Warning: This chapter contains a flashback. You can recognize it by the little *flash* at the beginning and end of it. ^^

*****************************

Haley lay basking in the sun of late afternoon. She rolled onto her back and the slit up the side of her white skirt opened, revealing the black pants she wore beneath. Strands of her long, blue hair fell across her shoulders, covering the white and pink shirt she wore. She had just finished school and she intended to enjoy every minute of summer.

Diego walked into the backyard and stood next to the hovering sandwich where she lay. Sensing him, Haley squinted open a violet eye and scooted over, making room next to her for Diego to sit, which he did. The sandwich lowered to make it easier for him. Diego had been an old man when he had first come to this planet with Haley, and he certainly wasn't getting any younger. "What a nice way to spend your eighteenth birthday, hm?" he asked. "Lounging in the sun after completing your education. You must have a great sense of achievement." She raised one eyebrow at him and he laughed.

"It's nice to be done, but all I'm thinking about right now is how long I can stay out here before the bees start to get too friendly." She winked at him and closed her eyes again.

Diego took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Happy birthday, my dear. Your parents would be very proud of you, as I am."

There was a pause. "You think so?"

"I know so."

---

Tyra jumped to avoid the magical blast and spun in the air, sending two balls of violet flame back at her assailant. He managed to deflect one but the other hit with deadly precision, knocking him to the floor. Before he could move she was on him, a dagger pressed against his neck.

"Excellent, Tyra," he said. "That's the fastest you've beaten me yet."

"Thank you father," she said, unmoving.

"I do believe you've finished your training. Your skills in battle are impeccable, and your strategy is even better. There is nothing left for me to teach you." He started to get up but she held the knife firmly against his neck.

"You're right, father," she said as he looked at her in confusion. "I have absolutely nothing left to learn from you. You're of no use to me anymore."

His eyes widened in comprehension. "Tyra, no! You're my daughter, this is- what would your mother-"

"My mother is dead," she spat, ice flickering in her blue eyes.

"I am King," he declared. "You will not get away with this." He started to struggle and managed to knock the knife out of her hand.

With one thrust of her arm his motion stopped. She slowly pulled her dagger out of his chest and rose, wiping the blood off with a square of cloth she kept in her pocket. Tyra had had her spare dagger hovering just above his heart the entire time. She looked down at her father with contempt. "You'll never know, will you?"

---

Diego's mind screamed an instant before he felt the pain in his heart. He clutched his chest and fell off the edge of the sandwich. Haley dove after him and barely managed to keep his head from hitting the ground. "Diego! Diego what is it, what happened?" she cried, her eyes wide in panic.

*flash*

A middle aged man knelt before the new king. A young Tyr reached out and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. Energy flowed from his hand into his new servant. A pale blue glow surrounded them both, then disappeared. "Rise, Diego," the king said.

Diego stood. "What was that, my lord?"

"I've established a link between us. If I am ever in danger or if I have been wounded, you will know. You will be able to locate me, no matter how far apart we are, so you can get to me and bring help if need be."

"How will I be able to tell what's happened to you, highness?"

Tyr smiled maliciously. "You will be able to feel my pain as if it were your own. Think of it as incentive to keep me safe."

*flash*

Diego clutched his heart, the pain from the dying link searing his mind. Tyr was dead. "Haley, your father... he's..." Diego opened his eyes and cringed at the bright light spilling around the sides of Haley's head. "He's dead." A tear rolled down his cheek for the anguish she must be feeling now. "He's dead, he's dead... I'm sorry..."

"Diego, what's going on? Please! Are you all right?"

The pain and shock was too much for Diego's feeble heart. He could feel it start to go. But he wouldn't before... "Haley..."

"What is it? Do you need me to get something for you? Just tell me what to do!"

He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You were like a daughter to me... I love you..."

"I love you too," she said hurriedly, still confused. "What's going on? Tell me please! ...Diego?" She paused, looking at him more closely. Her eyes filled with tears. "Diego!"

---

After retrieving her lost dagger, Tyra removed Tyr's sword from its scabbard and called for a servant. The unsuspecting man entered the room and before he knew what was happening Tyra sliced his chest open with a single sweep of the blade. She caught his body as it fell and dragged it next to her father's. She dropped the king's sword near his hand and set the servant down a short distance away. Tyra took the guard's dagger, slid it in and out of the king's open wound until it was coated in his blood, and placed the hilt in the servant's hand. She surveyed the scene of the crime, nodded, and calmly left the room.

---

She ran. She didn't know where she was going, but wherever it was it could never be far enough away. She slipped between trees, leaped over small plants and ducked under branches. Patches of sunlight only occasionally broke through the canopy of leaves, shedding broken rays of light into the dark forest, but it didn't matter. Her vision was too blurred by tears to see where she was going.

Eventually she emerged from the forest and hated that the sand beneath her feet was slowing her down. She stumbled onto hard rock and collapsed on a boulder. The outcropping of rocks overlooked an ocean she would have been delighted to see on any other day. But today was not any other day. The father she had known her whole life had died. Diego was gone, and she didn't know why. All she knew was that it was somehow linked to the death of her biological father.

She couldn't think about that right now. Now it was enough just to be grateful that her hair formed a protective curtain around her as she buried her face in her arms and wept.

---

Tyra wiped the tears from her eyes as she recounted the horrible tale of how the crazed servant had attacked her father during her training session. Before she could act they had killed each other. The fake tears kept rolling and the servants kept consoling as Tyra thought about how long she should wait before officially taking her place as Queen.

---

The sun had set. Haley had run out of tears long ago, and now she sat on her rock, staring out at the moon's reflection on the waves of the ocean. "Don't cry," Diego had told her once when she had come running to him with a scraped knee. "All things heal, and life is too short to waste on sadness." She had been thinking about this for some time, and knew Diego would hate to see her so upset.

"Well," she said to herself, leaning back on her arms, "he's in a better place now, with all the meatballs he can eat." Haley closed her eyes and smiled, remembering his fondness for the spicy food. She had just decided to make some tonight when she heard a strange noise off to her left. She looked over to see a man strolling along the beach in the sand. His hands in his pockets, he walked slowly towards her, his silvery hair covering his downcast face. Haley watched, trying to figure out who he was. When he got close enough, she asked, "Are you new around here? I don't remember seeing you before, and I thought I knew everyone in this town."

The man stopped when he heard her voice and raised his head sharply. Icy blue eyes took note of her before he started to turn away. "I didn't realize anyone was here. I'll be leaving now."

"Wait, don't go," she called. The man half-turned towards her and waited. "What's your name? Are you from around here?"

"Why does it matter?" he asked, eyeing her coldly.

"I just wondered," she replied, unfazed.

He paused, as if thinking about something. Apparently making a decision, he turned to face her fully. Even though he had his hands in his pockets, it somehow did not appear as casual as it normally did. "I am Crivell, and no, I'm not from around here."

"Hi Crivell, I'm Haley," she said, rising from her rock to approach him and offer her hand. He simply looked at it, making no move to return the gesture. Haley waited. "Don't you shake hands where you come from?"

Crivell's eyebrow twitched slightly in amusement. "No."

Haley lowered her hand. "Then what do you do?"

"When we come across strangers in my land?" Haley nodded. "We usually kill them."

Haley's eyes widened in shock. "Where exactly are you from, anyway?"

He waited for a moment, letting the suspense rise.

"Hell."

**********************************

Hey everyone! Thank you for reading yet another chapter of my anime! =^.^= I'm so pleased. ^^ I'm sorry if this chapter was a little confusing with all the skipping around. Unfortunately it would have been even more confusing if I hadn't gone back and forth between Haley and Tyra. u.u;; But hopefully you got through it okay and enjoyed it anyway! ^^ Bwahahaha... ^.~

And I'm sorry it took forever to get this one posted. I was on vacation in Kentucky. -.-;; Joy to me. Anyhoo, thank you again so much for reading, and remember that I love reviews!!! =^.^=

~Sparkles