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 30: Danny and Minako II: Romance and Drama for the Heroic Lovebirds?
While Danny and Minako were out on their date, Makoto was with her friends now.
As promised, she told them the rest of the details she was willing to give about her date.
"And thats what happened..." Makoto said.
Usagi and the other girls looked surprised and impressed when they heard that.
"Wow! Danny-san not only defended your honor but also accepted you being so strong and understands that everything that makes you standout are what make you truly beautiful! So romantic!~..." Usagi gushed.
"Indeed. It just goes to show that one must not judge a book by its cover. He really is a gentleman..." Ami said, looking happy.
"I suppose he's alright. At least he is decent enough to treat our Makoto like a human being..." Rei admitted.
"He certainly does. I've never met any kind of guy quite like Danny-kun..." Makoto said, while covering her face cheeks with both hands from her noticeable blushing from recalling her date with Danny yesterday.
"Even I could admit that some of Danny's more respectful qualities were present..." Mamoru said, while a certain cat noticed something.
"Anyone seen Artemis? That cat better not have gotten himself mixed into any kind trouble again..." Luna said in annoyance.
"I think I saw him with Minako last..." Ami said, while Makoto snapped out of her daydreaming state.
She recalled that Minako is on a date with her brand new crush.
"Right. It's her turn..." The tall girl thought, trying to repress her jealousy.
She decided not to get involved, Minako didn't and she deserved the same respect.
All she could do is hope that they have good time, and that her time with Danny was the more meaningful one.
With Danny
The ghost boy and his lovely blonde date were still at the karaoke club. Soon, a booth opened up and they were now entering a private Karaoke room.
"This room seems a little bigger than the ones back home..." He said, before he noticed something.
"Huh? Two mics?..." Danny commented as Minako set up the first song.
"Do you wanna go first Danny-san or should I? Want me to show you the ropes on we in Japan do karaoke?..." Minako asked.
"Ladies first..." Danny said, figuring he'd rather hear her singing voice.
"Okay. If you insist. Now let me find the perfect song to start off with..." Minako said cheerfully.
On the inside, she was seeing this as a means to serenade him, like a siren to a sailor.
"Okay, time to charm him with my beautiful voice and charm as an idol..." She thought, determined to use this to win him over.
The blonde girl soon found the song she was looking for and grinned, while secretly double checking her dating notes.
"Here we go, the lovely voice of Aino Minako!..." She said as she began to sing.
Danny listened and watched as she performed, starting with a lovely harmony.
"Wow, she does have a nice voice..." He admitted, smiling at what he was hearing.
However, as he kept listening, he noticed that something seemed off. The words did not match her mouth's movement, nor did it sound like words he understood.
"Huh?..." Danny went, which his date noticed.
"What's wrong?..." Minako asked, pausing for a moment.
"I... I didn't understand your singing..." Danny went.
"Oh? Is it the lyrics?..." Minako askee.
"No... I heard it in Japanese..." Danny said.
"Huh? Oh wait. I keep forgetting that thing on your neck translates what I'm saying..." Minako said before winking at him.
"Just so you know, I am quite fluent in many languages...including English..." She added.
"Good to know... but still... why did this thing not translate your singing?..." He asked, confused.
"Hmm... let me try another song..." Minako went.
"Okay..." Danny said.
Minako put in the song of a famous popstar in Japan, singing her heart out. Danny, eyes closed, listening in, only for her words to not be understood by him.
"What's going on? Why am I not hearing her words get translated?..." He wondered.
"Well?..."Minako asked, after finishing the song.
He shook his head and she tried again.
Minako then switched the karaoke song from the one she just sang to new song from an anime about cooking, which Danny immediately recognized, despite still hearing it entirely in Japanese again.
Even so, Danny felt an enticing emotion beating inside him as he heard Minako sing.
"Now?..." She asked.
"Nope, still hearing Japanese when I hear you sing..." Danny said.
"Maybe it's not a music lover?..." Minako suggested, gesturing to the necklace.
"Question, if the lyrics were translated, would they rhyme in English?..." Danny asked.
"No. Many songs in Japan don't rhyme..." Minako said.
"Huh... so it can't be that..." Danny said.
"Maybe karaoke isn't the best thing we can do for now..." Minako said, looking bummed now.
"I never said I hated your singing. Heck, if you are up for it, I'd like to hear more..." Danny said.
Minako looked to him in surprise.
"Really?..."She asked, pleasantly surprised.
Her date nodded and sent her a smile.
"Sure. Go for it..." Danny went with an encouraging smile. "I have no idea what you're saying, but I like the sound of it..." He said, being sincere.
Minako grinned and soon began to sing her heart out, delighted he still wanted to hear her sing!
She sang with a lot more passion and idol energy than before. Danny kept listening and while he didn't understand the lyrics, he couldn't deny that they sounded beautiful.
"I can get used to it if I picked her..." He thought, almost getting lost in Minako's angelic like singing voice.
Worrying about the drawback of this necklace was forgotten as it all but took Danny a moment since he greatly enjoyed listening to Minako's performance.
Once she was done, he cheered for her, which made her happy.
Minako did a graceful twirl before bowing. Danny was starstruck by her performance, clearly into it until Minako offers her hand to him and invited him into singing a duet with her.
Once Danny finally gave in and sang along with Minako, it was then that the blonde girl discovered that the half ghost boy has a surprisingly nice singing voice. Not quite super pop star level, but good enough to rock with her in Karaoke.
"I may not cook as well as Makoto, but I have my own skills!..." She thought, pleased with her progress.
It wasn't the bonding experience she hoped for, but it still sufficed.
Later
After about an hour, Danny and Minako left the karaoke club, both in high spirits.
"That was so much fun! Why didn't you tell me that you sing? I would've picked more duet songs from the start..." Minako said.
"I usually only sing in private. This was the first time that I ever sang that much in public before. It was a lot more fun than I first thought it could be..." Danny said.
"Well if you ever need a perfect singing partner, then don't hesitate to ask me to fill in the slot..." Minako said as she cheerfully winked at him.
"Thanks but I'll stick to..." He paused a moment. "I was gonna say my job but it's not like I make money off punching the same idiot ghost every day..." He said.
"I know what you mean... If I could get paid every time I used a Crescent Beam, I'd pay for my own place for the rest of my life..." Minako said.
"Where to next?..." The ghost boy asked.
"There is a great ice cream shop not to far from here. All that singing got me a little parched, so we can also grab a few sweet treats..." Minako suggested, but that is where the next phase of her plan is.
"Okay, sounds good..." Danny said, as they headed there.
Unknown to them, a certain cat and little time traveler were still following them. Both were carefully managing to stay out of sight from the couple on their date.
"Are you sure we should be following them, Chibi Usa?..." Artemis asked.
"Just trust me Artemis, I have my reasons for doing this..." Chibi Usa said, determined not to lose track on Minako and Danny.
Artemis was still a bit unsure about Chibi Usa's true objectives, but got distracted at the sounds of Minako having a lot more fun on her date with Danny than the white cat had predicted.
He felt a bit conflicted on this, but he wanted to make sure she doesn't overstep boundaries with Danny like with how she kissed him.
"Not sure who to worry for more, her or Danny..." The cat thought.
He and Chibi Usa kept quiet and far enough to not be seen, as they continued to spy on the date.
Later
"Here we are!..." Minako went cheerfully.
Danny and Minako soon arrived to the ice cream shop and quickly made their orders.
Minako requested a strawberry ice cream sundae while Danny himself got a blueberry milkshake. He paid for it, despite Minako's insistence he not do that.
"So many more flavors than the 31 I know... didn't even know roasted green tea was a thing..." Danny said.
"You should try one next time you're here. Its really good..." Minako said.
"And the cookies and cream waffles? My dad and best friend would love it here..." Danny said.
"Your dad doesn't know you're here, right?..." Minako asked and her date shook his head.
"Yeah. He doesn't know his breaking OSHA compliance gave me superpowers..." Danny responded.
"Huh... and I thought my parents gave me issues..." Minako said as she sat back and crossed her legs.
"Before or after... y'know..." Danny motioned his neck getting chopped, complete with a gagging sound.
"After..." Minako responded.
Hearing that, Danny had a thought cross his mind.
"So, did you look like this in your past life?..." Danny asked as he gestures to her.
"Yes, I was beautiful back then too..." Minako said proudly.
"And the rest of the girls?..." Danny asked.
"We all looked the same..." Minako answered.
Hearing that made Danny sit back in thought.
"I mean... I could guess aliens from Venus looking like humans, but Martians?..." Danny asked, sounding confused.
"How do you know what aliens from Venus are supposed to look like?..." Minako asked, raising a brow.
"I wanna be an astronaut, and I kind of got a side interest in alien and UFO lore..." Danny said.
"Really?..." Minako asked, surprised to hear this.
"It's not exactly something I share with everyone, not even my friends, but the whole reincarnation thing made me wanna ask if you were still pretty back then..." Danny said.
"Ah, thank you..." Minako went with a smile before her curiosity got the better of her. "What exactly do you know? About aliens and stuff, I mean?..."She asked.
"Let's see..." Danny listed off what he knew.
"Outside of the most obvious thing that's Roswell, there's the Kelly-Hopkinsville Encounter, the Pentyrch incident, the Metal Man of Falkville...among others..." He said as he took a sip of his shake before continuing.
"I could teach a high school course on alien encounters, but I don't exactly think anyone is hiring for that in the future..." He said with a shrug.
"It's at least a fun hobby..." Minako went.
"Beats fighting either a giant monster or a ghost wanting revenge every week..." Danny admitted with a smile.
"Well, I've definitely learned something new today..." Minako thought to herself, finding this new info about Danny to be rather unique.
Danny was relieved she didn't seem weirded out by this knowledge.
"Even with all the alien and UFO lore I've learned, the whole idea of a small group of aliens, who each rules a kingdom from different planets, all reincarnated into earthlings after a magical cataclysmic battle on the moon, is all kind of a stretch, and that's saying something.. It still makes me question a lot of what I know...or at least what I think I know. It's still awesome though..." Danny thought to himself, as he recalled the origins of the Sailor Guardians and Tuxedo Mask.
"Speaking of monsters or vengeful villains..." Minako said.
"Yeah?..." Danny asked.
"I'm stunned to learn you do it all on your own..." Minako said.
"I have help from my friends and my sister Jazz..." Danny said.
"Yeah, but they can't shoot lasers out their hands or go through walls on their own, can they? Not like you?..." Minako asked as she took a spoonful of ice cream.
"No... I do have... someone like that..." Danny said, looking away a bit.
"Who?..." Minako asked.
"Her name is Danielle..." Danny said.
"Oh? Who is she? A... girlfriend? Or... ex?..." Minako hesitantly asked.
"No... she's my cousin... sort of..." Danny responded.
"Sort of?..." Minako asked, wondering what that meant.
"I guess it's more like she's my sister... just not born naturally..." Danny said.
"Hmm?..." Minako asked, even more confused now.
"See? My arch-enemy cloned me, creating her. She was loyal to "Daddy" until she realized he had no problem letting her burn herself out and become a puddle to complete his plans..." Danny said, looking angry as he recalled that.
"That's awful!..." Minako responded, looking appalled and horrified.
"It is... now she's on the run. I don't know where she is..." Danny admitted with a sad look on his face.
"She can't stay with you?..." Minako asked, while Danny shook his head.
"My arch-enemy is now the mayor, my parents don't know about my powers, and she doesn't exactly have a birthday... What am I supposed to tell my mom and dad, Minako? "This is Danielle, your college best friend cloned her with my DNA because he wants to have the kid that he wishes he had with the woman he obsessed over?..." Danny asked sarcastically.
"I suppose that'd be hard to explain..." Minako pondered.
"Where do you think she is now?..." She asked.
"I wish I knew..." Danny responded as he sighed and shook his head.
Minako put a hand on his and sent him a reassuring look.
"Don't worry, if she's anything like you... she'll be fine..." She assured with a smile.
"Is this you making me decide to think of you as a future Mrs. Fenton candidate?" Danny jokingly asked.
"No... just me assuring you..." Minako said with a smile.
Hearing that put a smile on his face. As Minako took relief in his smile, she noticed something far behind him that soured her mood.
"I'll be right back..."She said quickly.
She pulled her hand away and marched over to the topping station, where she saw a familiar head of pink hair and the tail of a white cat peaking out.
"I don't see her... did she leave?..." Artemis whispered.
"No, she didn't!.." Minako answered flatly.
Both Chibi Usa and Artemis gasped loudly upon seeing her glaring down at them with fists at her hips.
"Oh hi, Minako..." Chibi Usa went, playing dumb.
"Hello, girl who takes more after pretend cousin than she wants to admit..." Minako answered angrily, causing Chibi Usa's face to fall to one that looked pained.
"That was too far..." She said weakly.
"Oh, and spying on me isn't?..." Minako questioned, looking angry.
Artemis laughed nervous before a bitter groan left his face. He pouted, knowing he and Chibi Usa getting caught was not avoidable.
"This was bound to happen sooner or later..." He said.
Artemis aw the expression on Minako's face that told him that she plans to lecture him further when she gets home. She then turned her attention to Chibi Usa.
"Chibi Usa? Go home. I'll tell Usagi what you did later!..." Minako ordered.
"Okay..." Chibi Usa went.
"And Artemis? I got gone something in mind for you." Minako said.
"W-What is it?..." He asked nervously.
"You're going back in a cute little cage for a while..." Minako said.
"Oh come on... do I have to?..." Artemis complained.
"Yes!..." Minako said, making it clear that it was not an option.
The two sighed.
"I knew this idea was a bad one..." Both of them thought in unison, blaming the other for it.
The blonde Sailor Guardian of love then used her disguise pen on the white space cat by turning him into an cargo pet, which had Artemis inside a special cat carry-on bag.
"Thank goodness I remembered to bring this in case of some unexpected emergency. Its been so long since I used this disguise pen, that I nearly forgot that I even had one..." Minako thought to herself as her pet/friend started to whine.
"This is degrading!..." Artemis complained.
"You'd better still be in this when I see you again later..." Minako ordered, hands on her hips.
Chibi Usa was ordered by Minako to head back to the Tsukino residence and to take Artemis, who was still in the carry-on bag and had to carried around like a backpack, back with her to Usagi's house.
That left Danny and Minako alone again.
"Honestly..." The blonde girl complained, arms crossed.
"Well, that of all the things that happened to me in Japan so far, I never thought I'd be spied upon by a little girl with pink hair and an alien cat..." Danny said with a small smile.
"I am so sorry, Danny-kun. I didn't think they'd spy on us..." Minako went apologetically.
"I guess spying on friends is a constant around here..."Danny thought in amusement.
"It's fine, Mina..." He assured her.
"Come on, this ice cream isn't gonna finish itself..." Danny said.
Minako perked up at that.
"Yeah, let's eat it. Any chance that I can have a quick bite of yours?..." She asked, trying to look cute.
"Sure, I don't mind..." Danny said, while his date smiled.
"Goody..." She said with a smile, as their date continued.
Outside
As Chibi Usa started walking away, Artemis had a look of absolute humiliation on his face.
"If Luna sees this, she's never gonna let me live it down..." He thought, hating this.
He then turned to Chibi Usa, hoping to convince her to let him out.
"Say Chibi-Usa, any chance you can get me out of this thing and help me convince Usagi and Luna to let hide away from Minako for tonight?..." Artemis asked, knowing that Minako might have a punishment in mind for him when he gets home.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. Especially if Luna finds out that you helped me spy on Danny and Minako during their date..." The little girl said, knowing they were in enough trouble as it is.
The alien cat frowned.
"No fair! Makoto didn't get this upset, so why is Minako taking it this far?!..." The cat complained as Chibi Usa ignored him and took him away from the establishment.
"Let's just go. If we're lucky enough, maybe Usagi and Luna won't ask us where we've been today..." Chibi Usa grumbled as she picked up the pace.
Afterwards
The ice cream was done, and the date continued.
Minako quickly double checked her new notes on the bus schedule for this weekend, so they can get to the mall.
Once there, she took Danny to her favorite store and immediately began finding clothes as the ghost boy waited.
"This is a cliché for dates, isn't it?..." He thought as his date went to go change into the clothes she chose.
A few moments later, he heard her voice.
"So, Danny?..." Minako asked.
"Yeah?..." He responds as Minako stepped out.
She wore snow white blouse, red and black checkered skirt, black stockings and a pair of strapped red heels.
"What do you think?..." She asked, presenting herself to him.
"Uh... it looks... nice?..." Danny responded.
"Oh, wait there..." She said, going back to the dressing room.
In a matter of moments, she stepped out wearing a dress with pleated detail and a shorter skirt than the last one.
"Okay... no way a girl can legally wear something like that, right?..."He thought as his face turned red.
"How's this?..." Minako questions with a knowing smile.
"I-It's... it's nice..." Danny went, feeling a bit flustered.
"Sunk, hooked and lined up!..." Minako thought, butchering a saying and thinking she's got Danny.
"So... while we're here, we should look for something you can wear. You know, a piece of Japan to go with you..." She said.
"Uh...I don't know, I don't much of an eye for fashion..." Danny said, unsure.
"No worries, I can help you..." She said, smiling cutely.
"Uh...sure, sounds nice..." Danny said.
"Alright! Now I get to shine and show him my stuff..." She thought, already having a few outfits in mind.
Before Danny knew it, Minako selected a couple of outfits for him to try out.
"Here you go, Danny-san. I think these would look nice on you and make you the most handsome superhero with a hobby in UFO lore..." She said.
"Uh...okay..." Danny said as he examined the clothes.
They were a little flashier than what he was used to, but also looked nice. He went to the changing booth and a few moments later was wearing a blue shirt with a white D on the chest and a scarlet blazer.
"Huh, more comfortable than I thought it be..."He commented.
Minako was him and briefly had hearts in her eyes.
"Wow. It's perfect!..." She thought but tried to compose herself.
"You look awesome..." She said.
"You...you think so?..." He asked shyly while the pretty girl nodded.
"Sure do. Blue is definitely your color and red helps it pop out..." She complimented.
Danny tried out a few more outfits before choosing to take the first one she put him in.
"Don't worry about paying, I got it covered. Consider it a gift..." Minako said with a playful wink.
"Uh, thanks but you didn't have to..." Danny said, unsure of this.
"It's no trouble. Consider yourself fortunate to know Minako, the goddess of love..." Minako said kindly.
As Danny went back to the dressing room to put on his usual clothes, Minako felt good right now.
"So far, so good. I have to be at least as good as Makoto was, right?.." She thought, hoping that this helped endear her to him more.
"Hey there, Beautiful..." Was heard.
Minako turned around and saw a boy around her age, except somewhat older, with a pair of glasses and a backwards cap, having a presence that made her see he was a gamer. He also sent her an intrigued, flirtatious look.
"My name is Joe. I'm know as the crane game master around here..." He said, bragging.
"Joe? Crane games? Why does that all sound so familiar?..." Minako thought, feeling like one of her best friends might have mentioned a Joe before but couldn't remember clearly who.
"And you?..." He asked.
"My name is Aino Minako..." The blonde girl said, not so enthusiastically.
"Cool, anyway. I was about to head to the arcade and gonna be there a while...and I could use a pretty face by my side..." He said, sending her a sly look.
"So, interested?..." The guy asked, clearly hitting on her.
Normally, Minako wouldn't mind the attention and probably would have taken him up on his offer...but she was on a date right now with Danny.
"I'm flattered, but I'm here with someone and I should really be getting back to him..." Minako said, gently letting him down.
The guy didn't seem to take the hint though.
"Hmm...maybe she's here with her little brother or something? She definitely looks like the hot older sister type..."Joe thought, completely misunderstanding the situation.
"Oh, if you are stuck babysitting or something, the kid can tag along with us. I don't mind..."He said, thinking he was acting like a nice guy.
"I'm not babysitting anyone..." Minako said, wondering where be got that idea from.
Joe was confused, but that was also the time Danny returned.
"Minako?..." Danny went, looking for her.
"Over here..." Minako said as she went to him.
"What's going on?..." Danny asked as he noticed Joe and, by his body language, was making unwanted advances towards Minako.
"Who's this guy?..." He asked.
"I'm not so sure. He invited me to the arcade, but I turned him down..." Minako said, shocking the other with her blunt honestly.
Unfortunately for her, Joe wasn't taking a hint.
"I see nothing wrong with asking this lovely girl on a date..." Joe said, while the ghost boy frowned.
"Too bad for you, she's already on one..." Danny said.
"Seriously, with you?..." Joe questioned mockingly.
"No, with Sonic the Hedgehog. Yes, me!..." Danny went, already disliking this guy.
"Watch it, tourist, I'm the last guy you want to mess with..." Joe said, trying to intimidate the half ghost boy.
"Boys...as flattering as the idea of you two fighting over me is...I am out with Danny and I will have to decline Joe..." Minako said with a sweat drop, trying to defuse the situation.
"Whatever..." The guy said, scoffing.
Since in Crane Game Joe's view, the other boy didn't seem all that threatening to him. Especially not compared that one long haired man with green eyes who could float around with weird powers slightly similar to him, but in a much more absurd degree.
As Joe stared down at the unimpressive looking boy, the master of all crane games felt a bad sense of Deja vu when he saw that Danny's eyes glowed green for a quick second. Joe instantly had flashback of the long haired man with green eyes and felt his confidence fade away at confronting another green eyed freak of nature.
"She said no..." Danny said, glaring at him.
The now silent arcade gamer was currently frozen in fear. While Joe remained silent and petrified, the half ghost boy saw this as a great opportunity to get Minako and himself away from this guy.
"Lets go, Mina..." Danny said as he left with his date.
All the while Minako sent him a starry eye look.
"Wow...that was so cool! Danny is such a gentleman!~..." She internally gushed.
"Thank you, Danny. Usually I can handle guys like that but it was wonderful how you managed to tell him off..." Minako said, blushing.
"All I did was glare at him and tell him off, but I guess I did it too intensely for him..." Danny replied as he scratches the back of his head.
"Well... that calls for a reward!..." Minako went as she suddenly kissed his cheek, making Danny's face turn red.
"You're welcome..." Danny responded, a little flustered while she giggled.
Unknown to her, the rejected boy was angrily lamenting what just happened and was livid over the rejection he faced.
"Great, Just my luck. I finally find a pretty girl who isn't a tall freak and who is my type...and just when I was about to convince her to go out on a date with me, another green eyed weirdo shows up and my powers don't even seem to effect him..." Joe muttered to himself.
"What's the point of having powers if they're not strong enough to deal with some random dork?..." Joe questioned.
"If only I had more power..." Joe admitted to himself, unaware that someone very close by heard every word he just said and was will to lend a metal hand.
"Now I'm not completely sure what it is that I'm sensing from this kid, but it's matching those Sailor Guardians with the power he's got in spades. And I can definitely use that for my ultimate update..." A sinister voice was heard, readying itself to use this unsuspecting human for his own schemes.
Later
Danny and Minako got off the bus, and the blonde girl seemed to be looking a bit embarrassed.
"Sorry about the mix-up. I forgot that the bus I usually take to get here changes schedules during the weekend..." Minako apologized.
"It's okay, plus we still manage to arrive here. So there's no harm done..."Danny said.
Minako then stealthily threw away a crumpled up piece of paper from her small notebook that reminded her about the bus schedule today, which ended up being not so useful, which she quickly corrected by writing new version of today's bus schedule, thankfully without Danny noticing.
"I was so caught up on the date, I forgot..."She thought, but tried to stay focused and not mess up again.
They soon arrived to their destination and the blonde Sailor Guardian looked excited.
"And here we are!..." Minako said happily as she gestured to the theme park.
"Dream Land? Kind of... generic sounding, don't you think?..." Danny asked.
"Doesn't change how fun it can be!..." Minako said.
"Did I hear something about monsters being in this spot?..." Danny asked.
"Don't you worry. Besides, I'm sure there are places back home for you that had monsters run amuck and still operated when you took care of it..." Minako said with a handwave.
"You're not wrong..." Danny admitted.
"So, where should we go first?..." Minako asked.
"I'll leave that one up to you..." Danny said with a smile.
Regret embedded itself to those words as the girl giddily grabbed his hand and pulled. The boy felt like a ploy pulled by a horse on speed at the racetrack.
Minako meant no harm, but her enthusiasm dwarfed her common sense as she guided her date to the roller coaster. Danny didn't mind all that much, since even he was getting excited about his first time riding a roller coaster at a Japanese amusement Park.
"I wonder if these rides are faster than the one back home?..." Danny thought curiously to himself.
Even though one of the teens was more used to flying at higher speeds with his powers, there was something about being in a roller coaster with a group of other people on the ride with you, screaming out pure excitement, thrill or just pure joy of the amusement park made the whole experience fun enough to scream alongside everyone else.
What did affect him was that Minako would hold his hand in an affectionate manner that made his face feel ever so warm.
Minako held Danny's hand tightly within her own as the roller coaster races through its tracks at high speeds with so many patrons screaming out of excitement, including both superheroes on board.
Wth the elevated railroad track ride that runs on kinetic energy finally arrived to a stop from the same place where it began. Both the Sailor Guardian of Love and the half ghost boy had some their respective hairs standing up, which made them both laugh at their unique new look, until soon after helping each other fix and readjusting their respective hair back to normal.
The fun didn't stop there.
The two of them explored the part, going to even smaller rides, some smaller and meant more for whimsy, or to make people lose their lunch.
It had been a solid 40 minutes into their time here.
"So, what do you think?..." Minako asked.
"It's pretty fun here..." Danny admitted.
"I know..." Minako said as she smiled to herself once her back was turned.
"Perfect... one ride we have to go on before our time here is over..." She thought, eying the ride in question.
The tunnel of love.
Danny, not seeing it, saw a different ride that took his interest.
"Let's go here..." He said.
"Oh... uh... sure!..." Minako went, hiding her true intent.
It took her a moment to see where he was pointing, something very common in theme parks.
"The Ferris wheel? Well...it's no Tunnel of Love, but I think I can improvise my plans enough to make this work..." Minako thought, remaining optimistic.
She figured it was just as romantic a setting, them at the top and seeing the area before moving onto the Tunnel of Love.
Thankfully for the Sailor Guardian of love, the Tunnel of Love and the Ferris wheel weren't too far from each other to make a last minute decision to go on one more amusement park ride.
"So far everything has worked out nearly perfectly. I just need to do a few quick changes to my original plan and make sure nothing too drastic goes wrong..." She thought as she and her date went to the ride.
She still believed she could implement her plan. She just needed to be a little more patient.
"If this goes right, it'll work better than I planned!..." She thought as she and her date went to the ride.
The Sailor Guardian of Love didn't know it, but at that moment, she tempted fate with a single thought.
The two stepped in, letting it slowly rise as they watched outside the carriage.
"This is nice, a chance to relax..." Danny said, admiring the view.
"Yeah..." Minako said before her mouth reacted before her brain did. "Let's go there, after..." She said.
Not really seeing her pointing at the Tunnel of Love, Danny shrugged.
"Sure. I don't mind..." He said.
"There it is! Just like how I planned it in my notes..." She thought.
She felt relief as she believed he was getting as into this as she was. However, once they were out, that's when a certain someone approached Minako.
"Sup, babe. Wanna ditch this no one?..." He asks Minako rather rudely.
"No thank you and he's not a no one!..." Minako responded, finding him rather boorish compared to the last one.
The red dragon goon then got a good look at Danny and soon recognize him from yesterday.
"Not you again! I thought I told you jerks to leave us alone!..." Danny complained.
"Wait, you again? Ugh, just my luck that you'd be here too..." The thug complained.
"You know him, Danny?..." Minako asked, confused.
"Makoto and I ran into him and his buddies yesterday and I really wish we didn't..."Danny briefly explained, while the thug noticed something.
"Hey, weren't you dating that tall freak Kino? Nice trade up. I knew even a scrawny American like you could do better but I didn't expect this better..." The delinquent said rudely.
"DON'T TALK ABOUT MAKOTO LIKE THAT!..." Both Danny and Minako said together.
"Anyway, you're too good for someone like him..." The guy said. "Why don't you date a real man?.." He tried but the blonde girl glared at him.
"I'm already doing it, jerk..." Minako replied, making her rejection clear.
"What?!..." The jerk said but Minako kept sending him a hateful glare.
"I would NEVER date some creep who'd not only pick fights with people or intrude a couple out on a lovely date, but who'd also speak to horribly about my precious friend!..." Minako said.
"Friend? Who? Kino? You're actually friends with that unfeminine woman?!..." The thug said, sounding shocked.
"Take that back! There is nothing unfeminine about Mako-chan!..." Danny yelled, furious.
"Danny is right, Makoto is a wonderful, cute girl and you aren't even worthy of her time, much less her attention..." Minako said.
The thug was angry, but also confused.
"Wait...if he was out with Makoto yesterday and still likes her, then why are you out with him? If you and Kino are friends, then why be on a date with the guy Kino like behind her back?..."The guy asked, looking lost.
"Not that its any of your business, but we are not doing anything behind her back. Both me and Makoto decided to go out on trial dates with Danny and Danny here would decide whom he'd want to start a real relationship with...and now it is my turn..." Minako said, while the guy looked surprised.
"Wait?! What?! Seriously? You both like this scrawny looking dork?! Seriously, what does this tourist have that I don't?!.." The boorish older boy asked.
"One, he is NOT a dork. and as for your question... Lets see, respect, good manner, morals, a cute smile, actually listens to what girls say, doesn't treat girls like objects...of, and my personal favorite is that he's brave enough to stand up for others, even when he has little chance. Those are some of the things I like about him at least..." Minako said as she held onto Danny's arm.
"Danny really is something special..." She said, sounding smitten.
Danny blushed but sent a slight smile at her.
"So, she likes me for that huh? Maybe I haven't given her enough credit on this date?..." He thought, feeling rather flattered now.
The thuggin one grit his teeth in anger and humiliation. Before he could voice his complains, a crash was heard and was quickly followed by loud screams of fear.
"What was that?!..." Minako went while Danny's ghost sense went off.
"Oh no, seriously?..." He went.
The sounds of some kind of beast was heard.
What came out was a large creature with a red body, armor that resembles a retro game arcade consoles and a helmet that shows his red eyes.
"Oh great, who is that?..." Danny asked.
"That looks like a monster my friends fought before I joined them.. Game...something..." Minako said, not recalling his name.
The updated Gamecen used his newly developed Metallokinesis to levitate metal lampposts, metal mailboxes, streetlights, some bicycles, a few empty cars and a lot of nearby electronics to form an amalgamated robotic suit of armor.
While the integrated metal suit was no bigger than an armor tank, it can certainly hit harder than one with its crane like arms that easily lifted up a nearby ice cream track above its head.
"HA HA! Which this much brute strength on my side, nothing can stop me!..." Gamecen shouted, acting surprisingly much more thematic than he usually would.
Danny raised his head.
"That voice and tone sounds oddly familiar..." He said to himself.
If only he could recall where he knew it from.
The thug, however, panicked and started screaming.
"AHH! I'm out of here!..." He yelled as he cowardly ran away.
"Wimp..." Minako said, unimpressed before seeing all the damage the new enemy was causing.
"This is trouble..." Minako said.
She recalled something from Usagi and Makoto about someone like this when they recalled how they first met as scouts. Only, the man now seemed more monstrous. Not to mention that Gamecen is saying way more words than simply shouting his own name over and over.
"That's odd... He shouldn't even be around anymore. Not to mention that game guy or whatever he is called is saying way more things than just his name. They usually just repeat their names like a Pokemon..." Minako said in curiosity.
"Well... guess this is the part where we see how compatible we are working together..." Danny said as he nodded to her.
"Right!..." Minako went.
A few moments later
Gamecen resumed his chaos, smashing a truck open.
"This form is more powerful than I thought! Awesome!..." He said.
His gloating was interrupted as Danny Phantom and Sailor Venus arrived, the latter carried in like a princess.
After the butterflies in her stomach ceased their fluttering, the sailor guardian saw Gamecen.
"You?!..." Gamecen shouted, recognizing one of them.
"So you're…Gamemem!..." Venus got up and struck a pose.
"It's Gamecen! The master of games!..." Gamecen yelled.
"Oh yeah? Prove it..." Danny said, glaring at him. "Let see how many lives you have left…"He quipped.
To the ghost boy's surprise, the metal made armor compacted as its shape contorted into three sharp prongs. Before it solidified, a crane like claw shot out, grazing the ghost boy by a hair.
"Then let's see how many tries it'll take till I get the prize!…"Gamecen roared.
" Ready to deal with this creep, Danny-san?... "Venus asked.
"Ladies' first..." Danny said to Venus, stepping back to let her attack.
"Venus Love Me Chain!…"Venus cried out as she whipped the glowing hearts.
The golden hearts wrapped around Gamecen, from head to toe. The extra armor now worked against him like a coffin as he found his mobility almost cut off.
"Talk about tough love…"Danny muttered, as Gamecen growled.
Struggling did nothing to free him. In desperation, he compacted the armor, worsening his situation as the chains tightened their grip.
"No! This cannot be! I am too hip! Too happening! Too far out to be defeated like some dollar store knockoff!..." Gamecen went.
"Hip? Far out? Wait a minute... Technus?!..." Danny questioned.
"Who?..." Venus asked.
"One of my bad guys..." Danny said before hovering closer to take a better look. "Tell me, is Technus is a loser?..." He shouted.
"FOOL! Technus is the greatest, most advanced mind of conquering worlds known throughout th- oh poop..." He went.
"I have so many questions why you're here... but I don't care. Let's wrap this up..." Danny said.
"On it!..." Venus said as her chain squeezed him even tighter.
"AHH! NO FAIR! TRAPPING ME IN MY OUR ARMOR IS CHEATING! THIS ARMOR WASN'T EVEN DESIGNED FOR THIS KIND OF OUTCOME IN MIND!..."Gamecen shouted as his self-proclaimed greatest creation was now his ultimate undoing.
With one last squeeze, Technus was shot out like a squirting of a ketchup bottle, landing face first into concrete.
"A ghost?..." Venus asked, surprised to see one.
"Were you expecting a Ninja Turtle?..." Danny jokingly asked her.
Technus pushes himself up, dusting himself clean.
"I come all this way for a day off in Japan and this happens?!..." He questions before taking another look at Danny.
"Wait... what're you doin' here? How'd you get here so fast?..." The tech ghost asked.
"So fast?..." Danny asks before realizing Clockwork gave him more time. "Right... he must be talking about the thing Clockwork did to let me stay here longer..."He muttered.
"So, what do we do now?..." Venus asked.
"This is my part..." Danny said as he pulled out the Thermos and fired.
"Oh shoot!..." Technus grumbled before being forcibly sucked inside.
'"This ain't the last you heard of me Japan. Just you wait, I'll be back!..."Technus shouted as his voice was drowned out, before getting sealed inside the Thermos.
"What does that thingy do again besides trapping ghosts? Are you gonna make soup out of him?..." Venus asked.
"Eww... no..." Danny went.
They heard a groan coming from Gamecen, they saw him change forms into Joe.
"He's changed back. I knew it... Mako-chan told me about this guy being one of the seven monsters..." Venus said to herself.
"What ar- actually, never mind. If it's important, I'll find out..." Danny said.
"Where am I?..." Joe asked, looking around.
"Let's am-scray and we'll go to any ride you want..." Danny said to her.
"Got it..." Venus said with a smile.
The half ghost hero then carried the the Sailor Guardian of Love out of the area and somewhere more secluded so that they can both power down and return to their respective civilian forms and resuming their date together.
All the while, Joe seemed confused.
"Geez what happened? How did I get here and why do I feel like I just lost a fight?..." He wondered, shaking his head.
Seeing no one around, Joe stood up before leaving home, still unaware of how Gamecen came back and how he had unknowingly been some crazy ghost's puppet just now.
Afterwards
After Gamecen and Technus were defeated and Joe was freed, albeit with some of his memory gone, Danny and Minako went back to their date.
The two of them walked together, taking time to enjoy the lack of combat.
"So, what do you think?..." Minako asks.
"It's pretty fun here..." Danny admits.
"Well, if you think those rides were fun, just wait until we ride my next choice..." Minako said, as she held his hand in her own and guided he to the ride that she's been wanting to go on from the start.
They soon arrived to the ride and Danny blinked.
"The tunnel of love?..." He questioned as he glanced at Minako.
"Ta-da!..." She said, trying to look cute.
Danny's body froze.
"You want to go there?..." He asked.
"Sure do..." Minako said as she offered her hand.
Somewhat reluctantly, Danny agreed and the two were now next to go on the ride.
"This is gonna work... This is gonna work..."Minako thought in her mind excitedly.
While unsure about the exact nature, specifically Minako's behavior, of the Tunnel of Love, it at least wasn't as corny as its American counterpart. Granted, there were still depictions of cupid and hearts decorating the interior, but that was expected.
The music wasn't cheesy, almost relaxing as the two enjoyed the boat ride.
"I don't know why, but I always have this feeling that the tunnel of love is supposed to be something troublesome for me..." Danny muttered.
"Troublesome?..." Minako blinked with child-like innocence.
"What could be troublesome about the tunnel of love? There's barely any left..."She said, those last words were whined with disappointment filling the girl's tone.
"I have...no idea..." The ghost boy said as he laid back against the seats as Minako kept a playful eye on him.
A mischievous smirk could be seen if one could not distracted by background of music and, the gentle boat rocking of boats rocking, and the laughter of the other couples on the ride. However, the amorous glint in Minako's eyes could be seen.
"You're not gonna…jump me or anything?…"Danny asked.
"Do you not like it when pretty girls do that?…"Minako leaned in with a dangerous look.
"Actually, I don't, but part of me feels like that's what makes it traumatic…"He said quickly.
Minako sat up straight as she gave the ghost boy space with a "sorry."
"I'm sorry, Danny-kun. I guess I nearly scared you off without thinking about your well-being..." Minako said, sounding genuinely apologetic.
Danny couldn't help but feel a little guilty, since he knew she meant no harm.
"It's okay, I mean...Even I don't know why I feel jumpy about it...maybe due to a dream I can't really remember..." Danny said, scratching the side of his head.
"A dream?..." Minako question.
"It's nothing...but I do appreciate the sympathy..." He said and decided to reach for her hand.
"I at least don't mind you being the girl I'm in one with..." He said, smiling at her.
Minako brightened up after hearing that.
"Okay..." She said happily as enjoyed holding his hand.
The two teens continued the ride, holding hands and sitting back to enjoy their time together.
Later
Once the romantic ride was over, our young couple stepped off and walked around the amusement park some more.
"Hope you didn't mind it..." Minako said.
"Not at all..." Danny said, strangely at ease.
The soon heard an upbeat kind of music.
"Huh?..." Danny went, surprised until they both stopped and arrived at a popular amusement park game attraction.
It was a novelty dancing game.
The new game attraction even has a stage, which caught both Danny and Minako's attention, especially especially Danny's.
"Huh...this kind of reminds me of a popular dancing video game back home..." Danny commented.
"It's probably one of their newer versions trying to test out different features for their next game launch..." Minako answered as she read the complimentary flyer that was being passed around by amusement park employees.
One tune, one familiar to Minako. One regarding a legend about the moonlight.
"Oh, I love this song!..." Minako said.
"Oh, what's it about? Fighting evil by moonlight?..." Danny jokingly asked.
"More about two lovers guided by the moonlight..." Minako answered.
"Let's check it out..." She insisted.
"As long as it doesn't come to life and try to eat us or something..." Danny said.
"Kind of an odd concern, don't you think?..." Minako asked.
"Don't forget the kind of lives we live, or did you forget about Gameguy or whatever his name was earlier?..." Danny asked.
"Fair point..." Minako said as she approached the machine.
On the inside, she was actually feeling a little nervous at the moment. But quickly took in a few deep breaths calmed herself down, just like she does for any other performance she commits to...she gives it her all.
"Come on, Minako. You've got this. Remember, let your heart guide you and shine without regret..." Minako mentally trying to pump herself up.
With a deep breath, she started to dance to the melody, she smiled as she danced to the beat, showing off her graceful moves. Danny then applauded.
"Nice..." He said, being impressed.
"Thank you..." Minako went as she then grabbed his hand. "Come on, dance with me. It'll be fun..." She said and Danny nodded.
The two began to dance to the melody together and both tried to match the game's instruction. They both managed to keep in sync and scored a lot of points, even gaining attention from other park patrons.
"I gotta admit...she's a good dancer..." Danny thought as his movements began to match hers.
"Alright... now we're cooking!.." Minako thought in excitement as they kept dancing together and scoring points.
Danny forgot all about his division on which girl he likes more, only on the girl he was with now.
Suddenly, for a single moment, both heroes unexpectedly felt as if they were waltzing under a beautiful chandelier with a gorgeous ballroom that must have built inside a giant castle from a heartfelt fairytale.
The thought made Minako feel heart beat stronger than usual.
The moment ended as quickly as it appeared and both Danny and Minako couldn't tell if what they both saw was real or just a figment of their imagination caused by young emotions and hormones of youth or some combination of both.
Soon, they managed to get the high score and music and lights began to flash as it declared them winners.
"We won!..." Danny said as he walked off the stage.
"I told you this was fun..." Minako giggled as she stepped off the stage and walked closer to Danny.
"Well, when you're right, you're right..." He said.
"I know. Maybe if the lines not too long, we can go on the bumper cars before we go..."She said, smiling.
Danny noticed some guys were eyeing Minako with interest, much like how Joe and that thug did earlier and he frowned a bit. Not entirely sure why, but he didn't appreciate the way they were staring at her.
Danny then absent-mindedly grabbed Minako's hand and walked towards the bumper cars that he assumed she pointed at.
"Let's go..." He said quickly.
The blonde Japanese girl then took notice that Danny took her hand within his own without a hint of hesitation, which gave Minako hope that she's just made some major progress on this date.
"I knew that all my hard work in singing and dancing paid off. Although having a cute guy like Danny-kun by your side certainly doesn't hurt. Plus, being around him is extra motivating and calming all at the same time..." Minako mentally added.
The orange sailor guardian then began to believe that lady luck was finally on Minako's side in her romantic endeavors.
A few hours later
After the bumper cars, as well a few more tides, games and meals, it was late and the couple left the park.
Now the moon was still shining high in the night sky as both Danny and Minako were currently standing slightly awkwardly at Mina-chan's front doorstep.
"So..." She went, sending him a playful grin.
"Ok. I'll admit. I had fun…"Danny said with a smile.
"Fun?…"Minako leaned in, hanging on the word with a teasing tone.
"Alright. Alright! More fun that I thought it would be…"Danny blushed as he broke eye contact.
"He's so cute when he's being bashful. I wonder though...should I make my move now? This could be my last chance before our date is officially over..." Minako mentally asked herself.
"I'd invite you in... but meeting my parents is a step I'd rather wait until our 10th date... if you pick me, that is." Minako said.
"10th?..." Danny asked, raising a brow at that.
"Long story..." Minako said with a nervous smile, not wanting him to meet her parents so soon.
"If you say so..." Danny said.
"Now's my chance!..." She thought.
Fluttering eyelashes, Minako eyed the ghost boy with heart filled stares. Even the dense cluelessness of the latter could make out her thoughts.
It was his turn to lean forward, enticing her to close her eyes with puckered lips. However, the only lips that kissed were Danny's being placed on Minako's cheek.
Minako's eyes opened in surprised and poured slightly, but didn't say anything.
"I was kinda hoping for kiss on the lips, but that felt good too. Plus, I feel lucky enough that I might get another chance next time..." She thought, but figured he had decided already and she didn't want to pressure him.
"Goodnight Mina-chan, I hope you had as much fun on this date as I did..." Danny said, smiling at her.
Minako stopped pouting and smiled back at him.
"I certainly did, mainly because it was with you Danny-san..." Minako said sincerely.
Minako then had an idea and sprang into action. She gently grabbed Danny's face and angled his face in the perfect position for her to plant a kiss on his cheek too.
"Sorry Mako-chan. But all is fair, when love is a battlefield..." Minako thought to herself.
"Uh...thanks for that..." Danny said, blushing a bit while she smiled.
"Good night, Danny-san..." Minako said sweetly.
"Yeah...good night..." Danny said shyly, smiling slightly at her.
The ghost boy left as soon as Minako closed the door, both teenagers overall happy with the outcome of their dates.
"Heh...Well, I'll give her this much...she sure is something else..." The ghost boy thought, heading back to his temporary hideout.
With that, all Danny thought was left to do was to pick one.
Little did he know, picking one was not going to be so simple.
-To be continued-
Next time on A Phantom's Love and Courage
Two Heroines, One Hero: A Fateful Decision
A/N(1): Me and NeoMark would like to thank BCW, Jay The Average Fanboy and Luiz4200 for helping with this chapter. You guys rock :)
A/N(2): Thanks to Fanreader26 for suggesting the theme park and shopping scenes.
A/N(3): I dedicate this chapter to my family, my friends and my love for God :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
Pokemon fan 1991, Fanreader26, Jebest4781 and Guest: Thank you :)
Invader Johnny: Yeah.
RonaldM40196867:
1) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
2) I thought it was time.
3) Both to make sure Minako didn't interrupt it and also because they were curious and wanted to look out for Makoto in their own way.
4) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
5) I will consider it. Thanks for the suggestion.
6) He was a guy from her old school who broke her heart because he didn't want to date a tall, strong girl who fights.
7) I will admit that I was inspired a bit from Many Dates, as well as ideas I got from my friends and fellow authors.
8) She wanted to find something in common with him and talked more about her super hero life.
Luiz4200: Hard to say.
Simm36: Gracias :)
CZS4: :)
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)