Disclaimers: Karanya Li'She, Kariko, and Sentari belong to me. Imati belongs to Jessi Maxwell. Warnings: Angst, maybe orange [yuri], and death. This is not a happy story, folks. You have been warned. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Better Left Forgotten By: Ryoko Saotome ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Kara stared blankly into space, silver eyes distant. She had left the main room to get away from the questioning stares after Kariko had left.... Kariko. An involuntary shiver raced down her spine at the thought of the Daemon Queen, and she wrapped her arms tightly around her knees before muttering a soft curse. "I know you're there," she said, still staring at nothing. "You might as well stop hiding." There was no reaction for a moment; then Imati slipped out of the shadows. He had meant to simply watch the dragoness and make sure she did nothing to harm herself, but he should have known it wouldn't be that easy. He hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to the blond, mentally swearing at the fact that she'd chopped it short again. The realization that she had done so because she had been planning on dying frightened him. He loved her, didn't want to see her hurt in any way, and had been avoiding her since he felt that... well, that he didn't love her the way she deserved to be loved. He still had yet to realize that his actions were hurting her even more. Kara startled him by speaking: "She was very beautiful." Imati looked at the slender--and extremely pale--dragon goddess beside him. She didn't look at him, was still staring off into space, and she looked like she would burst into tears at any minute. "Who?" he asked softly, brow furrowed slightly. "Sentari." Kara drew a shaky breath and ran one hand through her black-streaked bangs. "She was a Sirilian Sprite. So beautiful...." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Oh, little dragonling, why do you look so sad?" Karanya turned and blinked large silver eyes at Sentari. The sprite was breathtakingly beautiful. Her skin was a light golden color, and her white hair cascaded down past her waist in loose waves. A pair of iridescent feathered wings arched from her back. And her tail...! Her tail was catlike and graceful, and the things she could *do* with said tail.... "Dragonling?" Karanya flushed slightly and tore her gaze away to stare at the ground. "Sontoreni, Sentari-niri [1]," she murmured softly, draping her own wings over herself. "I am simply lost in thought." "Ah, I understand," Sentari said in her lilting voice, wrapping her arms around the slightly smaller woman's waist and resting her chin on one narrow shoulder. "My intelligent little one, always thinking great thoughts." "Why must you flatter me so?" Karanya replied, embarrassed and yet pleased with the attention she was receiving. The sprite was the only living creature that had gotten this close to her in so many years... and the first non-relative to invade her heart. "Because you are intelligent, my beautiful dragonling," Sentari purred, lightly running her tongue over one pointed Drakon Nai ear. "And beautiful, and passionate... you would be oh so perfect if you were able to love me the way I love you." "That," the blond said softly, averting her eyes to the ground, "is not possible." "I know," the white-haired sprite sighed, momentarily tightening her embrace before backing off a little. "Damn Shi'Ko'Lo'Rai and his curse." Karanya looked up, silver eyes locking with pale lavender. "I do care, Sentari-niri," she whispered. Sentari blinked, then smiled slowly as she embraced the dragoness again. Lips brushed once, twice, then locked in gentle passion. The dragon purred softly and surrendered to her golden lover. Neither realized that it would be for the last time. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "How precious," a child-like voice commented, dragging the exhausted lovers from blissful slumber. Karanya pushed her rumpled bangs out of her face and blinked lazily, freezing in terror as she realized *who* was standing over them. Sentari quirked an eyebrow and followed her gaze, eyes widening in shock. "Kariko..." The Daemon Queen was deceivingly sweet looking. She was no taller than five-foot, with flowing lavender tresses that fell well past her slender hips and a child-like aura clinging to her... unless you looked at her eyes. The Queen's eyes were pale rose, and would have been pretty if there was *some* emotion in them. But they were flat, and bleak, and cold. Kariko smiled and clasped her hands under her chin. "Oh, but you two are so lovely together," she sighed dreamily. There was a coldness in her tone, however, that chilled the dragoness and the sprite to the core. "What do you want?" Karanya hissed, more than a little annoyed that her post-sex cuddle session had been interrupted. Kariko smiled coldly. "Why, your death, of course!" She snapped her fingers, and over a dozen Shadow Daemons surrounded the slender blond. The creatures dug their claws into her ivory flesh, shrieking to one another joyously at her screams of fear and anger. "STOP!" Kariko held up a hand, and the daemons ceased their attack, still clawing at Karanya. The lavender-tressed daemoness quirked an eyebrow at Sentari, crossing her arms over her chest. "Did you have something to say, Sirilian?" she asked in a cold voice that made it clear why the tiny woman was feared by all the inhabitants of Krish'ne Torel. [2] Sentari looked down at Kariko and shivered. "Why do you want to kill her?" she asked softly, tears stinging her lavender eyes. "What did she ever do to you?" "Do you mean *besides* the fact that she's amongst the last of a race the I commanded my general to destroy, and that she's possibly one of the few warriors that could hurt me?" Kariko smirked and shrugged. "I dunno, just for the hell of it, I suppose." Sentari spoke sharply in a language that Karanya didn't understand, but that Kariko obviously did. The Daemon Queen's eyes lit up, and she clasped her hands over her chest. "What a noble creature you are!" she cried in a delighted voice. She snapped her fingers again, and the daemons fell away from Karanya. The ivory-skinned dragoness collapsed weakly to the ground, nearly unconscious. She could hear screams of pain and delighted shrieks mingled with Kariko's vicious laughter. By the time she regained her senses, the Daemon Queen and her minions were gone, and Sentari was broken. Karanya made a pained sound and dragged herself over to the sprite. "Sontoreni," she whimpered, brushing bloodied white bangs away from Sentari's golden brow. "I'm so sorry." "Don't." The sprite reached up weakly and took Karanya's hand, pressing it to her lips briefly. "Don't be sorry," she whispered again. "You have to live, or my life has meant nothing. I love you, Karanya, my dragonling." "...nei'toku," the dragoness choked out, blinded by her tears. They weren't the words that Sentari wanted to hear, but it was what she felt. She couldn't love; her father had seen to that. [3] Sentari smiled weakly and lifted her head to press a gentle kiss to Karanya's lips before laying her fingertips to the pale ivory forehead of her lover. Her last word was spoken softly, barely audible... and offered a fragile freedom: "Forget." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "I never even remembered her until the sprites moved in," Kara said softly, ignoring the tears slipping from her eyes. "It...triggered my memory of Sentari... and that bitch brought the rest crashing down." She fell silent, closing her eyes. Imati blinked at her, speechless. All that she had suffered, all the pain in her life... everything that made her strong was tied to some deep emotional pain. And he had no words to soothe her soul. Kara abruptly stood and walked over to the window, staring out. Her next words were faint, and directed to him: "Now I understand what she meant by her words. And I understand, because it is love that is killing me." She lifted one hand to swipe at her tears. "I need time alone right now, Imati." He could do nothing but comply; he had no words to ease her aching soul. Kara listened to him leave before repeating Sentari's words softly: "You have to live, or my life has meant nothing. I love you." And Kara broke down and cried for everything she had lost. OWARI ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ [1] Niri is a term of respect in the Drakon Nai tongue, much like using 'san' or 'sama'. [2] Pronounced kreesh nay tow rel. This is the official name of Kara and Nai's home realm. [3] This is detailed in "Bright Wind, Gentle Wind".