Chapter 1:

…That was a long time ago

A long sigh escaped her mouth…It was almost impossible to sleep in the afterworld, considering the sun never went down, and people were in a constant state of battle. She looked at the end of the waterfall she had in her domain. The constant pounding of water created a sensational mist and sometimes, a breeze would conjure just enough to make the excess water hit her hot skin…but only sometimes. She was always hot and, by default, always just a little uncomfortable. She got up from her designated spot underneath an oak and stretched, frowning at the rhythmic crackling of her back. Was it possible to get out of shape when you're dead?

Cathrine looked around stepping onto a path leading to the mansion of the Grand Kai. Interesting and powerful as he was, the old man constantly hit a nerve in the all-ready-too-edgy woman, so the idea of some afternoon long meeting didn't quite strike her as an exciting way to start her day (if you wanted to call it that). It was more like a never ending cycle of light, rather then a day and a night like she remembered. But, that was a long time ago…tears stung her eyes as her pitter pattering feet hit the ground. She wasn't sad, that wasn't the problem. Rather it was her heart deciding to act up again. Occasionally it would flutter a little too lightly, then a little too hard, creating a ringing in her ear, dull and obnoxious…her body let off a small shiver from the pounding and she kicked her feet up running to get her heart beating back to normal. It didn't always happen, this strange flutter of the heart, but when it did it hurt, badly.

She began to pick up speed enjoying the exhilaration of the air, loving the pain her lungs were causing as it was fighting against the off-beat heart. It would win, it always did. The trees began to lose their thickness as the end of the path approached. She focused on the divots, and rocks in the path, and tried to recall the initial meaning of the meeting. Her heart, though slowing to a more acceptable pace, was still off course and living with herself as long as she did she knew all too well that being alone with her own thoughts for too long was a recipe for disaster. So she tried to keep her mind occupied as often as she could, for as long as she could.

"Hey Mia!" A voice boomed from behind her shoulder. A tall blonde headed man raced beside her, slightly struggling to keep up with her speed.

Her slowing heart kicked slightly at the remembrance of her forged surname.

No one she was associated with called her by her true name. The dead language of her people wasn't known to any being and so, in an attempt to make the concept of her past seem more distant, she now went exclusively by the title 'Catherine Mia'.

It hurt to hear the vibrations of a false name echo through the air proving her initial hopes wrong…she could remember a time when it didn't hurt, when she was only addressed by her true identity and didn't have to resort to a synthetic title…but that was a long time ago.

"Hi." She breathed slowing to better consolidate with him.

"Where you going in such a hurry?" He asked between cut breaths.

"Meeting, I think I am late but I really did not bother to check the time."

"What meeting? I didn't know there were two today…" he said voice trailing.

"What do you mean two?" Mia asked stopping dead, a little to fast for him to register, and he continued for another foot or two.

"Well the meeting established about the uproar in hell?...That was carried out and dealt with some time ago…"

"How long is some time?"

"I dunno, a half hour or so…" He said voice slurred with his broken thoughts.

"…Oh…" figures they would start without me…she thought furrowing an eyebrow.

"Then I am going to go back to…doing…nothing" she breathed backtracking into the denser parts of her domain.

"We can spar, if you wanna." He said with a smile plastered on his lips.

"No thank you Olibu…I am…rather tired." She lied taking a step backwards, feeling immediate guilt from his frown…

"Oh…ok…"

"Olibu…who was it that dealt with the situation in hell?"

"Some guy named Pikkon…he's really strong I hear, but a bit of a grump so."

"…Well I am sure he is wonderful…"

"Your not jealous are you Mia gal? There's no competition between you two so I wouldn't worry about it."

"I am not jealous Olibu…just bugged that they called me down here and began without me."

…

After the steadied trek back to her domain she sat continuing to stare at the strong heartbeat of the waterfall and the prism of color, caused by the beaming sun and droplets of water.

"uoy ssi mi…" She whispered to herself smiling softly at the ring of her native language in her ear …she knew she shouldn't be left alone with her thoughts…for any amount of time…but sometimes, a little time to think, was all she needed…she could remember a time when that's all she spoke. When she would talk for hours in a small, uncomfortable, room to someone she could trust about nothing at all…but…that was a long time ago.