Side 1, Separate
By. Anthiena
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. This story is the unofficial companion-piece to Side 2, Merge by Bluemoonalto of DannyPhantomOnline forums. I highly recommend both the site and and the story.

AN: Phantom's POV. The story was originally going to be left at what happened when Danny flew through the Fenton Ghost Catcher the first time, but the idea just wouldn't leave me alone. I do believe I got the horror feel of it right. I may write other one-shot stories... and I may post my fic based off TUE and "The Crack" which is also horror. It is meant to contrast with Bluemoonalto's fic. If you can't tell, Phantom isn't exactly telling this story in an entirely reliable manner.

I didn't figure it out at first. All I knew was a terrible sense of emptiness and cold. I felt so... sad. I then felt at a loss. What had happened? Who was I? What was I? Then little things came; my sister's voice, Sam's face, Tucker's PDA, my mom's hair, protecting my dad...

Protector... that was all that mattered...

I looked around at my surroundings and I remembered: I am Phantom-Danny Phantom-but Danny Fenton looked at me from the floor, a look of blank shock on his face. He and I were supposed to be the same person-right?

For a moment, I wasn't sure until we both cried out in shared horror. We are supposed to be one; we are supposed to protect each other; we are each other's mirrored self. I couldn't protect him if we weren't together. I needed no other reasons, no other actions could be justified or needed to be. I saw the strangest look on Fenton's face as he got up and I drew close.

It was then that I rejoined him.

Sometimes, I wondered. When we were separated the first time, I couldn't remember everything. Last time, I could, from both sides. It was such a drag being human sometimes-silly things scared me, like a stupid test. Ghosts don't even scare me anymore, not since Pariah. It should make things like a test look... oh, I don't know, what's the word... little? It still bothered and scared me and I didn't like it.

I opened that stupid manilla folder, breaking the seal, ready for my bright future... Only it didn't turn out that way. I know only anger; everything was going just fine for me as a ghost... it was the human, Fenton- and the human Masters. He promised it would stop hurting. He would throw me away! Not all my emotions were gone, but I know what will fix it.

I knock the... whatever they are-out of Vlad's hands and use them to rip out the thing he blamed for everything: his ghost. As I drop the gauntlets (or whatever they are,) I see both my humanity and Vlad's ghost, unconcious or dazed, didn't matter. Go back... or..? I dove for Plasmius, the ghost never even opening his eyes.

It was then that I overshadowed him.

and then-

Everything is as it should be.

His fate is sealed.