It was a gloomy night in the city. The dull glow of street lights only stretched so far before the darkness consumed everything. Tattered houses lined a paved road, cracked with time and neglect. Alone in an alleyway, bathed softly with dim light, a young boy, no older than nine, was looking for food. Checking in trashcans, the boy cursed softly, there was nothing aside from some peals and stuff that was covered with fuzzy stuff. He would have to check a few more places or he was going to be in trouble.
Feeling the hollowness in his stomach, he made his way to the next group of cans a block away. A gentle breeze blew strands of matted brown hair in his eyes. Gently manoeuvring himself, he carefully lifted the tops off of the metal cans. Looking inside, he was delighted to see a brown-ish apple and the remnants of a loaf of bread with mold growing on one side. Reaching in, he gingerly fished the items out. He felt the metal top of the trashcan slip in his hand. It clanked to the ground and echoed in the lonely street.
A few lights turned on, and a dog barked. Brown eyes widened a second before the boy turned around and ran, meal forgotten. Hearing a shout from behind him, he made his legs go faster, breaking into a desperate sprint. Once the area was out of sight, he began to slow down. Making a sharp turn he ran into an alleyway. Leaning against the wall, he felt his legs give out, sinking to the ground; he tried to slow his erratic heart rate.
Looking at his empty hands, he gritted his teeth. Something deep inside of him flickered; he strained to keep it down. He learnt a long time ago that emotions would get you nowhere. But here he was now, no food, no energy left, and no hope of living on.
Feeling the emotions grow even more so, he cursed angrily. Fists clenching as he felt something wet run down his face. Crying gets you nowhere He told himself harshly, yet the tears didn't stop. The feelings wouldn't stop. Letting out a shaky sob, he curled in on himself.
No memories, no family, no home, no name, he had no one but himself. And he hated it. Now he was sobbing inconsolably. So many years alone. He was so sick and tired of it all.
He didn't hear the footsteps approaching until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, puffy red eyes met green. It was a nice shade or green, he decided, holding no pity or anger. Just there, a forest of pines isolated from the troubles of the world. He decided that he liked the color.
"Don't cry," a voice that seemed to match the green spoke. Deep and smooth, it was firm, but comforting.
Slowly, slowly, he felt himself calm. Sobs turning into silence, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. The hand on his shoulder still rested, warm compared to the early fall night.
"What's your name?" The voice asked again, he could feel the other person kneel down so they were level to each other.
"Don't have one," he said, looking away ever so slightly. The light of the street light shone gently into the alleyway, creating shadows of them both.
"Do you have a home?"
"No," he replied.
"Do you want to come with me?" The green eyed man asked. Finally removing the hand from his shoulder, he placed it in front of the boy in a gesture akin to a handshake, waiting for the boy to respond.
Immediately his head snapped back to look at the figure outlined in the street light. Had he heard right? Did this man really want to give him a home? Looking at the hand in front of him, then back up to the green eyes, he gently placed his hand into the much larger one.
"Yes," he said quietly, barely a whisper.
"Good," The eyes seemed to shine with mirth. Helping the younger boy to his feet, he was almost surprised when the little brown haired boy tugged at his hand.
"What's your name?" He asked his own brown eyes full of wonder at his saviour.
"My name," The man paused, "My name is One."
Nodding in understanding the boy looked up at him, almost expectantly.
Realizing what he wanted, One smiled. "Would you like me to give you a name, little one?"
The boy nodded enthusiastically.
The mercenary gave a little chuckle. Giving the boy a good look over, he decided.
"Six," he said, "Your name will be Six."
The little boy, Six, smiled in glee. He finally had a name! Feeling his stomach rumble, he face went red and he looked down at his feet. "Sorry," he mumbled.
One just smiled and took Six's much smaller hand in his own. "Come on; let's go get some food Six"
The brunette perked up at that. They began walking down the cracked pavement, and Six, for the first time he could remember, was happy.
A home, family, and a name, Six was, he thought as he saw the sun peak from behind the horizon, the luckiest person alive.
A/N: Thanks for reading! This is my first fanfic, so please, review, and give me some tips on how I can improve my writing! Constructive criticism is always welcome! This is for a contest entry for cptcrazy on Providence Playground (http:/ .com/ ? board= contestff&action= display&thread=368) Take out the spaces.