I don't own Gundam Wing or Escaflowne. These are my interpretations of their characters. I don't want to make any money. Etc........
School's out now so I hopefully will have more time to write. I am almost done; this is the second to last chapter not including the epilogue which will be about a chapter long.
*Warning: this chapter will end with an EXTREME cliffhanger. If you can't handle waiting another week (don't quote me on that estimate. hopefully it won't take longer than that. naybe even less) for the resolution, don't read. You've been warned.*
Escaflowne ducked and weaved through the dark clouds which filled the sky. Van held tightly to the reins and resisted the urge to wipe the rainwater from his face. It was too dangerous to let go of his Guymelef, even for a moment. The king glanced anxiously behind him but Wing Zero was nowhere to be seen. That was the drawback of hiding in the clouds. It made it hard to be seen, but it also made it impossible to tell how far behind Heero was. "Maybe I've finally lost him," Van thought hopefully.
A sudden clear mental image of Hitomi's pendant swinging violently to the left was his only warning. As the Fanelian ruler yanked the reins sharply, a column of flame shot through the thick haze. Luckily, Escaflowne had already been turning when Wing Zero had discharged its blaze, for the fiery blast seared the very air Van had been flying through moments before.
Fighting rising panic, Van dropped from the sky, pushing Escaflowne into a near nose dive. The dragon suit rapidly descended and Van waited until he was moments from hitting the ground before pulling Escaflowne out of its dive. Skimming above the heads of the suits and men who fought below him, Van risked looking behind him. To his horror Wing Zero had successfully followed his lead and was less than fifteen yards behind him. Catching his fearful gaze, Heero quickly called out to him. "I am still here, Van, ready to finish off my prey at any moment. The serpent is about to be eaten by a bigger snake!"
The king quickly turned back and tried desperately to regain his composure. He had to think of a plan, and quick. Heero was closing in fast and it would only be a matter of time before his pursuer caught up to him and finished him off. In an attempt to calm himself, Van took a deep breath and tried to picture Hitomi's pendant in his mind. The red ornament hung loosely from its gold chain, suspended unmoving in a black void. Suddenly, the pendant swung to the right and Van reflexively pulled on the reins, leaning sharply to one side.
And not a moment to soon, for as Escaflowne twisted into a sharp turn, Wing Zero shot forth another pillar of fire, barely missing the king and his suit. Van's eyes snapped open and suddenly he knew what he had to do. Looking quickly at his surroundings, the king located a tall round peak a short distance away from where he was flying. Escaflowne quickly turned and soared swiftly towards the sharp incline. Shutting Heero's taunts out of his mind, Van focused his attention on the task at hand. "I can do it," he thought confidently, "I know I can."
The Draconian relaxed and concentrated on Escaflowne. He could feel the Guymelef's ancient power underneath his feet, waiting for him. Closing his eyes for a moment, Van let himself feel its power, its presence. He could feel the suit. No, he was the suit. Van Fanel and Escaflowne were one and the same. After several moments, Van's eyes snapped open. He was ready. And just in time, for as he blinked water out of his vision, the young king could see the peak rising in front of him.
Van looked behind him as Escaflowne began its sharp turn around the mountain and saw to his satisfaction that Wing Zero was still close in pursuit, though he could barely see it because of the curve of the peak. "Now is my chance!" the king thought and, letting go of the reins, he let his wings grow from his back, ripping his shirt to shreds instantly. Without hesitating, Van launched himself from his Guymelef, flapping his wings desperately to try and gain altitude. In his mind he could see through Escaflowne's eyes and tried desperately to retain control as the suit continued its turn. The wind battered against Van's wings, threatening to send him tumbling to the ground, and he struggled to keep control of both himself and his Guymelef. In order for his plan to work, Heero had to think that he was still on Escaflowne's back. There, below him, Van could see Wing Zero flying swiftly towards him. To his satisfaction, he saw that Heero was still intent on Escaflowne which meant he hadn't realized Van's absence.
Flapping his wings with all his might, the Draconian soared downwards towards the High Lord who was still standing on Wing Zero's back. Van could feel his control of Escaflowne slipping as he was forced to divert more of his attention to his physical self. As the connection between man and suit slowly severed, the heir of Fanelia gave his final command to his suit, instructing it to break out of the dive and land. As Escaflowne slowed down and flew towards the ground, Van could see Heero stiffen as he realized something was wrong.
"Too late!" Van yelled as the Draconian dove down and collided with the other boy. The impact momentarily stunned Van and he struggled to keep from falling as his vision slowly cleared. Blinking a mix of blood and water from his eyes, the young warrior saw to his relief that Heero must have been knocked from his suit for Wing Zero had crashed into the ground some thirty yards away and from the look of it, wouldn't be flying again any time soon. A momentary feeling of triumph quickly faded as Van's quick scan for the pilot showed that Heero was nowhere to be seen. As the Fanelian turned his head quickly, looking desperately for any sign of the other Draconian, a yell above him caused him to jerk his head up.
"I am right here!" Heero screamed, swinging his sword downwards in a chopping motion as he plummeted towards Van. The king had just enough time to draw his own weapon and raise it before his foe reached him. The two blades connected with a loud clash and Van flapped his wings hard to keep from falling. Already his muscles were beginning to ache from the strain of hovering in the air while fighting the strong winds which threatened to send him spinning out of control. Heero had finally revealed his own ancestry and his large black wings were in full view, flapping aggressively to keep him from being battered away by the gale which raged on around them.
Van allowed himself to fall and then, with several back wrenching flaps, flew back up to face Heero. The other warrior raised his sword to point it at Van. The Fanelian saw that Heero was holding the handle so tightly that his hands had begun to bleed. "I will kill you for this, Van Fanel," Heero spoke, looking him directly in the eye. The High Lord's voice was calm but with a dangerous, crazed edge that scared Van far more than any amount of yelling ever could.
As Van stared at Heero he realized it was the first time he'd had a good view of his foe. Heero looked to be about his age and size but his face was worn, as if the burden of command had begun to eat away at him. The High Lord was wearing an ornate scarlet shirt with a black jacket over it and matching pants with a belt which bore the symbol of Atlantis and the Draconian people. His eyes seemed to reflect the light much like an animal's, an illusion that was not repressed by his large black wings which jutted from a pair of hidden slits in his clothing.
Suddenly, with a flash of steel, Heero lashed out with his weapon. Clang! The two blades connected and Van struggled to fight mid air. The High Lord quickly drew back, flapping his wings once to push himself backwards, only to launch himself forward again swinging his weapon dangerously. A flash of lightening lit up the silvery blade as it reflected the light and Van brought his own blade up to parry. This time Heero continued his attack, slashing continuously in one fluid motion. Each time Van used his sword to block but the power behind the High Lord's blow shook him to the bone and he struggled to keep from falling.
Van wondered how much longer his wings could keep him in the air, his rarely used appendage throbbing painfully already. Heero on the other hand seemed unaffected by the powerful winds and prolonged fight and continued pressing forward, knocking the Fanelian backwards with each blow. Finally, Van decided that he could persist in the aerial duel no longer and, as Heero prepared to swing, stopped flapping his wings. Immediately the Draconian began to fall downwards towards the ground, leaving Heero behind. After a second of two had gone by Van stretched out his wings and, with a agonizing lurch which caused him to bite his lip to keep from crying out in pain, quickly slowed his descent, his momentum quickly propelling him forward with the wind. Van soared forward, flying faster than he ever had before.
With the icy cold rain pelting his face, the Draconian risked a glance behind him to see if Heero was in pursuit. To his relief he observed that his foe was nowhere to be seen. Looking back in front of him, Van felt a momentary surge of relief. If he just made it to the ground he would finally be able to fight Heero on equal terms. His head had begun to bleed again and Van felt a momentary surge of dizziness as he continued flying forward. As his vision refocused, the king saw a shape shoot overhead, faster than even he. "What!" Van thought in alarm as he stared in awe as Heero twisted mid air and spread his wings vertically, causing him to come to an abrupt halt. Van had just enough time to raise his weapon before Heero flew forward and slashed viciously at him.
The collision knocked Van backwards and he began to fall with his body parallel to the ground and his wings still spread out beneath him. Even as he struggled to straighten himself, Heero dropped from the sky towards him like a falcon diving for its prey. Van's hands had long since gone numb and he barely felt his body shake violently as he blocked Heero's blow. The other warrior locked blades with Van and allowed himself to fall, further pushing the Fanelian towards the earth. "Die, Van," Heero murmured, so quietly that his voice was barely audible over the wind and rain.
As if sensing that the ground was only moments away, Van quickly reached up with his left hand and grabbed Heero wrist. Pulling with all his might and shifting his wings to slow his descent, Van twisted his position so that suddenly it was Heero who was on the bottom. The process had caused the wind to catch his wings, however, and he was quickly lifted upwards by the current of air. As Van broke out of his downwards plummet, Heero quickly turned his own body and followed, shooting upwards like an angel out of hell.
The two Draconians continued their aerial fight, though this time never in one continuous attack. Instead, they dove towards each other, using their powerful wings to gain momentum. With a crash which mirrored the claps of thunder that resonated around them, the two Draconians met, sword colliding with sword. Then, after a brief exchange of slashes and parries, the two warriors were forced to withdrawal, fighting the wind to gain more altitude. Each time Van smashed into Heero and was forced to push himself painfully upwards to gain more altitude, he felt as if his wings were going to be torn off his back. His lip had begun to bleed from being bitten too hard and the feeling was beginning to fade from his arms. The blood loss had begun to wear him down as well, and only the pain kept him alert and conscious.
Flying downwards harder than ever before, Van's blade once again collided with Heero's and the two warriors were thrown backwards from the collision. This time, however, Van recovered quickly and with several painful flaps shot forward. His sword met with Heero's and, rolling his wrist in a circular motion, the young king managed to temporarily expose his foe. Seizing his chance, Van lashed out with his blade and was able to slice Heero's arm as the other warrior retreated. Heero let out a small yell of pain as blood sprayed from the wound. Sensing a chance to end the fight, the Fanelian quickly drew back his arm and stabbed a second time. This time, however, his foe was ready for him and beat his blade aside. Before Van could dart back, Heero lunged forward, stabbing him deeply in the side. The king of Fanelia let out a cry of both pain and anger and, almost reflexively, swung his sword in the Heero's general direction even as his foe withdrew. To his enemy's surprise as well as his own, the king caught Heero across the face, leaving a long, if shallow, cut.
For a moment the two warriors simply hovered in the same position, both breathing laboriously and assessing their wounds. "You are an excellent fighter, Van Fanel," Heero finally broke the silence, his voice louder than even the howling of the wind, "This has been an interesting battle. However," his tone shifted, becoming more serious and deadly, "now I will finish it."
Van's eyes widened as Heero shifted his stance and slowly raised his blade. A flash of lightening behind him lit up the Emperor's face and the sudden clear glimpse of the other soldier's expression caused the Fanelian to falter. With a roar, Heero lunged forward, swinging his blade one-handedly with renewed strength and vigor. Unmercifully, he hacked at Van's defense, pushing constantly forward tirelessly. After a series of unrelenting blows, the two fighters once again locked blades and Van pushed with all his strength to keep from being thrown backwards. His face was only inches from Heero's and he could see the perspiration on the other fighter's face. The High Lord gritted his teeth and let forth another yell, shoving Van backwards.
As the Fanelian battered Heero's next attack away, the other Draconian abruptly lashed out with his left hand. The Emperor's fist connected with Van's face and he was knocked backwards, his head ringing from the powerful blow. Heero swung his weapon downwards and Van was barely able to bring his blade up to block. Without pausing, Heero pulled back his sword and continued his offensive with another string of attacks. Finally it appeared as if Heero was going to try and finish the fight in one blow and Van knew he had to take what might be his last opportunity to defeat his opponent before his strength gave out.
Heero had withdrawn several paces and Van could see that he would only have one chance. With a final cry, the Emperor surged forward, his wings beating the air to give him more speed as he charged his opponent. Heero was holding his sword in one hand which he had pulled back, obviously planning to stab Van through the chest in one lethal blow. As the leader of the Dragon Clan thrust his weapon forwards with all his might, Van swung his own weapon to knock it aside. The two blades connected and Van put all his strength into pushing Heero's weapon. "I'm going to do it," he thought triumphantly as his opponent's tip was forced away from his body. Shifting his weapon, Van brought the point of his own weapon downwards into the outer part of Heero's abdomen. The blade bit deeply into his enemy's flesh and the Emperor cried out in agony and... triumph? Van screamed as he felt a flash of sudden flash of intense pain from his back.
In an instant, the king knew what had happened. Heero hadn't been aiming for his body at all; his target had been Van's wing. Without having to look behind him, Van knew the wound was grievous for he could no longer feel the majority of his right pinion. The sword had undoubtedly struck the muscular part of his appendage and Heero's look of savage exultation was enough to let him know that he had not come out the better of the two. As if in a dream, Van felt himself begin to fall helplessly downwards. As he moved silently away from Heero, the other warrior quickly leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "Die."
Still holding his sword in one hand, Van plummeted towards the ground below him. Though they had only been fighting about two Guymelefs' height above the ground, it was never-the-less a long fall. "I will not give up," Van thought as he watched the figure above him get smaller and smaller as the distance between them lengthened. "Though I do not believe I can win, I will continue to fight till the very end." With a horrible thud, Van hit the ground and for a moment he flickered at the edge of consciousness.
Van tediously opened his eyes, struggling to keep from passing out. "I have to protect her," he thought. Picturing the loved ones he was fighting to defend in his mind, the earnest king slowly raised his head. Several yards away Heero slowly landed, his feet gently touching the muddy earth. To Van's minor satisfaction, he saw that the Draconian lord was bleeding freely from the wound to his side and blood trickled down his cheek from the cut Van had inflicted earlier. As if sensing his thoughts, Heero reached out his left hand and gingerly touched the bloody injury which was already saturating his shirt. His hand came away bright red and the Draconian's expression showed his disbelief. "You... you hurt me!" the combatant exclaimed in a mix of disbelief and anger.
Van struggled to get to his feet as Heero's expression transformed into a look of murderous rage. "You bastard!" the High Lord spat at the muddy earth. Gone was the calm, cold anger and in its place a delirious fury. Van's wings were soaked with muddy rainwater and the right hung limply, stained red with blood. He was on his feet, barely, and hunched over holding his sword weakly in one hand.
Van tried desperately to concentrate as his vision of a determined Heero walking purposefully towards him blurred and split into two figures. "I must concentrate," he thought, blinking to try and stay awake. "I must protect the people I care about." As his vision refocused, Van saw the determined Heero swing his blade towards him. Raising his own sword the wounded Fanelian blocked the blow but his weak grip betrayed him and his weapon sailed out of his hand, landing with a splash in a muddy puddle several yards away.
Van glanced to the side and thought he saw the far off figures of Hitomi and Allen running down the slope towards him. "I must be hallucinating," the king thought as he felt a sudden surge of dizziness come over him. Van slipped back and found himself barely upright with his wings carrying part of his weight. The Fanelian looked back at Heero's face, now grinning as victory grew near. His eyes; they seemed to glow with a fire all their own. "Hitomi," Van murmured, his train of thought slipping as he thought of his sweetheart's beautiful face. She truly was beautiful and the young man wondered whether he had told her that enough. Damnit, he couldn't die now! Not when he had so much to live for, not when he still had people depending on him.
Van struggled to keep his eyes open and he vaguely saw a glint of light from Heero's sword. As his opponent slowly brought his weapon upwards, Van thought he heard someone yelling something. As Van tried to make sense of the words, he saw Heero raise his sword high. "Hitomi," Van mouthed, no longer finding the strength to make the sounds. As Heero prepared to bring his blade down, the young man thought he heard a second voice yelling his name.
School's out now so I hopefully will have more time to write. I am almost done; this is the second to last chapter not including the epilogue which will be about a chapter long.
*Warning: this chapter will end with an EXTREME cliffhanger. If you can't handle waiting another week (don't quote me on that estimate. hopefully it won't take longer than that. naybe even less) for the resolution, don't read. You've been warned.*
Escaflowne ducked and weaved through the dark clouds which filled the sky. Van held tightly to the reins and resisted the urge to wipe the rainwater from his face. It was too dangerous to let go of his Guymelef, even for a moment. The king glanced anxiously behind him but Wing Zero was nowhere to be seen. That was the drawback of hiding in the clouds. It made it hard to be seen, but it also made it impossible to tell how far behind Heero was. "Maybe I've finally lost him," Van thought hopefully.
A sudden clear mental image of Hitomi's pendant swinging violently to the left was his only warning. As the Fanelian ruler yanked the reins sharply, a column of flame shot through the thick haze. Luckily, Escaflowne had already been turning when Wing Zero had discharged its blaze, for the fiery blast seared the very air Van had been flying through moments before.
Fighting rising panic, Van dropped from the sky, pushing Escaflowne into a near nose dive. The dragon suit rapidly descended and Van waited until he was moments from hitting the ground before pulling Escaflowne out of its dive. Skimming above the heads of the suits and men who fought below him, Van risked looking behind him. To his horror Wing Zero had successfully followed his lead and was less than fifteen yards behind him. Catching his fearful gaze, Heero quickly called out to him. "I am still here, Van, ready to finish off my prey at any moment. The serpent is about to be eaten by a bigger snake!"
The king quickly turned back and tried desperately to regain his composure. He had to think of a plan, and quick. Heero was closing in fast and it would only be a matter of time before his pursuer caught up to him and finished him off. In an attempt to calm himself, Van took a deep breath and tried to picture Hitomi's pendant in his mind. The red ornament hung loosely from its gold chain, suspended unmoving in a black void. Suddenly, the pendant swung to the right and Van reflexively pulled on the reins, leaning sharply to one side.
And not a moment to soon, for as Escaflowne twisted into a sharp turn, Wing Zero shot forth another pillar of fire, barely missing the king and his suit. Van's eyes snapped open and suddenly he knew what he had to do. Looking quickly at his surroundings, the king located a tall round peak a short distance away from where he was flying. Escaflowne quickly turned and soared swiftly towards the sharp incline. Shutting Heero's taunts out of his mind, Van focused his attention on the task at hand. "I can do it," he thought confidently, "I know I can."
The Draconian relaxed and concentrated on Escaflowne. He could feel the Guymelef's ancient power underneath his feet, waiting for him. Closing his eyes for a moment, Van let himself feel its power, its presence. He could feel the suit. No, he was the suit. Van Fanel and Escaflowne were one and the same. After several moments, Van's eyes snapped open. He was ready. And just in time, for as he blinked water out of his vision, the young king could see the peak rising in front of him.
Van looked behind him as Escaflowne began its sharp turn around the mountain and saw to his satisfaction that Wing Zero was still close in pursuit, though he could barely see it because of the curve of the peak. "Now is my chance!" the king thought and, letting go of the reins, he let his wings grow from his back, ripping his shirt to shreds instantly. Without hesitating, Van launched himself from his Guymelef, flapping his wings desperately to try and gain altitude. In his mind he could see through Escaflowne's eyes and tried desperately to retain control as the suit continued its turn. The wind battered against Van's wings, threatening to send him tumbling to the ground, and he struggled to keep control of both himself and his Guymelef. In order for his plan to work, Heero had to think that he was still on Escaflowne's back. There, below him, Van could see Wing Zero flying swiftly towards him. To his satisfaction, he saw that Heero was still intent on Escaflowne which meant he hadn't realized Van's absence.
Flapping his wings with all his might, the Draconian soared downwards towards the High Lord who was still standing on Wing Zero's back. Van could feel his control of Escaflowne slipping as he was forced to divert more of his attention to his physical self. As the connection between man and suit slowly severed, the heir of Fanelia gave his final command to his suit, instructing it to break out of the dive and land. As Escaflowne slowed down and flew towards the ground, Van could see Heero stiffen as he realized something was wrong.
"Too late!" Van yelled as the Draconian dove down and collided with the other boy. The impact momentarily stunned Van and he struggled to keep from falling as his vision slowly cleared. Blinking a mix of blood and water from his eyes, the young warrior saw to his relief that Heero must have been knocked from his suit for Wing Zero had crashed into the ground some thirty yards away and from the look of it, wouldn't be flying again any time soon. A momentary feeling of triumph quickly faded as Van's quick scan for the pilot showed that Heero was nowhere to be seen. As the Fanelian turned his head quickly, looking desperately for any sign of the other Draconian, a yell above him caused him to jerk his head up.
"I am right here!" Heero screamed, swinging his sword downwards in a chopping motion as he plummeted towards Van. The king had just enough time to draw his own weapon and raise it before his foe reached him. The two blades connected with a loud clash and Van flapped his wings hard to keep from falling. Already his muscles were beginning to ache from the strain of hovering in the air while fighting the strong winds which threatened to send him spinning out of control. Heero had finally revealed his own ancestry and his large black wings were in full view, flapping aggressively to keep him from being battered away by the gale which raged on around them.
Van allowed himself to fall and then, with several back wrenching flaps, flew back up to face Heero. The other warrior raised his sword to point it at Van. The Fanelian saw that Heero was holding the handle so tightly that his hands had begun to bleed. "I will kill you for this, Van Fanel," Heero spoke, looking him directly in the eye. The High Lord's voice was calm but with a dangerous, crazed edge that scared Van far more than any amount of yelling ever could.
As Van stared at Heero he realized it was the first time he'd had a good view of his foe. Heero looked to be about his age and size but his face was worn, as if the burden of command had begun to eat away at him. The High Lord was wearing an ornate scarlet shirt with a black jacket over it and matching pants with a belt which bore the symbol of Atlantis and the Draconian people. His eyes seemed to reflect the light much like an animal's, an illusion that was not repressed by his large black wings which jutted from a pair of hidden slits in his clothing.
Suddenly, with a flash of steel, Heero lashed out with his weapon. Clang! The two blades connected and Van struggled to fight mid air. The High Lord quickly drew back, flapping his wings once to push himself backwards, only to launch himself forward again swinging his weapon dangerously. A flash of lightening lit up the silvery blade as it reflected the light and Van brought his own blade up to parry. This time Heero continued his attack, slashing continuously in one fluid motion. Each time Van used his sword to block but the power behind the High Lord's blow shook him to the bone and he struggled to keep from falling.
Van wondered how much longer his wings could keep him in the air, his rarely used appendage throbbing painfully already. Heero on the other hand seemed unaffected by the powerful winds and prolonged fight and continued pressing forward, knocking the Fanelian backwards with each blow. Finally, Van decided that he could persist in the aerial duel no longer and, as Heero prepared to swing, stopped flapping his wings. Immediately the Draconian began to fall downwards towards the ground, leaving Heero behind. After a second of two had gone by Van stretched out his wings and, with a agonizing lurch which caused him to bite his lip to keep from crying out in pain, quickly slowed his descent, his momentum quickly propelling him forward with the wind. Van soared forward, flying faster than he ever had before.
With the icy cold rain pelting his face, the Draconian risked a glance behind him to see if Heero was in pursuit. To his relief he observed that his foe was nowhere to be seen. Looking back in front of him, Van felt a momentary surge of relief. If he just made it to the ground he would finally be able to fight Heero on equal terms. His head had begun to bleed again and Van felt a momentary surge of dizziness as he continued flying forward. As his vision refocused, the king saw a shape shoot overhead, faster than even he. "What!" Van thought in alarm as he stared in awe as Heero twisted mid air and spread his wings vertically, causing him to come to an abrupt halt. Van had just enough time to raise his weapon before Heero flew forward and slashed viciously at him.
The collision knocked Van backwards and he began to fall with his body parallel to the ground and his wings still spread out beneath him. Even as he struggled to straighten himself, Heero dropped from the sky towards him like a falcon diving for its prey. Van's hands had long since gone numb and he barely felt his body shake violently as he blocked Heero's blow. The other warrior locked blades with Van and allowed himself to fall, further pushing the Fanelian towards the earth. "Die, Van," Heero murmured, so quietly that his voice was barely audible over the wind and rain.
As if sensing that the ground was only moments away, Van quickly reached up with his left hand and grabbed Heero wrist. Pulling with all his might and shifting his wings to slow his descent, Van twisted his position so that suddenly it was Heero who was on the bottom. The process had caused the wind to catch his wings, however, and he was quickly lifted upwards by the current of air. As Van broke out of his downwards plummet, Heero quickly turned his own body and followed, shooting upwards like an angel out of hell.
The two Draconians continued their aerial fight, though this time never in one continuous attack. Instead, they dove towards each other, using their powerful wings to gain momentum. With a crash which mirrored the claps of thunder that resonated around them, the two Draconians met, sword colliding with sword. Then, after a brief exchange of slashes and parries, the two warriors were forced to withdrawal, fighting the wind to gain more altitude. Each time Van smashed into Heero and was forced to push himself painfully upwards to gain more altitude, he felt as if his wings were going to be torn off his back. His lip had begun to bleed from being bitten too hard and the feeling was beginning to fade from his arms. The blood loss had begun to wear him down as well, and only the pain kept him alert and conscious.
Flying downwards harder than ever before, Van's blade once again collided with Heero's and the two warriors were thrown backwards from the collision. This time, however, Van recovered quickly and with several painful flaps shot forward. His sword met with Heero's and, rolling his wrist in a circular motion, the young king managed to temporarily expose his foe. Seizing his chance, Van lashed out with his blade and was able to slice Heero's arm as the other warrior retreated. Heero let out a small yell of pain as blood sprayed from the wound. Sensing a chance to end the fight, the Fanelian quickly drew back his arm and stabbed a second time. This time, however, his foe was ready for him and beat his blade aside. Before Van could dart back, Heero lunged forward, stabbing him deeply in the side. The king of Fanelia let out a cry of both pain and anger and, almost reflexively, swung his sword in the Heero's general direction even as his foe withdrew. To his enemy's surprise as well as his own, the king caught Heero across the face, leaving a long, if shallow, cut.
For a moment the two warriors simply hovered in the same position, both breathing laboriously and assessing their wounds. "You are an excellent fighter, Van Fanel," Heero finally broke the silence, his voice louder than even the howling of the wind, "This has been an interesting battle. However," his tone shifted, becoming more serious and deadly, "now I will finish it."
Van's eyes widened as Heero shifted his stance and slowly raised his blade. A flash of lightening behind him lit up the Emperor's face and the sudden clear glimpse of the other soldier's expression caused the Fanelian to falter. With a roar, Heero lunged forward, swinging his blade one-handedly with renewed strength and vigor. Unmercifully, he hacked at Van's defense, pushing constantly forward tirelessly. After a series of unrelenting blows, the two fighters once again locked blades and Van pushed with all his strength to keep from being thrown backwards. His face was only inches from Heero's and he could see the perspiration on the other fighter's face. The High Lord gritted his teeth and let forth another yell, shoving Van backwards.
As the Fanelian battered Heero's next attack away, the other Draconian abruptly lashed out with his left hand. The Emperor's fist connected with Van's face and he was knocked backwards, his head ringing from the powerful blow. Heero swung his weapon downwards and Van was barely able to bring his blade up to block. Without pausing, Heero pulled back his sword and continued his offensive with another string of attacks. Finally it appeared as if Heero was going to try and finish the fight in one blow and Van knew he had to take what might be his last opportunity to defeat his opponent before his strength gave out.
Heero had withdrawn several paces and Van could see that he would only have one chance. With a final cry, the Emperor surged forward, his wings beating the air to give him more speed as he charged his opponent. Heero was holding his sword in one hand which he had pulled back, obviously planning to stab Van through the chest in one lethal blow. As the leader of the Dragon Clan thrust his weapon forwards with all his might, Van swung his own weapon to knock it aside. The two blades connected and Van put all his strength into pushing Heero's weapon. "I'm going to do it," he thought triumphantly as his opponent's tip was forced away from his body. Shifting his weapon, Van brought the point of his own weapon downwards into the outer part of Heero's abdomen. The blade bit deeply into his enemy's flesh and the Emperor cried out in agony and... triumph? Van screamed as he felt a flash of sudden flash of intense pain from his back.
In an instant, the king knew what had happened. Heero hadn't been aiming for his body at all; his target had been Van's wing. Without having to look behind him, Van knew the wound was grievous for he could no longer feel the majority of his right pinion. The sword had undoubtedly struck the muscular part of his appendage and Heero's look of savage exultation was enough to let him know that he had not come out the better of the two. As if in a dream, Van felt himself begin to fall helplessly downwards. As he moved silently away from Heero, the other warrior quickly leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "Die."
Still holding his sword in one hand, Van plummeted towards the ground below him. Though they had only been fighting about two Guymelefs' height above the ground, it was never-the-less a long fall. "I will not give up," Van thought as he watched the figure above him get smaller and smaller as the distance between them lengthened. "Though I do not believe I can win, I will continue to fight till the very end." With a horrible thud, Van hit the ground and for a moment he flickered at the edge of consciousness.
Van tediously opened his eyes, struggling to keep from passing out. "I have to protect her," he thought. Picturing the loved ones he was fighting to defend in his mind, the earnest king slowly raised his head. Several yards away Heero slowly landed, his feet gently touching the muddy earth. To Van's minor satisfaction, he saw that the Draconian lord was bleeding freely from the wound to his side and blood trickled down his cheek from the cut Van had inflicted earlier. As if sensing his thoughts, Heero reached out his left hand and gingerly touched the bloody injury which was already saturating his shirt. His hand came away bright red and the Draconian's expression showed his disbelief. "You... you hurt me!" the combatant exclaimed in a mix of disbelief and anger.
Van struggled to get to his feet as Heero's expression transformed into a look of murderous rage. "You bastard!" the High Lord spat at the muddy earth. Gone was the calm, cold anger and in its place a delirious fury. Van's wings were soaked with muddy rainwater and the right hung limply, stained red with blood. He was on his feet, barely, and hunched over holding his sword weakly in one hand.
Van tried desperately to concentrate as his vision of a determined Heero walking purposefully towards him blurred and split into two figures. "I must concentrate," he thought, blinking to try and stay awake. "I must protect the people I care about." As his vision refocused, Van saw the determined Heero swing his blade towards him. Raising his own sword the wounded Fanelian blocked the blow but his weak grip betrayed him and his weapon sailed out of his hand, landing with a splash in a muddy puddle several yards away.
Van glanced to the side and thought he saw the far off figures of Hitomi and Allen running down the slope towards him. "I must be hallucinating," the king thought as he felt a sudden surge of dizziness come over him. Van slipped back and found himself barely upright with his wings carrying part of his weight. The Fanelian looked back at Heero's face, now grinning as victory grew near. His eyes; they seemed to glow with a fire all their own. "Hitomi," Van murmured, his train of thought slipping as he thought of his sweetheart's beautiful face. She truly was beautiful and the young man wondered whether he had told her that enough. Damnit, he couldn't die now! Not when he had so much to live for, not when he still had people depending on him.
Van struggled to keep his eyes open and he vaguely saw a glint of light from Heero's sword. As his opponent slowly brought his weapon upwards, Van thought he heard someone yelling something. As Van tried to make sense of the words, he saw Heero raise his sword high. "Hitomi," Van mouthed, no longer finding the strength to make the sounds. As Heero prepared to bring his blade down, the young man thought he heard a second voice yelling his name.