'Dahlia?' Mahad asked concerned. He had found her, sitting under a tree. She didn't look very well. She just sat there. Knees pulled up to her chest, her arms around them. She had buried her face in her knees. When she heard him saying her name, she looked up. She looked so…sad.

'Are you ok?' Mahad asked. He sat down next to her.

'No. I'm not…' she said. Tears flew over her cheeks. Mahad placed his arm around her shoulders. He could feel her body shaking.

'Hey, what's wrong?' Mahad softly asked. As answer he got more tears.

'Hey, shhhhh…' he said. He had never seen her cry. He hated it, too.

Dahlia pushed his arm away and stood up.

'Trust me, Mahad, you don't want to know.' she said. Mahad knew that she was doing her best to stop crying. He wondered why. She was strong. Did she think that crying was a sign of weakness?

'I can only know that if you tell me what's wrong.' Mahad said. He stood up, too. He looked right at her face. She looked to the ground.

'When I was ten years old, I shot my mother.' Dahlia said very soft. Mahad was shocked. Why would anyone do that?

'Why?' was the only thing he could manage to say.

'I did it to…to…to protect her from my father.' Dahlia's voice shook from tears. She was so sad. Now Mahad saw the real Dahlia. Not the Dahlia that she wanted everyone to see. The real one. The, let's be honest, the more human one.

'Then who is your father?' Mahad asked gently.

'My father is…' Dahlia had to gasp for breath. 'My father is…'

Before she could say anything, she burst into tears. Mahad took her in his arms, whispering soft words in her ear, trying to comfort her. He could feel her hart beating under his fingers. She buried her face in his chest.

'Hey, it's ok, Dahlia. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. You don't have to tell me if you can't.' Mahad said softly. She looked up, right in his eyes.

"Damn, she's beautiful." Mahad thought. "Even when she cries, she's still beautiful."

'I wanna go home, Mahad.' Dahlia said.

'Shall I come with you?' Mahad offered. Dahlia only nodded. She pushed him away, and wiped the tears of her face. Mahad followed her as she went to her house.

'Do you want to come in?' Dahlia asked. 'I don't want to be alone now.'

Mahad accepted the offer, knowing that there was more behind it then her just wanting to be alone. He entered her living room. She stood by the window.

'Sit down.' she softly said. Mahad said down, wondering what she wanted to say.

'I don't know how to say this.' Dahlia said.

'Just tell me the truth, Dahlia.' Mahad answered. He was afraid of what he was gonna hear.

'Mahad, the truth is…' she turned around and was about to cry again. 'I don't know who I am.' she said. Again, her eyes filled up with tears. Mahad looked at her. Now he knew why she was crying. Now he knew why she never told anything about herself. It had to be so horrible, living without any knowledge of who you are.

Dahlia sat down on a chair. She held her head in her hands.

'I don't remember anything of my youth, except the most terrible things. I…' She stopped, trying to get herself back under control. 'I don't even know my mother's name, I don't know where I lived, I don't even know my own name.' She stopped again. Mahad hated to see her suffer like that. He kneeled in front of her.

'Hey…' he said softly. He didn't know what to say. This wasn't an everyday situation. 'Don't you remember anything good from your mother?' he asked.

Dahlia shook her head. 'First good thing I remember is waking up in the Saint Nazaire when I was found by the Pirates. I was twelve back then. I don't know where I have been those two missing years. Guess I had a good time then.' She bit her lip.

Mahad placed a hand on her knee, she looked at him. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. She would gladly die to protect him. She realized all that when she looked in his blue eyes. She let go of her head, and let her hands fall in her lap. Mahad took them.

'Have you told anyone else?' he asked. He wanted to know who he could discuss this with.

'Only Cortes.' Dahlia said. She couldn't get free of his gaze.

'This'll sound like an empty promise, but I will do anything I can to help you discover your identity.' he said. It indeed sounded like an empty promise. What could Mahad do? But Dahlia believed him. He meant what he said. She knew that. "Damn, I love him." she thought.

----

Twelve years ago…

Saniya yelled in fear. The burglar aimed on her. At the moment he wanted to pull the trigger, Saniya's eight-year-old sister Eärendil rushed in. When she saw what was happening, she exploded from anger. She raised her arms, and a yellow flash of light hit the burglar. He flew though the window, of the block. Eärendil became herself again, and rushed over to her older sister.

'Saniya? Are you alright?' she asked. Saniya stood up. She had dropped herself on the floor when her sister had come in.

'I'm ok now, sis. Thanks for saving me.' she said. At that moment, their father came in.

'YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT ALOWED TO USE YOUR POWERS!' he yelled, before he grabbed Eärendil. He hit her. Again and again. Eärendil cried and tried to use her powers to get free. Saniya watched in horror, together with their mother. But their father was a seijin, and too powerful for anyone of them. Saniya took her mother's hand, and almost made a pancake of it. She was that angry. Her little sister just SAVED her. What did her father want?

When he was done hitting Eärendil, he dropped her on the floor and walked out of the room. He grabbed their mother on the way out. Saniya didn't want to let go.

'Saniya, stay here. Help your sister. I'll take care of myself.' their mother said. Saniya let her go and rushed over to Eärendil. She had an eye that was definitely going to be black. She had several cuts and bruises.

'Saniya? Where's mommy?' Eärendil asked.

Saniya looked at the ground. 'She with dad.' she said.

'No! He may not do anything to her.' Eärendil tried to get up, but lost her balance and fell on the ground.

'We can't do anything, sis. No matter how much we want to, we can't.' Saniya said. She lifted her little sister up, and carried her to their bedroom. She placed Eärendil in her bed. Then she left to get some ice for her bruises.

----

Now…

'Mahad, there's one thing you should know.' Dahlia said.

'What is it?' he asked. He stood up and pulled a chair next to Dahlia.

'My father is…it's Oslo.'

A/N So, what do you think? Reviews please! If there's anything I should improve, tell me. Oh, and I know that I have grammar and spelling problems!