Body ~ Thank you sooo much to everyone who reviewed The Dragon's Lament! Here's part 2. I should get part 3 out soon.

Disclaimer: Guess what? If you didn't already know... I don't own Escaflowne etc., etc., etc.

Shattered

She felt a sharp, twisting pain in her chest, and gasped. She immediately rushed over to her desk, yanking open the drawer and searching for the buried treasure within. When she finally found it, she picked it up with trembling fingers. With rising dread, she lifted the corner of the material holding her most prized possession. A sob escaped her lips, and the feather floated gently to the floor.

The stark, black feather.

She attempted to choke back her sobs, which only resulted in bringing a waterfall of tears from her eyes. It couldn't be. It just wasn't possible. Why? How? It just didn't make any sense. Was this just some cruel joke played on her by some omnipotent deity.

She loved him, he couldn't die. She had to see him, be assured that what she saw wasn't true. Maybe it was just her imagination, or a trick of the lighting. She picked up the soft feather and looked at it closely. She began to cry in earnest when she realized it was true. His once dazzling and pristine white feather was now a dull sable. She clutched the feather to her cheek, her tears wetting its soft bristles.

What could have possibly happened to him? He was strong. He would never allow himself to be beaten. Then how... In her mind, she heard him softly whisper.

"You... promised you would never forget me..."

She dropped the feather, jerking away from it as if burned. He wouldn't... No, he would never give up like that! But... he had. His spirit had been broken... by her. Her lack of communication had caused this.

Why could she never find true happiness? The only time she had ever been truly happy, at peace, was when she was with him. In his arms, the world melted away, leaving her in a jubilant bliss. She would never find that peace again. All because she left.

Now, they were separated by more than mere worlds. Now they were separated by the chasm of death. She wasn't sure how long that separation would last, how long she could live without him. He hadn't deserved this. He had suffered so much already.

No, it wouldn't be long now. He would come to take her away. He would hold her close, enveloping her in his warmth and love. His pure wings would shelter her. At last, together they would find peace.

"I never forgot you..." she whispered. She knew he would come. It would be soon now...

~ Don't worry! This isn't the end. There's still one more part left!