"Cali!"

He twisted his head, golden eyes trained on his long-time friend, and the corners of his painted lips rose into a soft smile. She was waving at him, her eyes aglow with excitement.

"Cali!" She repeated, and reached into her pocket. Curious, the lizard-like creature cocked his head to the side and smoothly took a step forward, his tail twitching eagerly.

She revealed a bright red ball, and the man-lizard hybrid's smile brightened significantly. After the crimson sphere was shaken once, the girl threw it and it sailed through the sky. Cali took off toward it happily.

Immediately upon catching it, the hybrid tossed the ball back to his friend, gauging his power as to make sure he does not accidentally throw it too hard. The girl caught it, and sent it back toward him, giggling.

With a mischievious glint in his eyes, Cali rushed to the ball, gracefully stole it from the air, and took a quick step back. He sent her a toothy grin, and ignored her protests, letting himself fall through a hole in the dirt.

Underground, he was met with strange looks from his lizard kin. He frowned at them sympathetically. They had been forced to live underground due to the Queen's general dislike of reptiles. Cali, on the other hand, was half-man, and had formed a bond with Queen Prospera's daughter, Miranda, fifteen years ago, and was therefore allowed to live in the palace.

His ears perked up when Miranda's muffled voice pulled him from his musings. She sounded nearly upset, so he nodded a farewell to his brethren and jumped up through a different hole.

The girl was still yelling down the hole he had fallen through. "That's not fair! Ugh, you always do this!" She called, stomping her foot.

Cali stifled a laugh, and crept up behind her in total silence. He threw the ball at her head, and she turned with an annoyed "Hey!"

Rubbing her head, she glared back at the hybrid, who was chuckling in glee. "That wasn't funny, y'know."

His chuckle became a full-blown laugh. "Says you!"

Miranda gave him a sour look. She bent to take the ball nestled at her feet, and chucked it at her still-laughing friend's head. He dodged it with ease, and his laugh rose in volume, further aggravating the girl.

Cali closed his eyes to wipe a tear from each, and was about to make another condescending remark, when he heard a huff and footsteps. Upon opening his eyes, he found his friend briskly walking back toward the palace, arms crossed.

His smile faltered, and he glided toward her. "Hey, where're you going?"

"Home," she said plainly, her pace not wavering. He craned his neck around to see her face, but to no avail. Instead, he opted to leap over her, catching her waist with his tail, and studied her face. His smile fell.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You, that's what!" He felt a small pang hit his heart, but brushed it aside as he listened intently to her rant. "Every time we play together, you always think it's funny to change the rules! Just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should! I mean, what was all that work and time we spent establishing those rules even for?!"

They fell into a deep silence, and Miranda lowered her head. Cali raised a hand to tilt her chin up comfortingly, but she swatted it away. He stepped back.

"What's really wrong?"

Miranda sighed dejectedly, and turned from him.

"Tomorrow's the big day, isn't it? Tomorrow's when everything will change."

The hybrid sent her a pained look, knowing exactly what she was referring to. Tomorrow was the coming-of-age ceremony, the day she would make the decision that would affect the rest of her life. On that day, she would face several trials to show her mother and all the island's inhabitants that, upon passing them, she would be worthy to start her own life. And then, she would be forced to choose whether to remain in the palace as a princess, near her mother, nanny, and the rest of her family, or to leave to explore the world, as she had always dreamed.

Cali put a comforting arm around her shoulders, and, before she could shrug it off, he pulled her close.

"Have faith in yourself. You will make the right decision. And whatever you choose, wherever you go..." He rested his chin on her head. "I will follow."

Miranda stood still for a minute before hugging Cali in appreciation. She laughed, and almost instantly, the hybrid's tail wagged in delight.

He removed his arms from around her, and returned to his normal stance, crouching slightly forward. "Last one to the palace is...?"

She giggled, preparing to run. "A rotten coconut!"

At once, the two took off, laughing the whole way home.

From within his prison above the clouds, the man closed his eyes and let the memories fly freely across his mind. For the first time since that night, he felt at peace. The memories were an escape, and he kept diving through them until he was no longer in the Valkyries' sky-prison, but in a more familiar place. In his memories, he was home once more.

And then he saw Miranda. She was smiling, and laughing, her voice like bell chimes, her hair cascading down her face in brown waves. The Miranda he'd known since she was an infant, who he had cared for, befriended and, before he knew it, fallen in love with.

And then he saw Miranda. Her eyes sparking with contempt, her right hand wielding the moon goddess's gift, using the power, the sheer aura of it, to push him back...

He choked back a sob, and attempted to stop his memories before they ventured into the dangerous territory referring to that night and the events that followed-

Miranda with him, in his arms, eyes lighting with pure affection and love, directed toward him, their bodies entwining as they sink below the water's surface-

Cali let out a strangled cry, anger taking control. How dare that man take away his Miranda?! He struggled against his restraints, desperately attempting to break free, to return back to his Miranda, to protect her, to save her from the man who corrupted her, to free her from the hellhole their paradise had become...

...He slumped back in defeat. The restraints would not budge.

He lifted his eyes in determination. Neither would his resolve.

He vowed to return.

He vowed to kill Romeo.

And he vowed to marry Miranda.

Ahhhh yes my infamous Amaluna fanfics from 2013. I want to thank slothmaster117 for pushing me to upload this and cry a little in embarrassment