Thanks to Avelyn Lauren for being a great editor!
Recap:
"Afraid, Folken? You haven't even tried to escape for quite awhile. At least, that's what Dornkirk has told me." Allen steps out from the shadows, his blond hair swaying behind him. "You're even working for him now. And I thought you told me that I was bad for going against my country. Look at you, going against your own family." He smirked and I could have punched the pretty boy in the face had Umi not arrived.
"You'll get what you deserve and then some!"
Disclaimer: All I own is what is written. Escaflowne and all its characters belong to their respectful owners.
Winged Love
By: Tramie
Chapter 14
Heavenly Kiss
"Van!" I blushed furiously at the words he whispered into my ear. For goodness sake, those were not the kind of things to be said at the dinner table. My blush spread when I suddenly became the object of attention at the table.
"Hitomi, is something wrong?" Merle asked. I shook my head no and continued eating, every once in a while giving Van a death glare.
"I'm sorry Hitomi, but I just couldn't resist." A small smile played on his lips as he spoke. If the situation were different, I would have been strangling him by now. Slowly, he tangled his hand with my own and began to eat with his left hand. I watched as his lips parted to blow on the hot soup which he had carefully brought to his mouth. He looked quite content and I could only smile as he gripped my hand tighter.
We had grown close. So much so that Dilandau's mother decided to give us a room to share. A decision made when she noticed I ended up in Van's room every night. I had been completely innocent in my actions, only entering his room for comfort and warmth. We were happy enough to stay in each others arms and do nothing else.
By now we had become a couple, I guess. We no longer hid our feelings and I liked it better that way. We hadn't been really hiding them before. The two of us seemed to do everything together now. Often we would take walks after dinner just to be alone. I was getting anxious, though. He hadn't kissed me yet and I was getting ready to make the first move if he would not.
"You'd better stop daydreaming and finish off your dinner." I turned to look at Van's very amused face. I blushed, a stupid reaction, but it couldn't be helped. There was just something about Van, something Allen never had. "I know, I look great but you still have to eat." I blushed again and moved my gaze away from him.
I quickly finished my dinner and excused myself from the table, Van doing the same. "Aren't you going to stay for dessert?" I asked him, when I noticed he had followed me.
"Not without you." He was grinning again and I was lucky enough that the dark of the garden hid my blush. My thoughts of teasing him were lost when a vision came upon me. Not now, why now? I shook slightly and my world grew black. A swirl of emotions erupted inside of me, pulling me in all directions. The familiar feeling of being sick to the stomach and the pounding of my forehead. Then the burning sensation in my legs, moving ever so slowly into the rest of my body.
*Flash*
Two faceless people are seen running. One of them falls and the other one stops to help them.
"Run!"
A large grey guymelef appears, noticeably from Zaibach. It moves closer to the pair on the ground. It's stopped by another guymelef. One is a white dragon known as the legendary Escaflowne. A girl is sitting on the shoulder with her mouth moving but no words are heard. The guymelefs stop and the owner of each step out.
"Brother..."
*Flash*
A man with black wings holds on to the hand of the girl who was seen on Escaflowne's shoulder.
"You can save him, and only you." The man has a metal arm and with it he gently moves a strand of hair from the girl's face. Her cheeks are tear stained and her eyes are sad. Black feathers surround the girl as her pained scream erupts.
My eyes flutter open and I feel cold. I can still see the black feathers and the scream echoes in my ears. I shiver and then I realize Van is shaking me, screaming my name. I can also see Merle and Dilandau behind him.
"Van..." I moan as I try and sit up, grabbing my head as the pain resurfaces. I look at his face and notice tears. I move my hand to wipe them away but his hand stops me.
"You scared me. You just fainted and stopped breathing! Then you screamed and I thought I had lost you." I noticed I was no longer shaking, rather he was. I looked to Merle who could be seen crying as well. Dilandau looked a bit shaken but I could tell he was attempting to stay strong for Merle.
"I'm... I'm alright. I just had a vision, is all. Really, I'm fine." I stood up with the help of Van. He helped me back to our room and I laid down on the bed.
"I was so afraid." His voice was soft and I felt my heart break. He shouldn't have had to witness that. It was a part of me I couldn't get rid of. That was my curse. The curse to know the future.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to. I can't stop it." I looked guiltily down at the floor.
"It's not your fault. I was just afraid to lose you." He sighed and sat next to me. "You looked dead." Millerna had also said that when she first witnessed it. I couldn't explain any more then than I could now.
"Well I'm still here." I smiled, hoping to lighten the mood.
"What did you see?" He wasn't looking at me. I think he was afraid I wouldn't want him to know.
"I'm not entirely sure. I think... I saw a Zaibach guymelef and another one. It was like Escaflowne, you know, the one you see in books? There was also this man with black wings." I stared at my hands while I tried to make sense of the rest but couldn't. Van took a few minutes to register everything I had said.
"Does this happen often?" I wanted to say no, reassure him that he would never have to see me like that again but I'd be lying. I just couldn't shake off the feeling that telling him the truth might make me lose him.
"I guess you could say that. I can go without having one for months. Sometimes they are close together. It's only when something big is going to happen. Like with the end of the Great War. I saw parts of that." I didn't dare to look him in the face. An uncomfortable silence swept over the room and I was beginning to wish I was anywhere but here. He took small steps forward and at first I thought he might be leaving the room. He stopped right in front of me though. His eyes were sad and he looked tired. I pushed away the ebony locks that had gotten into his line of vision. Then he hugged me. I knew then he would never leave me.
We slowly ended the hug, but stayed close. Our noses were touching and we both held smiles on our faces. I felt strange and could feel my wings make their way out of my back. Van's wings did the same. We thought nothing of it as we leaned in as close as we could until our lips touched. All my worry was thrown away as complete and utter bliss made its way into my soul. I needed him now more than ever. We savored each others taste until we became one. I could feel our hearts beating simultaneously. I knew all his hopes and dreams just as well as he knew my own.
Pure white feathers floated around us as we deepened the kiss, sharing with each other every bit of ourselves. Only when I could feel the moon's gaze upon us did we break away. We stood by the window and sighed. Our fate had been chosen and we both knew what we had to do. We had to save Gaea.
-Folken-
That stupid Allen Schezar! If Dornkirk would just die already, I would be able to kill him. But no, Dornkirk wished to keep Umi happy. I don't understand it. How could someone as bright as Umi like a fool such as Allen? It's seemed impossible but here she was proving him wrong.
Why did he have to watch her though? It's not as though Umi hadn't noticed. She knew full well what was going on, but didn't seem to mind. She knew me well and could easily read my thoughts. A sad fact, but she had been the one to watch over me when I first came here.
"Folken, don't look so glum. You're about to become one of the finest species in the world! What is there that you could be sad about?" I could have kicked Allen hard had Umi not been right beside him.
"Allen, sweetheart, don't bother Folken! You need to get me some water. Hurry up." I inwardly laughed at how Umi treated Allen. It made me wonder if she really did still love him or if she only wanted him as a servant.
"How are you this morning, Princess?" I asked quietly. As much as I was scared of her; I knew a lot about her. She was a kind young woman trapped inside the body of a corrupted man's daughter. You could sometimes see her smelling flowers and dancing when there was no music. Those sights were hard to come by, though. She would kill peasants who did not follow her father, torture them even. There was always guilt and regret hidden in her features. No one could see it. Only I could.
I hated it. She could easily kill me because she knew I could see it. I was a pawn in the game that was her life. There were times I would reassure myself by saying we were friends in childhood and that she truly is good. There was always that chance that she would one day snap. One in her condition probably would have snapped long before. She was strong but not nearly as strong as her sister.
Umi loved her sister and they were very close. That is, until she began to go against her father's orders. She was in love with a Draconian; I think that it is needless to say Dornkirk hated Draconians. That wouldn't stop her and so she married that Draconian. His name was Taishi. They were both very young which made Umi so young she couldn't understand what was going on. Her sister visited as often as she could but her father hated her and Taishi. It was then he decided war against the Draconians was his only option. He would spill their blood and in turn use it to create a new species, one that would serve Zaibach.
Sometime during the war Kumiko and Taishi had a son. Dornkirk sent his men to kill both Taishi and his son once he had found out. It wasn't until after the war that he realized only Taishi had been killed and his son was placed into hiding. Taishi was a well respected man with blond hair and striking blue eyes. He was always smiling and was the perfect match for Kumiko.
Kumiko was a wreak after her husband's death but she worked hard to fight her father. She went to different countries and asked for their help. As the death of Draconians came closer to those countries, they agreed to go to war. No matter the past of the Draconians, they were friends to all on Gaea by now. They had helped protect this world and their bloodshed was enough to anger even the calmest of men.
The war ended with so few Draconians many believed they no longer existed. They were hiding, for they knew Dornkirk was still out there. Even with Kumiko now Queen of Zaibach, they knew they were not safe.
Kumiko saved Umi in hopes that she would live with her and to save her from the evil their father had placed into their world. Umi was more than happy to stay with her sister, but Dornkirk had survived and had taken her away. I was with her all this time. Kumiko had tried to help me escape once, but failed. She knew I was lucky anyways. I would be the only Draconian spared, had the war done what it was supposed to do.
"Folken, were you even listening to a word I said?" I looked up at Umi. Did she like Allen because he reminded her of Taishi? It seemed possible but it was strange how I had never thought of that before.
"Sorry, I guess I must have drifted off." I gave an uneasy smile and walked off. I couldn't be around her. Not now.
-Van-
I watch as Hitomi plays in the lake, laughing and staring at the moon. I smile at the scene watching from my spot under a tree.
"Come on in, Van! It's not that cold." She stuck out her tongue, making her look extremely childish. I sighed and got up. I slowly entered the water, Hitomi circling me. Her wings were spread out as she dived into the water, splashing me in the process.
"You said it wasn't cold!" The water was freezing and I decided not to move.
"I said it wasn't that cold, meaning it's cold but not too cold." She smiled and dunked my head under the water. When I resurfaced she jumped on me, wrapping her legs around my waist. "It is getting a bit colder now though. I need you to warm me up." I laughed gently and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"The moon looks lovely tonight, doesn't it?" I couldn't stop looking at Hitomi. Her green eyes were sparkling and I suddenly wondered what she was thinking. But I already knew. She was thinking about flying.
"Yes it is. Now, if you want to go flying why don't you just say so?" She stared at me strangely and then pouted.
"Don't you go reading my mind without my permission, Fanel." I faked shock and dropped her into the water. All that could be heard before she touched the water was a loud yelp. When she resurfaced I was laughing so hard I didn't notice her tugging me back to shore.
"Can we?" She looked at me hopefully and it took me a minute to understand what she was asking. I picked her up as a response and flew up over the trees. I released her soon after and she began to fly by my side.
"I have taught you well." I winked at her and she gave me an exasperated sigh.
"I was able to fly a long time ago. You only helped me remember." I stopped suddenly and waited for Hitomi to notice. She stopped at the same time. Just as I had suspected.
"Stop testing me. I can hear your thoughts, we know that already." I took her hands and looked into her eyes. She looked back into mine. She was shaking, undoubtedly because of the cold. I used my hidden powers to warm her. She grinned at the welcome warmth that inhabited her body.
"Thank you." I kissed her nose and flew off. It's been a long time since I've flown so freely.
~ That's the end of this chapter! Not quite how I wanted it to turn out, but that's okay. Hope you liked it and please review!~
Thankies:
Night of the Raven: I'm glad you enjoy Allen bashing, because he deserves every bit of it! ...
Shottsy: Aww, I'm sorry for ruining your dreams. Don't worry, maybe someone in the story will fall off a building. *Starts list on possible characters to fall off building*
SabineballZ: There wasn't much of Allen this chapter (which I can't say I'm not happy for), but you are basically right. Sneaky Allen... As this chapter has already revealed, yes there are Draconians left. ^_^ As for Folken... I have lots planned for him...
spirit element: There you go, Van and Hitomi close. (Couldn't say no to puppy eyes...) Hope you liked. ^_~
anime-luva00: I'm glad you love it. Hope you like this chapter just as much.