Disclaimer: I do NOT own Diablo or any of its components. If I did I'd be working on some other cool and amazing game. All I own is my own characters and their personalities.

Now to answer my first, one and only review so far...) ... Headache-with-pictures: Thank you and I can assure you that I'm far from done yet... for you.. here's:

Act 2 - Not Exactly Home

When she woke up she was no longer in that garden. But she wasn't home either. "Green grass? Blue sky? Where was she?" She looked aside only to see Connor sleeping. He snored lightly and had a smile on his lips. Somehow Amiko found that very disturbing.

"Hey! Bozo! Air Head! Wake up!"

Connor turned away from her and put his arms over his ears.

"Oh, no you don't."

Amiko hit him in the head and yelled.

"CONNOR! Wake up this instant! You idiot!"

"Amiko. I had such a good dream," Connor said obviously hurt by the names she called him. He sat up and rubbed his head. "You didn't have to hit me. I heard you the first time."

"Then why didn't you say so. It would have spared you the pain and me the effort."

"I thought it was a dream and if I turned you might go away." He smiled.

"Moron," she said silently.

"Anyway. Where are we? This sure isn't L.A."

"L.A.? Oh, yeah. L.A. The raid!"

"No. But it might be hell, considering I'm here with you. What on earth were you thinking bringing those two boys there?"

"Don't get so upset. It was they who asked, and really, we needed them. You can't argue against that."

"So just because they asked to come you let them? You really are stupid! They haven't even had the time to get the slightest experience from the streets and you bring them there. Honestly, did your mother drop you or anything when you were little?"

"Hey! Don't you accuse my mother like that! You know NOTHING of her! Take that back or I'll promise you I'll beat you to death."

Connor was shaking in rage. His fists were clenched and his teeth showed a determined grin. Amiko found herself shrug backwards.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I…"

"Just forget it. I guess I did wrong to. Maybe I should have called in some more backup and waited. I just didn't want to see the bad guys to get away. Guess I'm impatient."

"Yeah you screwed up."

"Hey! You didn't have to imply the obvious. I was trying to make an apology. Though I don't see why I should apologize to you."

"Well you shouldn't. You should apologize to the boys. And the boss. But really, my anger has settled. It's really not the first time you screw up. Though you really hit the bottom this time. But sorry for saying those things about your mom."

"Eh, I told you, forget it. You always had a little temper when it comes to me. Not to other, only me. I never figured out why."

"Maybe it's because you always get me into trouble," Amiko said and smiled.

"Maybe, maybe," Connor laughed.

Amiko rose to her feet and looked around. There was smoke coming from the west.

"There's probably a town over there. Though it is some way there. I can't see it. But I can see smoke coming from there." She pointed and Connor followed with his eyes.

"Well then maybe we should start walking." Connor rose and started walking towards the direction Amiko had been pointing.

"Ah, well." Amiko thought and followed Connor.

The sun set at the horizon and darkness fell over the lands. The moon was only halfway through its lunar cycles. A woman was standing alone at the top of the hill outside the town. Her face showed both sadness and happiness.
"So you have come here. I finally get to meet you again, after all these years. Darling."
The campfire gave a warm light. Amiko really liked it. "I should take a vacation when I get home. Go camping in the mountains maybe. No. A sunny beach and Nightdisco's." Connor had already fallen asleep. It seemed like he could sleep anywhere. He'd just put his head down and he'd fall asleep. "How annoying." Amiko thought of wake him up, but surrender that thought. After all they had walked a long way this day. They had set fire next to the forest, waiting until morning to enter. "According to our calculations, the town should be just by the other side of the forest. I wonder what kind of things dwell in this forest. It doesn't have a nice aura around it." Amiko didn't understand the meaning of what she was thinking. She laid her head down, putting her left arm under it. The ground was hard and uncomfortable, but somehow she managed to fall asleep. Eventually.
"Where am I?" The ground was shaking, cracking. The cracks were soon filled by burning lava. From the shadows she heard voices and the shadows seemed to grow. They grew larger and somehow they seemed to grow stronger. "What is happening?"

Suddenly shapes of humanoid creatures walked out of the shadows and climbed out of the burning lava cracks. Amiko started running. Toward what she did not know. She only knew that she wanted away from those beasts. She tripped over a root and the fall to the ground seemed to last an eternity. When she finally hit ground it was solid stone floor. She was no longer in the forest. "What happened?" She rose. She was standing alone in a large hall. The walls were full of strange glowing runes and she heard a strange voice murmuring. She looked around, but could not see anyone. Still there was a voice. She sat down and dragged her legs closer. She put her hand above her ears, in an attempt to avoid the murmuring voice. But she could still hear it inside of her head. She closed her eyes and screamed.

When she stopped screaming and opened her eyes, the voice was gone and she was no longer in the hall. Instead she was in a little chamber. There where large bookcases along the walls and a large table in the middle. By one of the walls there was a fireplace.

"So you are the one."

Amiko froze.

"They sure have become desperate. Sending for a weak druid how doesn't even know who she is. It is almost funny that you would be the descendant of the great hero that slain my brothers. You'll stand no chance to me. But maybe you've improved when we meet in battle. Maybe you even be worth killing."

Amiko turned and looked straight in to ice-cold blue eyes. The woman in front of her was smiling. An evil smile.

"By the way. Tell Tyrael "Thank you" from me. Had not been for him destroying the worldstone I would have never gotten freed from my prison. Sure his way of letting me free weakened me a lot, but I surely would have died if my brothers had succeeded in their plan back then. My brothers used me, promising me power. THEY LURED ME IN TO THAT DEATHTRAP!"

Amiko pulled her self backwards in fear.

"They didn't care that I would die! In truth I'm grateful to your ancestor, but I would have killed him if I could have. You see he would have been too powerful to let live. Unlike my brothers I don't want chaos and destruction. I want to rule all the worlds. Not only this, but all."

The woman let out a laughter that made cold shivers run down Amikos back. "She's mad. Truly mad."

"And I will kill you when we meet. No doubt about it. WEAKLING!" The woman lifted her arms and hurled a bolt of wind against Amiko. Darkness fell and Amiko fell into dreamless sleep.

"Amiko. Amiko. Wake up."

Amiko opened her eyes. Morning. "Where am I now?" She sat up and rubbed her eyes. When she opened them she saw Connor in front of the campfire, preparing something.

"You have no idea how long it took to catch this little fellow," he said and held up a medium size fish. "Considering I don't have any fishing equipment, I think it was a good achievement." He smiled and put the fish back over the fire.

"How'd you do it?" Amiko asked and yawned.

Connor laughed. "I was a scout when I was fifteen. I remember one special occasion when I and my best friend got separated from the group. We made quite a nice camp with shelter and fire. And we caught several fishes using only sharpened twigs and our hands. They found us after two days. He he. We were quite the pair, me and my best friend. Always getting in to trouble. But we also always managed ourselves out of it, with little damage. Sure we got grounded a couple of times, but we were young and free." He smiled and continued cooking the fish.

Amiko smiled. During their three years as partners, this was the closest they ever gotten. It actually felt kind of nice.

"I never did anything like that." Amiko said and moved herself closer to the fire. "Damn. It sure was a cold morning." She shivered.

"What was you like then? Your fathers little princess? A good girl and student? Your mother's lovely little girl?"

Amiko sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, but it maybe would ease the pain she always had felt. Maybe she would feel better if she would talk to someone about it.

"I had no mother. And my father died when I was ten. I was put in foster homes. I escaped several times and soon most people stopped caring about me. I began stealing and got involved in all kinds of gangs." Amiko paused. She looked at Connor. He stared at her, seemed to have forgotten everything else.

"Anyway, around fourteen I was caught for shoplifting. The policeman who arrested me felt pity for me and adopted me. I tried to escape. Several times. But every time he would find me and bring me back home. Though I didn't come peacefully. He dragged me and I was screaming and struggling to get loose. After a few attempts I gave up and slowly I began to admire him. He was the first person to ever show any patience with me. It didn't matter how much trouble I caused. He would always just look at me with a calmness that was really frightening. Then he would usually ground me for weeks, taking away TV and my CD-player, which he had gotten me for our first Christmas together."

"Didn't you have plenty of opportunities to escape on your way to school?"

"Didn't go to school. I guess he didn't trust me that much in the beginning. I had home tutoring. It was horrible." Amiko shivered by the memory of her sitting by the kitchen table, no chance of escaping all those dreadful equations and grammar tests.

"Though one day, when I sixteen, he took me to the school registration. That autumn I started school again. It wasn't like it had been before I quit last time and I loved it. Mostly because it meant no more sitting by the kitchen table alone with the teacher. This way I could get away with sleeping through class and skipping the hard problems.

But it didn't take long until I noticed I didn't want to that. Every time I managed to solve a difficult problem, I got praised by my new found friends and my teachers, and I loved it. I started working really hard at having high grades and when my new foster dad saw that he praised me a little and encouraged me even more. Soon I knew what I wanted to be. What I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to help others, like my father had helped me. And I wanted to fight the wrongs in our world."

"That's some kind of a story. You sure don't seem like one associating with gangs and doing drugs and that stuff."

Amiko open her eyes up wide. "DRUGS! No, no, no. I NEVER did anything stupid like that."

"Sorry. My fault. But how'd you manage to stay away from drugs when being in all those gangs? I mean, it's not often you hear about a gang member not being on some kind of a drug."

"I just didn't do it. If the gang had a problem with it I left and found myself a new gang."

Connor looked at his partner. "Heh, she sure has been through something."

"Well, it worked out for the better," he laughed.

"Except me ending up with you as my partner," Amiko said with a smile on her lips.

"Hey! That's not nice. Haven't I been a good partner and done my share of the work?"

"You are always late, you usually get me in trouble and it is always I who end up doing the paperwork. I think you done it twice since we were paired together."

"Heh he." Conner laughed. "Sorry sorry."

"Well I guess that old habits are hard to get rid of. Anyway, is our breakfast ready soon or are you planning on eating ashes?"

"Oh, hell. I forgot." He pulled away the fish from the fire and divided it into two halves. "Just a little extra crispy," he said smiling and handed her one half.

Amiko took one bit and chewed it a little before swallowing it. "It wasn't so bad after all. Maybe I should apologize after being so rude."

"He he. You ate it. See, it wasn't so bad, was it?" He gave her a big smile.

"Honestly. How old are you? Still craving praise for everything you do?"

"You're being mean again. I beginning to think that's in your nature."

"My best apologize, sir. It was not in my intention to hurt you. Will you accept my humble apology?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"Heh, I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist joking a little with you. Really it was at least eatable. It doesn't feel like I'll die of food poisoning."

"Amiko."

"Sorry. Couldn't resist that either," she said and fired a smile at him.

Connor laughed and finished his breakfast.

"You finished?" he asked and looked at Amiko. She rose. "Guess so."

"Let's get going. Maybe we can make it through the forest today. I really don't like to spend the night in there unless I really have to."

"Scared? Can't blame you. This forest gives me the creeps. Let's hurry through."

"Will it ever end? We've been walking in hours. Surely it can't be much further."

"Hey Amiko! Look at this."

Amiko turned to Connor. He was standing in the middle of some strange formation of rocks. He looked like he just seen a ghost.

"What it is? Did you see a ghost or what?"

"A-almost. Come here."

Amiko moved closer to see what he was so worked up about. Connor pointed to the middle of the stone formation. There laid three skeletons tightly entwined. Two adult and one smaller. "Creepy."

"Seems like some kind of a human sacrifice. Maybe there some strange cult nearby?"

"Let's keep on moving. I don't want to end up like them," said Amiko and quickly turned away. "The more I see of this forest the less I want to be in it."

By nightfall they finally reached the end of the forest. However they couldn't see the town yet. It was to dark. Clouds had hid the moon and there didn't seem like they had any lights on in the town. Amiko and Connor decided to rest until the morning. They made a fire. Amiko had actually never been so grateful that Connor smoked. His lighter sure made everything a lot easier.

"Hey. Did you plan on going fishing tomorrow to?"

Connor glared at Amiko.

"And what is that suppose to mean?"

"Eh? I just asked. Geez. What's with you today? You seemed so nice yesterday, telling me about your childhood. Today you seem like a totally different person. Well at least after that incident in the forest. I didn't think something like that could affect you that much. I mean you have to have seen worse things, considering you're a cop and everything."

"It's not that it really affected me that way. It's just that I can't get it off my mind. And what also bugs me is this place in whole. I mean, where are we? I don't have any clue, and I've traveled a lot. Seen large parts of the States, but I don't recognize a thing that would even point out the slightest idea of where we are. And don't you think it's strange that we haven't encountered anything or anyone? No cities, villages or even single houses. No person or for that fact not even seen an animal. Well except for some fishes and birds. I mean, it's like someone threw us back in time or something."

"Don't be ridiculous. That is impossible."

"Just because no one knows about it ever happened doesn't mean it's impossible."

"Connor. You're being irrational. It's impossible. It's only a fantasy made up by authors of famous books and film manuscripts."

"Hey. Where's your childhood spirit. Didn't you ever believe in fairies and warlocks?"

"No. I saw enough magic with my father getting high all the time."

"Guess he never even read you tales like Cinderella or Snow White? Sad childhood."

"I already told you my childhood. Besides, fairytales are only there to teach children morality and such things. However most forget about that when they grow up and that's the reason our world looks as it does."

"Good you're so grown up. Tell you what. I tell you a tale now. Maybe you change your mind about them."

"I don't want to listen to stories. Just go to sleep."

"Once upon a time in a land very far from here…"

"Shut up."

"I know this story by heart and I won't stop until I finished it. Just lie down and listen."

"You sure are stubborn."

But Amiko lied down and suddenly she was caught in the world of fairies and warlocks. Her eyes slowly closed and she fell into a dream of dragons and magic.

"Move forward! Faster!"

"Do you really think they still live? The demons that been showing up lately aren't that easy to kill, even with a whole army. They may have been slaughtered long time ago."

"No. I can still sense them. We have to move fast though. An army of demons are closing in. Around twenty. Alright men! Let's increase our speed a little more!"

The group dashed away, leaving a cloud of dust.

End of Act 2

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