HSR 16

I watched Sam as she talked to Walker who by now was completely arsed, I wanted to go over there and talk to her. I wanted to age, I wanted… I wanted so much. Hadn't I given up enough? It shouldn't be like that; you can't just give and give with nothing in return! That wasn't right. If you worked hard you got something out of it, if you protected people eventually they would protect you right? Shouldn't that be how it was? Give something to get something, lose to gain. It was basics wasn't it? You learn it at an early age; you have to earn things like rewards and good grades.

I couldn't understand how I was left with nothing after I'd given it all up. I closed my eyes. But did I have nothing? For years I didn't, ten years I lived with nothing but my strange abilities in which I took comfort. Was I getting things back after so long? Is that why they came back, to save me like I'd saved them? I was ready to leave. So very ready. Maybe I was reading too far into things like this, thinking that life had to be fair and crap. I mean when the town was set ablaze thousands of people, firefighters policemen, doctors alike all normal people, regular heroes that somehow get shortchanged with the infamous Danny Phantom around, they all gave up their lives to save others, people they didn't even know or maybe they didn't care. Some of those people they 'saved' that didn't even survive. What did they get in return? Especially when so many of them had died.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I was reading too far into this. I closed my eyes. Things would be better once mom and dad came… wouldn't they? I didn't want to think about it anymore. I glanced down at my hands they were my human hands but with all the ghosts around I wasn't sure if I imagined the ghostly glow or not. I shifted, closed my eyes, opened them again, stared at the stars, stuck my tongue out, made weird faces, anything to pass the time.

A few ghosts were all that was left now. Where had the time gone? Hadn't just seconds ago there been thousands of ghosts converging on this spot thousands of ghosts dancing and playing. I stared off into space. Where did they all go? Where did time go? What?

"Huh?" I looked over Sam touched my arm and smiled.

"You were sitting so still I was wondering if you were on of Gerald's illusions." Sam said gesturing to a few still life ghosts around the place. Gerald was a ghost the specialized in them. They weren't illusions per say but rather really realistic life size figures. Though the figures could be made in different sizes big and small. I smiled.

"Nah, just me." I took Sam's hand in mine and kissed her cheek.

"You know what day tomorrow is right?" Sam smiled. I nodded.

"Yeah. Time flies right?" I returned the smiled. Sam looked over the town, my eyes glazed over as I stared toward the faint city sky line across the night sky. Sam began humming but stopped feeling awkward I guess. I glanced around there weren't many ghosts left. Gerald was leaving via a portal that had appeared courtesy of clockwork I would guess.

I closed my eyes once more. This horrible nightmare dream… it would end right? Once I left, things would begin, time would flow. Would there be meaning? I felt Sam put her arms around me as my mind drifted off.

(Warusa bakari no uddopekka)

I woke up groaning as the sound of a very angry driver practically crashed into the front door. I closed my eyes fixing the door then coming downstairs and angrily wrenching the door open to glare at the person who had disturbed my sleep. The Fenton RV was trying to park, a hulking figure of a man behind the wheel. My anger all dissolved, I ran out of the door jumping up and grabbing the door handle latching onto the side of the Fenton RV. My mom's startled face was inside the door. I must have scared her while she was busy trying to redirect my dad into the driveway. I grinned.

Mom looked at me for a minute then over at my dad who was staring at me. I smiled my face pressed up against the glass childishly.

"Hi." I smiled. Mom opened the door and I jumped out of the way, dad came around the front of the RV having jumped out as quickly as my mom and within seconds they were all hugging me happily. Mom stroking my hair and dad rubbing my back.

After a few moments mom and dad pulled back and searched me.

"Well I can't say you've grown much son." Dad said putting his hand on my head. I shook it off.

"Daaaaad!" I said. I looked at him, "Loving the hair though." I smiled. Dad ran a hand through his hair which only had a few strands of black running through. Mom's hair was going white too, but she still had more color in her hair then dad had. But then again, considering how much dad had left… it wasn't hard to have more color than him. I think the only one with more white in their hair would be me as Phantom. I smiled and waved them both in. Jazz was coming out of the basement she smiled at me briefly. She was so old looking. Actually she looked a bit like mom when mom was young, if mom had long hair.

"Hi mom, hi Danny." Jazz said. She then turned to the kitchen where the smell of lunch was coming from. Smelled like BLTs which I loved minus the toast. We walked in. My bread was untoasted. Thank god. We sat down and all stared at each other for a while.

"So Danny boy, you've been living here the whole time?" Dad asked. I nodded taking a bite out of me BLT.

"Yeah… it's not that bad. I mean there aren't any of the old idiots that used to bother me really. Plus I've made good with the ghosts. We did have a huge party last night, and even if we all aren't on the greatest terms we do have plenty of truces. Well there are a few that aren't included in the truce but last night was a ghost zone wide thing I think. There was a whole bunch of ghosts around, and even Skulker who is still hunting me was there. He wasn't happy that's for sure but he was there." I smiled.

"Oh! And Sam is here, and Tucker and Jazz… well you already knew Jazz was here obviously… and there was my high school reunion back two days ago… that was a nightmare." I laughed, "For some more than others." I shrugged, "Other than that not much has changed… well." I touched my chest, "I'm no longer tethered to this town… but since I am a ghost, even if it is just half, so I'm sure my ghost half has fixated onto something else… I'm not sure what that is yet. I have this theory that that's why I had so much trouble with my powers at first because I had no obsession so my ghost half was unstable. Well it's not really like I can prove it but…" I noticed Mom and Dad crying.

"What?" I asked. Mom took my hand which had been waving around as I got to talking and she kissed my fingertips.

"We're just so happy you're alive." Mom said squeezing my hand. I blushed and my eyes began to water to.

"Yeah… I am too… I mean…" I laughed, "I mean I'm happy that I lived to see you guys again… even… if I'm like this." I said getting emotional, "I'm not very good with words." Dad took my other hand like Mom did and really… I didn't think there was need for many words. Eventually we had all stood up and Mom and Dad had pulled me into a hug. A few seconds later we roped Jazz into it. I smiled and let myself relax into their arms. It wasn't magical, or world changing, earth shattering or any other cliché… it just was. There is no way to describe it really. I just… was.

After the hug ended we spent a while talking about what had happened in the years. Apparently my parents had gotten a huge job offering to build ghost protective things all over the country after Amity Park was destroyed. Even though business had died down they were still living comfortably and selling other non-ghost related inventions on the side more as a hobby. It wasn't like Tucker's Technological Empire but it was pretty cool. Mom and Dad shared stories about things that had happened while I was gone, funny little stories like Dad getting stuck in a revolving door and things like that.

It still was early, though and Sam walked in the door a few minutes later. I grinned still in my pajamas and Sam rolled her eyes then gave Mom and Dad a quick hug.

"You do realize it is lunchtime don't you." Sam scolded. I folded my arms.

"Anyone who wakes me up before five pm on a weekend is crazy… but I think I can make an exception." I teased. Sam laughed.

"At least get dressed and take a shower, you smell." Sam said. I stuck out my tongue and finished off my sandwich.

"It's only twelve, it isn't even one yet." I protested. Sam rolled her eyes again, "If you keep doing that your eyes will fall out." I said. Mom laughed but put her hand on mine.

"Take a shower sweetie we'll still be here." Mom assured. I smiled then went upstairs.

(Kyomon anake moribor no darake)

I stepped into the living room wearing my usual attire I smiled at my family and my best friends who were chatting on the couch smiling. If I did leave there were still things to be discussed. Still things like where I would stay. What would happen with me? Would I go to school? I had graduated after all and was by the date on my birth certificate twenty eight some years. But I was biologically fourteen so that didn't work too well either. I caught Sam's eye and she smiled at me Mom noticing and turning her head. Mom stood and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her.

Yes I was a twenty eight year old man, but I was still biologically fourteen. And yes I did miss my mom. Unless you have issued with your parents and or hate their guts I'm sure even when you're fifty some you'll probably still miss your parents. Maybe not as much but you get the idea.

I pulled away from my mom gasping for breath.

"Mom, can't breathe." I choked out warning her. Mom let go holding my shoulders and staring at me.

"Um…" I looked at the ground, "There's something I have to show you." I confessed. Mom nodded Dad too. I shuffled a little bit.

"Well… going ghost!" I called out hesitantly. The two white rings split and I stood there in all my ghostly glory. Mom and Dad looked slightly shocked. We'd discussed it but they still seemed shocked. I guess me telling them and showing them were two different things. The tiniest darkest thought sprung into my mind that maybe they wouldn't accept me. They after all had had nearly a decade to reject me and they might not even know who I was anymore and accuse me of what I had claimed happened to me when I scared off the reunion goers.

But in one swift motion both my mom and my Dad were hugging me. Tucker joined pulling Angie and Sam in. Derek pulling in Valerie and my sister giving up her pride and joining in as well.

Eventually it died off I pulled away and wiped my eyes, successfully proving that ghosts could cry.

"Well… I think that's enough of this lovey dovey stuff for one day. Sam is gonna puke on me if we keep this up." I teased. Sam punched my shoulder. I turned intangible and it went through. Dad and mom smiled and I stuck at my tongue at her.

"I'll get you the ghost gauntlets." Dad said leaving.

"What!" I checked out, "No… Dad come back… Dad? DAD!"

I think that's a cute place to leave it.

So cute I'm gonna go barf a kitten.

Alright. The long awaited chapter dun dun dun.

That was amazing guys please continue to support me. We're almost done

CON-SAN OUT!