Lunarian - Well... I know it has been a long time... I just like reading too much I guess. Please read and review this, thank you.

Disclaimer- Not that I know how to do a proper one. So just assume anything that seems someone else has it's thiers and thier credit is due, or something or other like that.

Tittle- Anyone have a better idea for a tittle, please do share.

Prologue Part Deux

7 Years Ago...

Nearby Gwynns's house, where Hiro and Ruby live, there are many mountain ranges spread all over the valley. All along the crags and rocks there are numerous caves and caverns spread throughout, caverns that are both deep and vast. Housing multitudes of dangerous creatures within thier deep dark depths, these caverns differ in sizes from single rooms to huge twisting labarynths. These old to ancient hide aways are full of mysteries just waiting to be discovered by intrepid explorers. The perfect 'backyard' for hardy adventurers such as Hiro and Ruby to have.

On this particular day they are on thier way to one of the caves further in then any they have yet explored, (although only about two or three have they themselves searched, finding nothing mentionable/ the rest were explored under the watchful eye and protective care of Gwynn.) a fairly nondescript entryway. Merely an opening several adult lengths wide and half that high, set several feet above the ground with a rough yet climbable path leading in. Craggy gray rocks line the ridge and stalagmites cover the cave roof, and several rocks of varying sizes cover the the ground around the cave walls.

Trudging along the trail just off to the side of the cave, an eleven year old child is talking with his nearby companion (a pink furred flying felinous creature of the feminine variety) who is following him a pace or two behind him and at about shoulder height. She, for it would be impossible to mistake her feminimity, is looking foward to a day of fun filled mayhem nearly as much as her best bud since birth Hiro. Some might think that a pink flying 'cat' being named Ruby is bizzare, but her personality clings to that redness. Hot-headed and with a fire quick temper to match her fire-breathing capabilities, and with a mischevious streak long as possible she is every bit the Ruby.

"Hey check out that cave Ruby, that looks like a great place to explore", Hiro said excitedly. Jumping down into a small ditch to approach the mountain side's climbing tracts, Hiro turned back to Ruby expectantly. "Well, come on down, let's go." Without another word he expertly scaled the minature slope, using the skills acquired from living in the mountains for all these years, and waited patiently at the mouth for her to catch up. "What do you say, think there is any treasure in this cave?"

Ruby sat down on the ground for a moment, stretched her wings and body, then jumped up and darted straight to Hiro's position in scant seconds. "Hah, as if you'd ever have to wait for me, I was just waiting for you", she replied haughtily with a smug smile gracing her features, quickly turning into an anxious look brimming with enthusiasm. "Only one way to find out Hiro, let's go!"

Together, they enter the cave, carefully walking slowly to avoid banging into anything. Now, standing or hovering in Ruby's case, inside the cave, they can tell that it is indeed quite dark inside. With a visibility similar to a blizzard, but of the darker variety, the decision to go further in was prematurely halted. Hiro stopped walking in as he saw a small boulder to sit down on.

Sitting down on the cool lean rock, he started searching through his supplies. "I can't believe how dark it is in here, Grandpa musta used some sorta light spell in all the other caves he took us to. I don't have anything to use for a torch, Ruby, except my boomerang... and there's no way I'll let that burn, it took me forever to carve it." Turning up empty in his search, Hiro turned to his friend. "Hey, how about ya go and get me a stick to use for one, I'll wait right here." So saying, he lies onto his back and closes his eyes.

"What!", Ruby screeched, "you are just too lazy to go out and get one yourself. Why should I have to be the one, huh?" Ruby circles around Hiro's body a few times to gain momentum, and then slams right into his stomach as he was fully offguard.

With a mighty, "Oomph", Hiro sits back upright to glare at the little demon perched on his belly, but finds the glare returned along with the imminent danger warning of a female ready to deal out swift damage to anything of the male persuasion. Although he still answers in a calm manner, despite the sweatdrop slowly forming. "C'mon Ruby, it would be fastest for you to get a stick, all you gotta do is just fly out and come back, just do it."

In response, Ruby swats Hiro's nose and says, "Hah, your just lazy, admit it."

Getting indiginant, Hiro pushes her off and then stands up to lean against the cold rocky wall. "I am not lazy, just get the stupid stick or.... or I'll tell Grandpa who burnt up one of his journals," he finishes with a smug look.

"That's low, you wouldn't dare. Besides it was an accident, I sneezed." Ruby then flies into Hiro's face and says with slitted eyes, "If you do that, then someone might let slip what happened to Grandpa's silver cache."

Throwing his hands up in exasperation, Hiro says, "Sheesh Ruby, I'm just kidding. Will you just get the stick before it's time to go back home already, please?"

"Alright, alright... yeesh, fine I'll do it." As Ruby flies out of the cave back into the daylight, she calls back, "Kay, I'll go get a stick to light, be right back."

Hiro is now alone in a dark dank cave full of the unknown. As he waits for Ruby to get back he hears a quiet scuffling sound, barely above the volume of a heartbeat. Leaning against the rock wall while waiting, Hiro begins to get a little nervous being alone in that dark. "C'mon Ruby, hurry up." Again some more quiet shuffling sounds are heard as Hiro mumbles, "Oooh boy, Ruby better hurry back, and fast." Suddenly he feels something move against his feet and he jumps back with a loud, "Yeeagh!".

Shortly after, Ruby comes flying in holding a pointy stick in her mouth. Flapping in his face, she promptly says, "Hwhere Hewo Ilw wight thish ump."

To which he develops a confused look on his face as he replies with the ever intelligent, "Wha?" Then noticing the obstruction in her mouth, he deftly removes the stick and wryly says, "Care to repeat that, Ruby?"

Giving him her best 'your-not-funny' glare, she says, "I said, here Hiro I'll light this up.", and so saying she did just that; with a burst of flame, illuminating the cave.

"Thanks Ruby, just in time too. There is something moving around on the ground in here."

"What is it, is it a monster?"

"I'm not sure, I couldn't see in the dark. Now I can check, careful now."

Hiro starts to slowly walk around the cave, searching the cave floor. With one hand holding the lit torch, he scans the darkness while crouched over bent at the knees. After a few moments of tense silence, puncuated only by the flickering crackle of the flames, Hiro began to slightly relax. "Maybe whatever it is is gone now, I don't hear it anymore."

Ruby followed Hiro around while he was doing a quick scan of the immediate vicinity, remaining just over his shoulder. "Imagining things, Hiro?", she remarked quietly in his ear. Pouting, she said, "Aww don't go getting my hopes up like that." She then flew over to a nearby boulder and sat down on it.

Suddenly he spots a shifting form in the darkness. "I see something." Using the torch he bends down and looks face first into the glistening fangs of a serpent about to strike. With a burst of fear powered adrenaline, Hiro jumped straight back just missing the strike intended for him. "Yaaagh!" On that same surge he took out his boomerang and threw it right at the snake, slicing it in two and embedding it slightly into the ground. Heavily panting with a racing heart, Hiro stared at the dead creature wide-eyed.

Ruby, likewise, was staring at Hiro with jaw agape in awe. After a few moments she snapped out of the shock and enthusiatically yelled out, "Great shot Hiro!"

Chckling self-conciously, Hiro turned toward Ruby's position while scratching the back of his head in embarassment. "Heh, heh... Thanks Ruby I-..." Cutting off his statement in mid sentence because of what he saw when he turned around. There, just behind the unsuspecting Ruby, was another larger snake poised to strike. knowing that he didn't have enough time to verbally warn her, his actions were finished before conscious thought could catch up. Acting upon some unknown reflex, the boomerang retrurned to his hand with a fierce swiftness. Within that same instance he hurled it at the snake at a great speed, slicing it straight down the middle and stopping it an inch from piercing Ruby with its fangs.

The snakes strong venoms melted the boomerang into an acidic pile, but that wasn't taken much notice from them. Ruby turned a little white, with eyes bugged out. "I.. I think we better go home now Hiro, while the getting's good.", she said in a spooked voice. Hiro agrees and they high-tailed it out of there as if the bats of hell were after them.

End.... so far.

A/N- Please Review, need good criticism!

Thank'x

Thanks for reviewing: Lady Kagome, Species 125, The NightDragon.