I woke up coughing. It was darker in our room than when I had gone to bed, and my eyes stung as I opened them. I heard Avacyn stir, woken by my loud coughing as well. She shot straight up in bed.

"Sara! Are you there?" I heard a thump as she fell out of bed in her haste. I became aware of a quieter sound as well, a faint crackling coming from the other side of the door. It seemed the blackness came billowing from underneath the door.

"Avacyn? What's going on, where are you?" There was a sudden pressure on my wrist. I was pulled off my bed, hitting the ground hard. "ow!"

"Sara! You're ok, thank goodness. We have to get out of the house, now." Avacyn was crouching over me. She tugged on my wrist again and I got up to my knees. Confused as I was I started to crawl after her towards the doorway.

We got there and I saw her pause a moment before opening the door. The thick black smoke was thicker now. I finally identified it as such after I remembered the oak scent. We continued to crawl on hands and knees, as pa had taught us when I was old enough to understand. I heard shouts from the lower floor.

"Sara, Avacyn!" It was our father.

"No! You can't go back up there!" A voice shouted. Mother.

"They're our daughters! I'm not losing them without a fight!"

"Wait!" It was futile it seemed as there was a pounding on the steps.

Our father became a dim figure as he approached us, shouting our names. Avacyn called out and he finally located us, scooping us up and running down the stairs. There was a groan and the stairs gave out, along with the top floor. With the help of gravity we went crashing down to the first floor, which was still mostly intact. Our mothers scream split the air, a scream of worry and fear.

Disregarding the fire she came through the burning rubble. I was trapped under father. Avacyn had flown from his grasp, being knocked down by one of the support beams crashing upon her. We both struggled, Avacyn to get free and I to wake our father. A board lay across my father's back and I struggled to get out from underneath both. I managed though and began shaking him, my protector. Avacyn was wailing now, trying to get free from the unyielding beam.

Suddenly our mother appeared through the smoke and flames. With superhuman strength I didn't know she had, she hefted the beam off of my sister. Avacyn quickly cleared the beam, and after she had my mother saw this and let the beam fall. Burns graced her palms now, but she ignored them. Crossing quickly to me she took in the scene that I was a part of. I still shook father, but as she looked on tears welled in her eyes and she scooped me from his form.

She set me and Avacyn down once we were clear of the rubble and we ran. Our mother trailed behind us, making sure we were fine. Avacyn and I had cleared a doorway when it finally gave in and collapsed. I turned and started to try making a hole for our mother.

"Sara, it's fine! She'll find a way out, but we need to get out as well." Avacyn tugged on my arm for what seemed like years. Eventually she got me to move. She had promised mother would get out, but it was the kitchen, and that had been the only exit.

When we finally reached the doorway, it seemed like we had been in that fire for a decade. The fire continued to eat away the walls around us, and there was a sudden flare. The wind had chosen that precise moment to blow, feeding the fire and intensifying it. I cried out in fright as the fire continued to ferociously eat the only home I had known. I dropped to my knees and wouldn't move from my spot.

"Sara, we have to go! It's only five feet, we can make it out. You don't need to be afraid much longer!" Avacyn shouted over the roar of the ferocious beast surrounding us. I looked up, seeing courage in her pleading eyes. I shakily got to my feet and with Avacyn pulling on my wrist we continued out.

We were almost there when there was another groan. Pausing a moment Avacyn looked around us. It had been the same sound we heard before the stairs had collapsed. Acting instinctively my sister tightened her grip on my wrist and threw me out the doorway that we had been only 2 feet in front of us.

I fell in the dirt as a crash echoed behind me. Turning, I hoped to see my sister, but there was no sign of her. I grew aware of a distinct throbbing of my leg. When I realized it became sharper and more prominent in my mind. I knew I was still too close to the house however, how I knew would be a mystery, but it was a good thing. I had only crawled a little ways when there was another crash, and where I had been sitting previously was now covered with burning rubble.

Burning rubble from the home I had played in, living happily with my family. My family. I started to cry, as I realized what had happened in there. My father, my protector, had given his life to protect me one last time. My mother, my guardian angel, had given the last of her life to watch over me one last time. Avacyn, my big sister, my role model, had given me courage with one last look before she too, gave her life for me.

I cried, and I didn't stop. Even as the sun began to rise, showing the scene of an empty patch of debris still burning slightly, I cried. The fields glistened gold from the fire that still fed off everything it could, fed off everything I truly cared for. The universe didn't care. The sun continued on its path across the sky. The fire continued to raze our fields. The wind picked up and started to blow the smoke across the sky, dimming the sight in front of me.

It was noon when a shadow finally fell across my crumpled form.

_-_

Shika sat stunned as I finished relating the tale of the fire to him. Tears glistened in my own eyes, and I quickly wiped them away. There was a silence between us. I had paused in relating my past, knowing he might have something to say by now. It had been almost an hour.

We continued to stare at each other though, and nothing was said. Finally he grabbed my wrist, the same Avacyn had all those years ago, and pulled me into a bone crushing hug. He didn't say anything for the longest while, and I just sat there in his arms stiffly.

"It's alright to cry, Sara." As soon as he said those words I felt myself break down. My barriers fell and I leaned into Shika thankfully. Tears streamed down my face, but I didn't make any sound. I was soon shocked by a drop of water falling on top of my head. I didn't mention it though, and I continued to be held in a warm embrace. Silent tears being shed from both our eyes. Mine from sadness and renewed mourning, his from slight understanding and pity. I didn't mind the pity as much as one might have though.

After a solid 15 minutes of this, I finally got control of myself and broke from Shika's hold. He no longer had tears in his eyes either. I was pretty sure neither of us did after minute 7, but we had stayed like that anyways.

"We can pause for the rest of the day if you want." He looked into my eyes seriously.

I smiled at him, and he was taken aback a little. I forgot that he hadn't seen me smile without my mask before. "Thanks pineapple, but we can continue now."

_-_

 It was noon when a shadow fell across my crumpled form. Knowing that someone had finally come, whether from seeing the smoke or any other purpose, I looked up. I would be lying if I said I was surprised to see Lavonia. The woman was looking at the scarce remains of our... no my home. She didn't say anything for a long while, until she turned her attention to me.

"Hello again Sara. Are you injured?" She dropped to her knees beside me. I looked into her bright green orbs and saw nothing but sadness and regret in them.

"I... I think I am..." I looked down at my leg. It didn't hurt as much as before, but now that I was in the light of day I saw my leg was bent at a completely unnatural angle. It didn't scare me as much as it might have, I only found it rather odd.

Lavonia looked at my leg, touching it gently. It was clearly broken, but she still felt the need to run her hand along the deformed body part. Her touch was cool, much cooler than I expected. It was then that I really felt the burns that covered almost my entire body. She looked up into my eyes before nodding to herself. I still wonder what she saw in my eyes, perhaps they held fear, maybe curiousity, or even the lifelessness I felt at that moment.

She picked me up princess style and we began to make our way to the town. She didn't ask about what happened, or my family. Most likely she didn't have to. It was obvious there was a fire, and knowing how it had started wouldn't change anything. While she walked she hummed a lulliby and for awhile I felt safe. I began to drift off to sleep in her arms, being rocked gently by her gait.

_-_

I awoke screaming in pure agony. There was a hand in my own and I held on to it as if my life depended on it. My leg had been brutally pushed back into it's proper position, but it was far from feeling better. I made out the face of the doctor from the town. I was gripping Lavonia's hand, probably fairly hard as I saw a grimace. There was another man near the doctor who held my leg steady. If he hadn't been there, I was likely to have kicked the doctor in the face.

The doctor set about fixing my leg. He put it in a brace that held it firm and wrapped it tightly. Seeing I was still awake he turned to me afterward.

"How do you feel young one? Quite the break you had there, but it should heal fine." He scratched his graying beard wistfully, "ah, to be young again. The bones heal so much faster with the young."

"Thank you for the help," I said after gazing at him for a moment.

This made him laugh heartily, "Such manners! Why if half the people I met had manners such as you, the world would be a wonderful place indeed. Now why don't you wait right there and I'll get something for those burns."

The man bustled out and I was left alone with Lavonia. She regarded me steadily, but with a new found light in her eyes. I couldn't place the emotion she showed, but it was only there a moment.

"I'm sorry for the rude awakening. The doctor thought it better that you be asleep when we do it, and this way we didn't have to drug you or anything." She smiled down at me with closed lids.

I nodded as if I completely understood. "But how will I pay him for this? I-I don't have any money." My voice cracked a little, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

"Don't worry Sara, I'll pay for this. It's the least I could do for my new daughter." She kept the smile on her face but I looked up in something between fright and horror.

"No." I said quietly. Her eyes opened at that and she looked at me curious. "No, you aren't my mother. She died, no one will take her place."

Understanding went quickly through Lavonia's eyes. "Right, I'm sorry Sara. It was wrong of me to assume. I do want to take you in and have you live with me though. What about being my apprentice?"

I looked up at her, "but I haven't the faintest clue as to what you do."

"I'll tell you on the way to the cabin. It will be easier away from prying eyes... or snooping ears." She added the last part after a little hesitation.

The doctor walked in then from behind the door. If I was guessing correctly, he had been standing there for some time. He began to silently dress my wounds and I looked at Lavonia, then at the bed sheets in deep thought. There was no telling what I would be getting myself into.

When the doctor was done he handed me a pair of crutches. After brief instruction on how to use them, Lavonia and I started away from the small building. We walked the streets of the village together in silence, until the young girl I had helped rescue from a whipping ran up to us.

She held something behind her back and looked up at me. She was only an inch or so shorter, but her eyes held nothing but admiration. I paused in my hobbling walk down the street. Scuffing her feet on the ground she hesitated a few moments before speaking.

"I just... uh... I wanted to thank you for the other day. I'm glad I ran into you. You see... I- uh- made you a little gift." Her hands came from behind her back and she held whatever was in them out to me. She looked at me slightly pleading. I held out a hand and two objects fell into my palm.

They were necklaces. Simple affairs made from stone. There was a small white egg shaped stone no bigger than the center of my hand on both. Around it hung greenish beads and on the sides were eight small round river stones, four on each side. They looked handmade.

I didn't react. "They're for you and your sister. Just a small way of saying thank you. I'll work on not getting caught like she said before." She smiled at me until she noticed the tears welling up in my eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

I looked up quickly, the tears vanishing from my eyes, "Nothing! Just that... uh... my sister doesn't really wear necklaces. I think that you should keep one. They'll be a sign of... of that memory we shared!" I forced a smile on my face.

"Yeah!" The girl grabbed one, putting it around her neck. She took the other one and fastened it around mine. "I forgot your name, could you tell me again?" Looking down, she scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"My name is Sara, I never got yours either." I looked at her kindly.

She smiled, replying, "My name is Nami! I'll never forget what you did for me Sara, thank you."

Nami ran off, her identical necklace softly bouncing at a steady rhythm. I caressed mine lightly, frowning a little at the lie I had told. I just didn't want to make her sad, a girl so full of life such as her.

"That was a kind thing you did Sara." Lavonia put a hand on my head. I looked up at her as she regarded me with a little sadness in her eyes.

"Mm. Perhaps I shouldn't have though." I saw Nami turn a corner, still running.

"She might find out one day, and she might not understand your intentions. In all though, for now she is happy, and that might be all that matters. You can't change the past after all, and you shouldn't dwell to much on the future. I believe you should just live the best you can today, and struggle for a story your children will be proud to hear."

We continued to walk slowly, left to our own thoughts. The necklace weighed heavy around my throat, but it held a warm glow of happiness inside it.