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Chapter 4

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               The day drew on and light turned to darkness as Raine sat in the room that had been set aside for him. Crono was a kind host and he knew he should spend time with the man and learn more about their kind but the fennec had too much on his mind. There was a demon tormenting him in his dreams and now he didn't have his best friend to run to. Hell, he didn't even know what became of the people that saved him from Fox Hunt.

               Letting out a sigh Raine looked up from his seat at the foot of the bed and gazed into the mirror and the bureau there. His eyes were as deep a crimson as ever but the slitted nature of them made him feel uncomfortable. The reflection changed and the demon stared back as the voice was in his mind again speaking to him, "Death... is only a new beginning. You will see things that change everything boy... but no worries. Your purpose is served."

               Raine's eyes went wide at the creature and he put his paws over his face as he felt his grip slipping. He knew it couldn't be real, what he was seeing. He had to be losing his grip on reality. The past couple of days had been too much to handle, that had to be it. Surely this would all end once he got some rest.

               "You cannot hide from me little parasite. You are bound to me forever... Cursed with the burden of seeing the end of the world. Damned along with your people... Be grateful boy as you will witness our children's transcendence to perfection," Said the voice, it's echoing sound resonating in the fennec's skull like nails on a chalkboard.

               "GO AWAY," Shouted Raine as he took his paws off his eyes. He quickly stood himself up and rushed forward with a speed his human form simply had no hope of matching. He brought his right paw into a fist and threw a punch at the mirror even as the demon was laughing inside. The loud crash of shattering glass echoed throughout the room as each shard showed the reflection of the monster inside still laughing.

               Crono, having heard the shout and the crash, came running to the room surprised and confused at the scene he had walked into. Raine was standing in a pile of broken glass from the mirror as he looked at his paw in astonishment. Several shards were embedded in the flesh between his knuckles as his face twisted into a grimace of pain and fear.

               Raine turned to Crono as his face changed to a look of hopelessness. They stood there in silence for some time before Raine quickly pulled a shard of glass free from his paw and shook his head, "I... I can't do it..."

               The host put a hand on his face and shook his head slowly with a sigh, "I used to think the same... it gets easier. I know it's hard being different but..."

               "No... That's not what I meant. Thank you... For everything," Said the fennec as he quickly took the shard of glass and jammed it into the left side of his neck with a yowl that soon became a gargle. The red eyes started to go blank as he fell forward.

               Everything felt like it was moving through water as the world slowed for Crono. His eyes went wide as he rushed forward to try and stop Raine but only managed to catch the falling familiaris in his arms. He shook his head quickly and gripped the glass embedded in the neck tearing it free even as it sliced through his hand.

               He felt it inside; the dragon roaring as the host's eyes turned to slits and he began to change. The stress had set of his transformation. His hands were becoming taloned and scaled as he lifted his head and a roar escaped his throat. Soon there was a silver smooth dragon holding the fennec in his arms with a bright yellow mark on his chest that looked like a roaring dragon on the peak of a mountain.

               The dragon roared as tears welled his in glowing yellow eyes while his long silver mane settled against the back of his long neck. He rose to his feet holding the creature that was no longer breathing close to his chest, "No! You can't! It's impossible!"

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               Falling into the abyss, a darkness that felt like it was grabbing at his arms and legs and pulling him deeper and deeper into the hell that surely waited. The creature it had captured opened its eyes as their red shone dull in the darkness. Huge ears twitched and it took a gasping breath as it saw nothing but darkness.

               A cold embrace enveloped the fennec as he fell and Raine soon saw the demon was there holding him close once again. They looked deep into each other's eyes saying nothing as no words were required. The monster looked like it was genuine in his affectionate comforting. Tears welled up in Raine's eyes as he wrapped his arms around the undead thing; it was the only thing that was close to him anymore, the only thing he knew.

               It was some time before any of them spoke but the one that broke the silence was Raine, "I can't let you free... You're a monster... It was the only way."

               Raiden shook his head in response and put a bony finger over Raine's muzzle to quiet him as he whispered, "We are eternal... undying... You must understand that soon enough. Many believe me a monster and most of them are right. I do terrible things and enjoy them but... you will understand soon that monsters are not born monsters... Monsters are created."

               Raine folded his ears back and shook his head, "no... I don't want to go back," shouted the fennec with a whine.

               "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Soon you will wake as if this were all just a nightmare. It is a nightmare really but it is not yours alone. I've seen the fires of hell myself and come back from them. The ferryman was never allowed to take me across the styx," Replied Raiden as he held a little tighter.

"There is so much you don't understand boy... You've lived so little and know but a grain of sand on a beach of knowledge. There are powers at work here that have been constantly moving since the dawn of time," whispered the undead thing.

               Raine closed his eyes and held to Raiden a bit tighter than before, "Who are you?"

               "I am the father of our people; creator of this modern nightmare and mastermind of the greatest coup in the history of the world. Ten Thousand years have passed since the wheels began turning and soon the train those wheels carry will reach its destination. You are simply an unfortunate bystander thrown into a conflict you do not belong in," Replied Raiden as he held a little tighter. His words were comforting as they were genuine. It seemed the monster actually cared for the wellbeing of the fennec boy. He was concerned.

               "Then... I was never meant to be a part of this," Asked Raine softly feeling his stomach bunch up in anger while his eyes burned with sadness.

               Raiden reached up and ran a finger along the corners of Raine's eyes to wipe away the tears as he nodded, "You were never meant to be at all. The mark you carry is my own. You are not the undying one... I am. But you... are me. A heart that never died when it was meant to, a conscience that continues to plague me. You are the good the is still there... the nagging guilt that tells me I am a monster."

               Raine opened his eyes wide and held tighter as he whispered back, "but... you can't hate everything... I feel the cold in your arms and in it can hear your screams for help. You don't want to be like this... You can stop."

               A wry laugh came out of Raiden's muzzle as he shook his head, "You've too much hope in a thing that has slept away the centuries in a nightmare of his own creation. No... I cannot stop what has been set in motion nor do I wish it to stop. It is a better world that awaits us; a world without pain, a world without death."

               "You don't believe your words... Your eyes tell me so," Said Raine as he tentatively put his paw on the cold cheek of the demon that held him close. He was looking deep into Raiden's matching bloodshot crimson eyes. They stayed like that for some time as the abyss continued to try and swallow them up.

               Raiden let out a little heh and shrugged slightly as his grip began to loosen around Raine and he spoke softly, "We'll see... It's time to wake up..."

               The fennec reached out quickly as Raiden began to drift away and he shouted, "No! Don't go! I don't want to wake up! Raiden!"

 Falling into the abyss, it wanted to swallow the prey it sought after for centuries untold but it was once again denied its meal. Light shone from above and he could hear voices garbled around him. Raine put his paw over his eyes to shield them as the light surrounded him.

The fennec slowly opened his eyes and blinked as the world was fuzzy around the edges and he couldn't make out anything beyond simple shapes. Sounds were dull and undecipherable much like the sound of a poorly tuned radio. Some words could be understood while others were nothing but gibberish or parts.

Trying to lift his arm Raine found himself restrained as he felt something warm holding it down with a gentle touch. He let out a moan as he was in a great deal of pain. Gritting his teeth he closed his eyes again and relaxed into the bed. A soft touch to his cheek made him relax as he spoke softly, "Rai...den..."

"Shh... Just rest," Came a soft feminine voice that was most definitely not Raiden.

Opening his eyes quickly Raine was greeted by bright lights and a black splotch against the white. He grit his teeth again and tried to cover his eyes but the restraining hand was still there with its gentle urging to remain calm. He couldn't help but relax even though he was in incredible amounts of pain.

He felt something wet against his cheek and frowned slightly as he wondered if he had been crying again but as he felt a drop against his cheek he realized that he wasn't crying at all. The wetness was coming from somewhere else and the pain wasn't nearly as bad as it was before.

Raine opened his eyes a final time and the world came into focus. Looking down at him was some sort of vixen with ears that rivaled the size of his own. She had a kind face that was stricken with pain and tears flowed from her eyes landing on his cheeks. He didn't understand what was happening. Why was she crying?

The fennec opened his mouth to speak and the hand that was holding his arm down lifted to press a finger against his lips. She shook her head and he realized her other hand was on his neck. Color began to fill his vision again as he saw she was red in her main fur color and a tide of white fur covered the front of her neck all the way up to the bottom part of her muzzle. He looked into her brown eyes for some time as her green, obviously dyed, bangs lightly dangled into his ears.

With a gentle motion Raine reached up and put his paw on the one at his neck lightly urging it away. It remained firm as she shook her head and he suddenly was feeling sleepy again. He felt more tears against his cheek and less strength in his arms as he tried to urge her to let go of him. He didn't know why he wanted her to stop but he felt he needed to.

"Ashe what are you... Ashe stop this instant," Shouted a masculine voice as the fennec's eyes were having trouble staying open. He felt the hands forced away from him and his strength came back and he opened his eyes wide. He sat up quickly to see a white and black tiger restraining the vixen.

The scene was quiet for some time as they all looked at each other as if expecting something. Raine finally spoke as he put a paw on the left side of his neck and felt a scar under the fur, "Wha... where am I?"

The feline let go of the vixen that took a seat in the chair next to the hospital bed Raine found himself in. Looking around the room Raine realized that he was in some sort of medical facility. There was the pang of an IV in his arm that he has strained when he sat up and electrodes attached to his chest monitoring his heartbeat.

"You are in Neo Mesopotamia, the underground home of our kind. This is the hospital and I am Dr. Tanyo Ishikawa. This here is Dr. Ashe Scribe," Replied the Tiger as he tipped his horn rimmed glasses up the bridge of his muzzle and reached out to grab a medical chart set beside the bed.

Raine put a paw to his head and groaned a little as it was throbbing rather painfully, "This isn't right... how did I..."

"Because you're the undying..." Replied Ashe quickly as she adjusted her own lab coat and held her rather large tail. Raine looked it over in astonishment for a few moments. It seemed the dye didn't stop at the hair. The Tail's red transitioned about halfway down to orange then yellow which was followed by sections of green, blue, indigo and violet. It then went back to its normal red color and ended in a white tip. The rainbow in correct order thought Raine with a short lived grin.

Tanyo shook his head and let out a sigh and replied, "You and your silly fairy tales... When will you people grow up? You are alive because Crono rushed you hear after you stabbed yourself in the neck. We all have it hard kid but that doesn't mean it's okay to just off yourself."

Raine frowned and looked down at his paws with a soft sigh. The doctor was wrong; all of this was real. Raiden, the undying one, the future to come; it was all a burden Raine had to carry on his shoulders and he had no choice in the matter.

"No..." Said Raine as his voice caught in his throat and he had to clear it tasting blood for a moment as he did. "No... She's right. I was dead... but now I am not," said the fennec as he reached down and yanked the IV out and pulled off the sensors even as the feline gave him a slight glare.

Tanyo wasn't a small man. Standing at at least a head taller than Raine and build much stronger than the fennec he could easily have overpowered him but he chose not to. His response was in words, "You should be resting oh ‘undying one'." The sarcasm in the statement was rather obvious and Ashe let out a hmph as she held the tail a bit tighter.

Raine slipped from the bed faltering for a moment but he got his footing soon enough and shook his head, "I've slept plenty in the past few days. It's high time I get some answers..."