11/7/24: Hello dear readers! This arc is going to be a bit longer than I first planned, but I doubt many of you are that upset that the story will be longer lol. I just keep getting ideas!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

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Chapter 20: The In-Between

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It was evening and Danny was again on the roof looking out at the stars, unaware of the irony that came with it. He knew Sam had done the same while he was gone, but it didn't cross his mind now. Instead, he was thinking solely of where she could be and how he could snap her out of whatever was going on.

It had been a day since his run in with her and his wounds were already healing. The speed with which he healed now surprised even him.

He was so deep in thought that he nearly startled when his ghost sense went off. This time, instead of being annoyed, he started looking around with expectation on his face.

Skulker appeared before him and Danny stood, looking hopeful. "Did you find her?"

The hunter looked the young ghost over, noting the bandages peeking out from his shirt collar. "It seems you already did," he said.

A pained look crossed Danny's face, but he forced it away. "She's not herself," he explained.

"She is not," Skulker agreed. "I caught the tail end of your fight with her and followed her. She seems to be staying at a warehouse at the shipping port. I stayed for some time trying to gather intel."

Danny went numb, his gaze dropping. So, she really had gone to Mira? He suspected that might be the case after considering some of the things she'd said during their fight, but he had hoped that was not the case.

Skulker watched his reaction, brows drawn together. "You already suspected this?"

Danny shook his head. "I hadn't until after our fight. But I was really hoping I was wrong."

"Nothing much of note happened while I was observing. Though there did seem to be a number of half ghosts coming and going. Their…signatures are very odd," the hunter noted.

The young ghost sighed. "The half ghost I mentioned before? She's there, so I'm not sure why Sam went there, or why Mira is letting her live. And we've noticed the weird signatures as well, but we don't understand why they feel that way, though we think it has something to do with the way they're made."

Skulker regarded him for a moment. Then, "Your woman feels the same."

Danny winced before sitting back down on the roof. "I know. She was forced to become a half ghost."

The hunter hummed. "I figured something of the sort when she was flying away on dragon's wings."

The white-haired ghost looked up at the stars again, wondering absently if Sam was watching them at this moment, just as he was. Skulker followed his gaze before settling himself on the roof a respectful distance away.

Finally, "Any news on any ghosts wanting to challenge me?" Danny asked.

The hunter shook his head. "Not yet, but there is something strange going on in the Ghost Zone."

That got Danny's attention and turned his glowing green eyes from the stars to the older ghost. "Like what?"

"Ghost's began disappearing approximately a year ago, and those that vanish never return. It is a conundrum that we've been unable to solve. It is as if they simply get up and fly away."

Danny furrowed his brow. "Anyone I know?"

Skulker shrugged, an odd gesture from him. "I do not believe so, except, perhaps, one. A few months ago, Dora went missing. She had been the last until I received word this morning of another disappearance, this time of an Observant."

"Any ideas as to what's going on?"

The mechanical ghost shrugged. "None so far. There's been no witnesses or evidence left behind."

"That is concerning," Danny commented.

Skulker gave the ghost a sidelong glance. "We could use your help to solve it, if you are willing."

Danny looked at the hunter with surprise. "Me? Don't most ghosts hate me?"

Skulker looked over the skyline. "That is true, but whether they like it or not, you're one of us now. Helping us solve this issue will go a long way in terms of relations with them."

The young ghost thought about it for several minutes before speaking up. "I would help, but…" he glanced down at the roof.

"Ah, the whelps," the hunter said with recognition.

Danny's gaze snapped to him, a look of alarm on his face.

"Do not be so surprised, Phantom. I can feel their signatures; they are half ghost's after all," Skulker explained.

"Wait, they? Both of them?"

This time it was Skulker's turn to look surprised. "They are your offspring and you didn't know they were half ghosts?"

Danny shook his head. "No, I know Aurora is, she's used her powers, but Jackson hasn't. We weren't sure he was half ghost."

The larger ghost nodded. "His core is still dormant, and will remain so until he activates it. It is not easy to detect, but I have a lot more experience being a ghost than you."

"Well, that's good to know. Thank you."

Skulker inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Still," Danny started, "I'm not sure it's the best idea. I still need to figure out what to do about Sam."

The hunter hummed. "It may take some time to figure that situation out. While you do, this could give you a chance to not only mend relations with the ghosts, but also distract you enough to calm your core fluctuations. In the meantime, Plasmius and I can do what research we can to aid you in your quest to save your female."

A spark of annoyance at Skulker's use of the phrase 'your female' was quickly squashed. He understood the mechanical ghost simply had a different way of speaking and meant no offense. And he did seem to genuinely want to help.

"Thank you, Skulker," he said. "I'll see what I can do."

The hunter nodded with a small smile. "Whether you like it or not, Phantom, you are now more a part of the ghost world than this one. I am not saying it is your responsibility, but the other ghosts will respect you more if you put in effort to help."

Danny leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "Yeah, I get it," he replied before changing the subject. "Other than the half ghost's coming and going, did you notice anything else?"

Skulker shook his head. "A lot of activity, but nothing that I could understand," he said before turning his head to the young ghost. "They have helicopters of all things."

Danny chuckled, but it was without mirth. "I know those all too well. They have Blackhawks and jets. What they use them for, exactly, I'm not sure, other than they really liked to make me fight them."

The hunter's eyes widened. "They made you fight against them? That seems a bit extreme."

The young ghost shrugged. "Yeah, well, the Headmaster was insane, and Mira, her daughter, is even more psychotic."

Skulker hummed, gaze going back to the skyline. "One day you must tell me of your tale."

Danny didn't respond, instead looking back up into the black twinkling abyss. He thought how odd it was to be sitting next to someone who had once been his enemy and casually talking as if they'd been on friendly terms for quite some time. Though, if he was honest, it wasn't that weird. Vlad had been his nemesis and was now someone he considered family.

"You know, Skulker, maybe you're not so bad," he commented.

Skulker eyed him for a moment before a small smile slipped onto his face. "Well, I am the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter," he boasted.

The young ghost gave him a lopsided grin. "Never caught me," he reminded the hunter.

Skulker sighed heavily, refusing to take the bait and give the whelp the satisfaction of getting him angry. Instead, he stood. "I'll see what else I may be able to find out," he said before looking down at Danny. "Tomorrow, shall we head to the Ghost Zone to see how you can help?"

"I need to check with my parents on watching the twins, and if I do go, it can't be for long. They're already out of sorts with Sam being gone, I don't want to be away from them for too long at a time, either," he explained.

The hunter nodded, accepting his reasoning. "Short trips are better than nothing. I will return tomorrow," he said with a nod of his head before flying off.

Danny watched him go with his own sigh before standing up and looking in the direction of the shipping port. "If you could find a way to forgive everything, I know you would. And I would take it all back if only I knew that I could," he thought.

With a last glance he decided he should head back in to the twins.

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Sam was in her room quite bored out of her mind. They hadn't come for her this morning like they usually did and with nothing to do, she was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to hum melodies in her head to keep herself occupied.

Her knees were bent, one leg over the other. That leg's foot bounced in time with the melody in her head, while her arms were crossed under her head for support.

Her head lifted when a knock at the door broke her concentration. "Yeah?" she called.

"It's me," she heard Ki-oh say.

Sam sat up in the bed, crossing her legs under her. "Come in."

"Uh…I might need some help, please?"

Sam furrowed her brow in confusion, getting up to open the door. When she opened it, she found the Asian man on the other side holding a tray of various foods with a long pack over his shoulder. She stepped back to let him in, closing the door behind him. "What's all this?" she asked as he set it on the table, placing the strap of his pack over one chair.

"Oh," he said, slightly embarrassed. "My wife made far too much for lunch. I could never eat it myself. I assumed you hadn't eaten yet, and as I was coming here to train you after lunch anyway, I thought perhaps you'd like to share it," he explained, pulling out two chairs.

Sam walked over to the table, crossing her arms over her stomach, and looked over the area of food. There really was quite a lot; from steamed white rice, to a few different vegetable and meat dishes, complete with a soup. "It looks good, though you'll be eating the meat on your own. I'm vegetarian," she said.

Ki-oh nodded. "Not to worry, there is still plenty you can eat," he replied and gestured to the chair he'd pulled out for Sam.

"What is it?" the goth asked as she sat down.

Ki-oh took his own seat and began pointing to the dishes. "I assume you know what white rice is. This is kimchi," he said as he pointed to cabbage covered in a red sauce. "This is bulgogi. It's meat so you won't eat that one. Here we have kongnamul guk, which is a Korean soybean sprout soup. It has a wonderful light and refreshing nutty flavor and is meat free." He pointed to a noodle dish. "This is japchae, it's basically a stir fried noodle and vegetable dish. Fried chicken over here, and this is sigeumchi namul, which is just seasoned spinach. Last, over here we have oi muchim, which is a spicy cucumber salad. The only thing you shouldn't be able to eat is the bulgogi and the chicken. My wife and I do eat meat, but it's not a staple in our fridge," he explained.

Sam looked around at all the dishes and Ki-oh could see the fascination in her eyes. He concluded he'd made the right decision in sharing with her.

"Your wife made so much food," Sam commented.

The Asian man chuckled. "She shows love with cooking. She also doesn't work, so I think she does it to pass the time."

The goth nodded. "Are you sure she's okay with you sharing with me?"

"I already called and asked her," he said, waving her question off. "Besides, communal eating is part of Korean culture. We rarely eat alone." He gestured at the food. "Please, serve yourself."

Sam eyed him curiously before looking around. "I don't see a way to serve them?"

Ki-oh smiled. "Just use your chopsticks. We don't use serving spoons."

The goth sat there for a moment, feeling weird about the entire thing, and unsure what to do. Finally, she grabbed her chopsticks and started putting food on her plate. "Thank you," she said softly.

He smiled at her. "You are welcome."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, Sam finding that she actually loved the food. She'd never had truly authentic Korean food before and found it full of flavor. "Oh my gosh," she said between bites. "This is amazing!" She dug into the food a little faster.

Ki-oh laughed openly. "My wife will be very happy to hear that, but please make sure you don't choke," he said with amusement.

Sam swallowed her current bite, covering her mouth and giving him an embarrassed look. "Sorry."

He shook his head. "No need to be sorry; I am very glad you like it. You seemed so interested in my culture that I thought you might like to try some of the cuisine."

She nodded, taking a bite of the kimchi and savoring it. "I appreciate the thought. Thank you for including me."

The goth felt her defenses lowering around him. Yes, he'd stopped Dr. Tanning from stopping the machine when she was turned half ghost, but he genuinely seemed like someone who cared. She hoped desperately that she was right.

She shook herself from her thoughts, taking a sip of the soybean sprout soup, nearly moaning from how good it was. "You said your wife is pregnant?" she asked, unsure if he wanted to talk about personal things, but now feeling as though the silence was awkward.

He nodded. "She's due any day now, actually," he said wistfully.

Sam paused in bringing a bite to her mouth. "Really? And you're here?" There was no accusation in her tone, only curiosity.

Ki-oh swallowed his bite and took a sip of water before answering. "This is actually my job. I get paid to be here and as she doesn't work, it's how we pay the bills," he explained.

The goth watched him silently, mulling that over in her mind. Finally, "Does she know what you do?" She asked it in a casual manner, but this time Ki-oh could hear a little accusation.

He looked sad. "She knows a little of what I do, but not all of it."

"Does she know you're half ghost?"

Ki-oh shook his head, setting his chopsticks down and sitting back in his chair. "She does not. I've been unsure of how to tell her. She doesn't even believe ghosts exist."

"Will your child be half ghost?" she asked. "That would be hard to hide."

He shook his head again. "She was conceived before I became half ghost."

"It's a girl?"

"Yes," he answered, beaming with pride. "We've named her Yoon Se-ri."

"That's a pretty name," Sam commented, taking a bite of the spinach side.

Ki-oh also went back to eating. "My wife, Do-hee, picked it out. I thought it was beautiful as well."

After that they finished eating in relative silence, occasionally talking. Once done with the meal, they set it to the side and Ki-oh stood, grabbing his pack and opening it. He pulled two katana swords from within, both sheathed. He pulled the sheaths off and then placed the katana's on the table.

Sam looked them over, marveling at their craftsmanship. "They're so cool," she said softly, mostly to herself.

The Korean smiled. "They are quite nice. These were handmade in Japan by a master; not easy to obtain and expensive."

The goth looked over at him. "Why did you bring them here?"

"I wanted to show you geommu so you can practice the forms in your free time."

She reached out and gingerly touched the hilt of one, noting the intricate overlay of faux leather. "Is Mira okay with you teaching me this?"

He nodded. "Whether you are Sam or Shade, you are being trained. She would not train you if she was not confident in her ability to control or defeat you."

Sam scoffed, rolling her eyes, but understood. "Alright, let's see what this geommu is about," she said, gesturing at the swords.

Ki-oh smiled, grabbing one in each hand and going to the center of the room. He brought the swords up and began the dance slowly at first so she could see the movements. Sam was mesmerized by the movements, the well-balanced motions that looked so much like dancing instead of true forms.

The Korean man was very good at it and made it look effortless, his equilibrium in perfect harmony with the steps. The swords refracted the light from the windows, creating a dazzling display of multicolored light across the room.

After about fifteen minutes, he finally stopped, sweat beading his brow despite how seamless it seemed. "That was amazing," Sam commented, a smile on her face.

He bowed. "Thank you," he said. "Now it's your turn." He held out one of the swords to her.

She looked at the proffered katana in surprise. "I only just saw it once."

"I will guide you through it; that is why I am here," he explained.

After a moment she nodded, gently taking the katana. She watched him as he settled into form, mimicking him after careful observation.

Sam already had fairly good balance, but Ki-oh was right in that the weight of the sword changed her center of gravity, and she found herself misstepping several times as her body didn't balance the way she expected. The goth got frustrated with herself when she wasn't improving as quickly as she was used to.

"This is a dance that takes years of practice to master. Do not be so hard on yourself," Ki-oh commented when she scoffed at another misstep.

Sam sighed. "I'm just used to catching on so quickly."

He nodded. "I can tell. Your other training sessions go quite smoothly and you've come a long way in a short time. Even your dance steps yesterday improved more quickly than others."

"Not quickly enough," she grumbled.

The Korean man stood up straight, lowering his sword to his side. "Again, do not push yourself so much. These are real swords and are very sharp; if you aren't careful, you could really hurt yourself. Take your time and focus on the movements and your breathing. Concentrate on your core's energy pulses."

Sam sighed again, annoyed with the situation, but also realizing that her emotions and nerves were simply on edge and it was making her attitude worse. So, she did as he suggested and closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing and the pulsing of her core.

Once she felt she had a handle on both, she began to go through the motions again, eyes coming back open to watch Ki-oh. The dance was complicated and would take some time for her to memorize. Besides, without proper balance, it wasn't safe to try and remember on her own and do it with her eyes closed.

They went through the motions slowly at first, picking up speed as her balance and steps improved, until they were doing it at normal speed. She could feel her core pulsing, but it wasn't in time with the movements or flow of the dance. She did, however, find herself enjoying the challenge that came with balancing with the weapon.

Once finished, Ki-oh gave her a large grin. "See? You did well!"

The goth blushed at the praise. "You were right; once I calmed down and focused on the ebb and flow of energy, it got easier."

"How did it feel?"

She hummed, placing the sword carefully on the table. "Not quite right. The flow wasn't the same as my energy."

Ki-oh nodded with a smile. "The chances of getting the right dance the first time is nigh on impossible. However, you did so well with the dance that I think we're on the right track. Maybe not with weapons, but I do believe something that entails a battle dance of sorts will suit your core energy."

Sam nodded, giving him a small smile, and realized that this had taken her mind off her situation, at least for a short time. Somehow, she felt that had been his true intention all along, but she didn't comment on it.

He gathered up the dishes, Sam moving quickly to help. "I'll do some research on what might suit you and we'll start going through them to see which fits best."

"Thank you," she said, picking up the last of the dishes and placing them on the tray. "And not just for this," she started, putting a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "But for everything. My attitude can get the best of me, but you've been nothing but kind."

He gave her a sad look. "I wouldn't say I've been nothing but kind. I did stop the good doctor from stopping the machine."

"And you said there would be times that you wouldn't be able to interfere. He had a son they held over his head, so I imagine it might be similar for you."

Ki-oh regarded her sympathetically before sighing. "As I said, this is a job for me. It pays the bills and I don't get paid unless I do what I'm told."

She furrowed her brow, now a bit uncertain. "Is that really all there is to it?"

"I told you before, I'm not at liberty to disclose all my personal matters," he responded, putting the swords back in the pack and putting the strap over his shoulder.

She watched him as he collected the tray of dishes. "I don't want to believe you're like them."

Ki-oh walked towards the door. "Do, or don't, it's up to you." He balanced the tray carefully and opened the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that, he left, shutting the door behind him.

Sam stared at the door for a long moment. She couldn't believe he was a bad person; a bad person didn't get that defensive when asked those questions. But as her gaze flicked to the camera on the wall, she realized he may simply be trying to steer the conversation in a way that wouldn't get them both in trouble. She truly hoped that was the case because she desperately needed a friend right now.

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11/13/2024: Annoyed with how long it took me on this one. But it's done!

Not a lot of action, but it moves the plot along a bit and you get to see new relationships form.