Well, here's the first chapter to my first posted story! I hope you and enjoy. ^_^

~Never back down from what fate has whispered to you, even if it means stumbling over thorns and mud as it attempts to slow you down. The path you take can come to two separate roads, yet after straying you'll be lead back to the correct path. Never give up hope. Hope is something that will swim in your heart for eternity~

Ko had never been one for peace; war and battles usually discovering her just as she had defeated a threat. It was ironic. Her name meant peace, yet she had never experienced such a thing after leaving her family…

Said girl looked up from the dirty ground, her eyes slightly widening at the sight of the once corrupted city transforming into what she hoped would be one of peace. Mentally sighing, she told herself that peace would never be an option for this world. When it seemed like the world's inhabitants would be able sleep with few worries, a whole new predicament was thrown in their face like cold water to a sleeping child on a break from school. Her lips tugged up at the thought of that, remembering when the event had occurred to her younger brother, Makoto. He had always been a good sibling, along with his twin sister Mai.

Shaking her head, Ko scanned the area, marveling at the replenished sight. When she had strolled down this city two years ago, her hand had always been twitching, eyes darting back and forth from paranoia. Many people had jumped her for any money, yet she had been one for fighting back, usually knocking her attacker unconscious and booking it. Now, however, the people she laid her eyes on were weary and weak from what she believed was a difficult battle, whether it was considered to be as challenging as the ones the Underground had sent her on.

Speaking of the Underground, her heart beat with worry for their beings. In the two years that she'd assisted the rebellious group she'd befriended a few of the fellow members. Sure, a few had only considered the youngest of the group to be an annoying, weak brat when they spoke, yet she was sure that the transformation she'd gone through before abandoning the city to seek out her troubles had proved their words wrong. When word had reached her about her family being dead, she'd undergone a personal and mental change, one that had thrown her to the wolves that would chew her down to who she was today.

Ko stopped in her tracks, head lifting at the sight of a grinning, orange head on top of a pitchfork, a headless orange body next to it. She knew that Krew would never put such a strange thing on top of his bar…had he been taken down? Her nose twisted upwards and her eyebrows furrowed just at the memory of the revolting man. She'd only stumbled upon him a couple of times, yet the encounters had taught her to stay away from the bar unless she was ordered to walk in there for a mission. Curious from the statue, she strolled forwards, pushing open the doors. The entire décor still appeared the same, besides the fact that some of the trophies on the wall had been removed, and various areas were replenished.

As she did a 360 of the area, she spotted no one present. Slightly frowning, she walked towards the counter and plopped down on one of the seats, peering over the table. "Hello?" she called out, surveying the area yet again.

Abruptly, an orange rodent jumped up on the table, wearing a green shirt and shorts. Its blonde hair and appearance screamed out familiarity to her, yet she couldn't place her finger on it… "Ko!" the rodent beamed, a grin appearing. The rodent jumped up and wrapped their arms around her neck, a confused look automatically overtaking said girl's face.

The heck? She thought to herself, picking up the rodent and placing it down. "Uh…Who are you?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows at the sight of the rodent seemed disappointed.

The rodent gave her a look, and quickly looked down at herself, a look of surprise taking over the disappointed appearance. "Oh!" she realized, looking back up at Ko. She grinned sheepishly. "It's me, Tess!" she told Ko, causing the other girl's eyes to widen.

"Tess!" she grinned, picking up the rodent. As she lifted the girl in the air, her eyebrows arched and she puckered her lips. "Uh…what the heck happened to you?" she asked, causing the girl to smile. Tess pointed at the table, and Ko placed her back down, surely waiting for an explanation.

"Well, I was turned into an Ottsel!" Tess informed Ko, who gave her a blank look. She mentally rolled her eyes. She never was a bright one, she thought, smiling at memories of the girl being rather slow. But this time, she wasn't slow. She was just plain uninformed, like most people nowadays.

"A what?" Ko said, voice deeply puzzled. Tess almost smiled at the look on her longtime friend's face, yet held it back, knowing that the girl took it as an insult when she was confused.

"An Ottsel! It's a type of ancient animal!" She knew that she couldn't tell her about the Precursors. She never wanted to know the outcome out of that situation.

Ko blinked rapidly, then sighed, holding her head in her hand. Tess giggled at the sight of her friend. "Where have I been these last couple of years?" she muttered to herself. She looked up with a tired look, yet a fire lit almost immediately when she spotted all the drinks aligned in shelves. Tess sweatdropped when she realized what the girl wanted. "Sooo…Tess…you know, I've had a few difficult years, and I'm rather parched," Ko drawled, giving a lopsided grin.

Tess sighed, and turned around, pointing at a tall, clear bottle. "There you are."

Ko's face lit up like a kid's on Christmas day, and she shot out of her seat. She lifted herself up, and slid over the counter, snatching the bottle out of the shelf. Tess rolled her eyes at her friend's behavior. She hadn't changed. Ko bit the cog out of the bottle, spitting it out. Almost immediately, she took a swig, face puckering from the taste. Tess giggled. Ko squinted at her. "It's good," she mumbled. Sighing, the girl walked back around the counter and plopped down on the seat. "Okay, so, what's happened since I left?" she asked. "I mean, look at the city! This place is either a wreck or is looking better than two years ago."

Tess gave small smile at that, and sat down in front of her friend. "Well..."

~:~

Ko stared at Tess, eyes unreadable. She had cast aside her drink after hearing about the Metalhead problem, and Tess was surprised to see that her friend was still sober, and awake. The girl had never been one for long stories, that being proven back when she was younger. "So," Ko started, voice bored, "another Ottsel named Daxter, and his best friend named Jak, somehow managed to save this city?" she asked, looking deeply uncertain. Tess nodded. "Just two people?" She nodded again. Ko sighed, grabbing her drink. She took another swig, shaking her head. "Haven City is always full of surprises," she muttered. Tess grinned, standing up from her sitting position. Ko gave her a crooked smile, the one that screamed mischievous, and said, "So, when do I get to meet these heroes?"

"Right now, toots!" A rather high voice shouted, causing Ko to spin around. Another orange Ottsel bounded up on the table wearing a pair of jean pants and goggles on the top of his head. A cocky grin was plastered on its face. "Whoa! How come I've never seen you before?!"

Ko rolled her eyes, sitting up a bit straighter. A small smile appeared. "I just came back in from the Wastelands," she told him, seeing his eyes widen a bit at that. She knew that it was a shock for many to see a person, nonetheless a girl, to survive the Wastelands. Many knew of the dangers that lurked in the sand, and many were horrified at the thought of being banished there, yet Ko was not afraid. She had grown up out there, and driving around out there had given her heart a rest from some homesickness.

"The Wastelands?!" the Ottsel exclaimed. "How'd a girl like you survive out there?!" She shot the Ottsel a look, as if daring him to say that she was weak. "I-I mean, barely anyone survives out there! And we never saw you at Spargus," it told her.

Ko nodded at that, deciding to not inform him of her past. That was best left forgotten… "You could say I'm a part of the Wasteland," she murmured, causing the other two to send her a curious look. Uncomfortable with the silence, she gave a grin and patted the Ottsel's head, causing him to give her a dirty look.

"Hey!" He swat her hands away, causing her to chuckle. He pointed at her. "Don't touch the goods!" he shouted, completely serious.

Ko smiled at that and held up her hands in mock surrender. "Sorry, sorry…" She grinned slightly. "So, who are you?" she asked.

The Ottsel smirked and held up a finger. "I am…ORANGE LIGHTNING! ZAZAZING!" He quickly darted in front of her, smirking.

Tess smiled sweetly as she walked next to him. "This is Daxter," she told Ko, who nodded.

Just as she said that, Daxter turned to face her, and grinned smugly. "Tess baby! Your hero is back from yet another perilous journey!" he crowed. Tess giggled and Ko rolled her eyes, getting out of her seat. She grabbed her drink, and placed a few dollars on the table.

Ko slowly made her way towards the exit, head downcast. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her lip slightly turned down. Daxter reminded her of Makoto so much… Her hands clenched yet she held back a yell of anger. She needed to learn how to control her anger and hurt…

A solid force collided into her shoulder, causing the hand that was gripping the bottle to release. Her eyes widened, eyebrows rising too. She looked up, and immediately felt her head start pounding. A man with yellow hair that adorned green roots stood there, sending her a glare. Ko felt her eyes turn from shock into sorrow and confusion at the sight of him, yet she didn't know why. A sharp pain jolted through her head, causing her to grip it and grunt. She didn't utter anything to the man as she ran out of the bar, vision flashing. Tess's voice rang in her ears for a moment, yet she didn't turn around to face her friend. Her head lifted at the sound of a Zoomer, and she jumped up, yanking the person out of the seat.

Alarms echoed around her as she sped through the city, some of the men in the blue suits chasing her shooting at her Zoomer. As it began to smoke, she bailed into the water, somehow willing her body into a dive. The water immediately clouded her vision, causing everything around her to turn blurry. She kicked up to the surface, and took in a deep breath, blinking her eyes frantically. The guards had left, yet the pain in her head had not. A shrill ringing echoed in her ears, almost causing her to grip her head and curl up in a ball. She could not though; she had to swim back.

Forcefully, she swam towards the metal road, gripping the ramp that led to the walkway. She pulled herself up to her feet, stumbling onto the walkway. Others shot her strange looks as she stumbled everywhere, clutching her head. She returned the looks with a glower, quickly shutting her eyes from the pain afterwards however. A small alley appeared in her stuttering view, and she stumbled towards it, many people steering clear of her. When she set foot in the shadowed area, the pain became unbearable, and Ko dropped to her knees, falling onto her side. The metal scraped at her skin, yet she became oblivious to the other pain, falling deep into a memory…

Ko looked up from her shaking hands, eyes full of apprehension. Her long sandy blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her white dress brought out her dark brown eyes. The cold floor sent slight shivers through her since her feet were bare, yet this was normal for many of the children living in their city.

A loud clanging echoed throughout the large hall, causing her to whimper softly. She shrank back at the sight of tall man strolling forward with a look of annoyance and pride. A young boy walked next to him, looking slightly afraid. The two children made eye contact, yet Ko quickly looked away, biting her lip.

"Tasheo!" the man thundered, voice sending shudders through Ko's body. She didn't like this man… "I demand for an explanation of such short supplies of Eco you have sent to us!"

Ko noted that the boy shrank back from all the yelling just as she was. The two made eye contact yet again, and Ko put all her hope in her gaze, smiling a bit when she saw that he straightened a bit from her reassuring look. Their parents wouldn't become enemies…and they wouldn't be caught in the enemy square…

Ko released a groan as she felt some functioning return to her mind, slowly opening her eyes. The agony that had tortured her when she'd last been conscious had faded away, along with the awful ringing. The girl released a small exhale of contentment at that, and pushed herself up, observing the area she was in. Memories from before rushed through her head, and she narrowed her eyes at remembering the man. He seemed so familiar…

Shaking her head, Ko got to her feet, realizing that it had transformed into nighttime. She frowned at the realization of how long she'd been out cold. Releasing a breath, she strolled out of the alley, observing the area around her. Barely anyone was out at this time, giving her some sense of ease. She'd never been one for crowds.

Rubbing the back of her sore neck, she began to stroll forward, eyebrows furrowed as she fell into deep thought. Now that she thought about it, she wouldn't have anywhere to sleep. Two years ago, she'd always sleep in the Underground hideout, yet now she had nowhere to go. She was certain that they wouldn't supply a place to sleep if she signed up for being a Freedom League guard at the moment. She exhaled. Great…Just great…

Ko suddenly heard nearing, heavy footsteps, causing her to look up. Two Guards were rushing towards her, so she side-stepped, confused. "Metalheads are attacking the city!" One of the guards yelled into a communicator, voice frantic.

Ko stared at the fading figures as the ran towards where she remembered Haven Forest was. She furrowed her eyebrows, and pulled out her pistols, checking her ammo. Seeing that she had enough ammo, she sprinted after them, appearing as a flash to any stray wanderers. Chasing after thieves in any towns she'd visited while traveling around in the Wasteland had come in handy. She was thankful that she'd left the city two years ago.

A claw suddenly latched itself in her right shoulder, causing her to cry out. The sharp sensation caused adrenaline to start coursing through her system, causing her eyes to sharpen its senses. Before she could elbow her attacker, however, a syringe jabbed down in her left arm, an unknown liquid automatically burning through her adrenaline and shooting through her body. Her veins screamed out in pain as if they were being burnt, and the liquid climbed up her neck, causing her to spit some of it out.

Ko released a yell of agony and anger, grabbing the claw and ripped it out of her shoulder. With her remaining energy, she pulled out her pistol and shot her attacker in the forehead, suddenly taking out a Skull gem. She gasped at the sight of the Metalhead… It looks…human. She shook her head, and felt something warm dripped down her chest. She looked down, grimacing at the sight of blood staining her clothing. "Crap," she choked out, throat throbbing from the liquid that the Metalhead had injected into her body.

Looking up from her wound, Ko spotted Freedom League guards battling the human like Metalheads. None looked back at her when she cried out and dropped to her knees, clutching her chest in torment. One of her eyes cracked open, pupils dilating. Everything around her began to flash as one of the human like Metalheads stalked towards her, ready to strike her down.

Ko shut her eyes, prepared for her death.

"What are you doing?!" An angered voice shouted, followed by a series of gun shots. Ko cracked open her eyes, and spotted the man from before glaring at her from over his shoulder. She instantly recognized Daxter, who was perched on his left shoulder, and realized that this must've been Jak. "Get up and fight!"

Ko released a lungful of air that she just realized that she was holding, and gasped, wincing from the pain. "I-I can-"

With that, Ko found a darkness taking over her vision, pulling her under with it.

~However, hope seems to disappear altogether at one point in life, sending mass waves of pain and torture in its absence~

Disclaimer: I do not own the Jak and Daxter series, they belong to their

respectful and rightful owners.

I hope that it was a good first chapter, and that Ko doesn't seem to much like a cliche character. ._. I tried to make her original. I only own Ko, and her siblings/backstory/family.

Anyway, have a cheesy day and week! ^_^

-MF:(