Hailfire Vulpes: Thanks for the reviews, and the entries for O.C's. Although I wasn't quite expecting so many at once so...for now I will not be accepting any more O.C's. Maybe later in the story...

Anyways, I want to make sure each Chao gets a decent part in the story, even if they are minor characters. Your Chao may come in later on too.

LOVEFAN13: Your Chao will be one of the main's friend.

Ficfan412: Your Chao may come on later. But not too much later.

Lunara the ara: Lunara will be a main. The other two will most likely be minor characters.

Thank you! And any entries for OC's will be ignored, since I just said I will not be accepting anymore for now.

And on with the story!

~Chapter 2~

Shade was just only entering the tunnel to the next garden over when he nearly bumped into two Chao he knew all too well. They were sisters, one Dark and one Hero. The Dark Chao, Kurai she was called, looked Shade over, "Going somewhere?"

Shade shrugged, "Maybe. What're you doing here?" he adressed Kurai's sister, Karu. Normally, Chao stuck to the garden that matched their type. They seldom strayed across the borders, and doing so could be risky.

Karu gave him a sly smile, "Just walking my sister home is all." she said innocently. Shade rolled his eyes,

"Whatever. Got to go." he said, and manuevered past them. Kurai followed him with her gaze,

"Where are you going?" she asked. Shade didn't turn around,

"Somewhere." he replied vaguely, and mostly because it was none of her damn business. He managed to reach the next garden without being stopped or interrupted by others.

He set foot in the Neutral Garden, wincing at how much sunnier and brighter this place was compared to the usually darker place he was used to. Feeling awkward and out-of-place, Shade stepped inside the border, gaze wandering idily through the clearing. A few of the "neutral" Chao met his gaze with hostile and confused expressions. He tried to force down the feeling that he didn't belong. He needed to find Blossom.

There she was. A pale purple Chao with pink limbs, wings, and orb that floated above her head. She was quietly talking to someone Shade had seen around this area, but never had gotten their name.

As soon as he was close enough, Shade murmured, "Blossom?"

The lavender and pink Chao looked up in response to her name, and smiled, "Hi, Shade." she greeted politely. The female Chao next to her smiled as well. By the looks of her fins, the unknown Chao was a swimmer. Unlike Blossom, and he, who were runners.

Shade cast a polite but awkward smirk back at the other Chao, and turned his attention back at Blossom, "I need to talk to you." he said with all seriousness.

Blossom knew her half-brother well enough to tell when he was truely bothered by something. She also cared enough to help him overcome whatever need overcoming. They were, after all, kin. Even if they had different fathers.

"Sure. I'll talk to you later, Berry." Blossom told her companion. The purplish-blue Chao nodded and paced a few feet away before turning around,

"Shall I wait for you?" she asked. Blossom waved at her,

"Just go without me. I'll catch up with you later." she said, and turned back to Shade, "What's up? I know you'd never leave the Dark Garden unless someone was dying or something."

Shade sighed, wondering briefly if what he had to admit was worth her time, "I had a nightmare." he said, "And before you question why that dragged me over here, I just wanted to say it didn't feel like just any ordinary nightmare."

Blossom nodded, "Go on."

Shade blinked, "It's been reoccurring too. Black fire everywhere, and this horrible sound...and..." he looked at her seriously, "You kept crying out for help, and I couldn't find you."

Blossom sighed sympathetically, "Reoccurring nightmares about fire and noises?" she asked. Shade winced, feeling stupid at the way she worded his problem, "I've never..."

"KARU!" the scream interrupted their conversation. Blossom and Shade whipped around. Kurai's voice was heard from down the tunnel. The half-siblings exchanged glances and ran down to investigate.

The Dark Chao female was bent over the Hero Chao, who was lying on her back, strangely stiff-looking. Her eyes stared at nothing. Shade skidded to a halt beside her, "What happened?" he asked.

Kurai, stared at him, blue eyes full of despair, "She was leaving, and then she just fell over..." she muttered. Shade blinked and looked down at the Chao on the floor. Her entire body looked as if it had frozen, arms stuck to her sides and eyes wide and staring blankly into the sky.

Blossom nudged Kurai, "We should take her to the hospital." she murmured. She looked at Shade expectantly, and he nodded, moving to pick up the frozen Hero Chao. She was surprisingly light, as if carrying a thin plank of wood. She didn't react to the touch of the other Chao.

...

Within a few minutes of arriving at the Chao hospital, they had Karu hooked up to several machines. The doctor Chao was examining them carefully, and within a few moments bore a horrified and confused look on his face. He looked at the group, "She has no pulse." he reported.

Kurai stiffened, "She can't be dead, can she? I mean...she's not going into a cocoon...an everything was fine up until now?" she cried. Shade blinked, studying Karu's body. She didn't appear to breathing, yet if she was really dead, she would have formed a grayish cocoon that would take her body away as well as her life. But she was still here.

The doctor Chao looked at the readings of the other machines, "No pulse, no heartbeat, no tempature, no signal that it's reading anything...I don't understand. It's as if she just...shut down."

Kurai gasped, looking at her afflicted sister miserably. There was a sound as the door opened, and Shade recognized the Chao Berry walk in. She looked at Blossom, "I was waiting and I saw you head towared the hospital. Anything wrong?"

Blossom sighed, "Something's wrong with Karu. She's..." she trailed off, bearing no words to describe the bizzare condition the Hero Chao was influenced by.

Berry looked worried, and leaned over to get a better view of the petrified Chao.

Shade looked at the doctor Chao, "Nothing at all?" he asked.

The doctor looked frazzled and quite bewildered, "I-I don't understand...nothing is giving me a valid reading at all."

Kurai whimpered as the words met her ears, "So...can't we do anything?" she asked forlornly. The doctor shook his head sadly.

Kurai sighed, and leaned over her sister's bed, gently closing her eyes with two fingers.

But as she moved her hand away, with such agility and suddeness, Karu's paw shot up and gripped Kurai's sharply. She gasped, as did everyone else.

Karu's expression was still blank, and she opened her eyes. Shade thought he saw her green irises tint darker for an instant. Kurai suddenly stiffened, and Karu's paw dropped away, leaving her to lay back in the same stiffened position she was in before.

Everyone looked to Kurai, who had frozed with one paw up from where she had been grabbed. Her eyes were empty, and her stiffened form fell forward.

Blossom quickly caught the ailing Chao, "Kurai?" she cried despairingly.

Kurai had been hooked up just like Karu, but her readings were invalid as well. The doctor shook his head, "I just don't understand it..."

Blossom sighed sympathetically, "Do you need some time alone to figure this out?" she offered sweetly. The doctor Chao shrugged and nodded, and the young Chao left.

Shade had forgotten about his nightmares effectively for once, and was now focused on the thought of the two frozen sisters as he sat on his flat-surfaced rock in his own garden. Why had they suddenly stiffened up like that and fall? Why didn't their bodies give any valid readings? It was like some sort of new disease, and finding the cure was like plunging headfirst into black water...

Shade sighed. It was as if niether sister existed anymore...

H.V: Good? Hope I gave the majority of these characters a fair part.

Disclaimers: The O.C Berry belongs to LOVEFAN13. The sisters Kurai and Karu belong to Lunara the ara. Thank you! Review please!