Author's Note: Just... wow... I mean WOW... I'm utterly astounded that this story has been so well received. Just the reviews are all wonderful and incredibly inspirational. Thank you all so much.
To be entirely honest most of this fanfiction is already written and simply needs to be completed. I've addressed a few mistakes already that were pointed out in the reviews, but there was a misunderstanding I would like to correct.
I am Leylia Wolfe and I wrote this story. A friend of mine got on to one of my several computers, the one that happen t o have all of my fanfiction. She went through and discovered three years. After spending the next hour dying of feels as she read it, she hacked my fanfiction and posted it. I believe the misconception was that I had discovered my friend's fanfiction and posted it under my account.
She's one who wrote the Author's note in the previous chapter, but I am the author of Three Years.
Just Out to Hurt
It was late July.
Normally the city would be bogged down under the sweltering sun. The beaches would be packed with vacationers looking to squeeze the last few sun beams out of their fast ending summer. But an early fall storm moved in and the sky was gloomy. The air was thick and humid, threatening rain. The clouds rumbled and the wind whistled between the steel structures. Very few people were out. They sensed the impending storm and the sun was setting.
Just something in the air... said it was best to stay indoors for the night.
Unfortunately for Danny, he didn't have such luxuries.
It was Saturday night, and he pulled a double shift so he could have Sunday off. That meant that six-to-two became six-to-eight, and even in the summer the sun didn't hang around that long.
As he stepped out the side door of the towering warehouse the wind picked up and funneled in between the buildings, buffeting him with a wet, salty chill.
Tensing against the piercing wind he let out a soft huff. As the wind died again he tugged at his coat, flipping the hood up, and stuffing his hands into his pockets. The first few drops of rain began to fall. He felt several large drops spatter on his hood.
Another gust of wind tugged at the few exposed locks of shaggy black hair.
Danny stopped for a moment and looked up at the boiling sky. The grey storm clouds were stained an orange tint from the city lights below. It looked as though the entire sky was engulfed in a layer of sulfurous smoke.
A few more drops fell, landing on his upturned forehead and sliding down his face. He blinked away the rainwater.
His heart grew heavy as the pregnant clouds, finally free from the oppressive sun, released their burdens.
As the sky began to pour and the wind began to howl, he knew he would take the long way home tonight.
The seventeen year old set off toward the city streets. The docks were always pitch black, but the city was entirely lit by its legion of orange street lights. They stood watch in rows along the streets, bathing the sidewalks in light, but he found no comfort in them. In fact, he preferred those ominous lengths of darkness in between the solitary lights. Sometimes he felt as if he only existed when the light touched him, and maybe when he walked into the shadows one night, they would just swallow him up and end him forever.
That was never the case though. He simply passed right through them, into the awaiting pool of light ahead.
It was really storming now. After just a few blocks his jacket and t-shirt were soaked through, his jeans were heavy and his belt was digging into his hips. With every step his sneakers squelched and water bubbled out from the seams. He felt himself beginning to shiver.
He turned a corner just as a single car sped by. There weren't many out on the streets, most knew it time to be cozied up at home and out of the storm. As for Danny, he was alone on the streets but for a young couple across the road. They were taking shelter on the stoop of a closed flower shop. They noticed him looking and cast him a nervous glance. He hurriedly looked away again.
Just as he started back down the road, his blessed shadows suddenly burned away all around him.
A single headlight appeared far down the road. The light washed out the night, the growing roar of the motorcycle engine was enough to block out the raging storm that rolled across the wroth sky above them.
As the bike grew closer the din grew louder. Above the roaring engine the sound of cackling drifted up the street followed by several ominous pops and a loud whooping. The motorcycle suddenly swerved in Danny's direction, barreling toward him at full speed. Instinct caused the drenched young man to stumble back from the curb. Suddenly the bike swerved again, narrowly missing the curb. There was a bang and something whistled past Danny's head.
His heel caught on a crack on the sidewalk and he fell, hitting the ground hard.
He was stunned, not from fall, but from how close he had just come… the guy on the motorcycle… he had just shot at him, fired a gun, for no reason other than that he was there.
He heard the cackling drifting down the road over the wind of the storm. The motorcycle was coming back for another pass.
"AH HAHAHA! No one can tell Johnny Rancid what to do! NO ONE! HAHAHA!"
Even in the face of danger Danny felt the pang in his heart.
Johnny.
Everything brought memories back from then.
But that Johnny, the one he knew. 13. He never came after anyone one with that motorcycle of his. No one except Danny. Even then the young, unlucky ghost had admitted it was only to blow off steam whenever him and his Kitty had a spat. He only came after Danny because he knew the half-ghost was more than capable of holding his own.
But this Johnny.
Johnny Rancid.
He was murder out with a new toy. He was just out hurt.
He was just out to kill.
Out to take.
Danny felt the anger welling in his heart at the shear disregard for human life. For human bonds and human souls.
His fists tightened at his sides. He pushed himself up off the ground. The motorcycle was coming closer, it swerved again. This time not toward Danny, but the couple under the door way. He saw the rider raising his gun, leveling it at the terror-stricken pair.
They were yards away from the road; Rancid wasn't out to give them a scare like he did Danny. He saw them huddled in that doorway. Cornered like a couple of drenched rabbits.
He was out for blood this time, the opportunity was too perfect to resist.
Danny realized this and the anger became rage. His hand clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked. The motorcycle passed in front of him and in that instant there was a flash of white light and a great roar Danny threw a punch that sent an immense blast of ecto-energy surging through the saturated air and lighting the entire block in its green glow.
The ghostly surge of energy plowed into Johnny Rancid and blew him off his bike, smashing him into the wall of the flower shop, the bike careening end over end and smashing through the window after him. Just a few feet away from the trembling couple. The woman shrieked as the man shielded her from the debris. The two of them ducked out of the doorway and fled down the street.
Danny didn't see them go; he was too blinded by rage. Rancid didn't have time to do much more than groan in pain before Danny flew across the street at sonic speeds, he ripped the tattooed biker out of the rubble and smashed him against the crumbling wall.
"YOU BASTARD!" he roared "Do you have any idea what you were going to do? What you were going to take away? To destroy?"
Rancid stared at him with wide, shocked eyes. His mouth worked soundlessly in disbelief, then the anger and indignation erupted in those soulless, blackened disks.
"Who do you think you're talking to kid? No one tells Johnny Rancid what to do?"
He threw a right hook at Danny, and much to his surprise, his fist fell right through the face of the white haired youth. Danny released him and stepped back. His green eyes were blazing with such intensity they seemed to glow in the night. His face was darkened with disgust.
Rancid stared at his fist in disbelief.
"How…"
Danny raised his hand a green orb of ectoplasm sparked to life above his palm.
With a disgraceful squeak, Rancid stumbled away from the young man. He scrambled and fumbled through the rubble until his hand fell upon a familiar object.
The barrel of the gun came level with Danny's chest, yet the ghost boy failed to even flinch. The orb in his hand grew larger and the eyes of the pathetic man before him grew wider with fear, the barrel shook.
Danny took a step closer.
"Stay back!" Rancid shouted his voice cracking.
Danny ignored him and continued to advance. The gun went off one… two… three times. The bullets fazed through his chest and Danny kept coming.
Rancid was paralyzed with fear, but before he could fire again the gun exploded in his hand. Blow apart from the inside by and expanding ball of green energy.
Johnny howled in pain and terror.
"I-I heard about things like you! Y-you're a ghost! That's not possible! You're dead! JUST STAY BACK!"
Rancid clawed at the rubble until he managed to get on to his feet and stumble away. He ran from the ruined store front, and out into the rain.
Danny was in no hurry to go after Rancid; he would never get away from him on foot, he had him trapped and he was going to pay. Danny was going to make him pay for all of the hurt and pain he'd undoubtedly caused, and for all the more the pain he would have caused not moments earlier. That was, until someone else pulled up on a motorcycle.
This bike was red and boasted an entirely different design from the chopper driven by the notorious Johnny Rancid. Alongside the sporty motorcycle a white decaled sports sedan pulled up. A young women in purple with burnt orange skin alighted on the ground beside the car followed by a green bird that morphed immediately into the likeness of a young green-skinned boy. Finally, in a flurry of shadows a young woman in a blue hooded cloak phased through the asphalt.
The new rider dismounted his bike and removed his helmet, revealing his trade-mark black and white mask.
Robin…
The Teen Titans had finally arrived.
Rancid bee-lined for the young super heroes.
He stumbled into Robin and fell to his knees, clutching the young man's uniform collar and dragging down him into an awkward slouch.
"Help me." He begged "Please t-there's a ghost i-in there, he's after me please d-don't let him hurt me!"
There was a flash of lightening, Rancid howled and released Robin. He covered his head with his hands and huddled on the ground in the dirty puddles of mud, engine oil, and water.
The Teen Titans gaped at the stricken man in astonishment. One of the most dangerous criminals in the city was breaking down in from of them, and wailing about ghosts.
Danny, however, was mentally kicking himself in the proverbial ass for going ghost. Murderer or not, he couldn't afford to let anyone know he was Danny Phantom, or just that he was half-ghost in general. He should have known the Titans would come, now he'd probably set them loose on his own trail. He'd have to lay low if he was going to get out of this with his present life-style intact.
There was a chuffling sound from outside. Instinctively, Danny turned invisible and held his breath. The chuffling was, in fact coming from a green bloodhound, which was nosing its way into the shop through the piles rubble.
Things were getting too close for comfort; it was time for him to make his escape. Remaining invisible, Danny phased right through the green dog and stepped into the night.
He didn't leave immediately, he needed to hang around just long enough to make sure the Titans didn't pick up any ideas that might lead them to the conclusion that a half-ghost hybrid was living in their precious city. He lingered just within earshot.
As Beast Boy sniffed around the rubble he found of number of distinctive smells including Rancid's sent and the scent of oil from the bike, but it was difficult to distinguish anything from the constant smell of flowers the permeated the entire shop, but anything outside the destroyed window was already washed away by the rain. Robin was right when he said their only leads would be whatever they could find uncontaminated inside.
As Beast Boy searched he noticed just one smell he didn't recognize. The scent was definitely strange, he could only describe it as… cold, or at least it made his noose tingle and go numb as he breathed it in. Next, it seemed almost stale; as if it were very old and just a formless reflection of its long since departed originator, but the scent was too strong and too distinct, now that he thought about it, the scent was almost overpowering every other scent in the shop. As if its owner were still... An intense chill suddenly washed over Beast Boy's entire body. His immediate response, was to morph into a penguin and ruffle his feathers in surprise, and as an attempt to warm himself back up again. With his bloodhound senses replaced with that of a bird, he lost the trail instantly.
Realizing his error he once more morphed back into the bloodhound and to his shock, not only were all of the scents different, but the previous trail he'd been following had vanished completely, and that eerie chill was still hanging in the air like discontented spirit.
The now somewhat disgruntled Beast boy turned and trotted back to the other Titans to report what he'd found.
Robin was zip-tying Johnny Rancid's hands with a pair of plastic hand-cuffs when Beast Boy padded up. He morphed back into his quasi-human self and gave and ostentatious shiver while he rubbed his arms vigorously.
"Dude, that was cold!" he exclaimed loudly "I just got the chills for no reason."
"Did you find anything?" Robin asked, ignoring the complaint.
"Yeah just a weird smell, it was strong, but I lost it when it suddenly got so cold."
Robin looked annoyed. He was frustrated with his friend's obvious need to put comfort before an investigation. He opened his mouth to upbraid Beast Boy when Starfire stepped in.
"Robin? Please, we have captured the Johnny Rancid and it is getting late, might we go home now and partake in the Saturday Movie Night we agreed on?"
Robin released the breath meant for Beast Boy and softened instantly; he always managed to cave when Starfire gave him that big green-eyed stare.
"Yeah sure Star, let's get out of here."
Cyborg let out a whoop of joy from the front seat of his car.
"Oh Yeah! And I know just what we're gonna watch."
"Hey man you're not the only one who gets to choose the movie." Beast Boy interjected as he hopped into the front passenger seat.
The two friends continued to argue as Cyborg started the engine. Starfire giggled at their antics and took off into the sky, heading for home.
Robin finished with Rancid and glanced at Raven.
Their enigmatic friend was usually off in her own world, but tonight she seemed particularly detached. Right now she was just staring at a single empty spot on the road. Staring like she was trying desperately to see something that wasn't really there.
"Raven? Are you alright?" he asked
She blinked and looked back at him.
"I'm fine," she replied turning away once more "I just thought I sensed something."
There was a heaviness to that statement, a dead weight that hung in the air like a fume too lethargic to fade away. Like something their just couldn't seem to fade away… Raven spun on her heel abruptly and glided swiftly over to Robin and the still cowering Rancid.
"I'll take Rancid to the precinct." Raven stated in her usual monotone. "I'll meet you at home."
Robin nodded; he donned his helmet and mounted his motorcycle.
"Thanks Raven, be careful, I'll see you at home."
With that his sped off down the lighted street. After a short moment Raven too disappeared in a flurry of shadows, Johnny Rancid in tow.