11/22/24: And here we are! We see more of Sam in this chapter, along with some Danny!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

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Chapter 24: Burdened

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Two days later Sam was feeling much better than she expected to feel this soon. Her stomach was mostly healed with barely even a scab now. Her wing was also doing much better.

Ki-oh was currently removing the splint, and while it was certainly sore, Sam was able to move it now without squealing in pain. "I can't believe how fast this all healed," she said in wonder. "Being half ghost is no joke!"

The Korean man smiled as he inspected the long arm bone of her wing. "It's set well. Now that the bone is healed, you'll need to stretch it out to make sure the muscles don't atrophy or clamp down, making it hard to use it. Think of it like exercise: if you want to fly, you'll need to practice like you did when you first learned how."

Sam rolled her shoulders before flexing each wing, wincing when there was residual pain in the right one where it had been broken. "It's so weird that, as a human, you never think about what it would be like to have extra appendages like wings. It's almost like a weird phantom limb, but also not. It's so strange to feel pain in a limb I wasn't born with," she explained as she stretched them out again, noting her left, uninjured wing could spread fully, but the right one didn't quite want to.

Ki-oh chuckled. "I can imagine. Honestly, I'm not sure that pain will completely go away; birds who break wings often struggle to ever fly again." He held a hand up at her alarmed look. "You're an intelligent being, however, and can actively exercise and stretch it so that doesn't happen."

She calmed and nodded, pulling her wing to the front so she could inspect the arm bone. "You think I'll always have pain?"

Ki-oh went to his pack on the table and put away the splint. "Not constantly, but you may feel it if you overtax your wing. Wings are notoriously hard to set perfectly, and while yours did set beautifully, it was a bad break. I wouldn't be surprised if you have pain from time to time, especially in the beginning as you stretch it."

She quirked her mouth in a thoughtful gesture as she tried to stretch it back out, only for it to stop short again. "It won't open all the way."

He nodded. "Yes, those are the muscles not wanting to stretch back out after healing. I'll help you, but it might hurt," he warned as he went to the end of her wing. He delicately took the end of her wing between his fingers, silently marveling at the leathery soft texture, and looked at her. "Ready?"

At her nod he gently pulled, forcing the wing to go beyond what the muscles wanted to do. Sam curled her top lip as pain jarred the arm bone, but refused to back down. Ki-oh stopped a little short of it being fully open and held it there for a minute before slowly releasing the stretch.

They repeated this several more times until he was able to get the wing fully open. After the last stretch, Sam gingerly pulled the sore appendage to her before dismissing them.

"You'll need to do a lot of flapping for exercise to build the muscles. That should help keep them in shape. Once you're comfortable enough to go back to flying, you'll want to fly often for the same reason," he said.

"Oh no," she said, waving her hands in a sarcastic fashion. "More flying time! Whatever shall I do?"

Ki-oh raised a brow with a smile. "I take it you like flying?"

Sam chuckled. "Now that I can fly I understand exactly why Danny loves it so much."

His smile turned slightly sad. "I wish I could say the same."

She looked over at him. "You don't like flying?" she asked.

"More like I have a crippling fear of heights," he answered with a shrug.

She grimaced. "Sorry. That actually kinda sucks."

He shrugged again before going over to the pack he'd brought. "Not much I can do about it. I'll fly if I have to, but definitely prefer not to." He pulled the two katana's out and handed one to Sam.

"We're going to practice geommu some more?" she asked, delicately moving the sword around.

"We're going to do a similar dance called jian wu. It's a chinese sword dance that has a different tempo and rhythm. You did so well with the swords last time that I thought we were on the right track," he explained. "I've never actually done this one, so I spent some time watching it and practicing it myself."

The goth looked at him in surprise. "You really went that far?"

He nodded. "Attuning to your core's energy pulses unlocks so much potential for your powers. You'll be able to activate them faster, pour more power into them to make them stronger, and even unlock new powers. It's quite advantageous."

She looked deep in thought. "Can ghosts do that, too? Or are they already attuned to their core?"

Ki-oh shook his head. "I'm not sure, actually. I don't exactly know any ghosts. I assume you are asking for Danny. All I can say is," he lowered his voice, "once you're out of here, have him try some dances to see if he attunes to any."

Sam nodded. "Alright. Let's see what this jian wu is all about."

Her companion grinned before turning some music on on his phone. He went slowly at first so she could see the moves and memorize them. Sam was entranced by the movements, finding herself softly swaying to them. Ki-oh smiled; it was a good sign.

He went through it twice, and again a third time at normal speed. "Ready?" he asked when he was done with the final run through.

Sam nodded. "Let's do this."

The Korean man smiled again, silently thankful that she seemed to be in better spirits than two days ago. He restarted the music and she followed his movements, doing an excellent job of keeping up and following the flow. After a few moments, Ki-oh stopped, staring as she literally started to glow.

"Do you feel it?" he asked softly as to not interrupt her concentration too much.

The goth grinned, feeling her core pulse in time with the rhythm. "I think this is it!" she said excitedly. She couldn't truly explain what she was feeling like right now, but it was like her core energy was on steroids. She could feel it pulsing to every part of her, electrifying her movements, making each movement smoother and more effortless. The energy coursed through her and she marveled at how she could feel it in time with her breathing.

She finished, eyes closed, lowering the sword to her side, taking a deep breath and feeling a rush as her energy sizzled within her. When she opened her eyes, Ki-oh could see a spark of energy in them and he grinned. "You've attuned to your core."

"This is amazing," she said, breathless. "I feel so powerful!" But her grin faded after a moment, and a look of fear crossed her face.

"Sam? What's wrong?" Ki-oh asked, alarmed by her sudden change of emotion.

"I've already come close to killing Danny twice, now that I've attuned my core…" she trailed off, before suddenly putting the sword back on the table like it burned her. "I shouldn't have done this."

"Hey," he started, going to her and putting his hands on her upper arms. "Mira is still angry about you going after him the last time. I doubt she'll send you out again anytime soon." He gently squeezed her arms in reassurance. "I may not be able to do much, but if she tries to send you out, I can do what I can to stop it," he added softly.

Her amethyst eyes met his. His eye color was brown, but they were so dark that it was like looking into the night sky. "She said she'd reassign you if you kept interfering," she stated, voice full of worry. "And you can't possibly place your wife and unborn child in danger."

"She wouldn't dare harm them," he responded.

Sam shook her head. "You think she's not that far gone?"

"She may be insane, but she loves me in her own way. I'm the one person in this world she wouldn't hurt, physically or emotionally."

She wasn't quite sure she believed him, but decided to keep that to herself.

"I do have some lighter news, though." Ki-oh said, letting her go and going to his pack. He pulled out a few containers and held them up. "I have more food to share." He set them down, noting she started to perk up a bit. "And my daughter was born last night!"

"Oh my gosh, really?!" she asked excitedly, the news completely bringing her out of her mood. Before she could even think about it, she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a hug. "That's so awesome!"

The Asian man chuckled, returning her hug, before she pulled back and away from him in a panic. "Wait, last night?! Shouldn't you be with them right now?" she asked.

"I was with them all night until I came here a few hours ago. I'll be leaving to see them as soon as we're done. Besides, my wife's parents are staying with us for quite a while, as it is a custom of our culture. We see family as extremely important and the grandparents usually help out a lot postpartum," he explained, turning to open the containers and set them out.

Sam watched him for a moment. "Should we be eating then? Don't you want to get home?"

Ki-oh laughed openly, something he rarely did, so it surprised Sam. He smiled easily, but laughing was something she didn't hear from him often. "If I go home with all this food, my in-laws will have my head."

So they sat and Ki-oh once again explained the dishes. Sam was excited to see there was more of the soup, along with a spicy cucumber kimchi and various other vegetable sides. There was no meat this time. They tucked in, Sam practically devouring her first piece of cucumber kimchi, causing her companion to laugh again.

"You're in a good mood," she commented.

"Of course!" he answered. "The birth of a child is always something to celebrate."

He noted the sadness and longing in her eyes at that and furrowed his brow. "Are you alright?"

"Of course," she said, giving him a smile before stuffing another cucumber in her face to try and hide her sorrow. She chewed and swallowed before changing the subject. "Do you have any pictures?"

"Oh!" he exclaimed, putting his chopsticks down and reaching for his phone. He navigated to his photos before setting the phone down in front of her.

"Look at her!" Sam gushed. "Oh, I just love that newborn squish face!"

Ki-oh watched her curiously, wondering if she was holding back, or if she was simply making an out of pocket comment. It seemed to him almost like she had experience. Her excitement was contagious though, and he let it go for now.

"I didn't say this around my wife, but while she's super cute, she kind of looks like a potato," he commented.

Sam laughed so hard she actually snorted, which in turn caused Ki-oh to laugh. "You sound like my best friend!" she said when she finally stopped. "He called his son a potato when he was born and his wife slapped him." The goth took a few breaths, calming her giggles before grinning wide. "Truth was, I agreed with him. Most newborns look a little like potatoes the first week. They're all red and pudgy, but that's part of their charm," she said fondly. "After a week or two, their features become a little more defined and they look much more like babies."

Ki-oh took a few bites of his food, smiling at her words. "That makes me glad I didn't say it in front of my wife, or her parents. She wouldn't have smacked me, but I'm pretty sure my mother-in-law would have."

They talked amicably then, the conversation drifting from one subject to the next, but keeping it light. Sam was sure she watched him laugh more than she ever had, and she was grateful to see this side of him. She felt a small pang when she thought about how much he and Danny would get along; she believed they could be good friends.

All too soon, the meal was done and they packed away the containers. "Thank you for sharing with me again," she said.

He nodded, giving her a smile. "Anytime. And I am glad you seem to be doing better."

Sam shrugged. "One day at a time, you know?"

"I know," he responded, picking up his pack. "I better be going now. Remember to exercise your wings, okay?"

"Got it!" she gave him a thumbs up, and this time returned the bow he gave her before he left.

Sam watched the door shut and sighed, suddenly feeling the crushing weight of loneliness.

–

Danny felt slimy, like a worm one would lift their lip in disgust at. He felt an overwhelming sense of guilt every time he was with his family for hiding his deal with Mira. He could tell Jazz was getting suspicious. Before he had been taken and was trained in observation skills, Jazz's skill far exceeded his. He was now the more observant one, but she was a close second.

He'd been treading lightly around her, doing his best to smile and fake enthusiasm, but her sidelong glances told him it wasn't working. He never really had been very good at acting.

At least he didn't have to act much when his kids were involved. He found brief moments of joy in trying to do whatever he could to make them smile. It lifted his core and made him feel like all was almost right in the world, at least for a moment until reality crashed back down.

The young ghost was in the bathroom preparing to shower. He stared at his reflection in the mirror feeling like he could barely recognize the man he'd become. He didn't physically look any different; he had the same white hair, the same unruly bangs, the same white beard. The difference was his eyes; they held a hollow, haunted look behind their glow.

Danny sighed, leaving the mirror and going over to turn the water on when he felt it. He growled low in his throat, a feeling of dread taking him over, as his core registered Mira's signature. He came out of the bathroom, startling his mother.

"Weren't you going to shower?" she asked.

"Change of plans," he said. "Skulker needs me to run down a lead," he lied.

"Oh, okay. Don't worry, we've got the twins," she said, waving him on his way.

He gave her a smile he hoped didn't look too guilty before teleporting away. The general area she was in wasn't far so he reappeared in an alley somewhere within where her signature was registering. He waited only moments for her to arrive.

Danny set his glare on the scantily clad woman, his glare deepening when she looked him over a little too hungrily. It didn't faze her a bit.

"You have a job for me, or are you just gonna stand there and stare?" he growled.

"Oh, trust me, I don't mind the view," she responded, grinning when he looked away in annoyance. "But I do have a job for you."

He glanced back at her. "What do you need?"

She cocked her hip, using one hand to move her long hair behind her shoulder. "I'm looking for a specific ghost with a unique skill. You may be acquainted with him: Wulf."

The young ghost looked confused. "I can probably find him, but he doesn't offer to use his power for just anyone. He may not want to."

She raised a brow. "Willingness isn't exactly a requirement."

He looked even more confused, and now a little apprehensive. "You mean to enslave him?"

Mira laughed, a sound that grated on Danny's ears in the worst way. "It's too much trouble to keep around an unwilling ghost. No," her eyes darkened. "You're going to find him, kidnap him, and bring him to me where I will rip his core out and take the power."

Danny looked horrified at her words. Then it hit him. "You're the reason ghosts have been disappearing!"

"Took you long enough," she said sarcastically.

He shook his head. "I don't think I can do that, especially not to Wulf." Dread, trepidation, and a sense of foreboding were making his limbs feel numb.

Her look became deathly serious. "It's him or your children. You choose."

He looked stricken, something that also did not faze her. "You have ten seconds to choose, or I tell my man to take them," she threatened.

"Okay!" He said immediately, holding his hands up. "I'll do it; I'll bring you Wulf."

She walked up to him, a sadistic smile on her lips, before placing her hand on his chest and patting it. "There's a good boy. You have two days."

She enveloped herself in invisibility before he felt her signature leave. He stood there in utter dismay, completely unsure of how he was actually supposed to go about this. He'd killed before, but how was he supposed to kidnap someone he considered a friend, knowing he would be killed?

–

The next day, he was in the Ghost Zone tracking Wulf. He told his parents he was running down another lead, heart heavy at the lie.

It made his stomach turn and his mouth run dry to lie to them like that, especially in order to do something so heinous. He swallowed hard, pushing down the bile that threatened to come up.

He had inquired about the ghost wolf's location from several ghosts and was able to get an approximate area. At least, it should be unless Wulf decided to use his unique portal power and leave before Danny could get there.

Danny flew through the Zone towards his destination: an island that was likely Wulf's home. The air in the Ghost Zone, while thin compared to the human world, was marred by a miasma he'd never noticed before. Skulker explained he likely detected it now due to being full ghost. It wasn't harmful to ghosts or humans, but it did give Danny an odd sense of foreboding, something the hunter told him would go away the more time he spent in the Zone.

After nearly an hour he spotted the island. There was a telltale natural stone arch in the middle of the island; something the ghosts he'd talked to said to look for. The rest of the island was covered in thick jungle vegetation and trees, all damp with vapor from a light fog that draped over the island like a cloak. It wasn't exactly a place he'd think Wulf would choose as his lair, but while he was the ghosts' friend, he had to admit that he didn't really know him that well.

The young ghost swallowed again, feeling the dread spread through his limbs and make his muscles feel fuzzy like they do after one of Vlad's ghostly alcoholic drinks.

While technically Mira would be doing the murdering, Danny knew he was going to be killing Wulf by proxy. Murdering people he didn't know was one thing, but betraying the trust of a friend knowing they would die was completely another.

He felt that familiar feeling of self loathing clawing its way back up from the depths, threatening to snuff out anything good the young man had left in him.

Danny went invisible as he landed on the island, dampening his core signature to reduce the chances of Wulf discovering he was there until he wanted to be found. He needed to be sure Wulf was even on the island and didn't want to draw unwanted attention from anything else that might be around.

He floated around, keeping a tight grip on his signature. This didn't just look like thick jungle, it certainly was, and as a ghost he couldn't just phase through it. It was making his search painstakingly slow as he navigated the forest, crawling under enormous, gnarled, moss covered roots and squeezing between thick tree trunks and large boulders.

This definitely didn't seem like a place where he would find the large wolf ghost.

As he journeyed further inland, he spotted weird looking ghostly creatures. They looked similar to those in the human world, but were…off.

He saw a bird that resembled a macaw, but it had six eyes and two sets of wings. On its feet were three toes, two in front and one behind. Another creature looked like a small cat, but it had a snub nose, large disc-like ears, two tails, and oversized paws with barbed claws. Danny had to dodge several different types of glowing insects that seemed to want to feed on him like the human world's mosquitos. They didn't seem to know he was there as he was invisible, but they were darting around erratically and nearly colliding with his face.

Finally, he emerged from the jungle and took a cautious look around. This was the center of the island and the towering stone arch stood vigil in the center. Under it was a small hut that looked to be a home.

Danny crouched behind a bush despite his invisibility. He watched for quite a while, over an hour he guessed, before a ghost emerged from the house. The young man furrowed his brows in sadness as he realized it was indeed Wulf.

He didn't have a choice now.

But Danny couldn't make himself move forward and greet the wolf ghost. He couldn't seem to will his legs to move, or his core to engage flight. It's like he was frozen, sitting there just watching his friend go through normal mundane tasks.

Wulf seemed so out of place here, but as Danny observed him, he realized it was the perfect place for the ghost to make his lair. And, if Danny had really thought about it, he'd have remembered that ghost lairs seemed to mold themselves into the personality of the ghost who inhabited it.

At first the wolf ghost washed dishes in a large basin. As he was setting about drying the washed dishes, one of those peculiar birds flew over and landed on what Danny now realized was a perch near the front door to the hut. He saw Wulf smile and go over to the bird, saying something to it, though Danny was too far to hear. He likely wouldn't have understood much anyway since he didn't speak esperanto.

Wulf tenderly reached out a hand and stroked the bird, eliciting a happy squawk from the creature. They seemed to exchange some kind of communication before the bird then flew a short distance away and settled on a branch, pointing below it with its beak. The large ghost followed, a look of surprise crossing his face as he looked down.

Danny stood up so he could see what Wulf was looking at, surprised himself when he saw one of those cat-like creatures on the ground in clear distress.

Wulf knelt, slowly reaching his hand out to the ailing ghost, palm down. The cat-like ghost growled low before sniffing the offered hand and whining. Wulf gave it a toothy grin, gently reaching over and scooping the small animal up. He took it over to this house, placing it gingerly in a woven basket, before disappearing inside.

Danny watched the small ghost as it whimpered. It was holding a leg up, obviously suffering from some kind of injury to its leg.

Wulf reappeared moments later and again knelt in front of the creature. Its ears went down, uncertain, but allowed the large ghost to look at its leg, giving a small hiss when it was moved the wrong way.

Wulf lovingly cared for the animal, wrapping its leg and patting its head in comfort, before giving it some food to eat.

Danny sighed and ran a hand down his face. Wulf was a kind and gentle ghost, only becoming violent if absolutely necessary. He'd likely killed far less things than Danny had. How could he just abduct such a kind soul and ship him off to be killed?

As Danny watched, more and more animals seemed to materialize out of the forest, congregating near the large ghost. It was obvious he took care of them and, as Danny looked around more and spotted the pots full of saplings, he was obviously caretaker of the forest as well.

Slowly, the young ghost's indecision shifted to one side. He couldn't–wouldn't–take Wulf and send him to his doom. He would have to come up with something, some way to protect his kids, because there was no way he could continue to be a murderer of good people.

With a last glance at Wulf, Danny left, trying to formulate a plan in his mind that would ensure the protection of his children and prevent Mira from getting more ghosts.

–

11/26/24: What's Danny going to do now? You'll have to keep reading to see!