A/N: Well, I'm back from camp, so here is the promised sequel to Roses for a Queen. This is just the prologue, so it's a little short, but I didn't want to tack on another whole chapter to make it longer, so deal with it. Anyway, I have no ownage of YuYu Hakusho. Believe me; you'd know if I did.

All that aside, please enjoy the following story. For those of you reading this before reading Roses for a Queen, please understand that although this is a sequel to that story, it can be read as a stand-alone, though some things will make more sense if it is read after Roses for a Queen.

I can't think of anything else, so please read and I hope you enjoy it!

-Prologue-

My name is unknown even to myself.

All of my memories from the time I was old enough to remember anything to the day I turned fifteen are gone.

For the past year, I've gone by the name Tori, which means 'bird'. An old man I met that ill-fated day gave it to me, my only present and one with mixed blessings. His face and voice are all I can remember from my birthday.

I don't believe in God or gods, but if I did, I would certainly think that I must have done something terrible to deserve such a fate. I don't go to school like other kids my age; no school would want me once they saw me, anyway. My waist-length, dark auburn hair and odd, amber and blue eyes turn everyone who sees me away. I've tried dying my hair, but it doesn't stick.

Nothing else works.

Besides all of these hardships, I do pretty well for a sixteen-year-old girl on her own. The place I stay at doesn't ask too many questions and it's dry and safe; it's all I need. Food I get from the leftovers from restaurants and other food stores. I never knew that they threw away such good food at places like those. I've taught myself several basic self-defense moves, so I can protect myself in the case of an assault, but I haven't had a chance to put what I've learned to the test; no one wants to mess with someone who looks so odd, anyway.

Any family I might have had I don't remember. Whatever there was of my old life has been erased; I know no other life besides the one I know now. It doesn't matter to me. All I want to do is survive and I've done a pretty good job at it so far.

I don't need anyone else.

A/N: Short, wasn't it? Yeah, I know. The rest of the chapters will be much longer, don't worry. Anyway, we have now been introduced to Tori, the main protagonist of this story. Again, don't worry; she's not actually as angsty as I made her out to be here and she doesn't stay there for long anyway.

Quick note. This story takes place a full two years after the Chikara incident, so all characters have changed to reflect that, though there may not seem to be much of a difference, especially in Hiei and Botan, as they aren't even remotely human. Thus, Li is about seventeen or eighteen, if that helps your mindset any. Also changed is Hiei's height. He is no longer quite as short as he is in Roses for a Queen. In fact, I have officially decided (as in, in the last few seconds) that he has had a massive growth spurt of about four inches, putting him somewhere in the lower half of the five foot range (something like five foot three). nodnod Yup, that should do. Tori is also short for her age, so she's a bit shorter than Hiei is, which makes for much better romantic scenes.

Well, enough gabbering on my part. You'll be wanting the first actual chapter and I should probably give it to you. So, see ya!

Haliaetus