A/N: Hi! I'm back with a brand-new story written for a friend of mine here on the site, Dreams Come True 996. I hope you like it, Dreams! Okay, well, actually, it was going to be a one-shot, but then I got the feeling that I wouldn't be able to tell this story effectively if I wrote it in just one chapter. So, it is instead a three-shot. Oh yeah, also, I should mention that Danny is sixteen years old when this story begins. Meaning that certain events take place later than they did in the canon timeline. So, this should be interesting.
A/N 2: Yeah, I know that I'm shipping Danny with a girl from a franchise that you aren't very familiar with, Dreams, but this story isn't going to focus too heavily on the Ranma ½ part of the story and is going to have more of a "slice of life" theme to it. If that makes sense…
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Ranma ½!
Troubles of a Ghostly Hero!
Young Danny Fenton, he was just fourteen when his parents built a very strange machine. It was designed to view a world unseen.
When it didn't quite work, his folks? They just quit! But then Danny took a look inside of it. There was a great big flash, everything just changed.
His molecules got all rearranged!
When he first woke up, he realized he had snow white hair and glowing green eyes! He could walk through walls, disappear and fly! He was much more unique than the other guys!
And it was then that he knew what he had to do. He had to stop all the ghosts that were coming through.
He's here to fight for me and you!
DANNY'S POV.
That's how things started. And it hasn't been an easy journey. Allow me to introduce myself and give you some context. My name's Daniel James Fenton, but just call me Danny. Everyone does. Well, with the exception of the jock who bullies me at school who calls me things like "Fen-Turd" and "Fen-Toenail", but after that last one I think he's just running out of ideas. Heck, he used to call me "Fen-Tonio" and "Fen-Tocinni". Pretty sure he was on an Italian kick at the time.
Sorry, I got sidetracked.
You all probably know me by the name of my alter ego, Danny Phantom, the half ghost hero of the world. It's been two years since I first got my ghost powers, then got rid of them, and then got them back again, so let me bring you up to speed. After I stopped the Disasteroid from destroying the planet by making the entire Earth intangible with the help of every ghost in the Ghost Zone, I went from being considered public enemy number one to the greatest hero of the world! They even erected statues of me in my ghost form in my honor! Pretty amazing, right?
Well, I'm starting to wish that I never had to become a hero on such a grand scale. And I'll tell you why.
IT'S BECAUSE I CAN'T GET ONE MOMENT OF FRICKIN PRIVACY!
Superheroes have secret identities for a reason. Not only is it to protect their friends and family, because we all know that their enemies would go after them to try and get to the hero, but also because if their identities are known to everyone, they're gonna be hounded by the press everywhere they go! I admit, the first few weeks of this weren't so bad. Just the occasional reporter coming along to ask me some questions, an interview or two, nothing too crazy. But fast-forward a month and suddenly, I've got news crews and reporters for newspapers swarming me literally everywhere I go! I still remember how one reporter actually popped out of the toilet in the stall I went into when I went to use the restroom at school one day.
Seriously, if I didn't want to answer any questions out there, what makes them think I'd be willing to do so IN A BATHROOM?!
It got so bad that my parents had to upgrade the Ghost Shield around the house to, not only now extend underneath the house, thus encasing it in a defensive bubble, but also so that it repels humans as well as ghosts! This at least kept the reporters out of our house, but that didn't stop them from trying to use drones. All of which were promptly shot down by our home's security system.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that after the aversion of the Disasteroid ghost attacks became more and more frequent?
Yeah, my mom and dad ran some tests and discovered that due to the Earth being made intangible so the Disasteroid could fly through it without destroying the planet, the Ectoranium that the thing was covered in weakened the dimensional barrier between the mortal world and the Ghost Zone. So, no matter how many times I send them back, ghosts can just fly right on back to the human world using the abundance of natural portals that have begun opening up all over the place. And that definitely didn't help my love life either.
After everything was said and done, Sam and I had finally acknowledged our feelings for each other and started dating. Things went well in the beginning, if you don't count Sam's parents and their disliking of me because of my parents' career choice. And of course, the fact that I don't come from a rich family, but that's beside the point. We went on a few dates, and she continued to help me out when I had to fight invading ghosts, which became a little bit more difficult after Tucker was elected mayor and became too busy to help us, but mine and Sam's happiness as a couple didn't last long. As soon as the reporters started becoming more and more invasive, it became increasingly more difficult for me and Sam to find some time to be together as a couple. Every time we were out and about, reporters would stalk us to try and get the latest scoop on Phantom and his private life.
Also, it doesn't help that because the ghost attacks became more and more frequent Sam and I have had to either cut short or cancel several dates just so we could take care of those rogue spirits before they could cause any harm. Especially considering how the media kept swarming me DURING the fights! So, I not only had to try and take down the ghost, but I also had to make sure the idiot reporters didn't get themselves or any other civilians caught in the crossfire! One day, upon seeing a drone following us as we tried to go on a date, Sam decided that she just couldn't take it anymore. She broke things off with me then and there, and we've pretty much been avoiding each other ever since. Mainly because we don't think that we can interact with each other without things being super awkward, or possibly snapping at each other and starting a huge argument.
Admittedly, our relationship wasn't that great to begin with. No matter how much I tried to reason with her, Sam seemed adamant to try and turn me into another her. She tried getting me to add more black to my outfits, tried getting me to eat the same overly vegan stuff that she usually eats, and was overall a toxic person to be in a relationship with. Especially since I couldn't even talk to another girl without her immediately jumping to the conclusion that I was cheating on her. Which I WASN'T, by the way! So, maybe our relationship, if you can call it that, was doomed to fail from the start. But I digress.
After that, I left a note back home, which was more like a ten-page essay, explaining everything to my parents and sister before going ghost and leaving the country altogether. I figured that a change of scenery is just what I need to get my head on straight. So, I flew off in the direction of Japan.
The Land of the Rising Sun.
It took me about thirteen hours to get there and by the time I did, I was exhausted and in the grossest state I have ever been in in my life. I haven't showered, I haven't brushed my teeth, and I'm almost certain that I have bags under my eyes. Time for me to find a place to land and get some rest. Maybe there's a park nearby where I can take a nap on a bench, or something. As I approached what looked like a park, I landed on a bench and sat down as I changed back to human form. I slumped back and fell asleep right then and there.
THIRD PERSON POV.
After what felt like mere minutes, but in reality, was a whole night and most of the morning, Danny could feel himself being gently shaken awake by someone. The hand felt like it belonged to a woman. Danny groaned as he started to wake up, but he clearly didn't. He still felt exhausted from the long flight to Japan.
"Sir, are you okay? You really shouldn't be sleeping on a park bench like this, you'll catch a cold." says a woman's voice.
Slowly, Danny's eyes cracked open, and his blurry vision began to come into focus. When it did, he saw the concerned face of a young woman looking down at him, and he silently gasped. He couldn't believe the sight of this beautiful young woman before him. She was far more beautiful than any of the girls he knew from his past. Minus a few certain ghostly ladies, that is.
From what Danny could tell, she looked to be around nineteen years old with fair skin, brown eyes, and long dark brown hair that she wore in a low ponytail that she kept draped over her right shoulder. She was wearing a cyan blue dress with a white apron over it, simple shoes, a white ribbon that she was using to hold her hair in her ponytail, and she was carrying a few bags filled with groceries.
The woman smiled and said, "Oh, thank goodness you're awake! Are you okay, sir?".
Danny groaned as he rubbed his eyes and replied, "Yeah… yeah, I'm okay. I was just tired and sat down to rest. Guess I must have fell asleep.".
Oh yeah, fun fact, but at some point during the two years that Danny's had his ghost powers, he took online courses to learn new languages. He can now understand and speak several additional languages fluently. Including French, Italian, German, and Japanese. That's how he was able to understand this woman so easily and communicate with her. Danny stood up and stretched, getting a satisfying pop from his back. That bench had not been the most comfortable thing to sleep on, let me tell you.
"Are you sure that you're okay, mister… oh my, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself, and I don't even know your name. Gomenasai, Stranger-Kun." the woman said as she bowed. "My name is Tendo Kasumi, and it is a pleasure to meet you."
Now, Danny may not be the smartest guy in the world, but he's learned a thing or two about foreign customs. So, he bowed back.
"The pleasure is all mine, Tendo-San. I'm Fenton Daniel, but you can call me Danny. Everyone does."
As they rose back up, Kasumi started down the path through the park as Danny just automatically fell in step next to her.
"Aren't you the half ghost hero who saved our planet? What are you doing here in Japan?" Kasumi asked before saying, "Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course."
"In a way, I guess you could say that I've left my home on a journey of self-discovery." Danny replied.
He then began to explain to Kasumi about how things have become so chaotic and stressful for him back home in Amity Park. From the rampant ghost attacks to civilians potentially getting caught in the crossfire because of his now enormous fanbase, and from the press constantly harassing him for the latest story, to how Sam broke up with him because she couldn't handle being in such a wonky relationship. Even though it was more of a toxic relationship than anything else.
Kasumi listened attentively as the young man vented his frustrations. She could tell that he had a lot weighing him down. She couldn't even begin to understand what he was going through as a famous superhero. And she can clearly tell that he wishes that he had his secret identity back. She wondered if all famous people felt this way. Or at least people who weren't born into fame like some actors she's heard about.
When Danny finished speaking, Kasumi said, "Oh my, that's quite the story, Danny-Kun! I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that. But I am glad that you're out of such a toxic relationship.".
And now that she thought about it, the relationship between her younger sister and her forced fiancé isn't any better. But that's mainly due to her sister, even though some of those incidents can be attributed to said fiancé putting his foot in his mouth due to his father's teachings.
Danny just sighed and said, "Ah, you don't have anything to apologize for. Thanks for listening, Tendo-Chan.".
Kasumi didn't understand why, but she felt her face heat up a little bit when he called her 'chan'.
"Do you have anywhere to stay while you're here?" Kasumi asked.
"No. But to be fair, I didn't exactly come here by ordinary means." Danny replied, grateful that he at least thought to bring his passport with him.
"Then why don't you spend the night at my house?" Kasumi offered.
Becoming flustered, Danny said, "Oh, Tendo-Chan, I couldn't! I mean, I don't want to impose…".
"Oh, I insist! I'm sure my father and sisters won't mind one more guest, at least for the night." Kasumi said, grabbing Danny's hand and attempting to pull him along.
Which she actually did rather easily in a surprising show of strength for a woman of her body type. Seeing that he wasn't going to win this argument, Danny relented and accepted Kasumi's offer. Besides, it was better than sleeping on the park bench again and would give him time to both convert his dollars into Japanese Yen and find a hotel to stay in afterwards. And maybe find a job as well.
But neither of these two were aware that their destinies were about to become deeply intertwined. And they would both grow stronger for it in ways they had never imagined.
***...To Be Continued…***
Ending A/N: And that's all for this chapter. Sorry it's late, Dreams, but I hope you like it anyway. Happy belated birthday, Dreams! I hope your special day was filled with presents, family, good times, and cake! Especially cake.