(A/N: This is a collaboration I started, way back when, with Ferox Ryter and xAndrewx. Well, both of them seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth, or something, because they both seem to have forgotten we were even working on this.

Ferox, if you see this, please send me a sign that you're still alive! Because if you two don't get your butts in gear, I'm gonna finish this by myself! _

Only reason I'm posting this is because it was actually looking good, and I didn't wanna forget about it -_- so hear you are, but this may never be continued, so don't get yer hopes up…)

~

The sun was setting on a supposedly clean Neo-Tokyo. Everywhere, from the nightlife district to the ghetto, was bathed in orange light as it faded away. The GG's garage was this way too, except it lacked one thing.

Where were the GG's?

Dark and dirty, the GG's garage looked like it was abandoned five years ago. Maybe because it had been.

A shadow shifted in the grimy shadows, disturbing happily settled dust, and sending it spiraling into the air in a frenzied cloud. On the outside street, sirens blared, louder at first, then fading into silence. The shadow moved.

It leapt, catching a rail for a moment, before leaping again, a little sluggishly, to ride across a pair of billboards, disturbing the covering of time that covered the bright canine faces.

The shadow dropped, landing easily on the rail, arms spread for balance, picking up speed as it moved forwards in the dim. The only sounds now, being the grind of the skates, and a drip somewhere the shadow hadn't noticed before.

The distinctly human shaped shadow reached the end of the grind near the entrance to Rokakku-Dai heights, and jumped to the next rail, grinded for a moment - and slipped.

"What the @#$%!" it cursed, landing on one knee. Why had it slipped? It had no idea, it had made that move thousands of times before....

The shadow glanced down at its skates, running fingers along them to make sure they were okay. With a puzzled air, it lifted its fingers to its face, running the oil that was now all over its skates over its fingers, sniffing to make sure what it was.

"Funny....." it sniffed again. There was no doubt about it. The stuff was oil, but there was also something burning somewhere....

"@#$%!"

~

The sound of sirens floated dismally around Hikage Street, reverberating off the alley walls and carrying high above the walkways.

A girl glided through the shadows of the alleyways, taking each turn expertly, like she knew the place like the back of her hand. She passed through a patch of fading orange light, exposing her features for a brief second.

She had long indigo colored hair and violet colored bangs and tips that floated around lazily as she skated onward. Adorning her face was an isotope tattoo, partially hidden by a black eye patch covering her right eye. She was wearing an old and thread-worn Love Shocker uniform, including the once gleaming, now grimy, skates. She passed into darkness again, making her nothing more than another shadow.

Seconds later, the shadowy girl was expertly maneuvering a narrow alleyway that twisted and turned even more intricately than the previous alleys.

She took one last turn, disturbing an old piece of newspaper, causing it to flutter in the air a few seconds and fall back down again. The sun was long set, but Rokkaku-Dai Heights was still bathed in orange light. The light flickered and danced, and the girl was illuminated by the orange glow. That's when she felt the heat.

The flames distorted the air and the girl proceeded cautiously. She jumped back suddenly when a person rushed past her, screaming. She could just discern what he was yelling.

"The fires getting higher! Everyone to the sewers!"

Arching an eyebrow, the girl looked around a few times, and followed him, heading for the sewers.

~

Rive sat, cross-legged in a reverent pose in Rokkaku-Dai heights. She was mostly hidden from casual view, high up on top of the shed in which ancient train tracks still sat.

She lazily drew another card from those spread face down in front of her, and flipped it over.

"Hmm," she breathed, staring at the piece of paper. Rive liked her Tarot cards, they had interesting pictures and interesting meanings. The card she had just drawn was called 'Compromise'. It was a card she rarely drew in the Zen Tarot, and forced her to wonder, not for the first time, if there was any truth in the cards.

The next card she drew was the thunderbolt, a symbol for shaking the foundations. Rive placed that card, also, in the pattern.

"And now," she said dramatically just for herself, "The influence which I can see…"

Rive flipped the next card in line. It was the Knight of Fire, namely Intensity.

"And so, according to pieces of paper, I will soon or am compromising, unaware that my order of life is being shaken, but I know that there is-" Rive stopped, and looked up. Flames danced. The city burned, like a Phoenix being born anew. Saying nothing, Rive gathered up her cards, placing them in a backpack, grabbed her bow, and leapt off the roof.

~

Sounds of skates can be heard emerging from the shadows. It was a fine day in Tokyo, the sun is out, kids are playing in the streets and all the busy people are rushing to their jobs. The sound of the skates are getting louder and louder until they emerge from darkness.

There is a biohazard insignia, which looks like it is burned to his face. The sun seems to beam off his black and orange hair; he squints and looks up at it. He then directs his attention to the streets and starts to skate again. He finds a bike railing and grinds on it before turning towards the corner. Before it's too late, he crashes into a kid.

"Mister! Mister! Are you alright?!" shouts the young boy in Japanese. The guy doesn't respond.

"Well mister? Are you okay?" he repeats himself. The guy still doesn't respond, he shakes his head, stands up, and skates right past the kid, before submerging back into the darkness.