***IMPORTANT UPDATE***

(10/13/2015)

Chapters 1 and 2 have been re-written completely so you should probably read that before reading this. This was only slightly edited, so you can skip this if you'd like.

Now that that's over and done with, ON WITH THE STORY.

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I SHAMELESSLY ADMIT I'VE BEEN PROCRASTINATING and I forgot to add a disclaimer soo...

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and Kyra; everything else is property of one Amano Akira.

Chapter 3: Another Life

His birth was greeted with neither joy nor celebration. Instead, it was regarded with wariness and cruel whispers (he was a duke's son born out of wedlock and nobody was to know of this save for the duke and duchess themselves).

He was quiet as an infant, not at all fussy and far too aware of his surroundings to be considered ordinary. His nursemaids approached him and handles him with fake smiles and silent terror, knowing that his eyes (eyes that only ever softened at the sight of his father or step-mother) followed their every movement with an intensity and scrutiny far beyond his years.

(After all, what child would appraise someone with eyes cold as ice - as though you were nothing more than a useful tool, a pawn to use and discard as one wishes?)

His childhood was lonely and bleak despite the loving warmth the duchess showered him with and the subtle affection his father would occasionally give. He was different after all - smarter, mature - and others didn't like that; didn't like that he was better than them and soon he was isolated.

Time had passed and eventually whispers followed him everywhere ("He's a demon", "The devil", "Don't get too close or he'll curse you").

In the end, he was accused of meddling with the dark arts by fools and was burned to death, the whole kingdom clamoring to watch. With cold eyes, he turned to stare at the Queen (even as he burnedburnedburned) and with a whisper, she burned as well.

("Painful isn't it mother? You should feel it too - after all, this gift was bestowed upon me by you.")

With bitter acceptance and a sad smile, he looked at his parents - the ones who raised him - and their cries grew louder, the pleas more prominent.

They loved him and that was all that mattered.

The burning grew to a point where he couldn't take it anymore and he let out an agonizing cry, his mother-by-blood screaming along with him as she burned and burned and burned.

(He was Kyra and she was Ashe; even after everything they've been through, a truly happy tale was still a faraway dream.)

And there was nothing.

She startled out of her thoughts when a shadow loomed over her, a bit miffed by the interruption (though she was secretly thankful - her memories as Ashe were by far one of the most painful and heart-wrenching). Attempting to scowl – and failing brilliantly, she focused her gaze onto the said offender.

Light grey eyes blinked lazily at the woman staring at her with adoring cerulean ones. She was still for a moment, trying to pinpoint who this familiar stranger was (she was fairly certain she's never seen her before so why -)

Quietly, surreptitiously, a voice inside her mind supplied her with the answer.

(Mother.)

Oh.

She sat, contemplating for another moment and cooed, watching with morbid fascination as the woman brightened visibly – then blinked in surprise when she was pushed aside by a russet-haired man with eyes the colour of liquid gold (she was certain the woman shrieked in alarm but she was too curious about this strangely energetic man to be worried).

Her mother made her way towards the man with heavy steps, huffing in annoyance as she slapped him upside the head.

She let out a giggle – the sound bright and very much like a baby should when she heard a girlish squeal emit from her father's lips. His face shone red with embarrassment, even as he watched her with awe-struck eyes - which quickly turned sheepish when Akira, the doctor assigned to her approached them with amused eyes and an indulgent, grandfatherly smile.

Words were quickly exchanged and soon, she was handed off to the young couple with an affectionate pat and a cheerful goodbye.

(Finally. Even someone with her patience could quickly get tired of the other infants' wails and demands.)

The only reason she was stuck in the hospital for so long was because she was born weak - not to say that she still is but that was enough to alarm the doctors (she wasn't curious why she was weak - she already knew the answer; she needed time to adjust to her new body).

Infancy was something she could never get used to - it was strange, frustrating, and everything felt foreign to her undeveloped body (she was extremely irritable the first few days to say the least).

Imagine understanding how something works, knowing familiar movements but never able to do them correctly. It was off and wrongwrongwrong. As an infant, she felt helpless and useless and she hated that; hated feeling like she was nothing but dead-weight (she was used to being in power, no matter who, what or how she did to get it).

(So she waited, and she watched, and she learned as much as she could whenever she could).

Barring the overwhelming need to be in control – and the chaotic tantrums when she wasn't, she was a darling. Calm, mellow and patient, she was the perfect child (to be honest, she was this way even when she was Kyra. Her mother smiled and told her she rarely kicked up a fuss when she was an infant -opting to simply make noises to get their attention).

(On the bright side she was now one and had some semblance of control. Yay for toddler-hood.)

...

"Rei-chan!"

She paused in her destruction of the Lego castle she was (attempting to) build and looked at her father with quizzical eyes. The man grinned brilliantly and swooped her up into his arms. He pinched her cheeks and she swatted away his hand, giving him what was clearly an unimpressed look.

When he gave a sheepish chuckle she inwardly sighed and patted him on the cheek.

Then promptly smacked him when he squealed in glee and hugged her too tightly.

(Her father was an idiot but she adored him anyways).

But such peaceful days must come to an end; and hers did in such a sudden fashion.