Disclaimer: I do NOT own Danny Phantom. Which sucks. I'd love to have a cute ghost boy to do my dirty work.

Full Summary: "If you're reading this then we have failed. You have no idea who I am, who you are, or who you've sacrificed everything for. I'm sorry for that, but as you'll soon discover it was necessary." When Danny sold his soul to keep Dani alive he thought life couldn't get worse.

He was wrong.

Apparently, he is now half dead and a Shadow Keeper. In other words, a Reaper. He, along with a few others, is in charge of collecting souls who refuse to pass on. Most of them have committed some crime against nature, like murder or suicide.

Imagine his surprise when Dani's one of them.

Keeper of Shadows

Chapter Five: Patrol

The Keepers were divided into groups for the patrol so they could cover more ground. The groups were Ember and I, Valerie and Tucker, Jazz and Kitty, and Johnny and Amorpho. We would split up at the Border so we could all take a different part of America. I asked about the other continents and Jazz told me we weren't the only group of Keepers out there. I thought about asking more, but decided I didn't want to know.

To get to the human world we had to pass through a portal. There was one about a half-hour away that appeared hourly and only stayed for about five minutes. We all left the house (which didn't show up outside except for a purple door) and flew through the Ghost Zone, a green and black void with scatterings of floating islands and doors. It was a strangely beautiful sight, and unlike any afterlife I'd ever heard of. While we flew Ember explained that there was no clear cut Heaven and Hell. Just states of being.

"What do we do with the souls once we catch them?" I questioned Ember when we reached the portal. It looked like a black hole, something I'd seen in a few books I'd read at the library with Dani, only green. The other Keepers wasted no time in flying through, but Ember stayed back for a second with me to answer my question.

"You are going to use this." She took one of the silver cylinders from her belt and gave it to me. Her face was hard, focused, and barely even glanced at me when I gave her a disbelieving look.

"Are you kidding? This is a thermos." This was something kids used at school during lunch time, not a tool Reapers used.

Right?

Ember acted like I hadn't said anything and just started to instruct me on how to use it. "Point it at the spirit, unscrew the lid, and the spirit will get sucked right up. We charm these things so we don't have to use any more of our powers than necessary. It saves our energy. Once the spirits are inside they can't come out unless you say the word "release". Very useful. Anyway, that's about it. Come on, we should leave now before the portal closes."

Without another word she unhooked her own thermos and flew into the portal. I hesitated, but followed her. I didn't want to be left alone out here. Ember said...things flew around the Ghost Zone and I'd rather not get surprised.

Going through a portal is a weird experience. It literally takes less than a second, but I still somehow felt slightly nauseous. I'm in the Ghost zone and not even a heartbeat later I'm somewhere else completely.

The first thing I saw when I passed through was Ember's black clothed back. Her wild, blue hair was waving in the breeze and a slight green glow surrounded her. You'd think it'd make her look sick or freakish, but it just added to her surreal beauty. She was standing on a cliff over looking a small town, thermos in hand. The night sky stretched overhead, the light of the moon and stars just enough to see by.

I walked over to Ember and stood next to her, gripping my own thermos in a white-knuckled grip. I'd never admit it out loud, but I was nervous. I was about to fight angry ghosts for the first time in my life without the slightest bit of training first. Can you blame me for being a bit apprehensive?

"Nice night," I said, my eyes fixed firmly on the horizon. Oh, God, did I seriously just say that? Why was I acting like an awkward teenager on his first date?

"It's okay." Ember shrugged and crossed her arms. It was a distinctly defensive gesture, one I had to train myself out of when living on the streets. I winced when I realized Ember thought she had to protect herself. I didn't know how to fix what I just screwed up.

"We're in a town called Amity Park right now," Ember told me. She rolled her shoulders like she was getting ready for a fight. "There's a few spirits here we need to collect and then we'll move somewhere else. Better get started." She took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff. I couldn't help giving a small gasp, even though I knew she could fly.

And fly she did. She shot up into the sky, did a small flip, and stood in the air with her hands on her hips, waiting for me. Before I could chicken out, I ran to the edge of the cliff like Ember did and jumped right off. Wind screamed in my ears and my eyes watered as I fell. My mouth opened in a silent scream. I was sure I'd splatter on the ground below, but just as I crossed my arms over my face in protection...I stopped.

I opened one eye and saw I was about one inch away from the dirt. I was levitating. A breathless laugh escaped me and I actually floated higher. It was like the wind was shifting underneath me. I tested it and flew up a few feet. I laughed again and urged myself to go faster. I took off like the police were chasing me (In other words, pretty damn fast.) to where Ember was hovering. My white hair was plastered to my face and a grin stretched all the way to my ears.

"I told you you'd be a natural," Ember bragged as she took in my ruffled appearance. "Just like Jazz said, most of this is instinct. You'll get it."

"Maybe," I agreed. "But, flying here is not like flying in the Ghost Zone. You could've warned me. I think I left my stomach back on that cliff."

Ember chuckled. "Sorry. It's different because there's gravity here. There isn't in the Ghost Zone. Besides, I knew you'd be fine."

Too exhilarated to be angry, I just laughed again and did a little flip like Ember did. This had to be the best part of becoming a Shadow Keeper. Ember was smiling as she watched me, letting me have my fun before we had to work.

I tried to stifle my glee and put on my best serious face. "Sorry, Ember. You probably want to get started, right?" I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling.

She shook her head. "Yeah, we should start. But, don't worry. I'll take you somewhere later so you can fly some more, okay?"

"Really?" I immediately regretted the word slip. I sounded way too excited. My cheeks actually started to feel warm. Seriously? Half dead and I could still blush? I angrily willed the heat away before Ember could notice.

"Sure, Danny." Ember didn't seem to notice my mistake. She just pointed to Amity park with a slight smile on her pale face. "After you."

I nodded and started to fly where she pointed. She followed me, both of us going moderately paced. I assumed we had to look for the ghosts so that meant not going too fast.

We flew in silence, both of us glancing around the area for any spirits. I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking for exactly, but Ember said I would know when I spotted one.

The town was quiet and there were no lights on in any of the houses I saw. Must've been really late at night. I made a mental note to ask Ember why we came so late later.

A sudden feeling of coldness jolted through my body. I gasped and a blue mist escaped my mouth. I clamped my hand over it, my eyes wide as I turned to Ember. She was tense and held her thermos in front of her like a weapon.

"That was your Ghost Sense, Danny. It means a spirit is near." She spoke in a harsh whisper. "Do you see anything?"

I removed my hand from my mouth and held my thermos in front of me like she did. I looked around the street we where on. The trees on the sidewalks were bare, and dead leaves littered the street. The...wait.

My eyes narrowed as I stared at the barren trees. The last time I'd seen a tree was about two days ago, and they still had all their leaves. Sure, they were beginning to change color, but they couldn't have all fallen in such a short time.

So...

"This doesn't make any sense," I muttered out loud. I ran a hand through my white hair. "Ember, you said my changing only lasted a day and I was awake last night. That's two days total. Something doesn't add up." I glanced at her for answers.

She carefully avoided my eyes. "Danny, now's so not the time for this. A spirit's here and if we're not focused-"

"Ember, how much time passed here?"

"Danny, for the love of God, we need to-"

"How much time, Ember?" My voice wasn't a whisper anymore. A deep fear was rooting itself inside me. Dani could've-

Dani. I squeezed my eyes shut. Oh, God, I almost forgot about her. She was the reason I wanted to go to the world of the living in the first place, but I'd been so distracted...

"Please, Danny, listen to me." Ember had no trouble meeting my gaze now. She stared pleadingly at me and even held out her hand. "I'll tell you everything, I promise, but right now we need to-" Her eyes widened. "DANNY, LOOK OUT!"

AN: Hey, guys!Two things. First, SO SORRY about the wait. I'd give you a bunch of excuses, but there's only one that can truly sum it all up. Life. Things happen. Chapters go unwritten. You get it.

Second, I've thought of another idea for a story. Tell me if you think I should publish it! The summary is below!

Summary: Everyone fears surgery going wrong, Danny Fenton included. It's normal and, most of the time, an unnecessary worry. When Danny wakes up everything seems normal. He gets checked out of the hospital, goes home, and sleeps off the drugs. Days pass. Life goes on.

And then he gets kidnapped.

Confused and scared, Danny discovers the doctor from his surgery implanted something inside him. Something these people are willing to anything to get back.

Including killing him and carving it out of his dead body.

Tell me what'cha think in a review or PM!

SAM IS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! PROMISE!