I own nothing, not the characters, the space where this story exists, or even the eyes that you are using to read it. This is for entertainment proposes only, no money involved.
Death's Weekend. A ten day break from school in the middle of summer were the students of the famous DWMA get a break from the school that usually runs year round.
During this week Danny Phantom found that he had absolutely nothing to do. All the good jobs around the town were taken by the older students who had known that the free time was coming.
His weapon partner, Sam, had returned home to visit her grandmother for the extended weekend, but the Fenton parents were not home and were unreachable and Danny didn't feel like disturbing his older sister before her college summer school finals.
Not until the eighth day did anything really happen. Danny was just hanging around in his room when his phone began to ring. "Hello, Phantom here." Danny said answering the phone.
"Phantom, it's Kim. You're not doing anything, right? You up for a random field trip?" Kim's voice came smugly from the other side of the line. Jacqueline had also gone home for break, but Kim didn't really have any family to go back to in Witch City and even if she did she wouldn't want to go back their unless she had to.
"I was planning on watching the paint dry but I guess I could record it and just watch it later. What did you have in mind?" Danny said fanning disinterest.
"Just come down to the library, I'll explain when you get here." Kim said and Danny could practically hear the grin. But before Danny could ask any questions the line went dead.
Sighing Danny hung up the phone. "Not like I had anything better to do today." He said grabbing a jacket on his way out. Even though it was the middle of summer the heat didn't bother Danny. Covering up the scars that littered his arms was more important. Even with a healing wavelength, each cut and burn he received left a lasting scar. But as long as his core, heart, and head were all untouched, Danny could survive almost anything.
On the way out of the dorm Danny spotted Soul and Maka returning with theirs heads down as they muttered to themselves. "Wonder whats wrong with them." Danny said then noticed a cat with a witch's hat on following them.
"Please play with me Scythe-boy. I promise I'll be a good kitty." The cat was saying.
"Looks like someone had an exciting break at least." Danny said a bit jealious before continuing towards the school library.
The school library was huge. Millions upon millions of books written in every language imaginable, and some that weren't even real, lined the shelves that extended up for three hundred feet. The place would have been enough to give the Ghost Writer a nose bleed. But Danny never liked the place that much.
But the circular design of the place made it easy to spot Kim the moment he entered the compound. "You're late." Kim said angrily. "You owe me for the time of mine you wasted."
"You never gave me a time frame." Danny said rolling his eyes. "So are you going to bestow upon me the infinite knowledge of the universe or should I just go grab some lunch?"
Kim couldn't help but giggle a little at the over dramatics. "Fine, we're going to go find this." Kim said pulled out a yellow book baring the tittle 'Excalibur'.
"Ex-cal-e-bar... what's that?" Danny said scratching his head.
"Excalibur is a legendary holy weapon. It's said that only a chosen hero can draw the sword out of it's resting place but that whoever draws it will be granted victory in battle and eternal glory." Kim said. "They will sore through the heavens on wings of light and can cut through sky with a single slash."
"Uh, but we both have weapon partners." Danny said looking to his friend. No matter what Kim said to most people she had confided in Danny that she really did like being Jacqueline's partner, even though she had to deal with her suddenly flaring up like a torch whenever she got emotional because of her lantern nature.
"Don't be stupid Danny, it isn't for us. Don't you think that the DWMA would pay top dollar for a legendary instrument like Excalibur." Kim said with her greedy face on.
"So that's what this is about." Danny sighed rolling his eyes. "Well as long as your selling it to the DWMA and not some random guy in the streets, I guess that's ok. So where do we start looking?"
"There is a large list of students from the past that have reached the sword but were unable to master it." Kim said pulling out the list. Danny recognized some of the names on it. Professor Sid and Doctor Stein were there near the bottom. "So we know were it is. There's a cave called the Cave of Eternity a few hundred miles outside of Death City. But no roads go anywhere near it."
"So that's what you need me for, a free ride." Danny said pretending to be hurt.
"That's not true... I also need someone who can actually pull the sword out. All these meisters in the past have failed, but we have a witch and a ghost on our side. So we stand a much better chance." Kim said grinning. "Not to mention you are already a hero."
"Never pegged you as one for flattery." Danny said rubbing the back of his neck. "Lets get moving then. I can't start flying until we are out of the city that's filled with people who have high level soul perception." So Kim checked out the book and they started for the edge of town.
"Well hello, how are you, good to see you, is everyone here?" Death asked in his usual bouncy manner in front off all the teachers and other faculty of the DWMA. "It looks like it so lets get started. Since this little vacation of ours marks the end of the summer trimester, we will now take another look at our students." He said and the large gloves materialized out of no where as he clapped them together. "Any suggestions?"
"All together we have seven nominations for students that we believe should be advanced into the 'EAT' classes." Sid said taking the lead. "To start with, the meister, Kim Diehl."
"I see, I see, and your reasoning?" Death asked after a few short nods.
"Before we did not admit her do to her antisocial behaver. As a student, she was unable to find a partner and she had no friends. 'EAT' class meisters are more or less required to have a partner since the entire point is to be collecting souls to make their weapons into Deathscythes. And being able to make friends that can help them with work that proves to be too difficult for one pair to handle is also very important." Sid said looking at some papers. "Though her behaver towards most students hasn't changed she has managed to get both a partner and she has made some close friends. And since her partner is the 'EAT' class lantern weapon, Jacqueline O. Lantern Dupre, we will need to move her up into the 'EAT' class if we don't want Jacqueline to be forced out."
"Ah yes, I understand completely. It is very good that she has found people who believe in her after all this time. I was starting to worry." Death said happily. "We will have her move onto 'EAT' classes immediately. Who's next?"
Mira Nygus was the next one to speak up. "I have my own suggestions for advancement. Estellise Sidos Heurassein, or Estelle, a short sword weapon and the last of the Heurassein blood line, and her partner Repede." The African American woman said. "Though it is true that they are having difficulties fitting in, this is in no way their fault. They possess a good sense of if right and wrong, despite their... situation."
There were sounds of disapproval from several of the others at the table, other than Sid and Stein, but Death put a stop to it. "Now now, this is a school. We do not hold people accountable for things they cannot help. I will allow them into the 'EAT' level classes on a trial basis, perhaps there they will find others who they can relate to." The grumbles slowly died down. Death's word was law in Death City. His word was just. "Now who's next?"
"I would like to nominate Danny Fenton, or Phantom Moon, as well as his partner Samantha Manson, or Sam, the magic farm hand." Doctor Stein said a wide grin spreading across his stitched face.
"Oh?" Death said tilting his head. "Nominating someone who has only been here a couple of months. That is unusual. And you have never nominated a student before, Stein."
"The two of them have been in my sights since before they even came here." Stein said reaching up and tightening his screw. "The boy is from the world famous Fenton Family of ghost hunters, which has never produced a meister, and the girl from a sleeping bloodline of low rank weapons. And yet the boy has a soul as powerful as your average three star meister's and the girl has multiple weapon forms."
"Yes, so I've heard." Death said. "I assume you have your theories on why this is."
"Yes Lord Death. I believe that their souls have been changed by long term exposure to ghosts' soul waves." Stein said with a level of certainty. The table once again exploded with noise.
"You want to use a produce of ghost power! Are you out of your mind!" One of the teachers shouted. "Ghosts' soul waves are unstable and out of control. They are savage and destructive creatures, even worse than the witches." Several others lent their voices in agreement.
"I have been observing them since they got here. Regardless of any powers, they're just kids at heart, even if growing up in a war zone like Amity Park did force them mature rather quickly. There is no reason to believe that whatever has happened to them has had any effect on their minds." Stein said a little annoyed with his close minded co-works. "And why not take advantage of such a powerful specimen that lands right on our door step. You say we shouldn't use something that came from beings as dangerous as ghosts, but unless my knowledge of history is flawed, all the weapons that go to this school are descendants of people that a witch experimented on and that witches' souls are the root of this power. A produce of witch power. For all we know these two will be the beginning of a whole new breed of weapons and meisters that are better prepared for combating our enemies."
The people around the table didn't like it, but there was no flaw to the Mad Doctor's reasoning.
"So they have the power needed to preform missions, but what about their character?" Death asked. "You say that they are just like normal children, but not all children can be trusted to act out the tasks given to them without abusing their power."
Sid coughed to get attention. "Their is no reason for us to doubt the strength of character of Sam, she is always standing up for other and volunteers herself and her partner for several different jobs inside of the community. Both her and her partner were among the group that befriended Kim, and they have shown discretion with not exposing our undercover students even after finding out their identities and why they were there... but..." Sid said coughing a bit more. "Even though Phantom has a none violent nature and tries to get along with the other students, there is one thing about him that worries me."
"Oh!" Death said interested.
"He does not react to pain. From my understanding he was severally cut up in a fight with one of the 'Traitors' to the point were he would have died if it wasn't for his own healing wavelength, but he hardly showed any concern for his own injures. Same goes for his duel with Ox Ford, he was being electrocuted, but he didn't freeze up. He only reacted to it because his partner was in pain. Such behavior is... reckless." Sid said shaking his head. Murmurs filled the table again.
"So... you believe he might lack the necessary fear of pain to keep him from straying down the wrong path?" Death said a little disappointedly.
Sid shock his head. "I am not sure. It's too soon to tell, after all, Black Star shows similar behavior, but it is not recklessness, he just believes that what he does is worth the pain and pushes through it. Such a thing is good for a DWMA student. Phantom shows concern for others wellbeing, but very little for his own. However I can't see Sam willingly taking to eating human souls, even if Phantom tried to force it on her."
"So the only possible danger would be if Phantom's, lets call them 'Ghost Hybrid Soul Waves', enabled him to consume other souls." Stein mussed seeming a little excited about the idea. "Not impossible, there are breads of monster humans that witches have modified to be able to eat souls, such as the Star Clan." Sid and Nygus threw the mad doctor an angry glare at the mention of the Star Clan. But Stein just continued to smile. One of Stein's only regrets was that he had never dissected one of the Star Clan members to examine their 'Demon' soul waves and the last living member was strictly off limits. Not that the doctor approved of the label, 'Demon'. After all, there is nothing inherently evil about them.
"Hmm... Well he won't learn about fear in a 'NOT' class." Death said bouncing around. "We'll put them into 'EAT', just make sure you keep an eye on them."
"Will do." Sid nodded.
"My goodness, I hope you have eight pairs of eyes so you can look after all these students." Death chuckled. "So who else is there?" Death asked.
"Well there is Yuri Lowe and Flynn Scifo..." The meeting continued but Stein didn't really care about the rest of it. He got what he wanted after all.
"So, this is the cave, huh?" Kim said as they landed in the middle of a small cave opening on the side of a cliff that was flooded with water. The water seemed to be running out of the mountain from an unseen source and down a water fall behind them.
"I guess so." Danny said looking around. "Most of these stalagmites and stalactites have been cut to have flat ends but it looks like it just happened that way. I doubt that most natural caves have something like that."
"Um Phantom, you think you could... put me down?" Kim asked a little dryly.
"What?" Danny said and then realized he was still holding onto Kim bridal style from when they had flown all the way there from Death City. "Oh, sorry." Danny said lowering her to the ground until her feet plopped into the water.
"Thanks." Kim said stretching a bit and walked a few paces inside of the cave. "Flying with you isn't every comfortable you know."
"Well sorry, next time I'll just get you a broom and you can fly here yourself." Danny said rolling his eyes.
Kim looked back at Danny and stuck out her tong. But she got a bit distracted when she looked at him standing underneath the archway of the cave entrance with the light of the afternoon sun in his ghostly white hair. Even if he was a year younger than her, Danny looked so other worldly and noble standing their, like a real hero of legend.
"Kim... you feeling ok?" Danny asked noticing the young witch's silence.
"I'm... I'm fine." Kim said then got a bit angry. "Will you hurry up! I don't feel like spending all day here!" She shouted and trudged of through the water. She didn't really mind the water. She new that most girls would have been squeamish about trudging through all that water, but she never minded a bit of dirt. Their had been a lot of dirt back in the streets of The Witch's Realm.
"Fine I'm coming." Danny said and there was a flashed of light as he entered the cave and once he caught up to Kim he was back to the normal boy from school. "I still feel like it's weird that a super weapon used by a king of England eight hundred years ago would be in a random cave in the middle of America."
"Places of power often move basic on a shift of power in the world." Kim said shrugging. "Why do you think the DWMA is in America? It was also founded eight hundred years ago."
"Huh, never really thought about that?" Danny said scratching his chin. "I always assumed they just built a new city here and bribed Death into living there."
Kim began to giggle. "I can never tell if you're an idiot or a genius." A few more feet into the cave and the light started to become dim. "Couldn't a legendary sword afford some lighting?" Kim grumbled.
Emerald green light filled the path before them. Kim looked over to see Danny's hand glowing the same emerald green. "Handy huh?" Danny said smugly.
"Don't get too full of yourself. Jackie can do that to, you know?" Kim said rolling her eyes.
But she quickly forgot about that when a small winged creature flew right up to them. "A fairy." Kim said in an excited voice. The fairy looked like a small person little less than a foot tall with beautiful insect wings coming out of her back. She had light brown hair with small antennas poking through. The fairy was dressed in a plain gray dress and a gray cap. "She's so cute." Kim said a little more girly than usual.
"Hi!" The fairy said happily with a small wave.
"I've never seen a real fairy before." Danny said with a little wonder. The small creature was giving off a light glow similar to a ghost's aura. Seeing the look on Kim's face Danny chuckled. "Look out, your real self is showing."
Kim flushed as she realized she had been fawning over the fairy's cuteness. "Well... that's ok... It doesn't matter when it's only the two of us." She said causing Danny to get embarrassed as well. "Hey, do you know where we can find Excalibur?"
A disgusted look crossed over the fairy's face and it suddenly found it hard to make eye contact. It then just flew on straight away without saying another word.
"Kim... did you just ask for directions?" Danny said a note of panic in his voice.
"Yeah... why?" Kim said getting over her confusion at the fairy's reaction.
"Bad things always happen when someone asks for directions." Danny said miserably.
"Don't be so superstitious." Kim said before continuing her march forward.
"Says the witch to the ghost." Danny said sarcastically before jogging to catch up still holding up his glowing hand to light the way.
They soon came across a large circular chamber in the middle of the cave. There, in the center of a circular rock raised a foot out of the water was a golden sword. Light came down through a hole far above in the sword that caused it to shine in the afternoon light that hit it directly.
"That's it the holy sword, Excalibur." Kim said jumping up onto the plate. "The air here is charged with magic. It's... breath taking." She looked around in a bit of awe before noticing that something was missing. Or someone. "Phantom, get over here!" She shouted back to her friend.
Danny was back at the entrance to the room looking around from behind a pillar. "No way, bad things always happen whenever I pull out random legendary swords that I've only seen in books before." Danny said a little childishly. "Besides, the karma of the universe still hasn't gotten back at me for you asking for directions. I don't want to double up on something like this."
"Phantom, you're being stupid again. What could possible happen from just pulling this sword out of the ground?" Kim asked putting her hands on her hips.
"I could accidently unless a living incarnation of fear itself that would try to pull the whole world into a state of perpetual terror." Danny said seriously. Kim looked at him with disbelief clear on her face. "It's happened before. Sam still won't let me live it down."
"Stop being such a big baby." Kim said walking straight up to the sword. She kneeled down and looked at it. "I can't detect any magical traps." Kim touching the swords handle and giving it a light tug to check to see if there would be any reaction.
To their utter shock, the sword came out with ease. "Huh... I guess the standards for legendary heroes has gone down a bit." Danny joked.
"Thanks a lot." Kim grunted. "Well, I guess we got what we came here for."
Kim got up and started to wake away when a voice filled the room. "Welcome young heroes!" It said and the golden sword in Kim's hand glowed brightly and Kim let go of it in surprise. "Let me introduce myself. My name is... EXCALIBUR!" Light filled the space and Danny and Kim shielded their eyes to stop from going blind.
But soon the light died and they were left with Excalibur's true form. "That's his true form?" Danny asked a little weirded out.
"How incredibly... lame." Kim said looking at the weapon before them.
Sorry to anyone that actually wanted this, but no. I am only mentioning that abomination for character development's sake. If you want to write a meeting yourself and have me put it up. Sure, go ahead. Just remember that they don't kill him... yet, and Excalibur grope Kim as some point.
"And now." Excalibur said jumping up into the air and transforming back into the golden sword. "It will all be yours; victory, and glory!" The sword came down into Kim's hands. She flipped it over and shoved it back into the stone ground. "What... what are you doing?"
"Jeez, I came here thinking that I could sell you to make some quick cash, but I would have to pay someone to take you of my hands." Kim said angrily spitting on the sword's blade. "Total piece of crap." She grumbled before stumping off with Danny at her heels. "What an utter waste of time."
"That is one of the most annoying creatures I have ever seen." Danny nodded in agreement. "How do the fairies put up with him."
"Don't know, don't care. You're buying me dinner for this." Kim said as they marched through the tunnel back to the outside.
"What? But it was your idea to come here in the first place?" Danny pointed out.
"Well you weren't the one that got groped by the freaky little midget with a cane, so you're buying me dinner at Death-bucks Cafe. Deal with it." Kim said sternly.
Danny just sighed as he realized that arguing would be useless. "I should have just stuck to watching paint dry." Danny said dryly.