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 16: Crepes and Chatting: Getting To Know Another Pretty Guardian
Danny and Minako soon arrived at Crepes Cafe, and both saw that it wasn't so busy.
The blonde girl decided to stay and Danny, feeling grateful and wanting to have someone to spend time with, decided to treat her as a thank you.
"So, what would you two kids like?..."A waitress asked.
"I'll have creamy strawberry and chocolate crepe..."Minako said, smiling as the waitress wrote it down.
"And you?..."She asked.
"Uh...the same..."Danny said, given he can't read Japanese.
The waitress soon left with their orders and that left the two alone.
"So, how was your day after I saw you?..." Minako asked.
"It was... kind of neat. Met some nice people... for... business reasons..." Danny said, being vague with his wording.
"Oh, were they nice?..."She asked, curious.
"Yeah... all but two of them. One was this girl who kept giving me the ol' stink eye. The other was some dude who got the wrong idea and gave me trouble..."Danny said, recalling what happened between him, Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Mask.
"That sounds bad..."Minako said.
"It was... but at least two of the girls in that group were nice to me, enough to convince their friends to not pick a fight..."Danny said.
"That's good to hear..." Minako said, smiling at it.
"Yeah..." Danny said.
The two teens began to chat a bit, as they ate their yummy crepes. Just like with Makoto, Danny was careful not to make a mess as he didn't have access to a laundromat at the moment.
"So...Danny-san?..."Minako began, sounding intrigued.
"Yes? What is it?..."Danny asked, looking shy right now.
"Tell me more about yourself?..."She asked, still looking intrigued.
Danny gulped a bit at the sound of her tone, feeling his weak-knee reaction around girls acting up again.
"She wants to know more about me? Okay, act normal and don't say anything stupid, Fenton..."He thought, trying to calm himself down.
"Well, what would you like to know?..."He asked, trying to act normal around her.
"Well...anything really..."She said, giving him her undivided attention.
"Well, I'm 14 years old. I go to a school called Casper High...and like I said before, I'm from Amity Park..."He said.
"Uh-huh..."She said, non-verbally asking him to continue.
"Well...my hobbies are...well, video games, watching movies about horror, superhero, comedy, adventure, fantasy and Sci-fi, astronomy, and bowling, I am interested in astronomy and my dream is to one day be an astronaut and work for NASA..."He began.
"An astronaut? NASA? That sounds really cool..."Minako said, sounding interested.
"Thanks..."Danny said, smiling.
"So...uh...tell me about yourself? About your interests? Hobbies? Dreams?..."He asked, both thinking it's fair and because he also wanted to get to know her better.
Minako smiled, as she began to speak up.
"Well, I enjoy shopping, hanging out with my friends, playing volleyball, video games and listening to music from my favorite idols..."Minako explained.
"More like chasing after them and obsessing over every half way good looking celebrity you could find when your not wasting time..."Artemis muttered under his breath, while Minako discreetly pinched his tail in annoyance, making him hiss.
Danny, not seeing what she did, blinked.
"Is your cat okay?..."He asked, concerned.
"Oh, no worries. Artemis is fine. He just does things that he shouldn't sometimes..."Minako said, still smiling at the boy.
Artemis glared at her.
"Just you wait until we get home..."He thought in anger, as he licked his tail to sooth it.
Minako continued to talk about herself to her new guy friend.
"As for my dreams...well, I always wanted to become a pop idol myself..."She said.
"A pop idol? What's that?..."Danny asked.
"Oh, right...the term might be different in America. It basically means becoming an entertainer, like a singer, actress or a model..."She explained.
"Huh? Really?..."Danny asked, and Minako nodded.
"Yep, one of these days, you'll be hearing my voice singing all throughout Japan..."She said with a confident smile.
Danny chuckled at that.
"Cool, I'm hanging out with a future celebrity. I'll be sure to brag to my friends about that once you become famous..."He said, making her giggle.
Artemis rolled his eyes at that, as the two teenagers continued to chat and get to know each other better.
"So... you like crepes?..." Minako asked.
"Uh... sure..."Danny said, taking another bite of it.
"Are they your favorite thing to eat?..." She asked eagerly.
"Uh... not really..." Danny said, noticing she was inching close.
"Really, what's your favorite thing to eat? I'm fine with whatever, but I don't like certain mushrooms..." Minako said.
"Same..." Danny said, his face turning red once he noticed that she was getting closer as she tried to get to know him more.
"So... do you like ice cream sundaes? I know a place we can go some other time..." She said, winking at him.
"Oh... I think they're pretty gir- pretty good! Pretty good!..." He said, feeling his mouth getting dry.
"Oh man!..."He thought, feeling nerves right now.
"Jackpot... I knew that he was into me..." Minako thought.
"Yeah... I love them on a hot Summer's day. Don't you?..."She asked, sending him a smirk.
"Yeah... hot..." He said with a smile before realizing what she said. "... Summer's day... yes!..."He said, blushing.
He was trying hard not to lose it right now.
"Get a grip, Fenton. Now is NOT the time to get all weak kneed around a cute girl again!..."He thought, trying hard to maintain his composure.
"I bet you and your friends enjoy them a lot, huh?..."She said.
"Not Sam. She's an ultra-recyclo-vegetarian and doesn't eat anything with a face. Tucker and I enjoy them just fine..." Danny said.
"Oh, any other friends?..." Minako asked, wanting to help him feel comfortable.
"Not... exactly. I'm not exactly Mr. Popularity back home..."He said, being honest.
"Really? You seem like a really nice guy. I don't see why you wouldn't have any more friends..."Minako said, confused.
"Uh...well...it's somewhat due to my parents...being inventors...and being a little eccentric...another reason is that for whatever reason, Dash Baxter, school quarterback and local bully, likes picking on me and deemed me the bottom of the school pecking order. Why? I don't know but he just deems me a loser. He also thinks that just because he's popular, it gives him a right to shove unpopular kids into lockers or give them wedgies..." Danny said, frowning.
Minako heard this, and got angry.
"How... barbaric..." Minako said with disdain before taking Danny's hand in hers. "You don't deserve to be treated like that..." She said.
Danny felt his heartbeat increase in speed over her holding his hand.
"Y-Yeah... it's soft dea- HARD! It's hard dealing with it... but every day I just hold hands that-... hold hope that once I graduate, I can go to NASA and be a top astronaut while he's pumping gas because, despite being an athlete, he's too lazy to put his skills into anything. He can't seem to get to have a nice eyes...nee-life! Nice life... needs work..." Danny said, trying hard not to get too distracted by her...and failing.
Minako nodded, as she kept holding his hand and smiling at him.
"That's the ticket. You shouldn't let a jerk like that get you down. He's the real loser after all..."She said.
Once she let go of his hand, Danny's mind is racing as he was trying to comprehend what was happening here.
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod... is she into me?! I think she's into me?! Is this a date?! This is totally a date, right?! Her, Makoto, Venus and Jupiter... it's like I turned into a protagonist in a harem anime! I... I don't know if I can sit here any longer without looking like a total dork!..."He thought, trying not to panic right now.
As Minako smiled at him, Danny felt himself sweat intensely and gulping.
"Please...please don't let my pants fall down right now!..."He internally prayed, feeling his weak knee acting up and he was sweating more now.
He now found an excuse to calm his nerves by washing his face.
"I'll be back in a second..."Danny said as he went to the bathroom, mostly to try and regain his composure.
"Don't be too long, you're paying..."Minako said with a giggle.
Once he was gone, Artemis decided to speak up.
"Minako, seriously. What's up?..."He said with a head shake.
"What?..."She asked, sounding confused and innocent but the cat knew better.
"I know that you get excited when you see a new cute guy, but what about that Phantom kid? I thought that you were dead set on dating that superhero?..."Artemis asked.
Minako shook her head with a smile.
"Don't get me wrong, Danny Phantom is a real stud...but Danny Fenton is really nice and pretty cute too. I have not officially been asked out by either of them, so this is still fair game..."Minako said, nodding her head.
Artemis nearly dropped at that, figuring something would go wrong.
"Just...be careful and don't try to date two guys at the same time again. Even if those guys were evil, that was still wrong..."The cat nagged.
Minako huffed.
"I've learned my lesson. Either way, I'll at least have one Danny to wrap my arms around when this is all over..."She said, crossing said arms.
The white cat just sighed, worried that this might blow up in her face in the near future.
Danny soon returned and managed to calm down a bit. He sat back down, as he continued his unexpected date with the pretty blonde girl.
Danny and Minako continued to talk and enjoy their time. All the while, Artemis just hoped that she wasn't going to make two boys upset.
After that
Danny and Minako soon left the diner together. Minako was carrying Artemis in a basket, with Danny noticing how close he was.
"So, you and your cat seem to go everywhere? You must really love him..."Danny said.
"What can I say? Artemis can never just leave me alone. Not sure where he'd be without me..."Minako said.
"Probably in less stressful places..."Artemis muttered under his breath.
Minako heard this and discreetly kicked the basket when Danny wasn't looking.
"So, uh...do you have any pets, Danny-kun?..."Minako asked, trying to change the subject while the cat glared at her again.
"Uh. No. My parents won't let me since they think they are a lot of work. I did...uh...take care of a dog for a couple of days but that didn't go so well..."Danny said vaguely.
"Dogs..."Artemis thought with a shudder.
Minako ignored that and continued to chat up the cute American boy.
"Well, it goes to show you can't love a dog more than you love taking care of yourself..." She went, trying to sound profound.
Artemis made a face at that as Danny laughed a little, much to his and Minako's surprise.
"It's... "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself"... but I gotta admit, your way sounds kinda neat..."He said, amused and trying to be nice.
"Really?..." Minako asked, a smile forming on her face.
"Yeah..." Danny said.
"At first I thought it was a translation error... but given the way she reacted, that's not the case..."He thought.
"So... Danny?..."Minako asked.
"Yeah?..."He asked.
Minako then held his hands again, causing his face to turn bright red.
"You can tell that bully that you went on a date with a lovely girl who would see to it he'd be toast!..." She said.
"D-Date?!..."Danny stammered, his throat suddenly becoming dry now, as his previous suspicion about the nature of their outing was confirmed.
"Yeah... after all, you treated a beautiful girl to a lovely crepe and had a wonderful time with her, after all?..." She said with a wink.
Artemis heard this and sighed.
"Even when she's trying to help a guy feel better, she can't help but talk about herself like that..."He thought, as he continued to watch this unfold.
"Oh... I guess this does qualify... huh?..." Danny asked nervously.
"Sure does..." Minako said, beaming at him.
With a gulp, Danny looked away.
"Do not get weak-kneed and do not let pants fall down! Do not get weak-kneed and do not let pants fall down!..."He thought, repeating that in his mind as he tried to remain calm.
Minako, however, found his shyness cute and couldn't resist teasing him a little more.
"Hmmm...ya know..."Minako started.
"W-What?..."Danny asked, his voice accidentally squeaking a bit.
Minako giggled at that reaction.
"He really does seem to like me if he's getting that shy. How cute!..."She thought, as she continued.
"Why don't we take a picture to commemorate this occasion?..."Minako suggested.
"A picture?..."Danny asked.
The pretty blonde girl nodded.
"Yep, and so you could use it to brag to that jerk and show off to your friends that you went out with the prettiest girl in Juuban. You can also use it for posterity for when I become famous..."She said with a giggle.
"Uh..."Danny tried to say something, but Minako already pulled out her cell phone and got closer to him.
Danny felt his heart skip a beat as she was close and even held onto his arm, as she positioned the camera for a selfie.
"Say cheese!..."Minako said.
"Uh...cheese..."Danny said, as he tried to smile normally.
Minako snapped the picture and checked it. She smiled.
"Awesome. We look great..."She said, as she showed him the picture.
"Well, at least you do..."Danny said, making the blonde girl giggle.
"Oh, you. Give me your number and I'll send it to you..."She said.
"Uh...sure..."Danny said, as he exchanged numbers with her, still blushing as he did so.
"I've just exchanged numbers with another hot Japanese girl. I never get to be this lucky back home..."Danny thought, as Minako added the number to her phone.
"I got two cute guy's number on the same week! Score!..."Minako thought in excitement, before continuing.
"Got it. And send..."She said, as she sent him the picture.
Danny checked his phone, and he did indeed receive the picture.
"Well, I got it..."He said.
"Though even with this, my friends or that creep Dash might think this is photo shopped or something. Since...well, let's be honest, you are kinda out of my league..."He said.
Minako, thinking he was just being a flirt right now, just giggled and blushed a bit.
"Oh Danny-san. You're such a flatterer..."She said, still blushing.
"I was being serious..."He muttered, while the blonde girl kept flirting with him and trying to cheer him up.
"Just know that jerk is wrong about you. You're a nice guy...besides, I'm hanging out with you because I want to. Don't let a creep like that make you think you're not someone worth spending time with..."The blonde girl said, as she got closer to him
"Uh...t-thanks..."Danny said, blushing at her closeness.
Artemis saw this and sighed.
"Poor kid...Minako is gonna eat him alive if this keeps up and he probably doesn't even realize it yet..."The white cat thought, shaking his head at the teen drama before him.
As Minako considered making another move on him, someone spotted them.
"Danny-kun?..."Was heard.
Hearing that voice, Danny pulled his hands out of Minako, something she noticed.
"Makoto?..." He asked.
Makoto, with the rest of the girls and Mamoru, spotted Minako with a face only one of them recognized. As she approached, the two girls just noticed each other.
"Mina-chan?..."Makoto let out, surprised to see her.
"Mako-chan?..."Minako let out, also surprised.
Danny was caught off guard at the familiarity between them.
"You two know each other?..."He asked, surprised.
"Duh, Makoto here is one of my best friends..."Minako said.
"Likewise..."Makoto said.
"I didn't know that you knew Danny-kun..."She said.
"I didn't know that he was the friend that you mentioned..."Minako said.
"So, I met both of you, separately. Small world..."Danny commented, rubbing the back of his head.
"Well, this is Japan..."Makoto said, smiling a bit. "Anyway, the girls and Mamoru are near here and came to get some crepes too..."She said.
"He's a real sweetheart, he took me out on a date, after all..."Minako said, giggling.
"Huh? A date..." Makoto went, while the dark haired boy flinched a bit.
"Uh... well, I was thanking her for helping me find the place. So... she said to count this as a date to brag to my bully back home..."Danny said, regretting how lame that sounded.
"I bet he'd be floored to learn you dated the prettiest girl in Japan..."Minako said with a wink.
All of the other girls made a face at this.
"Even when she's helping someone feel better..." Usagi started.
"She can't help but think so highly of herself..." Ami finished.
Makoto raised a brow, feeling like something is slightly off. She didn't know why she felt somewhat bothered that they were on a date together, but she didn't voice it.
"I see..."Makoto said, trying to keep a normal expression on her face.
"Uh...yeah..."He said, while Minako remained a little too close to him.
"Oh... these are the friends I was telling you about..." She said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
This causes Danny to turn bright red upon her touch.
"And... my temperature rises again..."He thought, blushing and sweating a bit.
"These are my other friends, Usagi, Rei and Ami..."Minako said.
"Uh...we've already met before...but it is nice to see you girls again..."Danny said awkwardly.
"Likewise..."Usagi said, waving at him while Minako seemed confused.
"You've met them too?..."She asked, surprised.
"Yeah, at the arcade..."Usagi answered, like it was no big deal.
"Still, he hasn't met Mamoru yet..."She said.
"Mamoru?..."Danny asked, wondering what that meant.
Usagi then brought forward a really tall, older looking guy with black hair.
"Danny...this is my boyfriend Mamoru Chiba. Mamo, this is our new friend from America, Danny..."Usagi introduced.
"Uh...hello..."Mamoru said.
"Hey..."Danny said, while the taller guy sent him a confused look.
"Why is he looking at me like that?..."The ghost kid wondered.
"Excuse me but... have we met?..."The older boy asked.
"Uh... no. Don't think so..." Danny responded.
"It's strange...it's just...I've feel like I've seen you someplace before..."Mamoru stated, and Danny raised a brow.
"Come to think of it...there is something familiar about you...Ever been to Amity Park?..."Danny asked.
"No, while I have traveled before I haven't gone there in particular..."Mamoru stated.
"Huh...weird..."Danny said, still trying to figure out how he knew this guy.
All the while, Usagi grabbed Minako and took her to have a "private meeting".
"So, cheat on one Danny with another? What's wrong with you, Mina?..." Usagi whispered in a disapproving manner.
Her friend huffed when she heard that, and put her hands on her hips.
"It's not cheating if he hasn't asked me out yet!..." Minako responded. "Technically speaking, I am still free as a bird, so I don't see any harm in a little flirting..."She said.
Usagi rolled her eyes.
"There is nothing wrong with flirting with a guy who is single, while I am still single..."Minako said, arms crossed.
"Technically, she isn't wrong about that..."Luna said with a groan. "Still, just be careful not to string anyone along...or try to date two boys at once..."She said.
"I've already learned my lesson long ago and Artemis already gave me grief about that..."Minako whispered at her.
However, Danny and Makoto had been talking now and she noticed that they seemed rather chummy too.
"You went to get crepes?! Darn... I would've loved some..." Makoto said.
"You can have mine. I brought some extras.." Danny said, offering his leftovers.
"Oh, I really shouldn't..." Makoto said, looking unsure about accepting it.
"It's cool. I probably wouldn't be able to finish it anyway..." Danny said, smiling strangely at her.
"That's a lie... this was going to be part of my dinner..." He thought.
"Oh... thank you, Danny-kun..."Makoto said, taking it.
Minako noticed this and blinked, she felt a small bit of jealousy but didn't know why.
"He and Mako seem to be pretty chummy...no...Makoto would tell me if she was seeing a new guy..."The blonde girl thought, as she went back to trying to charm Danny up.
"So...Danny-san. I was thinking that another way to show off to your friends back home...why not take me to get some yakisoba?..."Minako asked in a flirty manner, making the dark haired boy nervous again.
"Yaki what?..."Danny asked, not familiar with that.
"It's Japanese stir fry noodles. They're quite good..."Makoto said, and Danny thought about it.
"Well, those crepes were tasty, but I guess that I could go for something like that..."Danny said, and Usagi smiled.
"Alright, let's all get some!..."She said, not wanting to miss the chance for a meal.
"Sure...sounds nice..."Makoto said as she spoke on everyone's behalf, while Minako pouted.
"I meant just us alone..."The blonde muttered, as her date request suddenly turned into an outing among friends.
The two cats saw the interaction between the teenagers and sighed. They realized what was happening, while Minako, Makoto and their new male companion probably didn't yet.
"So both Minako and Makoto like the same guy? Not again. Now is not the time for such silly teen drama..."Luna muttered, seeing the obvious attraction both girls had for him.
"Let's just hope that they can keep their hormones in check and focus on the mission at hand. I can't go through another of those again..."Artemis said, recalling the migraine he got from last time.
"I hope so too. Now is not the time to be distracted by stuff like love triangles or something silly like that..."Luna said, facepalming.
"Come on you two, it's yakisoba time!..."Usagi said in clueless manner, as she picked up Luna, while Ami picked up Artemis.
The group of teenagers soon left to grab a bite to eat, while Danny found himself staring at the tall, pretty friend he had made that he admired...and the pretty blonde new friend who he somehow wound up on a date with.
"I haven't even been in Japan for a week and I've spent more time with two hot girls that are way out of my league when I barely get any attention back home..."He thought, finding this ironic.
-To be continued-
Next time on A Phantom's Love and Courage
The Countdown Begins: Preparing for the Dangers ahead!
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 think it could have been better.
2) I'll think about it. Thanks for the suggestion.
3) Probably.
4) I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
5) I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
Invader Johnny: Yeah.
Jebest4781, phillyitalian and pokemon fan 1991: Thank you :)
Simm36: Gracias :)
Luiz4200: I'll think about it. Thanks for the suggestion.
Guest: How's this?
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)