Danny Phantom Fan Fiction ❯ Danny Phantom -- Return of The Reign ❯ Breaking Free--Part One ( Chapter 12 )

Please enjoy this chapter, though I don't really like it much...

 

 

~~CHAPTER TWELVE~~

~~BREAKING FREE--PART ONE~~

 

David tried to console Jack, who was crying his head off at all his lost weapons and other items that were still in his caved-in home.

 

The Fenton family, as well as Vlad, was now residing in the home of the Bakers, which they were completely grateful for, though they still missed their own home. The other kids and their parents, however, had quickly returned to their own home, but not before thanking the Fentons for saving them. (Though both Sam and her mother had to nudge Jeremy in the ribs.)

 

Before Helen and Summer left, however, Summer turned back to Danny when he called her name.

 

“…I'm sorry.” Danny said. “I tried so hard to get her back, but…and--and I know that you gotta be the most miserable out of all of us. You've known her longer…”

 

“Yeah…” Summer said. “…But you've given her things I still can't really…”

 

“Like what?”

 

“…I dunno. I just know you've got something…and whatever you do, when you get her back, don't lose it…” Summer added a tiny smirk before leaving.

 

Everybody was sitting in the Living Room, trying to calm down and collect their thoughts before they settled in, and Maddie noticed something after a long while “Kelly…” She said as she turned to the said woman. “Where's Alissa?”

The Bakers, as well as Danny, practically stopped breathing. “Uh…w--well…” Kelly started. “She's, uh…”

 

“Kelly, dear, didn't you say that Alison was going to spend the night with Summer?” Vlad suddenly spoke.

 

“What?” Kelly asked, turning towards the man.

 

“Yes, that's right…Alison went to visit Summer to…hang out, I believe the term is; but when the ghosts struck, she decided to stay with Summer for the night, correct?” Vlad went on.

 

“…O--oh! Yes, that's--that's it…how could I've forgotten?” Kelly giggled nervously.

 

“Oh, I see…” Maddie said. “And she'll be back tomorrow?”

 

Again, the room fell silent.

 

“…Y'know, you really shouldn't get into a teenage girl's personal life, huh, Mom?” Jazz piped up, pushing her parents toward the stairs. “Why don't we just get settled?”

 

As the Fenton family, expect for Danny, disappeared up the steps, David suddenly grabbed Vlad by the shirt collar and pulled him extremely close. “Don't expect a `thank you' for that. It's your fault she's gone.” He hissed spitefully.

 

“I wasn't looking for one.” Vlad answered as he went intangible and released himself from David's grasp. “And F.Y.I., it wasn't entirely my fault.” He crossed his arms. “If your daughter knew how to keep her temper in check, none of this would've happened.”

 

David was about to punch Vlad in the face but Kelly held him back. “Not with the Fentons here!”

 

“I'm sorry to tell you this, but…I saw the changed Lisa Phantasm with my own eyes. I can tell; she's no longer the girl any of you know.” Vlad then turned to Danny. “And if worse comes to worse, Daniel…you know what you'll have to do.”

 

Those words made Danny's blood run ice-cold.

 

Kelly clamped her hands over her mouth to hold in her shriek.

 

Again, David tried to lunge at Vlad, but this time, Danny held him back, but barely, due to their height difference.

 

The attempted attack was brought up short when the Fentons came back and were looking down from the railing, asking what on Earth was going on.

 

“Uh…” Danny started as he pulled away from David. “…Just…having an intense conversation. Hey, are our beds ready? I'm exhausted. I think I'd better turn in before I have a midnight snack, I'm starving…see you guys later. Bye!” What Danny said made absolutely no sense even to him but he rushed right up the stairs and slammed the door.

 

Everybody left in the room exchanged glances before Jazz uncomfortably said that she was heading off to bed herself.

 

Danny, who was told to stay in Alissa's room, looked around the emptiness sadly. He slowly walked over to her bed and sat, sighing heavily. As he looked around her room once more, he remembered when Alissa came into his room the following morning after the first ghost attack.

 

 

“You wanna be an astronaut? Cool!”

Alissa had succeeded in awaking Danny when his alarm had failed. She was then looking around his room, admiring everything…except the mess, though she knew her room was no better.

 

“What made you decide you wanted to become an astronaut?” Alissa questioned as she sat upon his bed, closely examined one of Danny's rocket models.

 

“Um…I don't really remember. Must've been something when I was really, really young.” Danny said; he was still in bed, but wide-awake. “Y'know…” He smiled. “I actually went into space once in a ghost fight.”

 

Alissa gasped, her mouth open in the shape of a smile. “You lie!”

 

“Ali, it's me! Remember? I'm terrible at lying!”

 

“That's amazing! How was it?”

 

Danny sighed dreamily. “It was…incredible…beautiful, even…for a spit second, I even forgot that the only reason I was up there was because I was in the middle of a fight. I never, ever thought I'd get up there…

 

“What? How can you have a dream for the future if all you do is dream?”

“…I don't think I'll ever make it officially…”

 

Alissa's eyes grew sad at the knowledge of Danny's trepidation. However, she smiled gently and placed the rocket safely on the bed. She strolled over to the boy and kissed him softly on his head.

 

“You helped me achieve one of my dreams; you gave me three best friends, including yourself…I'll help you achieve yours in any way I can.”

 

 

Danny harshly shook his head, dissolving the memory. He couldn't afford looking into the past now; it would only hurt him.

 

Danny made himself fall back, his head perfectly hitting the pillow. He quickly fell asleep.

 

~

 

Lisa tossed and turned in her sleep, moaning and groaning. As she dreamt, the only thing that filled her mind was all the times she had seen Danny tonight, especially his face when she had rescued him and his sister. She could see something shining in his eyes…something like…unsure hope.

 

Lisa made a sound similar to a choked gasp as she awoke, shooting her body up. Panting, she looked around, seeing her surroundings and recognizing it as Nightshade's room. She gently brought her palm to her face, breathing a little softer, though she still sweated. It was sad, yet beautiful, the way Danny had stared at her after she rescued him…such a soft, gentle face that refused to leave her mind.

 

…I…

 

…I have to see him!

 

~

 

It wasn't long before Danny woke up himself, his own dreams restless.

 

“ALI!” Danny cried just before his eyes snapped open. He groaned as he remembered where he was and got off the bed, feeling ridiculous when he realized that he hadn't even removed his shoes.

 

The young ghost hunter walked over to Alissa's dresser, which had a mirror on top of it. He sighed as he looked at his reflection. What am I gonna do? Apparently, she felt nothing after saving me…

 

Danny gasped when he saw Lisa's reflection hovering just above his own.

 

“Ali--??” Danny spoke as he turned, but Lisa quickly slammed her hand against his mouth, causing muffled shouts from him.

 

“Shh…!” Lisa hissed, bringing her index finger of her other hand to her lips. “You; me; outside; NOW. We need to talk.”

 

With that, Lisa pulled her hand from Danny's face and began to rise. Just before she flew through the roof, she looked back down at the Halfa, who didn't budge an inch.

 

“This isn't a trap!” Lisa insisted. “Get up here!”

 

In truth, Danny did want to talk to her, hoping to bring her back, but still knew that, at the moment, she wasn't to be trusted. However, his reliability towards her won and he gently flew up with her without transforming.

 

They both went up the half-destroyed rooftop, Lisa sitting on the railing while grasping it as well, and Danny simply standing there in front of her. For a moment, they both remained silent.

 

“…Uh…” Danny started shakily, keeping in mind that one wrong word could ruin everything. “…So…what did you wanna talk about?”

 

Lisa's face seemed to hold nothing besides ferocity, yet when she spoke, her voice was soft. “…What is a friend?”

 

“…Huh?”

 

“You heard me.” Lisa stood up. “I asked you what the definition of `friend' was.”

 

Danny's eyes were heightened slightly. He had recalled when he first saw her under Nightshade's clutches once more, and she had asked him before what a friend was. “…Um…a friend is…err…how do I put it?”

 

“Why is it so hard for you to answer?” Lisa crossed her arms.

 

“Well…because a friend isn't really someone you describe…that, and I don't have a dictionary on me right now.”

 

Lisa raised an eyebrow at Danny and turned away slightly, walking a couple of steps. “I do know that your…friendship…is what makes you fight alongside each other and rescue each other…” She stopped walking and turned back to him. “Is a friend a simpler name for a battle comrade?”

 

“No. Not really…I mean, they can help with stuff like that if they really want to, but fighting with you in battle isn't exactly the right meaning…” Danny said. “…A friend is…well, a bunch of stuff, not just a comrade.”

 

“`A bunch of stuff' like what?” Lisa asked, getting exasperated.

 

Danny looked down, but then brought his head back up. “Hold on…!” He held his palms out in front of the Drifter. “Stay right there…” He said before he sank back beneath the roof.

 

Lisa leaned over, staring at where he had disappeared, and raised her eyebrow again. She gasped slightly when the boy rose back up and was holding some sort of book. She noticed the title of it. “…Scrapbook?”

 

“Uh-huh!” Danny said, opening it. “These are a whole bunch of photos that were taken when my friends and I did stuff! Maybe they can give you an idea of what a friend is.”

 

Lisa's eyes skimmed over the photographs. Most of the shots were either the gang at the beach, mall, even their own houses, and showed them doing either some kind of enjoyable activity…or one of them if not most of them doing something incredibly stupid and resulting in a very awkward photo. For example, apparently, Tucker had apparently made Sam mad, and the shot was Tucker running toward the camera with Sam following close behind him. The next shot was an accidental one; it seemed to be on the ground as it snapped the photo, for all three of them were on the ground, extremely dizzy.

 

Lisa felt something tugging at her lips and realized that it was a smile. “Are friends…are friends…those who love you?”

 

“Yes! Yeah, exactly…!” Danny smiled brightly. “They're those who you, y'know, talk to, laugh with, have fun with, trust…”

 

Lisa's face fell somewhat; she had never felt such emotions before…and she definitely had never felt this one emotion she was feeling now. She was about to ask something else before one particular photo caught her eye. “Who…who's this?”

 

“This?” Danny asked as he glanced down at the photo. “…Ohh...” He looked back up. “…You won't believe me if I tell you, but…that's you…Ali…”

 

Lisa gasped.

 

The photo was, apparently, of a birthday party; 14th birthday party, to be exact. The group was there, including Summer and Alissa. She looked so happy with one arm linked around Summer's and her other around Danny's.

 

“…W--why do you keep calling me by this girl? Look at me! I'm entirely different!”

 

“That's not true!” Danny cried with a little more volume than he wanted. He looked down in slight embarrassment before walking closer to Lisa. “I know you don't remember, but that's Nightshade's fault!”

 

“…How?” Lisa's face slowly became angry.

 

“If you want me to explain…you have to promise you'll believe me.”

 

Lisa was about to protest before her eyes fell upon the photo of the party once more. As she looked at the redhead's gleeful face, she felt something warm wash over her…it felt similar to what she guessed the other girl was feeling. Safe…wanted…happy…loved. As she looked up into Danny's clear blue eyes, the feeling washed over her again.

 

All faithfulness and fear toward her Master faded away as she regained her seating on the railing with this simple statement. “…Tell me everything.”

 

Danny's eyes widened; he didn't fully expect to get through to the girl so quickly. But he smiled, closed the scrapbook, and joined Lisa in her seat.

 

“…It's…kinda long.”

 

“I figured it would be. Just tell me.”

 

“Okay…uh…” Danny gazed up at the stars.

 

As the two began to converse, a shadow ghost was watching them, shock in his eyes. He quickly flew away.

 

~

 

Luckily, Pariah had still not noticed his missing ring. Nightshade was going over to Lisa's room to inform her of this and gasped, however, when he saw the room to be empty. Before he could re-gather his thoughts, he saw the shadow ghost fly up to him.

 

“…WHAT?!”

 

Once the ghost had told everything he witnessed, Nightshade grabbed him by grabbing his chest and pulling him closer, making it appear like he was pulling at him by a shirt. “Are you sure?!”

“Affirmative. I saw it with my own eyes.”

 

Nightshade growled lowly, releasing the ghost. “Lisa CANNOT betray us.”

 

~

 

“So…I'm not…really a ghost?”

 

Danny shook his head. “…I'm sorry.”

 

Lisa looked down. “…Suddenly…things are actually starting to make sense…” Her hands balled into fists. “…Where do you think my body is now?”

 

“Nightshade probably has it hidden somewhere in his lair.”

 

More silence.

 

“…Can I ask something else?”

 

“Sure. What?”

 

“Who was the spooky chick in black that I tried to kill?”

 

Danny's eyes widened and he wasn't really quite sure whether he should scream or laugh. “Uh…that would be…Sam?” He bent over and picked up the scrapbook from the ground, flipping through it. “Here we are!” He showed Lisa a page that was filled mostly with shots of himself and Sam.

 

Lisa felt something sting within her as her eyes fell upon the photos, especially at the ones where Sam was hugging Danny. “…That's her.”

“You tried to hurt her?!”

“You and your mini-version of you, whatever she was, weren't there at the moment, but I had your friends and their families captured and the minute I laid my eyes on that girl, I was suddenly overcome with the extreme desire to hurt her…a lot.”

 

Danny paled.

 

“So…if what you say about me is true…and I used to know her…did we hate each other?”

“No! …At least…I don't think you did…well, you fought a lot, I'll say that…” Danny's mind then suddenly remembered back at school, when Alissa's powers first got out of control.

 

 

“I wish you'd just DIE, Sam!”

 

 

Danny's eyes winced; he knew something was off then, and he couldn't stop it…

 

“…Sam, her name was?”

 

Danny nodded.

“Tell me…is she…how do you humans put it…your lovebird?”

 

Danny's eyes were so close to rolling out of his head at that and his face went totally dark with red. “…N--NO!”

 

“Shh! Shh! Shh!” Lisa hissed, pressing her hand to Danny's mouth. “Do you wanna wake up the entire town?!” She pulled her hand away after a brief moment. “Now, try that again, and try not to screech.”

 

“Sam and I are NOT lovebirds! She and I are just extremely overprotective of each other since we've been friends since, like, ever!”

 

“Oh…”

 

“Why do you ask?”

“Well…I figured that maybe…if she was in love with you, then she and I probably fight endlessly because she was jealous of me…”

 

Danny blinked a few times at that before covering his mouth with his hand, trying to conceal his laughter. Sam?! In love with HIM?! Honestly!

 

Lisa covered her mouth herself, her laughter lighter than his. She then looked down, as if in deep thought.

“…What?”

“Something…someth ing strange happened right before I saved you and your sister…it's…almost like I could read your mind, but it wasn't your mind…it was more like…your heart.”

 

Danny stared at the Drifter before lowering his gaze to his chest. “…My heart?”

 

“Yeah…” Lisa went on as she gently placed her hand upon Danny's chest, unable to stop herself from savoring the feel of his muscles tensing briefly before relaxing. “…While your sister kept begging you to leave while you still could, I could hear you constantly refusing to, and…I could also hear your heart, your very soul, saying something else…it was something like, `I won't leave you, Jazz…' or something…

 

“I know that human minds usually speak of common sense, and the heart speaks of what you truly want to do and how you feel…so…it's like if you feeling an particularly strong emotion, which is more the heart than the mind, like…panic, then I would hear your heart apparently make up a sentence relating to that, such as `Help! I'm panicking! I'm panicking!' or something like that…”

“Huh…” Danny spoke. “…I think I get it.”

 

“I do, too, but I don't understand how our souls gained such a bond…”

 

Danny thought; he then widened his eyes with a soft blush forming. He averted his eyes and mumbled, “…The kiss…”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Um, uh…” Danny started, breaking into a sweat. “Ah…please--please don't hurt me when I say this, but…see, back when you were on our side, you were…you were kinda…in…in love with me…”

Lisa blinked at him in extreme surprise and confusion, then turned her eyes away. “…I could see that…”

 

“What?”

Lisa turned back to him. “Nothing! Go on…”

 

“Um…and…well, because of that, you kissed me…a few times, may I add…and, well, the first time you kissed me, you were as a Drifter, your soul…and, well, I don't know if it happened because I was also in ghost mode, but…I guess when our spirits interacted in such a strong way of love and trust…” Danny shrugged. “Silly, right?”

Lisa made a small sound of agreement in her throat. “But kinda sweet…” She turned from the Ghost Boy. “…Back in the Ghost Zone, we may know of love and all those other human emotions, but I've hardly ever seen it in the little time I've been there; only power, greed, and wickedness…even in your home, when it's in deep, dark danger…I see people hold each other tightly, children running to their friends, siblings, parents, whatever…they haven't forgotten how much they care for each other even when their lives are in peril.”

 

“Are you kidding? Sometimes, when people know they're in trouble, protecting the ones they love or going to them for comfort is pretty much the first thing that comes to their mind!”

 

“…Humans are so weird…”

 

“They can be.” Danny shrugged with a smile. His smile then faded when the silence went on and Lisa didn't move. “…Lisa…?”

“No.”

 

“No?”

“That's not my name, right?”

 

“Uh…well, right now, yes…”

 

“But is it my real name?”

“…No…”

 

“If what you said about me is true, then call me Ali, like you used to…”

 

“…You sure?”

Lisa turned back to him, about to answer, but she then gasped.

 

“What? What?!” Danny cried.

 

“You…y--you--you're…” Lisa couldn't speak properly. She slowly raised her hands up to cup Danny's face.

 

“…You're glowing…”

 

“Huh? What're you talking about? You're glowing, too.”

 

“No! Not that way!” Lisa's fingers gently started to stroke his face. “You're glowing…brighter…and a different color…”

 

Danny blinked in confusion, but his eyes widened gently as realization dawned. “…My aura…”

 

“Aura?”

“Yeah! One of our friends told us about them! Something about soul vibrations and what we really are on the inside…what's it look like? What color is it?”

 

“It's…it's beautiful…” Lisa murmured. “…It's…it's a bright, bright, golden, and I can see it spreading from out to here.” So saying, she took one of her hands and pulled it away from Danny's face, stopping when her hand was quite a few inches from his face.

 

“Wow…” Danny muttered, then gasped in surprise when Lisa's hands suddenly left his face and took his own hands into them, interlacing their fingers.

 

“…I…I can trust you…your aura is telling me that you have a beautiful heart and a kind spirit…you may also be a bit big-headed…and maybe a bit clueless…and yet…I know…you wouldn't do anything to me…”

 

“No! I wouldn't! I swear…”

 

“…Danny?”

 

Danny couldn't help but gasp so gently, it was almost inaudible. He hadn't heard his name come from the changed Lisa until just now, and it felt…odd. Odd, yet comforting, as if telling him that there was still hope. “…Y--yes…Ali?”

 

“If I really was your friend once…but I was swayed by Nightshade…then why are you bothering with a weakling like me? If I was that easily brainwashed, then maybe I'm not worth it…”

“No! None of this was your fault. And you're not a weakling! There's no one to blame but Nightshade. And I refuse to lose you to him!”

 

“…Really? …Maybe…this entire mess with Nightshade…was for the best.”

“What? How??”

 

“Well…” Danny and Lisa's faces inched ever so closer. “If he hadn't made me a Drifter in the first place…then…we never would've met…”

 

“Well done, Lisa.”

 

Both supernatural teens tensed up with wide eyes. They turned their heads upward and gasped when they saw Nightshade hovering above them, as well as his raven pets.

 

“Your performance was extraordinarily keen. Now we have the Ghost Boy right where we want him…”

 

Danny's eyes widened and he felt his heart shatter. “…W--what?” He stuttered, turning to Lisa.

 

“NO!” Lisa quickly cried, eyes wide in fret. “I didn't set you up, I swear! I didn't have anything to do with this!”

 

Before the shattered fragments of hope could repair, Nightshade ordered his birds to strike Danny down. They quickly flew down to him, their innocent faces suddenly becoming terrifying; they even grew fangs. They all shoved Danny to the floor.

 

“NOOOOO!!” Lisa cried before quickly flying over and blasting at the birds, careful not to hurt Danny.

 

Nightshade growled. So it was true… “Bring them both down! I don't care how!”

 

A fight then ensued between the two teens and the ravens. Danny fired many Ghost Rays whenever the birds came near him, but one came from behind and was about to fire at him with Ghost Rays from the eyes, but Lisa blasted it away. However, that caused another one to fly at her. She grabbed its wings in a desperate attempt to keep it back. She was getting pushed back until her back met with Danny's; she turned to him and saw that he was in the exact same situation.

 

“Wait a minute…” Lisa began, her eyebrow raised. “Why aren't your family and friends awakening from this ruckus?”

 

~

As the battle went on, everybody in the house was wearing a pair of Fenton Earplugs given courteously by Maddie so that they wouldn't hear Jack's loud snoring. Conversely, this also caused them to not hear anything else.

 

~

“Who knows?” Danny answered as he continued his wrestle.

 

“Unnnggg…” Lisa groaned as she began to weaken. She fell on one knee. “I can't keep this up much longer!”

 

As if taking that as their cue, all the other ravens dove down, about to strike the two.

 

Ghost Rays of green and blue suddenly shot out and struck all the birds, including the ones that Danny and Lisa were struggling with.

 

Danny gasped with a smile at their saviors.

 

“Danny! No matter what, keep Lisa away from Nightshade!” Sapphire commanded as she flew down and fought with one of the birds.

 

One by one, all of the other good ghosts arrived and fought with the ravens.

 

Although the residents of the Bakers' household still slept, the rest of the populace of Amity Park were watching through the safety of their houses, gasping and gasping in awe.

 

“You're not taking her from me again!” Danny proclaimed before lunging at Nightshade. “Ali, run!”

 

Lisa clenched her fists while gazing at Danny, turned her gaze at the other ghosts, and then looked back at Danny. “…W--where should I go?!”

“Anywhere but here! Just RUN!”

 

Lisa nodded reluctantly and flew upward.

 

“I wouldn't, dear apprentice!” Nightshade said as he then struggled his arm from Danny's grasp and snapped his fingers.

 

Just then, as if it was a signal, all the ghost ravens took a firm grab on the ghost they were fighting against and crashed them into each other, still holding onto them. They then spread out their wings, which began to crackle in dark ecto-electricity, and zapped the captive ghosts with them.

 

“NO!” Both Danny and Lisa cried as they watched their companions scream in pain.

 

Just then, Nightshade grabbed Danny's arm with the one that was freed and attacked him with his own Ghost Stinger.

 

“NO! NO! ENOUGH! STOOOP!!” Lisa screeched.

 

“Return to me…that is, if you're still on my side.” Nightshade said darkly. “Come to me…swear to never associate with our enemies again…and I shall make them a lovely addition to my minions instead of destroying them.”

 

Lisa gasped. She turned toward Dani and the others, who were trying to keep in their cries of pain, and she then turned to Danny, seeing him wince an eye open at her; she exhaled sharply in horror when she saw a single tear fall down the Ghost Boy's eye.

 

Shaking her fists, Lisa stared right into Nightshade's eyes, both pairs of crimson in a battle that ended in mere moments with Lisa as the victor.

 

“No.”

 

With that, Lisa fired an intense Ghost Ray at the birds attacking the ally ghosts, causing them to disappear and Dani and the others to fall to the ground panting.

 

Lisa then fired a Ghost Ray at Nightshade, but instead of being knocked down, he threw Danny aside and fired another Ghost Stinger from his hand; it combined with Lisa's Ghost Ray and zapped right back at her. She screamed as she crashed into the roof.

 

“A--ALI!!” Danny cried as he attempted to crawl over to her, but he could feel his eyes dropping. He wasn't going completely unconscious; he wasn't about to look like he had fallen asleep, but he was becoming still less and less alert. “…Ali…”

 

Nightshade slung his arms around both of the teens' waists. “Pleasant dreams…” He said cruelly to all of them, including Dani and the others, giving a dark glare at the captured Lisa…

 

~

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