Disclaimer: I still don't own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International.
Cupid's Wrath
Chapter 2: Lovestruck
With the fast approach of Valentines day, many people were eager awaiting the day of love, even the denizens of the ghost zone were getting into the spirit of things.
Ember was on her way home but even she couldn't escape the fact that it seemed that even some ghosts were suckers for the stupid market driven holiday that made a fortune off of manipulating desperate, lovesick saps into spending all their cash on stupid, cheap trinkets of "love and affections" in hopes of winning their crush over or to appease their girlfriends.
She saw the Box Ghost and The Lunch Lady having a picnic together on one of the floating rocks, a picnic that consisted of nothing of meat and the Box ghost giving her a box that had some flowers in it.
Gross and lame...but some saps would probably find it a touching scene. She kept floating and even saw her friend Kitty in a full blown make out session with Johnny and she chose not to disturb them.
As she continued she saw many more ghosts of different sizes, colors, breeds and species and all of them were either a) on dates with their significant other, b) working up the nerve to ask their crush out or c) brooding over the fact that they didn't have anyone for Valentine's day yet.
Ember hated the fact that some might consider her type C in this situation.
She didn't care...She didn't even like Valentine's day and she was not going to waste her time and hurt her pride by wishing for a date.
Especially if Desiree suddenly showed up and did her tricks. The last time some ghost wished for a date, Desiree granted it in her usual way by giving them a big, hideous, lovesick troll of a ghost that had the unfortunate wisher heading for the hills.
Anyway she didn't want or care about Valentine's day...She didn't need love.
It's always caused her trouble one way or another.
After what felt like an eternity, Ember entered her realm and slammed the door shut, eager to get away from the rest of the world for the time being.
Her realm was unique compared to the typical ghostly lair, her realm was divided in three sections which included a room that resembled a pent house, another that worked as a recording studio where she spent a lot of time rehearing her music and the last room worked as storage where she placed many mementos that were special to her, which included a lot of her old merchandise and awards during her first time in the human world….before the Dipstick ruined things for her.
"What a day..."Ember muttered as she flopped on her sofa and flipped the TV on, needing to kickback and unwind for a bit.
Thanks to Technus, the residents of the Ghost Zone now had access to cable from the human world but for whatever reason he couldn't use it to sneak back there and go ahead with his plans of conquest, something about "protection" or whatever. Anyway, he made lemonade out of lemons when he decided to sell the access to the other residents and Ember was one of the customers.
She rarely watched TV anymore, preferring to hang out with Kitty and Spectra or practice her music, but she did occasionally watch when she had nothing better to do...like right now.
"Some Friday night...I'm stuck at home watching mindless shows instead of rocking out to a crowd...or spending the evening with someone...'Ember muttered bitterly as she was searching for something that wasn't either a cliché soap opera or some baby junk cartoons.
She wasn't going to feel bad about this...She didn't need love and each of her ex-boyfriends were chumps and jerks who didn't deserve her and Skulker was the worst so far.
He was inconsiderate, brutish, clueless, narrow-minded and he only cared about himself and hunting, despite the fact that he was clearly bad at it. She still remembered their breakup and how angry he managed to make her today.
The fight was still clear in her mind as it had only happened a few hours ago.
FLASHBACK
Ghost Zone, 2:37pm
Ember was staring at her watch and frowned….She was getting angry and her firey blue hair was sharing her mood. She didn't need a watch to know that Skulker was late yet again, no doubt he was either hunting that dipstick Phantom or some other creature that caught his attention.
Something he never gave her.
"That idiot...'Ember growled as she was beginning to tremble due to trying to contain her anger.
Skulker had promised to pick her up at 2:00 pm sharp to take her out to Styx's Cafe, one of the most popular restaurants in the whole Ghost Zone and later they would take a nice flight together and as always he was over half an hour late!
This is the third date in the row he's been late and she knew it was because he was either off hunting or working on his traps.
That guy's entire afterlife revolved around hunting!
Ember's eyes narrowed as she saw the ghostly hunter in questions jetting towards her and landing in front of her.
"YOU'RE LATE!..."She yelled at him and this time he didn't even bother to look sorry.
"I know...'Was all that he said before he went off spouting his excuse of why he was late.
And she was right...He was hunting that Dipstick Phantom again and as always he got his ass kicked again. He then started complaining about the "whelp", whining about his suit getting wrecked and having to replace it again and then going on a rant about how next time things would be different.
"That whelps luck won't last forever and soon..."Skulker continued as Ember continued glaring at him.
She grit her teeth, her fists were clenched and she tried to keep herself from losing it...The more he complained about Phantom and how soon he would get him was making her angrier and angrier.
It was obvious he even forgot he was talking to her...He was so obsessed with getting Phantom's pelt that he cared about noting else...including her.
"Just you wait Phantom, no matter what I will rest your pelt at the foot of my-...'Skulker's rant was cut when Ember let out an ear piercing shriek.
"SHUT UP!..."Ember yelled at that top of her lungs, much to her startled boyfriends confusion.
"What are-..."Skulker was cut off once more by Ember's death glare.
It looks could kill and if he wasn't already a ghost, he'd probably be dead on the spot.
"Shut up...Shut up...Shut up...Shut up!...'Ember growled at the ghostly hunter.
"It's the same thing every time! We make plans and you make a promise to actually spend time with me and as always you decide that hunting is more important and always break your promises!..."Ember sneered at the Mohawk ghost.
"Ember, I swear I meant to make it on time but that whelp Phanto-..."Skulker suddenly found himself being slapped by his enraged girlfriend, it didn't really hurt since it was a suit but the force of the slap literally made his head spin a bit.
"Phantom….Phantom...Phantom...You're more focused on him than you are with me!...Ember said angrily at him.
"Not this again...'Skulker whined as they have had this conversation before.
"Maybe I wouldn't yell at you so much if you actually acted like a boyfriend once in a while..."She snarled at Skulker who refused to back down.
"Ember I told you that once I have his pelt added to my collection, it will be just you and me..."Skulker said as he tried to reach to her, but she slapped his robotic hand away and gave him a cold look.
"Just stop with the bullshit Skulker...We both know you don't mean that...'Ember said coldly to the hunter ghost.
Ember wasn't stupid, she knew that even if Skulker somehow managed to capture and skin the dipstick, he'll just find another target to hunt and obsess over and keep forgetting about her.
It was clear he didn't care about her...even if he did, it was obvious hunting was what mattered most to him and she hated that. She didn't deserve a chump that didn't realize her value.
"I'm done..."Ember said as she turned away only for Skulker to grab her shoulder.
"What does that mean?..."Skulker demanded as Ember shook his grip off.
"What do you think it means...I'm saying I'm done with you Skulker!...'Ember yelled, gaining the attention of some ghosts passing by but she didn't care.
"WHAT?!..."Skulker yelled and Ember rolled her eyes at his outburst.
"We're done Skulker! Over.!..Finished!...Fin!...You get it?...'Ember sneered to her newly christened ex-boyfriend.
"You're dumping me because I was just a few minutes late?!..."Skulker yelled and Ember tried to control her temper.
"Firsts things first, half an hour is not "a few minutes" and second, I'm dumping you because you're the worst boyfriend ever!..."Ember yelled.
"You pay no attention to me at all, and when you're not backing out of your promises, you're late by forever and you hardly even talk to me anymore! You care about hunting more than you care about me!...'Ember kept yelling at her ex who still looked lost.
It made her even angrier than before….He didn't even try to deny that hunting was more important to him than she was.
"You're bad at romance as you are at hunting!...'Ember yelled and now Skulker looked angry.
'What did you say?!...'Skulker growled and Ember resisted the urge to smack her head.
Of all the things she said, Skulker only reacted because she insulted his hunting skills….
"I said You're a bad hunter and an even worse boyfriend...If you were even half as good as you think you are, then the dipstick would have been dealt with forever ago!..."Ember said snidely and Skulker looked livid.
"The reason it's taking longer than anticipated is because Phantom is a very rare and powerful ghost, that's why he's such a valuable pray...He's elusive and many have failed to beat him but I WILL end him..."Skulker said trying to salvage his pride more than his relationship with the ghostly diva.
"That's what you've been saying since you first faced him two years ago and still nothing!...'Ember shot back.
Skulker growled, feeling anger and humiliation due to the combination of being dumped and having his hunting criticized. He pulled out one of his bazooka's but Ember already had her guitar prepared and sent him flying with one of her musical fists.
"AHH!..."Skulker yelled as he tried to balance himself only to see his furious ex-girlfriend descending on him with a look on rage.
"Oh boy..."Skulker muttered to himself as Ember sent more attacks to him and easily dodges all his missiles and defense…
She was clearly not playing around anymore.
Before long Ember stood on top of the shambles that was once Skulker's suit and picked up the tiny green blob that was inside it.
Skulker gulped as he could see her hair was still blazing hard.
She clearly wasn't done yet.
END OF FLASHBACK
Ember spent a good deal teaching Skulker a lesson about "treating a lady right" but she was still angry.
What's worse was and she was ashamed to say it, but she actually had been looking forward for this Valentine's day since it would have been her first one with Skulker and the first time she would have a date on that stupid, crappy holiday that feed off of a person's desperation but then Skulker had to prove once more that he was a lousy hunter and a lousy boyfriend.
She shook her head and tried to get rid of those melancholy thoughts….She reminded herself that even if she didn't dump Skulker today, she would likely still end up home by herself since the idiot was always " too busy" with his hunting to act like a half-way decent boyfriend, especially when that cutie Phantom was involved.
"What the hell?!..."Ember thought in shock...Where did that come from?...She didn't think the dipstick wasn't cute, he was her freaking enemy for Pete's sake.
Still feeling weird out, Ember kept flipping the channels in order to find something to take her mind off things...She soon found herself watching some talk show called "Amity Park Live", a local gossip show.
"Good evening Amity Park, I'm Hannah White"…A well dress woman said with a perfect smile
"And I'm Bruce Berkeley and welcome to Amity Park Live"…Her co-anchor answered to the public audience.
"Our top story today, with the fast approach of Valentine's day next week, it seems that the entire city has been infected by the love bug….especially for a certain ghostly teen heartthrob"….Hannah said as they showed a picture of Danny Phantom in both forms.
"Since the big breakup between him and Sam Manson, our beloved Ghost Boy is currently the most eligible bachelor in the world, and it's obvious that many girls are hoping to win his heart this Valentines day"…Hannah said with a smirk.
"Don't believe us...Take a look"...Bruce said with a smirk.
The news anchors then showed a clip that consisted about hundreds of young girls wearing T-shirts with Phantom's logo and all holding banners which read "Be mine", "Marry me" and "I heart Danny" as hey surrounded Fenton Works, all shouting, cheering and professing their love for their hero.
Ember even some tanned girl with long black hair wearing a pink bikini and holding a sign saying "I love you Ghost Boy"….She shook her head, did any of them have even a shred of dignity.
"I am wondering who's gonna be the lucky young girl that will get his attention ..."Bruce said to his co-star.
'Whoever she'll be will have to be someone special in order to capture the Great Danny Phantom's heart..."Hannah said in a perky tone.
Normally Ember couldn't stand it when she saw people talking and cheering over Phantom like he was some God to them, which has been common since the Disasteroid incident...Normally she would roll her eyes and either change the channel or pick a fight with the white haired goody two shoes when she saw the public cheering for him instead of her…
But Ember wasn't feeling any desire for either...she felt annoyance when she saw the girls cheering and declaring their love for Phantom...but not the kind she got when she wanted to be the one in the spotlight since she was a star after all.
She felt the kind of annoyance you get when you wanted someone to stop it all together…
Ember tried not to think about it and just kept watching the talk show which coincidentally showed a picture of the half ghost boy in question and Ember felt strange.
Normally she would feel anger and annoyed at the sight of the dipstick who ruined all her plans before...but for once she didn't feel any annoyance...or anything negative for the matter.
She paused the screen and was just staring at the image of her foe...Noticing and taking in his appearance like it was the first time she's ever seen him.
Phantom has really grown since their first encounter two years ago and while he wasn't suddenly ripped or over-muscle like the jocks at his school...she noticed he had some tone and he wasn't as lanky as he used to be. She looked at his green eyes that were always full of determination just like when they have fought before...and his hair….sure it was a spiky mess...but it looked right on him in both his forms, either as dark black or snow white.
She also noticed how he looked in his suit and it was rather...tight and showed off his body.
"Why haven't I noticed this before?..."Ember thought mildly as she continued to gaze at the image of her handsome enemy.
Danny Phantom wasn't ugly that's for sure….It helped that Phantom was one of the ghosts that still looked somewhat human like her and her friends Kitty, Johnny and Spectra...A lot of ghosts weren't as lucky considering how Plasmius looked like and many others.
He actually had a rather innocent charm to him...He was actually very good looking when you really took the time to no-
"HOLD THE PHONE...WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?..."Ember shrieked as she immediately turned off the TV and backed away slightly.
She couldn't believe she was having such thoughts towards one of her enemies...and not just an enemy but that goody two shoes geek who ruined all her plans and her fun time and time again.
"Get a hold of yourself Mclain...You're probably still a little dizzy from that weird attack he did..."Ember muttered to herself as she tried to calm down.
Whatever that attack Phantom did that knocked her out was...It really was rather unique... It was like one of the attacks on her guitar but way harsher that anything she has ever seen.
"I don't know what it's called...but it's something…: Ember said as she thought about the dipsticks and his other attacks.
He was definitely a lot stronger now than when he first started out.
"Wait...That's a BAD thing...for me!...'Ember growled as she tried to get her mind off these very, very strange thoughts about her enemy.
She tried to calm herself down by rehearing a bit with her guitar...It was always a way to help calm her down as she imagined she was back in Amity Park rocking in front of a crowd who worshiped and adored her….She imagined millions of people cheering her name and saying she was the best and Phantom watching her succeed and throwing her a bouquet of roses and-
"UGGG!..."Ember nearly dropped her guitar from the strange direction where her daydream was going.
She didn't want Phantom as one of her fans, she wanted him gone so he wouldn't hinder her plans anymore!
He was a jerk!...A cute...strong...muscular...brave...wild...jerk with a nice smile.
"Ah! What's happening to me?...'Ember said in dismay as she felt something strange come over her and felt something strange swell in her chest as she thought about her handsome, handsome enemy.
The more she thought about Phantom, the more she felt that strange feeling...She suddenly felt...warm was the only way to describe it.
She even noticed a dopey grin form on her face as she thought about his smile.
"He has such a cute smile..."Ember thought fondly before she almost recoiled in disgust.
Ember was so confused she accidentally stepped on her remote which caused the TV to turn back on and she saw his face again.
His handsome...adorable...darling face.
"Danny..."Ember said in a daze as she felt a blush form as she admired the white hair half ghost that always managed to set her temper afire.
Only this time it wasn't her temper that was set ablaze.
"Why haven't I noticed how cute you are?..."Ember muttered to herself and spent over an hour admiring the paused image of her enemy.
He was definitely better looking than Skulker but that goes without saying...and he was much smarter and stronger. She also knew from how he treated the Goth girl that he was much better boyfriend material.
"I wonder...What he's up to right now..."Ember said with a giggle as the talk show ended as she ignored the credits roll.
Unknown to the ghostly pop princess, a certain spirit of love was in the process of sneaking into the Human world...yet he was still able to sense the strange change happening within her.
A change that was all his doing.
"Aw...To be young and in love..."Cupid said before laughing as he created his portal to the human world.
Both worlds were certainly going to feel the love...one way or another.
-To be continued-
Next time onCupid's Wrath
Danny's Drama
REPLIES to my totally awesome reviewers:
Aaanon, . .books, gold member, memme10k, vaulttec01 and rebfan90: Thanks for the praise and I hope this chapter pleases you all like the last one.
Invader Johnny: According to legend Cupid was a rather mischievous deity who sometimes
deliberately manipulated people into falling in love for his own agenda while other sources depict him as a very childish being, and most of Gods from Greek mythology were rather vindictive when they felt mortals disrespected them in some way, just as Ember did last chapter.
:)Happy Valentines day ;)