Danny didn't know how long he spent in the Ghost Zone, frankly he didn't care much either. All he knew was that he pushed himself to the point of emotional numbness. He still blamed himself for everything that happened, but at least he regained some mental stability.

Clockwork's words still repeated in his mind. Ever since the accident, and finally becoming a hero, the old ghost had been pushing him to go to his brother. Danny always refused of course. He had training, school, a whole town to protect and so much time that went into his new extracurriculars.

They both knew those were just excuses though. It was true for the first month or two, but after the whole wishing mess and having to redo the accident? He didn't tell anybody, but he felt so much stronger after that. Not really in his powers persé, but in his capabilities as a hero. His friends, mostly Sam, had done so much to help him handle everything. They were more than capable of taking over while he would be gone. They had proven that more than he could, or should, have asked for right before everything went wrong.

Now that everybody was gone, though, Danny felt alone. He felt like that same little boy that watched his parents fall to their deaths. Only that time he still had his brother. Now, he felt like he had no right to suddenly intrude on his life. Danny knew his brother had a bright future ahead. He was smart and kind, top of his class in everything. Being the ward of Bruce Wayne also meant there was a big chance he would take over the company one day. Of course, his little hobby also meant that he would likely become one of the next leaders of the Justice League as well. Who was he to pop up and risk ruining that future. If anything it felt like it would be better if he stayed as far away as possible.

Better only his life that is a mess than two, right?

Plus, there is no way he would be able to stay in Gotham anyway. Not only would it be dangerous if he wouldn't be able to release his energy often enough, but that would for sure put him on Batman's radar. Everybody know how much he hated metas in his city. Being half ghost practically made him one, so he would probably be kicked out. But what was arguably worse, was that he looked so much like his brother, people would for sure mix them up. Even existing in the city would risk ruining his brother's reputation. Let alone if he ends up being an idiotic klutz in front of the cameras. No, he couldn't risk doing that to his brother. He had a good life and a good future ahead of him.

Danny however...

He rather not think about it, but how could he not.

He either gets hunted down by the GIW. Whatever they learn from him, they would use to destroy every ghost out there. No matter how annoying Boxy is, or how crazy Skulker got, he wouldn't want to be the cause of even more suffering. Not like how Dan did. That was his other scenario. The look on his face when his older self proclaimed his inevitability. The thought of it alone sent shivers down his spine.

Danny shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind. Right now he didn't have time for that. He had to make sure the portal got shut down before anything could come though it. As he arrived back at the lab, he thanked his friends for reminding him to suggest an outer control pad to his foster parents. They had shut down the portal a month ago to do some maintenance. The original design was very dated, so now that they had it functional, it was also a good moment to modernize it. Though they didn't particularly like Danny messing with the portal, they did appreciate the suggestion. He was, after all, the one that got it working in the first place. With a bit of help from Tucker, they had secretly installed their own access codes and safeties into the system.

It didn't take long for Danny to get it shut down. Just for extra safeties, he did fully disconnect it from the generators as well. He made sure the lab's own security was up and running before he braved the outside world again.

Cautiously he peeked his head out from between the rubble. Though he did have his invisibility going, being extra sure wouldn't hurt anybody. With the coast clear, he fully popped out. The beautiful night sky glistened above him as the moonlight illuminated the area. The young halfa sighed.

It's already been a day huh.

He adjusted the small bag on his shoulder before making his way out of the rubble. He didn't really know for how long he would be out on his own, so it would be for the better to take some extra rations with him. He had also found a black hoodie he had changed into. The weight and coverage of the fabric bringing some sense of comfort to him as he pulled the hood over his head.

He wandered the area for a while. Being here hurt him deeply, but he felt the need to just see and take it all in. It's the least he owed to those he didn't save. Burn this into his mind so it will never happen again. He would make sure of that.

Danny froze as a whisp of cold air forced its way out his mouth. He thought he had been on time to close the portal, but apparently at least one ghost had made it through. He didn't dare transform, not wanting to alert whoever was around of his presence. He sneaked around a bit. Off in the distance he could hear some noises. As he got closer to the source he recognized it as scratching or digging. He spotted a faint green glow and quickly rushed to hide behind a pile of debris. He was silently hoping it wasn't anything big he had to deal with as he had no way of sending it back now. All he had was a single thermos in case of emergency, namely him going rogue.

Taking a deep breath, he peered over the pile to where he had last seen the glow. It was still there, so he decided to quietly walk over, only slightly relying on levitation to stay as quiet as he could. As he got closer, he finally got a decent look at his unexpected visitor.

"Cujo?"

The little puppy looked up at the sudden noise. It lunged forward as it grew into a massive hound and trapped Danny under it's heavy paws. Cujo growled at the ghost boy as it snapped at his face. "Cujo, calm! It's me! Remember me?" Danny pulled out one arm to scratch the monster sized hound much like the first time they met. Cujo seemed to relax a little but still didn't release the boy from under him. "Boy, you really aren't a light weight are you? Heh, should have called Peza instead." He joked, not expecting the ghost dog to sneer at him. If he didn't hit his head when he got jumped, he would have sworn Cujo looked insulted.

Danny raised an eyebrow. Had he actually lost his mind, or did a dog just understood him? It wouldn't be too far of a reach right? He would talk to Wulf so who knows. It's not like anybody could see him embarrass himself right now. "Memoru min?" Danny flashed his eyes green for a brief second. Maybe he simply didn't recognize his human half.

Cujo almost instantly jumped off him and shrunk back to his small size. Jumping around the ghost boy, Cujo yapped at him excitedly. Danny laughed at the little pup as he gave him as many pets as he could with him bouncing around. He grabbed the puppy so it would be still for long enough. "What are you doing here, boy? I thought you had your toy already." Cujo's tail stopped wagging as the pup went intangible to escape Danny's grasp. He walked over to the big pile of rubble where he had been moments before. He scratched lightly at the broken bricks and whined softly. Danny walked over to the pup. He hadn't really thought of where he had wandered to but he felt the dread set in as he realized. He looked around the rubble as he started noticing more and more identifying pieces of what once stood here.

Axion Labs.

It had been where Cujo was raised before he died. Where he was trained to be a guard dog. And where Danny had first helped him out to get his beloved toy back. From time to time he had to come back here during patrols. Cujo loved roaming the grounds. When he could, Danny would play with the pup before sending him back. Sometime he would go willingly, showing Danny he wasn't there to cause trouble. It had been a while since any of them had seen Cujo. Seeing him here now, his favorite haunt destroyed, tugged at his heartstrings.

Danny sat down next to the little ghost dog as he gave soft head pats. "I'm sorry, Cujo. This is all my fault. I couldn't protect anything. Even with most of the town gone, I still manage to hurt others." Danny cried softly as he truly did feel responsible. He never thought about what his regulars from the Zone would think if they saw the town now. Quite a few of their favorite haunts were gone now. All because of him.

As Danny cried, Cujo nestled into his lap. Both enjoyed each other's company as neither really wanted to be alone.

Danny wiped away his tears as he looked at the pup in his lap. They both didn't have anybody anymore. Danny had practically cut himself off of everybody, at least of those who were still in some form of alive. He didn't really know who Cujo might have had outside of himself and his friends, but with the portal closed, he doesn't really have anywhere to go. He chuckled as he rubbed the soft black fur on Cujo's ear. "How about we stick together, hm? Just you and me. Kune."

Cujo looked up. Tears still glistened in Danny's eyes, but the boy had a small but genuine smile on his face. He stood up as much as he could, placing his front paws on the boy's chest to reach higher. He licked Danny's cheek and wagged his tail lightly. Danny chuckled at the happy confirmation as he gave Cujo a tight hug.

He looked at the pup, his smile wavering a little. "If you don't mind, there is something I would like to do before we go." Cujo looked confused but didn't protest as Danny took the Axion tag off of Cujo's collar. Danny scooted a bit backwards, making sure to have an arm wrapped around Cujo so he wouldn't fall. He started to dig a little hole where he had just been sitting. The ghost pup seemed to realize what Danny's plan was as he too helped dig. Once their hole was deep enough for their liking, Danny held the tag out for Cujo. The little puppy rubbed into the tag, as a form of goodbye, before taking it and placing it in the hole. Danny covered it up with dirt again, careful to not pat down the top of it. He motioned for Cujo to step on it. Unsure as to why, Cujo placed a paw onto the loose dirt and pulled it away again. Right on top of his buried tag was now a print left behind.

They sat in silence for just a little while. When Danny finally decided to get up, he dusted off his clothes and grabbed his bag from where it had been abandoned. Cujo got up as well, looking rather exhausted. Danny chuckled lightly as he watched Cujo struggle to stay upright. He picked up the pup, thankful he wasn't in his big form. "You can take a nap if you want." Cujo let out a big yawn and he stretched out. It was a clear enough sign that he will, in fact, take that nap.

Danny took off his hood and let Cujo get into it. They had quite a ways to walk, so he'd rather keep his hands free for the time being. Cujo didn't seem to mind as he nestled into the soft fabric and breathed softly. Danny looked up to the night sky before he started walking again. "Sweet dreams Cujo, we'll both need it."