Dark Light

Rating: friendly

A/N: Not much to say about this other then I’ve been in a writer slump. This chapter is kind of iffy. Thank you for the lovely reviews. If you have questions just ask I’ve got different places you can talk to me at on my info page. Oh yes Daisuke finally has a last name… I can’t remember if I gave him one in the prequel or not but if I did… oops hehe… Please enjoy.

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“So…”

Surge glanced over to find Kieren slowly sipping the soda through the straw. He looked really bored at the moment. His head was resting on his palm as he stared out the window. The two of them had decided to stop at a small fast food place to snag some food. They were sitting down waiting for their food when a classmate walked over. She was rubbed her hands together nervously, her eyes kept straying over to the table she came from. To Surge it looked like she was trying to build up the courage to say something.

“Um… Are you Kieren?”

He glanced at Kieren who was just still staring. “Hey, idiot you home?” He could see that Kieren was watching him out of the corner of his eye. So he motioned to the girl. The brunette reached up to take his ear phones out. “You have a visitor.”

Hanging the head phones around his neck he looked at her. “Yes.”

She stood there fidgeting slightly. “I…” When he smiled she blushed. “I’m sorry… I’m just…”

“It’s okay you don’t need to be nervous. So are you going to ask or… something else?”

Her face grew darker at the question, “Yeah…” Then she started to push her index fingers together. “I was just wondering if you’d two would like to come sit with us?”

They both glanced over at the table with three other girls. Surge yanked on his sleeve under the table. Those eyes rested on him when his phone rang. An annoyed look crossed his face as he reached into the pouch on his hoodie. Answering the phone, he watched the girl as she looked anywhere but at them. “Yes.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. The hairs on his neck stood on end. “Alright.” He hung up the phone. “Sorry.” Just then their number was called. “But I have to get home and my buddy here will probably get bored.” He tucked his skateboard under his arm and grabbed his drink.

Surge gave him a frown, “No I won’t.”

Kieren gave him a hard stare. “Yes, you will.” Then he stood and hauled Surge out of his seat. He barely had time to grab his skateboard. “Time to go home lover boy.”

The girl nodded, “Okay then. It was nice meeting you.”

“Tell Bret I said hi.” He walked up to the counter with Surge looking back at the girl. She had a look of shock on her face. The two left with food in hand as Ev pulled up. “Let me guess, father?”

“Of course. Like father said we don’t need a fight on our hands. Dad’s stressed enough without you trying to put a neighboring pack member in the hospital.” Ev had his arm hanging out the side of his Jeep. Even though he was wearing sunglasses his eyes were looking everywhere for any threats.

“What’s going on?” Both climbed into the Jeep. Kieren passed back Surge’s order of food as Ev drove away from the small food place.

“Apparently our grandfather is being threatened by another alpha. So he’s worried that if things get hairy over there that alpha may or may not come knocking.” He shrugged as Kieren took a sip of his drink, “Something about wiping out the current alpha line.”

He choked on his drink and started coughing. After a few seconds of coughing he turned to him, “Why are you calm about it?”

“Oh come on. He’d have to take out the alpha before our grandfather. Our great grandmother… and from what dad says about her, she is vicious. And then there is our great…”

“I get it!” Kieren snapped. He sunk down in his seat as he watched the scenery rush by a frown on his face.

“So how does freedom taste after being stuck in the house for a month?”

“Fuck you, Ev.”

He looked at the frown on Kieren’s face. “I’m not the one who got suspended for a week right after starting school.” Surge’s snickers reached him from the back seat. “See, even Surge finds it funny.”

“Whatever.” His hand fell down to tug at the arm warmer around his arm. The brunette turned to his brother. “Tell me you didn’t want to beat the ever living piss out of him.”

“That’s just it. I want to, but it’ll just make it worse if I did. Now you have a pissed off werewolf trying to find a way to show he’s more dominate then you are.”

The teen in the back snorted then fell over onto the seat laughing. Ev glanced in the rearview mirror as Kieren gave a loud growl. “Sorry… oh fuck…” Turning around Kieren punched him hard in the thigh causing him to shout in pain as he tried to stifle the snickers by covering his mouth with both hands.

“What’s so funny?” The question from Ev had Surge laughing harder again.

“Don’t you even fucking dare!”

Surge took a few deep breaths as he tried not to laugh. Then he quickly blurted out, “He’d have to tie Kieren up before he can even try to get him to give in!”

The raven haired teen blinked then snickered, “That’ll be very… I can’t even see Kieren being tied up.”

Mismatched eyes narrowed as he slid down further in his seat. He let out a low growl. “Surge, I’m going to hang you from a tree when we get back to the house.”

Icy blue eyes looked at Kieren from where he was laying out on the seat. He snickered, “Too bad I have to head back to the dorms. Care to drop me off a block from the dorms?” His hand was thumping against Ev’s seat.

“Yeah, yeah.” The oldest of the three waved his hand at Surge. “I’m driving don’t distract me.” The three fell into silence as Ev came to a stop. You could see the privet school and the dorm building next to it from where he stopped. “You sure you want to get out here?”

“Yeah. It’s not me that’s being followed.” He patted Kieren on the head. “Bye bye Kieren.” The brunette made a noise and waved at the annoying hand. “See you guys at school.”

“Goodbye Surge.” The two watched as Surge skateboarded down the sidewalk towards the dorms. Once the teen was inside the dorm gates Ev pulled away from the curb. “Stop tugging at it. If it bothers you don’t wear it.”

Kieren’s eyes rolled as he pulled his hand from the arm warmer. He started to rummage through the bag of food. “It doesn’t bother me.” His hand pulled out a good sized hamburger. Ev shook his head as Kieren quickly took the paper off and started to eat.

“I hope you at least got me something.”

There was a muffled, “Nope.” His brother frowned then snagged the bag off Kieren’s lap. “Hey! Give that back!” He was able to take it back with a few of the fries missing. “Mine!” The brunette stuck his tongue out at Ev then quickly finished off the hamburger. They finally pulled down the dirt road that led to their home. After watching trees whip by Ev turned onto the gravel drive way. The Jeep pulled up to the house. Kieren didn’t even wait for the jeep to come to a full stop as he climbed out. He walked into the house, past a groggy Rowdy and straight to his room. His door clicked shut behind him.

Rowdy glanced at Ev when he walked into kitchen, “What’s got him all moody?”

“Bret tried the whole you mess with my girl thing with Kieren.”

The wolf chuckled as he tugged open the fridge. “Lame. Do you know if there are any left overs?”

Ev frowned then waved at him, “Use your eyes over grown puppy.”

His brother glared at him from over the top of the fridge door. “You ate the left overs… damn it… I was hoping to get more of it…” He yelped when a wood spoon connected with his head. Akira stood behind him with his arms crossed. “How the he…” Those eyes narrowed and Rowdy cringed away hiding behind the open door. He meekly said a soft, “Hello.”

Storm gray eyes turned to Ev, “Is Kieren home?”

“In his room, finishing his food he managed to buy and setting everything back in its place. You know how he is when something is out of place.” The teen waved his hand at the two as he headed down the hall to his room. “I’m going to be doing homework.”

Rowdy was slowly inching away when Akira snagged the back of his shirt. “Your needed outside.”

He struggled, “Nooooo! I’m still tired from this morning!” A loud whine left him as he was dragged outside for another lesson.

Damon yawned as he kicked his feet up on the table. A woman in her late forties shoved his feet off the table. “Damon, must I have to tell you to quit that?” He grinned at her and she sighed. Her green eyes looked at the male as he held back another yawn only to go back to eating his late breakfast “Go get some sleep or you’ll sleep in your food.” She pulled back her shoulder length golden brown hair.

“Aw come on Mama.”

The woman rolled her eyes as the nickname the younger kids called her. She rolled the long sleeves of her shirt up as she reached for an apron. “Go take a nap. I’ll send Todd or Lupi up to get you when you need to head to work.”

“I’m fine.” He gave her a large grin his eyes closed. His arms tucked back behind his head. “If I sleep now I won’t tonight.”

Her hand’s rested on her jean clad hips. “Damon Rhydian.”

“Yes Mama.”

“Oh you!” She made a shooing motion. “Go check on the younger kids!”

He stood and gave her a mock salute, “Aye aye!”

“Brat.” Cher crossed her arms as Damon walked out of the kitchen. “Really, he can be like a stubborn mule.” She was the owner of the house. It was opened for homeless children who wanted a place to stay, kind of like an orphanage only through the private school. Most did stay, while others left to find their own families. Damon was one of them. He has been here for almost three years now. The teen was helpful even when she didn’t ask for it. She looked over at the door way Damon walked through.

The woman who had dropped him off was carrying the singed body on her back. His face had been covered in dirt and soot. The two toned haired teen had also smelled strongly of smoke and charred wood. Right before she left though she had told Cher that he was going to be acting weird for awhile and that soon he’ll be fine. When Damon had finally woken he had looked lost. Everyday he’d leave the house walk around for the whole day only to come back even more lost. Then he walked up to her one day and asked if she had seen something of his. Only he couldn’t remember what it was. “I hope you find what you lost.”

“Oi, Damon!” Damon stopped what he was doing to find a grinning red head. “When will you be on break?” Yellow brown eyes rolled up to the ceiling as he shook his head. “Hey, don’t be like that.” The red head gave a fox like grin. “Lupi was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat.”

“Todd, I’m working here.” He turned back to the small kitten he was trying to bottle feed. He worked at the local animal center taking care of the cats. Every afternoon on the weekends till a little before four he would work. The other day a litter of kittens had been dropped off, the mother was gone. Todd looked at the small kitten then grinned, his golden eyes bright.

“Is that the new litter they found?”

“Yes.” The eyedropper gently rubbed at the small kitten’s mouth. When it didn’t try to drink the milk Damon frowned. “Come on little guy.”

“Maybe it’s not hungry… or it could be sick?”

“No. The vet was here this morning the whole litter is okay. They just need to be bottle fed till their old enough to be weaned off.” The kitten gave a cry and Damon sighed. “Okay, now you’re hungry. You’re an evil little bugger, scaring me.”

The red head looked at him, “I still think you’re like me and Lupi.”

“Will you quit it Todd.” The small kitten started to suckle on the eyedropper. “I’m not like you two. Even the tests say I’ve got something non-human in me.”

“Not all tests work well.”

“Todd, I’m working. I’ll meet you two at the café at the end of the block when I get off in two hours.”

“If you’re not like us then why can you understand an animal?” The hiss was hot on his ear causing him to bristle slightly. “Even the fox I share my body with thinks you’re an idiot.”

He sat the small kitten down with its brothers and sisters. Turning quickly, he gave a low hiss. His eyes turned an eerie yellow, “Tell your fox that it can shove it. I don’t want to hear it unless the fucker knows what it is that I really am and why the fuck I feel like I lost something important!”

Todd smirked then stood straighter, “There is no fun in that is there. Better to learn on your own, that way, you’ll never forget.”

“Damn fox! Get lost!”

The teen grinned again and turned. The door to the shelter opened allowing him to walk out. Once the door closed Damon gave a sigh as he looked at the box with the kittens. His hand covered his face. “Fuck… and here I was trying not to remember that damn awful feeling.”

Something pawed at his leg and he looked down. A large lanky black cat with odd shaped white markings on its forehead meowed at him. He smiled then picked the cat up. “Hey there Midnight. You seem to find me anywhere.” The cat purred and butted its head against his. He sighed as he rubbed at the tom cat’s head. “Hey, Mid, maybe you know what it is that I lost.” That head turned to nip at his finger. “Yeah, yeah, you’re hungry I know. Hold on.”

He sat the cat down and got up. As he walked off those green eyes snapped to the side. The cat took off after the small shadow chasing Damon. Slinking along it pounced then bit down on the black creature. With a swift jerk the cat killed and swallowed it. A dark light flickered across those green eyes. Just then Damon walked around the corner with a bowl in hand. “Hey Mid. You’re in lucky I remembered to pack some chicken pieces for ya.”

The bowl was placed in front of the cat and he leaned down to eat out of the bowl. Once done Midnight rubbed up against Damon’s leg. He was back to trying to feed the small kittens. Those green eyes narrowed slightly when something appeared near the doors. A large smoky form that vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

Rowdy fell onto his back panting. “No more you’re going to kill me!”

“Quit your babying.” Zev was crouched chuckling as Akira lit a cigarette. He took a breath and looked at the younger wolf. “It’s not like we’re asking you to find a rouge. Damn.”

A car pulled up and Rowdy jerked up. “Kyden!”

The two toned haired female climbed out of the car just as Rowdy ran up to her. “Rowdy!” She was about to give a hug when she pulled away holding her nose. “Oh god you smell like a wet dog.”

“M-me.” He lifted his shirt up and sniffed it. “I don’t smell like one.”

“Yes you do.” She tucked the box in her hand under her arm as she covered her face. “You can’t have any of the goodies I brought till you take a bath.”

“B-but…”

Kyden pointed at the house as she waved her hand in front of her face. “Bath now!”

He hung his head as he walked over to the house. Akira smirked at the sight as Zev grinned, “I’ll be damned Kyden figured out how to motivate him.”

Ginger draped her arms around Akira’s shoulder as she grinned. “Of course she is my daughter after all.” Gray eyes closed and an eyebrow twitched. “Akira is the best person to hug.” She pulled him closer as she rubbed her head against his hair. “He’s just too cute!” The brunette jerked away hissing at her his staff coming up in a guarded manner. “Aww, I don’t get to hug you?” The woman was pouting.

Zev looked away hiding his laughter as he felt Akira’s glare on his back. The black wolf froze when a dark shadow fell over him. He looked up over his shoulder. Akira stood with his staff resting on his shoulder. The cig hung from his mouth as he gave a wicked grin. “Zev, it’s better to speak what’s on your mind then hide it from everyone else.” His fist rose up as he growled. “Stupid dog!”

Both Ginger and Kyden winced when a loud yelp was heard. Turning from the sprawled out Zev, Akira retracted his staff to place in his back pocket. He flexed his hand causing his knuckles to crack. “What brings you here?”

Kyden held the box out as she opened the lid, “Tada!” Inside were baked cupcakes. “I made too many so I thought I’d bring some over. I was going to give them to Jason but he doesn’t have a sweet tooth like Rowdy and Kieren do.”

“What’s going on out here?” Kieren stood next to Kyden. He looked down at the box. “Is that…?”

“Yep.”

“Can I have one?”

“Yep.”

He went to grab one but the box snapped shut. His hand jerked away, “Hey!”

“When Rowdy gets out here.” She grinned up at him. “You two would fight over the same one so I’m going to give you each one to keep it from going that far. Got it?”

He frowned, “We don’t fight over the same one.”

“Yes you do.”

His mismatched eyes looked off to the side. “Fine.” He tugged at the sleeves of his hoodie then shoved his hands into the pouch. “At least he doesn’t take as long as Ev.” Kyden looked at him as he stood there.

Akira shrugged then glanced at Zev who was hunched over rubbing his head. “We should head in.” He walked off a wisp of smoke drifting up over his head. Kieren watched as his parents and Ginger walked onto the porch.

“Might as well wait for Rowdy on the porch.” Kyden followed after him. She looked at him from behind then started to laugh slightly. Stopping he glanced back at her, “What?”

“I’ve never seen you barefooted before.”

Kieren looked down at his feet and gave a lopsided smile. He lifted a foot up to brush the dirt off of it. “Why do I have to wear shoes when I’m home?” He dropped onto the porch step as Kyden sat down on a step lower than him. “I like the feel of the earth under my feet.” Just then a damp towel wrapped around his head. “What the…!?”

“How was your freedom lil’ Ren?”

Kieren yanked the towel out of his hands and off of his face. Rowdy laughed as he jumped back from being popped on the leg by the towel. He had changed into a pair of shorts and tee-shirt, “What is your problem!?”

Kyden was laughing causing the two to look at her. Ev ran out shouting soon after, “Kyden! I wanna hug!”

“Ev!” She stood up and the two hugged each other with a grin on their faces. “Jason says hi!”

His head tipped to the side as he raised a brow, “Oh and why isn’t he here?”

“He and Damon went down to the creek to blow some steam.”

The three brothers looked at her as they asked, “Are they…?”

“Okay! That is creepy… but no their not. Damon got a hold of a case and so they went fishing.”

Ev raised an eyebrow, “Fishing?”

Rowdy poked at the box and she moved it to her other hand. “Yes. Damon goes all the time after work according to Jason. This time Jason went with him.” She opened the lid and reached in to pull out two cupcakes. “Here you two go!” Kieren took his as Rowdy grinned.

“Rowdy you’re showing.” Rowdy yelped when Ev tugged on his tail.

“Ev!”

Kyden smiled then held the box out to Ev. “Take one Ev. I made sure to pack an even amount. There is enough for you all to have four each.”

Kieren sat there eating the frosting of the top. “What about our parents?”

“Don’t worry I’m giving them theirs while you three enjoy yours. Be right back.” She left them sitting there the screen door snapping shut behind her. The teen hummed as she walked into the living room. “Anyone want a cupcake?”

Zev grinned and pointed at himself, “I’d like one!” She opened the container so he could grab one.

When she looked at Akira she was distracted by her mom, “Um… Kyden, Akira isn’t really…”

“I’ll take one.” Kyden grinned as she held the box out to him. Both Zev and Ginger stared at him as Kyden walked out of the living room. He caught their looks, “What?”

“Akira, you don’t eat sweets.”

He raised an eyebrow and ate some of the frosting on the cupcake. “Are you sure about that?”

“You never ate anything sweet in front of me.” Akira looked at Zev as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Really?” He gave his quirky smirk as he stood. “Really, Zev, you need to work on paying more attention.” He left the room leaving a quietly snickering Ginger and confused Zev. The wolf pouted as he quickly ate the cupcake. When Akira came back in he sat a cup of water on the coffee table. “So, Ginger, what brings you here?” She watched as Akira picked at the treat in his hand.

A sly grin appeared on her face. “They weren’t born that new way.” His gray eyes flicked up to look at her. “They’re too old to even be one of the first test babies.” He shrugged. “They’re not adopted because they look way too much like you two. Well Rowdy and Ev do I don’t know about Kieren.”

“We’re thinking one of our parents.” She glanced at Zev as he leaned back against the couch.

“Really!” Akira gave a shrug then sat the half eaten treat on the coffee table. “Wait… ‘our’?”

“Yes.” The hairs on the back of Akira’s neck stood on end causing his eyes to narrow. Ginger looked at him in question when he stood up. “Zev put the couch against the wall.”

“Aye aye.” He stood and shoved the couch back just as Akira pulled him to the side.

A rift appeared and a body hit the ground instead of landing on the couch. “Ow, ow, ow,” A man with dark brown hair stood up. He rubbed his back as he turned on Akira. “When did you move the couch?”

“When an idiot decided to drop in on top of it instead of coming through a door.”

Onyx eyes closed as he scratched at his head. “What the hell?”

Ginger gasped as she quickly stood up, “Holy shit, you two almost look alike!” Both Akira and the man looked at her.

He grinned as he held his hand out, “The name is Daisuke Amsel.” She looked at him and found him taller than Akira but shorter than Zev. A hooded jacket was on over a white shirt. After she shook his hand he slid both of his hands into the pocket of his jeans. “Believe it or not I’m that brat’s father.”

Her eyes widened as she looked between the two. “Really!!”

A grin appeared on Daisuke’s face as he nodded, “Yep.” He moved over to sling an arm around Akira’s shoulders effectively pulling him closer. Then he waved at himself and Akira. “See?”

“Wow!” She grabbed his hand again and started to shake it. “I’m Ginger I’ve known Akira since he was a teen. He fought in papa’s underground tournament.”

A blank look crossed his face as he asked, “Tournament?”

Ginger was about to say something else when she caught Akira making a drop it motion behind Daisuke’s back. The older brunette turned around causing Akira to look up as he scratched his neck. “It’s nothing really. Just a little game my papa came up with.”

“I see.” He smiled then looked back at Akira. “You’ll have to tell me about it sometime.”

“Like hell.” Akira quickly left the room knowing that sooner or later he’ll have to spill. Better if it was later.

Daisuke glanced at Zev who shook his head. “I know nothing.” Then he snagged the last of the half eaten cupcake off the coffee table. “Ginger, want to head outside. Most likely you’ll meet Akira’s younger brother.”

She perked up at that. “Younger brother?” Then followed after Zev.

The older brunette walked out after them. As soon as he stepped outside a loud voice shouted, “Gramps!” He stumbled as Ev nearly tackled him with a hug.

“Ev! You’re not that little anymore you’ll break my back.”

“That’ll be a day.” Daisuke glared at Akira who sat on the porch swing a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth. “At least Zero uses the door.”

He snapped at Akira, “You wanna go, brat?”

Akira waved his hand at Daisuke, “As much as kicking your ass in front of everyone sounds fun I don’t feel like it.”

Ginger looked between the growling Daisuke and the calm Akira. “Is this normal?”

Zev chuckled as he nodded, “Yeah. If left like that for too long they’ll really start fighting.”

“Is it wise to leave them together then?”

He walked down the porch steps with a laugh, “Don’t worry Ev distracts Daisuke long enough for the two to calm down.” The wolf glanced around then shouted back at Ev, “Hey, Ev, where did they go!?”

The teen leaned over the railing as he called out to him, “They headed for the lake!”

“Okay.” He grinned as he walked, with Ginger following, into the woods. Once they were further from the house he spoke up, “Akira won’t tell anyone how we got them. Only a few knew and that was to keep them and him safe. Didn’t work out well for him being safe but no one else has bugged us about it since then.”

“But how!?” She sighed and folded her arms, “Alright I won’t ask.”

“He’ll tell you some day.” The trees broke apart to show them a view of a body of water. The lake was the largest around. You could barely make out the other side where they stood and it took a day tops to walk around half of it. They could see four people standing in the sand. Kyden was kick at the sand while holding onto her shoes. Rowdy had managed to grab Kieren and ran out into the water. There was a loud shout as Kieren’s body hit the water. He came up wet only to tackle the laughing Rowdy.

The fourth one let his shoulders slump as the two teens wrestled in the water. “Zero!” Said person turned to look back at Zev. He gave a small smile and waved slightly. His dark brown hair fell to his shoulders and in his eyes. He stood slightly shorter than Daisuke but had the same black eyes only a little lighter. He had on an old zipper jacket with a hood on and a dark green shirt underneath. His pants looked worn out but fit him loosely. “This is Kyden’s mom, Ginger.”

He smiled causing Ginger to blush slightly. “Oh my god he’s so cute!!!” Zero yelped when Ginger yanked him into a strong hug. His face was red as he looked to Zev for help but the wolf was busy licking frosting off his fingers.

“Ma!” Kyden helped Zero out by unlatching her mom’s arms. “He looks like he’ll pass out if you keep it up. Jeez!”

There was a shout and they looked out to see Kieren over Rowdy’s shoulder again. “Put me down!” He grinned and Kieren paled. “No! No! Rowdy!” Once Kieren’s body had hit the water again Rowdy took off running as he laughed. The wet blond shook his head once he was on dry land. He looked back to see Kieren standing. His hoodie clung to his body like a second skin. He growled as he walked out of the water. His hands worked on ringing the water out of his hoodie.

Kyden walked over to Kieren, “Wow, I think your hoodie took half the lake with it.”

Rowdy appeared behind her, “Wet hug!”

She let out a shout as Rowdy gave her a hug and lifted her off the ground. “No! I don’t wanna get wet!”

Kieren watched the two. He shook his head trying to get the wet hair out of his face. Soon he was trudging up the sandy shore followed by Ginger. “Kieren… right?”

He looked at the orange haired woman. “Yes.”

“Can you show me the way back?”

His wet shoulders shrugged, “Sure.” He turned around and they walked back in silence. His wet feet carefully stepped over rocks and small twigs.

“Do you always walk barefooted?”

“No.” It grew quiet once more and Ginger make a face before giving a sigh. He stopped, “What is it?”

“Nothing. You’re quiet.”

His shoulders shrugged as he tipped his head back. “I like listening. When I’m in the forest I can’t help but be quiet to hear all of her music.” Fingers tugged at the wet hood to cover his head when he caught the look on Ginger’s face. A grin slipped into place when she saw the faint tint across his nose. The thought of him looking cute hiding like that crossed her mind. Her eyes widened when his face grew slightly redder and his pace quickened. “The house is right through here.” They walked out to find Ev walking up to them. “Hey.”

“You’re wet.”

Kieren lifted his arms up to look at his clothes. “You don’t say.” He grinned, “Wanna hug?”

“Hmm… let me think about it… No.”

His arms dropped to his side as he shrugged his shoulders. “Your loss.” The teen stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked up to the house. Ginger smiled at Ev before following after Kieren. When Kieren walked into the house Ginger stopped at the top of the steps. She looked at Akira who was now perched up on the porch railing. A smile appeared on her face when he looked over at her.

“I’ve got to get to work. I’ll see you later?”

He pulled the cigarette from his lips and shrugged. “Maybe. I’ll get Ev to drop Kyden off when she wants to go home.” Her orange hair moved with her head when she shook it. “What is it?”

“You’ve changed. I’m glad, now I don’t have to worry.” She watched as he blew out another thin stream of smoke. “Now we just need to fix that habit.”

The brunette waved at her as he took another pull on the smoke. “Not gonna happen.”

Ginger laughed as he frowned, “Stubborn.” She turned walking down the steps to leave only to stop. Looking up at Akira she spoke up to him. “Oh yeah, your brother is cute. Mind if I get to know him?”

He choked on the smoke and started coughing. When he finally caught his breath, he looked down at her with a shocked look, “What!?”

“What? Thought I’d ask you. You’re older.”

His hand reached up to scratch at his head. “Do whatever you want,” He sighed, “Just take it easy.”

“Okay.” She waved to him then quickly got into her car. He gave a slight wave as someone walked up.

“She likes Zero?”

Akira looked back to see his father, “I guess.”

“That’s good.” They both looked off to the side to see the small group heading up to the house. “So what’s for dinner?”

His eye twitched before he growled, “Go home you damn freeloader!!”

Daisuke growled at him before swatting him over the head. “Damn brat is that how you treat me?” The brunette clutched his head as he glared at him.

“Damn old bastard go home and bug Flare!”

Just then Daisuke got a sad look on his face causing Akira to slide away some. The older brunette shouted, “Flare why did you leave!!” The confused Akira watched as Daisuke tugged at his hair. When Zev and the others appeared he caught the questioning look on their faces. He saw Zero.

“Zero, what’s going on?”

He blinked then said, “Flare left to check on her family. She’ll be gone for the rest of the month.”

“Damn it.” Daisuke made a whining sound cause them all to sweat. Akira sighed, “Fine you can stay!”

He cursed when Daisuke hugged him all of a sudden. “You’re so nice to your daddy!”

“I’m going to kill you, in your sleep, very slowly.” Zev gave a nervous laugh when Akira hissed the threat at Daisuke. The rest walked into the house as Akira tried to get Daisuke off of him. “Let go of me!!”

Kieren jerked awake. He sat up from being slumped over his desk. A yawn came out as he stretched. Standing he reached over to turn his computer off. As he started to pull his hoodie off he stopped when he felt the cool breeze on his skin. Pulling it back on he walked over to the edge of his bed to look out the window. The bandage on his arms stood out against his skin. He crawled across his bed to sit next to the window. The sounds of the lake reached his ears along with the still silence. Glancing at his door he listened. He turned to his window then slipped out.

The night sky stretched out above him. With his hood up he walked through the woods. His feet familiar with the path knew where to land. Once he left the line of trees he walked up to the water. The gentle lapping of water was mixing with the night animals that hid in the trees behind him. There was a soft giggle causing him to look down. A small girl stood looking up at him. “Hi!”

He looked at the long hair that was braided. She had on a small tank top and shorts. Her feet were bare. “Shouldn’t you be at home?”

When a surprised look crossed her face he cursed. “You can see me!” Damn he messed up.

“Uh… yeah.”

“Yay!” Then she pointed at herself. “I’m Hannah.” She looked out at the lake. “My home was on the other side. But I can’t go there anymore. I walk along the lake edge. I’ve walked it many times. What about you?”

He sat down looking at her, “You can call me Kieren.”

“Can I call you Kie?”

He shrugged, “Sure.” When she smiled he couldn’t help but smile. “What happened?”

She knelt down and started to draw in the sand. “I got pulled under. I remember playing in the water. Then mama called for me. So I turned to see what she wanted then I was under water.” He looked out at the water. “It’s okay. I’m not mad over it but I wish I could see mama.” Hannah smiled as she stood then she tugged on his shirt. “Let’s play hide and go seek.”

“Okay.” As he stood she started jumping up and down. “I’ll count.”

“Yay, okay!” She took off as he closed his eyes. “Remember to count to ten!”


A dark mass flew across the lake. A distorted image of Kieren appeared as it got closer. He was standing there with his eyes closed. A small blue wisp was floating away from him. It’s dark form changed. Large smoky fangs appeared then it formed into a large tiger. “Ten! Here I come!” It roared only to slam into a wall of water. The smoky form lost its shape. Once it gained its bearings again it watched the distorted image. Kieren was looking at it a smile in place. Turning, he ran into the woods after the blue wisp. The smoke roared then shot up over the wall. It slammed onto the ground swirling to form a body.


He ran through the trees till he found Hannah hiding behind a tree. “Found you!”

“Yay!”

“How about we play again tomorrow night?”

“Auwww really?”

“Yes.” His mismatching eyes glanced around at the sound of the foreign sound. “I promise.”

She grinned then nodded. “Okay I’ll go visit Old Man know. Bye bye, Kie.”

Hannah rushed off disappearing around a tree. He gave a sigh just as a loud crack echoed around him. His hand touched the tree. “Help me.” There was a soft glow as his hand slipped into the tree. A woman walked up, she had a large wicked grin on her face. Her golden eyes narrowed as she gave a purr.

“Ruslan will be happy with me.” She gave an evil laugh. “Now come along little puppy.”

He watched her over his shoulder. His free hand reached under his arm and he flipped her off. “Go find a cat post to scratch bitch.”

A snarl came from the woman. “We don’t need you a live anyways!” She shot at him.

His hand ripped out of the tree making a wall that the woman slammed into. The bark rolled around her causing her to scream. He watched as the bark pulled the shrieking woman into its base. Once she was inside the tree he took off. His hand reached into his pouch to pull out the toy inside. The silver string less yo-yo shined in the moon light. With both hands he twisted it. A loud click came from the item. Pushing the middle down caused two small blades to appear on the sides.

His body slid to a stop as a loud scream echoed through the forest. “If that doesn’t wake them up I’ll be surprised.” Kieren slipped his finger into a metal ring, that stuck out of the side, then dove behind a tree. With his hood back up he ducked into the shadows. The smoke wisped around above him as he kept hidden. He slowly counted as the bark where his hand was at glowed softly. The smoke paused then shot at him. A wall of tree caused the smoke to split as he took off out from under it. He shot into the clearing where his home was at.

A large black tigress flew out at him and that silver toy quickly turned into a weapon. The spinning disk flew out as he hooked his fingers around the wire to make it slice into the tigress’ shoulders. He yanked back on the string thin wire. It few back and he caught it in his free hand. The woman changed back and growled at him. Smoke wisped out of the wound along with blood that quickly trailed down her shoulder. She spat at him, “Where are your trees now, brat?”

He let the disk slip from his fingers where he started to swing it back and forth. Then he was spinning it in a circle. The woman’s form dissolved into the tiger that had attacked him. It tore off at him. The ground shot up tossing the tiger into the air. Kieren lifted his arm up and it swung around above his head. With a sharp yank the spinning blades flew at her. The string wrapped around her neck then he gave a sharp tug. She screamed as her body hit the ground.

The sound of the kitchen door slamming open caused him to glance over. He found his father looking at him along with Ev running down the steps. There was a snarl and he whipped around as the tigress sprang at him. He tossed his arm up taking the brunt of the teeth. A curse then he pushed his hand against the tigress’ chest. She screamed in pain. Her body fell to the ground. The spot where he had touched her was slowly changing color. The black seemed to burn away.

Her form changed back into the black smoke and she hissed at him. “Watch your back puppy.” She laughed as the smoke shot off back towards the trees. Ev slowed down once he was closer to Kieren.

“Kieren.” He reached his side as he tugged on the string making the yo-yo like weapon retract. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I was at the lake. Couldn’t sleep. Whatever she was attacked me.”

“Let me see your arm.” Kieren pulled the tattered sleeve of his hoodie up to show his bare arm. Ev held his hands over Kieren’s wounds. “Well at least she left.”

“Her fur started to burn when I touched her.”

“You were seeing things.” When Kieren grunted he sighed. Once the wound was fully closed he tugged on his arm, “Come on.” The two of them walked up to the house. “Kieren was attacked.”

Akira crossed his arms, “I figured as much. What were you doing at the lake?”

“Playing hide and go seek.” Then he walked into the house. Both winged males gave a confused look at Kieren’s back. They followed him inside. Akira turned around to close the door when he spotted the white and black cat sitting on the steps. It turned away from him. His eyes widened at the bar code like markings on the back of its neck. He shook his head then looked closer only to find them gone. His hands rubbed at the side of his forehead. He needed sleep. Now.

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So yeah reviews are welcomed. Questions are also welcomed. Tell me what you think.
Shade:)