A/N: I decided to try my hand at chaptered fics. Tell me how I do!

Summary: Coyote Starrk, a lonely bartender, comes upon a young girl in an alleyway. Little does he know what her life entails, and is soon dragged into a world of mobsters and lies.

Thoughts are in italics.

Chapter 1: meetings

What a dreary morning, Thought Coyote Starrk as he drug himself from his bed. Letting out a muffled yawn into his hand, he shuffled to his dresser, pulling out a simple white tee and a pair of jeans. As he proceeded to the adjacent bathroom to take a shower, Starrk banged his toe on the doorframe in his half-awake state.

"Ow," he half-heartedly exclaimed, "so it's going to be one of those days, huh?"

Returning to his original plan of taking a shower, slightly more awake now due to his throbbing toe, he slipped off his nightshirt and sweatpants, wincing when the fabric brushed over his injured toe. Taking another look at it, he saw he had cracked the nail and it was bleeding slightly. With a heavy sigh he reached up to the mirror cabinet on the wall for some antiseptic, but he paused to look at his reflection. The man that stared back at him shoulder length brown hair, a faded goatee, and grey eyes. Deeming the scruff of hair on his chin could go a little longer without a shave; he opened the cabinet, took out some antiseptic and put it on his toe, along with a waterproof Band-Aid. Stepping into the shower, he turned on the water and steam filled the room.

Stepping out of the bathroom feeling clean and refreshed, Starrk cast his eye over his apartment. It was a small dwelling with sparse furnishing and a hallway that led to the bedroom. There was a decently sized open kitchen by the door with an electric stove that had a microwave over it inset the cabinets, and refrigerator stood on the other side. A dining room area was located just outside the kitchen with a table that had two chairs at it, which Starrk found amusing considering he lived alone and never had company. The living room had a white couch and matching recliner chair that was set next to a giant bookcase that dominated the whole wall. An end table housed a reading lamp and a medley of dog-eared books. Across from the couch was a flat screen TV sitting on another cabinet used for movie storage.

Noting that he needed to vacuum when he got home, due to the slight grey hue the carpet was taking on; he grabbed his keys off the end table, slipped on his shoes, and headed out the door into the cold, rainy dawn.

"Jack Daniels, please."

"Right away," Starrk replied, giving the man his drink, "will you need a cab sir?"

"No thanks." The man chuckled as he walked away from the bar, stumbling when he almost hit a chair.

"Sure you don't," Starrk muttered, calling one anyway. One of the reasons Starrk put up with his bartending job was to prevent people from harming themselves and others. Other than that, he only took the job because he lived close and it paid the rent.

"Yo, Starrk," Timothy, Starrk's boss, shouted, "Your shifts over."

"Alright." Starrk called back, removing his red bartending vest.

Wading his way through the mass of dancing bodies, Starrk found his way to the door, escaping into the cool night air. Taking a deep breath, he paused, hearing a faint whimper coming from the alleyway. Natural curiosity getting the better of him, Starrk walked over to the alley and was surprised at what he saw. There in the alley was a young girl who looked no more than about 13 years old. She had a strange helmet covering up her light green hair that appeared to have two horns, one of which had been broken off, and an eyepiece that covered her right eye. She was dressed in an open leather jacket with a tank top underneath and matching short shorts. Aware of the perverts that came out of the bar, Starrk took action.

"I can't just leave you here," Starrk mumbled as he slung the girl over his shoulder, "so I guess you're coming home with me." Starrk turned on his heel and started his trek home. What a strange day.

A/N: Done! Did ya like it? Too long? Too short? I won't be posting the next chapter until I get some feedback so I know people are actually reading. I'm not going to be a stickler for reviews, but a few here and there to know that someone's enjoying my work would be nice. Those who do review will get cyber cookies!