Mmmmmmk. Here's the next part, after like eight years of not having an internet connection. Thank you to everyone for your reviews, and I really appreciate the encouragement!

Oh, yes, I don't have Wordperfect anymore, so if the format and/or spelling is screwed up, I'll try to fix it. Wordpad isn't very... advanced. Anyways, onto the story!

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Dark's eyes slowly opened, and he was stunned by what he saw. He was in a huge feathery bed,

covered in a deep red blanket and gold-lined pillows. The room he was in was enormous, and he could make

out several stained-glass windows. Everything was perfectly clean and looked horribly expensive. I'm almost

afraid to touch anything... he thought to himself wryly. Wait... where am I? I don't remember doing anything

after work... "Hnn..." Dark moaned sleepily. His brain whirred as he tried to figure out what had happened. "My

head hurts..." Was I drinking? he thought blankly. Suddenly, everything came rushing back to him. I went

drinking with that guy after work! I must be in his house... what was his name... Dark thought hard, trying to

remember the man's name. "Krad!"

"Yes?" Dark nearly jumped right out of the bed. Right as he had remembered Krad's name, he had

walked into the room.

"I, uh, is this your house?" Dark finished lamely.

"Yes. I live here," Krad answered. He was looking at Dark very strangely.

Geeze, how embarressing... Dark thought dejectedly. This guy is nice enough to let me stay in his

house, and I forgot his name. He'd probobly think I was an idiot if he found out. There was an awkward

silence. "Soo, what exactly happened last night? I can't remember anything." An even stranger look crossed

Krad's face. Oops, was that rude? Dark thought hurridly.

"Let's just say you can't hold your alcohol." Krad smirked.

Dark flushed. "Did I... do anything?"

"All you did was tell me your life story, really." There was a hint of amusement in his voice, and Dark

blushed a deeper red. "And that you're homeless."

Dark looked up, shocked. Krad had thrown that into the conversation so casually, but looked very

serious. I can't believe I let that slip! he thought furiously. It's bad enough having to go to that horrible job every

day-- wait! Work! I'm late! "Crap!" Dark cried. Krad looked at him in surprise. "I'm late for my job! I'm gonna get

fired!" He shot up out of bed, and ran towards the door.

"Wait." Krad moved in front of Dark, stopping him. "I can give you a ride."

"Really?"

"It's the least I can do. I'd feel horrible if you got fired because I got you drunk."

"T-thank you!" They both ran out to the car, the driver waiting inside.

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"I'm sorry, Dark, but I'm going to have to let you go. You've been late one too many times." Dark stared

dumbly at the manager in front of him. The driver had tried his hardest to get him to the restraunt on time, but it

just wasn't fast enough. "Here's your final paycheck." The man handed him a slip of paper, and then went back

inside the building.

Dark tore open the envelope. Four hundred... he thought sadly. Shit. Now what do I do? Krad's limo had

sped off as soon as he had dropped him off, and he had no idea what to do next. Better find the

unemployment office. He trudged off, even though he had no idea where he was going. He figured he'd find it

eventually.

Two hours later, Dark was still stumbling around the town. He had somehow managed to wander into the

slums, and was hopelessly lost. All he knew was that he had to get out of there as quickly as possible. But first,

he wanted to try to sell the nice tuxedo he was wearing for a little extra cash. It was better than nothing. He went

into the cleanest looking thrift store he could find, bought a very cheap pair of pants and a shirt, and managed to

sell the tux for a decent sum. Great, now I have FIVE hundred dollars. JUST ENOUGH to live off of, he thought

dryly. There were rain clouds gathering off in the distance, which worried Dark. Better find a dry place to spend

the night.

He didn't have much luck. It was pouring, and Dark still hadn't found a dry place that was unoccupied. He

was shivering badly; the clothes he had bought weren't very warm. Plenty of evil-looking people were roaming

around now that night had fallen. Eight hours... he thought numbly. I've been wandering around for eight hours...

Having not eaten all day, he was starving, and decided to try to get something to eat. He spotted a diner off in

the distance and headed towards it.

He almost made it. The diner was mere yards away from him when he felt someone come up behind

him. "Hey pretty-boy." Dark whipped around, only to get punched in the face. He fell to the ground hard. "Gimme

your money." There was a large man looming in front of him, holding a knife and pointing it threateningly at

Dark. "With a pretty face like that, there's tons of ways you could make money. I'm sure you won't mind if I just

take what you have now." Before Dark could reply, the man kicked him in the ribs. An intense pain shot through

his stomach. The man beat him relentlessly, until he could hardly feel anything anymore. Finally, the man

stopped, bent down, and snatched the money that had been in Dark's pocket. He left without another word.

Dark struggled to his feet. His lip was split, he could feel his eye swelling, and everything hurt. Just my

luck... he thought weakly. He staggered through the darkened streets, limping badly. His mind had one focus:

finding shelter. It seemed like an impossible feat at the time. He suddenly saw a bridge in the distance, and his

heart lifted. At least he would find some shelter. Minutes later, he collapsed under the bridge and slowly slipped

into unconciousness.

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Whew... Dark sure went down in the social ladder, didn't he? Sorry it was kinda short this time. Well, this is the end of the 'intro', so to speak. The real story starts next chapter. Please read and review, and I hope you liked it!