefully sleeping now, perhaps what ghosts do when they regain energy, 'I guess it was worth it. You owe me one dude.'

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Mr. Lancer looked up from his roll sheet and scanned the room. His eyes narrowed on Sam and Tucker, "Mr. Foley, Mrs. Manson, may I ask if you have any idea where Mr. Fenton is?"

"Uhhhh… You may… not?" Tucker asked more than said. Sam smacked forehead and sighed grimly.

"Actually, I may," Lancer strode up to Tucker's desk, "I saw you talking to him when he ran off. He looked… frantic. So," he bent down and got in Tucker's face, "so what happened, hm?"

Sam and Tucker smiled at Lancer nervously, having forgotten to devise an alibi for their Houdini of a friend. Even they didn't know exactly where he was now.

Danny suddenly burst through the door, "Uh, Mr. Fenton ate today's dessert and had to make an emergency trip to the bathroom!" he said panting, pretending to hold his stomach.

Lancer looked back surprised and narrowed his eyes, "Is that so, Mr. Fenton?" he thought for a moment, "Oh… I see. The dessert… well, that explains it…" Lancer cleared his throat awkwardly, "…this time. Take your seat Danny," he walked uncomfortably back to the head of the class. He of course knew that the food in the cafeteria was less than passing on the health inspection standards, so he had to be lenient with the complications, lest he risk a lawsuit. But more importantly, risk his bonus….

All three friends sighed in relief. Danny sat in front of Sam. He knew he would have to face her sometime.

She whispered to him, "So who was it?"

"Box Ghost," he replied. He leaned back in his chair, exhausted.

There was a silence between them briefly, "You skipped out for that?" she harshly whispered.

"Sam, calm down. I'll explain that later too, promise."

Sam huffed and leaned back in her seat, with crossed arms.

Valerie watched Danny whisper to Sam from across the room. He looked miserable, slumping in his chair.

'Why's he so down all the time? The dessert was bad, but… first it was the macaroni, then the desert, and he didn't touch either one! …Granted, they were probably diseased…' she leaned on her elbow, averting her gaze from Lancer's lecture to watch Danny, 'What is he always running off to do? I gotta say, him and his friends are terrible actors….' Danny suddenly noticed her watching him and he turned away quickly. Valerie smiled mischievously, 'I'll find your secret Fenton. Just you wait….'

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"So, spill it Danny! Why were Dash's pals making tea party plans with you and Danny Phantom?" Sam demanded.

After school, Tucker and Sam had dragged Danny to the park for an explanation. Danny stood with his back against a tree in a clearing, cornered by the two of them.

"Sam, I promised I'd never turn make another shallow popularity maneuver, and I meant it! I'm not ditching you guys for anyone again, I swear!"

"Is that so?" Tucker inquired smoothly, "Then why was Dash seeing double before lunch?"

"Uhhh… well, he tried to beat me up, and I thought, 'Why not?'" Danny laughed nervously.

"'Why not?' You thought 'Why not?' Do you realize that the whole school thinks you're 'friends' with Danny Phantom, right?" Sam said cynically.

"Hey, it was my dupes fault!"

"Your dupe being a copy of you," Tucker stated.

"Aw crud," Danny slumped, "Look you guys, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, it just slipped! I panicked! Do you really think I'd do it on purpose?"

Sam and Tucker looked at each other. After all they'd been through, they really did know inside that Danny knew better than to do that to them again, but it was in their nature to be protective of him like that.

"I didn't think so," Danny smiled, "So are we cool?"

"I guess… but you're going to have to be careful around school from now on. From what I overheard, Paullina is going to be your bait, and knowing you…" Sam mumbled, looking away.

"I will. I've dealt with enough of her games to know when she's playing at something."

"Alright, that's all taken care of," Tucker said, trying to change the subject for Sam's sake, "What happened on your little ghost outing?"

"Oh man, you guys are not gonna believe it!"

Danny began to tell them all about his meeting with Box Ghost, making sure to emphasize on the fact that there was a new hunter in town. They were shocked.

"Whoa, so you've got a new healing power? Sweet!" Tucker exclaimed.

"No Tucker, he used his ghost ray to destroy the flesh that couldn't heal!" Sam sighed, "He's still stuck with pure brute destruction powers."

"…WERE YOU GUYS EVEN LISTENING?" Danny shouted, "Someone's out to kill ghosts! And I just happen to fall into that category!"

"Oh yeah…." Tucker said bashfully.

"Well the obvious solution would be to take it easy on going ghost for a while. If he's out for ghosts, then maybe that means your job will be easier," Sam said passively.

"Sam, are you crazy?" Danny demanded, "I can't let this slide, I've got to do something about it!"

"What?" both friends said at once.

"I'm fine with my parents chasing Box Ghost and Valerie trading lasers with Skulker, but this guy is out to kill! As in, end the existence of said hunted being! It's not me I'm worried about, it's the other ghosts!"

The two stared at Danny silently for a long time, "Um… since when do you care about the guys that are always trying to kill you?" Tucker crossed his arms.

"Yeah, and they're just ghosts. They're already dead, so what's there to worry about? Can they even die?"

Danny looked back and forth between his friends, unable to believe what he was hearing, "I can't believe you two!"

Instantly, two rings rose around him transforming him into Danny Phantom, and he shot off into the sky, leaving sight within seconds.

"Danny, wait! What did I…" Sam was left there, mouth gaping after the Phantom fleeing from her, "What did I say?…"

As Tucker watched Danny go, he suddenly flinched as a concept dawned on him, "Sam, what if he… Danny probably… uh…." he couldn't quite make the words.

"What?" she turned to Tucker desperately.

"Um… Well, we all think about death from time to time, right? We know it's gonna happen one day and all that, but… Danny knows about the worlds of both the dead and the living. He knows about things that normal humans just aren't supposed to know about, so…" he retreated to fabricate the rest.

"Oh… I never thought of it like that. Danny must think about that stuff a lot," Sam looked off to the sky again, having lost sight of Danny.

"Exactly! But it's not like you and me think about death, but… Sam, he thinks Box Ghost was dying. I never thought about a ghost's death because, well, they're dead. But think about it Sam, what if a ghost did die? A human dies and goes to the Ghost Zone, but where would a ghost go?"

Sam's eyes widened. A ghost's death… how the hell would that work? "And Danny… he…."

"Yeah," Tucker put his hand on her shoulder and joined her in watching the sky, "Danny's dead and alive. Who knows if he'll have a human death or a ghost death. Danny is half ghost, and a ghost is a deceased human. If you think about it… Danny is actually fused with death itself."

"Danny…" a tear glistened on Sam's cheek. She was supposed to be the empathetic one, "We should have thought of this a long time ago Tucker. Danny must have so much on his mind…."

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Danny's eyes were forced to squint as he raced through the sky over the city. He had to get away from them, from everyone.

He saw a tall skyscraper on the south side of the city. The opportunity for solitude beckoned him. He veered off to the roof and touched down, immediately becoming human. The cold wind chilled him to the bone, much worse when not in ghost form. Danny sat at the edge of the roof, the view of his city no less captivating to his human eyes.

Danny Fenton was an average fifteen year old, going to school, currently looking for a job and training for his driver's permit. He had slightly below average grades, good friends, and simple teenage responsibilities. Average in every way possible. He lived in this city.

Danny Phantom was a fifteen year old ghost, fighting other more powerful ghosts than he, fleeing ghost hunters and solving mysteries that would usually destroy the planet or something without him. He had great power, an archenemy named Vlad Plasmius and ridiculous responsibilities. Anything but average. He protected this city.

Danny weighed the two people on each hand. Fenton and Phantom. How could such a normal fourteen year old have been fused with such a strange alter ego? That fateful day nine months ago, he was gifted with great power. With it came a curse of hatred, responsibility, rivalry, secrecy and pain. Knowledge was part of the curse too. He was aware of so many things that humans weren't meant to know of, and at times like this, they tore him apart.

'What am I doing? What is it that I'm fighting for? Everyone that I fight to protect, everyone I serve… they're all going to end up a ghost or just dead too, one day,' Danny watched the cars below him flowing like a river, seeming to never end, 'They all know just where they're going. But where am I supposed to be going? It seems like no one wants my help anyway. My parents want me destroyed, I like Valerie a lot, but she wants me dead too. Even the Ghost Zone either wants me destroyed or in prison….' he looked up and saw five birds he didn't care to identify fly overhead. All he saw when a bird flew by was that it was… free. It was just where it belonged, in the air with other birds, uncaring of it's destination, 'Why can't I do that? Why can't I just do what I want and not care about how it turns out?' he watched the birds absently, wishing he could fly with them… and he could have, but that's not the point….

"Enjoying the view, Daniel?" a smooth, snide voice mocked as the familiar blue trail emerged from Danny's mouth.

Danny didn't know exactly what happened, but he guessed his instinct took over. In an instant, he had leapt into the air, transformed and turned to face the threat, in that order. It was Vlad Plasmius, arms crossed and his fanged smile ever mocking Danny. He floated level with him, Danny in his battle ready air stance.

Vlad's smile faded after seeing Danny's reaction, being replaced with impression, "Oh! Your reflexes have improved, I think. Nicely done Daniel," his snide smile returned.

"It's been a while since you and I fought, creep. You don't know what I can do," Danny bluffed. He had improved, but they both knew he still couldn't lay a hand on Vlad. Not just yet.

"Oh please… I'm not here to fight anyway! I simply came to… check on my young protégé. You haven't forgotten that my decree still stands, that you and your mother will belong to me, have you?"

"No, but I was hoping you had," Danny said under his breath.

"Poor, naïve child. I don't forget easily," Vlad floated to the spot Danny had jumped away from and gazed out over the city, "Tell me, have you ever thought about that destiny? Of what's meant to become of you?"

"I don't believe in destiny. No one changes my life but me, got it?" his fists tightened.

Vlad snickered, "Yes, I suppose that is how you would feel, believing you're invincible and independent. Teenagers… so naïve. You will be in for a rude awakening soon enough," he scanned the city streets, almost absently.

"I don't care about your mind games Vlad! What did you come here for?"

Vlad sighed sadly, turning to Danny, "Fine. There's little point to sugar coat it or mince words, my boy, you're getting to old and smart for that. I'll just come right out and say it: You're in danger. Not from a ghost or some foolish organization like the Guys in White, but from something within yourself."

Danny scoffed, "Vlad, you've got to be kidding. I know where this is going: 'Daniel, I need you to my lab so we can fix the problem with you and- Oh, I'm sorry, this is a trap and you're really just here to test out my new cloning machine.' Please…" he growled with crossed arms firmly.

Vlad shook his head, "Stop and listen boy, I've had these powers for twenty years if you recall. There are things I know that you couldn't possibly know about the ghost half, things that need to be handled with great care. This is no trick Daniel!"

Danny felt no different than he had the day before or the day before, the week before and so on. But even he knew that there would probably be things that came with the ghost half that he wouldn't expect. Random discoveries of new powers were one example, but for all he knew his ghost half would have to undergo some kind of ghostly puberty. Despite this, he knew better to EVER accept help from Vlad, not so much for pride, but even if he planned on helping Danny, he would only do it if it involved some kind of gain for him.

"Whatever it is, I'll deal with it. I don't care what you have to say about it, there's no way I'm taking help from you."

Vlad sighed again, "Yes, I thought you'd say that… Ah well. I suppose there's little that a non-parental figure can do to wear down teenage pride… Be that as it may, I leave you with this," Vlad began to rise away from Danny, above the skyscraper and over the city, "If your problems get out of hand, you know where my castle is. I'll welcome you with open arms," he sarcastically waved to the fuming ghost boy, "Ta!"

Danny outstretched his hand to Vlad, "Wait! What do you know about the new ghost hunter?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow, "What new ghost hunter? You mean you've found one besides your parents and Valerie?"

"Apparently. I found Box Ghost bleeding to death in a warehouse and he told me a new hunter, one that we don't know about, nearly destroyed him."

"Bleeding to death? Is the buffoon alright?" Vlad looked truly concerned for a change, his expression still tainted with an evil contort.

"I fixed him, but if I had gotten there much later…. He had blood and skin taken from his arm, his energy was drained, and he had three holes through him that I guess came from some kind of makeshift beam weapon."

"Through him? They didn't heal? It doesn't take much energy to heal…." Vlad rubbed his chin ponderously.

"The wounds were burnt. The energy was unstable, I think, and he didn't have enough energy to heal through the burns. Sounds more like a crazy ghost scientist, but Box Ghost said he was a hunter."

Vlad's eyes widened hearing that, "It was that crude? ……I wonder…."

Danny was listening intently and didn't miss it as intended, "Wonder what? What do you know?"

Vlad glared daggers at the boy, "I know nothing of this! But thanks for the tip, I'll be sure to have my Vultures look into the matter. Well, I should be off. Take care, my boy! No use to me dead, are you now?" Vlad sneered his goodbye and disappeared in a swirling cloud of red energy.

Danny looked around cautiously, and when satisfied that he was alone, collapsed to the cement of the roof in relief. Be it an ice age in hell that he want to fight him with his skills what they were… when nothing was on the line, of course. Had he done something insidious, like kidnapping Sam and Tucker, then….

Danny flinched, 'Sam and Tuck! They're alone!'

He would have normally took a little time to reflect on what Vlad had said, maybe find a clue to anything he was planning, but there were priorities to think of, like the safety of his friends. The young half ghost shot into the air and blasted off toward the spot he left them in, unbeknownst to him, leaving a green energy trail in his wake.

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Weeeeeeeeell? Was it descent? I hope so… cuz I'm really not sure about this one. I liked the first one more… These chapters are just development chapters. The story has just barely started, so I want to know I'm not wasting everyone's time… SO REVIEW RIGHT NOW OR I'LL… I'LL! ……… cry… sniff

Thanks for getting this far with my story, I look forward to your responses!