-groans- I haven't one-shoted with this in a while. (Is that even a word?) Nonetheless, I'm still here with my challenge ideas in front of me, and I'm on break now. I see updates with this one. I'm aiming for 100 reviews in this when 2008 rolls around. –looks sheepish- Hard goal, but we can do it.
Challenge by Hordak's Pupil
12. Weltschmerzen
Translated in German, it means "world weariness."
She loved her brother. Jazz Fenton didn't know of someone else for whom she cared for more. Danny Fenton was just a spark of hope for her- the one thing she could always count on for help in ghostly situations or when he needed someone to talk to. She admired his ghostly side, Phantom, with everything she had. Times had changed since she had found out about their identity as one being. And as she watched him walk into her room, she couldn't help but notice that something was definitely on his mind. What it was, she couldn't tell.
Her brother sat on her bed, sighing, and pushing back his raven hair. "I'm done. I'm finished."
Confused, she looked up from her homework and eyed her brother curiously. "What do you mean?"
"You ever get that feeling that no one ever appreciates your work and you're tired of the fact that the world always needs saving?"
Jazz looked pensive at this. "Actually, no. But given you're a half ghost hero and I'm the lonely sister…"
Danny laughed slightly. "True. But still, did you ever wonder what it was like to… you know, not be a superhero?"
"Where's this going, Danny?"
He out his head in his hands and groaned. "I'm so sick and tired of going out every night and fighting ghosts! Isn't there a day where I don't have to go out and fight something? Just once, I'd really like to remember what it's like being a regular kid with no archenemies, no knowledge about ghosts, and all this other stuff I've been going through!"
She smiled slightly. "Ah, okay. I understand what you mean. Weltschmerzen."
The hybrid blinked. "Espa-whaza-whoma?"
"Weltschmerzen," she replied again, snapping her book shut and brushing back a strand of her hair. "I learned it from a friend of mine. It means 'world weariness' in German. You're beginning to feel as if you shouldn't be saving the world all the time. The world is weary of being in trouble. Are you beginning to feel the stress of the world on your shoulders, Danny?"
He stared at her. "You think?"
Jazz smiled. "What's the real problem with it?"
Danny nodded. "Same thing every day. The city needs me, the world needs me. Isn't there one day where there wasn't something that had to deal with violence, ghosts, or the mayor? Look at you, Jazz- you're in the perfect position. A normal person… no ghost powers, no fear of being attacked because I'm always there…"
"But I worry about you!" she burst out, tears filling her eyes slightly. "I'm not referring the word to only you. It applies to the whole planet. 'World weariness,' Danny, not self-weariness. Think about it- everyone's tired of something. I'm tired of doing my homework right now, Mom and Dad is tired of not catching you, Vlad's tired of you not wanting to be his son…" She took a deep breath. "Weariness is a complex thing, Danny. Trust me."
He rolled his eyes. "Typical. A psychology lecture from you about the science of one word."
Jazz bit the inside of her mouth. "It's not about the meaning, it's about the principle!"
"Right."
"You feel it all the time!"
Danny glared at her. "Thanks for noticing for the something-th time, Doctor Fenton. I feel so much better now. Makes you wonder how other people are feeling now, too, huh?"
"You can be such a pain sometimes!" Jazz declared hotly, picking up her book again.
Her brother shrugged, as if saying "no duh."
Fuming, the girl flipped to a page in her textbook and stared at the page for a long minute. She snapped it shut again in exasperation, watching her brother sit on the bed and stare at the floor. "Look, if you want something to think about, how about reliving those moments in time when you wanted to take the world off your shoulders? Being a hero is one of the biggest jobs you can ever have, Danny."
"And hardest," he agreed reluctantly. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm not cut out for this sort of thing, you know? Look at me. The world's only true half human, half ghost hero, and he's complaining on how he doesn't want to save the world anymore. There's gotta be something up with that, Jazz. Or am I just having a spasm?"
Jazz smiled slightly at this. "Well, I don't know. I would call it more along the lines of a rant."
Danny's face cracked a little into a grin.
"Stop beating yourself up, little brother," she told him. "You're my hero, and I can't have you simply stop saving the world. Our world… our world of weariness. Weltschmerzen."
He stood up and walked over to Jazz. For a moment, she thought she saw the wild-eyed look of a sixteen year old with emerald green eyes and snowy white hair staring into her lavender ones. The image was gone, though, when he embraced her tightly. "Thanks. I needed that."
Jazz nodded. "Anything for you, Danny. Anything for you."
Bonding, bonding, and more bonding. This is really the first time I've tried doing a Jazz and Danny centric piece with them. What did you all think? Let's go for the goal of 100 by 2008! And challenge me, friends! Thanks for reading and maybe reviewing!