Still in the Dark

Chapter 1

There, amidst a cold night's rain, the lush pigmentations of green that cleansed the crisp forest air lay two 'animals' unseen by the rest of the world. They slept beside a large gravel rock under the protection of a great looming tree.

The rain continued to fall heavily on their faces, forming isolated circles of muddened dirt beneath him, circles filled with their own sweat and blood, being washed away from the accumulation of their filth on their furry bodies.

One of them, Kip, woke abruptly, his breath shallow and hard, sweat and precipitation at his fuzzy brow, suddenly aware of his surroundings

and the other- whom slept so comfortably at his side.

Neither of them were human –at least to Kip's knowledge.

…They had been raised and studied in a laboratory as an experiment for a weapon against the gears. While still falling under the category of gears and magical beasts, they were worked to be the most efficient and reliant weapon against not only gears… but all of humankind! By altering their genes with the ones of a symbiotic parasite, they were given powers beyond their comprehension. While being unable to part from the parasite, it had taken over (and suppressed) part of their minds, while obtaining what little they had left of their humanity.

This was as far as he could told. From the birth of the weapon that he was to now was all that he could remember.

The result of the experiment would be always a beast that most often resembles a mammal. Each individual had undergone this experiment (under a method of 'dark magic') being proficient in at least one or more fields of magic. The mentality of the parasite would soon take over the human mind and from then on, the reduced intellect was to make them easier to control. This was to happen to every subject, with very few exceptions.

The stronger the will of the host, the harder it would be to fully take control over the subject. They were the exception.

Though he obtained distant memories, of a life that he felt were his, they had been fragments. One of which he'd just relived through a brief dream…A young woman struggling against of her captors dressed in white in a small house, the woman continued to cry out his name, but he felt that he was unable to move. The distance between he and the woman grew greater until his sight became red with blood.

He blacked out then and returned to reality, the tears flowing freely from his eyes, unable to stop his crying.

He looked down and saw his comrade stretch and squirm quietly in his sleep.

At least I'm not alone…

He watched his comrade's chest rise and fall in quiet rhythm, his furry chest rising and falling. His sleepy head resting on Kip's shoulder, his strong arms wrapped around Kip's.

They'd become more than friends over time…They had lived as fugitives for as long as he could recall, the project had been disbanded and all subjects were to be disposed of. They managed to escape, but only by the help of a mysterious girl in black.

She was called the "innocent" gear, the youngest and most precious of the gears with a willpower so strong that she surpassed anything dead or alive.

To add to the irony, they had been saved, liberated by the very thing they were –created- to destroy.

They were both so scared at first, lost and confused, chased bounty after bounty, though it was almost normal that he act as the 'older brother'. He had changed since then, and grown smarter, wittier.

…But deep down, he knew that he was still afraid.

Kip gently ran a clawed finger down his comrade's bright scarlet red fur, down his mellow, cream colored muzzle, thighs, belly and at the tip of his fox tail, watching him sleep, peacefully, under the crumbling trees, his head still resting on Kip's shoulder.

The truth was, they had become more than just friends and comrades…They lived a life of constant fear and suffering.

Though he looked so innocent as he slept…

Kip couldn't help but sigh, wondering how long it would be until this sense of security ended.

They'd gone through hell together after their escaped from the lab, hundreds of bounties placed on their heads and each one of them they'd managed to survive…

Aside from their aged weapons and gear (which seemed to serve little purpose), they were completely empty-handed -save for the long red scarf that he wore around his neck-and the bandana tied around his- clothing that was torn from the same cloth-to sheath the irremovable collar attached to their necks.

They had little need for clothes, as there had been nothing to hide… Though it had been their first true act of defiance.

He took a glimpse at his reflection in the puddle formed by the rain, his own reddish eyes reflected back at him, seeming empty and anguished. He resembled a mole the way his comrade resembled a Fox. They had the head of an animal, their nails and toes altered into claws. Their body remained human, though completely covered in fur.

His own pale white fur that covered his body looked almost a snowy blue in the darkness, his whiskers rimmed with rain, his nose cold and damp. He had always been different, even from the animal he resembled.

Kip grunted, suddenly aware of his cold, sore limbs, suddenly aware of the wind, suddenly aware of the blood that ran down the cold pale white fur just under his shin.

It was supposed that the shade of white that colored his fur had been caused by an already natural genetic mutation, though it was something he had only been able to observe himself.

Still, even to himself…he looked so cold and distant.

Why?

Why was he always in pain? Why must he fight so hard just to live?

Hours seemed to pass by like minutes, minutes seemed to pass by like hours.

He sighed, thinking for a little while longer. Watching the rain drip for a little while longer, watching droplets of it tip gently off his muzzle.

The gentle patting of the rain becoming slower and quieter, slowly lulling himself back to sleep, slowly closing his eyes, feeling his troubles almost drift away.

"At least…I'm not alone…" his deep voice mumbled and cracked… the first thing he'd said in hours.

He laid his head next to his companion's, "Right…Red?"

He silently wished that this feeling of contempt, this feeling of happiness last forever, and that he would die there, knowing that at least he'd died in peace.

Listening to the quieting sounds of the rain, it's soft sound growing farther and farther away, as he drifted off to sleep, there beside his only companion, his comrade, and his loved friend.

The hours passed by, nature observed the rain only beginning to cease; allowing the sun to break through the clouds, the warmth of the light shattering through the shade of the trees as if blessing the comrades with it's radiant beauty.

As fate would see it through, he was right to believe that the peace would not be long to last.

"Well, they seem to be getting along quite well. Disgusting." Sneered the woman dressed in red, her hellish green eyes that lay behind her midnight black hair refused to emanate the almost pure dark energy that was shrouded within her soul. She spat at the floor, picking at her guitar, feeling it pulse and creep with movement and electricity.


A dark voice returned from the emptiness of the void.

"Your main objective was to apprehend these two…before they were to be discovered…There isn't much we can do at this point…All you've been able to do is make them closer, if that is not considered a failure then I do not know what will."


"Well, forgiiive me for not trying HARD enough." The woman shot back, rolling her eyes disgustedly.

"These two will be factors in what determines the fate of the humans, their –safety is a top priority!"

"But the female gear-" the woman began


"Do not make excuses, I-no. I am, at the very least, very disappointed in your behavior."

"…Perhaps she has yet to see the significance of their power in comparison to gears. They may not seem much now, but their potential when put together is, to put it into words, astounding! They should not be treated any lighter than the Japanese."

"What--who the fuck?!" I-no exclaimed, noticing the shadow that crept at her feet.

A man rose from the shadows almost suddenly, dressed casually in a suit and gothic tie, his brown hair and eyes almost masked completely by the shadows as smoke rose from the sophisticated pipe he kept in his mouth. He subconsciously adjusted the spectacles he donned at his nose, then tightened the blood red tie that he wore at his neck.


"I… am the one they call Slayer. A night walker, a living embodiment of darkness and the past, a grand beacon of knowledge in this new and darker age…"

"Shut the hell up, old man, and get to the point!"

"Hmm. Such a rude child… Though I suppose I still have yet to reveal as to why I have come here…I wish to speak to 'that man' over there."

"There isn't a chance in hell-"

"Stand down, I-no."

"But-" A flash of blinding light and the woman lay contorted, unconscious on the floor.

"Hmph, disobedient wretch…

Now, what is it you wish to discuss?"

"The Postwar Administration Beareau, I'm sure you've heard of their recent movements…"

Umm…First Chapter sort of done. (woohoo!)

Second Chapter is on its way. Still making alterations to the first chapter, I hope you guys don't mind.

I expect this story to be long…I posted this chapter up early to have it be revised.

I'm hoping for some reviews, I was kinda at a loss between having this be a fanfic or an original piece.