Title: Wrenches in the Gears

Summary: Six friends, torn apart and forgotten thanks to a childhood lived in political violence, are somehow reunited and must use their past ties to save their land from a tyrannical, corrupt goverment.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama

Prolouge

Life Less Frightening

Wake me up inside
these dreams all die if we let them,
today won't start if we just give in.

"What happens to clouds?"

All eyes turn to the young blonde girl sitting on the gray rock near the edge of the cliff. She sat looking up at the sky, her shoulder-length locks billowing in the breeze. She was only eleven years old.

"What do you mean?" Asked a boy sitting a feet feet away. He was around the same age with thick, curly black hair. His eyes were dark chestnut and he wore clothes of the same shade.

The girl continued looking up, "Like, what happens after you can't see them anymore."

Another girl shrugged her shoulders. She sat a few inches from the edge, her long chestnut hair blowing in the wind. She wore a pair of small glasses and had a large book in her right arm. "They probably disintegrate or turn into fog or something like that."

The blonde girl looked down at the answer and nodded slowly.

Another boy stepped forward, he had light blonde hair that was cut much shorter. His eyes shone a bright blue and his skin was a light caramel color. The boy smiled a bit as the girl, "What do you think happens to them, Miyoko?"

Miyoko looked up at the boy and smiled, "I think they go on and continue to float around beautifully until they finally join together with another cloud and live on as a larger, stronger cloud."

The boy grinned a bright smile, "I think that sounds about right."

The black haired boy laughed, "Sounds like a pretty happy life."

"I like happy endings." Miyoko said with a laugh, "Don't you, Taro?"

The blonde boy nodded, "Sure. You don't like happy endings, Shuichi?"

"Of course I do." The black haired boy stood and crossed his arms, "I think happy endings are great just as long as there's some awesome fighting right before it!"

A red-headed male laughed from his spot a few yards away. He had darkly colored eyes and his shaggy, red locks hung nearly in his eyes. The boy stood, he was a few inches taller than the others. "Shuichi, you would like any ending as long as it has some violence."

"You can't say that you don't like a good fight scene every now and then, Akira."

The red-head shrugged lightly, "I guess it's okay."

The girl in glasses smiled, "Violence isn't everything, Shuichi."

"Yeah!" The blonde Miyoko hopped up, "It's also about the cute boy and his girl living happily ever after! That's what you mean, right, Machiko?"

The girl shrugged a bit. She was about two years older than the other children, "Sure."

Shuichi spat and crossed his arms, "Whatever. All I know is that I can't wait until those rebels come around here!"

Miyoko gasped and looked at the dark-haired male in shock, "Why would you want them to come here?"

"So I can kick their butts, that's why!"

Taro shook his head, "I hope they never come around here."

"Why not?!"

Machiko nodded, "I agree. I know I don't ever want those rebels to come anywhere near here. I don't even want the war to start."

"Hasn't it already?" Asked Akira with arms crossed, "I thought we'd been fighting the war on the rebels for the last few months."

"It isn't an official war just yet." Machiko stated, adjusting her glasses. "It's just been called that while we were fighting against the indivdual rebels. Now that they have created a combined force, the goverment will be declaring an actual war against them."

Akira nodded, "Well I'm all ready. My dad says that those rebels are nothing but a bunch of cowards. Said they attack innocent people just to scare everyone else. He also said that we can't just sit back and let them do that because that would mean they won."

Shuichi nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah!"

Miyoko took a step back and sat down, "So the war really is going to start?"

Akira nodded, "Yep."

She looked down, "So are things going to chance a lot?"

"Things are always different in wartime." Machiko said, crossing her arms. "There are various changes that a nation undergoes-"

Miyoko sighed, "I don't want things to change. I like it just like it is. Why do we have to fight a war?"

Akira frowned, "Like I said, we can't let them win. They're the bad guys, you never let the bad guys win."

"Yeah, we gotta show them whose boss." Shuichi added.

Taro crossed his arms and sighed, "Yeah, it's not really our choice, I guess. We gotta do what's right."

Miyoko looked up at the blonde boy and frowned, "But I don't want things to change."

The boy smiled and looked into Miyoko's young eyes. "Things won't change. Right, guys?"

Shuichi nodded, "Not a chance!"

Akira smiled confidently, "No way."

Taro looked back at the girl and grinned, "And even if things do change, we'll always be the same."

Miyoko smiled up at Taro and nodded. "Okay, but you have to promise me."

"I promise."

The girl nodded and looked at her friends. They were only children at the time and a global war was on the horizons.

Things do change. People, places, ideals. Everything changes at one point or the other. There really is no way to stop it. It's no one's choice but is simply the way the world works.

Just wake me when it's through,
I don't want to feel the things that you do
Don't worry I'll be fine
I just don't want this dream, wake me up inside

Wrenches in the Gears

A tale of friendship.

The first chapter begins shortly...