The loud metal rambling outside. Disrupting the idyll of peaceful sleep, it broke into the quiet of the summer morning. Literally. Daniel woke up with a start as a giant. Steel. Ball. Wrecked into his apartment. Yet another hole was made, in addition to one from the previous night, now covered by a thin blanket hung from the ceiling. And right on top of the ball, holding onto the chain, stood the very reason of the dead teen's current misery. The same idiot in a stupid white cylinder.

"Good morning, my good friend!" Mephisto exclaimed, jumping down. "I hope you have packed your things."

"WHAT THE HELL, YOU BASTARD!" Danny yelled, jumping from his bed.

The guest got a look at the kid's naked torso. Jeez, the guy had plenty of scars. Noticing the look the demon was giving him, Phantom put on the T-shirt on the nearest chair, giving another glare.

"I'm not into guys. Frick off," Danny grumbled, putting on the jeans as well.

"Pfft, it will technically be..."

"Shut up. I am hearing none of this from you. I thought you mentioned coming with a bulldozer."

"They won't let me rent it," Mephisto grumbled, crossing his hands, "Nonetheless, it is even more fun. Wrecking ball is so much better."

"And you came here to talk because..."

"Well, you are in the way of this little beauty. Hurry up!"

The unwanted guest clapped his hands, and the machine prepared to go for another round.

"There are other people here!" Phantom exclaimed.

"You sure? Have you actually seen anyone here?"

The boy was about to respond, but then recalled that the place was barren, if one was not to count a couple of workers...

"They work for you, do they not?"

The demon obviously caught on to the implication, "Why yes. Now, if you don't mind, pack everything in a bindle or whatever and be out. Unless," a fanged grin came on the man's face, "You want to take me on my word and actually join the party. It will be fun, I promise."

To be honest, Phantom had had a tiny sliver of hope that the man would not go to the very end. But here he was, standing amidst a destroyed apartment, listening to the ball destroying even more of the hotel destined to be ruined from day one. It was all his luck. You would think that not being vaporised by an accident would actually mean that Lady Fortune was on his side, but no. The boy had long since learned a valuable life lesson, which went along the lines of  "Hope for luck, taste the muck". That's why Danny thought that it was foolish to even consider a fortunate outcome. And boy. Was Mephisto a persistent one.

"You are not going to give up," Danny said matter of factly.

"Nope. Look, what do you expect me to do with the knowledge of you? No Demon King ever strived for other's place."

"There is a first time for everything. If not you, then it would be someone else."

"Oh, please, only me and Lucifer can do that. And the latter... I don't have a clue where he is. Unless you aren't as powerful as you claim..."

Danny looked at a distance. "I am, I know it. But as long as I am not entirely demon everything will be alright."

"Oh, what's so bad in it? I am one."

"One annoying otaku without understanding of personal space," Phantom grumbled, before sighing, "If I have to wear that stupid uniform the first thing I do after that is murder you."

"Really? You surrender that quickly now? I got a whole list of arguments!" A scroll materialised nearby.

"Yeah, a little birdie whispered to me that you have Satan's son there."

Mephisto froze. He could see it now, the kid was smart, that was the weakest spot of the King of Time. The boy was merely bluffing, it was obvious. There was no gain for this upstart in causing any harm to the lad. If anything, this newbie is the ONLY apathetic side. Unless Phantom wanted to earn the favour of Rin's father... which he wasn't so moronic to attempt, that much had already been proven.

"Well yes, Okumura is there. What of it?"

A perfect bait, let's see what he would answer.

"Just curious. You will really trust some stranger to be near your most prized ward?"

"If you try to fight him I will only welcome it, as long as he is alive and kicking. Then again you wouldn't want to be out in the open. So you won't do much harm either. I see through you, kiddo... It just occurred to me, what's your name?"

"Really?" Danny raised an eyebrow, "You could have looked in the book at the reception."

"For some reason I doubt that your name is William Felton."

"It's Danny. Danny Phantom."

"Not very original, are we? You said that I read too much manga, but name changing should be as detached from reality as possible," Pheles said proudly, reminiscing about the last day. "Take me for instance. Humans know me by the name of Johann Faust V, no pointers at all."

"Except the fact that you are obviously a demon."

"Hush, you."

The floor beneath them began to shake. The building was ready to crumble at any second, for the demolition process was nowhere near its end. Phantom only sighed.

"Fine. You win. But there is a condition. I get to leave WHENEVER I want, to do WHATEVER I want. I still have things to do outside."

"You got yourself a deal, boy, as long as what you do does not violate the rules..."

"It is against the rules to leave at night. Rephrase."

"Fine, as long as your actions do not bring any harm..."

"Define 'harm'."

Mephisto sighed in annoyance. But it was interesting to try to place a catch when one was so watchful.

"You can do what you said, as long as your ventures do not end up in my students getting killed or you entering the places forbidden to the commoners. Does THIS satisfy you?"

"Pretty much."

That was when the building collapsed around them. Yet the two otherworldly beings remained floating at the same spot, unharmed.

"Guess I will need new utensils," Danny mumbled, getting into lying position.

It didn't take long for the gears to be sent in motion. Phantom barely could blink, and now he was inside the ugliest limo imaginable. What was with that guy's tastes? Pink car, bright red and soft insides...just like the bastard himself, honestly. Everyone was red inside. and whilst such thoughts were busy distracting the teen from the nagging issues, Mephisto kept scribble something in the notepad, sitting cross legged. Then he began his questioning, claiming it all was for application papers. Date of birth was simple enough to get.

"Alright, so where were you born? You don't strike me as a Japanese."

"America."

"Can you be more specific?"

Danny sighed, "Amity...ville."

"Are you kidding me? Of all places in the world that faux place turned out to be right?" Mephisto asked sarcastically. It was not clear to whom the question was directed, but he nonetheless continued, "Fine. Any family to speak of?"

"Parents are dead, a single child."

It seemed that the kid had planned everything. It was unclear whether or not he was lying. Because if a lie is prepared meticulously, it is easier to make it seem real.

"Cause of death?"

"Demons. They were exorcists."

A pinch of safe truth in addition.

"Really now?" Mephisto grinned and leaned forward, "That demon wouldn't happen to be you by any chance?"

"In a way."

Its wasn't like there was any other way of going about it. Danny had been the one to 'activate' that gate, the whole reason his parents got bullets in their heads. Then again... if it was somehow discovered that they were but working on this thing, the results would be the same.

Mephisto meanwhile broke into a laughter, "Oh, that is just priceless. A kid of exorcists becomes a Demon King! By the way, was it before or after?"

"Before. I needed money after their departure."

"So you killed Azazel? You are more crazy than me," The demon mumbled, "Well then. With the tedious things out of the way... Are you going to attend the usual school as well?"

Danny gave him a deadpan look, "I think I have achieved enough not to be a pen-pusher. I need a hobby."

"Might I recommend those cosplay festivals? They are charming, if I say so myself."

"Let me guess. You were in your usuals," he then noticed the look Mephisto was giving him and his eyes widened, "You didn't..."

"When you turn thousand years old, you will seek new fulfilling things. Emphasis on 'fulfilling'. As we are talking about clothes, I am afraid that you WILL have to wear a uniform, whether you go to normal school or not. It is not my decision, all students in Japan wear those. So refrain from trying to assault me."

Danny groaned. Of all placed he had to come to that spot in the world where it was obligatory. Then again there were many of those.

"Anything else I should know about?"

"Yes. As for your living arrangements. I have one quite deserted dorm building, only two other students there. Figured you would want privacy with all your conditions. You don't show off your power, I hope?"

"I have full control, there won't be any slips. I haven't been a half demon for two years for nothing," Danny shrugged.

"I am actually surprised you don't have ANY signs. No ears, no teeth...no tail. Although those eyes you showed me earlier..."

The interrogation continued right before the car stopped. Thanks to the magic mumbo jumbo of the King of Time, he was now wearing the uniform without even noticing the change. But knowing Phantom, the costume would be ruined soon. Stepping out, Danny was greeted by a morning breeze. If someone was to look his way, his hair would seem to be moving in a cool movie fashion. Phantom snorted when he saw his companion in a form of a white dog, with a pink bow tie being a cherry on top. Mephisto huffed in a dignified manner.

"I am not some mongrel, you know," he said quietly. A talking dog was quite abnormal to those who attended only NORMAL school.

A small excursion was in order. As Danny had made it clear that he wasn't going to hang around the local stuck-ups, there was no need to know anything beyond the basic layout of the place. And jeez, was that place a posh-looking one. The cafeteria here... well, if it could be called that, had a wonderful menu to offer. If you have tons of money, that is. Maybe Phantom would visit it one day. But then came an interesting part. It was in the part that looked just as nice as the rest, being somewhat of a park alley.

"Now," Mephisto somehow said, holding a key in his mouth. Danny begrudgingly took the saliva-covered thing, "This. Is Infinity key. Whatever door you open, it will lead to the destination we two have in mind. But be warned, abuse this trust I plant into you boy, and I will annihilate you. Not to mention that the key won't work if I don't want to."

"Your threats are not that serious when you look like this," Phantom noted, wiping the key. With the dog's tie.

"Hey! This is a special order!" Mephisto screamed in despair, before the teen let him go. To what lengths he went to learn about the newest royal, the Demon King thought. But all was well so far, despite minor acts. What could he do, many demons were hotheads, it was only natural.

"You don't have anything on you, right?"

Danny gave him a look, "All is buried under the rubble you caused."

"Oh, no matter. Follow me, little ghost."

"Do I have a choice?"

"Absolutely not. Now come on."

Rin Okumura was never the one to sit straight in classes and absorb everything the teachers said. On the contrary, being the slacker that he was, the half demon was half asleep, his raven-haired head resting on his hand. Of course, it wasn't all his blood, really. The school just sucked, for being an exorcist cram school especially. Most of the words said by the teacher who looked remarkably similar to him, went by without even visiting his brain, all because of a short attention span. The classroom didn't have much light, only from the small broken windows right under the ceiling. All of that made him sleepy.

And the only thing that seemed to awaken the slumbering spawn of Satan was the sound of the doors swinging open.

"Guten tag, kids!"

Only one person in the entire building could greet someone like that. Mephisto, in his more human-like shape now, strolled into the classroom, glueing all eyes to himself. The young teacher fixed his glasses, looking confused as well.

"Sir Pheles, what brings you here?" He asked, trying to sound official. Sadly, nothing seemed to be official with such Headmaster nearby.

"Nevermind me, I will be soon off. I just came here to introduce to you the newest student! Due to some misinformation the poor sod lost his home and I was the one to kindly accept him! Why don't you say something, Daniel."

The boy who had been previously ignored by just pretty much anyone, stepped forward. To many, he looked like another version of Rin, the one who was not currently standing behind the desk. Same raven hair, same blue eyes. Hell, even his uniform being all over the place was but a mirror reflection. But there was some strange air about him, something nobody could quite place. With hands in his pockets, the boy began to speak.

"I'd like to mention that my house being destroyed is also courtesy of his," Danny pointed at the Headmaster, "I don't like being called 'Daniel'. Danny will be fine. I'm being held here against my will. Please call someone."

"Haha, he is only joking..." Mephisto laughed.

"You did break into my house riding a wrecking ball," Phantom deadpanned.

Everyone sweat dropped, imagining the situation. Without saying anything else, the teen dropped on a chair near Okumura. Mephisto smirked and exited the class, ignoring the questions thrown his way. He didn't need to keep an eye on the teen, there was someone to do that already. The teacher, namely Yukio, coughed, getting everyone's attention again.

"As I was saying..."

The lesson dragged on and on. The newest kid, Danny, was obviously disinterested in the topic. But, unlike his neighbour, the boy had the decency to keep his eyes open. It's just that they were not here, metaphorically speaking. He kept eyeing the classroom, a rundown mess as it was, the teacher himself, kept giving occasional glances to the students. And that look, though...

"The newbie is giving me creeps," Konekomaru, a small bald boy with glasses mumbled to his friends.

"Yeah," one of them, Renzo, responded, "He looks at us like we are the next on his to-kill list."

Little did he know, it wasn't that far from truth. Phantom did not have the qualms about ripping them apart shall they threaten his own life.

"This is bullshit," A blonde named Bon responded. He looked to be the most intimidating of the group, being seemingly buff and punk-looking, "We are in the middle of the course, and this is not a normal school. How does he expect to become an exwire out of the blue?" He asked in annoyance, several seconds later noticing a paper plane landing on his desk. Unfolding it, he read, "Because I am better than you."

Bon looked up and saw a grinning teen, casually leaning on the back of his seat, snickering quietly with Okumura of all people.

"Dude, that's awesome," Rin whispered, seeing the pissed look of Bon's, "What's an exwire, by the way?" He asked, their unfamiliarity and sleepiness forgotten. To the students around it was incredible how quickly the two got along. It was scary. And considering how he looked at the rest, even on Shiemi, the most harmless of all present, for crying out loud, it was even more creepy.

"Heck if I know," Danny shrugged, earning himself several looks. He didn't even know these basics.

Yukio had a tick mark on his face. Did they really think he hadn't heard them? What was his last name again? He looked at the list of paper Mephisto had put on the table.

"You've got to be kidding," he muttered, "Mr. Phantom, I guess you are aware about subtypes of spirits, judging by your last name?" The teacher mocked. Honestly, what a stupid last name.

Everyone had the same reaction. Danny rubbed his chin and smirked, "Oh, so that's what the lesson was about all this time?" He leaned back in his seat. "I am not sure what you want of me, there are almost as many subtypes of ghosts as there are ghosts. Each average ghost is unique in its own way, in its powers. Depending on obsession, their demonic heart imitates that of other demon types, the ones that are closer to what they pursue. They can be categorised like fire ghost, water ghost, etcetera."

"That's ridiculous," Bon said, "'Water ghosts'? Those were probably water demons."

Danny gave him a non-amused look. The Demon King's powers of ice made it quite clear what subtype he was.

"You probably have seen only low-level ghosts. If you have seen any. Their hearts do not imitate, because they can't."

Yukio coughed once again to catch their attention, "Mr. Phantom... next time do listen to what I say and you won't speak nonsense."

Danny threw him a glare. The triumphant look of Bon was a rotting cherry on top, and Phantom honestly considered opening the entrance for some of his henchmen to come through. Just so the point could be proven. How dared that kid. Phantom was a DEMON KING OF GHOSTS, he would know what his subjects were like better than any mortal. Rin could swear that he saw Danny's eyes flash with green colour for a moment.

Yukio didn't notice however, his eyes being on the board at the moment. But he was suspicious of the newbie.

Something told him that the boy was not here for nothing.