You're amazing just the way you are!
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or other relating characters.
Chapter Four: Fitting Together
No matter how hard he tried, Danny couldn't get Vlad's words out of his head.
"Haven't you ever felt it inside you? Something different from the other ghosts?"
It had never crossed his mind before, but now he couldn't stop thinking about it. Was he really half human? Is that why neither Ember nor Skulker knew anything about his past or family?
It couldn't be! It didn't even make sense! How does someone end up as a hybrid? How could someone belong to both the living and the dead?
It didn't matter because Danny knew it could never happen. He took the pillow out from underneath his head and pushed it over his face.
It would be better if he just forgot about it…just like he did everything else.
Danny slipped out of the cave silently.
He couldn't resist. His curious nature got the best of him. He had to go visit the human world.
Skulker had warned him repeatedly to stay away from the portals if he valued his life. He said the humans were cruel and merciless, that they would tear him open and pull his organs out in the name of science.
These stories were a bit intimidating, but if it would help him get his memory back, Danny would risk it.
He found a portal not too far from the isle and dove in.
The sky outside was a dark navy-blue with a single orb shining in the sky.
Danny zipped through the human city silently, absorbing all the sights. It was very quiet; everyone must have also been asleep here.
What was so dangerous about this place? The few humans that were out didn't seem all that strong. Ember told him they didn't have powers, but they still posed a threat. How?
He got his answer when he was suddenly blasted into the nearby building.
"You've got a lot of nerve coming back here ghost punk!" Jack cheered at his shot. He never landed a hit; the ghost boy must still be weak even after all this time.
Danny felt his head spin from the sudden crash. These guys, he'd seen them before. His memory swam and surfaced from the impact as he realized they were close to him.
Suddenly, everything fit together.
In that instant, Danny saw everything he had forgotten. His friends, defending Amity Park, his parents. What his parents had done to him in their lab. Skulker saving him.
He shot up like an arrow, zooming through, over, and around the building with great ease. He knew where the next portal would form in the sky. He knew how to maneuver his way around the city. He knew how to use all his ghost powers.
In his rage and fear, Danny began firing ecto-blasts at his parents, blowing out the tires to the Fenton RV, hoping it would keep them at bay.
Sure enough, the portal formed in the sky, allowing Danny to escape from the nightmare he was re-living. He landed at the closest floating land mass, giving himself some time to recuperate. His head was pounding from the sudden surge of memories and his stomach felt sick from what those memories contained.
He saw his own organs being torn out! He saw his parents do it!
Danny clutched at his stomach and threw up.
The next morning, Danny woke up feeling absolutely awful.
Late in the night, he had snuck back on to Skulker's Isle, hoping a good night's sleep would help. Unfortunately it seemed to make it worse.
He felt trapped in his own mind, and his body felt like it was on fire, even in his ghost form.
When Ember came to wake him up, she found him in his miserable state. "What's wrong, Danny?" She asked, sitting down next to him on the bed.
"I feel horrible." He groaned, feeling so in more ways than one.
Ember placed her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up." She found it strange, considering ghosts never overheated, especially not Danny. He had an ice core; his normal body temperature should have been very low. It must have been a problem with his human half. "You stay in bed, I'll tell Skulker you're too sick to go out for training today." She got up and left, closing the door behind her.
Danny stared at his gloved hands. How long had it been since he'd changed back into his human form? Almost a month now? He closed his eyes, willing his human half forward. It felt strange at first, as he was too accustomed to being ghost, but it still felt nice. The hazmat suit disappeared to reveal his normal jeans and t-shirt while his white locks returned to their natural black color. He reached up to the wall behind him and stuck his hand right through it. Yes, he was indeed a halfa.
Remembering that dreaded night yet again, Danny pulled his shirt over his head. Looking at his torso, he saw the scars that remained after Ember had stitched him up. Not wanting to linger on the painful memory, he quickly pulled his shirt back over his head.
He held his hand out, making some ice. Good, he hadn't lost any of his powers by not using them. He took the chunk of ice and brought it up to his head. It felt good against his burning skin.
When Ember returned, she was surprised to see him in his human form with a chunk of ice in his hand. If he could transform and use his elemental powers, he must have gotten his memories back.
This dilemma posed a series of new questions. Such as, would he be angry and attack? Would he still try and go back to the human world to reason with his parents?
"Ember." Danny said softly. "Thanks."
Ember returned to her former place beside him on the bed. "You're welcome. Do you want anything else? Are you hungry?"
"No, I'm fine." Danny sat quietly for a moment. "Are you going to tell Skulker?"
"Well, he's going to find out eventually." Her boyfriend was not stupid. As a hunter, he could easily sense changes be it in his prey or hunting environment. "But if you don't want me to, I won't tell him."
"I'll tell him myself when he gets back."
Ember tweaked the strings on her guitar quietly. Danny was asleep in his room; she didn't want to wake him up.
The day was really slow. There was nothing to do, but she had chosen not to go out as Danny was sick and may need her later on.
She sighed, leaning into the sofa. Maybe something was on TV.
She grabbed the remote from the coffee table and was about to turn the TV on when she felt another ghost approach the isle.
Danny's eyes snapped open from sleep. He felt a strong energy signature nearby. It was Vlad's! Vlad was here!
He quickly threw the covers off of himself and changed back into his ghost form, just in case he needed to fight off the fruit loop. Who knew what Vlad was up to, especially after the last stunt he pulled?
"Ember, dear, is Skulker in?" Vlad asked from the cave entrance as Ember had not invited him inside.
"No, he left. You'll probably find him out in the forest today." Ember kept an uncaring façade on, not wanting Vlad to find out whom was asleep just upstairs.
"Very well then, Thank you-" Vlad felt another energy signature suddenly come into existence in the house. Daniel's energy signature to be more precise. The boy must have been in his human form before changing. What a foolish mistake. If the child had stayed human, he may have never picked up on him. "Ember, is there someone else here?"
"Why do you ask?" Ember felt the signature too. Why had Danny done that? He should have known better!
Beams of ice came from the inside as Danny flew out, ready to tear Vlad's eyes out. That sap had tried to take Danny when he was down. What a weak shot! "No more of your stupid games, Plasmius! I know exactly who I am and what I'm going to do to you."
"Daniel, nice to have you back." Vlad snickered. "Now tell me, dear boy, what are you doing here on Skulker's Isle?"
"That's none of your business."
"I believe it is. I gave Skulker the task of capturing you after you had run off. I thought it was strange he was taking such a long time to catch you, so I came to check up on his progress. Has he double crossed me by keeping you for himself?"
"I'm here of my own free will, Vlad." Danny lit his fists with energy. How dare Vlad talk about him as if he were some material possession!
"Well, you're parents don't want you Daniel. Where do you plan you go once you return to the human world? I'm your only option. Just come home with me now and save yourself the trouble." The boy was just giving him an unnecessary headache.
"Who says I'm going back to the human world?" Danny charged into an attack, catching Vlad off guard. He slammed the older halfa into a rock farther out, not wanting to fight near the cave. "Leave, Plasmius!" He didn't want to fight at all. His body was still fatigues from his previous venture and that attack took quite a bit out of him.
"Sorry Daniel, not without you." His own pink energy came out of his hands as he prepared his own attack.
Ember held her arm out in the direction of the cave, summoning her guitar to her. It zipped off the couch, landing perfectly in her open hand. She strummed with reckless abandon, attacking Vlad at every opening.
"Give up you two, you can't defeat me." Vlad stood in his arrogant manner, not a scratch on him.
On the other hand, Ember and Danny didn't look so good. Ember was not strong enough to fight Vlad off on her own and Danny could not do much to help in his sickened state.
"No." Danny rasped in between breaths. "I won't leave with you, even if my life depended on it."
"Well, Daniel, it just might." Vlad was going to take the boy or kill him trying to. His fist charged up with electrical energy.
Danny took a deep breath. Vlad was approaching him slowly. Just a few more steps and he would be in his direct line of fire.
"Changed your mind, Daniel?"
In that moment, Danny screamed, unleashing his Ghostly Wail. Vlad must have thought him too weak to use such a powerful attack at the time, for he did not expect it.
Vlad ducked down, trying to grab a hold of something on the ground. Unfortunately, the wail was too strong and he was blown into the trees surrounding the island.
From miles away, ghosts were able to feel and/or hear the powerful attack. Everyone knew what it was, as there was only one ghost with an attack like it.
Danny Phantom.
Most ghosts chose to ignore it, thinking the boy had gotten himself into another mess, but Skulker however, knew this could only mean bad news.
It didn't take a genius to figure out the boy was in trouble, but why was he using his strongest attack? When did he re-learn it?
Regardless, there had to be some serious trouble going on or Danny would not have resorted to using that attack.
Vlad punched Danny in the gut, knocking the remaining wind out of him. "Well, Daniel, you've just used you last trump card. Tell me, boy, what do you plan to do now?"
"It's not him you should be worried about." Skulker struck Vlad on the back of the head with all his might, knocking him out with a single blow.
Danny could not be happier to see the hunter.
"See, whelp, that's how you sneak up on an enemy." Skulker retracted the armor around his fist, allowing the metal suit to be seen.
Danny responded by passing out.
When he had woke finally woke up, Danny found himself lying on the couch in the cave.
Skulker was sitting on another couch in the area, flipping through the channels of the TV. "You're awake?"
"Yeah." Danny pulled himself up so he was sitting upright. His entire body ached. It was no wonder. He fought against Plasmius with a fever. He created more ice to cool himself off.
"I see you've gotten your powers back. Good thing too, or I would have never been able to get to you in time." Skulker paused for a moment. "When did you get your memories back?"
"Last night. I flew to the human world because I was curious about what Vlad had said." Danny smirked at his own stupidity. "I got my memories back there."
"Really? I thought for sure you would have taken off flying the second you remembered everything."
"Yeah, well, I figured learning to hunt wouldn't be all that bad. As long as you don't try and skin me in my sleep."
Skulker let out a hearty laugh. "As long as you don't try and run away. There's a reason most of my living trophies are kept in cages."
Danny rolled his eyes, knowing Skulker did not view him as a trophy the same way Vlad did. "You've got yourself a deal."
The End.
Yayz! Done!
As I said, this was to be a four-shot, so it was pretty brief and to the point. Next week, I will post my new Sonic the Hedgehog fic. That one is full length and in depth, so for those of you who followed me for the "My Evil Godchild" story, you will enjoy it.
Review Please!