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 28: Danny and Makoto's First Date II: Romance and Heroics
After the movie, Danny and Makoto left the theater and began talking again
"Did you enjoyed that movie?..." Makoto asked.
"I did. Granted, I have no idea how much I'd have liked it without this thing..." Danny said, as he pointed to the necklace.
"Well, you can rest assured you won't need to understand Japanese to play games. The arcade we go to has reopened..." Makoto said.
"Oh, neat..." Danny said.
As they headed in the direction of the arcade the two began to talk more about their respective lives.
Some of the good and the not so great moments too
"Are you serious? Your school actually favors bullies?..."Makoto exclaimed in shock and looking angry.
"Yes, apparently star jocks are "immune from scorn" or that is what Lancer said..."Danny answerd, while Makoto looked appalled.
"That's awful! No school should prioritize one of group to influence the way they treat others!..."Makoto said, sounding insulted by such poor supervision.
"You'd fit right in with the people they ignore..." Danny said, while his date kept fuming.
"Give me 2 minutes and I'll stuff this Dash person in a locker!..." Makoto said as she pounded a fist in her hand.
"Where has she been all my life?..." Danny thought in amusement.
"Thanks for the concern but I can handle it. Still, it would be awesome to see you manhandle Dash. You'd probably mop the floor with him..." He said with a grin.
"I'll do it for you if I ever meet him..." Makoto said.
"I might take you up on that..." Danny said with a chuckle, secretly hoping for that hypothetical idea to become a reality.
"I have no problem knocking the sense back into jerks and bullies. Give me 2 minutes and I'll give them 2 weeks in bed..." Makoto said as she smashes her fist into her open palm.
"What a woman..." Danny thought, smiling as he thought of Dash in a body cast.
He wrapped an arm around her in response, which Makoto noticed and enjoyed.
The two teenagers continued to talk and discuss things, unaware of the other sailor guardians who were still nearby.
Back with the other heroes
The sailor guardians continued to spy on Makoto's date with Danny.
The three stealthy Sailor Guardians try to keep a safe distance between them and the two hero teens on their very special date, but the current distance made it a bit difficult to hear in on their conversation.
"Let's get closer..." Usagi said as they all got closer, keeping their distance.
Makoto stopped, much to Danny's surprise.
"Something wrong?..." He asked.
Makoto turned her head and so no one there.
"No... I guess not..." She said before shrugging it off and the two resumed walking.
Little did she know, the heroes hid behind different objects. Usagi was behind a mailbox, Ami was behind the utility pole, and Rei was behind the trashcan.
"Why am I the one behind garbage?..." She slowly whispered angrily.
"Shush!..." Usagi whispered, while the cats hid in a nearby alley, along with Mamoru and Chibi-Usa.
"Why are we still here?..." Luna muttered with a sigh.
"To make sure that Usagi and the others don't get in trouble. Or worse, make Makoto angry..." Artemis said while also sighing.
Danny and Makoto never took notice of them as they made it to their destination.
"Phew, they didn't notice us..." Usagi, Ami and Rei thought in unison.
Feeling lucky, the small group continued to follow them. Still unaware of them, Danny decided to speak up.
"So Makoto..." Danny began.
"Actually Danny...you can call me...Mako-chan...if you want to that is..." Makoto offered, blushing a bit.
Danny blinked, before he smiled.
"Okay...Mako...chan..."He said.
Hearing that made the tall girls heart skip a beat.
"He called me Mako-chan!..." She thought, flustered yet giddy.
"So, mind telling me where we are going now?..." Danny asked curiously.
"Oh, I'm gonna keep it a secret for now...but I'm sure you'll like it..." She said.
"If you think it's worth enough for this much secrecy, then it must be fun. Lead the way, Mako-chan..." Danny said.
Makoto seemed rather happy that Danny trusted her enough to value her opinions on which fun places to go too next.
"In that case, let me show you some of my favorite games..." Makoto said as she lead Danny into arcade.
"Huh... wasn't this place closed because of the Genius guys?..." Danny asked.
"Reopened the day after... so... care to try?..." Makoto asked.
"Sure..." Dann said.
Makoto nodded before a confident smile appeared on her face, as she lead her date into the arcade.
A few minutes later
Danny and Makoto were at the arcade, enjoying the games they had to offer.
After playing on a fighting game, the two decided to take a break and get some soda.
"What do you think of the games here, Danny-kun? Here..." Makoto said, before taking a sip of her soda while handing Danny his own drink.
"Thanks, these were a lot of fun. There were even a few that I didn't even know were an actual game..." Danny commented before doing the same.
"At least not stateside..." Makoto said. "Anyway, I'm just glad that you enjoyed yourself, Danny-kun..." She added.
As she said that, she noticed something that caught her attention. A certain pair of blonde buns behind one machine. Some blue hair and a top of black hair next to it caught her attention.
"Don't tell me..."She thought.
"Makoto?..." Danny asked, wondering what is wrong.
"One second..." She said as she walked towards the machines.
The heads those hairs belonged to slowly inched to see only Danny standing there.
"Where'd Mako-chan go?..." Usagi asked, looking around.
"I don't see her..." Rei said.
"Did she go?..." Ami asked.
"Look behind you..." Makoto said in a disapproving tone.
The girls turned their heads to see her.
"Oh, there's Mako-chan..." Usagi said as she looked back to where Danny is.
"Now what abo-MAKO-CHAN?!..."
"Seriously? I expect this out of you, Usagi, but not the rest!..." Makoto scolded them.
"She talked us into this!..." Rei said, trying to avoid responsibility.
"She just asked you and you said yes because you're afraid Danny still can't be trusted..." Ami pointed out.
"Seriously?!..." Rei asked, upset.
"Leave. Now!..." Makoto demanded.
Usagi and the others soon left, while Makoto fumed.
"Unbelievable, I might have expected this from Minako or Usagi... But them too?..." She thought, irritated that they spied on her.
Seeing this, Danny approached.
"Well, that happened..." Danny said.
Makoto sighed.
"I'm sorry about that, Danny kun. My friends usually mean well but that was uncalled for..."The tall girl said.
"It's okay. I'm sure they had their reasons..." Danny said.
"Yeah, like their curiosity about us got the better of all of them..." Makoto muttered.
"I'm sure they were just trying to look out for you in their own way..." Danny said.
"I certainly can't deny that as being their main objective, but sometimes they go a bit overboard with their good intentions..." Makoto responded with a sigh.
"I guess all best friends act like that from time to time..." Danny commented, recalling a certain incident.
"Still, its so annoying! Spying on two people out on a date for any reason. Who does that?!..." Makoto asked, not seeing the look on Danny's face as she said that.
Meanwhile
In America
Sam had been watching a movie, only to sneeze suddenly.
"Achoo..."
"You okay?..." Tucker asked.
"I'm fine. Not sure what happened there..." Sam said, unaware that someone was indirectly talking about her.
It seemed neither of them knew of that Japanese belief that sneezing meant someone was talking about them.
"Do you need a tissue?..."Tucker asked, while handing over a box of tissues to the goth girl.
"No thanks, I'm good..."Sam said, still wondering about Danny.
The goth girl continued to wait until their friend came home, unaware of what he is doing right now..
Back with Danny and Makoto.
The two adolescent heroes were still talking and decide what to play first.
"So, let's pick a game, anything you want..." Makoto said.
"After you..." Danny said, smiling.
"Why thank you..." Makoto said.
She lead Danny to some games. She spotted the "Sailor V" game, but decided against it.
"Yeah...maybe not a good idea to play that right now...all things considered..." Makoto thought.
She soon spotted the retro Turbo Tonni game and figured that was a better option to start with.
"Wow, is that the retro Turbo Tonni game "The Steelworkers"? This game still hasn't made a global release or adapted in America yet. I've always wanted to play one of Turbo Tonni's older original games..." Danny said, looking excited.
" I see. So, wanna race?..."His date suggested.
"Sure. I'm game..." Danny said.
Makoto nodded in relief, not wanting him to try a game that stared Minako, even if he didn't know it yet.
"Then what are we waiting for?..." Makoto asked, as grabbed Danny's hand and happily lead him to the retro arcade game.
The two teens began to play the arcade game together, having a good time and enjoying their date.
Later
After the arcade, Makoto and Danny started talking once more.
"Even though I couldn't read the text, I think I did well enough..." Danny said.
"Happy to hear that, Danny-kun..." His date asked, smiling.
"So, do you have a game too?..." Danny asked.
He spotted the Sailor V game on their way out and had questions.
"No, that was for Minako in her days as Sailor V. I'm sure she'll explain it more herself. Still, if I had a game of my own, I'd want it to be akin to Street Fighter, and I demand to have a shōtō in said game!..." Makoto said proudly.
"Really? You wouldn't be a grappler?..." Danny asked.
"I see you get fighting game terms. But no, Supreme Lightning is a long range attack, which grapplers usually don't have..." Makoto explained.
As he nodded at her understanding, Danny's ghost sense went off.
"Uh oh..." He went.
"What was that?..." Makoto asked.
"Ghost trouble..." Danny said as he looked around. "Stay here, I'll-..." He stopped once he noticed the flat look she was sending him.
"Really?..." Makoto asks with a scoff.
It took seconds for Danny to remember he's with another superhero.
"Right... habit... Let's go..." Danny said, while she nodded.
The two ran outside and hid in a nearby alley and ready themselves to activate their respective powers and work together to save the day.
"I'm going ghost!..." Danny said as he changed into his ghost form while Makoto pulled out a familiar pen.
"Jupiter Power! Make Up!.." Makoto said as she changed into Sailor Jupiter.
In a flash of light and with sparks of electricity, she was now in front of him, posing as Sailor Jupiter.
"After you..." Danny said.
"Thank you..." Sailor Jupiter said.
The two ran down the street and saw some chaos and people running away.
"What the heck did this?..."Danny asked, as he saw the damage.
"Good question..."Jupiter said, as they looked around.
"Look! More people to play with!..." A raspy voice went from above.
To their surprise, it looked like a giant umbrella, with a mouth and eye on the canopy. The strange creature danced in front of them.
"Uh... what?..." Danny asked.
"That's a Kasa-Obake, basically possessed inanimate objects. I've seen them in Rei's books!..." Sailor Jupiter explained.
"It's like being in an old cartoon..." Danny mused.
"Only way less funny and charming..." Makoto added.
"Says you! Scaring humans IS funny! That one buff guy practically peed himself!..." The Kasa-Obake went,and laughed at it's own overly ridiculous antics.
"Listen here, Kasa-Obake!..." Jupiter shouted.
"Call me Kaz! It's a lot easier to remember..." The Kasa-Obake went, not at all scared of the two.
"Okay... listen, Kaz. You can't just go off terrifying people on such a lovely day! Now prepare yourself! I'll fill you with regret... it'll leave you numb!..." Jupiter said as she did a pose.
"Whatever..." Kaz dismissed, clearly not taking her seriously.
Seeing he was inviting punishment, Sailor Jupiter put her arms close to her chest before her tiara extended an antennae.
"Supreme... THUNDER!..." She fired.
The umbrella creature, moving like a cartoon character, stretched out of the way of her attack.
"Whoa! Close call!..." He went.
"Not as close as this!..." Danny took advantage of his stretching away and swung his fist into Kaz's eye.
Kaz was sent flying back, rubbing his eye as if that would soothe the pain entirely.
"Aw, come on! I'm not trying to kill someone! Just scare 'em!..."Kaz went.
"That's still something I cannot condone! Not to mention all the property damage is another thing that can't be accepted!..." Sailor Jupiter shouted as she compressed electrical energy into her hand.
"Oh, what's this?..." Kaz asked with some eagerness.
"Only you getting fried! SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!..." Sailor Jupiter shouted as she threw her attack at him.
Kaz, still not afraid, opened up like the umbrella he is, sending the blast upward from the force the opening and watching it explode harmlessly in the air.
"Yay!..." Kaz went, applauding her failed attack.
"You've gotta be kidding me!..." Jupiter grumbled.
"Let me try something..." Danny said as he flew in to get a hold of Kaz by the handle.
"Who do you think you are? Don't try raining on my parade!..." Kaz said as he flew upward.
Danny, seeing Kaz floating upward, had an idea.
"Let me make you a little more... down to Earth!..." He said before firing ice beams from his eyes.
They hit Kaz's hand, creating a chunk of ice that made him heavier.
"Oh poo..." Kaz went, disappointed until seeing who was waiting for him.
"Gotcha!..." Sailor Jupiter said as she readied another attack.
"Oh, double poo..." Kaz went.
"Supreme... THUNDER!..." She fired once more.
The blast struck Kaz, shocking him before he was left burnt up.
"AHHH! I DON'T UNDERSTAND! HOW DOES A FREAKISHLY TALL SCHOOL GIRL AND AN AMERICAN BOY HAVE SO MUCH POWER?!..." Kaz, the Kasa-Obake, shouted in both frustration, pain and dread.
"You'd be surprised, you ugly Wagasa!..." Sailor Jupiter said.
"Yeah, what she said..." Danny quipped, striking a nerve in the evil spirit.
"Don't you dare compare me to a Wagasa! Those things aren't really umbrellas, they're just old fashion oil-paper versions of me!..." Kaz shouted, insulted of the comparison the half ghost boy and the female hero made.
"Don't care..." Danny said.
"Aim for... that part...the part that actually blocks the rain..." Sailor Jupiter, unable to remember what the name was, said.
"The canopy?..." Danny asked.
"Yes, that thing..." Sailor Jupiter said.
"Can do!..." Danny said, firing into that.
"No! STOP IT! YOUR RUINING MY CANOPY! MY HINGES WILL BREAK!..." Kaz cries out as Danny ignored him and continued his attack.
The canopy was left with numerous holes that send Kaz falling.
"JUPITER COCONUT CYCLONE!..." Sailor Jupiter fired, shocking Kaz before whatever was left of his canopy was burnt off.
"Not cool..." Kaz went, coughing up smoke.
"This is why you don't use an umbrella during a thunder storm..." Danny said before aiming the thermos and firing.
"Aww... it was getting fun!..." Kaz called out as he was sealed inside, Danny shutting it.
He then gave her a thumb's up before landing.
"We should find spots to change back, people will be coming out soon..." Jupiter said.
"Good call..." Danny said the two went in separate directions.
Jupiter hid behind a large tree while Danny went behind A nearby telephone booth.
"Outside of that thing... nothing can ruin this for me..."Danny thought as he change back and met up with Makoto right after.
"I gotta say... this is pretty fun..." Danny said. Makoto raised an eyebrow at him, much to his surprise.
"Something wrong?..." He asked her.
"You... are... okay?..." She asked.
Danny blinked.
"Why are you talking li-..." Someone bumped into him.
"Whoa, watch out!..."
"Waruidesu, gomen'nasai..." This tall young lady said.
Danny, hearing that, raised his head.
"Uh oh... the necklace must be out of juice..." He said.
"Danny-kun? What now?..." Makoto asked, using very rusty English.
"I need to recharge this thing..." He responded.
"Re...charge?..." She asked, confused and unaware about the necklace being out of juice.
He gestured to his necklace and she recalled what he said about the necklace's time limited function.
Danny started to look a bit worried at the moment, which Makoto noticed and made her concerned about what Danny might be worrying over.
The half ghost boy then began to worry on how to proceed with his date with Makoto. He certainly didn't want to leave her, but was concern about the language barrier being problematic to what was supposed to be their fun date.
However, Makoto gently held Danny's hands within her own and showed him a reassuring smile that immediately calmed his nerves and erased any worries he might have had.
"If only I could speak with her without speaking. How else can I speak with her? Charades? No... that'd be too embarrassing here..."He thought.
Danny sat alongside Makoto, knowing that he had no means to speak with her, so he found another idea. He tapped her shoulder.
"Nani?..." She asked.
Danny held his hand up and made it seem like he was holding a pen and scratching the air with it.
"Does he want to paint or something? Wait... that looks like writing or drawing. A pen and paper? Hmm... is he thinking of communicating with that? I guess that could work..." She thought.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a pen with a small notepad, handing it to Danny.
"Okay... let's see if she can understand if I'm asking if she's okay with waiting here..." Danny said as, instead of writing, he drew something.
He presented Makoto with a drawing of stick figures, one with his hair and one with hers, sitting together. He drew two faces in circles, one had a happy face, the other a sad face. Between them was an arrow that pointed at the stick figure of her, along with a question mark.
"Is he asking me if I'm okay waiting here?..." Makoto thought before she smiled and put a check next to the happy face.
Seeing it relieved Danny.
"Good to know..." He said before worrying he's going to make her let to get home.
"I should ask when she's going home..."He thought to himself.
He then went to the next page and drew something else. In moments, Makoto saw what he drew.
It was the stick figure of her again, near a house with two people inside it, with a clock above that had no arms on it, and a question mark on the side.
"Is he asking me what time I have to go home?..." Makoto asked herself, figuring it's a bit late.
"Let me answer..."
She drew arms to indicate 9 PM before seeing the two figures that she assumes are meant to be her parents.
"I never told him... did I? That or we forgot..."She thought.
She crossed out the two before showing Danny. He saw the time, but noticed the two figures crossed out.
"Okay... does she live with one of them?..." He asks before drawing an arrow at the two with a question mark on it.
"I guess I should tell him..." Makoto said with a sigh.
She drew on the next page a stick figure of her waving to something.
"What's she drawing now?..." Danny asked as he watched.
It was a plane, one that had her parents drawn inside. Then she drew a curved arrow towards the ground, making it clear just where her parents are.
Danny's eyes widened in shock, realizing what this meant. He was horrified and guilty for unknowingly reminding her of this.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!..." He said, feeling awful and guilty.
He then recalled the communication difficulties between them and tried to translate.
"Uh... what's the word? Go-men-essay?..." He tried, struggling to pronouncing the word.
"Hmm? Gomen'nasai?..." She corrected.
As Danny nodded, Makoto smiled warmly.
"He's apologizing... He doesn't have to, he didn't know..."She thought.
She knew that he didn't he didn't know. She knew that he didn't do anything wrong intentionally but he clearly regretted it. She patted him on the head with a look that showed she wasn't hurt by his lack of knowledge.
Smiling at this and seeing a means to communicate, Danny decided to keep this up for now.
An hour later
About an hour had passed, and Danny and Makoto continued to use either drawings or other methods in order to communicate with each other.
From this, they learned a bit more about each other.
He was able to show drawings of his parents, his sister Jazz, what his arch-enemy looked like, and the most dangerous battlefield he had to contend with... school.
Makoto was able to draw out the story of how she met Usagi, how she became Sailor Jupiter, and how she they have defeated the Dark Kingdom and the Black Moon Clan.
Danny nodded at this.
"That's the quite the résumé..." He mused.
"Thank you..." Makoto responded.
As Danny laughed, it just dawned on them they understood each other.
"Wait... is this thing all charged up?..." He asks, looking to the necklace in his hand.
"It must be..." She said.
Danny decided to put it on and, sure enough, he could hear people around them talking, their dialogue going from Japanese to English the moment he wore it.
"It's working!..." He said.
"Wonderful... because we were running out of paper on this thing..." Makoto said.
"Yeah...and I have a friend who'd throw a fit if she thought we were wasting recyclables materials..." Danny said, laughing a bit.
"We needed to communicate, I think that's a good enough excuse..." Makoto said.
"I almost hope she never tells Sam that..."He thought.
"So, where to next?..." Danny asked.
"Glad you asked..." Makoto said as they started to walk together again.
It was clear that their date was not over yet.
Later
At the Juuban Park
Danny and Makoto were still walking and talking, deep in conversation. Even talking about their respective hobbies, superhero lives and other important matters.
"Are you serious? Your school gets attacked by ghosts and you're the one handling it? And you once dealt with a ghost that tried to destroy you over a menu changing?!..."Makoto exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, apparently one of my friends Sam was trying to make an environmental change for the better...and enraged a ghost lunch lady into being a giant monster made of meat product around. And one time, Tucker was fooled by a mummy whose name I don't remember to use a staff to enslave everyone. Thankfully, we managed to stop that guy and things were back to normal..."Danny answered as she still held onto his arm.
"And I thought my school was a magnet for danger..."Makoto said.
"Yeah, well...I doubt you guys have to deal with a ghost in a robot suit trying to hunt you down every three times a week...sometimes five..."Danny said.
"No, but we do have a habit of dealing with more end of the world kind of situations, like our final battle with the Dark Kingdom, and the threat of one being named Wiseman who wanted to wipe out all life in the universe..." Makoto said.
"Oh, I guess you win...though I admit I stopped a few world ending crises on my spare time. Like I once stopped this psycho ring master from turning all of reality into his own personal circus..." The ghost boy said, making her laugh.
"That so?..." Makoto asked.
"True story, but no worries...saved the day and that nutcase, appropriately named Freakshow won't be causing trouble for about 20 years or so..." He said.
"Glad to know..." His date said, smiling at him.
Danny and Makoto soon arrived and saw a few Sakura trees in full bloom. The sight of which was absolutely breathtaking to the ghost boy.
"Wow..." Danny said as he saw some pink pedals being carry in the gust of wind, admiring the scene.
His hair blew in the wind along with the petals of the cherry blossoms as he gazed at Japan from atop a hill with his date.
"Wow, seeing these gorgeous cherry blossom trees really makes me realize that I'm in Japan right now..." Danny said as he admired them.
"Took you long enough..." Makoto said with a joking tone while her date continued to admire the beautiful area.
"Japan really is amazing from up here..." Danny thought, admiring the view.
"As much as I enjoy being near summer. I kinda wish it was spring...then we could have seen all of the cherry blossom trees in full bloom. You wouldn't believe how beautiful they are, especially with how all the trees make Juuban look magical..." Makoto had commented once as she glanced at some of the current green cherry blossoms trees.
The half ghost boy was beginning to wish that he visited Japan during spring, even if with or without Clockwork asking him to, his eyes landed on his date and he found himself admiring her more.
"They're no where near as beautiful as you, Makoto..." Danny thought, while staring at Makoto with daydreaming look on his face.
His date was currently trying hard not to be as red as a tomato.
Makoto then remembered the special surprise she had in store for Danny on their date. And her joy grew as she saw a that this moment was the perfect opportunity to gift it to him.
"Okay...let's get started..." She said.
"Huh?..." Danny asked, only to see her excitedly reach into her purse.
Makoto then pulled out what looked to be a small box from her purse.
"I almost forgot but...here...I made this for you as a thanks for... y'know, helping us with King Whatever-His-Name-Was..." Makoto said, looking shy and blushing now.
"What's this?..." Danny asked, seeing it wrapped in napkins.
"Unwrap it..." Makoto said with a smile.
Danny did see, seeing something rather appetizing.
"A pie?..." He asked.
"Cherry pie. Baked it myself..." Makoto explained.
"That so? Well... I gotta try it..." Danny said, looking pleased before he paused.
"Cherry pie..you mentioned that the other day, I think you told me that it was your favorite. Am I right?..."Danny commented and Makoto almost looked surprised that he remembered that, before she smiled.
"Well...what's not to like about cherry pie...Makoto said and Danny chuckled.
"Fair point. It's hard not to love a classic..."Danny chuckled and Makoto started giggling to.
However, Danny paused.
"Huh...weird...why did I feel deja vu just now?..."He thought.
"Anything wrong Danny-kun?..." Makoto asked.
"Its nothing, I'm fine..." Danny said, as he decided to ignore it and focus on their date and the home made dessert in front of him.
"I hope it tastes as good as it looks..." He said, as the smell alone was mouth watering at it is.
Makoto smiled as she handed him a plate, knife and fork that she had packed and prepared in her purse.
"Bon Appetit..." Makoto said, sounding cheerful.
The half ghost boy started wondering how the beautiful tall girl could be so amazing at cooking and martial arts, while still managing her superhero duties and look stunning as she does all that. But then his stomach growled and decided to ask about that some other time.
Danny took a bite of the cherry pie and his eyes lit up.
"Wow!..." He said, amazed.
"What do you think?..." Makoto asked.
"I think that restaurant has some serious competition now if you decide to serve it. This rocks!..." Danny said taking another bite.
"You think so?..." Makoto asked, flattered.
"Totally...I thought those lunches you made before were good but this feels like I'm eating something from dream!..." Danny said, as he ate more.
"I'm happy to see that you like it, Danny-kun..." Makoto said, beaming with joy.
Danny smiled a her and savored every last bite. The cherry pie was every bit as delicious as it looks and smells. He then turned to his date and offered her some.
"Here, you should try some too..." Danny said.
"You sure?..." Makoto asked.
"Yeah, you made it and food tastes better when you have someone to share it with..." Danny said smiling at her.
"Plus, you deserve to treat yourself to a treat too, especially one that you made with your own two hands..." He added, as he offered her some.
Makoto complied and took a bite of the slice of cherry pie. The tall Sailor Guardian was pleasantly surprised with how delicious she baked this cherry pie.
Watching someone enjoy her cooking had always made Makoto happy, but now that she was sharing this meal with Danny gave an extra warm feeling within Makoto heart.
"This is good, but it tastes even better since Danny-kun and I are sharing it together..." Makoto thought to her until she realizes that she and Danny have been sitting pretty close to each other.
She blushed but didn't move.
She hoped he took a while to savor every bite, since Makoto was enjoying this moment very much. It wasn't every day a boy wanted to be this close to her, after all.
Afterwards
After finishing the cherry pie and cleaning up after themselves, the young couple decided to keep talking and walking.
The two then continued to explore the park, both lost in their conversation...until they arrived at a small venue.
One that was familiar to the tall brunette girl.
"Oh my...I didn't even realize...this is the place..." She thought, feeling troubled now.
Makoto had a slightly somber expression on her face, which didn't go unnoticed by Danny.
"Are we here for something?..." He asked.
"This is the place..." Makoto said, looking bummed.
"Is this place important?..." Danny asked, wondering what is wrong.
"This is the last time I saw the guy who broke my heart. My senpai..." She explained.
"I know enough anime to know that's an upperclassman..." Danny said.
"It is..." She , looking sad now.
"So... what exactly happened with this guy?..." Danny asked, while his date sighed.
"Sparing you a lot... at my previous school, I was deeply in love with the guy, but he turned me down..." Makoto said as her head drooped down in a sad manner.
"Was he seeing someone? Was he gay?..." Danny asked.
"No... he just said he doesn't like tall girls like me..." Makoto explained.
"Wait... really? That's it?!..." Danny asked, sounding surprised.
"Really. He said that he wasn't into tall girls who fight..." Makoto admitted, looking depressed.
She let the scene play in her head again, how he broke her heart.
Since then, almost every boy she's fallen for has reminded her of him. She didn't want to admit that she still had an attachment to this person, if only because she feared something might be wrong with her.
That's when she felt a hand on her back, a comforting one. It was Danny, who sent her a sympathetic look.
"That guy was a jerk. You didn't deserve to be treated that way..." Danny said.
"You think so?..." Makoto asked.
"Totally. You deserve better than some height-deficient moron who clearly has no good taste..." Danny said, smiling at her with encouragement.
Hearing that made Makoto smile and feel like a weight was lifted from her.
"Thank you...Danny kun..." She said, feeling much better.
"Anytime..."
"I wasn't sure about coming here, but I wanted to take you here to let you know… I am pretty grateful that no matter what happens, I am glad I met you..." Makoto said.
"Same..." Danny said.
The two could not contain the crimson dashing onto their faces, but neither turned away from each other.
However, the tender moment was ruined when some trouble showed up.
That trouble was also on a few motorized scooters, nearly ran into Danny as they sped passed them. Each one cackling and holding bats out that Danny managed to barely dodge.
"Whoa!..." Danny yelled ad he dodged one of the jerks on the scooter but ended up falling onto the ground.
"Danny-kun!..."Makoto exclaimed.
"Ow!..."Danny muttered, only to look and see the cause was a some thuggish looking guys on scooters with tattoos of a dragon on them.
It was the same thugs from before. The same one who tried to mug him on his first day in Japan. Only difference was that there were a few more guys and they all had tattoos now.
"Well, well, well, it's the foreigner..."The leader said.
The tall magical girl was already glaring at them with hints of anger for both nearly hurt Danny and ruining their tender moment.
"What the heck is wrong with you morons?!..." Makoto yelled, as the leader approached them.
"Well, well, well...Kino too. I don't think its wise to mess with the Red Dragons of the South..." The leader said, as his flunkies smirked.
"Since when did you delinquents join that gang?! You all usually just loiter at convenience stores and try to bully innocent people?!..." Makoto demanded.
"We joined it a few days ago. We ran into Kaida here and it turns out that you messed with some of his boys a while back and we got to talking...and we had some things in common..." One of the flunkies said.
"Yeah, you messed with some of my guys a while back and ruined our day..." The leader, Kaida, said.
"You and your moronic minions tried to mug innocent people and tried to vandalize private property!..." Makoto yelled.
"We were just havin some fun and trying to make some cash. Anyway, you two are in our gangs territory...you two better pay a fee for invading..." The lead thug said.
"This is a public property! We don't owe you anything!..." Makoto yelled.
The leader of the red dragons simply ignored her and continued to act intimidating and tried to threaten them with blunt weapons.
"You two better pay or...or we might "accidentally" end up hitting both of your faces with these babies..." The leader with red dragon tattoo on his neck threatened, gesturing to the metal bat in his hands.
"Come on you guys, we're on a date right now. Do we really have to do this?..."Danny asked but the thugs scoffed.
"A date?! You?! With Kino?!..."They all laughed.
Danny and Makoto both glared at that.
"What's that suppose to mean?!..." They both shouted.
"I hears that Americans were stupid but are you seriously so desperate that you'd settle for the most unfeminine woman in all of Juban!..." The thug and his lackeys laughed louder.
"What a laugh! Its like watching a dumb circus dog date and a giant wild elephant!..." One of the lackeys pointed out.
"Maybe she's threatened him to date her since she can't get a guy otherwise!..." A lackey joked cruelly.
"Makes sense. How else can you explain why a wimpy foreigner would be out with some giant who is also the manliest girl around!..." Another one guffawed.
Makoto's fists shook. She wanted to punch them for that but they had hit a sore spot and she hated being considered manly.
"These jerks have some real nerve saying all that in from of me!..." She thought, feeling angry and hurt.
She was always insecure about her feminine but it also reminded her of her crush's words of rejection.
"I'm just not into giant girls who fight..." Echoed in her mind along with the hurt that it brought.
"I hate it when boys say that! It makes me wanna break something!..." She thought in hurt but her date did something she never thought any guy would do for her.
"Take that back right this second!..." Danny demanded.
"What was that, punk?..." The leader said.
"I said take that back! You idiots have no right to say such awful things about Mako-chan and you guys couldn't be more wrong! Makoto is a beautiful and amazing person and there is NOTHING about her that even remotely manly or "unfeminine"! In fact, she's one of the beautiful girls I've ever met! Now apologize or else!..." Danny yelled.
The thugs were surprised while Makoto looked astonished as she felt heart swelling up with emotion.
"Danny-kun..." She whispered, blushing slightly
Before she act on her uplifted mood, the leader of the red dragons marched up to her date and hoisted Danny up by the collar of his shirt.
"You got some guts, punk. Too bad we're gonna have to beat it out of you for even daring to talk back at us!..." He said as he raised his fist to beat his target up.
"Let him go now or else!..." Makoto demanded, ready to pulverized them.
"Shut up Kino or-..."The leader of the gang was cut off as he suddenly found himself on the ground.
Danny took advantage of him not looking to shoot a ghost ray into his foot. Not enough to do massive burns, but enough to make him lift his leg and hop in pain. Danny pushed him to the ground.
"Thank you being too wimpy looking to be noticed... Why did I think that?..." Danny thought.
While the half ghost boy was at a safe distance away from the thug leader, said thuggish leader was now enraged with the American tourist.
"Serves you right!... "Danny yelled.
The leader thug got up and growled in anger.
"You little punk! That's it! I'm sending you back to whatever hick country you came from...in pieces!..." The leader shouted.
However, he was soon met with a fist in the gut and was sent flying a one or two meters away.
"Stop being mean to Danny-kun!..."Makoto shouted.
The leader of the red dragons was smarting over the blow, while his minions snapped out of it and now started charging after the tall girl.
"You're gonna regret that, you freakish giant!..." One of the other dragon thugs shouted as he charged and was about to hit her.
Only for Makoto to gracefully dodge him, and he ended up running face first into a tree.
Another thug tried to do a sneak attack, but Makoto anticipated it, dodged him and took a step back to easily avoid the sneak attack. Then she quickly kneed him, making him scream in pain and alongside his other members of the red dragon gang.
The leader of the red dragon gang got back up and was about to aim a punch with all of his strength behind it, but a swift kick from the tall, strong girl was enough to make him to land painfully on the ground.
Another minion wanted to fight too, but a single glare from Makoto almost petrified him and he did what was probably the smartest choice he made all day and didn't try to antagonize her further.
"Not the face, please!..." He said in a weak voice, raising his hands in surrender.
The tall girl decide not to attack him since he chose to surrender, but she was still mad as she glared at the rest of the fallen thugs.
Danny watched all of this and couldn't help but admire her.
"Amazing..." He said in admiration, as the battle quickly finished with Makoto as the obvious winner.
"Is it wrong that I think it's really hot whenever she fights?..." Danny wondered to himself, but ultimately decided that it wasn't worth second guessing.
"Nah. This is too awesome..." He thought.
The blue eyed American then remembered what he shouted at those idiots before and walked forward to the fallen gang. Danny approached the thug and decided to make good on his earlier demand to the dragon gang.
"Payback..." Danny thought, glaring at him.
"Hey...are you still conscious? Good..." Danny said as he checked on the red dragon gang leader, then glared at him.
The half ghost boy even went as far as to lift the thuggish leader off the ground with one hand by his leather shirt while barely using too much of his superpowers to do so.
"Now I want to hear you losers to apologize Makoto for saying all of those nasty things to her and then I want you losers to leave us alone! Got it!..."Danny said, looking ticked.
"Alright, fine! We're sorry! We won't mess with either of you two ever again...we mean it this time!..."The leader of the red dragons said, as he and his minions fled the area with their tails between their legs.
"Are you alright Danny-kun, they didn't hurt you, did he?..."Makoto asked, sounding really concerned.
"I'm fine but I should be asking you that..."Danny said.
"I'm okay. This much is nothing and I barely even broke a sweat..." She said.
The blue eyed boy simply stared gratefully at his tall, strong and gorgeous date.
Now that the troublesome thugs were gone and that the two of them were finally alone were each other again.
"So...where do you want to head to next? It'll be my treat..." He said, being sincere.
To his surprise, his date didn't look too enthusiastic right now and seemed almost like she feared that their date has taken a wrong turn.
"Actually Danny-kun, could stop someplace where we can talk in private?..." Makoto asked.
"Uh, sure. Okay..." Danny said, wondering what's wrong.
They went to a more private area, and the ghost boy turned to the tall heroine.
"Okay, I'm all ears..." Danny said, only to see his date was silent and looked upset about something.
"Makoto? Seriously, what's wrong?..." Danny asked, wondering what's wrong.
Makoto sighed, as she decided to open herself up to Danny about something personal.
"It's just... they reminded me of how... unappealing I am to most guys..." Makoto said, looking a little depressed right now.
Danny couldn't believe what he was hearing. Or how the beauty standards in this part of Japan could so narrow-minded and shortsighted.
"You can't be serious. You're letting what whatever-his-name-was get to you?..." Danny asked.
"It's just...a lot of guys becomes intimidated by me as soon as they see me fighting. Not just before I came here, it was even on my first day in Juuban... My classmates...they all thought I was a delinquent since I fought some bullies who were causing trouble and they avoided me like a plague..." She said, looking down.
"But they started it and you just fought back. That's their fault and its not your fault that none of your classmates were even there to witness the whole story..." Danny said.
"I know...but...here...if people see a girl fighting...they assume that I was nothing but she is trouble and...most guys feel threatened and uncomfortable..." She said, revealing her insecurities.
"Then they are morons! Come on, Mako, I've known you for about a week and I can see that you are a nice girl..." Danny said.
"You mean it?..." She asked, sounding hopeful.
"Of course I do. Plus, you did what you did back then because you knew in your heart that it was the right thing to do and that's all that matters..." Danny said, being serious.
"So...you didn't think I was scary or dangerous?..." She asked hesitantly.
"First off... I fight ghosts. Not just the archetypical spirits of the dead, I also mean monsters. Just before I got here, I dealt with a fishman and a giant tiger thing. So no, you didn't scare me. Plus... you saved my butt. Who the heck am I to complain?..." He answered her.
"Thank you, Danny kun..." Makoto said, as she embraced him.
Danny was taken back, but blushed and returned the hug.
"No probs..." He responds
Seconds pass yet neither let go.
The warmth the two superpowered teens felt from each other only further turned they faces red with emotion at the moment.
"She is one of kind girl..." Danny thought, admiring her.
"I never thought I'd ever meet a boy like him before...but I'm glad that I did..." Makoto thought, silently thanking her lucky stars that she met him.
Makoto finally pulled back and smiled affectionately at him.
"You really are special, Danny-kun. I wish I met more people like you..." She said, sending him a smile that made is heart flutter a bit.
"How does she manage to make me feel weightless with just that smile and that look in her eyes?..." Danny thought.
Once the couple separated from their heartfelt embrace, they felt a bit awkward as they had a little trouble looking each other in the eyes for too long. But despite the brief awkwardness, their hands managed to connected with each other.
"He/She sure is something special..." They both thought, unknowingly in sync.
The two decided to leave the park together, with Makoto feeling a weight lifted from her shoulders, thanks to the kind works from her date.
"Danny-kun... where have you been all my life?..." She thought, feeling very light right now.
They noticed that it was now sunset and darkness started to come to the skies.
Suddenly, they heard music and Danny saw a nearby band playing. They heard a lovely slow song playing, one that caught the tall girls attention.
"I love this song..." Makoto said admiring the beautiful song.
Danny noticed his date swaying with the music and got an idea.
"Wanna dance?..."Danny asked, offering his hand.
Makoto blinked, before she smiled.
" I'd love to..."Makoto said, as she took his hand.
The two teens began to dance to the music. Despite the height difference between them, the two began to dance to the slow song.
"I gotta be honest, I don't dance much..." Danny admitted, a little nervous now.
Makoto sent him a reassurance smile.
"Well, I took a few lessons. I could take the lead if you'd like..."She offered.
"Sure, I'm game..." Danny said as they began to dance together.
Makoto took the lead as promised. They started slow but soon eased into it. They began to dance with more ease, and the two teens began to feel more at ease with each other.
"You're a good dancer, Makoto..." Danny complimented.
Makoto blushed at his words.
"Thank you, Danny-kun. You too..."She said, still blushing.
"Never thought anyone would tell me that..."Danny thought while smiling.
"Aw, he thinks I'm a good dancer! Good of him not to see how I started..."Makoto thought in a giddy way, as she and Danny continued to dance to the music.
Some of the other people noticed the couple dancing, but the two teens didn't realize it yet. They were more focused on each other, as if lost in their own little world.
"I almost hope I'm stuck here for a year now..."Danny thought, almost memorized by her.
"I'll remember this for the rest of my life..." Makoto thought, feeling almost love sick right now but tried to keep it under control now.
The two soon finished their dance, left a tip for the band and soon left the park together.
They both continued to be in high spirits, both feeling lighter than air.
Later
After the park and their dance, the two teens notices that it was getting late right now.
Neither of the superhero teens wanted the date to be over yet, but night was calling and they will soon need their rest for tomorrow.
Danny walked Makoto back to her apartment, both still walking hand in hand.
"Here we are..."Danny announced as they arrived to the apartment building.
"Thank you, Danny-kun..."Makoto said in appreciation for their time together.
"No problem..."Danny said, still admiring her.
"It's a shame it came to an end already..." Makoto said, having enjoyed the date she just had with him.
"I had a lot of fun today, Makoto..."Danny said to the tall girl, making her blush.
"I did too, Danny-kun. It was nice..."The tall girl said, her face very flushed right now.
She still remembered what Danny said when he defended her honor and felt her face flush as she recalled that moment. She recalled how Danny stood up to the thugs and said all those kind, wonderful things about her.
While her friends have defended her, this is the first time it was a boy who did so.
"Even if I can tear them apart on my own, it was kinda nice having someone defend my honor..."She thought, relieved to know someone outside her group would stand up for her.
There was a silence before Danny broke it.
"You know Makoto, when I first came to Japan I was admittedly really nervous to be in a place that I've never been to before where no one knew I was or even spoke the same language as me. But right now, I've so glad that I made the trip to be here..." Danny said.
""Really? Why is that Danny-kun?..." Makoto asked.
"It's because the very first person to help me when I needed it was someone like you..." He said, being earnest.
"Thank you, Danny-kun..." Makoto said before brushing her hair back in a bashful manner.
Her heart began to swell up with pure emotion again like before. Namely happiness.
It was true, despite being brought to stop some kind of supernatural threat, meeting her was the best part of the adventure.
"I'm really happy that I got to be on date with you, Danny-kun..." Makoto said sincerely.
"Me too. We should do this again in the future..."Danny said.
"That's only if you end up choosing me over Minako... "Makoto reminded, which made Danny flinch.
"Uh...yeah..."Danny said, feeling awkward.
He almost forgot about that.
"I mean... it'd be unfair to Minako if you picked her..." Makoto pointed out.
"That's also true..." Danny said, feeling less awkward as that's at least a valid reason not to try that.
"I'd like you A LOT less if you picked her and cheated on her..." Makoto said, being frank with him.
"Don't worry, I'm not a cheater and I have no plans on becoming one to you, Minako or anyone else..." Danny said, being that.
Hearing that made the tall girl smile.
"Good. Hearing you wouldn't cheat on either of us shows that you respect us. I like that..." Makoto said.
Danny nodded as he thought about how he'll date Minako soon as see how compatible he is with her. Even so, he needed to say this to the girl whom he is with right now.
"Maybe, no matter what happens...after I go back home, we could still keep in touch?..."Danny suggested.
"I'd like that..."Makoto said, giving a nice smile at the thought.
"GREAT- That's good to know..." Danny said, which manages to get a giggle out of Makoto.
"Don't worry, I won't break your bones if you pick her. I like you. A lot but I also care about Mina a lot too. And I'll accept it if you choose her..." Makoto said to calm him a bit.
"I know. And I also know that I had an amazing time today. Definitely one of the best dates I've ever been on..." Danny said, being sincere.
"Likewise..." His pretty date said, smiling.
Danny almost got lost in her eyes as he stared back at Makoto's smiling face. Feeling warm and strong in ways he normally isn't, Danny felt like doing something.
"I should do something, right?..." He thought.
"So...I guess this is the part of the date where we say our goodbyes for now, right..." Makoto asked, looking nervous.
"I guess so..." Danny said, avoiding eye contact with her to hide what he's thinking.
"So...um...should we kiss?..." Makoto asked, looking nervous.
Danny heard this and flushed.
"Uh...well...I mean...its not like we haven't already kissed...and not that I'm against it...but...well...granted that was an accident and I had no idea that was you, not that I hated it...but I don't usually kiss on the first date..." Danny said, feeling that it might be little much for a first to say goodbye.
"Yeah...and...to be honest...a kiss on the first date is a bit fast for me, even if we did it by accident before..." Makoto said, sounding a bit timid right now.
"Still, a part of me...a warm feeling in my chest is telling me to go for it but I don't know..." Makoto thought.
It was odd that fighting monsters didn't made them this afraid to react.
As for Danny, he was recalling what those thugs said about Makoto being unfeminine, brutish and tall for a girl. He didn't want to come across as forward but he also wanted to reassure her about her charm as a woman.
"Maybe it is a little fast...but this familiar feeling in my chest is telling me not to walk away with any regrets...so maybe..." He thought, telling to think up of a good compromise for the situation
The ghost boy took in a breath.
"Okay, I'm doing it. Come Fenton, time for the bravest thing you've ever done. No regrets!..." He thought, as he trusted his guts and decided to finish this date on a high note.
Danny leaned up, surprising Makato. She gasped silently, her eyes fogging as her heart beat faster. With closed eyes, the girl panted with pursed lips.
Makoto suddenly felt some warmth and a pair of lips on her right cheek. It lasted only half a moment but Danny had kissed Makoto on her cheek, and pulled away quickly.
This left both of their faces redder than the inside of the cherry pie they shared together earlier. Makoto looked at Danny, not knowing what to say, while the blue eyed boy kept smiling at her.
"Why?..."She asked, blushing the same shade as her rose earrings.
"I wanted to and it seemed right. And I wanted to show you how much you've charmed me today just by being yourself. I'm sorry if I overstepped some boundaries. I just... really liked being with you today..." Danny apologized, worried if he took advantage of this nice, sweet moment at the end of their date.
"N-No...you didn't do anything wrong. I'm not mad...not at all..." Makoto said, stammering and red in the face now.
Danny smiled at that.
"I'm glad to hear that..." Danny said as he bowed to her briefly.
"Good night..." She said softly.
"Good night...Mako-chan..."Danny said as he waved at her, who slowly waved back.
Once he was gone, the tall girl walked inside her apartment, closed the door and let out a dreamy sigh, feeling her heart beating like crazy and touching the cheek that he kissed.
"Danny-kun...why did I ever compare you to my old senpai... When you're so much better ..."Makoto sighed as her heart kept fluttering with so much pure heartfelt emotions.
The tall girl soon went to her room, completely on cloud nine as her wonderful date with an amazing guy like Danny had come to an end.
-To be continued-
Next time on A Phantom's Love and Courage
Danny and Minako:The Ghostly Hero and the love struck heroine
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 dance scene.
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:
Invader Johnny: Yeah.
Jebest4781: Thank you :)
Pokemon fan 1991: Thank you :)
Fanreader26: Thank you for suggesting the dance scene :)
RonaldM40196867:
1) Thanks for the suggestion. I will think about it.
2) I don't know.
3) I think Danny would admire and appreciate Makoto's good qualities, and he has made it clear that he likes strong women.
4) I will admit part of the date was inspired by my Many Dates fic, and I was given suggestions from my fellow fanfic writers.
5) Thanks for the suggestion. I will think about it.
6) Romance, comedy and adventure.
7) No.
CrazyJK4: Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
Fiction Realm: I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
Luiz4200: :)
Simm36: Gracias :)
Danifan3000: How is this?
CZS4: Thank you :)
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)