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A Shadow in the Light	By : ShiTiger Category: +M to R > Monster Rancher Views: 2506 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Rancher, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Disclaimer: I do not own MR. Will eventually be Tiger x Hare, and maybe some Pix x Hare.

A Shadow in the Light : by Shi Tiger

Chapter 2 : Traitor

~I hate this. This charade is getting old, worn to the extreme.~

'So, what are we going to do today?' Hare grinned his crazy smile over at his teammates. 'Search for the Phoenix, what else?' Suezo replied sarcastically. 'Aw, come on. You need to learn to enjoy life, one eye,' the hare teased. 'You're crazy enough for the rest of us,' Tiger grumbled, still upset at being woken up so early that morning by the ever annoying bunny eared monster. 'Aw, did poor tiger wiger not get his beauty sleep?' Hare darted out of the way of a slash and laughed loudly as Genki tried to hold the blue furred beast back.

~Same old, same old. Smile big, so that no one can see your pain. Laugh loudly, to hide the sorrow filling your heart. Play the trickster, the friend, the constant companion. Tease Tiger and don't let him catch you. Fuck, I hate this.~

Hare blinked, only to find himself staring into deep dark eyes that gazed silently at him. The boy, Genki wore the strangest expression on his face, as if maybe... he had seen the slip in his pretend friend's mask. The brown furred monster just smiled and turned his eyes to the path, carefully keeping his expression that of the ever innocent and charming hare they had met only a short while before.

~Hare? For a second... you looked... your eyes were filled with more emotion then any I have ever seen. Dark with pain, sadness and anger, but only for a moment before they turned clear again. What are you hiding from us? Why can't you let me in? I'm your friend, and we're a team. We should be able to trust each other.~

Genki sighed and straightened, letting go of the tiger as he looked off after Hare who had gotten ahead. Something was very wrong, why hadn't he noticed before? He could see it now though, the mask that the hare wore was that of a joker, yet he was not what he seemed to be. Perhaps... Oh well, he'd have a talk with his friend when they set up camp.

~*~

'Hare,' a voice interrupted the monster's exaggerated story from behind. 'Nani, Genki?' the monster asked, looking over his shoulder at the kid with a false smile. 'Can I talk to you for a second... alone?' the boy glanced away at the forested path that led to a lake only a short distance away. 'Sure,' the hare agreed, climbing to his feet and giving a joker's wave back at the circle before following the youth.

'What was that all about?' Suezo asked, leaning back against Golem as the two disappeared from sight. 'Genki's been acting a bit strange all day, since the fight between Hare and Tiger I think,' Holly replied, gazing into the dark forest. 'Maybe he's gonna lecture him,' Suezo suggested, grinning with glee at the thought. 'Hardly. More than likely... Genki has finally realized that Hare isn't who he appears to be,' Tiger growled from where he was curled in front of the fire.

'Isn't who he appears to be?' Holly blinked at her friend, then back off into the darkness that had swallowed up the pair.

~*~

'Well, Genki-kun! What's on your mind?' the hare asked, leaning back against a tree. 'I want you to be honest with me, Hare,' the boy answered, turning to face him. 'Uh, ok,' the monster stated, arching an eyebrow and waiting. 'Do you trust us at all?' the youth asked, watching him with soulfilled eyes. 'Of course I do,' Hare replied, fake grin wiping any other expression off his face. 'Don't lie to me, Hare! You're my friend, and I want to know the truth,' Genki insisted, hands curling into fists at his side.

~Hm... he figured it out sooner than I expected. Oh well, he doesn't know everything. Not that I really care if they find out, it won't endanger my mission. I don't need to be their friend to spy on them.~

'Your eyes,' the boy's voice brought him back to the present. Hare crossed his arms over his chest, waiting. 'Today, when you teased Tiger... for a second, I saw something different. You have so much pain inside of you, but you're always smiling. How can you? What can we do to make you trust us? Trust me?' Tears were welling up in the youth's dark eyes, threatening to trail down his cheeks.

'Genki... you don't understand. You've been here for what... maybe a couple of months. You don't know this world like I do. You look at the people in villages, happy and carefree. You see the monsters helping them, always at their sides, friends... companions. You don't see underneath the surface, the darkness, the hatred. You don't know what it's like to be alone, shunned by society because you are different,' Hare found himself pacing to the edge of the water as he spoke, unable to bare the boy's gaze any longer.

'Hare? Nani?' a whisper behind him drove his anger out into the light. 'All you see is baddies, creatures that serve Moo. You want to protect people from him, because in your eyes... he is evil. You act as if they are worth more because they hide their secrets in shadow, while he broadcasts his opinions to the world. So foolhardy, charging forward like a knight to save his princess in a world not his own. You won't understand until you see the truth. Darkness exists in everyone, even if it is hidden beneath a mask of happiness,' Hare could feel his fists clenching, his eyes glowing as he glared out at the lake. All he could feel was the anger, the hatred that had welled up inside of him for so long, unable to reach the surface.

'Hare. Are you...?' Genki's question was cut off by the sound of thunder coming from the ground. Dirt exploded around them, forcing them closer to the lake as a giant worm slashed its way to the surface. Mad red eyes glowed down at them, huge body curled around them like a snake. Hare glanced at the boy who seemed frozen in shock, transfixed by the creature. Without realizing it, he leapt towards the youth just as the worm's giant tail ripped through the mud towards them.

~Why? Why did I...?~ Hare felt the water soak through his fur as they were thrown into the lake, the monster still clinging to the boy. Brown eyes opened to the cold bluish darkness, even as the worm's tail forced them deeper, trapping them to the floor of the lake.

~*~

'Did you hear that?' Suezo shouted, bouncing off after Tiger of the Wind who had suddenly leapt to his feet and raced off towards the lake. 'Oh no, Genki!' the girl screamed, following her friends. 'Mocchi!' the little pink monster screamed.

Reaching the lake, they stood horrified at the sight of the insane worm rampaging the banks. 'Where are they?!' Holly screamed, only held back by Golem who refused to let her run into the worm's path.

Tiger's gaze was drawn to the worm's tail, half submerged in the water. A red glow burst it's way to the surface, the blast throwing them backwards as the worm exploded.

~*~

~Damn it all!~ Hare felt his eyes begin to burn with the fire of his hatred, turning his anger at the creature who was slowly choking them. ~I can't die now. I haven't had my revenge.~ The water turned blood red around them, even as the hare felt the change overtake him. ~Forbidden... my power is greater than any other. I stand alone and I'll... destroy anyone that gets in my way!~

~*~

Tiger was the first to push himself to his feet, watching two figures gradually appear as the mist resided. A lost disk shimmered under the moonlight, only a small distance way. 'Genki!' Holly called, as the group surged forward. The boy in question rose to his knees, still choking from the water in his lungs. A pale, but firm hand was on his shoulder, holding him steady. Tiger found himself staring into cool golden brown eyes...

~*~

'AHHH! A baddie!' Suezo shouted, leaping in front of Holly to guard her. The young man just stared coldly at them, his knees in the dirt. A hand on his arm stopped the youth from moving as Genki moved closer, holding up something into the light. A bandana... a red bandana. Brown eyes blinked as the younger boy began tying the cloth around his upper arm, overtop of a slash he had not even noticed until that time. 'Traitor,' Tiger hissed, claws digging into the muddy shore.

'How can I be a traitor if I was never on your side to begin with?' the teenager asked, his voice calm but icy. Genki turned his eyes to the long browned bunny ears on the youth's head and the sharp clawed hands in his lap. Holly suddenly gasped, noticing the same things. Eyes turned to her as she pointed, then to the strange youth again. Suezo took a jump back and spat, 'A Forbidden!'

'Forbidden?' Genki blinked his eyes at his friends, then at Hare. 'Forbidden, one of both worlds, monster and human,' the young man answered him, moving to his feet. 'Wait! Where are you going?!' the boy yelled, as the other began to walk away. 'Hm? I doubt I can travel along with you now that you know what I am and who I serve,' the hare eared teen replied.

'Uh...' Genki suddenly noticed the gleam of Moo's symbol that had once been hidden by the scarf when the boy had been... Hare. 'You... follow Moo? Why?' the boy wanted to know, gazing up at the young man. 'It serves my purposes, for now,' the teen replied calmly. 'But then... why are you journeying with us?' Holly asked, her voice rising in the cool night air. 'Moo needed someone to spy on you, tell him your plans and other such things. Know this, Genki. Forbidden children are capable of taking three forms. One is the human form; the other is the monster form... who you've been fooled by since the beginning. The other, is our true form, the one I stand in now, a cross between worlds. It was easier for me to trick you into believing I was a normal monster, a friend,' the words were spat out with disgust.

'But, why? We haven't done anything to you!' Genki screamed, fingers curling into his palms painfully. 'So nieve. Of course "You" haven't done anything. You aren't even from this world, so I cannot hold you responsible for the past. But everyone else... monsters and humans, no matter who they are... they all deserve to die,' the youth hissed, stalking away. His halfling form was soon swallowed up by the darkness, leaving the group alone to their thoughts.

~Hare...~ Genki felt tears welling up in his eyes, for the loss of his friend.

...tbc...

Author's Note: How was that? I've always wanted to write a story where Hare is working for Moo. And yes, in a lot of my stories I can see Hare as a Forbidden, a halfling. I have a few were he is just a normal monster... but this one seemed to work better. Yes, it will include some yaoi, Tiger x Hare, and perhaps signs of Pix x Hare. Please keep reading and review! I'd love to know what everyone thinks!

My Websites:

Twilight Garden (http://wingedtora.tripod.com)

Lair of the Beasts (http://darktora.tripod.com)
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A Shadow in the Light