Author's Notes:

Hello once again, all.

Just wanted to say a few words as to why I wrote this story. As some of you may know, my first completed novel "Ayame's Story" was once written in third person, so it had a whole bunch of different points of view in it. Well as I finally went back to look at it and edit it, I decided to change it to only one person. I changed it so that it was only through Ayame's view. But while I was reading some of the reviews from the original version of "Ayame's Story" I discovered that some of you had wanted to read more about Alex, Steve, and Dakota, so when I was done rewriting "Ayame's Story" so that I was happy with it, I went and wrote three different stories, "Alex's Story", "Dakota's Story", and "Steve's Story". Now they all may be essentially the same story, but their all through someone else's point of view, there for you're not getting "Ayame's Story" through someone else's eyes, but you're also getting their input on what happened. Now while I was writing these three stories, I had an idea, and that idea was to create a book just for these stories and other stories that came into my head that were short stories and all involving my world that I have now introduced you all too. That book essentially became "Missing Pieces" and while I put stories together to create this book, I'll let you all see it. Now, I wont be putting this book into publication for at least 7 years, do to some of the stories being apart of a book that I have already published, and in that contract with that book, I can't publish those stories through anyone else for 7 years, the only difference between the stories I have published-the published book is called "Remorse A Collection of short stories" by the way and it is available to order through Amazon, Publishamerica on line book store, and other sites for those who are interested-and the ones that I am posting in this book is simple, I'm actually going through and fixing some things up in those stories, and I'll tell you all about that process when I post those stories. In the mean time I hope you enjoy "Alex's Story". Don't forget to review when you get to the end.

A warning to all potential thieves, this work is copyright 2011 Kassandra Duric*****Alex's Story is completely the work of Kassandra Duric, to reproduce under any other name is theft!****

Alex's Story

I ran up to the house, my eyes wide with horror as I watched it burn. Even standing ten feet from it, I could feel the heat. The flames reached up to touch the sky.

"Father!" I cried. I had left him sleeping in his bed while I went to feed and bring home more blood for him. I don't know what had come over him, but something had made him as weak as a kitten.

I didn't think I had been gone for very long, but by the time I had returned, the house was already engulfed in flames. I tried to go in, but when I got only a few feet away, the heat was too much and I had to back away.

Soot turned my brown dress to black and my hair singed in the heat. I shielded my eyes as something exploded inside the house, sending the flames even higher into the sky.

"Father!" I screamed, tears falling down my face.

I groaned as I opened my eyes. The hot sun was beating down on my face. It was much more refreshing than the fire had been all those years ago. I got to my feet and arched my back, letting the vertebrae crack before I cracked my neck.

"It's about time I returned to the cave," I thought out loud.

Not in any hurry, I roamed the forest, looking for any animal I could find. The small ones I disposed of right away, I wouldn't have been able to keep them for very long in the cave. By the time the sun was down and the moon high, I had only gotten hold of one deer and accidentally snapped its neck. "Damn, now I have to deal with this by tomorrow," I sighed. Taking hold of its hind leg, I started to drag it through the forest as I headed to my current home.

I was about to walk in when I noticed some movement in the back. What's that? I thought. I crept over to the side of the opening and slowly peered in.

"Who is there?" the figure asked. It was a female voice.

I didn't say anything, just stayed still, assessing the situation. Who was this girl? Why is she in MY cave?

"Who is there?" she repeated. This time fear was thick in her voice.

After a few minutes of tense silence I finally decided to answer. "Who are you? What are you doing in my domain?"

The shirtless girl turned slightly, still able to hide her breasts with one of her arms, to look at me and it was then she pointed a gun at me. I wasn't much of a gun person, so I didn't keep tabs on the different makes or models, but this one looked like a forty-four mag. "If this is your domain then why have you not been here until now?"

This must be this girl the others were talking about, the girl who killed her creator. "Just because I haven't been here all day, doesn't mean a thing."

She stared at me for a couple minutes. "My name is Ayame. I just needed a place to stay for a while," she finally said.

I walked into the cave. "I know who you are. Now can you please put the gun down? I won't hurt you; not yet, at least." I continued to keep my distance from her.

"How do I know I can trust you?" she sounded skeptical.

I stopped after taking a few steps into the cave. "I know you're not going to use that gun, so why don't you just put it down. Either way, unless you have a good shot you won't kill me, only piss me off." I threw her my burden for the day. It wasn't like I'd finish it by tomorrow anyway. She looked like she could use the extra little bit. "Take it. You look hungry." She seriously didn't look that well. I also wasn't the kind of person to just let someone who's homeless suffer, even if she had appeared to be the Yamashima who killed her own creator.

Yamashimas were immortal beings, well almost immortal. We were immune to everything except a blow to the heart, or having our heads ripped off our shoulders. Though we could eat regular food, like a Tamaharan, we had to drink blood to keep our sanity up. Very few of the women in the race could have babies, so most of us are born by being bitten by another Yamashima. To become a Yamashima, another Yamashima has to drain you of almost all of your blood, then force feed you their blood. Most of us can walk in the sun, but even then we have to constantly drink blood or we start to burn, and our sanity slowly starts to slip. Then there are those of us who cannot go in the sun without burning to a crisp, these Yamashimas are forbidden to turn a Tamaharan into a Yamashima. The Elders decided a long time ago, long before my time, that it was pointless for us to have any weak links, like those born with a severe allergy to the sun. Though they are allowed to live, they are still forbidden to change anyone else. Our senses become heightened after we are changed, and the need to breathe becomes irrelevant. Most of us will continue to breathe, for the sake of comfort and looking normal, though some of the Elders have given up breathing. During the first five years of our Yahamshimian life, we are at our strongest. That is due to the transfer of the blood, along with the leftover blood from when we were Tamaharans. If we wish to keep this strength, we must continue to feed off of Tamaharans and work to keep it.

She looked at the deer and then back up to me. "What is your name?"

"The name's Alex." She didn't look all that tough. I bet if she didn't have her gun she'd be nothing.

She dropped the gun on her bag, threw her shirt on, and bent down onto her hands and knees as the thirst took over. She crawled over to the deer and sank her fangs in its neck.

"It's not fresh but it'll tie you down until you get something better." I sat against the far side of the cave, watching Ayame warily.

I could tell that she hadn't eaten anything in quite a while. She had dark circles under her eyes, her skin was paler than what it should have been. She looked under weight, and her clothing sagged against her skin. How she was keeping her sanity in check was beyond me. She attacked that animal as if it were going to be her last meal.

"Why do you live in this cave? Did you not know about the house at the edge of the forest?" she asked, sitting back against the wall when she finished.

"Yeah, but I wasn't welcome around there," I said with a shrug, thinking about the time I had been turned away because I hadn't been changed by their creator. He apparently only allowed his own young ones to live in his house. "So…what's a girl like you doing out here instead of in a house?"

"I used to live in a house," she replied.

"Used to? What, did you get kicked out or something?" I may have heard the rumors, but I wanted to hear it from her own mouth; that way I could get the actual facts. I didn't want to accuse the girl of something that she might actually be innocent of.

She shook her head. "No, I ran away."

"Why would you run from that? When I lived in a house, my Father gave me everything. A large room, a four poster bed, plush carpet, and all the blood I ever wanted. It was the life, until another Yamashima killed my Father and the rest of his young ones, my brothers and sisters."

It was hard enough to dream about it almost every night since, but to have to speak of the life before then was pushing the limits. My Father had been having a little difficulty with another local Yamashima. My Father didn't like the way the he was treating his young ones, so my Father threatened to report him to the elders. My Father didn't get to go to the elders as the house was burnt down with him, the letter, and everyone else in it a week later. The troubling Yamashima just disappeared after the fire, and never once did I try to find him. My Father had always said, "Revenge won't help anything, therefore it's pointless." That was my story, not that I wanted to tell it, but what was hers?

"So why'd you leave?" I asked trying to divert my mind from my Father, and hoping to find out more about my unexpected guest.

"My Master raped me…" she replied in a quiet voice.

I guess we all have our nightmares. "Your Master? Do you mean your creator?"

She shook her head. "No, my master, the one who turned me."

"Your creator made you call him Master and he wasn't destroyed for it?"

"What do you mean?"

"The elders kill creators who force their young ones, like you, to call them Master. It's against Yamashima law," I explained. My Father made sure that was one of the many rules that were drilled into my head from the moment I was changed.

She looked so confused that it made me wonder if she hadn't been told about the Yamashima laws. "Didn't you know?"

She continued to look confused, I sighed. "Well, do you know any of the Yamashima laws?"

"What laws? There are rules to being a Yamashima?"

"Your creator didn't tell you about the laws? Not even about the sun?" I asked, shocked.

She shrugged. "He told me I was allergic to the sun and was to never change another Tamahara…"

I cocked an eyebrow in confusion, but then looked down and noticed her legs. Damn, she really is allergic to the sun, I thought, my eyes going wide. "Your creator was that highly allergic to the sun yet he still made you? Why didn't the elders know this? They should have had him on record for his sensitivity." I was shocked.

"How long can you be in the sun for?"

"Because of my Father, I can be out all day with no ill effects," I said proudly.

She looked at me in awe. "Is there a way to become like you?"

"There is a way, but most of us are born this way. The mother or father is Yamashima and the other is Tamahara. My Father was born like this; his mother was a Yamashima, his father the Tamahara. It works better if the mother is Yamashima," I explained.

I had known both of my Father's parents. His mother was a sweetheart. She always made sure we had more than enough to eat, and was there to explain things to me. My Father couldn't easily explain things; everything he said came out confusing. His mother was like a real mother to me. His father, on the other hand, was a different story. He was always on my Father's back about not having a wife. My Father had changed me when he found me lying in the streets beaten almost to death. His father was on him about how he couldn't run the house his mother had gotten for him if he didn't have servants or even workable land. The area that surrounded our home was nothing but evergreen trees, and my Father said he liked it that way. Even if he didn't, it would have been too much work to cut enough of them down to have workable space for things to grow. In my Father's, father's eyes my Father was a worthless being. He also enjoyed making fun of me. According to him, one day my breasts were too small, the next I was too fat or I didn't show enough cleavage, and then suddenly my dresses were too long. It was never ending.

"Can you make me like you?" she asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Well, yeah, but you'd have to die again."

"Again?"

"Yeah. Even though those like me are usually born this way, we can still drain your blood and replace it with our own, just like when you were first created."

"And that would make you my creator?"

"Or Mother, if you prefer, but yes."

She nodded. "Let's do it then."

"Okay, do you remember what it was like to be changed into a Yamashima?" I asked Ayame as I stood up.

"Yeah, it hurt, but I blanked out after the first bit, and I do not remember much after that. Why?"

"Because it may feel very much the same."

She nodded and stood up beside me.

How could she agree to this so easily? I pushed my brown hair behind my ear. I mean there's no guarantee that it'll work. I then reached over and pushed Ayame's black hair away from her neck. "You ready?"

Yeah…" She tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes.

I lowered my head and bit down on her neck. Yamashima blood tasted bitterer and sourer than human or animal blood. It was the reason more Yamashimas didn't drink from other Yamashimas.

She winced in reaction to my bite. She didn't have that much blood, so her blood was drained faster than a Tamahara or any animal I had ever fed on before.

When she passed out, I kept her up by holding her close with my left arm while I bit into my right wrist. I laid her down on the ground; my fangs still in my own wrist and used my left hand to hold her mouth open, then used it to squeeze out some blood from my wrist into her mouth. Then I licked my wounded wrist, and her wounded neck; it helped to stop the bleeding faster than just letting it flow while the change was taking place. We did this to the Tamaharans on their first change as well. "You'll be fine," I said to her, standing up and walking out of the cave. I didn't like to be alone in the cave unless it was raining. Even though Ayame was there with me, she was out like a light, and I didn't know when she would wake.

I walked through the forest with my hands in the pockets of my snug jeans that were covered in dirt, blood, and the back pocket was worn out. She wasn't the first creature I had changed, and I didn't think she would be my last; changing Tamaharas gave me an advantage. If I wanted to have someone killed and I didn't feel like doing it myself, all I had to do was call upon my young ones and have them do it for me. If I wanted to find her, all I'd have to do was think about her, and she'd come walking up to me, even if she didn't want to.

I continued to walk south before I stopped at some ruins in a clearing with a single gravestone just in front of the charred remains. The area, for about fifteen feet back all around, was completely bare. The only patch of grass that had grown back since the fire was the little bit that came up around the grave, the rest of the area that should have had grass was nothing but black. Past the fifteen feet area with nothing but dead grass and charred ruins, nothing but evergreen trees grew, with a small carpet of pine needles, dead leaves, bark, and broken branches underneath.

I kneeled down in front of the stone and lowered my head. "Hello, Father," I whispered, before resting a hand on the top of the cold marble stone. "I miss you." I didn't know how much time had passed since the fire. Was it ten years? A hundred years? No, I think it was two hundred, but I came to see my Father's grave every day, and usually I slept next to it when it wasn't raining.

I pulled my hand away from the stone and curled up beside it. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

I dreamed again about the night I lost my father, my home, everything. I woke with a groan. I rubbed my head then stood up. "I'm sorry, Father, but I have to go again. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll bring you a rabbit or something when I do come back." I kissed the gravestone and headed back north towards the cave I usually stayed in.

I hunted the few animals that I came across. It wasn't much, but I still managed to catch a couple squirrels and a few rabbits as I made my way to the cave. By the time I got back, Ayame and her bag were gone. There wasn't a single trace of her anywhere.

Where'd she go? I thought, standing in front of the cave with my arms crossed. I shrugged. Oh well. I have nothing better to do. I turned and walked in the opposite direction I had come from.

After an hour of aimless walking, I heard what sounded like a couple of small explosions, and figured I'd better go see what it was. When I got to the source, I found a cave collapsing and two men standing out in front of it.

"Let's start digging," the shorter of the two said.

This should be entertaining.

"Why? It's not like she deserves it. She's just going to hurt you over and over again," the taller one said as he walked over to a nearby tree and sat under it. "Let her suffocate to death, or let her get crushed.

Well, well, well. I thought I'd never find him again. Dakota was the last Tamahara I had changed, I was able to keep him under wraps for a couple of years, but one day he just up and vanished. I didn't know where he went, nor did I really care; but since he was here, I wasn't about to let him out of my sight again. He was the strongest victim I had changed, and I had found a few people that needed to be disposed of for accusing me of being insane in the years since he'd vanished.

I found a tree close enough that I could sit in and watch, but wouldn't get caught by either of them. The link between Dakota and I had grown weaker since he left, it was so weak at this point that I wasn't sure if he could sense me or not. I watched them all day. Why are they even digging? Who could be in there that's so important?

Finally something happened and the short one yelled into the cave, "Ayame, can you hear me?"

Ayame? What is she doing in there? And what does she have to do with all of this? When I changed Dakota, I had made sure that he wouldn't go after Ayame. I knew what had happened to her, she had been changed by a truly insane Yamashima who I had found roaming the area the night she had gone missing, and I didn't need Dakota worrying about her and wanting her back. It was kind of funny how life's idea of the perfect plan isn't what you wanted. I had wanted Dakota to forget about his old life, which included Ayame, that way he'd be in my complete control, but he was too strong for me and broke away from me, but he still couldn't ignore the command I had given him. So I commanded him to forget all about her. If he even though about going after Ayame, his head would feel like it would explode, it very well could have exploded, until he let go of the thought.

"I'm gonna get you out of there. I promise," the short one yelled.

"Just leave the bitch!" Dakota yelled.

The other guy stood up and slowly turned to look at Dakota who didn't seem to notice he was the focus of the smaller guy. Dakota turned around, running his hands through his hair, and walked over to the tree.

It was then that the smaller guy jumped off of the rock wall, and stormed up to him. Dakota must have heard, because he turned around just in time to get a fist in the face.

Dakota fell to the ground from the force of the punch. "What the fuck, man?" he demanded, looking up at the smaller one.

"I'm sick and tired of you!" the small one said as he pulled his shirt off over his head. He paused and looked around them. He moved over to the weeping willow they were standing under and pulled a few of the long, rope-like branches down. Dakota finally stood from the ground, but was just watching the smaller guy like me, trying to figure out what he was doing. He took the branches, pushed Dakota against the tree, and used them to tie Dakota there. "Maybe this will shut you up." Then he shoved his shirt in Dakota's mouth, patted him down, removing all the weapons he had on him, and went back to digging.

Well, that was amusing, I thought with a grin. I guess it is the smaller ones that you have to watch out for. Dakota never could control the hole in his face that was his mouth, but I was a little shocked that the small guy was able to take Dakota down so easily and that Dakota had just stood around and let himself be tied up. Dakota had always been a strong guy who fought for himself.

The small one went back to digging, and he kept at it for a while before the cave started to show signs of caving in again.

"Fuck!" He jumped out of the way of the falling rocks.

Potty mouth.

Once the pile of rocks was stable again, the small guy walked back up to start working at the top again. He pushed rocks down until he came across a large, sharp one, where he paused to seemingly gather his strength. As he was pushing the rock out of the way, it cut his arm from the shoulder to the elbow. I licked my lips as the blood started to spill from the wound. He smelled of Yamashima, but his blood had a sweet smell, sweeter than any other Yamashima I had ever smelled before. "Mother…"

I watched him struggle with the rocks a little while longer before I noticed Dakota was struggling against his binds. I turned my attention from the small one to Dakota, and watched as he pulled a hidden blade from under his belt and soon cut himself free of his ropes.

He walked up the pile of rocks. "You look like you could use a hand," he said as he put his hands on the rock and started to push, attempting to help the short one.

"A hand...would be nice," the short one replied just as the rock rolled down to the bottom of the pile, out of the way of the entrance.

While they dug for a little bit more I continued to watch them. It only took another half hour before I heard the short one yell, "Ayame, are you okay?" I guess he didn't get an answer because he called for her a second time.

Dakota put a hand on the shorter guy's shoulder. "Yelling's not going to help right now. It'll just cause another cave in, and then what? You could hurt her even more."

"It'll be faster and easier if you worked over there," Dakota said pointing to one side of the rock wall, "and I work there." He pointed to the other side of the wall where he'd be working. "Then we'll work our way to the middle where we'll meet up and work out to our respective sides. We'll keep doing that 'til we get her out of there."

Then they split up. It was sunrise by the time they cleared enough rubble to enter the cave.

I waited about ten minutes before I yawned from boredom, and decided to take a nap while I waited for things to pick up again.

I was woken up by a gunshot. It startled me, causing me to jump slightly and almost fall off of the branch I was sitting on. Once I righted myself again, I heard another shot go off, then another soon after that.

It was silent for a little bit longer, but just as I was about to get comfy to go back to sleep, I watched Dakota run out of the cave with Ayame in his arms.

Let's see where they're going, I thought, jumping off my branch, and running behind Dakota at a safe distance so as not to be heard.

He stopped by a pond about an hour's run away from the collapsed cave. He set Ayame down then ran off into the woods. I stayed behind, hidden in a tree, once again. I watched as Ayame slowly came to.

She looked around before she examined her legs, then she pulled herself over to the edge of the pond, started to take her torn clothing off, and slid down into the extremely clear, blue water.

I watched Dakota walk back to the oasis and he seemed confused to not find Ayame there. He started to search the area for her.

"What do you think you're doing?" he cried in shock, when he finally found Ayame in the pond.

"What does it look like?" Ayame asked. "I'm taking a bath."

"What about your legs?"

"My bones are mostly healed, just sore now. And the bath will clean out the cuts, making it easier for them to heal," Ayame replied. "I got some healing abilities from my master when he changed me. Nowhere near as strong as his, just strong enough to heal major things like broken bones or life threatening injuries. It will not do much for a bleeding wound like the gash on my leg, other than stopping the bleeding when a normal Tamahara or Yamashima would likely bleed to death," Ayame supplied.

Ayame swam around in the deep part of the pond for a little longer while Dakota sat down and turned away to give her some privacy. She started heading for the bank, and I wondered what her plan was since Dakota was obviously trying to be a gentleman about things and not looking at her.

"Hey Dakota, pass me something to dry off with, please?" Ayame asked when she got there and folded her arms on the shore to help keep her afloat. He reluctantly handed over that ugly black trench coat of his, passing it behind his back so he didn't actually look at her. Then he just sat back down and stared off into space. What could he be thinking about? Could it possibly be me since I'm so close? I couldn't help but giggle.

"Why do you not start a fire, Dakota?" Ayame suggested as she wrapped the trench coat around her shoulders.

"Why do I have to start the fire?" Dakota asked as he lay back on the grass and looked up at the sunset.

"Because I do not know how to start a fire without a match," she said as she put her rags back on under the trench coat.

Dakota was always good in the outdoors, so it didn't surprise me when he started the fire pretty quickly with just a couple of sticks. Then he lay back down on the grass and stared up at the sky. Ayame went to join him soon, lying down beside him.

"So what now?" Ayame asked, turning her head to look at him. He must have fallen asleep because there was no response. She curled up beside him and after a few minutes, appeared to have fallen asleep as well.

I waited a couple more minutes to make sure they were both asleep before I jumped down from my tree. I walked over to Dakota and ran a gentle hand along his face. I pulled my cyqnus-horrocks from my belt. The blade was stainless steel, made by Tamaharas, and the spine was a white gold. The front bolster was a yellow gold, the handle was black leather, and the rear bolster was made of the same material as the front bolster.

I gently pushed Dakota over so he wasn't so close to Ayame, sat across his legs and looked down at him. "You know, you were a cutie at one time," I whispered. He shifted his body, but never once did he wake up. "What a shame. I guess all that worthless digging tired you out." I sighed and put my knife to his chest, above his heart. I know I wanted to keep him alive and in my sight, but he had proven in the past that he had no intensions on following my orders. He wouldn't stay with me, and I knew he'd just find a way to escape me again. There was no other choice. I had to kill him.

"I will miss you." I put pressure on the blade and pushed it through his skin, through his ribs, and finally into his heart. I still continued to push on the blade until the front bolster was all the way through. Once the blade was in, I placed my lips on his, tasting his blood. I couldn't have a young one who would go and disobey me. When I had first changed him, I had ordered him to forget about Ayame, forget that she had actually existed, that way he wouldn't be worried about where she was or how to save her. I wanted him so he could deal with a few people who had been accusing me of being crazy. But here he was with Ayame, who he had just rescued from a collapsed cave.

"Alex?" Ayame called, backing away from the two of us. Apparently she had just woken up and found me scary. I wouldn't know why.

I sat up, my hand still on the blade, putting pressure down until it was all the way through, and I could actually feel grass below the body. I licked the blood off of my lips, with a seductive smile. "Surprise!" I laughed.

The wind picked up dramatically while clouds started to roll in, covering the stars and the moon. Soon after, thunder crashed in the distance, followed by closer lightning and more thunder, and then the rain came like a brick wall, pelting us with water so we were soon soaked.

"Why…what is going on?" Ayame asked, stumbling over her words, still looking at the lifeless Dakota and ignoring the rain.

I looked down at Dakota as well, enjoying the sight of the rain that fell on his lifeless face. "You know that night you came to see him after you disappeared? He was just a shell of a being. No soul. No spirit. He stopped looking after that little vegetable garden he planted after his family disowned him, and spent all day and night looking for you. No matter what I told him, he wouldn't stop. I told him over and over that you were gone, long gone, and never coming back; but he wouldn't listen. Not until I changed him and made love to him that night. Then, and only then, did he listen to me but then again…he had no choice but to listen to me; his creator," I laughed.

"How old are you, Alex?" Ayame asked.

"I'm not insane!" I screamed, completely removing myself from Dakota and walking around behind Ayame.

"Why would I think you are insane? What does that have to do with my question?" she asked. She was being ignorant. I could tell. I could hear it in her voice.

"Then why do you want to know how old I am?"

"Just curious. If I knew how old you were, my new creator, I would know what I could and could not ask. Maybe I could learn more about our kind from you if I knew your age." I could tell she was lying, just by listening to her.

"You're lying." I giggled. "I can tell," I said, pointing to my head. "You're inside of me now, Ayame. I know, just like your master knew, everything that you think." I laughed and gave a small lunge, and then laughed again as she flinched away from me.

I watched her reach behind and grab the handle on the blade that was buried deep within Dakota's chest. She pulled it free of his chest and held it tightly in her hand.

"Honestly, do you think you would win if we fought? Yes, your master may have let you carry around loaded guns, but he never actually taught you how to fight with a blade. Me on the other hand, my Father made sure I knew how to use every weapon there was out there, dating all the way back to a holy water sprinkler in the thirteenth century." I laughed while saying, "You have no actual fighting experience."

"Well, as my Tamaharan father once said, you only learn from experience."

"Let's see what you can learn then," I growled and actually lunged at her. I pulled out my hunting knife from the back of my pants, hidden beneath the seam of my shirt. The cutting edge was silver, the blade black, the guard matched the blade, the handle was a brown leather, and the butt was a compass that didn't work.

I was closing in on Ayame, but the girl just stood there, as if she knew something I didn't. She didn't even seem worried that I had a blade in my hand.

She turned to her right and ducked, letting the weight of her body flow to her head, tucking her arms and head close to her body, and rolled forward. She jumped up onto her feet and started to run. I tripped over Dakota's body and fell to the ground. I stumbled back up to my feet and looked around furiously for the girl who seemed to have disappeared on me.

I spotted Ayame at the top of the hill and started to run towards her.

I went to punch Ayame but missed. Her left hand flew into my gut, knocking the breath out of me, and causing me to stumble back. Then before I had the chance to react, her right hand flipped her blade slightly so she held it out in front of her and she shoved it through my abdomen.

I fell back and hit the ground hard, eyes open, gasping for breath. The pain was shooting through my body, but I couldn't help but be happy. Everything had been taken from me. I was tired of being alone. I wanted to be with my Father.

She bent down and pulled the blade out of my wound and looked at my smiling face.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"For what?" She seemed surprised.

"Finally taking me from this life." Living in the forest for so long had taken a toll on me. It didn't matter what I did, something was always missing.

I closed my eyes as Ayame lifted her hand with the blade in the air. Minutes later, I was running through a field with flowing green grass, small pink and yellow flowers grew all over the place. Trees lined the edges of the field and at the far end, my Father stood with his arms outstretched, and waiting for me.

My eyes lit up and I ran towards him. "Father," I called before I ran into his hard body, and his arms embraced me.

"Welcome home, my daughter," he whispered.