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, their personalities and everything else that I can come up with, like cities and weapons.

Ah... I'm so sorry for taking so much time... Reasons this time is thatI went to my sister and babysat her three children. in five days... and the sun has been shining and shining and you don't want to sit by your computer then... well since last week there's only been rain and more rain so now I'm finally finished... (yay!)... and I think I better not promise anything for the coming chapter... on thursday (tomorrow) a four days festival starts, with Merry-Go-Rounds, music food and all kinds of things... got tickets for the whole weekend so I won't really sit by my computer then... so far there's only one artist i want to see, but there so much to do other than that...

Anyway... Heres Act 5 - In death we are taught about life

It felt like flames. Hot and cold flames mixed together in a deadly dance. She felt cold down to the marrow, and still it burned like fire. Amiko were standing in the middle, surrounded by creatures wielding sharp swords. They were dancing around her, cutting and stabbing her. For each hit, Amiko screamed, but there was no sound. Tears ran down her face.

Suddenly there was a light and a soft word spoke:

"Amiko. Come here. Let me help you ease your pain."

"Who are…?"

"I am the archangel Tyrael. We have met before, but you have forgotten."

And by those words, all her memories came back. The archangel, the garden, the light. But also a dark presence she did not know the name of. All that she remembered from that meeting was the hate, anger and a beautiful, but evil face.

"Come now."

"Death occurred at 7:39 am."

The doctor put down his instruments and walked out of the room. He crossed the hallway, took the elevator down to floors and went to his office. He picked out the journals for the woman just deceased and sat down by his desk. But then he froze.

"Why? There was nothing wrong. What really happened?"

He could see her pain. Her body was twisting back and forth, seemed restless. On her forehead there were sweat drops, like it had rained on her. She was moaning quietly, and the moaning where only interrupted by loud screams. He felt ashamed of himself. It was his fault that this happened. "If only I had told her quicker, she could have decided. If only I had told her…" He picked up a cloth from the bowl of cold water and bathed her forehead.

"What! They are both dead? How? When?"

"All I can say is that I have never seen anything like this. The time of their deaths is exactly the same, but the way they passed away is so far apart it can be. The man passed slowly. Just went away. But the woman..." The doctor paused.

"What about her?"

"She went into shock and when we tried to stabilize her, she screamed and waved her arms around, hindering our work. When she finally stopped it was too late."

"Both of them…"

"We have to contact their families."

"You're still here?"

Antara turned around and saw Cane standing in the doorway. In his hands he was holding a bowl of water.

"Here's a bowl of new water." Cane placed it on the floor, next to the other bowl. The he picked up the old one and moved toward the doorway. "You know I can always tell someone else to watch her. You don't have to overstrain yourself. And you have other obligations."

"It's okay," said Antara and soaked the cloth in the fresh water. "It's okay. It's my fault anyway. And my mother can take care of everything."

Cane watched Antara bathe Amiko's face, before he turned and walked out of the room.

"It's my fault anyway."

Suddenly Amiko screamed out loud. Antara panicked.

"Cane! Come back here!"

Cane entered the room again and calmly sat down by the bed.

"Cane. What is happening?"

"She is passing through now. This is the final step."

"Why does it seem so painful?"

"That's because her soul is still too attached to the body."

"But what about her friend? He's not going through this."

"That is because we were in time to separate him from the body."

"Was that what you did, when you…?"

"Yes."

"Then why couldn't you do the same to Amiko? Why don't you do that now?"

"Because if I do that in her present state, she will die. Both her body and soul."

"But she is dying now!"

"She is strong. Have faith. Now back away so I can help her pass through."

"Archangel. Why have you come?"

"I could not sit idly by when I saw your pain."

Amiko felt a smile spread upon her face. Then she felt a striking pain in her heart.

"What's happening? Am I dying?"

"No, only your former body. Your soul is still too attached to it and therefore you are in pain. I can ease it a little, but not all."

"Thank you." Amiko smiled again. "But what about Connor? Is he safe? Is he in pain?"

"Cane helped him. He is in no pain. He is almost through."

Amiko felt relived. She walked beside the Archangel for awhile. At some point they came to a great tree. Amiko had not seen anything on there way there. It was just like the tree appeared from nowhere. But still, there it was. It was a beautiful tree, with white flowers.

"This tree. It warms me so. It's so beautiful."

The archangel nodded.

"I planted it here some time ago. Centuries ago. It eases me when I feel down. When I am in pain."

Amiko looked at the archangel. "In pain? Can he feel pain?"

"This is where I leave you. Your friend will come here soon and guide you back. Don't despair. You have found some great friends."

And so the archangel left and Amiko was alone by the tree. It didn't matter. She fell asleep by the tree.

"We are gathered here today to say farewell to our two dear friends, Amiko Dostora and Connor McNeal. Too soon were they taken away from us and…"
Around her was darkness. Still she didn't feel frightened, because the words of the archangel had soothed her. She couldn't see anything, but she could still feel the roots of the great tree and still smell the sweet scent of the flowers on the tree. And if she listened hard enough she could actually heat a soft breeze rustling the leaves at the top.

The she heard a voice calling. It seemed far away and she couldn't make out the words. As it moved closer the words became clearer.

"Amiko! Please answer."

"Cane! What is he…?" She got up, leaned against the tree. It was still dark and she waved with her hands in front of her, feeling her way forward.

"Cane? Is that you?"

She felt a hand grabbing her hand.

"Amiko. You're safe. Thank all that's holy. Now come. Everyone's waiting. And they're also worried sick. Especially Antara. He feels guilty. Feels it's his fault you had to go trough this. Saying he shouldn't have dragged out things so much."

"But it isn't his fault. He isn't …"

"Don't tell me that. Tell him when we get back. Now come."

"I can't see anything."

"Don't worry. I'll lead you. But you will have to trust me .Whatever happens you have to trust me. Or else you will be lost in here forever."

The room was spinning. Or maybe it was his head that was spinning. Either way he felt sick by the sight of it. "What happened?"

The door opened and a woman walked in, carrying a trey. She sat the trey down by his bed.

"You're awake. Good. Try to eat something before you fall asleep again." She smiled kindly and walked out of the room again.

Connor sat up slowly. The room seemed more still and he felt as much better than he had just a moment ago. He picked up the trey and started eating.

"You should take it easy. Or else it will just come up again."

Connor looked up and saw Antara standing in the doorway. He grunted and turned his focus solely on eating.

"I see. I guess I deserve that." He walked in to the room, closing the door behind him. He sat down on a chair by the window. "You may not believe me, but it wasn't me that time."

"You're right I don't believe you."

Antara looked at Connor and then turned and looked out of the window.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. We seem to have had a bad start, and I'm willing to start over. If you are."

Connor looked at the man by the window. His face seemed calm. Maybe he is sincere? But can I…?" Connor put down the trey on the floor. "I'm only going to say this once. I don't trust you and I won't blink even once before attacking you if you give me a reason. So you can take you apologize and shove it up somewhere."

Antara blinked in surprise. "I see." He stood up and walked toward the door. He stopped in the door way and turned to Connor. "I almost forgot. Amiko hasn't woken up yet, but Cane said she was in her final step and he would guide her rest of the way." He walked out and closed the door.

"Cane? Are you still there? I can't feel anything. Cane?"

"Cane? Where are you? Have you left me? Cane?"

"CANE?" Amiko stopped and sank to the ground. She couldn't feel the tears running down, but she knew she was crying. "Why? Why did he leave?"

"I'm here Amiko."

Cane sat down beside her and put his arms around her. "Amiko. Please trust me. Please."

"Just trust me. Please. Whatever happens, trust me."

"Cane? Cane! Where are you?"

"Please trust me."

Amiko felt worse then she had ever in her entire life. She felt so alone.

"Amiko. Please trust me."

Suddenly she remembered what Cane had said to her. "Cane. I trust you."

"I trust you."

"Amiko. Be strong." Cane picked her up in his arms. Now there wasn't much time left.

Antara was sitting outside of the temple, watching the little town go on like nothing was happening. But they all knew. They all knew that any day now the monsters could attack. They knew that the town defences wouldn't stand a chance.

"DADDY!"

He turned around and saw his daughter run towards him. She threw her self in his arms and buried her head in his chest.

"Ena! Why are you here?"

"She wouldn't listen to me. All she wanted to do was to see you." Estria walked up to them and smiled. "She really loves you."

Antara looked down at his daughter and smiled. Then his face turned indifferent.

"Ena. Run away and play a little, so that I can talk to your daddy."

The little girl smiled and hugged her grandmother and run of to play with some other children down the road.

"You can't keep pushing her away only because it hurts you to much to look at her face. She will always look like that and there isn't a thing anyone can do about it."

"But it hurts so much. Will it ever go away?"

"No. But it will fade and you will be able to live with it."

"It sounds so cruel. I want it to fade, still I don't ever want to forget. I just want to live, see my daughter grow old, without crying every time I see her face. She got her mothers eyes, and it hurts so much every time I look into them. And her smile. Why did she have to…?"

"One day you will be able to move on. Until then you can mourn her as much as you want, but don't neglect your daughter." The woman put her hand on her sons shoulder. "And take your time. I'm not dying anytime soon and I can take care of myself. Take your time, and spend some with your daughter." She squeezed his shoulder a little and then she walked away leaving her only son standing there alone, with tears in his eyes.

When she opened her eyes the light blinded her and she closed them quickly again and shaded her eyes with her hands. Her eyes were burning, like she had been up several hours in a row. She blinked repeatedly and eventually she got used to the light. She looked around in the room and saw Cane sit by her bed, with his head on the bed, sleeping. Carefully, without waking him up, she climbed out of the bed and got to her feet. She had to lean against the wall for some time until her legs were able to support her by themselves. She walked to the door and was just about to open it when someone opened it from the other side. That of course caused her to lose balance and stumble right into the unlucky person on the other side of the door. She could feel how someone caught her.

"I understand if you want to be walking around after spending two days in the bed, but you should be careful."

Amiko looked up and saw Antara smiled back at her. She pushed him away and leaned against the wall for support. "If you hadn't opened the door in that moment I would have been just fine, thank you."

He smiled even wider. "Is Cane in there?" He pointed towards the room.

"Yes. But he's sleeping."

"Hm. Well then I will have to wake him up." He walked through the doorway, but the he leaned out a bit. "Your friend is a few rooms down the hallway. He woke up yesterday, but he hasn't left that room."

"Thank you."

Connor was just about finished with putting his clothes on, when Amiko walked trough the door, without knocking.

"Ever heard of knocking?"

Amiko looked questioned and then she realized. "Oh, sorry."

"So you're awake now? Wonder what will happen now?"

Amiko nodded.

"If I remember correctly we're stuck here. Might as well get something to do. I don't really want to spend a lifetime, longing to go back. Although I really don't want to spend a lifetime here, but we have no choice."

"We have something to do. I mean... I have something to do."

"You're not thinking of helping them, are you? Why? It's their fault you're stuck here and they didn't even bother to ask you first. It's their fault you had to go through that hell. It's THAT mans fucking fault that you almost died."

"Connor…"

"But it is. If he had just asked you. If he had not dragged out the time. If had not attacked me…"

"Connor. I'm alive. I didn't die."

"But you could have!"

"But I didn't. And nothing of this is his fault."

"You're saying that when he attacked me, it wasn't his fault? How can it be anyone else fault?"

"It wasn't Antara that attacked you. It …"

"Were you temporarily blind then or? I'm quite sure it was he who drew his sword and attacked me…?" When Connor saw the face of his partner his voice faded. Amiko was blushing, but not from embarrassment or shyness, but from anger.

"Where I was? I WAS LAYING UNCONSCIOUS ON THE FLOOR! I was burning in hell. I was… I had…" Amiko's voice died.

"I'm sorry I… I forgot."

"Yeah, you did. You seem to forget what's important. You just want to blame someone, because you're afraid to realize that it's no ones fault. You can't accept that some things just happen. Whether you like it or not."

"So you're saying that he attacking me is just something that happened? Sorry but you're going to need a better excuse than that."

"I don't know why he attacked you, but I know that it wasn't him."

"I still don't believe you."

"Than DON'T. Why don't you just stay within this four walls and blame everything for your own faults!" Amiko ran out of the room.

"Amiko! AMIKO!" Connor stepped out of the room, looked both ways, but couldn't see her anywhere. "AMIKO!"

"Stupid Connor." Amiko was walking outside, in the temple garden. She picked up some small stones from the path, and threw them in a little pond next to it. "But in one way he's right. I don't have to do anything for these people. But I just can't abandon them. If they ask for help, shouldn't I give whatever help I can?" She walked further into the garden, soon coming to an open spot with no trees and a bench. "I wonder what happened after I passed out. Connor said that Antara attacked him, but he wouldn't do something like that, would he?" She sat down on the bench and dried her tears with her sleeve. "But I don't think Connor would lie about such a thing. What's going on?"

"What are you thinking about?"

Astounded Amiko jumped up from the bench and turned around. "Antara! Don't sneak up on people like that."

Antara smiled and sat down on the bench. "I didn't know you were that easily scared."

"There are many things you don't know about me. We just met some days ago."

"Still it feels like I known you my whole life."

"What makes you say that?"

"You remind me of someone."

"Who?" Amiko, now curious, sat down on the bench.

"Actually several people. But mostly one woman that lived here until one year ago. She was a paladin. A highly respected paladin. Her name was Isola. She loved this town and she would do anything to save the people in it. That's why she left. When the new enemy showed up here, her order sent her a summoning. She was to investigate this knew enemy. We haven't heard a word from her since." He sighed, and seemed to remember things long forgotten. "She was stubborn, like you. And she usually got her will through. She was strong. And than I mean both in mind and body. I guess I see some of that strength in you to."

"Did you love her?"

Antara blushed and than he laughed. "As a very good friend, yes. But as a woman, no. She may not look like it, but she's just a few years younger than my own mother." He paused and when he took up again, Amiko could hear a slight change in his voice. "But she did help me with that subject. There was another woman always by her side, her first apprentice. Her name was Lianne. When her time as apprentice came to an end, she still stayed with Isola, cause they were like the perfect match on the battlefield and of. What Isola lacked, Lianne had plentiful."

"It sounds like they were beyond friendship."

"Yeah. Beyond friendship." He shifted his weight and leaned back. "Anyway, it just took one look at her and I was stuck. She truly was beautiful."

Amiko looked at Antara. He was smiling but his eyes had a sad look.

"I was shy back then. I could hardly talk when she was near. Isola and my mother conspired and after a few happenings and misunderstandings, we got married."

"You're married!" Amiko looked at him, shocked.

"I... I was." He stopped and looked away.

"Was? What does that mean?"

Still looking away he spoke: "I don't know why I just told you this. Just forget what I said. It doesn't really matter anymore. Just forget it." He rose up and without looking at Amiko he walked away quickly.

Amiko rose to and ran after him. "Antara! I don't understand why you just told me that either! I didn't ask you to tell me that. But you told me and now you tell me to forget it? You can't just tell me to forget it just like that! It doesn't work that way!"

"I don't care! Just forget it!"

"That's impossible! Why did you tell me if you didn't want me to know? Why?"

He turned around and now Amiko could see what he had been trying to hide by running away. His eyes were red and tears were falling like raindrops. "I said JUST FORGET IT! You don't need to know why! I don't even know why!"

"Antara… Why? Why did you tell me? Why are you…?"

"I don't know why I told you. Are you not listening? I do not know why!"

"Antara, why are you crying?"

"Because you… She … You remind me of her and she died. She died! Do you hear that? She died and you are here!"

"Are you blaming me for her death or what? I didn't even know her! And I never wanted to be here in the first place and it's YOUR fault that I'm stuck here forever!"

Antara shrugged backwards at the words of Amiko's accusation. When she saw that she realized what she just had said.

"I… I didn't mean… I'm sorry. I…"

"No. I'm the one who's sorry. I was the one who accused you for having anything to do with my wife's death. I know who killed her. I just… It's just that… You remind me of her so much, and it hurts so much. I thought it would be easier if you just hated me."

Amiko moved up to him until there was only about an arms length of space between them.

"Why?"

"Because then I wouldn't have to see your smile." He turned his face away.

"Please look at me." She turned his face forward again and let her hand linger a little longer than needed on his cheek. "I don't want to hurt you, but you don't have to make me hate you. I don't want to hate you. And if I'm going to help you, I think it would be better if we at least could stand being in the same room."

"But…"

"Shhh. I understand that it might hurt you to even watch me, but it will be difficult to work together if we hate each other."

"You remind me more and more of her. I know she would say something like that if she could see me now. She would also tell me to move on." He smiled weakly.

"You don't have to answer, but how…?"

"She was protecting our little daughter."

"Your daughter?"

Again he smiled. "She's six years old now. She wouldn't have been if… She had run outside of the town walls. Picking flowers. She was only four when it happened, so she didn't understand. Out of the woods came a large group of Fallens. The kind that attacked you. Lianne ran out. She told our daughter to get help, told her to go into the village again. She fought the creatures, but alone it was too much for her. I didn't make it. I was too far away." He looked up, and he seemed different. Like a part of the sadness had gone away. "I don't know why I told you this either. Maybe it's just that I feel so at ease around you. It feels like I can trust you with my life. I don't know why I feel this way."

Amiko stepped closer and put her arms around Antara, hugging him gently. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For your trust. For telling me about you. For being my friend. I feel like I am going to need a lot of those from now on."

"Don't you always need them?" He smiled again and this time Amiko realized that she liked his smile. It was warming and beautiful.

"I like your smile. You should show me it more often."

He laughed. "We'll see. So, now that I've told you about my life…"

"I'm warning you. It's a sad story that requires lots of tissues." Amiko smiled and started walking back to the temple. "Let's get back to the others. I tell you on the way."

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