I don't own Gundam Wing or Escaflowne. These are my interpretations of their characters. I don't want to make any money. Etc........
This is the last real chapter. There will be an epilogue which will tell you what happens in the weeks/months after and also has a little twist/preview which will leave you crying for the sequel but the real end of the story is here. I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Please check back for the epilogue and news about the sequel. Oh and reviews are welcome as always.
Hitomi was half way down the slope when she saw the angelic figure fall from the sky. Van seemed so small from afar, so distant; almost as if he were in another world in which she was simply a spectator. It seemed surreal, as if she were in a dream. Yet there he was, plunging towards the earth with his glowing white wings stretched out to either side. A series of ruby droplets followed him, cascading from his injured wing. He was like an seraph falling from the heavens.
Time seemed to slow as Van hit the ground, bouncing violently before laying still on the muddy earth. Hitomi wanted to yell, to scream, to let loose her anguish, but she found that no sound would form. In front of her, Allen nearly slipped and fell, barely slowing to regain his balance. The girl from the Mystic Moon stumbled down the hill, rushing forward as quickly as her feet would take her. She didn't know what she would do when she reached Van. She knew only that he needed her and she had to be there for him. Several yards away from the fallen warrior, the other boy, Heero slowly landed.
"No!" Hitomi thought passionately, her desperation increasing as the murderous Emperor began to approach her boyfriend, her love. On the opposite side of the small hollow she could see three other figures running forward. Through the rain she could barely make out the familiar shapes of Quatre and Trowa along with another boy who she didn't recognize. Like her and Allen, they too were rushing to save Van who was slowly getting to his feet. "They are too far away!" Hitomi thought desperately, her eyes quickly glancing from the approaching Heero to the distance between the rescuers and the doomed Fanelian. "They aren't going to make it!"
She and Allen were only two thirds of the way down the slope and the leader of the Dragon Clan had reached Van. Raising the sword high, Heero struck once, knocking Van's weapon from his grasp. The ancestral Fanelian blade swung in the air in what seemed to be an almost lazy arch before landing all too far away. Hitomi blinked water from her eyes as she struggled to see through the thick rain. Just another minute or so and she and Allen would reach the bottom. If he could just hang on for another few seconds! As Heero took another step forward, Van seemed to stumble. The Fanelian king nearly fell completely backwards and his weight seemed to rest heavily on his wings and back.
As the confident assailant took another step forward, Van sunk farther back until he was practically lying down in the murky water. "No, Van!" Hitomi thought desperately, "Hang in there for just a little bit longer!"
Across from her, the stranger accompanying the two former Emperors began to yell over the wind and thunder. Hitomi realized that he was addressing the heartless High Lord. "Don't do it, Heero! Please stop!"
The boy with the long braided hair was almost half way down the slope when suddenly a pair of black wings sprouted from his back. "Wait Duo!" Quatre called after the boy and, following the other boy's example, sprouted his own appendages to take aerial pursuit, as did Trowa. As Heero raised his weapon high, preparing to strike, the three angelic young men soared downwards. Hitomi and Allen were now moments away from reaching the bottom. The Asturian warrior's golden hair flowed out behind him and his normally spotless uniform was covered in muddy stains. "Van!" Hitomi yelled as Allen slid to a halt on the level ground. Close behind him, Hitomi also stopped slipping downwards as she rushed forward.
"We're going to make it!" Hitomi thought as Allen drew his blade. And then, without warning, Heero brought his sword plunging downwards, impaling Van through the chest. Time seemed to freeze as the razor sharp blade transfixed the angelic figure, cutting through his abdomen until the tip could be seen on the other side. Van's body jerked brutally upwards in a painful arch as his body spasmed violently. Blood splattered upwards from the wound and even from where she was Hitomi could see a bubble of red liquid form at Van's mouth.
For a horrifying moment Van froze in the agonizing position, every muscle visibly tensing as he silently cried out. And then his body went slowly limp and with one final painstaking breath he was gone. "Van!" Hitomi screamed, her muteness fading as suddenly as it had come with the death of her beloved. In front of her, Allen came to an abrupt halt, his face expressing the dismay and shock she herself felt. On the other side of the murderer, the three other Draconians landed, staring at the scene in horror.
Hitomi began to walk forward in haze but Allen caught her arm. "Hitomi," he spoke quietly, reassuringly, though his voice was choked with grief. The young woman ignored him, struggling to move forward.
"No!" Hitomi rejected the knight, "It's Van. He needs us! We have to help him!"
"No, Hitomi," Allen insisted, his grip staying firm, "It is too late. It's not safe."
"No!" the girl from the Mystic Moon yelled, her voice strained and desperate, "It's not too late! We have to do something!"
"Hitomi!" Allen cried as the teenager pulled herself from his grasp and stumbled forward. As she approached the body, Heero jerked his head up. His eyes were bloodshot and more crazy than she had ever seen them before.
"No!" Heero snarled pulling his sword from Van's corpse and raising the bloody blade, "Stay back!" The unstable killer waved his weapon around the circle, his dark wings circling around him like a partial shield. "Get away from me!" he screamed, his voice frantic and demented.
"Heero, please," the Draconian with the braids begged, taking a step towards the High Lord.
"No!" Heero screamed, swinging his weapon wildly, "Don't take another step closer! I'll kill you!" As Duo continued to walk slowly forward, Heero's voice became more and more crazed. "Stay back! I'll kill you all!"
Heero's hands trembled uncontrollably as he stared at his foe. Duo was approaching him, hands outstretched. "Stay back!" Heero screamed, his face growing more and more contorted as the twitch spread to his face. "I'll kill you all!" Maxwell continued to move slowly forward. He was a threat and therefor an enemy. "Duo Maxwell is my enemy." The thought came almost unbidden to his mind. "I will kill all my enemies."
Through the rain Heero could see the blond haired warrior raise his sword. "Stay back!" the High Lord repeated, swinging around to face his other potential enemy. "Don't come any closer!"
"I will kill all my enemies," the thought came again to Heero's mind and he glanced from the surrounding figures to the corpse of his past foe. Yes, he would kill them like he killed that miserable king. He would destroy all that stood in the path between him and victory. After all, one could not attain victory until all ones enemies were defeated, Heero recalled.
Heero glanced again at Van's broken figure. As he stared, something strange seemed to happen to the body. It seemed to twist, to change into something else entirely. Heero's eyes widened in shock and he took an involuntary step backwards. Where Van had once been, a far different shape lay. A taller figure with pale skin and gray hair which contrasted with long black wings like that of a raven. "Dad!" Heero thought in shock as he gawked at his father's corpse.
In his hand was the murder weapon, still covered in blood from the deceased. And the wound, a yard away, was open and exposed with the same life-force leaking out onto the ground. He had killed his father. But no, that was wrong! His father had died years ago and by another's hand. As Heero stared at his own hands, the palms covered in blood, he saw something begin to change. As his vision blurred and he blinked away the water and sweat which distorted his vision, the blood on his hands seemed to grow in quantity. There seemed to be more of it with each passing moment. The blood of the people he had killed with those hands.
Heero dropped to his knees, a wave of nausea suddenly washing over him. He had killed so very many people with those hands. It was right that they would be covered in the blood of their victims. "I had to do it," a part of his mind justified, "I had to fulfill my father's vision."
Heero looked over to Van's corpse. He had killed one of his own people. He had taken the life of a fellow Draconian. "He was an enemy," the thought came again, "All enemies must be destroyed." Heero got slowly to his feet and raised his weapon. His eyes settled on the two people immediately in front of him. "I will kill all my enemies!" he repeated aloud, his eyes twitching dangerously. "I will attain true victory." Heero added mentally, "for my dead father, abusive as he was."
"When I conquer all my enemies my nightmares will go away. I will do what he would have done," Heero thought, pointing the tip of his sword towards the blond Asturian's throat. "Now," he said aloud, his voice wavering dangerously, "I will kill you all to attain victory in the name of the Dragon Clan. The people of Atlantis will rise again."
As he walked confidently towards his enemies, Duo cried out in surprise and confusion. "What's that?" Sensing an attempt at deception, Heero ignored the other boy's yell. However, when no attack came he risked a brief glance at where the other Draconian had been pointing. It was his wings! Starting at the base and slowly moving upwards, Heero's black wings had begun to change to a shade of crimson. "Like the blood on my hands," the unwanted thought popped into his mind unbidden.
"No!" Heero cried, stumbling backwards from his enemies. "Stop!" But it was to no avail, the color of bled continued to creep upwards, like a slow acting poison.
"It's a sign from Atlantis!" he heard one person exclaim in awe, "A mark on him for killing one of his own people."
"No!" Heero shrieked, slipping on the muddy earth and falling to the ground. As he stared at Van's corpse he could see his father's image rising from the body. The pale man which Heero had both feared and respected for as long as he could remember slowly turned to look at him. Heero raised his sword even as he scrambled backwards on the muddy earth and waved it dangerously but his dead father ignored it and slowly began to move towards him. "Stay away!" Heero shrieked desperately, "Stay away from me!" He had to get away but there was no where to run to.
As the image of his father drew closer, Heero threw his sword at the ghostly figure. The blade passed right through the specter and landed uselessly several feet away. Heero scrambled away on all fours only to find himself trapped with his back to the ravine wall. "No!" Heero moaned, curling up into a fetal position. Slowly the once proud High Lord began to rock back and forth. "Stay away," he continued murmuring even after Duo sat down beside him and tried to comfort the disillusioned boy. "Please just stay away from me."
As soon as Heero was safely out of the way and no longer a threat, Hitomi ran to where Van was laying, motionless on the ground. Her sweetheart's eyes were still open but they failed to contain the light and energy which never failed to make her heart to be faster. His wings were spread out to either side of him and his hands also hung loosely below the white appendages. Because his shirt had been torn off, undoubtedly at the same time he had revealed his wings, his chest was bare. The skin had already begun to loose some of its lifelike tint and blood leaked from the wound, mixing with the pure rainwater which was still poring down from the dark sky.
Ignoring the reddish water around her beloved, Hitomi dropped quickly to her knees next to him. "No," she choked out, reaching out to take Van's hand. It was cold to the touch and Hitomi felt a sob rising in her throat. As much as she wanted to, Hitomi could not deny it. Van was gone, his light forever extinguished. He would never again run with her through Fanelia's woods or lie with her as they watched Gaea's glorious sunset. He would never again hold her in his arms and reassure her with his mere presence that things would turn out all right. "Van!" Hitomi moaned, lowering her head over his upper chest.
She hadn't even had a chance to tell him that she loved him. Why hadn't she said it before, when they had the chance? Not that it mattered now. "Damn you, Van Fanel," Hitomi sobbed, "Why couldn't you keep your promise? Why did you have to die?"
As she weeped quietly, leaning over Van's still body, Hitomi's pendant slipped from where it was tucked in her shirt and hung loosely over the body. As she cried, tears slipped from Hitomi's face and gently hit the red ruby which rested against Van's body. As she continued to sob, Hitomi's tears were slowly absorbed into the red jewel, causing it to glow brightly. The teenage girl slowly opened her eyes and gazed in wonderment at the warm red light which emanated from the precious stone.
As she watched, the scarlet ruby seemed to quiver and then, suddenly, dissolved. The red stone transformed into a mass of brightly glowing liquid which slipped from the necklace and onto Van. As Hitomi watched in wonderment, the elixir diverged into numerous tiny streams which spread out along Van's body. The tiny rivulets quickly flowed towards the numerous wounds along the Draconian's body. Hitomi froze in awe as the injuries along Van's body began to glow with a magical light. As she watched, the wounds slowly began to close and the light which emanated from them faded along with the cuts. Gradually, the light faded and, as magically and suddenly as it appeared, was gone.
As Hitomi leaned forward, her eyes wide with wonder, Van's chest began to slowly rise up and down. As she stared in amazement, his eyes blinked and came into focus. "Van!" Hitomi started to say but half way through the word, her beloved suddenly reached up a hand and pulled her down to kiss him.
Her initial astonishment turned to an even greater joy and Hitomi found herself returning the kiss, enjoying Van's passionate embrace. Hitomi's immense relief overwhelmed her and with it a burning warmth. Van's tongue danced around her own and Hitomi closed her eyes, relishing her boyfriend's welcome touch. When the two lovers finally parted, Hitomi looked down at Van's radiant face and couldn't help thinking he had never looked more handsome.
"Hitomi," Van's voice was clear and strong, audible even above the sounds of the rain, "I love you. More than you will ever know. I am so sorry-" As Van's voice became choked with emotion, Hitomi reached down and placed one finger over his mouth.
"Shhh. It's all right. Everything is going to be all right." And as she said it, Hitomi knew that it was true. Smiling, she added affectionately, "I love you too." Van straightened and slowly got to his feet, all the while never taking his eyes off her own. Though the rain continued to come down in sheets and the war would leave hundreds dead and a great many wounded, somehow Hitomi knew everything would work out. Because Van was by her side and that was enough.
Emperor Wufei slowly turned and began walking away from the edge of the hollow back to where he had landed Nataku. Behind him a disgraced Heero was being taken in and comforted by the traitors to the Dragon Clan. The High Lord had dishonored himself and brought shame to his race. He was both a coward and no longer a fit leader. As the rain continued to pelt against the oriental warrior Wufei wondered at how quickly things had turned against him.
He had returned victorious from his duel with Treize only to find that his clan and allies had faltered in his absence. By the time he had been able to rally the remaining forces it had been too late to launch a counter offensive. Despite his personal victories, the battle had been a loss and the small portion of the once grand army had been forced to retreat.
A flash of lightening lit up the battlefield, illuminating a mountainside littered with bodies. Wufei smiled fiercely. No, it wasn't over yet. Though this particular conflict had been a failure there would be more to come. Heero had been a mistake, yes, he could see that now. Though the Draconian had been pure in blood, he had proved lacking in character and resolve. Heero had proved to be a mere fragment of his father yet in some ways, he had succeeded in his goals. The so called "Gaea Coalition" was severely weakened by the battle that took place that day and it would be many years before they recovered from the losses inflicted.
The Dragon Clan, on the other hand, would recuperate quickly. There would always be new recruits eager to fight for an ideal such as theirs. The offensive force was in pieces, true, but the staging area from which they had launched remained totally untouched. With Heero out of the way he could take control of their forces, at least for the time being. Wufei had no delusions, he was not a leader. However, he would do very well until he could find more of the people of Atlantis to join him.
Yes, things were far from over. It might take him another year to completely recover from the day's events but he had no doubt that in the end he would be stronger than ever. Wufei Chang was not one to be taken lightly. It seemed that fate had selected him to lead the Dragon Clan and Gaea as a whole into their new future. A future which would be dominated by the Draconian people. Wufei raised his wings high, as if challenging the storm above him itself.
"Van Fanel!" he yelled, "I will not forget the events that transpired here, today. I will return to fight you but this time no enchanted stone will be there to save you! You have the word of the High Lord of the Dragon Clan." A few minutes later, Nataku took off into the air and was lost in the dark sky.
This is the last real chapter. There will be an epilogue which will tell you what happens in the weeks/months after and also has a little twist/preview which will leave you crying for the sequel but the real end of the story is here. I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Please check back for the epilogue and news about the sequel. Oh and reviews are welcome as always.
Hitomi was half way down the slope when she saw the angelic figure fall from the sky. Van seemed so small from afar, so distant; almost as if he were in another world in which she was simply a spectator. It seemed surreal, as if she were in a dream. Yet there he was, plunging towards the earth with his glowing white wings stretched out to either side. A series of ruby droplets followed him, cascading from his injured wing. He was like an seraph falling from the heavens.
Time seemed to slow as Van hit the ground, bouncing violently before laying still on the muddy earth. Hitomi wanted to yell, to scream, to let loose her anguish, but she found that no sound would form. In front of her, Allen nearly slipped and fell, barely slowing to regain his balance. The girl from the Mystic Moon stumbled down the hill, rushing forward as quickly as her feet would take her. She didn't know what she would do when she reached Van. She knew only that he needed her and she had to be there for him. Several yards away from the fallen warrior, the other boy, Heero slowly landed.
"No!" Hitomi thought passionately, her desperation increasing as the murderous Emperor began to approach her boyfriend, her love. On the opposite side of the small hollow she could see three other figures running forward. Through the rain she could barely make out the familiar shapes of Quatre and Trowa along with another boy who she didn't recognize. Like her and Allen, they too were rushing to save Van who was slowly getting to his feet. "They are too far away!" Hitomi thought desperately, her eyes quickly glancing from the approaching Heero to the distance between the rescuers and the doomed Fanelian. "They aren't going to make it!"
She and Allen were only two thirds of the way down the slope and the leader of the Dragon Clan had reached Van. Raising the sword high, Heero struck once, knocking Van's weapon from his grasp. The ancestral Fanelian blade swung in the air in what seemed to be an almost lazy arch before landing all too far away. Hitomi blinked water from her eyes as she struggled to see through the thick rain. Just another minute or so and she and Allen would reach the bottom. If he could just hang on for another few seconds! As Heero took another step forward, Van seemed to stumble. The Fanelian king nearly fell completely backwards and his weight seemed to rest heavily on his wings and back.
As the confident assailant took another step forward, Van sunk farther back until he was practically lying down in the murky water. "No, Van!" Hitomi thought desperately, "Hang in there for just a little bit longer!"
Across from her, the stranger accompanying the two former Emperors began to yell over the wind and thunder. Hitomi realized that he was addressing the heartless High Lord. "Don't do it, Heero! Please stop!"
The boy with the long braided hair was almost half way down the slope when suddenly a pair of black wings sprouted from his back. "Wait Duo!" Quatre called after the boy and, following the other boy's example, sprouted his own appendages to take aerial pursuit, as did Trowa. As Heero raised his weapon high, preparing to strike, the three angelic young men soared downwards. Hitomi and Allen were now moments away from reaching the bottom. The Asturian warrior's golden hair flowed out behind him and his normally spotless uniform was covered in muddy stains. "Van!" Hitomi yelled as Allen slid to a halt on the level ground. Close behind him, Hitomi also stopped slipping downwards as she rushed forward.
"We're going to make it!" Hitomi thought as Allen drew his blade. And then, without warning, Heero brought his sword plunging downwards, impaling Van through the chest. Time seemed to freeze as the razor sharp blade transfixed the angelic figure, cutting through his abdomen until the tip could be seen on the other side. Van's body jerked brutally upwards in a painful arch as his body spasmed violently. Blood splattered upwards from the wound and even from where she was Hitomi could see a bubble of red liquid form at Van's mouth.
For a horrifying moment Van froze in the agonizing position, every muscle visibly tensing as he silently cried out. And then his body went slowly limp and with one final painstaking breath he was gone. "Van!" Hitomi screamed, her muteness fading as suddenly as it had come with the death of her beloved. In front of her, Allen came to an abrupt halt, his face expressing the dismay and shock she herself felt. On the other side of the murderer, the three other Draconians landed, staring at the scene in horror.
Hitomi began to walk forward in haze but Allen caught her arm. "Hitomi," he spoke quietly, reassuringly, though his voice was choked with grief. The young woman ignored him, struggling to move forward.
"No!" Hitomi rejected the knight, "It's Van. He needs us! We have to help him!"
"No, Hitomi," Allen insisted, his grip staying firm, "It is too late. It's not safe."
"No!" the girl from the Mystic Moon yelled, her voice strained and desperate, "It's not too late! We have to do something!"
"Hitomi!" Allen cried as the teenager pulled herself from his grasp and stumbled forward. As she approached the body, Heero jerked his head up. His eyes were bloodshot and more crazy than she had ever seen them before.
"No!" Heero snarled pulling his sword from Van's corpse and raising the bloody blade, "Stay back!" The unstable killer waved his weapon around the circle, his dark wings circling around him like a partial shield. "Get away from me!" he screamed, his voice frantic and demented.
"Heero, please," the Draconian with the braids begged, taking a step towards the High Lord.
"No!" Heero screamed, swinging his weapon wildly, "Don't take another step closer! I'll kill you!" As Duo continued to walk slowly forward, Heero's voice became more and more crazed. "Stay back! I'll kill you all!"
Heero's hands trembled uncontrollably as he stared at his foe. Duo was approaching him, hands outstretched. "Stay back!" Heero screamed, his face growing more and more contorted as the twitch spread to his face. "I'll kill you all!" Maxwell continued to move slowly forward. He was a threat and therefor an enemy. "Duo Maxwell is my enemy." The thought came almost unbidden to his mind. "I will kill all my enemies."
Through the rain Heero could see the blond haired warrior raise his sword. "Stay back!" the High Lord repeated, swinging around to face his other potential enemy. "Don't come any closer!"
"I will kill all my enemies," the thought came again to Heero's mind and he glanced from the surrounding figures to the corpse of his past foe. Yes, he would kill them like he killed that miserable king. He would destroy all that stood in the path between him and victory. After all, one could not attain victory until all ones enemies were defeated, Heero recalled.
Heero glanced again at Van's broken figure. As he stared, something strange seemed to happen to the body. It seemed to twist, to change into something else entirely. Heero's eyes widened in shock and he took an involuntary step backwards. Where Van had once been, a far different shape lay. A taller figure with pale skin and gray hair which contrasted with long black wings like that of a raven. "Dad!" Heero thought in shock as he gawked at his father's corpse.
In his hand was the murder weapon, still covered in blood from the deceased. And the wound, a yard away, was open and exposed with the same life-force leaking out onto the ground. He had killed his father. But no, that was wrong! His father had died years ago and by another's hand. As Heero stared at his own hands, the palms covered in blood, he saw something begin to change. As his vision blurred and he blinked away the water and sweat which distorted his vision, the blood on his hands seemed to grow in quantity. There seemed to be more of it with each passing moment. The blood of the people he had killed with those hands.
Heero dropped to his knees, a wave of nausea suddenly washing over him. He had killed so very many people with those hands. It was right that they would be covered in the blood of their victims. "I had to do it," a part of his mind justified, "I had to fulfill my father's vision."
Heero looked over to Van's corpse. He had killed one of his own people. He had taken the life of a fellow Draconian. "He was an enemy," the thought came again, "All enemies must be destroyed." Heero got slowly to his feet and raised his weapon. His eyes settled on the two people immediately in front of him. "I will kill all my enemies!" he repeated aloud, his eyes twitching dangerously. "I will attain true victory." Heero added mentally, "for my dead father, abusive as he was."
"When I conquer all my enemies my nightmares will go away. I will do what he would have done," Heero thought, pointing the tip of his sword towards the blond Asturian's throat. "Now," he said aloud, his voice wavering dangerously, "I will kill you all to attain victory in the name of the Dragon Clan. The people of Atlantis will rise again."
As he walked confidently towards his enemies, Duo cried out in surprise and confusion. "What's that?" Sensing an attempt at deception, Heero ignored the other boy's yell. However, when no attack came he risked a brief glance at where the other Draconian had been pointing. It was his wings! Starting at the base and slowly moving upwards, Heero's black wings had begun to change to a shade of crimson. "Like the blood on my hands," the unwanted thought popped into his mind unbidden.
"No!" Heero cried, stumbling backwards from his enemies. "Stop!" But it was to no avail, the color of bled continued to creep upwards, like a slow acting poison.
"It's a sign from Atlantis!" he heard one person exclaim in awe, "A mark on him for killing one of his own people."
"No!" Heero shrieked, slipping on the muddy earth and falling to the ground. As he stared at Van's corpse he could see his father's image rising from the body. The pale man which Heero had both feared and respected for as long as he could remember slowly turned to look at him. Heero raised his sword even as he scrambled backwards on the muddy earth and waved it dangerously but his dead father ignored it and slowly began to move towards him. "Stay away!" Heero shrieked desperately, "Stay away from me!" He had to get away but there was no where to run to.
As the image of his father drew closer, Heero threw his sword at the ghostly figure. The blade passed right through the specter and landed uselessly several feet away. Heero scrambled away on all fours only to find himself trapped with his back to the ravine wall. "No!" Heero moaned, curling up into a fetal position. Slowly the once proud High Lord began to rock back and forth. "Stay away," he continued murmuring even after Duo sat down beside him and tried to comfort the disillusioned boy. "Please just stay away from me."
As soon as Heero was safely out of the way and no longer a threat, Hitomi ran to where Van was laying, motionless on the ground. Her sweetheart's eyes were still open but they failed to contain the light and energy which never failed to make her heart to be faster. His wings were spread out to either side of him and his hands also hung loosely below the white appendages. Because his shirt had been torn off, undoubtedly at the same time he had revealed his wings, his chest was bare. The skin had already begun to loose some of its lifelike tint and blood leaked from the wound, mixing with the pure rainwater which was still poring down from the dark sky.
Ignoring the reddish water around her beloved, Hitomi dropped quickly to her knees next to him. "No," she choked out, reaching out to take Van's hand. It was cold to the touch and Hitomi felt a sob rising in her throat. As much as she wanted to, Hitomi could not deny it. Van was gone, his light forever extinguished. He would never again run with her through Fanelia's woods or lie with her as they watched Gaea's glorious sunset. He would never again hold her in his arms and reassure her with his mere presence that things would turn out all right. "Van!" Hitomi moaned, lowering her head over his upper chest.
She hadn't even had a chance to tell him that she loved him. Why hadn't she said it before, when they had the chance? Not that it mattered now. "Damn you, Van Fanel," Hitomi sobbed, "Why couldn't you keep your promise? Why did you have to die?"
As she weeped quietly, leaning over Van's still body, Hitomi's pendant slipped from where it was tucked in her shirt and hung loosely over the body. As she cried, tears slipped from Hitomi's face and gently hit the red ruby which rested against Van's body. As she continued to sob, Hitomi's tears were slowly absorbed into the red jewel, causing it to glow brightly. The teenage girl slowly opened her eyes and gazed in wonderment at the warm red light which emanated from the precious stone.
As she watched, the scarlet ruby seemed to quiver and then, suddenly, dissolved. The red stone transformed into a mass of brightly glowing liquid which slipped from the necklace and onto Van. As Hitomi watched in wonderment, the elixir diverged into numerous tiny streams which spread out along Van's body. The tiny rivulets quickly flowed towards the numerous wounds along the Draconian's body. Hitomi froze in awe as the injuries along Van's body began to glow with a magical light. As she watched, the wounds slowly began to close and the light which emanated from them faded along with the cuts. Gradually, the light faded and, as magically and suddenly as it appeared, was gone.
As Hitomi leaned forward, her eyes wide with wonder, Van's chest began to slowly rise up and down. As she stared in amazement, his eyes blinked and came into focus. "Van!" Hitomi started to say but half way through the word, her beloved suddenly reached up a hand and pulled her down to kiss him.
Her initial astonishment turned to an even greater joy and Hitomi found herself returning the kiss, enjoying Van's passionate embrace. Hitomi's immense relief overwhelmed her and with it a burning warmth. Van's tongue danced around her own and Hitomi closed her eyes, relishing her boyfriend's welcome touch. When the two lovers finally parted, Hitomi looked down at Van's radiant face and couldn't help thinking he had never looked more handsome.
"Hitomi," Van's voice was clear and strong, audible even above the sounds of the rain, "I love you. More than you will ever know. I am so sorry-" As Van's voice became choked with emotion, Hitomi reached down and placed one finger over his mouth.
"Shhh. It's all right. Everything is going to be all right." And as she said it, Hitomi knew that it was true. Smiling, she added affectionately, "I love you too." Van straightened and slowly got to his feet, all the while never taking his eyes off her own. Though the rain continued to come down in sheets and the war would leave hundreds dead and a great many wounded, somehow Hitomi knew everything would work out. Because Van was by her side and that was enough.
Emperor Wufei slowly turned and began walking away from the edge of the hollow back to where he had landed Nataku. Behind him a disgraced Heero was being taken in and comforted by the traitors to the Dragon Clan. The High Lord had dishonored himself and brought shame to his race. He was both a coward and no longer a fit leader. As the rain continued to pelt against the oriental warrior Wufei wondered at how quickly things had turned against him.
He had returned victorious from his duel with Treize only to find that his clan and allies had faltered in his absence. By the time he had been able to rally the remaining forces it had been too late to launch a counter offensive. Despite his personal victories, the battle had been a loss and the small portion of the once grand army had been forced to retreat.
A flash of lightening lit up the battlefield, illuminating a mountainside littered with bodies. Wufei smiled fiercely. No, it wasn't over yet. Though this particular conflict had been a failure there would be more to come. Heero had been a mistake, yes, he could see that now. Though the Draconian had been pure in blood, he had proved lacking in character and resolve. Heero had proved to be a mere fragment of his father yet in some ways, he had succeeded in his goals. The so called "Gaea Coalition" was severely weakened by the battle that took place that day and it would be many years before they recovered from the losses inflicted.
The Dragon Clan, on the other hand, would recuperate quickly. There would always be new recruits eager to fight for an ideal such as theirs. The offensive force was in pieces, true, but the staging area from which they had launched remained totally untouched. With Heero out of the way he could take control of their forces, at least for the time being. Wufei had no delusions, he was not a leader. However, he would do very well until he could find more of the people of Atlantis to join him.
Yes, things were far from over. It might take him another year to completely recover from the day's events but he had no doubt that in the end he would be stronger than ever. Wufei Chang was not one to be taken lightly. It seemed that fate had selected him to lead the Dragon Clan and Gaea as a whole into their new future. A future which would be dominated by the Draconian people. Wufei raised his wings high, as if challenging the storm above him itself.
"Van Fanel!" he yelled, "I will not forget the events that transpired here, today. I will return to fight you but this time no enchanted stone will be there to save you! You have the word of the High Lord of the Dragon Clan." A few minutes later, Nataku took off into the air and was lost in the dark sky.