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 27: Danny and Makoto's First Date: The Courageous First Step Towards Love!
Danny and Makoto were out on their date. The two teens walked down the street, still arm in arm.
They had decided yesterday that they would both choose a place to go on their date today and Danny, wanting to be nice, let Makoto choose first.
"So, Makoto... Mind telling me where we are going?..." Danny asked curiously.
"Oh, you'll see. I'm sure you'll like it. I know I do..." She said.
Danny smiled at her and chuckled slightly. The half ghost boy was beginning to get a little excited and curious to see where Makoto is taking him first.
"Looking forward to it. How far away is it?..." Danny asked.
"Not that far...just pass the next block..." Makoto said.
"Okay..." Danny said.
He noticed just how happy she was to be taking him to this place, wondering just what is it that makes her so excited to bring him here.
Danny and Makoto soon arrived to their first destination.
"Kyoko's?..."Danny asked.
"Yes. I like to come here a lot. It's a nice place and I thought we could grab a bite here before we go any further..." Makoto answered.
The ghost boy smiled and nodded.
"Sounds good...I had a pretty light breakfast, so I'll eat anything..."Danny said, since he spent most of this morning getting ready for this date.
Anyway, he was more than willing to start this date with some brunch/an early lunch to even things out.
"Then let's go..." Makoto said.
Danny went to the door for her. The half ghost hero quickly opens the door for his date in a slightly gallant fashion.
"After you..."Danny said to the tall girl, who blushed once more.
"Thank you, Danny-kun..."Makoto said before she walked in.
Danny soon followed her, and their date truly began.
Inside
Danny and Makoto were now inside the restaurant and the ghost boy looked around.
"This place looks pretty cool..." Danny said.
"It sure is..." Makoto said with a nod. "My friends and I come here a lot, so I can guarantee it's worth it..."She added.
Danny nodded, taking her word for it. He could already smell of delicious meals and freshly baked pastries in the air, making him hungrier.
"Well, at least I can find something more tasty than what I've had to eat..." He said, ready for another chance to try something new.
"It sure is, I always did think expanding one's palate is wonderful..." Makoto said.
The young hero from America looked excited to try out some of the food that this place had to offer. Only to realize that he couldn't understand anything on the menu.
"Okay. So... think you'll be able to read to me what's on the menu? This necklace doesn't translate what's really written, it just translates what's being spoken to me..." Danny said.
"Really?..." Makoto asked.
"Yeah...its like...the kanjis change to the kind of letters that I know...but I still don't know their exact meaning..." He admitted.
Makoto sent him a gentle smile.
"Don't worry, I'm more than happy to help to properly translate the menu if the magic fails..." She said.
"Relief..." Danny said, as he looked at the menu again.
"What do you wanna ask?..." Makoto asked.
"Uh...what's...Ton...cat...sue?..." Danny asked, poorly pronouncing the dishes name.
"I think you mean tonkatsu..."Makoto said with a giggle.
"Yeah, that..." Danny said.
"It's kinda like a pork cutlet that is coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. Quite delicious if you ask me..." Makoto said.
"Huh...good to know..." Danny said, as he kept checking the menu and asking for translations.
"So, how have you been recovering since yesterday?..."Makoto asked, referring to the battle.
"I honestly can't complain about…anything...or at least not for the ending..." He said, since the battle ended quicker than he expect.
"Yes. I mean...I am glad that we won but I was surprise by how it was so... uh..." She paused, unsure how to phrase it.
"Anti-climactic?..." Danny suggested.
"Yes, anti-climactic..." Makoto said.
"Yeah, to be honest...the whole event just felt like unnecessary filler that appeared out of thin air..." She said.
"And yet in the end it didn't seem like such a "world ending" threat at all. More like world mild-inconveniencing..." Danny said, sighing with some displeasure.
"Yeah, it seemed more like the whole event was a big red herring..." Makoto said.
Danny nodded, but he can't complain entirely about the whole thing.
Anti-climactic or not, he had been through the wringer, and now he was here relaxing and on a date like nothing had even happened at.
"So, would you like to try the tonkatsu?..." Makoto asked.
"Sure..." Danny said.
"And I also recommend the karaage, it's basically fried chicken..." Makoto said.
"Speaking of which, I passed a fried chicken place earlier and it seemed packed..." Danny said, recalling a familiar chain when he went around the city.
Makoto chuckled at that
"Yeah. That place is quite popular around here but I thought this place would be more...well, appropriate for a first date..." She said.
However... after a second, the two looked away with their faces turning red once they noticed how close they were.
It seems that making small talk could only go far before their natural reactions to the opposite gender should up.
They both wanted to talk some more but felt self conscious right now. The previous times together, they talked and got to know each other a bit but this is different. They are officially on a date and were completely alone with each other too, and she's actually enjoying his time with him.
However, neither one of them were all too sure on how to proceed from here.
"Geez, why do my knees get week and tongue get tied whenever I'm alone with a girl?! Come on Fenton, stop being so starstruck and think of a good ice breaker to say!?..." Danny thought, wishing he could say something.
"Come on Mako-chan, surely you can think of some sort of conversation starter. If you don't, Danny-kun might get a weird impression of you..." Makoto said wanting to break the ice.
Thankfully or unthankfully, before either of them could say a word, the waitress came by to take their respective orders.
"Looks like we can finally order something..."Makoto said and Danny smiled, just in time for a waitress to arrive.
"Have you both decided on what to order?..."The waitress asked them.
"Yes, I will have the curry rice, an iced latte and for dessert, a slice of cake..."Makoto answered first.
"I'll have some of this tonkatau stuff...some diet cola...and the cake sounds good..."Danny answered and Makoto smiled when she heard that.
"Coming right up..."The waitress said before leaving.
"So... anything we can talk about... granted, we should not talk shop here..." Danny said.
"Talk shop?..." Makoto asked.
"Y'know... what we do for "work". Granted, we don't get paid for it but it's the best I could think of without calling it a hobby..." Danny whispered.
"Oh... right... well... wanna tell me about home, what you do besides "work" and what are your goals in life?..." Makoto asked.
Danny smiled at that.
"Well...you already know about me being from Amity Park, and how I am the only hero there..." Danny said as he began to talk more about himself.
After a few minutes, he turned to his date.
"But that's enough about me, I wanna hear more about you..." Danny said.
Makoto smiled slightly.
"Well, I already told you about my skills in the kitchen..." Makoto had said as she told more about herself.
They kept chatting and exchanging details about themselves as they waited for their food.
20 minutes later
The two teens were still in the middle of their date.
The waitress soon arrived to deliver the couple's respective meals. As they ate, Danny cast a glance to Makoto.
He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was right now.
He already thought she was pretty, but she didn't just look stunning but also glowing in his eyes. Danny almost felt like he was staring at a girl with the kind of natural beauty that seemed like she was from another world, dimension, universe or even another planet and could barely keep his eyes away from her.
"I'm on a date with someone who makes Paulina look like a 6..." He thought, starting to feel butterflies in his stomach.
He still couldn't believe it.
Him, the geeky Fenton kid that no girl ever gave a second glance to, was now on a date with who was arguably the strongest and most impressive female he has ever met...who also happens to be a fellow superhero and crime fighter of her own respective hometown.
She is also a reincarnated princess of another planet to boot.
He was still kinda confused on some of those details about the reincarnation but decided not to dwell on it so his head didn't blow up. Not wanting a headache, these thought were pushed to the back of his mind as Danny just focused on his date with a nice girl.
However, he noticed that he was still staring at Makoto and stook his head a bit.
"Easy Fenton. Don't go head over heels just yet. You might scare her off if you do..." He thought, but saw how she was just eating so casually.
He still felt light around her. The ghost boy wanted to open his mouth but saw how she was stunning with so little makeup done on herself. Even without makeup, she looks pretty, he couldn't help but think.
"Still, she is amazing..." He thought, unknowingly staring at her.
The tall girl noticed his staring and blushed.
"He's looking at me..." She thought, feeling a little shy now.
The two teens began talking again and getting to know each other better.
"I hope you like how I'm dressed..." Makoto said.
"I think you look great, but you already do..." He said, being earnest.
"Thank you, Danny-kun..."Makoto said with a smile.
The two teens continued to chat and soon began to exchange more stories, this time about the important people in their own respective lives.
"That really happened?..." Danny asked, chuckling.
"Yes, Usagi thought that she could stuff a onigiri with donut ingredients one time and end up with a colorful mess that made Luna cling to the ceiling. It was really crazy..." Makoto said, finding it funny in hindsight.
"Kinda reminds me of the time my dad found a free sample on a new Fudge flavor at the supermarket and nearly bought the whole store's supply only to realize that he'll never be able to fit all of them into the refrigerator..." Danny said.
"Really?..." Makoto asked, sounding amused.
"Yeah.. so to solve that problem, he try to eat all the leftover fudge that couldn't be refrigerated and ended up needing a trip to the hospital afterwards..." Danny said.
"Oh my? Was he okay?..." Makoto asked, concerned.
"No worries, it was just a case of indigestion...that was loud enough for my mom to immediately notice it. As did our neighbors. Anyway...my mom was really mad that both figuratively knocked him off his feet and made him go on a strict diet for a month...which eventually led to some unfortunate issues later when he tried to skip out of using the treadmill..."He said while feeling a little embarrassed.
"Really?..."Makoto asked.
"Sure did happen. My mom even joked that she'd hogtie him by his arms and legs with fishing strings if he didn't spend more than 30 minutes a day on it. Yeah, it was a pretty crazy day..."Danny said, as his date chuckled.
"That's nothing. One time Mamoru invited my friends and I to this fancy party filled with international university students and somehow Usagi got herself drinking something she really shouldn't have and later started speaking French and English..."She said.
"I didn't Usagi even spoke French..." Danny commented.
"Neither did I until that party happened..." Makoto answered.
"What else happened?.." Danny asked, giving the tall, Japanese Heroine his full attention.
"Glad you asked..." Makoto said, as she continued.
The two teens continued to talk and exchange stories, from both super and personal lives.
Afterwards
After their early lunch, Danny and Makoto paid their bill and left together.
Now they were outside and walking down the street again. Thankfully, the weather was still bright, sunny and only a bit cloudy, which was great because things seem to be going well between the two of them.
They were even comfortable enough around each other to hold hands as they walked side by side.
Anyway, with the delicious food they ate still fresh on their minds, the heroic couple commented on their respective meals.
"I gotta say, that place was pretty great...and those pork cutlets were really juicy. Plus the flavor really stands out..." He said.
"I'm glad you liked it. Admittedly, I had a few other places in mind to start off our first date, but ultimately decided on that place since it seemed nice...and at least its fancier than WcDonalds..." Makoto joked.
"WcDonalds?..." Danny queationed.
"A popular fast food chain around here. In fact, I'm pretty sure your home country has plenty of them. We actually passed it on our way here..." She said.
"Do you not have them where you are from?..."Makoto asked.
"Maybe...I'm more of a Nasty burger guy though..." Danny explained.
"You mentioned that place once...still can't believe people choose to eat at a place that has the word "Nasty" in its title..." Makoto said.
"Name aside, then place rocks. If you are ever in Amity Park, I'd be happy to treat you there..." Danny said.
Makoto smiled at that.
"Hmm...is that an invitation, Danny-kun?..." She asked in a slight teasing way.
"Uh...maybe..." Danny said shyly, putting his hand behind is head.
This made Makoto giggle a bit.
"Well, I certainly look forward for that next date, Danny-kun..." She said.
Danny smiled back, but his mind paused for the briefest of seconds as he heard the phase "Next Date" quietly echo in the back of his mind. It made him smile a bit wider but then quickly shook his head and pushed that thought for another time and redoubled his focus on his current date with Makoto. He didn't want to jinx this date before he could get a second with her.
"Anyway...I can't wait to see more of your hometown. I'm still new to Juuban and I still feel like I've barely seen anything that didn't involve fighting Japanese ghosts or those loccis..." Danny said.
"Well, that's why you have me. I happen to known where the arcade is, the movie theater, the park and the ice cream shop, just say the word and we can go to any of them..."Makoto said, wanting to make sure he is having fun.
"I vote for all of the above..."Danny said and his date giggled.
"So do I..."Makoto laughed, finishing before she paused.
" Huh...weird...why does this feel familiar?..."She thought, confused.
"You okay?..." Danny asked.
"I'm fine...just had a little deja vu just now..." She said.
"Huh...I guess it's not just me today..." Danny thought to himself, before resuming with their date.
"So...Where to next?..." Danny asked again.
"You tell me...it's your turn to pick..." Makoto said.
Danny thought about it and remembered something he saw during his flight patrolling with the Sailor Guardians.
"I heard from your friends that there is a movie based on "Turbo Tonni Go-Cart Fun Festival" today. Wanna see it?..." Danny suffested.
"Sure, sounds fun..." Makoto said, seeming to be interested in seeing that movie too.
"I think we still have time to get there before the previews start playing. Let's go..." Danny said, as he lead her to the movie theater.
As they kept going, they had no idea that certain some girls were watching them.
Yeah, it turns out that the rest of the Sailor Guardians, plus Mamoru, Chibi-Usa and the alien cats, followed the seemingly unexpected couple to the direction of the local movie theater.
Thankfully none of them were noticed by the heroic couple...yet. Thanks to the classic disguising gear of baseball caps and glasses that they're all wearing, even the aliens cats.
"I feel ridiculous..."Luna complained.
"Join the club..."Mamoru mumbled, not liking this.
"Why do we have to dress up again?..." Artemis whined.
"Stop whining, they'll hear you..."Usagi hushed them, but the others were having second thoughts about this.
"This feels wrong..." Ami went.
"Plus, this just makes us stand out more..." Chibi Usa whined
"Stop complaining. We have to make sure Danny and Makoto have a good time..." Usagi insisted.
"And make sure Minako doesn't try to interfere..." Rei added.
"Do you really think she'd try to crash their date?..." Mamoru asked.
"Don't worry...Mina promised she'd be good...and she said she'd be at the mall looking for, in her words, "an outfit that will make her irresistible to Danny-san". Or at least that's what she told me before she left the house..." Artemis said.
"At least she isn't the petty type and has standards. And she isn't the one spying right now..." Luna said, finding it ironic and wondering how she is right now.
Meanwhile
While Makoto and Danny were out on their date, Minako was getting ready for her own.
The blonde girl went to the mall and immediately to her favorite store, trying to find the right kind of outfit for her date with Danny.
"No...this won't do..." Minako said rejecting one dress that didn't meet her staddards.
"Too flashy... too dull... getting that one for Ami for her birthday... Aha! This one will do!..." She thought, finding a dress she felt fit best.
As she pulled out her phone to do the math of how much it will be plus tax, she stopped at seeing a text from Usagi.
"DON'T YOU GO SPYING ON MAKO-CHAN!..." It read, which followed up with Ami and Rei's texts.
"Be mature on this..." Ami's text read.
"Don't make us chastise you..." Rei's text read.
"I wasn't even gonna do that. Geez, what do they take me for.." She muttered, deciding not to respond.
She didn't understand why her friends seemed to think she'd sabotage Makoto's date but she decided to focus on her shopping. She still had to decide what to wear for her turn.
As she draped the dress she had around her arm, she thought of what the two were doing.
Would they kiss? Would they decide not to bother honoring the agreement to let Minako have her shot? All these and more made her feel upset.
Part of her did consider calling, still looking at her phone but decided against it. Plus, she still wondered why her other friends felt the need to warn her.
"Do the really think I'm that irresponsible? Well... Artemis and Rei would... but the rest?..." She thought, frowning.
Minako surprisingly stayed silent, but was visibly pouting in a slightly jealous childlike manner as she thought about her dear friend who was currently out with the boy that they both like.
"I know that Makoto is a great girl and any guy would be lucky to have her...but I'm just as good as she is...and I've been Phantom's biggest fan before she even knew he existed..." She mentally added.
She thought about what to do next before seeing herself in the mirror. She knew that she was still young and beautiful.
She also knew that she found a boy she not only likes, but goes through similar troubles that she does. And it reinvigorated the love she felt in her heart. She really wanted to have a chance with him.
Unfortunately, one of her best friends like him too but if Usagi's idea works, Danny would choose either her or Makoto.
And Makoto was out with him right now...and there is a 50 percent chance that he would either choose her on the spot or she would get rejected after their own date.
"Calm down, Mina-chan. Remember you're the Sailor Guardian of Love! You already knew that Makoto would be tough competition, but you can't throw in the towel before you even had your shot at romance yet..." Minako thought to herself in reassurance.
Sure, Makoto might have gotten lucky enough to go on the first date but she still had a chance to win Danny over.
"Let Makoto have her fun...because tomorrow Danny is all mine and then I'll get my chance to win him over with my charm, wit, one of a kind beauty and my own secret weapon.." She thought, regaining her confidence and excitement for her own date with Danny.
She had the perfect place in mind, and the perfect way to prove to Danny she was his ideal girl. She just needed to get ready.
"I better pick up some new perfume while I'm hear..." Minako thought, as she went to the perfume section to find one that could bewitch Danny.
At the movie theater
Danny and Makoto soon arrived and paid for their tickets. They went to the theater and were soon seated.
"So, what's this movie about again?..." Makoto asked.
"Its suppose to be based on a popular video game franchise and its kinda like a prequel on how the characters of the game met. Although I'm positive that this film will try to shoehorn in as many Turbo Tonni video game references as it can. ..." Danny answered.
"Hmmm...I remember playing the orignal game a few times at the arcade. It was fun in a retro kinda way and Usagi has the latest release at home and she really likes it..." Makoto said.
"Good to know and as for the movie...well...thankfully this movie's trailers showed some real promise to be an actually good movie..." Danny responded.
"Let's hope this movie doesn't disappoint..." Makoto commented, as the previews began playing.
After several minutes of previews, the film began and they began to watch the intro scene. After another five minutes, Makoto got curious and had to ask her date something.
"I'm curious... are you hearing them in English?..." Makoto whispered.
"Yeah. But it's not like an English dub. Your voice sounds the same as when you speak Japanese..." Danny responded.
"So... do their mouths not match what you're hearing, like an anime?..." She asked.
"No, I think the necklace somehow makes it so it looks like their mouths match what they're saying..." Danny answered her.
"I have a magic pen that activates my transformation into a magical girl and even I think the functionalities of your necklace is a little weird..." Makoto admitted.
"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't agree with you..." Danny responded.
They decide to ignore this in favor of watching the movie.
Meanwhile in a few rows of theater seats behind Makoto and Danny, several Sailor Guardians, their cats, Mamoru and Chibi-Usa were here.
They were still spying on the couple and even followed them into the theater.
"I can't believe I let them talk me into this..." Mamoru thought in frustration, while Usagi looked excited.
"Ohh, I've been waiting months for the "Turbo Tonni" movie. I've played all their video games, including their crossover with Pepper The Vampire Bat, the fastest flying bat in the Universe, and all of her friends too!..." Usagi excitedly said with a hushed voice as to not disturb the other movie watchers.
"You do realize that the target audience for this film are directed towards children, right?..." Rei asked, in a much less excited tone than Usagi.
"Got your high horse, Rei. I know for a fact that if this were another new Pepper The Flying Bat Movie, than you'd be the most excited in the movie theater room. Especially after I saw you purchasing the first two movie's merchandise of the T-shirt with the classic image of Pepper..." Usagi said, much to the shock of Rei.
"You saw that?!..." Rei exclaimed, only to be a hushed by the people behind them.
"Quiet, you want Mako-chan to hear you!..." Usagi said in a harsh whisper and Rei surprisingly kept quiet.
"You know, I always did find it peculiar that Pepper being referred to a vampire Bat, despite having her design being referenced after the flying foxes, which are actually Fruit Bats that primarily feed on plant products such as fruit, flowers, pollen and nectar..." Ami said in her brainy kinda way.
"Plus I find that her favorite food being a double decker cheeseburger with extra pickles to be very humorous..." Ami said, while successful holding back her giggling over her own comment.
"Girls, hush. This is a theater, so at least keep it down..." Luna said as she and Artemis hid under the seats to avoid being spotted by the other patrons.
"If you girls aren't gonna keep it down, can you at least get some more popcorn, we're all out..." Artemis said while the girls frowned.
"It hasn't even been 15 minutes and you already ate all your popcorn?..." Rei said in disapproval.
"Hey, I was hungry and I didn't even want to be here but you girls insisted... even though Mina isn't here..." Artemis said, while Luna rolled her eyes.
"You just wanted to get a bite for free..." She mumbled.
"Moocher..." Chibi-Usa mumbled, but she had her own reasons for being here.
Mostly due to being unsure about Danny with Makoto, and why she never knew about this beforehand.
"Who is this boy and what would he change if he got involved?..." The little girl thought as the others continued to both watch the movie and spy on the couple.
All the while, said couple continued with their date, unaware of who is watching them.
-To be continued-
Next time on A Phantom's Love and Courage
Danny and Makoto's First Date II: Romance and Heroics
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): I dedicate this chapter to my family, my friends and my love for God :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
RonaldM40196867:
1) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.
2) That will be answered in a later chapter.
3) My favorite is Sailor Jupiter.
4) Thanks for the suggestion, I will think about it.
5) Yes, it takes place after D-Stabalize but before Phantom Planet.
6) Thanks for the suggestion, I will think about it.
7) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.
8) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.
Jebest4781, Leonardo and Rock1030: Thank you :)
Invader Johnny: I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.
Phantom Fan 21: How is this so far?
Luiz4200: No, but the other guardians are spying on the date.
Lildeevil: How is this so far?
Fanreader26: How is this so far?
CZS4: :)
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)