Authors note: Sanji belongs to @13thdoodle on Tumblr, Marvelo/Charlotte belongs to Autological03#3456 on discord, all other original characters and concepts are mine. I do not own the ghost zone, or the Danny phantom Cannon universe, as of 2022 that right is reserved for the current head honcho of nickelodeon.
Sips, Spooks,N' Books: Heritage Day
The afternoon sun was shining between the trees when Sanji walked through the spirit gates to his favorite tea shop. It had been a relatively peaceful day except for a few minor incidents as far as things could be considered peaceful among the various yokai and spirits who lived in his mountains, and the kitsune was ready to have tea and some evening lunch.
Easily finding the shop behind the clouds veiling the infinite realms of the spirit world, he pushed open the door, causing the chimes above it to momentarily glow and make a faint wind chime noise as he walked in and was greeted by a familiar face.
"Hello little tiger. Did you miss me?" Sanji greeted the white and black feline that was rubbing against his legs, affectionately tickling her chin as he picked the cat up.
Sumatra looked up at the fox spirit with her intelligent blue eyes and purred, attempting to look cute in hopes of being further pampered.
Behind the counter, a female ghost in a cafe apron chuckled and called out to Sanji as she cleaned a mug. "if you keep that up, she'll get more spoiled than she already is. It's good to see you around again. The usual?"
Sanji nodded politely. "Yes please, Miss Matcha, and a ham sandwich." He added with a playful smirk "and a tuna sandwich as well for our little friend here."
The shop owner shook her head, making the purple curls in her loose ponytail bounce. "You're lucky it's almost time to feed her anyway. Very well. Melon Boba and a couple of sandwiches coming right up." She started to prepare Sanji's drink and asked curiously "by the way, what are you doing around here? I figured you'd be out celebrating the holidays like everyone else."
The fox spirit's ears twitched in curiosity she grinned "Holiday? Is there a local one going on?" He asked mischievously and slyly added "would there happen to be any specials or discounts today for the celebration?"
"Well, I guess you could say that it's local to the infinite realms, but from my understanding other universes like yours celebrate it too- that's why it's been a slow business day. Everyone is out in the human realms across dimensions, hunting down their blood marks." The ghost behind the counter casually replied, handing Sanji his drink and the sandwiches.
His tails began to twitch, and Sanji reached down and offered Sumatra a small bit of the tuna sandwich, which the phantasmal feline ate greedily. "Blood marks? I don't think I've heard of that particular ritual." The young fox spirit inquired.
The shop owner flashed a sheepish grin "Oh, right, sorry, forgot you only discovered this part of the infinite realms a while back. Basically it's part of Heritage Day, when some ghosts check in with their still living family members. It's actually pretty easy. You reach into your core, connect to all exsistance, the universe and everything, bridge the gap between life and death, focus on your family tree, and presto!" A faded mark resembling a glowing green lilly appeared on her hand for a moment before it disappeared again.
The chimes above the door rang again, and a ghost dressed like an old fashioned stage magician floated in. "Hey Chamomile. Isn't that my line?" She asked the store owner in mock offense.
"Whoops. Sorry Charlotte. Are you here to pick up your order?" Tea asked, easily brushing off the playful indignation of her new customer
Charlotte nodded. "Yup. Got the goods?"
"Right here, I just need you to sign for it." Tea replied, presenting Charlotte a box of Tempus Tea and a receipt.
Sanji's ears flattened, and the fur on his tail bristled as he glared at the strange newcomer, none too pleased with what he understood as casual disrespect. "Hey! Don't you know it's rude to walk in and interrupt a conversation like that?!" He asked, baring his fangs at her in annoyance.
For a moment, Charlotte's appearance became a little more skeletal, her eyes replaced by twin flames before she got her temper in check. "Sure, but it's equally rude to show your fangs to your elders, punk. Since I'm feeling charitable, I'll call us even, and do you one better. Don't bother with heritage day. It's a total waste of time."
"Punk?! Hey! And where do you get off saying you're my elder, I'm 300 years old!" Sanji growled more out of annoyance than rage. Exactly who did this stage magician think she was, ordering him around?!
"Huh. You don't exactly look it, baby face. Since when does Chamomile give out immortali-tea to minors?" The magician taunted him with a skeletal smirk that was meant to bait the fox spirit into showing his intent.
Sanji narrowed his eyes. "Matcha never did any such thing. It just so happens that unlike you old woman, I know how to age with grace."
"Old?! You take that back! If I were human I'd be in my Early 30s!" Charlotte yelled, the flames in her eyes growing brighter at the sting of the insult.
"The layers of stage makeup don't conceal as much as you obviously think they do, charlatan." Sanji replied smugly.
"That's enough! Do NOT make me tap the sign!" Tea exclaimed, pointing at a sign that prohibited fights in the store. She shook her head. "Come on Sanji, I know you have better manners than this! Marvelo, cool down! 300 or not, he's clearly still just a kid, and if you burn my stock again, as much as I would hate to lose a loyal customer in your situation, I'll have no choice but to ban you from my store." She folded her arms.
"She started it." Sanji grumbled.
"And I still stand by it. Heritage Day is nothing but a waste of time." Marvelo hotly retorted.
The shopkeeper's expression softened, but remained firm. "Marvelo, I know you made your own family, but please be a little more kind to the company you keep. There are those of us who haven't been so fortunate."
"What a load! I've got plenty of family, there's my sister, and-" Sanji started, but he noticed that the blood mark was still gone from Matcha's hand. Marvelo didn't have one either, and the fox spirit carefully added"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize. Is that why neither of you are celebrating?"
Marvelo shrugged. "I have a husband and kids at home. They'll be expecting me. No point in looking for old blood when I've got my own to worry about. Thank you for the tea Chamomile." She uncapped her magic wand, signed the receipt with a quick flourish of it and left the shop followed by the sound of chimes.
Tea shook her head sympathetically as she watched Marvelo leave the store, and mentioned to Sanji as an afterthought "You know...her brother was responsible for her death back in the day. I don't think she ever truly forgave him. It's fortunate she at least found a new family among the humans."
"You mean she somehow managed to marry a human? And she had kids?!!" The fox spirit exclaimed, blinking away his shock.
The shopkeeper chuckled. "Don't be so shocked. It's not as uncommon as you think. But yes. Twins, if I remember correctly. Her husband came by the shop with them once to pick up their order. I was glad to see that the tea was working so well for him."
"Hmm. I'd have never expected that hot head to be motherhood material just by how she acted." The kitsune commented with a frown and then asked "But what about you then? If you can make your blood mark so easily, why do you never go looking for your family?"
The ghost behind the store counter ainxiously snuck a look at the back of her hand before quickly returning her attention to her customer. "Sumatra has kept me company enough over the years. And… sometimes, the past is meant to be left in the past. For other ghosts, heritage day is about reconnecting to their humanity as well as their family. Personally, I never saw the need." She gave Sanji a polite smile and added "Anyway, if any of my bloodline are still out there alive in the human realm, they have people who care about them, other humans to help them get through their lives. It's a strong bloodline. I'm sure they can survive well enough without me in it anymore to meddle with things."
"What about other ghosts? Does the blood mark work on them?" Sanji politely inquired, taking a quick bite of his sandwich before packing up his order to go, his posture becoming more casual as he relaxed and prepared to head out.
The shopkeeper shrugged. "If it does, I've never seen it work. I suppose you could try for yourself if you'd like."
The kitsune shook his head. "Thanks, but nah. I think I'm going to go home, hang out with my sister and Danny. How much for the meal?"
"Don't worry about it. It's on the house. If you would like, just leave the tuna sandwich in Sumatra's bowl outside. Safe travels!" Tea cheerily responded with an enthusiastic wave.
"Sure. Good luck with business today, I'm sure things will pick up soon. See you next time the gates align." Sanji replied, returning her wave, leaving the shop. He stopped, dropped the tuna sandwich in Sumatra's food dish outside the door, and looked into her brilliant blue eyes.
"Take care of her, okay? She makes good boba. And… thinking you're all alone in the world sucks. Nobody deserves that."
Sumatra only blinked up at the fox spirit, her expression catishly unreadable. She began to calmly eat her sandwich, giving a quiet mew of understanding as she watched the kitsune leave through the gates to his own dimension.