A/N: Haha, and then I was back again.

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

Daniel rose his hand, though there was a smoke screen that had gathered all around him. He rolled his eyes at the minor inconvenience, taking a step forward. The young halfa hadn't gotten very far before he quickly jumped back to avoid an ecto-weapon – it was a steel baton that didn't have the name of Fenton on it.

Tilting his head to the side, he took another inquisitive step back until a Latina teenager appeared into his view. She glared over at him, not speaking a word as she raised her weapon in the air to attack him once again, though she hadn't taken a single step towards him.

"I have a feeling that we've met…" Daniel muttered, a slow smile spreading on his face. He snapped his fingers as he turned intangible. The instant that he did, Naomi's eyes widened at the ecto-blasts that had formed exactly where the teenager in front of her used to be.

Not being able to dodge out of the way, she swung at the blasts with her baton. She had assumed that Daniel might have wandered off, and so her guard had been momentarily down while she deflected the harmful energy blasts.

An invisible fist landed in her side, causing her to fly in the air for just a few seconds. Naomi landed on the ground in a heap, struggling to get back on her feet. She could hear Daniel's mocking steps coming ever so closer to her, but couldn't see him with her own eyes.

He was still intangible for the most part – he didn't have to make his footsteps audible, but he did.

He was playing with her.

She grit her teeth, forcing herself to stand to her feet with a heavy breath. Glaring around the general vicinity with a suspicious stare, she was preparing herself for an attack that might happen out of nowhere.

The instant that Daniel made his hand visible to attack her once more, he was shot back instantly. Naomi looked up to see the young halfa now completely visible. He shook out his singed hand, as though he had merely gotten stung, compared to being attacked by an ecto-weapon.

"Stay the hell away from her, Fenton."

Valerie appeared from the smoke screen that still seemed to swarm the area. Daniel looked between his hand and then to Valerie. "Don't associate me to Jack," he spoke, his voice emotionless.

"That is your last name," Valerie argued back to him, still holding her ecto-blaster out to attack him. Her finger was already on the trigger, just waiting to attack the teenager again should he make any sudden movement.

Daniel didn't reply.

Instead, he let out a heavy sigh. "It would be better for you all to charge me at once," he waved his hand in front of him, dismissing the smoke screen as a giant gust of green wind swept through the area. He stared at Tucker and Sam, who were squatted on the ground, in the middle of a hushed discussion.

As soon as the coverage had disappeared, they quickly looked up at Daniel.

"Bad idea or not, that's the only option we have!" Tucker yelled, finalizing his thoughts on the hidden discussion. He stood up, holding his own blaster at his ex-best friend. Daniel looked between Tucker and Sam before settling on the two girls that were in front of him – Valerie and Naomi.

"How long will you put up this meaningless effort?" Daniel asked in mild boredom. He placed his hands on his waist, no longer interested in fighting the group in front of him. "You're wasting my time."

Valerie grit her teeth. "He's mocking us."

"Mocking you?" Daniel asked before releasing a dark chuckle. "That would mean that I would have to even have a thought about you…" He narrowed his eyes in distaste. "Which, I don't. You're insects. A nuisance."

Naomi tightened her hold on her baton.

"Oh-!" Came a high pitched voice from behind the group. "Dan-ny-!" Paulina came running down the street holding a gun in her hands.

"You can't be serious-!"

"What the hell is she doing here-?"

Daniel watched in silence, seeing the girl prancing towards him…as though he were an old friend. She approached them, avoiding Tucker who tried to grab onto her shoulder. Paulina grinned, leaning forward in exhaustion from her small amount of physical activity.

"You like, finally came!" Paulina stood up straight, swinging her hair over her shoulder. "I always knew that you were cool. I just can't believe that you turned out to be the ghost boy!"

Daniel rose an eyebrow, to which Paulina let out a small squeal.

"I don't know what it is – you seem like, way cooler for some reason-!" Paulina took a step towards him, only to get pushed back roughly by Valerie's free hand. "He-ey-!" Paulina complained, glaring over at Valerie, whose face had significantly paled. At seeing the seriousness, Paulina began to falter in her stance, taking a step back to keep herself standing.

This wasn't the ghost boy that she had known and admired…that she had crushed on.

This was a stranger – an enemy in front of her.

Daniel shifted his eyes slowly away from Paulina, who had tensed under his gaze.

"Will you bring me what I want?" Daniel taunted. "Or, will I need to level this entire pathetic town to the ground?"

"You won't find Jazz that way, Danny," Sam spoke, taking a couple of steps forward. Daniel looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "She's as broken as you."

Daniel could feel his face begin to frown.

"I'm not broken," he argued. He placed a hand up to his chest. "I'm stronger without sentimental attachments weighing me down."

Valerie chuckled dryly at his words.

"That makes you weak."

Daniel hadn't liked that, and changed his focus to Valerie. He narrowed his eyes, staring at her. For once, he had felt the bite behind words. He didn't know why, but when she said that he was weak…it made him…angry.

He never felt angry anymore.

Irritated, yes…he felt irritated all the time.

With a man like Vlad as his father, it was expected that he would feel the way that he did. There was no happiness or joy in his life. Those things made him weak; friends, family…attachments in general – they all made him weak.

He wasn't weak.

He was strong – he had to be strong.

The way that he acted, the way that he thought…he did it all so that he would not become the perfect pawn to Vlad. He still held a shred of what he used to be, he was sure of it. He would just never be Danny Fenton again – he couldn't afford to be him.

Danny Fenton was weak.

"I am not weak," Daniel responded after a few seconds of mentally debating with himself.

"Danny, Vlad has made you weak."

Daniel blinked his eyes once…and then twice.

Had Vlad made him weak?

He shook his head, no…that was impossible.

He used Vlad to become stronger –

It was impossible that he was weak.

He wouldn't believe that.

"You would be wise to shut your mouth…!" Daniel warned to Valerie, who had uttered those last words. His eyes began to glow a murderous red. He never showed anger these days – there was nothing to get mad about. Getting angry about something insinuated that he had the ability to change what was happening in his life…but he didn't.

It was all predetermined – it was all set up the way that Vlad had designed it.

Had he planned on himself morphing into who he was now?

No, that couldn't be it, he was still a wild car – he was still a threat to Vlad's grand plans and schemes. That's why he still didn't trust him.

He wasn't playing by Vlad's rules…Vlad was playing by his rules.

His head was beginning to hurt – he didn't want to think about this anymore.

"I'm not broken," he growled out, placing a hand up to his head, which continued to pulse painfully. It was a lingering, constant pain that he couldn't do anything about. "But you all are about to be…" He trailed out, his eyes glowing back to a green color.

He was not weak.

He can't afford to be weak.

"The old Danny would never have let Vlad corrupt him."

Daniel looked at Sam with anger returning to the surface again. She had spoken those words, and the instant that she did…It felt like something inside of him had finally snapped and emotions hit him all at once, nearly knocking him over.

"And where were you?" He spat out, not knowing where the words were coming from. His head was hurting even more, feeling unwanted memories beginning to breach into the corners of his mind. Sam tensed at such intense rage being directed at her. "Where were you, Sam?" Daniel asked again, taking a step towards the girl.

Sam's eyes had widened at seeing that she was beginning to talk to the real Danny, and not this brainwashed one that Vlad had created.

Although she was making progress…she couldn't stand the look of betrayal that lingered in his eyes, or the way that his once stoic face began to morph into one that was in eternal suffering.

She wanted to take all that pain away from him -

"I could only do so much-!" Daniel spoke, his eyes beginning to water, he blinked them back.

Why was he crying-?

Where was all this sadness coming from?

"Danny, I tried to reach you!" Sam insisted, placing her arms out to her sides. She wanted him to understand that he had never truly been alone. "We sent in Naomi to get you out, but that was the best that we could have done!"

Daniel dug the palm of his right hand into his right eye, wanting the pain that was swarming in his brain to subside. He let out a heavy sigh, but his left eye unwillingly went to look at Naomi, who gave him a sympathetic look.

It was filled with pity and regret.

He hated seeing that expression-!

"I don't need anyone…" Daniel attempted to reign himself back in from having an emotional breakdown. He was strong and he wasn't broken – then why did it feel like he was being torn in half?

He took in a breath, tearing his eyes away from Naomi, who he vaguely remembered used to work at the mansion. Daniel wondered where those memories of his had disappeared to – had he truly become a former shell of himself without realizing it?

"Not a day went by where I didn't think of you – where I didn't want to rescue you myself-!"

Daniel felt another wave of anger.

"Then why didn't you?" He yelled before he could stop the words from spilling from his mouth. "I waited, Sam. I waited for both you and Tucker. I-!" He fell to his knees, not wanting to keep standing…no, that wasn't right…

He was running out of energy.

That wasn't right – he wasn't weak-!

Daniel breathed in deeply, once more blinking back tears.

"Oh, god…" Daniel muttered, feeling the intense sadness and misery.

It was consuming him from the inside, out. He hadn't liked this feeling, he hadn't liked feeling vulnerable. Not even he could repress his feelings as a former part of him was digging itself back to the surface.

"What am I doing…?" He whispered, slamming his hand on the ground in frustration. "What the hell am I doing here-?"

I'm supposed to destroy Amity Park.

How did it get to this?

"D-Danny…?"

Daniel whipped his head up to see an orange haired woman standing in front of him – she had short hair that went to her shoulders. It was curly at the ends, and she looked so much like his mother…she looked like Maddie.

He stared at her for a few seconds in disbelief.

An image passed into his mind – a happier, healthier looking girl that bore the same resemblance. Though, she had much longer hair and was wearing a teal colored headband.

His sister.

"J-Jazz…?" His eyes once more filing with water.

"Danny…." Jazz spoke, leaning down to embrace her brother. He tensed at her touch, not used to anyone hugging him for months. Not even his mother would hug him…she had seen him as a traitor for just wanting to keep her safe. "You're here!" She whispered into his ear.

He hesitantly returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her slowly.

It felt…nice.

Daniel didn't want to let go. He felt safe with Jazz here – it was hard to describe. She felt like home, or, at least what home should have felt like to him.

"Isn't this a reunion?" Fright Knight called out, landing down on the ground. Daniel quickly turned his head to look at Vlad's goon with a narrowed gaze. "I had my suspicions that you wouldn't follow Plasmius' rules-!" He brought out a remote.

"Am I meant to be scared by that-?" Daniel began to cockily say until an intense shock began to resonate from the lower part of his back. It didn't stop and kept going, making the young halfa's vision begin to go. His legs and arms were beginning to grow numb from the consistent electrocution that he had wanted to put an end to immediately.

He blinked back black stars quickly, not wanting to fall unconscious as his hand went behind him to touch where the pain was coming from.

That's right, Vlad put that stupid device there…

How could I have forgotten that annoying thing?

Daniel began to form an ecto-blast and directed it at the area.

Jazz gasped, wanting to stop her little brother from hurting herself. She was pulled away by both Valerie and Naomi, who wanted her off of the battle field.

Daniel screamed as the ecto-blast began to burn against his skin. Fright Knight watched on, his eyes widening at seeing the young halfa's self-destructive behavior. He hadn't known that Vlad had corrupted him to the point where the instinct of self-preservation kicked in instantly.

In a few seconds, Daniel pulled his steaming hand away from his back. "Well…" He spoke, his voice nearly emotionless. He stood up, favoring his right side as he glared at the ghost in front of him. "Took care of that inconvenience…" Fright Knight's hand began to shake, seeing that the remote that he was holding was useless at this point.

It was supposed to be Daniel's off switch in the field.

Now, the boy was uncontrollable.

Daniel let out a slow smirk, taking a step closer to the ghost. Green and red plopped behind him as he kept advancing towards his opponent.

"Danny-!" Jazz yelled, her hand up to her mouth.

There was a gaping hole in the teen's back, and Daniel's old friends had to tear their eyes away from the macabre scene. It was far too gruesome to keep looking at it. However, aside from Daniel's grimacing, he presented himself as though he hadn't nearly made himself completely paralyzed.

Everyone was surprised he could even take a step.

"I heal fast…" He said under his breath. His words were strained, but they didn't hint at any disbelief. Tucker and Sam knew that Danny healed quickly – though, he didn't heal nearly that fast to generate muscle, blood, and ecto-plasm.

He would be hurting for a while, and they didn't know for how long.

"Y-You…You…" Fright Knight took a shaky step back.

Daniel chuckled darkly. "What about me?" He mocked, firing up an ecto-blast in his hand. "Go on, finish your sentence." The ghost watched as it turned from green to blue. Fright Knight took to the skies instantly, looking down at the bleeding out teenager on the ground. Daniel followed his gaze as he raised his hand up in the air. He waved his fingers around, slowly wrapping them into a fist.

Fright Knight breathed out a sigh of relief, before his eyes widened at seeing Daniel now pointing a finger gun at him.

"Bang," Daniel muttered, a blue light shooting from the tip of his finger.

The ghost didn't have time to turn invisible nor intangible to avoid the attack. Instead, he resorted to putting up an ecto-shield. However, the attack when right through the shield and attacked the ghost head on.

Fright Knight turned into ice instantly, falling down to the ground. He hit it, shattering into a thousand different ice shard pieces instantly.

The teens were all shocked by what they had just witnessed.

Sam slowly turned her eyes to stare at Daniel, who was barely standing at this point – he had just killed a ghost without any remorse.

"Guys…" He turned around to look at his friends. His eyes softened, and for once, his old friends could see Danny in that hardened face of his. He was sweating profusely, and he looked significantly more pale that usual. "I'm going to…" He took a step towards them. "Pass out-!" His eyes rolled back, but before he hit the ground, Tucker ran up to catch him.

Tucker was careful to avoid touching Daniel's serious injury on his back. Out of curiosity, he looked at Daniel's backside, only to quickly face everyone at merely catching a glance.

"We need to get him to HQ," Sam announced to the group.

"What if he's still psycho?" Naomi asked, making sure to keep her distance away from the teen.

Jazz shook her head. "No," she spoke with a gentle smile. "That's my brother. He's in there," Jazz looked around the group. "We should hurry before Vlad's reinforcements come!"

The group nodded and headed towards HQ.

To be continued…

A/N: Oop. Sorry for the semi-long absence. Promise not to disappear like that again!