Yuki: Only two people have read this fic...

Anika: But who cares?

Yuki: Here is chapter 2.

Chapter 2: The Gods and their Glory

The blue-eyed boy turned around to see Miss Koyora, the Japanese woman dashing down the hallway to catch up with her student. Danny waited for her to catch her breath before she began to speak.

"Danny, a couple of your teachers and I would like to have a word with you in the Teachers' Lounge." Danny looked at Miss Koyora like she was insane, or had at least grown another head.

"Right now?" She nodded, and Danny sighed, proceeding to follow her through the now lifeless hallways of the school. A while later, Danny somehow ended up in a chair at the side of a small, square table in the lounge, Miss Koyora (Art), Mr. Lancer (English, Biology, and History), and Miss Somara (Counseling Department) on either of the remaining three sides of the table.

"Mr. Fenton, as of late, we've been concerned about your mental well-being." Mr. Lancer, feeling sympathy for the boy, saw how Danny moved closer up to the edge of his seat.

"How so, Mr. Lancer?" Danny felt some nagging thing in the back of his head... his friend Dark was trying to get his attention again. He opened up the link.

Danny, tell them.

Shut up.

They just want to help-

No one cares about what others have to say. Why else would things be censored?

... Good point.

Outside of Danny's head world, Miss Koyora quickly looked through of some of Danny's artwork to present as 'evidence' to prove this change in his personality. She found a free-draw he had done as extra-credit. She placed it in the center of the five of them, herself included.

It appeared to be a comic. A man, early twenties or late teens, appeared to stand over the viewer of the picture in the first panel. He held a gun and had some blood splattered on his cheek. He held the handgun to his head on the next panel and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.

The man started to go into a panic. "Only one bullet?! And I used it on someone else?!" The man started to let out a string of profanity until a drink called 'Cherry Fizz-Whiz' caught his attention. He wasn't in the last panel, but he apparently threw his money over the counter to the visible body that he had most likely killed.

"Daniel," Mr. Lancer said, after seeing the comic, noticing that every little detail was noted for and nothing seemed to be out of place. He had recognized the comic as 'Johnny the Homicidal Maniac'(1) from a report a student did a few years ago on media violence. "This comic, do you like it?"

Danny, trying to contain his laughter, and luckily succeeding, looked at Mr. Lancer.

"I just read this page, Mr. Lancer, and I wanted to draw it just to get it out of my head."

"Are you obsessed with it?" Danny scratched the back of his neck, to build up the illusion of being clueless.

"Well, does having all of the comics and wanting all of the merchandise count as being obsessed?"

"Miss Somara, Mr. Lancer, and I," Miss Koyora said, "just want to make sure you are all right, not just at school, but at home as well. Anything-" The woman began, as she gestured to the comic that Danny had worked all but tediously on. "- you can tell us whatever you 'want out of your head'."

You would think that Danny would be annoyed with the way his teachers were talking to him, but he was happy that they were talking to him like they wanted to understand, even a bit. It seemed to be the only upside in his life as of yet... as well as Dark.

I'm an upside in your life? How sweet...

Hey, this discussion is important! Stop annoying me!

Ok. The mind link was turned off, the silence unnerving Danny to a certain degree. The silence reminded him of snow, cold and, at times, brutal.

"Are you having problems at home, Danny?" Danny clenched his fists underneath the table. He laughed lightheartedly and decided he could tell his teachers one thing that he had found out over the summer.

"Miss Koyora, the only problem is that I found out that I was adopted and my parents never told me. That's the only 'problem', as you put it." All of his words had served a purpose... Could they see through the facade? Mr. Lancer chuckled.

"All right, I would say that the 'problem' here can be handled at home. Will you get that issue taken care of, Daniel?" Danny knew what Mr. Lancer and his other teachers were thinking.

'I'll just tell them that I will, then they'll say "Well, Danny, you can go home now", "Be sure to talk to your parents about this, Daniel".'

"Of course I'll tell them, Mr. Lancer." His smile managed to fool the overweight man.

"Well, Danny, you can go home now," said Miss Somara, playing her part word for word.

"Be sure to talk to your parents about this, Daniel."

"All right, Mr. Lancer. Bye."

Danny walked out of the room. He turned his head slightly to glance behind him. Once he was sure nobody was around or going to follow him, Danny began to sprint down the hallway, tears stinging his eyes.

Somehow, Danny ended up at the local Skulk n' Lurk, one of his unknown hangouts. There he was reading JtHM and listening to his iPod, paying no mind to the girl poking him over and over and over and over and over and over and over and...

"Danny?" Said boy managed to grind his teeth together in annoyance and to speak in a mostly level tone.

"What, Sarah?" Sarah looked exactly like Sam Manson, though her hairstyle was different, for it was long enough to cascade down to the small of her back and did not have a upwards styled ponytail.

"What part of JtHM are you reading?"

"An Admirer of Sorts." Sarah began to read over the boy's shoulder and both teens began to laugh quietly as they watched Johnny vivisect his newest victim.

After reading that section, Danny decided that it was time to go home. As he placed the magazine Carpe Noctem back on the rack where he had obtained it and started to go towards the exit, Sarah told him how things were going for her. Her family, her job at Skulk n' Lurk, her other job at Amity Park's Cool-coolplex Cinema (2), her girlfriend; just everyday things friends could talk about together.

A while after Danny had left the bookstore, he stopped walking and looked around. To his right there was only the street, the pavement almost empty of vehicles. When Danny looked to his left, he smiled at Beata Maria (3) gazed at his from the stained glass window of St. Andrew's Christian Church.

Danny gazed at the holy woman's face and admired the beautiful colored glass that made up her body. He then became aware that his iPod was still playing. As Danny gazed up at the cross that stood on the steeple of the church, he listened to the lyrics.

People always tell me this is part of the plan

That God's got everybody in his hands

But I can only pray that God is listening

Is He listening?

Danny mouthed the words as he walked closer to the church and decided to talk to his 'other self'.

Dark?

Yes, Danny?

Does God exist?

... I think so. Why?

I'm not so sure anymore.

We're living in this world

Growing colder everyday

Nothing can stay perfect

Now I say

But the world is black

And hearts are cold

And there's no hope

That's what we're told

Danny walked up the church steps, knowing that the sermon didn't start at 4:30, but feeling the need to go in anyway. As he turned off his iPod and opened the church door, Danny felt... clean... unbroken. He began to walk down the aisle, all of the pews on either side of his path completely empty. He walked up to the front, genuflected, and sat in the pew on the right side of the aisle. He went down on his knees, and Danny began to pray.

Dark sat quietly, watching Danny pray from the large screen in his Soul Room. Both Dark and Danny were completely different souls inhabiting the same body. The screen in Dark's soul room let him view what Danny was doing as though he was floating in front of him.

Danny's lips were moving, yet words only came just above the level of a whisper. "Servo Mihi, Deus, Beata Maria, et Beatus Apostolus. Servo mihi ex obscurum inter mihi... Servo Atrum iuxta mihi. (4/5) Amen"

Dark smiled at the other's prayer. It was so pure, so faithful...

"Glory be to the Father," Danny prayed. "To the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen."

"Glory be to God," Dark said, joining Danny in prayer.

1) I don't own JtHM.

2) The only time they ever say the name of the movie theater in What You Want, and it's hard to make out the name.

3) Beata Maria - Blessed Mary (Latin)

4) Protect me, God, Blessed Mary, and the blessed Apostles. Protect me from the darkness around me, but keep Dark close to me. (Latin)

5) Dark's kind of like Danny's protector and friend.

The song The World is Black belongs to the band Good Charlotte.

Yuki: Whoo... I think we did okay.

Anika: I think so too.

Yuki: Please read and review.