Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well, and if not I hope you will be doing better soon! I don't have much to say, so let's get this show on the road shall we?

Warnings for the chapter: Not anything worth mentioning.

I do not own Danny Phantom, Butch Hartman does. This story has been disclaimed.

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Chapter two: The piano, the Shadow, and the Phantom

Danny walks into a large Dining Room and looks around the crowded area. Large red curtains with gold ropes holding them are along the top of the white wall, while plush burgundy carpet lines the floor with at least thirty tables covered in white table cloths.

He spots his parents and sister over at the end farthest from the door and strolls over, trying not to give away his discomfort of being in a room with so many strangers. He maneuveres around the tables and passengers, almost to his family's table when something on the stage catches his eye.

A big beautiful black piano sat at the far end of the dining room, about seven tables from the entrance and four tables away from the place his family now sat. He continues to walk towards his family, glancing back at the instrument several times before he gives in to the impulse, changing direction as he heads over to the piano.

He stands in front of it, lifting the lid and running his fingers over the ivory keys. He hears a whisper in his ear, 'Play it.' It hissed, 'What are you waiting for?'

As if he was in a trance, Danny places his hand on the keys, tentatively playing a few notes. The piano is perfectly tuned, though Danny couldn't say how he knows that. A song runs through his head and his fingers follow it without prompt. Conversation still flows through the room, not unusual, they probably had someone come and play music every once in a while. He feels eyes on him though, from in the crowd and despite feeling self-consciousness he can't seem to stop.

He sees something out of the corner of his eye and glances over to see a white haired man leaning against the wall. He wears a white buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled up over his elbows and black pants with sleek looking grey boots.

The man has his arms crossed as his glowing green eyes focus on Danny intently, and instead of feeling uncomfortable, Danny puts his other hand on the piano keys and picks up the song, like his fingers were following the beat of his heart as it sped up. The room falls silent as the other passengers finally notice him and gaze in awe.

The man smirks, as if he knew the effect he had on Danny and the raven haired man's heart skips a beat. His green eyes seem to glow with pride and other emotions that Danny can't name, though the glowing could have been his imagination. As the song comes to a close, Danny begins to get a feeling of deja vu. He tried to think of where the feeling could have come from but nothing comes to mind.

The song ends, and Danny jumps when the people in the room start to applaud him. 'How the hell did I forget that I'm in a room filled with over half the people on the ship?!'

His cheeks become red as tomatoes and he looks back over to where the snow haired devil was standing, only to blink and raise a brow when the man is gone. He quickly walks off the stage before anyone can intercept him.

Confused and slightly embarrassed from the reception, Danny walks down a dim hall not realizing something is watching him until a deep voice comes out of the shadows.

"That was a marvelous performance Daniel,"

His eyes widen and he instinctively turns sharply towards a shadow on the wall that seems to be darker than he thinks it should be. "Who are you?!" He growls. "How do you know my name?"

A dark chuckle comes from the place Danny is watching as slanted red eyes and a fanged grin appear, "My, my, forceful as always Daniel, but who I am is of little importance as of now. Just know that I am a friend."

Danny glares at the shadow, "A friend huh? I don't know you."

The grin gets bigger, "Tell me then Daniel, do you know that other boy? The one with the white hair and venomous green eyes?"

Danny's eyes narrow, his body tensing up as he says, "No, I don't. You still haven't given me a reason to trust you though."

"No, I suppose I haven't. But considering that I saved your life from him I would think that you'd be more appreciative. Or do you not remember?" the shadow said, acting concerned.

Danny's eyes widen slightly before they narrow again at the feeling of something not right.

"I don't believe you." He states flatly.

"Really Daniel, are you sure you don't remember? That is concerning, he must have done more than I thought."

"Did what?" Danny snaps, the bad feeling increasing.

"Tell me Daniel, what do you remember before your eleventh year?" The shadow inquires. Danny's brow wrinkles in thought,

"I-I don't remember anything," He glares even harder at the shadow, "How did you know?"

"I was there Daniel! That ghost attacked you while I was distracted! If I hadn't stopped him he could have done far worse!" The shadow says melodramatically, "Though, I suppose there might not be anything worse than having the memories of your childhood taken from you."

Danny shakes his head fiercely, "No, that's not true!" He retorts. He didn't know why, but he knew for certain that it wasn't. The shadow sighs as if disappointed.

"I suppose it doesn't matter. At least some memories remain. Did you know that you use to play piano?"

Danny shakes his head again, "No. I've never even touched a piano before." He said.

"That's not true my boy! You learned to play piano when you were five years old! You said that you wanted to play for me." The shadow told him in a desperate tone. Danny thought for a moment. He could tell, somehow, that what it said was true. But something told him that it still wasn't quite right.

"Your lying."

"That was one of my most precious memories with you Little Badger, what could I possibly gain from lying to you?" The thing insists, trying to cover up his annoyance. Danny caught it though and clenched his fists.

"I can tell your lying! Who are you?!" Danny snarls.

The shadow opens its mouth to reply but senses another presence. "Butter Biscuits!" It curses under its breath before it vanishes.

Danny's brow raises in confusion. "What the..."

"You shouldn't believe what that thing tells you, Danny. It may sound charming but its motives are not for your benefit."

Danny turns towards the new voice, muscles tensed. He relaxes though when he sees the man from before. He didn't know why, but he felt safe around him. "Why should I trust you?" He says none the less.

The man's eyes soften as he walks up to Danny, putting a gentle hand on his face as he gazes at Danny lovingly.

"Why would I ever want to harm my beautiful little Nightingale?" He says softly.

Danny gasps and searches the man's eyes. He feels like he should kiss him, but once again he can't for the life of him figure out why. "Who are you?"

The man leans in, his warm breath ghosting over Danny's lips. "Phantom..."

Danny wants to push him away, he wants to yell, but something holds him back. Danny closes his eyes and waits, feeling conflicted with wanting to push him away, and wanting to pull Phantom closer. The raven haired man felt the name was familiar too.

Unfortunately, Phantom pulls away. Danny opens his eyes to gaze at the other man. Phantom caresses Danny's cheek, eyes swimming with sadness and longing. "I wish you could remember." Phantom whispers before he fades away.

Danny blinks, his brow furrowing before another voice, this one much more familiar, comes from the direction of the Dining Room.

"Danny?"