Danny didn't know how to feel about all the strange looks Perdu kept giving him.

He didn't know how to feel about a lot of things.

Danny heard so many stories and possibilities of the Ghost Zone. None of them were even close to the truth.

The green was in so many shades, mixed with backlashes of purple. Things drifted without explanation or reason. But it was really the feel, a buzz of strange energy that got him. The wildness of the forgotten, whispers of the old and ancient. It was both overwhelming and enthralling.

He huddled closer to Phantom, who held him bridal style, with eyes wide and held on tight. The only person keeping him adrift and from falling to the void that ends in god-knows-where.

Phantom re-adjusted his grip and gave Danny a concerned look "Um... are you ok?"

Danny kept his eyes on the ghost zone "Doesn't it... doesn't it bother you?" Didn't Phantom feel it? Phantom was a ghost, after all. Wasn't this his home?

Phantom looked back at the Ghost Zone "Well, to be honest it is kinda creepy. But, I mean, I could get used to this." a beat "Does anyone know which way we're supposed to be going?"

Everyone slowed to a stop.

Danny pointed a bit to the left "That way,"

"what- how do you even know?" Perdu squeaked.

Danny hesitated, all that guided him was a familiar taste of energy that pulled him to the right way like a compass. "Just- just, trust me on this."

Phantom and Perdu gave each other a glance, Phantom looked back at Danny "what did she say?"

"She wants to know how I know which way to go," Danny said

"Ah, that makes sense," Phantom replied.

The group then started moving. Perdu drifted closer to Danny "This- this is so weird."

Danny snorted "you're telling me. I'm in a mirror dimension, hunting down your mom on a school night-"

She shook her head "not that," Perdu nodded her head towards Phantom "him." Her ruby eyes flickered back at Danny "And you too."

She looked towards the abyss of green "Humans don't just know ghost speak, ghosts do. It's a language within a language. A basics for everyone to fall back on when the eons and eons of nomenclature became too much of anyone to keep track anymore."

She looked back at Danny "for example, when I was alive, all I knew was old French. In mindset, such a small part of the Ghost Zone knows such a language."

"But, can't you understand English?" Danny asked Perdu.

"Somewhat. I was taught some English as well. But it was old English and I had long since forgot or cared to learn to speak it."

Danny considered it, "Fair enough," he re-adjusted his glasses "what about Nameholders? Can you tell me about those?"

She paused "Ghost, we... we can forget who we are with too much ease with all things considering." She stared back at the emptiness, considering her words. "Time does that to any individual. And when we forget or apart from our Nameholder for too long, our obsession takes over making anyone like... well, like my mother."

Danny glanced at Phantom, who looked as confused as hell, and made a silent promise to fill him in later then looked back at Perdu "Alright, but can't arguably anyone do that? And what makes names so important?"

She shook her head "I don't know why names hold such power. They just do. And no, not anyone. There's a bond made when one becomes a Nameholder. It can take years to earn that kind of trust-"

"whoa- hold on a second, years? I just became Phantoms' Nameholder by accident." Danny then pointed right "we also need to go this way now."

Phantom frowned "dude, you're not speaking English. Haven't been for a while now."

Danny blinked "really?"

Phantom nodded "That's better. Yeah, what did you say?"

"We need to go right."

Phantom looked at the general direction "Got it."

Danny also decided to also apologize for not keeping Phantom in the loop when they got home. He looked back at Perdu "what... what do you mean by years-"

"What do you mean by accident?!" Perdu snapped back

Danny raised his hands "I- look! We were in the closet and stressed out, 'cause your mom was out to get us, then Phantom spit out his name and it just- went on from there?"

Perdu snapped her head to Phantom's direction, and her lips curled to a snarl "you're an idiot."

Phantom rolled his eyes "I can't understand you" he huffed.

She turned back to Danny with fists clinched "tell him that he's an idiot."

"um, Phantom? She wants me to tell you that you're an idiot."

"ouch." Was Phantom's input "but why?"

"The closet incident." Danny clarified

"... Oh." Phantom paused "yeah, that was kinda stupid."

Perdu, however, was teeming. "How- how can you be so calm?! Your entire existence relies on-" She pointed to Danny "on him" She dropped her hand "No offence."

"None taken." Danny muttered. Then, suddenly he went rigid as blue mist pooled out of his mouth "She's close."

Phantom's spine stiffens as Perdu raised a brow "Close? How close-"

"DUCK!" Phantom screamed as a flash of red swinged in their direction. Thankfully, Perdu followed suit and they dived down.

Perdu paled as she got the first good look of her mother in decades. Her eyes slowly looked up and down, seeing how black her mother's hands were and that her eyes and mouth were filled with long, smooth tentacles "oh mere... "

Perdu then snapped out of it as she drew closer waving her arms furiously "Mother, mommy! It's me! It's your- "

Phantom rammed into Perdu as another flash whirled by in a violent streak of red blazed by her. The three of them crash-landed into a near-by drifting piece of earth. Phantom groaned and rubbed his temple "owwwww,"

Perdu, however, jumped right back up. Her eyes were wide and panicked as her hands trembled "How do I fix this? How do I fix this?" she muttered to herself feverishly. Over and over and over she seemed to ask her self this.

Phantom and Danny gave each other a nervous look, sweat glistened Phantom's forehead as Danny's eyelashes and hair were tipped in frost, his skin and lips a tinge of blue. Phantom's eyes widen with worry "... Danny?"

Danny, however, wasn't listening "Perdu, say her name."

Perdu shook her head franticly "It can't... I don't- I don't think it's that simple-"

"Well you got any better ideas?!" Danny hissed, panic creeping in as the woman drifted closer.

The masked lady had the red strings spewing from her mouth, ears, and eyes. They drooped down in front of her. Swaying like the thin branches of a willow tree on an angry spring storm. But she also looked so confused. And, almost ashamed, but she didn't seem know why.

Phantom swiftly glided in front of Danny, ready for a fight. His hand glowing with an angry toxic green and curled into fists.

Danny wrapped his arms around Phantom's torso, keeping him from lashing out. "Phantom... cover your ears."

Phantom dropped his fists, confused, the green running dry from his hands "What?"

Danny let go and covered his own "trust me."

Phantom, with a spark of realization did as he was told. Phantom then nodded to Perdu. For this, no words were needed.

Perdu swallowed, then turned to her mother. Her broken, lost, mother. And said one word.

And one word was all it took.

A very familiar energy plowed through the Ghost Zone. It was raw, and hit ringed threw them both hard.

The masked lady retreated her strings, as her lips, for the first time in a long time trembled a single word.

Both Danny and Phantom hesitantly released their ears. Danny gave a small smile "That's it, huh? No flashes of light, no fireworks. Nothing."

Phantom gave Danny a lopsided smile as well "Honestly I expected some form of transformation. A metamorphosis if you will."

Danny paused "I can see that."

Both the Masked Lady and Perdu seemed to care block out everything else as the clashed into each other, clinging to the other as Perdu heaved heavy, green tainted tears. And the Masked Lady comforted and rocked her child side to side for the first time in possibly centuries.

Danny felt something in his heart soften "... I think we should leave them be."

Phantom nodded "definitely," a beat "hey, why do you think Perdu didn't like, forget everything like her mom?"

Danny paused to consider "No clue. But right now, I just want to go home."

Phantom gently lifted him bridal style "Whatever you wish" and began glided the both of the homewards.