As the scary person I am, and in honor of the last day of the year, I will give you a final one-shot for this year, 2007! Not surprisingly, it is angst. Why wouldn't it be angst? It's what I'm getting known for around here. Anyways, this is another Danny-and-Vlad fic. That really shouldn't surprise you, either.

WARNINGS: Angst, dark, slight language

Challenge by LookingGlass

14. Guilt

What was this feeling that rose from within him?

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" the teenage wonder screamed as he felt flying back and skidded into the dirt. His hazmat mat was nearly torn to shreds, his gloves had holes in it, and his once pure-white boots had mud and green blood inked onto them. He lay in the grass, blood in his mouth and tears of anger in his emerald green eyes. Danny Phantom couldn't take this anymore. He hated this battle, his foe, everything about the surroundings.

He hated Vlad Plasmius more than anything.

He tried to stand up, but right as he began to go upright, his knees gave way, sending him back to the ground. Fingers dug into the dirt as a laugh rang in his ears- one so familiar, yet not familiar to him at all. Phantom could distinguish Plasmius' cackle from anywhere, but it had an edge to it. His eyes landed on the black boots walking in his direction. His mind began to interpret a voice. "I'll ask you once again, Daniel," it purred between clenched teeth. "Had enough?"

"No," he replied evenly, forcing himself not to cry. "You'll never get what you want."

The boot landed into the flesh of Phantom's stomach as he cried out in pain. No longer on his hands and knees, the half ghost lay flat on his back, watering eyes staring into his foe's blood red ones. A gloved hand reached out and grabbed him by the neck, thrusting him into a tree. It moved gently to the trachea, blocking his air supply slightly. Plasmius licked his lips slightly. Phantom shook his head, choking. "What? Are you going to kill me, Plasmius?"

Plasmius' eyes flashed dangerously. The teen knew that one false move would end his life. "Let me ask you this, Daniel. Who do you fear more: Death… or me?"

He moved his hand down. Phantom took a gasp of the sweet oxygen. He was still alive, but only by a thread, and Plasmius wanted him to answer this question? "Why?"

"I asked you because I want to know," the bachelor growled, tightening his throat and his fist. "Answer me!"

The teen glared into the eyes of hate. "You."

He closed his eyes, waiting for the fist to come and connect with his head for the final blow. It was the end. "I fear you more than Death, Vlad. Death comes by and takes life because he has a reason. You take people's lives for no reason at all!"

Phantom braced himself. Here it comes.

But no fist came. He opened his eyes and was shocked to see Plasmius blinking in shock.

He was worse than Death itself? How was this even possible? And what was this feeling that was welling up inside of him? He felt… upset. Angry. Sad.

But most of all… he felt guilty.

Was he a fool for making such a big deal out of all of this? Was he a fool for wanting to kill Jack, to marry the love of his life? Was he foolish in his activities of life, of trying and risking everything for Daniel to be his son? He tried to push it all back down, but suddenly it burst forth like a dam, flooding him with it. Guilt, for all the years of hating his only true friend. Guilt, for Daniel hating him. Guilt, for trying to kill the boy.

He hated this feeling, but at the same time, he embraced it. What people called a guilty feeling… he wanted to suddenly wallow in it.

He let Phantom go by the neck, his fist uncurling and his feet forcing him to step back. He shook his head. "Not today, my boy."

Phantom stared up at Plasmius. "What?"

"Worse than… worse than Death?" he asked, almost to himself. His eyes stared back at the blank green ones. "You called me worse than Death…"

"Damn right I did!" the teen replied fiercely, and Plasmius almost smiled at the note of defiance in his voice. "You never care about anything but yourself! Never recognized that when you first began to fight me, huh?"

He continued to gaze into Phantom's troubled look. "Would you rather Death came by and took your life instead of me, Daniel? Would it make your life easier?"

Phantom weakly tried to punch his foe, but Plasmius grabbed his hand and pushed his face into his young archenemy's. "Do you know what I'm feeling, Daniel?"

He shook his head fervently.

"I'm feeling… guilty."

The hybrid blanched at this. "What?"

"You've made me feel guilty, my boy," the billionaire admitted, releasing his hand. "You've made me guilt for what I've done in the past. I don't know what the hell you did, but it sure made me change my mind about killing you today."

Phantom backed away into the tree. "You're… you're bipolar."

Plasmius allowed a low growl in his throat, a shadow of his sadistic self. "Watch it, dear boy.

"I'm letting you go, but only today. You're lucky you've managed to make me feel worse than I already do. I suggest you get out of my sight before I do something worse than death."

Phantom shook his head and turned invisible. With what remaining energy he had left, he flew home as fast as he could.

Plasmius stood by that tree for a long time, staring at the ectoplasmic blood pool made by his foe. The guilt washed over him as he landed his fist into the tree. Damnit! He was so close to destroying his one shot to love, but Daniel had to take it away with guilt. His hand shook as he stared at his reflection in the pool.

The guilt… it was so overpowering as he finally tore his eyes away from the green blood and flew towards the capital building. He shook himself out of his self-pity, but the fact remained that Vlad Plasmius had felt guilt for the first time in his life.

And for some reason, he was wishing that Daniel could help him reach that point again. The point of caring, but not loving. The point of guilt and regret for what he nearly did.

But he never cared about anything.

Right?

Somehow, I'm very pleased with how this came out, except for the end. I thought the ending kind of, well, stunk. This one is Teen for a reason. Major angst, almost tragic, three words of language… exactly. Thanks for reading, and please review!