Edit: 6/5/18: Next wave of grammar fixes and wording tweaks or some scenes altered to avoid cliches. Took out AN question and answer sections.
Thanks for your support and patience, enjoy!
zzz- normal separation
ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)
Mental thoughts or distant speaking
"Things that came apart could be put together again, but never exactly the same." ~ Deb Caletti, The Six Rules of Maybe.
zzz
Dora's Dungeon. 7:02 PM.
The nerds tripped stumbled and crawled over each other to get away from Aragon and the truth that had literally slapped them in the face. As the boys ran to the room they were sharing, Mikey was thinking about what he'd learned.
A Halfa. A HALFA! Could their classmate really be some kind of Half-ghost thing? Mikey's mind started to go over everything in his head that before had meant nothing much. Danny being so invisible, anxious, all the smallest strange behaviors from the boy all could be brought back to the possibility of this secret. Why did the idea of Danny being ghost like seem so right? There was something nagging him from that back of his mind, but he couldn't put his finger on it. His thoughts were interrupted by Norman's voice.
"Everyone just settle down, okay?" Norman expressed and slowly, Brandon and Lester calmed.
"I still think he's a superhero in disguise," Lester muttered.
Brandon seemed to grow uncomfortable at the suggestion and diverted his gaze.
"Well one thing is obvious, Tucker, Sam, and Valerie have to know," Norman stated simply.
"Why is that?" Lester asked.
"Well think about it? If Danny really is some kind of Halfa, thing, then that would explain why they have ghost friends and can be ghost hunters at the same time. The question is… is Danny controlling them somehow?" Norman answered and then finished with his question.
Brandon balked. "Danny's good! There's no way he'd be doing bad stuff!"
"I'm still not sure those guys would know…" Lester trailed off before Norman interrupted him.
"Sam's dating Danny… I think she of all people would know if her boyfriend was half-dead," Norman expressed.
"But how can someone be half-dead? It just doesn't make sense."
The boys fell into an uneasily silence, glancing at each other hopefully every few moments.
"What would possibly cause someone to half-die?"
Suddenly Mikey remembered what it was that had been bugging him. "By the four gems of the Crystal Leviathan!"
"What!?" The other three turned and stared at Mikey.
Mikey looked at them as the blood ran out of his face. "The accident. Danny's accident at the beginning of Freshman Year! The Ghost Portal thingy! Don't you all remember?!"
Slowly Norman, Lester and Brandon started to understand what he was saying.
Norman put a hand to his chin. "But then does that mean his parents know or knew?"
"So, what, he wasn't just zapped by electricity?" Brandon asked.
"I'm telling you guys! Superhero in disguise!" Lester yelped.
"Quiet, Lester," Norman sighed and rolled his eyes.
Eventually they decided to go to bed since they'd be waking up early again tomorrow. Brandon was the one that took the longest to fall asleep. After listening to everyone's theories and ideas there was something strange starting to churn in his mind and stomach. He could remember Danny's kind advice about bravery and perhaps that had come from his experience as a ghost hunter… yet Lester kept saying he was like a real-life superhero that was in disguise, but that was impossible, right? Superheroes didn't exist, not really. The only thing even close to that was Danny Phantom. A strange kind of dread floated into Brandon's mind when he thought about Fenton and Phantom along with all the things he'd learned. Something was there, just out of reach and for some reason it caused him to feel dread. Finally, his eyes slid closed and he went into a troubled sleep, filled with cackling ghosts, superheroes from the comics he read, and then finally a bright white light with a familiar face there that he couldn't place.
zzz
The Castle. 10:43 PM.
Mr. Lancer walked about the castle after everyone had gone to bed, with the exception of the ghosts that was. The specters were wandering about and continuing their duties despite the time. Most merely ignored Lancer as he weaved his way about the place and then headed towards a balcony. He did not expect to spot a very familiar specter floating peacefully with a view of the green void outside.
"Phantom…" Lancer whispered and realized that the ghost wasn't responsive… or well his student. Phantom sighed slightly as Lancer noticed his aura getting brighter.
Lancer nearly jumped out of his skin when Dora crept up behind him. "He's in the sleeping trance, getting extra energy from the ether here."
Lancer glanced at the Princess and nodded. "I see. Can all ghosts do this?"
Dora quirked her brow at the strange wording of his sentence, until she seemed to figure something out. "You know then…"
Lancer eyed her and realized what she was referring to. He sighed. "Yes… I found out at the Prison."
Dora nodded softly and this surprised the teacher. He was expecting this ghost to be threatening like Pandora had almost been.
"You will take good care of this secret if you can, right Sir?" Dora asked softly.
"I intend to. He's done so much for us after all."
"Humans aren't the only ones he's helped, you know."
Lancer looked at her for a moment again. "I see. I was wondering how he managed to acquire so many allies here."
"It's not as difficult as it may seem. Most humans' only interaction with ghosts are with the ones that go to the Human Realm seeking revenge or chaos of some kind. You think it frightens you all to have portals be open to the realm of the dead, but it scares us almost as much for you to have access to us. Some of us don't want to face our pasts just as humans don't want to face their inevitable future."
Lancer seemed stunned and then he smiled. "Of course. A wonderful way to explain things. It never even crossed my mind that you may fear us almost as much as we fear you."
"We also understand that your governments don't always work quickly. That is something both our worlds share in common, sadly." Dora laughed softly behind a hand.
Lancer nodded in understanding. Dora started to drift away to tend to other matters before she paused. "I suggest you tell him you know. The only other person that knew and didn't tell him for a period of time was his sister. She was able to help him behind the scenes for a while, but he told me several times where they almost contradicted each other's stories and excuses. It will do less damage to him for you to tell him the truth. He will be panicked, but if you prove to him that you can be trusted…" She turned to face the entranced teacher. "Then he will pretty much welcome you into the fold quiet easily." She smiled and waved. "Goodnight Sir Lancer." She then floated away.
Lancer let out a deep breath and turned to the look at the open balcony again, only to see Danny staring at him with a slightly sad expression.
"So, you know now, huh?" He asked quietly.
Lancer sighed once more before walking over and stood beside his student. He gazed at the green void for a brief moment before speaking. "I had started to watch you three, pardon four, more closely this year. I felt like I needed to know what had been causing your grades to be like they are since I knew what your true potential was. After you left for college, I wouldn't have a grip on you boys and girls anymore and that was something I couldn't accept. I take my job as a teacher seriously, Mr. Fenton. I'm sorry if I over-stepped my bounds by snooping too much."
Lancer glanced over as Danny's rings of transformation finished changing him into Fenton. Danny nodded silently.
"I really didn't want to skip class as much as I did. Ghosts don't have to go to school," Danny chuckled lamely.
"I know that now. I hope you can forgive me-"
Danny stopped him and rose a hand. "For what? Doing your job? Worrying about me? There's not much to feel sorry for, Mr. Lancer." Danny glanced over at his teacher with a sad smile. "You weren't trained for teaching a half-ghost with extracurricular actives." Danny smirked, using air quotes at the end. "If anything, the fact that you were worried about me and noticed something was wrong… meant a lot to me. If I wasn't so afraid of what the general populous would think about me… or do to me… I would've said something a long time ago."
Lancer gently shook his head in slight awe. "You're TheEidolon too, aren't you? The ice that Phantom creates?"
Danny flushed and nodded slowly. "I was trying to practice making swords and other weapons from ice and Sam said that practicing making figures would help my technique and then she said we could sell them too… It was mostly her idea."
Lancer nodded before he grew serious. "How did you become as you are?"
Danny rubbed the back of his neck as he normally did. "The accident right before my freshman year… I was inside the portal when it turned on."
Lancer was quiet for a few minutes. "Did it hurt?"
Danny smiled at him and closed his eyes. "It was very very painful then very cold. I think if Sam and Tucker hadn't been there screaming my name… I would've let go of my life and died fully. I was tempted too because of the pain and…" Danny trailed off not continuing, which worried Lancer.
"And?"
Danny just shrugged. "I guess I didn't think I was too important then. Dash hated me, I was a loser at school, my sister was the star child and my parents were too busy with their work." Danny let out a trembling sigh. "I think back then, at the time of the accident, I wasn't sure if anyone would notice, other than Sam and Tucker, if I just… disappeared."
Lancer became distressed before Danny spoke again, letting out a semi-excited breath.
"Then I became Danny Phantom… and for once… I could do something right and help people. Sure, I wasn't an Astronaut, but I was a hero." Danny frowned. "At least I've tried to be."
Lancer placed a hand on Danny's shoulder and glared at the boy. "Daniel."
"Yeah?" Danny asked in a slightly upset tone.
"I want you to know something very important. People would've noticed if you'd died, your family, your friends, me… I think you don't realize just how much you mean to people you know, even Dash and those others."
Danny perked up at that and stared at Lancer in confusion. "Huh?"
"I truly believe there's a part of Dash that respects Fenton, not in the way he praises Phantom, but in a way, he'd rather not admit even to himself. Sure, kids will say cruel things to each other and call each other hurtful things and there's no excuse for that, but through your time at Casper High I think if you'd had the spare time to notice, then you would see just how important your little group of three, now four, is to the students. You all held onto your true selves and didn't easily fall to peer-pressure. Other students valued that and possibly helped them to be themselves too and I'm not even mentioning how longer students look up to their seniors. Also, your deep friendship formed between the three of you was plain for everyone to see…"
A small smile started to creep its way onto Danny's face.
"And another thing." Lancer's face finally softened. "Daniel Fenton, you are the very epitome of a hero. Odysseus and Beowulf have nothing on Phantom."
Danny looked at Lancer in shock and amazement for a moment before he smiled a very relaxed smile. He looked out over the void once more. "Mr. Lancer, you have no idea how much that means to me."
Lancer actually smirked. "Well, Mr. Fenton, I'm just giving credit where credit is due. I do believe I'll go lay down a bit and try to sleep. I'll be keeping your secret and will tutor you if you wish."
Danny didn't even get to reply before Mr. Lancer disappeared. Danny just stood with his mouth slightly open in shock. He carefully placed a hand over the place where his heart and core beat and hummed together. A soft light from his aura glowed around him.
"Thank you." He whispered before fading from sight and heading to bed himself.
zzz
Entrance to the Castle. 6:06 AM.
"I hope you enjoyed your time at the castle, Sir Fenton and friends, and I wish you the best of luck getting to the Far Frozen and then to your homes. Are you sure you don't want escorts or to ride the carriages?" Dora asked.
Danny sighed. "As much as I would love to say yes, we can't."
"Why not?"
"That doesn't make sense!"
"Fenton!"
Sam whipped around and glared at everyone. "Quiet! We have a reason, guys."
Tucker coughed and stood next to Sam as Valerie joined him. "We've talked it over and we believe this entire series of events have been perhaps orchestrated."
"Huh?" Dash asked and scratched his head. Danny stared at him in surprise when he didn't make a sarcastic comment.
"What he means is that we think one of our more dangerous enemies planned this from the start. They found out we were going camping, somehow had a couple of other enemies inadvertently help him and send us here. We're worried he might do something crazy if he knew exactly where in the Ghost Zone we were. While he doesn't know many of our ghost friends, he might or might not be aware of our friendship with Princess Dora. He'd be suspicious of a large group of unicorns, carriages and the lot." Valerie expressed.
"Wait, how could someone plan all of this?" Freddie asked.
"We aren't clear on the details, but we don't want to take chances," Danny answered.
"What if another ghostly enemy shows up on the way to this FastFrozen place though?" Kwan asked worriedly and Testslaff nodded.
"We don't have a way to wrestle them into submission."
Norman then narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke, "You all lost your weapons, except Danny knows some other way to 'stun' a ghost since he did stave off Walker before…"
Danny flinched slightly at that and Tucker jumped in much to Sam and Valerie's worry.
"First, it's the FarFrozen. Second, it's a secret Fenton Family technique. He can only use it under extreme circumstances."
Everyone started mumbled and eventually seemed to come to accept that answer. Tucker grinned at Sam when she huffed.
"Wow, didn't think that would work."
"Hey, you don't have to sound so surprised." Tucker pouted.
Valerie only smiled. Danny grinned slightly. "But we are."
"Not cool, dude."
Danny only chuckled lightly before looking at everyone. "Hopefully nothing will find us, but if something does…" Danny paused for a minute before his eyes happened to lock with Lancer's. He'd already told his friends that Lancer was in on the secret, which had left them with mixed emotions that they'd deal with later. "I'll do what I must to make sure everyone's safe."
Lancer seemed to understand exactly what Danny truly meant by that and closed his eyes.
"Alright then, let's head off. We should reach the FarFrozen by late afternoon. The Fenton Portal is only a few hours away after that," Danny spoke.
"So, we could be home by the end of today?" Dinah asked and everyone seemed excited.
Danny smiled. "Yeah, it's possible if we don't break too often."
"We could be home before anyone realizes we're gone!"
"I can see my family again!"
"We'll see the sky again!"
Danny's smile only got larger, though he felt a stone of anxiety forming in his gut. It was never that easy. Danny turned and bowed slightly to Dora. "Thank you for your hospitality, Dora."
"Of course, my brave knight. Safe travels."
Everyone then started off down the path that would lead them to the FarFrozen.
zzz
Ghost Zone. 12:00 PM.
"I think I'd go nuts if I had to float around in a green void for who knows how long," Alroy grumbled as the group trekked on.
"Well it's sort of… I don't know, calming to most ghosts? It makes it easier for some ghosts to deal with their deaths since they don't have to see the sun rise and set anymore and know that time is passing without them." Danny explained.
"How strange and yet it makes sense I suppose," Richard spoke and then sighed.
"It can make humans depressed though, seeing as we thrive with sunlight," Danny continued. They all continued on for a bit longer before Danny pointed at several large icy peaks in the distance. "There it is. Shouldn't be long now. Hopefully they'll have a patrol nearby since it's super cold there and we'd freeze before we got to the caves."
Everyone had a bounce in their step as their eyes landed on their visible destination. They'd be home soon, before anyone knew they were missing. At least, practically before they were missing. Then Murphy had to raise his ugly head.
Danny shivered mid-step as an icy breath flooded from his mouth, which, unfortunately, everyone was able to witness.
"Ghost-child!"
Everyone froze and turned around to see Skulker hovering above them, casting something of a shadow within the sun-less expanse.
"Skulker, leave!" Danny barked, his eyes flashing green so fast that only the other ghost truly noticed.
"And why would I do that when my prey stands before me without any weapons to defend himself with?"
Danny started to mentally panic as he realized how screwed he was. There was only one thing left for him to do.
"Did you shoot the noose, Skulker?"
Everyone paused and Skulker faltered. Skulker stumbled over his words as if he was confused or conflicted in some way before a dangerous look came to his face. "And if I did?"
"Why save me when Walker would've happily given you my carcass?"
Skulker growled but said nothing.
"Was it because of Plasmius? Or your honor?"
Skulker hissed angrily. "What difference does it make!?"
Danny frowned slightly and shook his head of a brief hope. "I don't know really. It's just that that's the second time you've spared my life and I'm starting to worry." He gave Skulker a slight smirk.
Skulker growled. "Don't be getting all sentimental, ghost child."
"So, which is it?"
"I'm not telling you!"
Danny frowned. "Maybe it's both…" He murmured to himself. "Don't you want to find peace, Skulker?" He asked out-loud.
A moment of silence passed before Skulker leveled his rifle he held at Danny's torso. "All I want is your hide." A gunshot went off and most in the group cried out or screamed in horror when they saw red start to soak through his shirt near the area under Danny's left and bottom most rib. Said teen let out a gasp of pain and surprise before falling back onto his rear.
"RUN!" Danny screamed. Everyone started to run away while Valerie and Sam tried to pull Danny up with them, seeing as they could do so better than Tucker, especially with his leg still healing. "No just run and leave me. I can change once you're all far enough away!"
"That won't work, Danny! He'll turn you into swiss cheese before then!" Sam yelled.
"I can manage! I'm already starting to heal!"
"Shut-up Danny! That's a lie!"
"Let go and run!"
"No!"
"For the love of God, run!"
"No!"
"Damn it! I don't want you to get shot!" Danny finally screamed in panic as another pulse of blood and hidden ectoplasm oozed out from his wound.
Another shot fired and barely missed Valerie's foot.
Sam, who was on his left side, used her left hand, which wasn't supporting Danny, to put pressure on his wound. "Just stop screaming and let us help our friend, Danny."
Danny let out a sharp breath of air. Another shot fired and nearly hit Dash's throat. The jock cursed in surprise and fear before he grabbed Danny and hefted him onto his back.
"Dash are you insane!?" Danny cried out in surprise. Sam's mouth had fallen open as she ran and Valerie was glaring at Skulker, trying to see where he'd aim next.
"Shut up Fenton."
"He's trying to shoot me! If he hits me, he'll hit you too, moron!" Danny yelled in pure frustration now.
"I know."
Those two simple words completely silenced Danny. They were getting closer and closer to the FarFrozen when a wave of ice shards arched through the air and slammed into Skulker. The hunter spiraled out of control, dropping into the abyss for a distance, before turning and managing to fly off shakily.
A hovercraft stopped, revealing Frostbite and a yeti named Iceclaw. "Humans?" Frostbite asked before he spotted Sam, Tucker and Valerie in the crowd.
"Frostbite! Danny's been shot!" Sam shouted.
The great beast halted and then noticed Danny on Dash's back. He rushed over and scooped Danny into his arms. Danny's face was starting to pale a bit.
"Hey there, Frostbite… I… Dash said I know… magine that…"
Frostbite furrowed his brows in worry. "He's starting to become confused due to blood loss. We must hurry."
Frostbite ushered everyone into the hovercraft and told Iceclaw to step on it. It was looking more and more like the group wasn't getting home as quickly as they thought.
zzz
FarFrozen. 3:23 PM.
Everyone sat in the room outside of the infirmary. Even Sam, Tucker, and Valerie weren't allowed in at the time. Sam was staring at her hand, which was still coated in red blood that glittered like gasoline in the light of the cave, a unique trait of Danny's blood. Dash was doing much the same by staring at the bloodstain on the left side of his back and hip, since the blood had run down his side from Danny.
Soon a yeti named Flurry beckoned Sam, Tucker, Valerie, and to the surprise of some, Mr. Lancer, into the other room. Lancer merely told everyone that he had to check on his injured student. The doors closed again with a hollow echo.
"You think Danny'll be alright?" Star asked in worry.
"I mean, uh of course! He'll be fine," Tyson answered before a frown slipped onto his face.
"He has to be."
Everyone looked over at Dash, who was still staring at his bloodied shirt.
Norman grumbled. "Why is that? You not want to find a different favorite punching bag?" The nerd didn't exactly like that cruelty of his own statement, but he needed something or someone to blame since Skulker was long gone.
Surprisingly, Dash didn't answer right away.
"I didn't get to tell him I was sorry."
zzz
Operation Room. 3:23 PM.
"He's stable for now. Luckily the shot missed his organs. The laser itself also cauterized some of the damage but purged a bit of ectoplasm from his bloodstream. We're giving him a transfusion from the stores of his and Danielle's blood we have as well as a bit of diluted ectoplasm. His temperature and blood pressure are returning to normal. His heart rate is at an even fifty heartbeats per minute and his core is pulsing the other fifty beats," Frostbite explained and pointed to a large holographic monitor.
Lancer watched in amazement as Danny's heart beat slowly and his core pulsed right after each beat. "Ghosts have something like a heartbeat?"
Frostbite shook his head. "No. Cores don't normally beat at all. The Great One is very special. Halfas are the only ones who have cores that pulse like that."
Lancer nodded numbly before glancing back down at Danny, who was unconscious on a table. His shirt had been taken off and several bandages were wrapped around his lower torso; an oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose as he breathed peacefully.
"The Great One is very resilient. A shot like this in his ghost form would've healed almost on its own. It's a shame he was unable to switch before he was wounded."
Lancer blinked in surprise. "What?"
Frostbite smiled. "Daniel can survive many grievous injuries while in his ghost form. His healing factor is amplified and active ectoplasm is more vicious than human blood, so it doesn't flow out of a wound as quickly."
"Incredible." Lancer whispered.
Sam was holding Danny's hand while she sat and Tucker and Valerie were nearby. Sam glanced over at Lancer with slight suspicion. "That's another reason not to tell people. Who knows what they'd do to him to figure out how to make people like him. Some nut job could even claim he was the key to immortality or something stupid like that."
Lancer nodded gravely. "Believe me or not, Mrs. Manson, I do understand."
Sam relaxed her shoulders slightly when Valerie rested a hand on her shoulder. The goth turned her attention back to Danny's sleeping form.
"I think it has to be Plasmius…" Tucker murmured.
"Hm?" Valerie asked and Lancer glanced over at the other boy.
"Plasmius you say? He does often send the hunter after Daniel for his own gain…" Frostbite murmured in dissatisfaction.
"But why would Plasmius have Skulker shoot Danny? He could've killed him and Plasmius doesn't want Danny dead," Tucker continued.
Lancer furrowed his brows. "What do you mean Plasmius doesn't want to kill Danny? What else could he want from him?"
Tucker, Sam, and Valerie shared a look before Tucker sighed.
"Plasmius is like Danny, Mr. Lancer. He's a half-ghost and he wants Danny as his own son. Danny of course already has a father who loves him and doesn't want to be a villain of any sort."
"Wait, how many half-ghosts are there!?" Lancer asked in shock.
"Three."
Everyone glanced over and saw Danny was awake and had pulled the mask down around his neck.
"Me, Vlad Masters, and my adopted cousin, who is actually my clone."
"Danny!"
"Dude!"
Lancer started gapping. "The Art of Deception! Our mayor's a ghost and that girl is your clone!?"
"He's a fruitloop."
Lancer just continued to stare at the group of teens before finally shutting his mouth. Danny glanced up at the others. "Don't worry guys. I think we can trust Mr. Lancer."
Sam sighed. "I guess. Glad you're okay, Danny."
Danny smiled before Sam punched him in the arm.
"Ouch! What was that for!?"
"Don't you ever ask me to leave you behind like that again! Especially when it was so obvious that you could've died!" Sam then hugged him.
Lancer rolled his eyes and went towards the doors. "I'll go tell the others that Daniel is on the road to recovery." With that he exited the room.
"Here's your shirt, Great One," Frostbite spoke and handed the still stained shirt to Danny as he sat up.
"Thanks for everything again, Frostbite. You think we could stay here the night? I'm afraid it's getting late now and Danny needs to rest a bit more before we leave," Sam asked.
Danny glanced over in slight frustration but decided to not push it.
"Of course. It would be our pleasure!"
zzz
FarFrozen. 5:54 PM.
After a large meal filled with many people happily telling Danny that they had been worried, they all walked towards the other rooms. It was while Team Phantom was leading them towards they're rooms that Dash ran ahead and stopped the entire group.
"Dash, what's wrong?" Danny asked in slight frustration and yet a curious glint was also in his eyes. Dash glanced to his friends and the A-listers walked in front of everyone.
Dash coughed. "We uh have come to a decision and we've decided to tell everyone this now due to recent events." He paused. "We're disbanding the A-listers."
There was complete silence at first, as Lancer and Tetslaff watched silently at the back. Some like Brad rose a brow in surprise and others seemed flat out shocked, while still others seemed skeptical or unconcerned.
Sam finally put her hands and her hips. "Okay, so what?"
This question seemed to completely stump Dash. "Well I mean I guess we were hoping…"
"That we'd all forget?" Norman asked.
Danny glanced at his girlfriend and then Norman.
"Well…" Dash trailed off in slight disappointment.
"We wanted to maybe start over…" Star explained and stepped forward. She looked Valerie in the eye and held out her hand. "Hi, my name is Star Hudson. I love math and sciences and think rodents are really cute."
Valerie blinked in shock at Star before slowly, she held out her hand and shook Star's. She smiled. "I'm Valerie Gray, turns out I'm not bad at ghost hunting and could care less about appearances anymore."
Sam's face lightened a little and Tucker seemed to be in total shock.
Kwan gulped and held his hand out to Norman. "Hey I'm uh, Kwan Han and I love animals and would like to be a vet someday."
Norman didn't hold out his hand though and glanced at the ground. "So, we're just supposed to pretend like nothing you guys did never happened?"
Kwan slowly lowered his hand as everyone turned their attention to Norman.
"Norman…" Brandon hummed in worry.
"You should be happy, you little dweeb!" Alroy growled.
Norman snapped his head up and pointed. "See! It's not real! They'll never change, not really!"
Dash growled and took a step forward. "Leave my buddies alone!"
Mikey huffed. "Yeah that always worked for us."
"I'll burry you in the snow, dork!"
"Real mature!"
"People, calm down!"
"You were never involved, invisible to them and us! You didn't do anything and you didn't help either!"
"Yo, cut that out!"
"No, I won't!"
ENOUGH!" Danny shouted finally, unintentionally making his voice echo; good thing he could blame it on the caves. "Maybe they're lying, maybe they're just planning on taking it back later, maybe it's too little too late, maybe, maybe, maybe!" Danny growled out and glanced between everyone. He finally calmed a let out a sigh. "The thing is, I believe in second chances and Dash was willing to get shot if it meant he could carry me faster…" Danny glanced up at Dash, who'd calmed down. He held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Danny Fenton. My parents are really weird, my sister likes to psychoanalyze everything I do, I love space and like to sculpt things. In my free time I hunt ghosts that could hurt people and know more about the history of the Ghost Zone than I do about World History. I'm often clumsy and have put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count. I often tend to ramble when I don't know what to do next."
Dash paused before he smirked slightly and shook his hand. "I'm Dash Baxter. I like football, if it isn't obvious, hanging out with my team, soap operas and lap dogs since larger dogs freak me out."
Soon everyone started to shake hands as if a spell had been broken, even Norman eventually joined reluctantly and was smiling by the end of it. Sam and Paulina also shook even if they weren't exactly comfortable with it.
Lancer was smiling with Tetslaff, happy that they hadn't had to intervene.
Norman's smile then slid of his face before he glanced at Danny, who was shaking Dinah's hand. Once everyone was done, Norman spoke.
"So, if we're all trying to be completely honest with each other, I have a question."
Danny looked at the young man, since he was obviously looking at him. "Okay, what?"
"When were you going to tell us you're a Halfa, a half-ghost?"
Brandon gasped and looked at Norman in horror. Everyone but the nerds, minus Brandon, seemed shocked and Danny couldn't seem to pull air into his lungs.
zzz
Fenton Portal. 1:22 PM. Earlier.
"Well were you able to wound him enough?" Vlad asked angrily as Skulker floated towards him.
Skulker paused, after seeing his boss hiding behind the Fenton Portal. In all honesty he was starting to wonder about the sanity of his employer to some degree; sure, he was in it for the money first off, but he had to wonder.
"Yes, but he escaped into the boarders of the FarFrozen. Frostbite took him to the infirmary no doubt."
"Drats. Did he at least look hungry? tired? infection setting in?"
Skulker eyed his boss carefully. "Why would he be suffering from those?"
"Because he and his classmates have been stumbling through the Ghost Zone without food, water, or doctor in sight since Walker's prison of course! You fool!"
Skulker blinked. "Um, Plasmius… they've stopped periodically at Pandora's, Dora's, Clockwork's, and now Frostbite's domains. They are all allies of the boy's and he's received food, shelter and treatment for any prior wounds Walker gave him long ago. Besides the gunshot wound he now has, which will be healed by at noon tomorrow at the latest, he's perfectly healthy and maybe even has slept more than normal."
Vlad looked like he was about to flip his lid, though Skulker wasn't certain if he already had or not.
"I… I underestimated the number of allies he has… Curses I always underestimate that rat!"
Skulker noticed that Vlad's hair seemed a tiny bit less than immaculate, his face seemed a bit gaunt, and the man couldn't stop twitching his fingers. They were small things to notice, but it made a difference in the overall picture.
"Skulker, you're dismissed. I'll have to go with Plan B."
Skulker's eyes widened a bit. "You're actually going to risk it?"
"What choice do I have? If I don't succeed, I lose everything regardless. This is my last plan I'll ever make. One way or another."
Skulker merely nodded in silence before he turned to head back to his island. He glanced over his shoulder one last time to see Vlad murmuring to himself and hiding in the small shadow that existed behind the Fenton Portal. The elder Halfa stopped talking to himself and slipped right through the yellow and black striped door.
Skulker looked forward and shook his head. Almost all ghosts felt some amount of pity for another who's obsession drove them closer towards insanity. A trouble frown crossed his robotic face at the thought.
zzz
FarFrozen. 6:07 PM.
"Where…?" Danny finally breathed out, staring at Norman.
"The prisoners were chanting it when you were almost executed. I didn't know what it meant at first until I asked someone named Aragon about its meaning," Norman explained.
Danny growled. "And you thought it was a good idea to ask a prisoner in a dark dungeon what Halfa meant?"
"Why would he lie?"
"I don't know, maybe because I put him in that dungeon and he hates me?" Danny asked sarcastically. He turned to continued leading everyone down the hall, trying to end the conversation there, when Norman's voice came back even though Brandon was trying to nudge him into stopping.
"It would explain everything though. How you know when a ghost is near with that weird breath thing, how you disappear, drop things so much more often than anyone should. Tell the truth, Fenton. Something more happened before freshman year with the portal, didn't it?"
Danny froze mid-step and whipped around to stare at Norman angrily. "Stop right there. You're going too far!" And against Danny's will… his eyes glowed green. Almost immediately, Danny realized his mistake.
"And your eyes glow green…" Norman muttered loud enough for people to hear. "Who are you really, Danny? How do any of us even know you're really Danny Fenton anymore?"
Lancer stepped forward before Sam or Tucker could jump in. "That's enough of your silly theories Mr. Allard." The teacher put a hand on Norman's shoulder and tried to move the young man forward but he didn't budge.
"Danny… Fenton… Danny…" Norman muttered under his breath. Everyone was completely silent and tense in the hall. Danny could feel his heart rate spiking. Something inside him just knew it was all over. His best plan at the moment would be to make a duplicate sometime later and hoped they bought it, but he'd shown his eyes… oh why had he shown his eyes!?
Norman rose his head slowly and locked his eyes with Danny's. "Fenton… Why haven't we run into Danny Phantom?"
So uh so sorry for the cliff-hanger thing there. It's not quite as cliffhangery as it could be, but it's hard to see that since you don't have the next few sentences available. You'll see... ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF DRAGONBALL Z! Oops wrong fandom and media... never mind.
Thank you all for your reviews, support, follows, etc!
I hope to keep you all entertained!
~NoSignal