Hailfire Vulpes: New story! Yaaay! Ahem, anyways, this fic contains Chao, and only Chao. Because Chao are epic.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Chao species, nor anything related to Chao.

This is my first attempt at a Chao fic, and I don't know too much, so forgive me if I make any mistakes!

All characters are O.C's. I may accept other O.C's if you want.

Anyhoo, let's get on with the story!

~Chapter 1~

Shade always liked the moon.

It was but pitch-black in the Dark Garden at night, and only bore the moon as a lonley light source. Shade liked darkness, but he also liked the light of the celestial body that hung over head.

He yawned. It was near midnight.

The Dark Chao rubbed his glaring eyes in weariness. He wanted to be sleeping, but not like he had been these past few days. The young Chao's dreams were haunted with malicious nightmares, each one more vivid than the last. Although upon wakefullness his memory of his nightmares were spotty, he bore an uncomfortable foreboding and fearfullness that kept him awake.

He had endured four hours into the night, not sleeping, and now felt its dragging effects. Shade yawned, shaking his head and settled on the flat-surfaced rock he sat on. Lying down on the cool stone, he fixed his perpetually glaring gaze on the moon, and felt his conscious slipping...

...

There was a crashing sound that boomed so loudly, it sounded as if it were about to break the sky apart. Shade jumped to his feet, small bat wings extended in his shock. He knew this was a nightmare, but the knowledge did not calm his growing fear.

Another crash, and this time it echoed painfully through the garden, thrumming painfully inside Shade's skull, making it feel as if a barbed metal pinball was voilently ricocheting on the inside of his head. He pushed his paws into his nonexistant ears, trying to block out the sound. He squeezed his eyes shut. The concussive sound seemed to get louder, until Shade thought the noise would break his entire being apart, when it stopped...replaced by a loud, fiercesome roar. Light shone from behind Shade's eyelids, and as he opened he saw a tower of flames before him.

Shade's instincts set off an alarm, and his black and white feet carried his dark gray body away from the deadly light. Another pillar of inferno loomed in his path, and he meandered swiftly. With the turn, he felt his arrow-pointed tail singed by the flames, and felt the pain of the burn. He thought there was no pain in dreams, but the sear was startlingly harsh.

More fire came around, and Shade noticed he was surrounded. Dismayed, he also realized the flames were too high to flutter over. He was trapped.

Shade backed into the ring center, trembling all over and wishing something, anything, would jolt him back to consciousness.

"SHADE!"

He blinked, and recognized the scream, "Blossom?" he cried back.

Suddenly, the flames turned black. Blackest black. Void black. The fire ring began to tighten around its snared vitim, much to his horror. The entire dream was going dark.

Shade dropped to the grass, shaking in fear, awaiting his iminent doom. He felt no heat from the fire, but a strange distortion in the air that slowly increased as the flames drew closer.

Then there was sunlight.

Shade blinked. The flames were gone, the darkness gone...

Shade sat up, grunting and rolling his stiff shoudlers. Another tormented night, another weary day.

He observed the dimly lit garden, seeing how it was still early in the morning. Not many Chao were awake.

"You seem uptight." Shade heard the seductive voice just behind him. Turning his head, he saw a feminine figure. She was jet black from head to foot, had dark, pointed ears, and a wide, toothy grin that stretched across her face. She possessed fins, indicating her ability to swim.

Shade shrugged a shoulder, not much willing to talk to her. He never much liked Gladys. Her demeanor and behavior suggested a devious being, even so for a Dark Chao. Shade was also aware of her crush on him. He wondered what had cursed him with that burden.

Shade felt her paws on his shoulders and he shuddered uncomfotably, "Please..." he murmured pushing her paws away. Gladys blinked at him,

"You're too tense. You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say something's up with you." she said.

Shade shrugged again, "So what if I am? What does it matter to you?"

"Why do you say that?" the female asked.

"Because most of the time you're self-centered and staring at your reflection." he replied bluntly, "Look, it's my business and mine only. I think it would be best if you just stay out of it."

Gladys stared blankly at him, and characteristically flipped her bangs out of her face, "Fine." she said, and strode away.

Shade sighed, and realized he needed to vent. But Gladys wasn't the right Chao to vent to, and there was someone he needed to see.

Shade lept off his rock, and headed in the direction of the exit. He needed to go to see his half-sister.

Because he somehow knew these dreams were not just dreams.

Hailfire Vulpes: Like it? Read and Review please!

Flamers will be captured, torchured, and experimented on. Thank you. XD