Chapter Three up and ready. You know, it's kinda odd for me to write these characters out. It's been awhile since I've done anything with Danny Phantom and I think I lost some of that skill to write them; it just feels awkward to me. But then again this is an AU, but I also want to keep most of their personalities in tact. But I'm just rambling now so...

And sorry for any mistakes. I always seem to miss them. I like writing, but I'm just not the best at proof reading I guess.

The silence between the three friends grew; the sound of Danny's heartbeat pounded louder in his ears and the lump in is throat just wouldn't go away no matter how much he tried to gulp it away. Danny didn't know where to begin. He didn't know if he should tell them or just run away and try to forget about this.

"Danny," Sam was the first to break the silence, "What's going on?"

Danny felt Spooky's little bat feet move up and down; feeling the same uneasy feeling his owner was. Danny sighed, ready for the long speech he was about to give, "You guys remember that ghost attack Friday?"

"It's called a 'Driver', right?" Sam asked, as she flipped threw a book, trying to find some more answers. The trio had found themselves at Sam's favorite gothic library; Sam insisting on trying to find out some more answers.

"Dude, how can you just keep this from us?" Tucker looked at his best friend, almost feeling betrayed at their first hidden secret in years.

"I was going to tell you guys. I just, didn't know when or how." Danny looked down to his feet. He was going to tell them eventually, he just didn't know when. He did know that he wasn't on planning them to find out like this that is, "Sam," Danny changed the subject of secrets, "I don't think you're going to find anything. Spooky doesn't even know anything." Danny looked to Spooky, who was fast asleep on a stack of books; Danny smiled at the sight.

Sam sighed in frustration, "I guess you're right," She shut the book and placed it back in its spot, "But why 'henshin'?"

Danny blinked a few times, "What?"

"Why 'henshin'?"

Danny's cheeks started to grew a pale pink, "I don't know!" Danny grabbed Spooky, waking him up from his slumber, "That's what I was told to say!" Danny ran out of the library so fast; not wanting his friends to see his cheeks grow to a red shade.

Tuesday.

School.

Great…

Danny was late to wake up, ignoring the calls from his family and the shouts from Spooky. Walking downstairs, he found a pair of keys in his face, "What?" He asked, looking at the dorky look his father was giving him.

"Woke up this morning to a bike outside and a note on the door. I don't know who it's from but maybe you'll know." His father, Jack replied as he handed his son the note.

Danny took the note in his hands and read over it.

How are you liking the Driver? I hope it's doing you well.

Take this bike, you'll need it.

And do take care of Spooky, not too many sweets for him. He had a habit of that back in my mansion.

-K.R.P

"I don't know what any of it means, but if this person says you'll need it, might as well take it." Jack added, completely oblivious to the reason why he even got the bike in first place. "Why won't you go look at it?"

Danny shot Spooky a look before heading outside to look at the bike. And wow, what a bike. It was a black 2014 Kawasaki Ninja Sports Bike and man, did Danny gush at the sight; he could get used to this. Danny looked to Spooky, "What do ya, say, Spook? Try this puppy out?"

Danny didn't hesitate to take his spot on the bike. He didn't hesitate to start the bike. He never once hesitated to ride off to school. This feeling of freedom and power was something all new to Danny. From the start of his freshman year, he was just that loser with weird parents who can't catch a ghost worth crap and now, Danny was sure that this new toy would be the envy of Casper High, especially since he owns it. Not Dash, not Kwan, or any popular rich jock of Casper. It was all Danny's. Danny finally had the power to prove himself, even if it wasn't towards the bullies of school, it still felt great to have the power to hit something and feel strong for once.

As Danny parked his new toy in the school's parking lot, he heard some whistles of awe from some of the students, as well as some impressed stares; they couldn't believe that someone like Danny Fenton would come into school with something like that. To the students of Casper High, he was just some dorky kid with weird parents; they never would have thought that something like this would happen. Danny was on cloud nine; he loved hearing all the whispers and the whistles from his bullies; even Dash had a split second of disbelief. Reaching the final steps of the school's stoop, his two friends shouted at him, causing Danny to turn around.

"Dude," Tucker walked up to Danny with Sam trailing behind, "how'd you score that new toy, man?"

Danny reached into his pocket and handed his friends the note from this morning as the trio made their way into the halls of Casper High, "Looks like this guy hooked me up with it. Hey Spook, do you even know his name?"

Spooky took his usual spot on Danny's shoulder, "Nope."

"Are we sure we can trust this guy, Danny? Not even Spooky remembers him." Sam finally spoke up. She was always the cautious one of the group; most of the time she had to keep these two dorks in line.

"Aw come on, Sam! First this super powered suit and now this awesome bike, don't be such a downer." Tucker added, leaning up against the lockers next to Danny's.

Danny stacked his books into his locker, stuffing last night's homework into his bag for his first class. He watched as Spooky perched himself on his usual hooks on the ceiling of Danny locker before shutting the door closed with a loud slam, "Maybe we should just see how this thing pans out for now," the trio walked into their first class and took their seats at the back of the class, "who knows what will happen later on." Danny felt the same nervous feeling as he noticed the stern look on Lancer's face. Danny was sure this guy had it out for him. Danny was suddenly regretting not finishing is homework now.

Sam let out a frustrated sigh, it was always the same thing with these guys, "Fine. But you're gonna need a name if you're going to continue with this thing."

"A name? Like a super hero name or something?" Danny was confused; did he really need one?

The bright screen of the computer lit up the cold lab. Upon it, the events of the last ghost attack played on the screen. In a cage at the corner of the lab was the same ghost; a figure walked up to the cage, "You did your job. I suppose I'll leave you for Skulker."

"Vladimir, aren't you going to challenge the boy some more?" August spoke up from his perch in a dark corner of the lab.

"Challenge him, huh? Of course I have a challenge in store for him soon. I can't just let him win all the time. Of course I do need the energy from the ghosts he beats, but I do want to toy with the boy. You can be sure he'll get a challenge soon."

"I got it, 'Kamen Rider Phantom'."

Danny blinked a few times before repeating Sam's words, "'Kamen… Rider?'"

"Yup," Sam nodded, forgetting all about her lunch, "you do say 'henshin', why not add some more Japanese into this thing."

Danny sighed, "I don't about this Sam…"

"What? You two were all for this hero thing, now you have cold feet?"

"It's not that…. It's kinda embarrassing tho. I'm gonna be like those hero dorks from those action shows we used when we were kids. You know, the ones with those bright suits?"

"Aw come on, it's not that embarrassing. If anything, this makes you pretty unique."

"Yeah dude," Tucker finally spoke from his spot at the lunch table, "I mean you go from lame Danny Fenton to this cool hero with this pretty sweet high tech suit. I mean, come on, maybe you should just go with it for now. What's the worst that can happen, huh?"

Danny shrugged, "I guess so… Okay okay, I'll try this out."

"Danny!" Spooky never flew so fast in his afterlife, never slowing down until he came face to face with Danny, "Ghost attack! Halls! Now!"

Danny nodded, never hesitating to run out his seat; the hero complex already setting in. Danny heard his two friends close on his tail, but he never bothered to tell them to go hide, no matter how much he wanted to; he just knew he had to deal with this ghost. Turning the corner, he was met with the ghost Spooky mentioned.

Danny stopped, "Who is this creep, Spook?" Danny asked, turning his driver on.
Driver On

"That's Skulker, that one, I'm sure of. I don't remember his ties to my creator, but I definitely remember his face."

"So this is the little pup my employer chose, looking like an easy target. Let's see, what does the little hero call himself?"

"Come on, Spook!"
"You got it!"
"Henshin!"
Phantom
Light of Hope

"Phantom… Kamen Rider Phantom."