I think someone asked at one point how many more chapters there would be. As of now, I'm planning on at least three, but I may decide to split some of them up (they were twice as long as my usual chapters).

So yeah, that's where we stand right now. I'll have a more definite answer next week. But for now, on with the story!

Chapter 6

Danny and Tucker played Doom well into the night, long past when they should have gone to bed. Finally, at two in the morning, they were forced to shut the game off by Tucker's very irritated mother.

They hadn't done any homework, and at that point they weren't about to. Danny had left all his stuff at home anyway; he wasn't about to risk going back.

Tucker passed out almost immediately, snoring quietly in the dark. Danny stretched out on the floor, wrapped tightly in a blanket. How many times had he slept here? Sam usually slept on the other side of the room, in front of Tucker's dresser. It was comforting, almost, being here in such a familiar place. If he didn't think about it, Danny could almost think it was just like any other sleep over. They'd wake up and go to school, and then he'd either go home or go to the Nasty Burger with them. It was routine. It was normal. It was safe.

But this wasn't just like any other night. He had practically run away from home, with nothing but the clothes on his back. And he didn't know if he would ever be allowed back. He didn't know if the next time he saw his parents it would be at the wrong end of their blasters.

Hopefully Jazz could talk to his mom and convince her he wasn't a bad guy. Years of prejudice though couldn't be erased overnight.

Even if she could…he'd probably have to tell his dad. Oh God…telling his father. And he thought telling his mother had been bad…the second he said he was Phantom his father would probably shoot first and ask questions later.

What if Maddie tells Jack tonight? What if his father already knows? Is he already building something to specifically target him? Are they already hunting him? Oh man this was the worst decision ever…he shouldn't have told his mom. It was going to be his death. He just knew it. He wouldn't even live to see next week. Maybe he should run now, while he still had the chance…

A shiver ran up his spine and escaped in a puff of blue through his mouth.

Oh. Great. Because this was what he needed right now.

He shoved the blanket away and stood up, glancing at Tucker. Should he wake him? If it was just the box ghost, there wasn't any need to. But if it was Skulker or someone else, he might need the back-up.

Of course, there was always the chance the ghost was just passing through. But he was never that lucky.

He stood by the window and glanced at Tucker again, buried under his blankets and still snoring. They'd only just gone to bed maybe half an hour ago, and they still had school in the morning.

Danny transformed and phased out the window. He'd already caused too much sleep loss for his friend. He would handle this one on his own.

The night felt good. Quiet streets under him and a black, starry sky above him. He couldn't ask for anything better. It was calm, peaceful. Flying through nights like this…that was his favorite part about being a halfa.

Ectoblasts flying past him and singeing his arms…that part not so much.

"At last, whelp," Skulker called from above.

Danny twisted in the air and looked up at him. "Of course it's you. You love making sure I don't actually sleep."

"I'm a hunter. I take whatever advantage I can get." He leveled his arm at Danny and a small blaster lifted from his wrist. Green ectoplasm swirled in the barrel and fired. Danny dodged easily and flew up.

"Yeah, well, I'm not really in the mood. Can we reschedule for never?" Danny shot his own ectoblast at the hunter, but the ghost evaded it with the same ease.

"A hunter hunts when he pleases. What the prey wants hardly matters." Rocket launchers flipped open on his shoulders. They shot out, all honed in on Danny.

"Please let this work," he muttered, creating a green shield around himself. The rockets crashed into it, exploding on contact. The force of it sent him flying several feet back, but he managed to push back. After the last rocket, he dropped the shield and flew through the smoke, landing a flying punch against Skulker's jaw.

Skulker spun back and used his jets to force himself upright again. "Little whelp!" He launched another barrage, and Danny again evaded him before countering him. The fight went on for a while, neither one really gaining ground against the other.

Normally, Danny would have been frustrated with how long this was taking. He needed sleep, and he didn't want people to wake up and find him missing. Of course, his whole secret was pretty much shot to hell at this point anyway, so that didn't even matter. Fighting Skulker though was routine. It was another familiar feeling.

It was comforting, almost, that even as his life crashed around him, this was still the same. He could count on the ghosts to keep coming.

And, if he was honest with himself, slamming his hands against something repeatedly right now felt pretty good.

Danny couldn't tell anyone how long it went on for. Much longer than their usual fights. Skulker ran out of ammunition, and was left with his knives and hand to hand combat. Danny had stopped using his ectoblasts, unless he needed a quick shield against a blade.

Somehow, their fight had turned from hunter vs. prey to a spar. They stopped trying for kill shots, they gave each other time to recover from a hit. Neither of them was aware of the change, or how it had happened. It just came to be that Skulker was out of ammo, and Danny didn't have a thermos or a tech geek who could hack the ghost. So, they just kept fighting.

Eventually, Skulker held a hand up. "Hold!" he said.

Danny hovered in the air, his fist still raised. "What, had enough?"

"We are at a stalemate," Skulker stated.

"So? You want to play rock, paper, scissors or something?"

"What?"

"Never mind. What's your point?"

"My point is that perhaps we should continue this another time, when we have had time to gather our strength again."

Danny rolled his eyes. "So now you want to reschedule."

"Would you prefer I make a pelt out of you now?" Skulker growled.

"As always, ew." Danny stated. "And I don't need to gather my strength again. I'm fine."

Skulker raised his blade. "Very well. We will continue."

He dived, and the fight resumed. It wasn't the casual spar they'd been having though. This was their usual trying to beat the other to a pulp. Danny met the challenge with relish at first, but he soon realized he didn't have as much strength as he claimed. He was still running on only a few hours of sleep from the night before, and the last hour of fighting had already drained his energy supply.

He wasn't that surprised when Skulker managed to grab his ankle and chuck him to the ground. He crashed into the road, creating a crater.

"Ow," he muttered, picking himself up. "Should have taken the offer to reschedule."

Skulker flew down to meet him on the street. Thus far, most of their fight had been in the air, and very little property damage had actually been caused. That status changed in only a few minutes. Ectoblasts went wide and blew holes in houses. Danny crashed into numerous cars and he threw Skulker through several windows.

The shouts of panic started soon after. People poured out of their houses, seeking better shelter. Teenagers, people Danny went to school with, had their phones out and were filming the encounter.

"What are you doing?" Danny yelled. "Get out of here!"

They hardly even stepped back. Skulker took the opportunity while Danny was distracted to slam into him from behind, sending him flying. Danny landed in front of the crowd, and numerous hands were soon all over him, some helping him back to his feet and others just trying to hug him. He tore himself out of their grasp and turned back to Skulker.

"This has gone on long enough," Danny stated.

"I agree," Skulker said, lifting his blade.

They surged forward, exchanging blows once again. Adrenaline rushed through Danny now though. There were innocent people behind him. He couldn't let them get hurt. This had to end.

He grabbed Skulker's arm and shot off into the sky, dragging the hunter behind him. Once they were clear of the buildings, Danny tossed the ghost ahead of him. While Skulker spun, Danny took a deep breath and then let out his ghostly wail.

It was smaller than most of his previous ones, more focused, but it was still just as powerful. Skulker tried to push back against it at first, and he lost most of his suit in the process. When he was nothing more than a few hunks of metal and wires, he let the blast push him far into the distance.

Danny let the wail die out and drifted back down. He panted heavily, struggling to maintain his ghost form. The world blurred in front of him as he struggled to remain conscious. He collapsed onto a roof, trembling from exhaustion, and the rings washed over him as he let himself pass out.

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