Role Playing Fan Fiction / Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Midnight Syndicate ❯ Chapter 1

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The sun had finally set. The lack of natural light now left the village dark and desolate much like a ghost town. Midnight stared up at his ceiling silently listening for the scarce amount of life signs inside and outside of the shack he was in. Every now and then he'd catch the sound of someone's heartbeat. His perfectly proportionate ears would twitch absently in time with it before losing the sound. One by one, he couldn't pick on their heartbeat. Almost like each person was dying for the night. How strange. He paid very little attention to that as he shifted and closed his eyes. If he wanted to get to the next village before sundown he would have to get up early tomorrow morning. And maybe he would skip buying anything in this town. It was hard enough to trust the people much less their food. With that in mind, he slowly began to regulate his breathing until he drifted to sleep.

He had been asleep about an hour before he heard someone enter his room. The only distinct sign that he had heard the intruder was the slight flicker of his ears. It was a reaction he had gotten from his hellhound blood, the want to swivel the foxlike ears that would have been on the top of his head if he were in his hound form. He listened intently to the sound the other made. Their footsteps were light and inexperienced, a child.

It wasn't long before he heard the jingle of the coin bag that he had recently earned. It was then that he sat up looking coldly to the person who was trying to steal from him. As expected it was a child. A girl. Her hair was ragged and dark brown. Her eyes were the color of freshly brewed ale and her skin was pale and smudged with ash. Her clothing were the ragged remains of a summer dress it would seem. She had frozen with the bag clutched her chest. Her wide frightened eyes settled on the man in silence weighing her options. "But it down and I won't hurt you." Midnight offered her only choice. His head lowered unconsciously in an almost threatening gesture. He watched the pitiful creature tremble slightly. Finally she dropped the bag then ran noisily out of the room. Midnight's eyes narrowed. Slowly, he climbed from his bed and moved silently to his clothes and slipped on his pants. With that done, he picked up the bag. Nothing was missing yet he turned to follow the girl's scent. She had been in the room with the sick woman as well.

"Saya, what have you done now...hush child, don't cry." He could hear the muffled weak voice of the woman coming from the room. He came to a stop outside of the door and pushed the curtain back slowly. The sickly woman looked up with her fevered eyes settling them on him instatnly. Despite her being sick, she still held the motherly instinct to protect the girl in front of her. "I apologize if she woke you." She spoke again.

"No harm done...is she your child?" Midnight asked. His gaze flickered to the girl who was huddled against the woman crying softly.

"Aye, she is. Far too smart for her own good might I add." The woman said affectionately running her boney fingers through the girl's hair. "We have very little money and I don't know how long I have....so she thought it wise to steal I presume."

"But you need the money for the medication!" Saya shot up nearly shouting through her sobs. Her mother only smiled holding up a finger to her daughter's lips.

"I've lived a long life to have seen you grow this old and wise." She spoke as if she were speaking to someone twice her age. "My only regret is not being able to see you blossom into the beautiful young woman I know you will be." She smiled letting her hand fall from the girl's lips. Just as she did, she doubled over in a fit of dry coughs.

"Mama!"

All the while, Midnight watched in silence. Would he really be this torn up if it were his father in this predicament? His uke father that is. He had yet to meet his seme father. He tilted his head trying to imagine it, him crying at his father's side. Nudging his weak body.... He finally shook his head feelingn a twinge of something in his chest. He didn't like it, not at all.

"Please..." The woman finally recovered enough to look up at Midnight. Her shaky hand reached out for the man. "I don't have much to offer but please, take my daughter with you."

"What?!" Midnight's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. Humans, as far as he knew, were only good for food. He didn't know much about taking care of one. Especially one so young. He swallowed finally registering the girl's histerical cries. Maybe she will be of use to me.... He finally thought taking in the mourning child.

"Mama! No, please don't leave me!" Saya begged just as her mother's body fell limp. She paused with her eyes wide and leaking large tears of sadness. "She's gone!" She wailed fisting her mother's rags with her small hands. "What am I going to do now?!"

"You're coming with me." Midnight finally spoke up. "Grab your belongings, we leave at dawn." He ordered turning his back on the scene.

"Wait, where are you going? We can't leave her like this! They'll throw her in a ditch! Please, help me bury her!" Saya called. The older man paused back bristling. How did he get himself into this. This was ridiculous.

"Fine." He growled turning back to the room. He paused at the cooling body's side before kneeling and scooping her into his arms. He sneered slightly smelling death and more disgusting things lingering now that she was dead. "Where." He said curtly to the girl. Saya jumped up quickly leading the way out clearly undetered by the harsh tone. Midnight followed her ignoring how the outside air chilled his skin.

Finally the two came to the very overhang that Midnight had been on before going into the village. "Here...so she can watch over this village." Saya said finally facing Midnight. He nodded once placing Saya's mother onto the ground. Crossing her hands over her chest and making sure her eyes were closed, he set to digging her a proper grave. "I don't have money yet, mama, but I will buy you a headstone....to let everyone know what great woman you were." Midnight snorted hearing what the girl said. She truly knew more than she should have at her age. An hour later, Saya's mother was properly buried. The ground that had been turned up was carefully decorated by the little flowers that grew nearby.

"We will clean up...then get rest....we have to leave early." Midnight stated placing a hand atop Saya's head. The girl nodded obediantly before turning to follow the man back to the city. Once they were back at the shack, they made use of the bathrooms ridding themselves of the dirt and death that still clung to their skin. With that done, they retired to Midnight's room. He let Saya have the foot of his bed not thinking it was mentally healthy for her to sleep in the room her mother died in. He stared silently at the young child's sleeping face for a moment before finally letting himself sleep. They had a long morning ahead of them.


TBC.......

A/N: Ooookay...hmmm this chapter...not mine...see Midnight has a history that his human made up and whatnot...I only put my own twist on it and wrote it in my own words. How did you like it? Its not as long as the other but it seemed like a good place to stop. Lengths will vary -nods-...some chapters may be a gazillion pages long...you never know O_O. Anywho, critique me!! How'd I do? Do you love it, hate it? Details not good? Let me know. I want to improve!!