OOC: Alright, this is my first attempt at a story so some feedback would be wonderful. Read, enjoy, and expect more soon.

I don't own Zatch Bell or anything to do with it... except this story.

Prologue

Potterston. It is about as exciting as the name sounds. Nothing ever happens in Potterston. At least, nothing interesting ever happens. It is a small town found on the outskirts of the much larger town of Tangon City. There is not much to Potterston: a few convenience stores, a medical center, a market, a floweriest, and a post office/ town hall. It is one of those towns where everyone seems to know each other. There is not much change in Potterston. People like to stay in their routines so they do not have to think about much. To a visitor unlucky or foolish enough to stay in the town, it would seem that everyday is just as dull as the day before. To say the least, Potterston is completely boring. That is why this story does not start there. It starts outside of the town on a road heading towards Tangon City, where a boy is about to begin the adventure of a lifetime.

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Samuel Anders slowly walked down the path towards Tangon City. The morning was still early, and the sun had just decided to wake up and shake off the fog in its eyes. Birds, feeling the sun's warm rays, were starting to chirp and flutter from tree to tree. To the right of the road, a stream flowed along, lapping at the rocks that protruded from its floor. Soft breezes rustled through the leaves and braches of nearby trees. The gusts brought with them an aroma of flowers which grew on the opposite side of the river. Everything was peaceful. Everything was right. And in Samuel's mind, everything was perfect.

Samuel loved to walk along the path in the early morning: the beautiful sunrise, the cooling breeze, the wonderful fresh air that one can only obtain after a peaceful night's rain, and of course the perfect musical concert only nature can produce. His dark green eyes were closed as he slowly moved along the straight road. This allowed his other senses to enjoy the surroundings even more. His brown hair, at least what stuck out from under his backwards light blue cap, moved slightly as the morning breezes past through it. His kaki shorts and green and white striped shirt were wet from where he had enjoyed a sit under a nearby tree. While he walked along the path, everything was good. There was nothing that could bother Samuel when he was on one of his walks.

The daily walk gave him time to think-- and gave him an excuse to not ride the bus. Samuel lived in Potterston. Since only a few people who lived in Potterston were in school, there was no school building in the town. Therefore it was necessary for anyone who wanted an education to travel to Tangon and attend a school there. Samuel chose to walk the distance each morning. He told his mom he did it for the exercise and the peacefulness of the early morning. While he had come to enjoy his time with nature, Samuel's true reason was that he disliked the other kids from Potterston, and they had no fondness of him. Samuel was just fine with that. Samuel tended to be a loner. He enjoyed nothing more than being by himself. Other kids, at one time, had tried to be nice to him, but it soon became apparent to them that it was a lost cause. It was not that Samuel was mean or anything. In fact, he was a very kind and caring person. He just kept people from getting close to him as a defense mechanism. Samuel had been hurt in his life. Because of that, he refused to let many people close to him out of fear of being hurt again. But all that is a different story. For now, Samuel was enjoying the peaceful morning and blissfully walking down the road towards the Misty Forest where, the night before, something terrible had happened.

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Chapter One: Simply Unpleasant

It was quiet in the Misty Forest. Shaden hated when it was quiet. There were no owls in the trees or mice on the forest floor. Not even the chirp of a cricket could be heard. The quiet could mean only one thing.

That blasted, idiot officer must be after me again, Shaden thought as he leaned up against his usual tree. He is starting to get a little obsessed with me.

Shaden Woodsworth was a thief. Actually, he was a bandit. Shaden hated the term thief. He felt it was derogatory towards a man of his profession. Besides, thieves were crude, greedy slobs. Anyone could step into the streets and be a thief. It took class, talent, and patience to be a bandit. Also, bandits would only steal from the rich. Thieves took from everyone. But that was all beside the point. The point was, Shaden was being pursued again, and this time he had done nothing wrong. Do not get him wrong, Shaden had done many-a-thing to deserve some time in prison. He just felt it would silly to finally be caught and not have done anything to warrant it.

Shaden sighed as he lifted his head towards the sky. His light blue eyes were barely visible beneath his messy brown hair that fell across them. Hetilted his black cowboy styled hat backwards as he stared at the night's sky. No breeze blew through the forest. The rising temperature, along with a light rain here and there, throughout the day made it very humid. Where he once wore a black trench coat, it now laid beside exposing a worn-out grey t-shirt. Taking out a cigarette pack from his dirt covered jeans, Shaden quickly inserted one into his mouth. Pulling out a pack of matches, Shaden was relieved to see there was still one left.

Shaden sighed as smoke slowly started rising off the end of his cigarette. It will only be a matter of time before The Storm comes. And to think, all this trouble over a silly book that (for the record) I didn't even steal. How was I to know it belonged to that kid? It was just sitting in the alley. All I did was pick it up. Then out of nowhere, the kid jumps out and starts yelling about how I was stealing his book. It was just my luck that some cop just happened to be walking by at that moment. I didn't even have enough time to give the kid his book.

Shaden sighed again and looked down at the book. It lay on his coat with its red cover and strange symbol looking at him. Reaching down, Shaden picked up the book and flipped through a few pages. Frowning a shaking his head, he threw it back down on his jacket. "Stupid book. All this trouble and I can't even read a single word." Looking back into the sky, Shaden started to laugh. "This is all just simply unpleasant."