Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Sailor Moon or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International. Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha.
A Phantom's Love and Courage
Chapter 10: Fateful Encounters?
Earlier that day
Minako Aino hasn't been having the best day.
Sure, she managed to get a lot of new clothes due to that sale at the mall, but she tried her luck with two other cute guys at the mall, which ended poorly.
The first one was a cute high school guy who seemed to be a basketball player, but he had a girlfriend. The other guy was handsome in a "bad boy" sort of way but as she tried to flirt with him, he acted very misogynistic and narcissistic, which obviously turned her off and she ended up rejecting him.
"What rotten luck. Are there any DECENT guys left in Juuban?..."Minako said, frustrated.
She just didn't understand why it was so hard for her to find nice, cute guy who was around her age and whom didn't already have a girlfriend.
Artemis heard this and groaned, as his "owner" made these complaints.
"You have other responsibilities, Minako. Besides, it's not like they're the only guys around..."The white cat said. "Maybe you should try widening your range of search, though I'd prefer if you'd use that energy of yours into something more practical..."He muttered the last part, preferring that she was this serious about fighting the forces of evil.
Minako sighed. She was annoyed by what he last said, but knew that he had a point on the first part.
"I know, Artemis. But all the cute guys are either jerks, have girlfriends or don't want a girlfriend..."She mumbled, looking bitter and disappointed in her rotten luck in romance lately.
"Hey now, don't give in. There's still plenty of time to find someone. You're still young, after all..."Artemis said.
"I know, but Usagi has Mamoru and...I don't know...I just always thought I'd have my own boyfriend by now..."She said, moping.
She was happy for her friend and had no feelings for Mamoru like that, but a part of her felt slightly jealous that Usagi had a loving boyfriend and she, herself, was still single.
"You'll find someone eventually, don't be discouraged and don't worry too much about it. Who knows? Your romantic fate might change sooner than you think..."Artemis said, trying to be encouraging.
"Times like this remind me how good of a friend Artemis is..."Minako thought, smiling.
"Who knows? You might literally bump into him, like in those silly light romance novels you're always nuts over..."He said, with a chuckle.
Minako's smile dropped into an annoyed frown.
"And times like this reminds me that I should just shave his butt!..."She thought, sighing.
She was glaring at him, distracted. The blonde girl didn't see anyone else as her "pet" kept snickering to himself. As she turned the corner, she ended up colliding with someone there.
"AH!..."
"Oof..."
"Not again!..."Was heard, but Minako wasn't paying attention to that.
"I just pulled an Usagi..."She hissed, rubbing her head until she realized that her bags weren't in her hands anymore.
She then noticed that her bags and some of her new clothes were on the ground.
"My stuff!..."She said, sounding upset.
"Oh, sorry..."The person whom she bumped into said.
Minako looked up and finally got a good look at him. When she did, her negative feelings went away.
"Who is he? don't think I've ever seen him around here before..."She thought as she looked at him.
It was a boy who seemed to be around her height, but he wasn't Japanese. He seemed to be a foreigner, judging from his accent and clothes, ones that didn't seem to be native to any store she knows. She saw that he had short, spiky black hair, big blue eyes and fair skin with some notable dimples on them.
He was a little skinny, almost lanky as some would call it, but it didn't look bad on him. It actually fit. He also didn't seem to have any tattoos or piercings on himself, so it's safe to assume that he's not at delinquent or a punk. Not the tattoos or piercings would look bad on him, but that's besides the point.
He was kind of cute, and he seemed genuinely sorry for bumping into her as he kept apologizing.
"I didn't see you. Here, let me help you up..."The dark haired boy said as he offered his hand to help her up.
Minako blinked, still silent as she looked at him. She got a good look at Danny and is pretty happy with what she sees.
"A new face! And a cute one too!..."Her boy-crazy mind thought, before she registered what he just said.
She cleared her throat as she tried to act normal.
"Oh...uh...no worries. It was just an accident..."Minako said as he took his hand and was helped up.
Once she was up, she dusted herself up while the boy noticed her animal companion.
"Is your cat okay?..."The boy asked, referring to Artemis.
"Oh no worries, Artemis is fine..."She said, waving it off.
Artemis heard this and frowned.
"You didn't even bother to check on me..."He thought, annoyed as his female friend clearly wanted to flirt with this new, dark haired teenage boy.
The boy, however, seemed relieved by that answer and smiled.
"That's good..."He said, grateful that neither the girl and Artemis were unharmed.
Minako smiled and tried to make a move. She tried to act cute in front of him, like she usually does with new guys that she deemed cute enough for her attention.
"Thank you for helping me up...uh, what's your name?..."She asked, smiling at him.
"My name is Danny Fenton...uh...western placement of the name...since I'm from America..."The boy said and Minako beamed at hearing his name.
The boy then offered his hand in greeting. Minako giggled before shaking hands with him, liking the feel of his hand on hers.
"It's nice to meet you Danny-san. My name is Aino Minako..."She introduced herself, trying to sound elegant as she did so.
On the inside, her boy-crazy side was acting up again.
"What a cutie!~..."She thought, as she brushed some of her blonde locks of hair behind her ear, still smiling at him.
Danny smiled back, his cheeks turning red as he was glad that he didn't anger the admittedly pretty blonde Japanese girl. All the while, Minako wondered if this was like that fated encounter that Artemis jokingly mentioned.
Unknown to them, this encounter is as much fate as him meeting Makoto.
Meanwhile
In the Ghost Zone
Clockwork was watching the events from the time window. He saw Danny's encounter and smirked.
"Things are progressing quite nicely..."He said, watching his friend interacting with the girls.
His guest, however, saw this and unlike the ghost of time, she showed mixed emotions such as disapproval, as well as concern about the dangers lurking behind the scenes.
She did not think this was going as Clockwork planned.
"Are you certain that we shouldn't interfere here? It seems like you're friend is more focused on finding a girlfriend..."She said.
"Do not worry, Danny has already completed the first part of his mission. He met the girls..."He said.
"He still doesn't know that they are the guardians yet, and he's clearly just letting his hormones take the reins..."She pointed out, referring to how his interactions with the girls have been so far.
"But he has met them, whether he knows their identities yet is irrelevant at this point. As for the hormones, were you expecting anything less from teenagers?..."The time master said as he kept a neutral face as he said this, but smirked at the end.
His guest rolled her eyes, but the time master ignored that. He zoomed and saw his friend meeting Minako, the last guardian of the team that he was meant to meet.
"Will they be prepared for the dangers that are yet to make their move? Because it almost seems like the only teaming up he's doing is going on a date with Venus or Jupiter..."She said, sounding unsure.
"Danny may be young, but he has faced many foes before and has come out on top. And like I said, everything is progressing as it should. Just trust me and be patient..."Clockwork said, trying to calm her.
"I will try. You've never lead me astray before, so I have no reason to doubt you. I just hope that you know what you're doing..."The guest said.
"I do, but then again, I know all..."Clockwork said, as they continued to watch how things unfold through the time window.
Back with Danny
The ghost boy had just bumped into Minako Aino...or Aino Minako depending on how you would say her name.
"So, Danny?..." Minako asked, trying to act cute.
"Yes, Mina- I mean, Ms. Aino?..."Danny asked, feeling the usual awkwardness he feels around cute girls.
"Call me Minako, if you'd like..." She said with a wink.
"Okay... Minako..."Danny said, blushing a bit.
He can't help it. Despite the circumstances, he's still a teenage boy and this is a cute girl being nice to him. As a result, his natural reaction to pretty faces was a constant.
"Whatcha doin' here in Japan? Want a tour?..." She asked with a wink.
Danny blushed again, but tried to clear his throat and focus on his task.
"Uh... let's just say business trip..." He said, trying to avoid eye-contact.
Minako noticed he didn't react as she wanted. She didn't give in.
"What kind?..."She asked, inching closer with a coy pose.
"Uh...well...it's more of a business family vacation. With my folks..."Danny lied, inching back.
"Really?..." Minako asked.
"Yeah. Just for a few days..."Danny said, trying to act normal.
"A few days... that's plenty of time!..." She thought excitedly.
As the blonde girl kept chatting with the boy, Artemis was feeling something off.
"Weird...I'm getting a strange sensation from this guy...but I don't sense any evil either. Just something off..."Artemis thought, perplexed as he couldn't get a solid read on this guy.
However, as the two teens talked, Artemis remained cautious of the mysterious tourist. Minako, all the while, kept talking with Danny.
"So, what were you doing now?..."She asked.
"Uh... I was... on my way to... my parents..." He said.
"Oh..." She went, disappointed.
However, Danny recalled what happened and, wanting to be around her more and feeling bad for bumping into her, decided to speak up.
"I still feel bad for bumping into you. Anything I can do to make it up to you?..."Danny offered.
Minako, liking the thought of a cute guy around her, decided to try and see if she can get him to stay longer by carrying her stuff.
"Well, I could get help carrying my stuff back home with me..."She said, speaking in a cute voice.
Her feline-like friend saw this and sighed.
"She's so obvious..."Artemis thought, as she had used this tactic many times before.
However, he noticed that Minako's cutesy actions seemed to go over the boy's head and he acted not out of interest, but just decency.
"Not a problem, I get what you mean..."He said as he grabbed some of her items and even carried the heavier ones too.
Minako was mildly surprised, but smiled.
"He's not getting it... but he's being nice..." She thought, happy with the result.
"He seems to be a bit on the clueless side. Oh, well...he can't be any worse than that punk who asked for her measurements..."Artemis thought as Minako picked him up and carried him in her arms.
"I don't live too far. Come on..." Minako said as Danny followed her.
"Coming..."Danny said, once again side-track from his mission by a cute Japanese girl.
A few minutes later
Danny was currently helping Minako carry her items home. He knew that he had others things to do, but he couldn't help but be charmed by her presence.
As they walked, they began chatting.
"So, Danny-san. How are you enjoying your stay in Japan so far?..."Minako asked, while he carried all her items.
"Not bad so far..."Danny said, smiling shyly.
"Enjoying the sights?..." She asked.
"You could say that..." He admitted.
"So, where are you staying?..."She asked.
"Uh, at a motel nearby for the time being..."Danny answered, being vague.
He then recalled his mission and decided he may as well as his own questions.
"So...uh...Minako...do you know anything about those...Sailor Guardians?..."He asked, trying to sound normal and not to nosy for details.
"The sailor guardians?..."She asked while Artemis seemed surprised that this random boy would ask that.
"Yeah...I heard that they are suppose to be like the local heroes here and stuff. I was wondering if anyone from around here knew anything about them..."He said, as he tries to exercise his detective skills.
"Oh, well I don't really know what else to tell you about them that hasn't already been said on the news, to be honest. I just know that they fight bad guys and save the day all the time, that's all..."Minako said, trying her best to dodge the subject.
"Oh, was really wondering if I could meet them..."Danny said.
"Oh, I see..."Minako said, sounding curious.
"J-Just to see them. It's not like I wanted to ask one out..." He admitted, still with a red face.
"That so?..." She asked with a naughty smile.
"W-Well...I'm not looking to date them specifically...though I will admit they are pretty hot. Especially the tall one and the blonde in orange..."Danny said, only to realize what he let slip out.
"Uh..."He said, looking embarrassed.
Minako heard this and giggled.
"No worries, if I ever run into them, I'll keep what you said between us..."The blonde girl said with a wink.
"Uh...thanks..."Danny said, blushing.
"So glad that she's keeping that under wraps..." He thought, still a little embarrassed about his slip-up.
"Aw, he thinks I'm hot, at least in my sailor form. That can help. Maybe I can get him to ask me out as Sailor Venus?..." She thought, while her cat rolled his eyes.
"I know that face and I just hope that she doesn't try what I think she's thinking of. She should use her powers to save the Earth, not get a boyfriend!..."Artemis thought, exasperated by her boy-crazy antics.
Minako then recalled something
"So, Danny-san...you mentioned that you are from America, didn't you? Where exactly?..."She asked, curious.
"I'm from Amity Park. That's a town in Illinois that's known for ghosts..."Danny said.
To his surprise, the blonde girl acted with recognition. She then got closer as she started asking him questions.
"Amity Park? You mean that town with Danny Phantom?!..."Minako asked, sounding excited.
Danny blinked, surprised as he did not expect that question.
"You...know about Danny Phantom?..."He asked, surprised that people from all the way over here now him.
Minako smiled and her eyes were beaming in excitement as she spoke like a hyperactive child.
"Of course, when I was studying abroad, I heard of this ghost who looked like a boy saving people. Saw photos and everything..."Minako said, smiling with enthusiasm.
"I've been one of his biggest fans since Juban first got word of his exploits in America's most haunted city. And he's so cute..."She added, gushing about him.
Danny heard this and smiled.
"Huh? I guess I have a fan club here too. Cool..."He thought, feeling flattered.
He once again took a look at the blonde Japanese girl, studied her attire and her face and smiled.
"And what a fan... she's like... on par with Makoto..." He thought with a smile, finding her pretty too.
Minako looked from the corner of her eyes and smiled.
"I'll keep your secret, you keep mine..."She said.
"Uh...sure..."Danny said, before looking at his feet now.
Artemis remained silent, but his eyes were still on the boy whom his friend was flirting whom and who seemed to be both eyeing her and yet oblivious to her interest.
"This boy's a paradox, he's into her but doesn't get she's into him yet...Teenagers..."The cat thought as mentally sighed.
A little later
Danny and Minako soon arrived to her home and Danny brought all her items inside, as promised.
Once inside, the blonde girl smiled.
"My folks aren't here... which is a good thing. Not sure how'd they react to me bringing a boy home, no matter the context..."Minako said.
"You could say I'm just a bellhop?..." He jokingly suggested.
Minako giggled, while Artemis made a face.
"It wasn't that funny..."He thought, while his blonde companion kept trying to win this boy over.
"Anyway, thanks for helping..."Minako said, trying to be sweet.
"No, thank you for telling me about this place while we walked..." He said, grateful.
"Give me a good idea where I can find those girls..."He mentally added.
"No problem..."Minako said, unaware of his thoughts.
"If you want, we can still do something together. I can make you a nice lime parfait as thanks. I do a really good job with them..." Minako offered.
"And he gets to stay longer..." She thought, while Artemis made a face in disgust.
"That boy's going to the hospital if he has one she made..."Artemis thought, shuddering as he recalled the last time he had one of those.
Danny noticed this and was concern.
"Is your cat okay? He seemed like he was gonna throw up..."He said.
Minako heard this and sent Artemis a look, who tried to act innocent and meowed.
"Oh, he's fine. He just ate bad fish..."Minako said, acting indifferent.
"More like a bad lime parfait returned to my mind..." Artemis thought.
Danny, being oblivious, was unaware of this. However, he quickly realized something. He was on a mission and instead of doing that, he was hanging out with a girl.
"This is the second time I carried a cute girls stuff and wasted time being around her. I gotta stop getting distracted and find those Sailor Guardians before Clockwork has a cow!..."Danny thought, remembering that he has to leave and find those super heroes in short, colorful schools.
But first, he has to excuse himself.
"Uh, Minako? This has been fun, but I really should be heading back. My folks are probably waiting for me..."Danny lied.
The blonde girl pouted a bit, but tried again.
"Can you at least stay for a bite? I can make some rice porridge..." Minako offered, while her cat looked disgusted and even horrified right now.
"That's worse! Is she trying to poison him to keep him here and seduce him with that nurse outfit?!..."Artemis thought, panicking.
Danny noticed this and raised a brow.
"Seriously, is your cat okay? He looks like he's about to puke or something?..."He said.
Minako heard this, sent her cat an annoyed glare, before sending a sweet smile to Danny.
"Oh, don't worry. He probably just has a hairball or something. I'll take care of him in a bit..."She said, smiling at Danny.
"I don't like the sound of this..."Artemis thought, sweat-dropping as the teens began to say good-bye to each other.
"It was nice meeting you Minako...but I have to go. My family is probably wondering where I am..."He said.
Minako internally pouted, but smiled on the outside and accepted it.
"Oh, okay, I don't want you to get in trouble. Thank you once more for helping me with my things..."She said, bowing her head in thanks.
"No problem. Anyway...Guess I'll... bump into you later..."Danny said, winking at her.
The blonde girl giggled again.
"Goodbye, Danny-san. Take care and see you around..."The blonde girl said as the dark haired boy nodded in head in agreement.
As the boy made his way out, Minako waved as Danny left, sighing in disappointment once he was out of sight. Her white cat saw this and shook his head, since he could probably guess what she's thinking right now.
"You certainly don't think when boys are involved..."Artemis said, wishing she'd give that type of focus on other aspects in life...like training against bad guys.
Minako frowned at him.
"Oh shut up, what do you know? You couldn't get a girlfriend to save your skin, so you're in no position start lecturing me about romance!..."She said, striking a nerve with him.
"Hey, I'll have you know I'm quite the catch on my world!..."Artemis said, being defensive.
"If that's so, then why haven't you popped the big question to Luna yet?..."Minako said, making the male cat blush red enough that it could be seen through his fur.
He froze up for a moment before trying to come up with an answer.
"I'm just waiting for the right moment to bring it up! That's all!..."Artemis said, voice cracking.
Minako ignored him and checked her cellphone for any text messages from her friends and noticed that she missed some. They were from Usagi, saying that they were all at the arcade and inviting her to join.
"Whatever, we're leaving for the arcade anyway. Usagi and the others are already there..."She said as she went to get ready.
All the while, Artemis was still pondering what he just experience with that tourist.
"That boy is no ordinary tourist. Something is up with him, but I don't know what. I should talk to Luna before much happens. I don't wanna upset Minako in case I'm wrong..."He thought, deciding to keep this to himself until he spoke to his furry partner and beloved.
Soon enough, he and Minako left for the arcade and to meet up with the rest.
Later
Minako soon arrived to the arcade and saw that her friends were already there.
"Hey girls, what did I miss?..."Minako said, as she carried Artemis in her arms.
However, she saw that Usagi and Rei were having yet another one of their infamous arguments and Ami and Makoto were trying to break them up, and Chibi-Usa was pretending not to know them.
"YOU ARE SO MEAN, REI! IT'S ALMOST HARD TO BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE AN ACTUAL SHRINE MAIDEN! YOU'RE NOT FIT FOR IT!..."The blonde girl yelled.
"Hey, at least I don't cry so loud in public!..."Rei defended herself and they kept arguing.
"Come on you two, stop..."Makoto said.
"Yes, you two are making a scene..."Ami said, blushing in embarrassment from people staring at the spat between her friends.
Artemis and Minako saw this and sighed.
"Looks like we late for the usual tiff..."He muttered.
However, Rei and Usagi briefly stopped fighting once they saw them.
"Oh, hi Minako-chan. Glad to see you made it..."Usagi said, being her usually bubbly self.
"Hi, th-" Minako then slipped, hitting her head on the floor. "Ow!..." She muttered.
Her friends stopped what they were doing and went to help her.
"Minako! Are you okay? Didn't you see the sign?..." Ami asked, while Usagi and Makoto helped her up.
"What sign?..."She asked, rubbing the back of her head to sooth the pain.
"That one..."Makoto said as she pointed at it.
Minako then turned her head to see the "Floor Wet" warning sign.
"Oops..." She muttered, looking embarrassed.
Her friends sighed at this.
"Come here..."Ami said as she checked her over.
"Good news, you don't seem to have a concussion, but I'd still put some ice on it to make the swelling go down..."The blue-haired girl said.
"On it..."Usagi said as she went to go get the ice.
Minako just stayed there, still rubbing the back of her had to sooth it.
"I'll tell the about the newest cute guy later... after I get some ice...Ouch..."She thought, still hissing in pain.
Meanwhile
With Danny
The ghost boy managed to find an alley to change forms and quickly morphed. He was now his Phantom self and soaring through the skies.
"Finally, I almost wished I never left. Now to focus on my mission and the whole reason I even came to Japan in the first place..."He thought, trying to look around.
Still, he mentally scolded himself for being sidetracked by not one but two pretty faces today.
"I spent most of the morning with a bunch of cute Japanese girls...but not the Japanese girls that I'm suppose to meet and join forces with to kick some butt..."He muttered, not knowing how go about finding the Sailor Guardians.
He decided to put Makoto and Minako aside for now, he could think about them later.
The ghost boy kept searching but didn't see any sign of female superheroes in short skirts. However, he only had a couple of hours left before he'd had to recharge the necklace Clockwork had given him and time wasn't exactly on his side right now.
"If only I could translate Japanese to English for longing than a couple of hours. That way I could've had more time to ask more questions about the Sailor Guardians. Oh well, just gotta be quick..."He thought, frustrated.
He was about to start his search all over again, but fate had other plans in store for him and made those plans known. The ghost boy then heard the sounds of people screaming and heard the sound of crashing and explosions.
He frowned.
"Looks like my search is gonna have to wait..."He said, knowing that he's gonna have to step in.
He soon flew to the direction where the cries and crashes could be found, unaware that he wasn't the only one heading that way.
Yes, it seems that more fated encounters were on the way.
-To be continued-
Next time on A Phantom's Love and Courage
In The Name of the Moon, I'm Going Ghost!
A/N: Me and NeoMark would like to thank Jay The Average Fanboy for helping with this chapter. You rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
RonaldM40196867:
1) I always felt that Makoto deserved some love and Danny can appreciate a strong woman.
2) I am tied between Venus and Sailor Moon.
3) Kind of.
Jebest4781: How's this?
Luiz4200: Still, Danny admits she's pretty too.
Pokemon fan 1991 and Nightcat77: Thank you :)
Invader Johnny: How's this?
LockAndKey989: Really? Glad to be one of the people to help inspire you to make your own crossover. :)
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)