Darien rubbed his eyes tiredly and stared at the unconscious prisoner. He had been interrogating the rebel for hours and yet had to break the man and get him talking. Darien had to give it to him though, the man's body had given way as he lay bleeding and bruised on the cold stone floor, but his resolve remained unshaken.

Darien sighed as he walked out of the prison cell and instructed his subordinates to take the man to the local hospital for medical attention. He watched his men carry the man away before he turned toward his room for some much needed rest.

Darien walked into his room and slammed the door shut with unconcealed rage. He had not signed up for this.

Moving further into his small room, Darien sat down on his bed and sighed, a hand coming up to rub his weary face and his eyes closed. His body exhausted, but his mind still as active as ever.

After all he had seen in his 24 years of life Darien seldom slept well, if he slept at all. Whenever he tried to sleep his unrelenting mind would replay all the mangled bodies and death he had seen, all the men he had tortured or shot, the fearful screams of innocent women and children he had heard.

Darien's eyes flew back open. The only reprieve he had was in the knowledge that he had killed bad men. Of course that wouldn't help with the memories though, years of memories that were still as fresh as a new wound.

Often he wondered why was he even here, or how did he get here. He was the eldest son of a wealthy man, surely he was blessed with a comfortable home and a wonderful family. If only that were true. Another volume of unwanted memories flooded his mind and Darien closed his eyes against the new wave of torment.

Darien remembered his father hit his mother ever since he was 10. He would gather his sisters Amy and Mina, who were 6 at the time and together hide in the closet.

His mother would later hide the bruises from them and make up excuses for their father's behaviour.

An unhealthy childhood made Darien grow up before his years, by the time he was 16 he was an introvert and very aggressive. His only friend was Raye Storm, daughter of his father's friend and it didn't take long for him to fall in love with her.

By the time he turned 18 he proposed to Raye and she accepted, for once in his life Darien was truly happy. But that wouldn't last too long. Darien realized that his father had already decided his entire life for him, right from which college he would go to, till his office in his father's company, that was when, after a huge fight with his father and a huge act of rebellion Darien had signed up for the military.

That would have been a simple task, if Darien hadn't been such a natural at military training. He had to admit that his aggression helped alot. He even passed his written tests with flying colors. He was noticed by his superiors and before Darien knew it he had agreed and trained to be a special op and spy for the Government of the United States.

Darien opened his eyes again and let out a frustrated breathe. For the life of him he couldn't get his mind to just stop thinking!

He pulled out his wallet and opened the last letter he had received from Raye. He hadn't seen her in several months now. Sometimes he still wondered how she managed to love him besides all his absence in her life. She was the only good thing in his life right now. He smiled. His first genuine smile in weeks.

Closing his wallet, Darien stood up, deciding he needed some fresh air.

Darien got out of the building that was their makeshift headquarters and into the cold pre morning air. He nodded at the guards at the gates before jumping into his jeep and turning the ignition. Within minutes Darien had reached the Shrine and waited at a distance, facing the east.

This is what he did every now and then when his mind needed some peace.

He pulled up the collar of his thick coat to protect his neck from the cold pre morning breeze and waited for the sun to rise.

Soon enough the sky began to lighten, announcing the arrival of the sun. When it started to peak throigh the horizon behind the dome made of pure gold, Darien watched in awe as the dome seemed to come to life, as it too started to reflect the morning light.

This had been the only thing Darien looked forward to in his days in Iraq. He had been stationed here for the next 2 years at the least, with a small chance of getting back home for holidays.

Contrary to his bad family life, he did like going home to his mother, sisters and Raye. He missed the women in his life very much. He remembered the last time he saw them, they had all insisted coming to the airport to drop him but, he has firmly disagreed. He remembered their watery goodbyes and hugs. He remembered the last kiss he shared with Raye.

He heard the call for morning prayers and myriads of men, women and children started filing into the Shrine for their prayers.

Pulled forth from his world of memories Darien watched as 100's of women wearing identical black robes over their normal ensemble walk by him oblivious to his inner turmoil.

He watched with unseeing eyes as only their faces were visible from below their veils and he had to agree even then several of them were so gorgeous, with beautiful, pearly white complexions, dark contrasting eyes and soft honeyed lips. Their skins protected from the hot and cold unrelenting Iraqi weather by their long bellowing robes.

All of a sudden a flash of blue pulled him out of his reverie and Darien's eyes quickly searched the milling crowd of women for the source of that blue. It took him a few minutes but he found it.

A small figure watched him from the pavement across from him. He took in the garb that was unlike the rest of the women around them. She wore a translucent veil with opaque black lilies embroidered on it with silver thread, the veil hung from her head to her feet, hiding her small form from him. A black scarf covered her head below her veil and sharply contrasted with her pale white skin. Her lips were full and luscious pink and held an amused smile. But her eyes were the objects that held him captive as they bore in his soul. Sharp and vivid blue orbs, that stood out even from the distance they stood at. Orbs that were bright and full of mirth.

His gaze was held prisoner to their beauty and he found himself unable to look away. He didn't know how long he sat there staring, unable to blink for fear that she would vanish.

Suddenly a loud voice tore through his thoughts and the girl turned her head almost simultaneously to the sound.

Darien watched intrigued as he noticed how the sunlight fell on her face and gave her the impression of an ethereal being and her eyes appeared almost golden.

The girl quickly hurried away toward the direction the voice had come from and Darien followed her with his eyes, as she walked upto a lady that appeared to be her mother and soon disappeared into crowds of prayer goers.

Darien realized that the woman had been calling out to the girl.'What was it that that the lady had called her?'

He frowned in concentration to remember the name the woman had beckoned the girl by. He dug deep into his subsonscious brain to retrieve the name he had heard till he found it.

He sat up straight in his seat and turned the key in the ignition, ready to leave.

"Sarina." He whispered and smiled softly, before putting the car in gear and leaving.