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 32: Danny's Choice: Makoto or Minako?
It was morning and a certain Sailor Guardian had just finished breakfast. There was no school today and she didn't have any reason to go anywhere today.
However, her mind was on a certain ghost boy whom she had fallen for not that long ago...and how she was still waiting to see if her feelings will be returned or not.
"I wonder how he is doing...and what he is doing right now..."She thought as she brushed her hair as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Her mind went back to that wonderful date they had together, and she sincerely enjoyed it. But now all she could do is wait and see if her feelings truly were reciprocating or if she would need to step aside from the sake of the happiness of her friend.
"Danny-kun..."She thought, wondering if she still had a chance as she finished styling her hair and just let out a brief sigh.
Just then, she heard her phone ring, and the sailor guardian gasped when she saw who it was that was calling.
"It's him!..."The girl thought as she nearly dropped the phone in excitement, before she calmed down and tried to answer it calmly.
"Hello..."She said, hoping she didn't sound too eager.
"Hi..."Danny greeted, sounding shy for a moment. "Look...There is something I really wanna talk to you about and it has to be in person..."He said, sounding serious.
"Is this his way of asking me out again?!..."The girl thought, trying to contain her excitement.
"Uh...yes, of course. I think that I can meet you later..."She said, trying hard not to smile so much now.
"Great. I want us to meet up at sundown. I'll text you the directions in a bit. I...really need to talk to you..."Danny explained, sounding shy right now.
"O-Okay. It's a date..."The girl agreed, happy that he chose her.
Once Danny hung up, the lovestruck sailor guardian smiled happily as she looked hopeful now.
"I still have a chance!..."She thought with a sigh of happiness, before recalling something.
"Wait...sunset?..."She said as she went to check the time.
It was only seven thirty in the morning right now. Danny said he wanted to meet up at sundown, which would be at five this evening.
"Oh my, that means I only have about 9 hours to get ready! I better not waste any time!..." She thought, as she went to her room to pick up a dress and get ready for this evening.
The sailor guardian went to get ready, feeling butterflies in her tummy as she got ready for what she knew was most likely a date.
With Danny
Danny was currently at a jewelry shop and had just made a special purchase right now. One that would be a gift to a certain girl he has become fond of.
"Thank you..."Danny said, happy his translator necklace was still working.
He looked at his latest purchase and smiled a bit as he thought about a certain special lady in his life.
"I sure hope that she likes it..."He thought, as he took another look at his gift to her.
He placed it safely in his jacket pocket. He also knew that he still had more purchases to make and more thing to get ready before sundown tonight.
The ghost boy went to continue his errands and get ready for this evening, unaware that a certain time master and his friend were still keeping an eye on him.
Meanwhile
In The Ghost Zone
"He is actually getting her something like that? They haven't even been steady for a month yet..."Clockwork's guest said, but she sounded pleasantly surprised.
"Danny may be called clueless by many, but he is aware of how serious his feelings are, and he just wants to show how sincere they are..."The time master said, while his guest smiled.
"I actually think it's quite sweet. Most boys his age just think that cheap flowers and pick up lines are enough and don't put much effort to charm a girl, but he seems to sincerely want to make his confession to her all the more special..."The female said, but she could tell that he sincere cared for her.
"Danny is a young boy in love and you know how people often do the unexpected for their beloved. When he finds someone that he cares for, he puts everything into it..."Clockwork said before he frowned slightly.
"Unfortunately, it seems that some "friends" of ours are causing trouble again..."He said as they watched a certain enemy of theirs from the future.
"Perhaps we should interfere..."His guest said, but Clockwork shook his head.
"No need. Danny can easily handle this minor annoyance. Plus, this may be a good chance to see how well they can both work together...and not just as a couple..."The time master said, before they continued to watch these events unfold.
Back in the human world
Several hours have passed and it was now 4:30, and the ghost boy now had everything prepared.
Danny was now wearing a cleaner set of clothes that he had packed for the trip, as he head a modest bouquet of roses in his hands, that wasn't as big as the ones in his dream but was all he could afford for the time being.
He quickly used some breath spray, fixed his hair a bit and made sure he didn't look sloppy as he glanced at the clothes he was currently wearing.
"It's not exactly a classy tux, but hopefully I don't look too much like a dork right now..."He thought, as he did the finishing touches such as making sure his spiky hair was tamed for a change.
Once done, he glanced at his watch.
"Okay, I only have 30 minutes left and everything is all set. My translator necklace is fully charge. Now all I have to do is pick her up and bring her back here. I sure hope that she likes the spot I picked out..."Danny thought, as he did some last-minute adjustments, as well as making sure a certain gift from him was safe and secured.
Once done, he checked the time again and realized he should be heading out soon.
"I guess I should start flying and heading over to her place. Don't want to be late..." He said, as he changed into his ghost form and soon took off.
He was now soaring the skies of Juban and looked around the area. He smiled slightly as he looked. Despite the monster attacks, obnoxious delinquents and needing to sneak from motel to motel, he did find this place to be nice and he honestly did enjoy his stay here.
"Huh...not exactly how I expected this trip to turn out. Still, I really wouldn't mind someday coming back here. Maybe I can convince Mom and Dad to make our next summer trip to Japan..." Danny considered as he kept flying.
However, the pleasant flight was interrupted when he suddenly heard blasts, explosions and people screaming. He sighed.
"Of course..." Danny said, before glancing at his watch. "I still got time, better be quick though..." He said as he went to find the source of the trouble.
The ghost boy soon flew to where he heard that explosion. He looked around and saw many people had fled from what looked to be a few men in odd costumes. Upon closer inspection, he realized these were not human. In fact, they were a group of two dozen goons that he recognized from a battle that was not-so long ago.
They were the loccis!
The ghost boy saw them and narrowed his eyes, unable to believe that they were back...again.
"You guys again? I thought we already dealt with you..." He shouted in annoyance.
"You defeated our king and now all that's left of us are mere combination of foot soldiers, minions and lackeys of the fallen Locci empire!..."One of the locci's shouted in anger.
"We demand retribution! Regardless of our previous orders and what happened last time, we will have our revenge!..."Another of the locci, presumably the leader, said in anger.
"That's right. We have all gathered our dwindling forces to take revenge on this city that is the home of the vile heroes that vanquished our supreme leader!..."Another one shouted, clearly holding a grudge.
Danny just rolled his eyes.
"Fine, whatever. Let's just get this over with. I have a date soon..." Danny said while the locci looked annoyed.
The fact that the figure mentioned orders did not reach his mind just yet.
"HA! What can one hero hope to accomplish all on his lonesome against all of our rage fueled fury?!..."The defacto leader mocked.
He received a scoff and an ecto-blast in the face as response.
"In case any of you forgot, I was one of the heroes that destroyed your boss. Do the math, before I subtract you from this equation..."Danny snarked.
"You might have won last time, but that's only because you had the Sailor Guardian's help! But now you are alone and shall pay the price for getting in our way!..."Another locci yelled.
"Sure, whatever. Let's just get this over with already. Like I said, I got a better place to be than here..."Danny quipped, getting on their nerves even more.
"Die by my hand, HERO!..."One locci said before charging at him.
Danny responded by becoming intangible and avoided this one's attack with no motion. Then immediately knocking the locci that tried to attack him completely out cold with very little effort. Causing all the other low grade loccis to get baffled shock.
"I so don't have time for this!..."Danny said, just wanting to get this over with and not be late for his date.
He quickly used his duplication power and went on to fight off these locci's and hope that he can still make it to his date on time. He wasn't all that worried since defeating the locci king had been easy, even by his standards.
Even so, he could never pass up the chance to quip and exchange witty banter. Even now.
"On another note, what's with the new outfits? You guys all look like henchmen from those... what are they called?... tokusatsu shows. You all even have identical uniforms too. What happened? Is the reason you're dressed copies of what I assume is a rejected bee-themed villain because you're all pests?..." Danny quipped as he used the ghost stinger to defeat a few other locci.
"Hey, these are awesome and make us look threatening!..."One of the more prideful locci shouted.
"You look like your wearing lame Halloween costumes that no one else would be caught dead in..."Danny taunted as the other locci growled.
"HOW DARE YOU, YOU INSOLENT PUNK?!..."Another locci shouted, enraged but the leader of the group tried to calm him down.
"Ignore his words, he's just trying to get us angry and distract us. We must prove our worth..."Another locci said as it aimed a stinger-like sword at Danny.
"We won't be tricked by your confusing tactics again!..."One of the not so bright loccis shout as he charged blindly at the half ghost hero.
The half ghost hero thought fast and quickly used duplication to split himself apart in two tand easily avoided the in coming attack.
"You guys really are like a hive of bees. Which is fitting, cause you all bug me the same way..."Danny quipped as his double vanished and he continued to fire at his enemies, still seemingly having the upper hand here.
While he was busy dealing with five locci at once, he didn't notice one locci sneaking behind him and reading to attack. This time with a broken stop sign being used as a blunt weapon.
"Payback time!..."The monster thought and prepared to strike.
However, before he could attack, someone showed up to help Danny by sending an electric blast at them, blasting the sneaky locci back and destroying it.
"Huh?..." Danny turned around and smiled once he saw who it was that just saved him.
It was the very person whom he was looking forward to seeing all day.
"Makoto..."He whispered in happiness as he felt his heart skip a beat as soon as he saw her.
She was dressed in her sailor guardian outfit and using her lightning powers to blast the other locci's away and stop them from hurting any innocent civilians. She soon spotted him, and the stern warrior look on her face melted into a tender smile.
"Hi..." She said in a sweet-sounding voice, before she kicked another locci that was charging at her.
Danny smiled back at her.
"Hi..." He said, as he sent a ghost blast to another locci that tried to attack him since he thought he was distracted.
"We really should stop meeting like this..." Jupiter said, as she backhanded, another locci before she took another look at Danny.
"Why? Are you bored? Cause I'm sure not..."Danny said, as he used his ice powers to freeze another locci, never taking his eyes off her.
The remaining locci's looked annoyed now.
"IF YOU GUYS ARE GONNA FIGHT US, AT LEAST PAY ATTENTION TO US AND MAKE GOO GOO EYES AT EACH OTHER LATER! IF YOU SURVIVE THAT IS!..."The lead locci shouted in annoyance, thinking they were mocking him and his fellow low grade loccis.
Danny and Jupiter briefly broke their gaze and glared at the locci monsters who interrupted the moment they were having together.
"Let's deal with these clowns first and then have some fun..."Danny said.
"Agreed..." Jupiter said, before she glared menacingly at the locci monsters who dared to harm innocent people and interrupt what should have been their date.
"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for Love and for Courage. I am Sailor Jupiter! I'll make you feel regret, it'll leave you numb!..." Makoto announced as she did her usual poses, before she charged into the fight.
Danny saw this and smiled a bit.
"I gotta admit. That was kinda cool..." He thought as he went to join her.
The two young heroes fought the remaining locci's together, using their combined power to fight off all that was left of the monster loccis.
"Supreme Thunder!..."Jupiter shouted as she fired more attacks, electrocuting a few loccis into nothing but ashes, while Danny froze two more locci's, before turning to his fighting partner.
"Need any help?..."Danny asked.
Jupiter responded by performing the Jupiter Coconut Cyclone to send several locci's away, before she sent him a sweet smile.
"That's sweet, but I got it. Thanks anyway..." She said, before she planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
Danny's cheeks turned bright red and had a goofy smile on his face, while Jupiter went back to curb stopping the remaining locci's. He touched the cheek that she kissed and had a smitten look on his face as he watched her fight and kept admiring her.
"What a woman!..."He said with a smitten smile, while some locci's sent him odd looks once they noticed the infatuated look on his face and realized what it meant.
"Seriously? You do realize she's way taller than you...stronger than you...and she punches even harder, right..."One locci said, surprised it didn't bother him.
Danny still had that lovesick look on his face.
"Again...what a woman..."He said with an excited grin.
The locci's seemed baffled by this, and Danny then used his freezing powers to encase them in ice, trapping them. Even so, one of them couldn't stop running his mouth.
"Either your standards in females is lower than most or that unfeminine brute of a girl is actually charming in your human society. Which I find to be most bizarre!..."One locci said in a disrespectful manner, breaking Danny out of his infatuated state and he glared at them.
He then responded by decking the rude locci with a super powered punch, looking angry on Jupiter's behalf.
"You guys just don't see real beauty, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised, seeing how you're dressed..." He said, before blasted a ghost ray at the now destroyed locci that was talking trash about his dream girl.
The half ghost hero didn't care who it was, he wouldn't let anyone getaway with anyone insulting Makoto in front of him without some form of karma.
Jupiter smiled at what he said, before she then destroyed a few more loccis with more of her Supreme Thunder Attacks. Danny also used his ice powers and aimed at more loccis and couldn't resist using some more witty banter.
"You guys really need to chill out..." Danny quipped as he froze more of the enemies, while Makoto giggled at that.
"Good one, Phantom-kun!..." Jupiter giggled like a lovesick schoolgirl, while their enemies sent them looks.
"It wasn't that funny..."The locci that she was fighting snarked, only to be punch by the annoyed sailor guardian.
"Maybe you just didn't get the punchline!..." She snapped before she continued to pulverize them in the fight with single punch.
"Solid pun, Sailor Jupiter!..." Danny praised, making Makoto blush since she only did that out of impulse, but she'll still take the praise from her crush regardless.
Both teen heroes with mowing down the already dwindling numbers of the monster bad guys. Only half a dozen of the very Last of monster loccis were left.
The two heroes then did a combination attack of a Jupiter Coconut Cyclone and a super charged single armed ghost ray attack. Danny felt a bit out of place, since he never named any of his attacks, besides his "Ghostly Wail" and "Ghost Stinger", and now he has nothing to shout alongside Makoto.
"I really should name one of them someday..." He thought as he continued with the battle.
With the last of the locci's now finally erased from the earth, the young superheroes turned to each other.
"I think that's the last of them...hopefully for good this time..." Danny said.
"Thank Goodness. Those things are worse than bugs..." Jupiter said, just glad to have finally be rid of those pests.
Danny sent her an infatuated look on his face.
"You were awesome..."He said, blushing.
Jupiter blushed at that and smiled.
"Thank you, so were you..." She said, still blushing.
The two young teenagers then sent each other bashful looks as they left the area together before the media showed up to ask questions.
A few minutes later
Danny had changed back to his human form and checked to make sure he didn't look sloppy after that fight.
"At least my ghost suit protects my regular clothes..."He thought, as he was glad his clothes didn't get ruined during the fight.
Soon, Makoto joined him. She changed back to her civilian identity and stepped out of the alley. As soon as Danny's eyes landed on her, he was speechless.
"Wow..."He let out, as his eyes were on her.
Much like their first date, she dolled herself up a bit. However, this time she was wearing a simple yet lovely floral print dress with a cute belt, matching shoes, light makeup that showed off her natural beauty and her hair was styled delicately and decorated with a nice ribbon that had tiny pink roses that matched her earrings.
Makoto blushed deeper as she saw him staring at her.
"W-well...um... how do I look, Danny-kun?..."She asked shyly.
"The same as you always look in my eyes. You look beautiful, Makoto..."He said, meaning it.
Hearing that made the tall girl's face turn red, she was unused to hearing a boy call her that.
"T-Thank you, Danny-Kun..."The tall girl said, feeling happy to hear him call her that.
Danny then handed her the bouquet of roses he bought earlier, happy that they were still safe.
"These are for you.."He said, and Makoto's eyes lit up.
"Danny-kun...Thank You. These are lovely..." She said, admiring the flowers her date had just given her.
Danny kept smiling at her, smiling like he was in a trance before he recalled they were supposed to be someplace right now.
"Come on. There's somewhere I want to bring you. I'm hoping you'll love it.."Danny said as he took her hand and led her to where their date will be.
Makoto kept blushing as she and Danny soon left the area, hand in hand and the tall girl kept feeling her heartbeat faster and fasters the entire time.
A little later
It was now 5 in the evening. The sun was only now starting to set and Danny soon brought Makoto to their destination but asked her to close her eyes as he didn't want to spoil the surprise.
"Can I open my eyes now, Danny-kun?..."The tall girl asked.
"Not yet, just a little more..."Danny said, as he kept leading her and being careful not to accidentally trip.
"How about now?..."She asked again.
"Just a few more feet..."Danny said, before they soon arrived to where he wanted them to be.
Once he was sure, he grinned and turned to the lovely sailor guardian he has fallen for.
"Okay...now you can open them..."He said, eager to see her reaction.
Makoto slowly opened her eyes. Once she did, she gasped at what she just saw. Danny had brought her to a lovely cliffside, and she saw a beautifully decorated table with a picnic placed on it, and it had a beautiful view of the sea and the sun that was now beginning to set.
"Danny-kun...I...I don't know what to say..."Makoto stammered, shocked by the breathtaking scenery.
"Does that mean You like it?..." Danny asked with a chuckle.
His date just smiled at him.
"I do. It's amazing..."Makoto said sincerely as she admired the beautiful spot that Danny chose for their date.
"Glad you approve. That makes looking for just the right spot to decorate all this totally worth it..."Her date said, smiling in a way that made Makoto flush a bit.
Danny led her to the table and pulled out her chair since he wanted to act like a gentleman. Makoto giggled and soon found herself seated and her date joined her.
"Danny, this place is so beautiful. How did you ever find it?..."Makoto asked, finding this so romantic.
"Well, would you believe me if I said that the idea came to me in a dream..." Danny said.
"A dream?..." Makoto questioned.
"Yeah, a dream. The view here isn't entirely what my dream envisioned, but it's pretty close and I figured that was good enough to start off with..."Danny said as he tried his best to recreate what he remembered from his dream but settled with what he could find.
Since all that mattered to him was being with his dream girl in this moment, the ghost boy paid no mind to how fortunate he was he could recreate said dream.
Makoto saw the beautiful table and placed her roses in a vase that was in the center of the table. She noticed the food seemed to be spaghetti from an Italian restaurant that he bought for them, along with bread. She noticed how this seemed too well made for someone who didn't have access to a kitchen.
"Sorry, but I'm not much of a cook but hopefully you'll like this stuff. Though I doubt that this is anything compared to your cooking..."Danny said as Makoto blushed again.
"Danny...you flatterer..."Makoto said with a giggle, feeling better as her worries from this morning went away.
The two began to eat and Makoto admitted that the food was quite good. During this time, Danny tried his best to charm her during their date.
Or rather, he was trying but...well, Danny might have gained some confidence during this visit but he was still a shy guy who was currently with a pretty girl that he liked. One who liked him back but was in a league of her own and well above the level in his own mind. He tried his best to be at his best since he was trying hard to make this date a beautiful and memorable one like it was in his dream.
"So...how hard is it to run around and fighting crime in high heels?..."Danny said as he accidentally said a dumb question that was floating around in the back of his mind for some since he met the Sailor Guardians.
"Um...I've never had time to think about it..."Makoto said in an unsure tone, while Danny was mentally berating himself.
"I am such an idiot..." He thought.
"You can forget what I just said..."Danny said, before he accidentally dropped a fork and groaned.
"Oh...my bad..."Danny said, embarrassed, hating that his usual weak knee around girls was acting up after all this time.
Maybe it was due to the fact that he was trying to confess his feelings and that made him more nervous than he was yesterday since he already knew who he wanted to be with. After all, he was talking to his dream girl and was growing to ask her to be his girlfriend today. So of course his nerves were on high alert right now.
Danny even felt his his powers starting to act on their own due to his nerves. His date notice this and tried her best to say nothing. Makoto knew he must be a little nervous and sent him a reassuring smile, knowing he must be feeling nervous now.
"Danny-kun. You don't need to be so nervous around me. You already know I like you. So you don't have to try so hard to impress me, I'm already having a wonderful time with you..."Makoto said, while Danny flushed a bit.
"I...I know but...I just want this to be perfect. I wanted to ask you something really important and hope you'll answer..."Danny said, worried he sounded lame.
Thankfully, Makoto smiled at him and placed a hand on his to calm him down.
"Then tell me when would like to say..."The tall sailor guardian said kindly, showing a beautiful and sincere smile on her face.
Seeing it made Danny a little less nervous now, but he still wanted to make this special for her.
"If you insist..."He said, blushing a bit and hoping he wouldn't mess up again.
"So cute..."Makoto thought, briefly having hearts in her eyes as the boy she liked kept trying to be polite.
"Okay, Fenton. Stop goofing around and just ask her. Now or never..."He thought, knowing he had to do this right.
The half ghost boy was readying himself to risk everything with his next question to ask Makoto. Even though he was pretty sure she'd say yes.
Danny turned to his lovely female friend once more, an earnest expression on his face.
"M-Makoto..."Danny said.
"Y-Yes, Danny-kun..."Makoto asked, hoping that this was it.
The ghost boy took a deep breath, before he continued. He wanted it to have been as perfect as his dream, but looking into Makoto's eyes, he forgot all that and just spoke from his heart.
"Makoto...I...I have feelings for you. And I've had them since that day we met after you saved me from those thugs..."Danny confessed, being honest with himself.
Makoto was speechless upon hearing that, feeling her own heart skip a beat at his words.
"Really?..."She asked, wanting to be sure since most guys probably wouldn't fall for a girl after seeing her take on 5 guys bigger than her at once in a fight.
But Danny seems to be different, Makoto could see it in his eyes as he was nodding.
"Yeah, my first thought was...she's amazing..."He confessed, and Makoto gasped as Danny continued to pour his heart out to her.
"It was one of the first things I admired about you, Makoto. And as I got to know you better, I found out more about you that I really like. Even without the superhero secret identity, you have become the best part of my coming here. I think you're an amazing girl. I know we haven't known each other all that long...and there was that whole love triangle thing...but I have to be honest when I say that I really like you a lot and I admire you a lot. I think more than any other girl I know..."He confessed, as he continued to tell her about his feelings.
"I think that we really have something together and I do want to get to know you better. Just as much as I want you to know about me. At least the parts I'm more open to, not everything at once..."Danny confessed, while Makoto looked overjoyed to hear this.
"Thank you, Danny-kun. I feel so happy that you feel that way about me. No boy has ever said that to me before..."The lovely girl said in a voice that made Danny's heart all a flutter.
"Really, no other boy has? Well, that's all their lost..."He said as she continued to blush and look cute right now.
"More of her for me..."He thought as he went onto the next step.
He then pulled out the present he got for her today and opened it to reveal a ring inside of the box.
"So...what do you say Makoto-chan?..."Danny said, as he showed her the ring but his date soon got the wrong idea.
"A ring? D-Danny-kun? I...I know I have feelings for you but...but I-..."Makoto stammered and Danny soon realized his mistake.
"What? No...it's just a class ring...not an engagement ring..."Danny clarified, flustered but trying to correct himself.
"A class ring?..."Makoto asked, as Danny tried to explain himself better.
"My dad told me that a girlfriend isn't your girlfriend until you give her a class ring. I really do have feelings for you Makoto...I know we're possibly looking at a long-distance relationship here once I head back home...but I really do have feelings for you and I want to give this a chance...to give us a chance..."Danny said, as he showed her the ring.
Makoto looked at it and saw that her name was engraved inside both in English and in Japanese.
"You even had my name engraved here? How did you do that so fast and in both languages too?..." Makoto asked, since she figured that usually takes a while.
"Ghost powers. If the superhero thing doesn't work out, I can always try the engraving business..." Danny joked slightly, before he was serious again.
Makoto admired the lovely class ring, that was green like her eyes and even had a rose engraved on it. It was truly a one-of-a-kind ring that only belonged to her.
"The ring is beautiful Danny, and I would love to be your girlfriend..."Makoto said, as she accepted it.
Danny heard this and looked over the moon right now.
"She said yes! ALRIGHT!..."Danny thought, feeling like he was the luckiest guy ever.
"But I have to know one thing..."She said suddenly, not putting it on yet.
"Know what?..."Danny asked, worried she might be having second thoughts now.
"Why did you choose me over Minako-chan?..."She asked suddenly.
Danny was quiet for a moment, as his date tried to explain herself better.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that you return my feelings...but Minako is still my best friend and she's a beautiful girl too. And she really likes you too...and she's not a giant who gets in fights with thugs..."Makoto said, sounding insecure as she said this as she recalled her old senpai and how he rejected her.
"You're not a giant, Makoto...you're just slightly taller than me, but so what? That's just a height difference that won't even last all that long in the future. And even if you stay taller than me, I don't care. I'm not bothered by size and I already told you, I have no problem with your strength at all or that your tough enough to not let some jerks mess with you. Quite the contrary, I think the more a girl knows how to defend herself, the better..."Danny said.
"You mean it?..."Makoto asked, and Danny nodded.
"Absolutely, cross my heart and hope to...well, you know..."Danny said, figuring him being half-ghost made that part difficult.
"But you still haven't answered? Why me over Minako?..."Makoto asked, just wanting to be sure he won't have second thoughts later.
Danny sighed and tried to be as honest as possible with her.
"I'll be honest. A part of me did like Minako too...and maybe if I never met you, I'd probably be here with her right now...but I was serious when I said you're an amazing person Makoto. You're so strong, beautiful and brave and I still feel like I'm the lucky one here since, let's be honest, you're out of my league..."Danny said earnestly, but to his surprise, Makoto sent him a serious look.
Don't sell yourself short, Danny-Kun. You're a wonderful person who any girl would feel lucky to have..."She said, sounding serious.
"You really think so?..."Danny asked and she nodded.
"Of course, I do. You're a wonderful guy...you're kind...sweet...genuine...caring...funny...cute...and you're not afraid of me like the other boys were after seeing me fight or how tall I am..." Makoto said, listing all the things she liked about him and had learned about him these last few days...and expressing another thing that used to make her so insecure.
"Those guys were losers who aren't worth your time. If they can't see what how amazing you are, that's their loss..."Danny said.
Thanks to his words, Makoto felt a weight lifted off as the memory of her old senpai's words no longer seemed to carry as much weight as it used to. Makoto tried hard no to shed a tear now, and just continued to enjoy this beautiful moment with the guy whom was special to her.
"You're the first person besides my friends who told me this. I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to meet someone like you before graduating high school. And yet, here you are. And I am serious when I say that you are different from all the guys I've ever met. I don't just mean the powers, I mean you as a person. And I think I was already falling for you before I found out your secret. Even now, I'm starting to fall for you even more than before...Something I never thought possible..."Makoto said, being honest about her feelings.
The ghost boy smiled and held her hand, looking into her eyes.
"I feel the same way about you too, Makoto. Really do. I even had a dream last night that helped me sort out my feelings..."Danny confessed, getting her attention again.
"A dream? About what?..."Makoto asked.
"About you. It's actually where I got the idea for this date and how I confessed my real feelings to you too...only I was a lot less dorky in that dream and didn't make you think I was proposing..."Danny said bashfully while Makoto giggled.
"Danny-kun...you say the most funniest things at the last second..."She said.
"Glad someone thinks that..."Danny said as he rubbed the back of his head, glad to see that she was accepting him.
"Either way, my answer remains with a solid yes. I will be you girlfriend, and you will be my boyfriend. And maybe knock some heads when there's trouble..." Makoto said as she happily accepted the class ring and while letting one single tear of blissful joy fall across her smiling face.
"I'd be down for that too..."Danny said, smiling wider than he's smiled in a long time.
The two lovestruck teens then shared a kiss together as the sun finally set, cementing their new relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend.
And unknown to them, this would be the start of an unforgettable journey that opens both their lives to much brighter future ahead of them.
Meanwhile
Unknown to the young couple, someone watched them from a distance. It was Minako, who was here with Artemis.
She had been worried after she heard of the locci attack but was told that Sailor Jupiter and Phantom defeated them. That gave her the clue she needed to know that Danny made his choice. She remained hidden when she saw them on their date together. She said nothing as she quietly walked away, while her cat sent her a concerned look.
"Minako..."Artemis tried, worried about how she might be feeling right now.
However, she didn't cry or look mad, she just had a sad look on her face, but one of acceptance as well.
"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. At least they seem happy..."The blonde girl said, as she began to walk away.
"Are you going to be okay, Mina?..."Artemis asked, looking up while his young friend sent him a reassuring look.
"I'd be lying if I said I'm not upset...but his heart chose Makoto. What else can I do? I don't want him to think I don't care for his feelings, because I do...and his heart wants Makoto..."She said, wanting them both to be happy.
"Are you going to be okay?..."He asked again, concerned about her while Minako just gently pat his head.
"I'll be fine. I admit that a part of me is kinda bummed by whole "Phantom Minako" dream may never come true. But as long as Mako-chan is happy, I'll be happy too...eventually..."Minako said.
"Phantom Minako?..."Artemis repeated with a slightly amused look, wondering if that was some kind of shipping name before his friend continued.
"Or Fenton Minako, after all Danny does call himself Fenton and Phantom from time to time. Though I supposed that if I had gone to live with him in America, then it would have been something like Minako Fenton/Phantom or something like that..."Minako explained, looking off into space while her feline friend couldn't help but snark a bit.
"You realize he has a secret identity, so you going off calling yourself than in public isn't a good idea..."Her cat said.
"So... I'm not very good at thinking about how to keep my mouth shut about stuff like that... but I am good at accepting when I lost. Besides, as they say, the sea is full of fish...so go get some..."She said, as she accepted that this is just how things will be now but still having hope that there is someone out there for her.
Her feline companion sent her a look, seeing that while upset, she wasn't bitter or resentful about this.
"She's a lot more mature than people give her credit..."The cat thought as his young friend perked up suddenly.
"Besides... Who knows? Danny probably has a friend he can introduce me to...and if not, well...I can find love somewhere else. Who knows? Maybe there's another superhero out there for me too..."She said in her usual confident way.
Artemis couldn't help but notice a slightly overeager tone in the way she delivered it.
"And... she's back..." He whispered.
"And I know one thing for sure, Mako-chan is a lucky girl...and maybe I'll eventually find my own special someone soon...like she did..."Minako said, acting like her usual self but there was also a calm wisdom in what she said.
And this made Artemis feel proud for the Sailor Guardian of love who was his closest friend.
The two soon left for home, but Minako turned around one last time and saw both her best friend and the boy she fancied still in an embrace.
She let out a sigh and a sad smile.
"Congratulation, Makoto. I'm glad you found your dream boy. You two deserve it..."She thought before she walked away, but still had hope that she'd find her own someday too.
Minako turn back to head home with tiny sparkles of her tears shining in the air of her face. Her broken heart was not as strong as her happiness for her friend, but it was still there.
That's when they noticed something amiss in the sky.
"Is that a giant cloud?..." Artemis asked, looking confused now.
"Hmm... what do you mean?..." Minako asked as she looked up.
The sky darkened, the shape of something humanoid lowering before it vanished.
Minako looked at it curiously, wondering what this was as Artemis felt something horribly wrong was about to happen.
-To be continued-
Next time on A Phantom's Love and Courage
The Locci King Returns
A/N(1): Me and NeoMark would like to thank 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: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
2) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
3) Not right now. Sorry.
4) I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
5) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
Invader Johnny: Maybe.
Pokemon fan 1991 and Fiction Realm: I understand but the story is not yet over.
Jebest4781: Thank you :)
Fanreader26, Luiz4200 and LockAndKey989: As shown here, Makoto is the girl that Danny chose in the end.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)