Danny Phantom: Origins

Chapter Five: Confessions and Conflicts

"I can't believe he's still hanging out with her!" Sam said frustrated, watching Danny and Naomi talking from a distance.

"It has been almost two weeks, you know. Don't you think it's time you just let it go?" Tucker said, standing beside her. Sam simply grunted in response.

Inside she knew there was truth in what Tucker said. It had been nearly two weeks since they had their argument, and she would normally let things go by that time. But this matter involved Danny. And for reasons unknown – or rather, unwilling to be admitted – when things involved Danny, Sam tended to react… unnaturally.

"See you tonight, then." Sam heard Danny say to Naomi. When she looked, she found that Danny had already disappeared from view. She saw Naomi waving lightly toward what she assumed was Danny (she couldn't see as her vision was blocked). Sam then returned her gaze to Naomi, who suddenly sighed deeply, looking down with eyes full of unknown emotions.

What the--? What's with that look? Sam thought to herself while shaking her head in disbelief. She dared to take another look. Naomi was still standing there, looking down, deep in thought. Before Sam could discern the exact nature of Naomi's emotions, she turned around and left, presumably going home.

Finding no reason to stay there, Sam, too, headed home. Yet somehow she couldn't get the image of the emotional-looking Naomi out of her mind.

Something is definitely up… she thought. And I'm gonna find out what it is. An image of Danny and Naomi together suddenly crossed her thoughts. She gritted her teeth, somehow finding the thought disturbing, and walked on home.

Why my place all of a sudden? Danny thought, putting his bag next to his bed. I wonder if something's come up… Just a few minutes ago, after school, Danny had walked up to Naomi and asked if they were still studying that night at her house. She had told him that something had come up, and asked if they could do it at his place instead. The brief conversation ran over and over in his head, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with her.

"Hey, Naomi. Tonight at your place, right?" he asked, walking up to her.

"Actually, something's come up…" she said with some reluctance, "how 'bout your place instead?"

"Okay…" he replied, slightly taken aback by the sudden change, "is everything all right?" he added, feeling concerned that something might be wrong.

Hesitating a moment, Naomi replied, "It's… complicated…"

He lifted an eyebrow.

"I'd really rather not talk about it… for now" She added. "So, see you at your place?"

"Right." He said, deciding it best not to press the matter. "See you tonight, then." He said, turning away.

"Why the heck am I thinking about it so much?" Danny said to himself. He was now lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, staring at the occasional shadows made by his window pane when a car passed by. The sun had nearly set, and he had been too deep in thought to turn on the light. Besides, the low light always seemed to calm him somehow.

He stood up and crossed the room, going for his closet. He had just realized that he had not taken a shower since he got home, and the itch was becoming too much for him to ignore. Besides, there's nothing like a nice shower to cool you down.

"Are you sure you don't want anything for dinner, Sam?" Sam's mother asked for the fifth time that night. She felt concerned for her daughter, who seemed more than a little more gloomy than usual that night; she hadn't left her room since she got home, and the door was locked, to boot.

"No thanks, Mom. I'm not hungry." came her reply.

"Okay, then." Mrs. Manson said. "There's still some in the fridge, in case you change your mind."

"Okay." Sam muttered. "Thanks."

Hesitating a moment, Mrs. Mason asked, "Are you sure you're okay, Sam?" A long moment's silence passed before Sam replied.

"I'm fine." She said bluntly.

"Okay, then." Mrs. Mason said. "Remember, the food's in the fridge." Although she knew Sam was lying, she also knew that there would be no use in pushing the matter further, so she decided to leave it at that and return downstairs.

"Alright, Mom." Sam muttered, though more to herself than to her mother. She lay curled in her bed, staring out through her window, watching as raindrops began to fall upon the city. Her mind was racing with a plethora of things, food being the last of those.

She walked toward her window and gazed at the direction of Danny's house. She had gone there so many times from different places that she knew where it was from wherever she was standing (the fact that his parents' workstation stuck out like a sore thumb helped too).

Sam didn't know whether it was the sudden change in the weather just then, or if it was just her having mood swings, or if it was something else entirely, but she suddenly had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. Something that she might not want. It felt as if there was some forthcoming danger of sorts. Whatever it was, it made her feel uneasy.

She focused her gaze once more to the Fenton household, as if hoping that the house would somehow give her a sign of what was bothering her. She didn't know why, but she somehow felt that something (or someone, she unwittingly thought) in that house held the answers.

Meanwhile, at the Fenton residence, a refreshed Danny had just finished taking a shower. He stepped out of the bathtub, dried himself with a towel, and then put the towel over his head. He put on the fresh pair of boxers he had brought with him, and pulled a pair of jeans over it. Zipping it shut, he paused a moment.

"I've really gotta consider changing my wardrobe." He said to himself, for the only thing he had other than white T-shirts and blue jeans was a tuxedo that belonged to an uncle he'd never heard of, and his ghost outfit. But that didn't really count, he thought, since it was somewhat bonded to his ghost form.

He threw his dirty clothes into a laundry basket beside the sink, and unlocked the bathroom door with one hand, while drying his hair with the other. But upon looking at his reflection on the large mirror placed on the door, he paused.

Apparently the numerous ghost fights he'd been through the past few weeks had shaped his physique quite well. His arms and legs were no longer skeletal as they used to be, but curved slightly. His ribs were didn't stick out anymore; like his arms and legs, the muscles had grown and were clearly defined, although they didn't bulge out.

As Danny was appreciating the changes to his body, the bathroom door suddenly opened. And there, standing wide-eyed in shock, stood Naomi. She stared at Danny (and his newly toned body) and blushed wildly. Danny was too stunned to react and say anything. For several moments they stood there, frozen, their minds struggling to comprehend the situation they were in. After what felt like decades, something clicked in the back of their heads. Naomi gave a small scream and quickly shut the door and turned around, and at the same moment Danny grabbed his fresh shirt and hurriedly put it on.

When Danny opened the door, he was surprised to see Naomi standing at the far side of his room, seemingly fascinated by the wall. "It's okay, I'm dressed now." Danny said awkwardly, shutting the door behind him.

Naomi turned around slowly to see that he was indeed dressed, and to Danny's confusion, giggled. "Your shirt's on backwards, silly." She said, answering his inquiring look.

"Oh… right…" was all Danny could say. Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, he fixed his shirt as Naomi faced the wall again. "Did you need to use the bathroom?" he asked afterwards.

"Wha-? Oh, that." She blushed again. "No, I was just wondering where that door led to."

"Well, now you know." an awkward silence fell between them. Naomi was the first to break the silence.

"So, can we start studying now?" she suggested, eager to change the topic.

"Yeah, sure thing." Danny replied, feeling much the same way.

After a couple of hours of studying – intermingled with dinner, a game of cards, and at least one TV show – they finished.

"Well that was exhausting." Danny exclaimed, slamming his book shut. "After all that studying, they'd better not cancel that test tomorrow."

"Is that likely?" Naomi asked, putting her books in her bag.

"If there's another ghost attack, I suppose." Danny replied thoughtfully. When she didn't respond, he asked, "So, are you gonna go home by yourself, or what?" Realizing how rude that sounded, he quickly added, "Or do you want me to walk you home?"

"No, thanks. My father's picking me up later. You wouldn't mind me staying here a bit longer, would you?"

"Of course not. Do you wanna wait downstairs?" he asked, picking up his books.

"Here's fine, if you don't mind." she replied as he dropped his books haphazardly on his bed. He then thought the better of it and stuffed them in his bag, which he then placed beside the bed.

"So, is there anything you want to do while we wait?" he asked, sitting on the bed. Naomi immediately opened her mouth to speak, then suddenly hesitated. Before either of them could say anything, however, the door suddenly swung open.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to mess around in my room?" said the entering figure. A tall, slim redhead with good looks and an equally good brain, Jasmine Fenton was the spitting image of her mother, save for her longer hair.

"What? What are you talking about?" Danny said, immediately forgetting about Naomi.

"My diary, Danny. Someone's moved it."

"And you think I did it?"

"Well somebody must've done it. It was in my drawer an hour ago, and now it's moved an inch to the left."

"You measured it?" Danny said, caught between disbelief and amusement.

"That's not the point, Danny. I-…"

"Excuse me, but Danny was with me an hour ago."

Noticing Naomi for the first time, Jazz said politely, "Oh. Sorry, I didn't notice you there. You're a friend of Danny's?"

Nodding, Naomi replied, "Yes. My name's Naomi. We were both here studying an hour ago." she added.

"Studying, huh?" Jazz eyed Danny suspiciously. As far as she knew, her brother wasn't exactly the studious type. In any case, she left the room, neglecting to shut the door.

"She seems nice… your sister." Naomi said as Danny closed the door.

"Yeah, well looks can be deceiving. Sibling rivalry and all that." Danny added at Naomi's questioning look.

Naomi was about to reply when her cell phone rang. "It's a text message. From my dad." then her expression changed to disappointment.

"What's wrong?"

"He says he can't pick me up tonight. Something came up at work." she explained. There was something in her tone that indicated that this might not be the first of such occurrences.

"Do you want to stay for the night?" Danny asked, fully realizing the ridiculousness of the suggestion. Luckily for him, Naomi didn't take it the wrong way.

"No thanks, Danny. It's no problem, I can walk home."

"At this hour? Absolutely not." said another voice from outside. A moment later the door swung open to reveal Jack Fenton, in his usual orange jumpsuit, standing outside the door.

"Dad? Wha-…?" Danny stuttered, dumbstruck.

"Absolutely not." Jack repeated. "Nobody visiting the Fenton household will go home on foot."

"But the van's still under construction, Dad."

"Oh. Right. I forgot about that." Jack said. "Well like I said, nobody visiting the Fenton household will go home on foot…"

"Dad…"

"… at least not alone. Danny, you're walking her home."

"I'm what?"

"Really Mr. Fenton, that isn't necessary. My house isn't far and…" Naomi began, but she got no further.

"You heard me, Danny. You're walking her home. And I won't hear a word against it." he added to Naomi. And with that, he left the two confused teens to themselves. Less than a minute later, they were both outside, on the way to Naomi's place.

"Well that was odd, even for my dad." Danny said.

"I'd say he's quite… interesting, to say the least."

"'Interesting' isn't the half of it. You should see him going on about ghosts."

"Hmm… perhaps I should." Naomi joked.

"Trust me, it's not pretty, though." Danny replied grinning. For a few moments, they said nothing else and walked on in silence.

Meanwhile, the doorbell rang at the Fenton house. Light footsteps could be heard inside, followed by Maddie Fenton's voice.

"Coming!" she called out. Soon afterwards, the door swung open.

"Hi, Mrs. Fenton sorry for coming so late. Am I interrupting?" said the visitor.

"Oh, hi, Sam. No, not at all, though it is more than a little late, you know." Maddie said concernedly. "You're soaking wet! Did you fall into… a puddle or something?"

"No, it's raining on my side of town. I'm alright Mrs. Fenton. Is Danny home?"

"I'm afraid you just missed him, honey. He went to walk that girl home… what was her name again?"

Dread began to rise within Sam's heart, and she dared to ask. "Naomi?"

"Yes, that's her. You should come in, otherwise you'll catch a cold. You can wait inside, they said they won't be long."

"No, thanks, Mrs. Fenton." Sam said, and before Maddie could say anything else, she was off.

"So how far is your home from here, anyway?" Danny asked.

"Not far, just a couple of blocks from the park." she replied. Danny tried to think of something to say that would bring the conversation forward.

"Oh." was all he came up with. He'd always been awkward when it came to girls (with the possible exception of Sam, of course), and he'd never quite been one to strike a conversation. If he could slap himself across the face, he would.

"It's just around the corner of Oak Street and Regency. Not far from the old abandoned windmill."

"Oh, the windmill. Yeah, I've been around there a couple of times."

"Really? When? I don't remember ever seeing you around."

"What? Oh. Um… I didn't really stop by there… it's more of uh… more of a… passing through thing." Danny lied. Of course he'd been there; the windmill was one of the landmarks he used to fly around the city quickly, without having to follow the roads. "Hey, here's the park." He added, trying to change the subject. Fortunately for him, Naomi got the hint (either that, or she's really easy to distract).

"Oh, right. Come on, let's go through it. It's faster than going around."

"Right. Thanks for the explanation; I thought cutting through the park would take longer." Danny said sarcastically. "Do I really look that dumb to you?"

"No," she replied, "you don't look that dumb, you are that dumb."

"Maybe, but that hasn't stopped you from studying with me, has it?"

"Suppose not." Naomi shrugged. Before either of them could say anything else, the rain had finally reached their side of town, and it poured hard.

"Over there!" Naomi said, pointing to a blue, hexagonal kiosk with an extended roof.

Sam was running. She didn't know where to or what she was running from, or even why she was running, but she did. The rain had caught up with her, and one thing that came from running was that it made her feel slightly warmer. Her focus faltered for a single moment. She slipped. She fell. That was another thing about running in the rain: it completely exhausted her. But she didn't care right now. She picked herself up, and started running once more.

You're an idiot, Samantha Manson. She thought to herself, for once using her real name. What the hell are you running from?

"Reality." she answered herself bitterly.

Where are you going?

"I dunno. Somewhere. Anywhere! WHY am I talking to myself?" she tried to stop, but only managed to slip once more, this time spraying mud all over the place.

"Where is this?" she muttered to herself, ignoring the mud that now covered her. She saw a lamppost ahead, and a wooden bench beneath it. Amity Park City Park. That's a mouthful. She thought to herself.

Sam walked to the bench, finally realizing how exhausted she was. "I've gotta stop running around in the rain." She sat on the bench, wiping some mud off her face. She looked around her. The park was completely deserted, as far as she could see – which, given the heavy rain and the distance between the park lamps, wasn't very far.

She closed her eyes, tilted her head up, letting the rain wash away her worries and fears (and her mud, mind you). She listened to the gentle rhythm of raindrops, letting it calm and steady the turbulent waves and beats of her heart.

Through the rain, very faintly she heard something else. There were other people in the park. Curiosity got the best of her, and she followed the voices - with some difficulty - through the rain. Soon afterwards, she found the source of the voices. From what Sam could hear – she was hiding because she didn't want to be seen – there were only two people talking, and they were standing by a kiosk.

Sam crept closer from behind the trees, being careful to stay in the shadows to avoid being hidden. The voices became clearer, and Sam could actually hear the words they were saying.

"Actually, Danny, there is something I've been meaning to tell you." Naomi said, suddenly finding the puddle in front of them very interesting.

"Really? What?" Danny said, being his usual, blunt self.

"Th-the truth is… I-I… actual-ly…" she stuttered.

"You're shivering. Are you sure you're okay?"

Naomi looked up, hoping Danny wouldn't notice that she was blushing madly in the dark. She nodded slowly, then suddenly leaned and kissed him. Danny, who wasn't expecting this, was initially too stunned to move, but then he gave into the kiss. Almost instinctively, Naomi wrapped her arms around Danny's neck, while he put one arm around her waist and –

"Danny?" Sam said, a look of utter shock on her face.

Danny and Naomi broke off the kiss. "Sam?"

end Chapter 5

A/N:

I really really apologize for the extremely long delay, but life got in the way of writing fanfics. I won't be surprised if some of you find the chapter confusing, because I decided to continue in the middle of the chapter. After two years. imagine that. The only part I can explain is that I forgot that I'd added in rain in one part, and suddenly it's dry in another. that's why the small dialogue between Sam and Maddie is awkward.

I think a lot has changed from what i had originally intended, but i think the essence of the chapter is still there.

so anyway, pls review, even if you hate it. just be sure to tell me why you hate it. I'll try to reply to you if I can.

P.S: why the hell can't i get a series of dashes and asterisks in? I don't like the horizontal rulers. can anyone help?