Author's note: Thanks to Ryan, AnimeQueen, Biowolf, and Aries for reviewing! I always love seeing all your reviews!
Thomas: *mouth full of sandwich* Yeah, and everyone agrees you shouldn't kill Tania, so there.
Shelly: Thomas, didn't your mother tell you not to talk with your mouth full?
Thomas: *gulp* Sorry.
Shelly: *sighs* The manners of some men.
Dragonflame by Shelly
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Tania calmly awaited for the end to approach as she twisted the engagement ring upon the ring finger of her left hand, wanting to make sure that this would be the end of the Death Dragon. Oddly enough, she had a stray thought that Raven might die as well, and she almost broke off her attack but struggled against it as it would do no good to give into her feelings where he was concerned. He cared nothing for her and no one else except himself, and it would always be that way with him as there was no changing who he was.
She thought of Karl and of the first time they met when she had traveled there with her father. The entire base personnel was assembled in front of the base, and they had all stood at perfect attention. While Prozen had spoken with the general, she had found her eyes wandering across the ranks of soldiers and they had stopped when they looked upon the most breathtakingly handsome man she had ever seen. His bright green eyes were his most arresting feature, and she had to remind herself to keep breathing as time had seemed to stop for them both as he seemed to be just as awestruck upon seeing her.
And when they had finally met face-to-face, she knew at that moment that she had fallen in love with the handsome soldier before he had uttered a single word.
"Oh, Karl," she whispered as tears began to form in her eyes once more.
Then she heard Silver's roar from inside Dragonflame, telling her that she didn't need to sacrifice herself.
"Wha-what do you mean, Silver?" she asked.
He replied that he had contacted Van's organoid to come and bring her back to the one she loved.
"But, Silver...I can't let you die like this," she said, sensing another bright flash of light which enveloped her and took her away from the battle. "Silver!" she cried just as she saw Dragonflame's charged particle beam burst forth in a ray of light so intense it lit up the sky.
Van watched in amazement as he saw Zeke transform himself and shoot up towards the two battling zoids. "Zeke!" he cried, becoming even more worried when he saw the deadly beam envelope both zoids inside the sphere. "Tania!" Tears were running down his cheeks now as he pulled Fiona down to the ground in a protective gesture that attempted to keep her from being harmed by the blast.
Up in the sky, the sphere blazed as brightly as a sun, casting everything in shadow as the energy fire was still being fed. And then it erupted in a deafening explosion that rocked the very ground beneath them, whipping sand around them from the shockwave that spread out across the land.
When everything was quiet once more, they struggled to their feet as they looked up into the sky, seeking something that would tell them that Tania and Dragonflame had survived. But they both knew that she wasn't, and every last one of them shed their tears openly as they were grieved to lose a close friend, Van especially as he believed Zeke to be dead as well.
A loud roar nearby caught their attention, and Van looked to see Zeke standing near a sand dune. "Zeke!" he cried as he rushed towards him. "You're alive!"
He met the organoid with an enthusiastic embrace, tears of joy forming this time as he was glad to see his best friend alive and unharmed. When he stepped back, he saw another figure lying on the ground nearby, and he was struck speechless as he saw Tania struggling to sit up on the sand. "Tania?" he whispered, unable to believe his eyes as he stepped near her, fearing that they all might be dead and this was a dream.
She looked up when she heard her name, and her eyes widened. "Van?" she asked, rising to her feet and stumbling over to fall into his embrace, their laughter joining as they were both glad to see the other alive. Then she heard different voices and broke apart from Van to catch Irvine in a tight embrace as well as Fiona, who helped her walk back to where Thomas was still by his brother's side.
Thomas glanced up when he saw Fiona drawing near, and he did a double take when he saw Tania walking towards them. "Karl," he said, shaking his brother's shoulder. "Karl, look," he prompted when he didn't respond.
Karl raised his head and turned it in the direction Thomas was pointing, his shock plain to see in his eyes as he rose to his feet to catch her in his arms, only to fall back down again as he collapsed in relief after seeing that she was alive. They were both laughing and crying at the same time, both of them becoming silenced as their lips found one another's desperately for a lengthy kiss which had everyone else blushing in embarrassment even though they were smiling.
Finally they drew away from one another, gasping for breath, only to kiss each other once again. "I thought you were dead," he whispered in her ear as they rose to their feet and he pulled her close against him, so close she could feel his heart beating furiously against her chest.
"I'm sorry, beloved," she replied as she continued to kiss him all over his face and neck, unable to get enough of him. "Will you ever forgive me?"
He gazed into her eyes. "I don't know if I can," he answered.
Her composure nearly crumbled as she felt she deserved it after what she had just done. "You can't?" she replied in a small voice.
Then he smiled, and she knew everything was all right. "I suppose I can think of some ways for you to make it up to me. But I know one thing's for certain. I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you so much, Karl Shubaltz," she whispered then released him as she saw Thomas standing nearby waiting patiently. She walked over to him and embraced him as well, laughing when she saw the tears in his own eyes.
Then they all stood together at the water's edge, gazing up into the sky as each of them thought their own private thoughts. "Although I am happy to be reunited with everyone, I am still sad that Silver had to be the one to sacrifice himself for me," Tania said.
Karl kissed her cheek from behind her, and she leaned back closer into his arms. "I share in your sadness, but I must admit I am selfishly happy to have you here with me."
She sighed. "I am, too. As I was waiting for the end to come, I couldn't help but think of the time when we first met all those years ago," she said. "Never had I seen someone take my breath away like you did, standing there at attention looking just as handsome as you've ever been. And I knew from that moment on that I had to have you, and that I couldn't live without you."
"I felt the same way," he replied. "Seeing you there made me wonder what I had done in my life before you came along to share it. I don't remember even living before looking into your eyes as I saw my life standing before me."
She turned and embraced him tightly, sighing his name as she kissed him before looking back out across the water. "Still, I have to wonder what happened to Raven."
The person in question stood by on a nearby dune, watching the reunion with indifferent eyes as Shadow stood by him silently. He couldn't really feel anything as the battle had meant nothing to him, except maybe a little anger at not getting his chance to destroy Van. But he was a patient person, and he knew there would be many opportunities that would present themselves in the future for him to repay Van for what he had done to him. "Let's go, Shadow."
"Well, that turned out differently than I had hoped," Hiltz commented as he watched Raven walk away into the night. "But this only presents a small setback to my plans."
"You're proceeding with the restoration of the Death Stinger then?" Riese asked.
"Yes," he replied. "And the sooner we return, the better," he added with a cold smile.
******************
See there? Now you all won't have to come after me!
Thomas: Yeah, you saved your skin this time.
Shelly: What do you mean by that?
Thomas: Oh, nothing!
Shelly: *grumbling* Men.
Next chapter: Now that the Death Dragon has been defeated, there's only one thing left...how are they going to get off that island?! Don't worry, this won't become a horrible episode of Survivor, I promise.
Thomas: *mouth full of sandwich* Yeah, and everyone agrees you shouldn't kill Tania, so there.
Shelly: Thomas, didn't your mother tell you not to talk with your mouth full?
Thomas: *gulp* Sorry.
Shelly: *sighs* The manners of some men.
Dragonflame by Shelly
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Tania calmly awaited for the end to approach as she twisted the engagement ring upon the ring finger of her left hand, wanting to make sure that this would be the end of the Death Dragon. Oddly enough, she had a stray thought that Raven might die as well, and she almost broke off her attack but struggled against it as it would do no good to give into her feelings where he was concerned. He cared nothing for her and no one else except himself, and it would always be that way with him as there was no changing who he was.
She thought of Karl and of the first time they met when she had traveled there with her father. The entire base personnel was assembled in front of the base, and they had all stood at perfect attention. While Prozen had spoken with the general, she had found her eyes wandering across the ranks of soldiers and they had stopped when they looked upon the most breathtakingly handsome man she had ever seen. His bright green eyes were his most arresting feature, and she had to remind herself to keep breathing as time had seemed to stop for them both as he seemed to be just as awestruck upon seeing her.
And when they had finally met face-to-face, she knew at that moment that she had fallen in love with the handsome soldier before he had uttered a single word.
"Oh, Karl," she whispered as tears began to form in her eyes once more.
Then she heard Silver's roar from inside Dragonflame, telling her that she didn't need to sacrifice herself.
"Wha-what do you mean, Silver?" she asked.
He replied that he had contacted Van's organoid to come and bring her back to the one she loved.
"But, Silver...I can't let you die like this," she said, sensing another bright flash of light which enveloped her and took her away from the battle. "Silver!" she cried just as she saw Dragonflame's charged particle beam burst forth in a ray of light so intense it lit up the sky.
Van watched in amazement as he saw Zeke transform himself and shoot up towards the two battling zoids. "Zeke!" he cried, becoming even more worried when he saw the deadly beam envelope both zoids inside the sphere. "Tania!" Tears were running down his cheeks now as he pulled Fiona down to the ground in a protective gesture that attempted to keep her from being harmed by the blast.
Up in the sky, the sphere blazed as brightly as a sun, casting everything in shadow as the energy fire was still being fed. And then it erupted in a deafening explosion that rocked the very ground beneath them, whipping sand around them from the shockwave that spread out across the land.
When everything was quiet once more, they struggled to their feet as they looked up into the sky, seeking something that would tell them that Tania and Dragonflame had survived. But they both knew that she wasn't, and every last one of them shed their tears openly as they were grieved to lose a close friend, Van especially as he believed Zeke to be dead as well.
A loud roar nearby caught their attention, and Van looked to see Zeke standing near a sand dune. "Zeke!" he cried as he rushed towards him. "You're alive!"
He met the organoid with an enthusiastic embrace, tears of joy forming this time as he was glad to see his best friend alive and unharmed. When he stepped back, he saw another figure lying on the ground nearby, and he was struck speechless as he saw Tania struggling to sit up on the sand. "Tania?" he whispered, unable to believe his eyes as he stepped near her, fearing that they all might be dead and this was a dream.
She looked up when she heard her name, and her eyes widened. "Van?" she asked, rising to her feet and stumbling over to fall into his embrace, their laughter joining as they were both glad to see the other alive. Then she heard different voices and broke apart from Van to catch Irvine in a tight embrace as well as Fiona, who helped her walk back to where Thomas was still by his brother's side.
Thomas glanced up when he saw Fiona drawing near, and he did a double take when he saw Tania walking towards them. "Karl," he said, shaking his brother's shoulder. "Karl, look," he prompted when he didn't respond.
Karl raised his head and turned it in the direction Thomas was pointing, his shock plain to see in his eyes as he rose to his feet to catch her in his arms, only to fall back down again as he collapsed in relief after seeing that she was alive. They were both laughing and crying at the same time, both of them becoming silenced as their lips found one another's desperately for a lengthy kiss which had everyone else blushing in embarrassment even though they were smiling.
Finally they drew away from one another, gasping for breath, only to kiss each other once again. "I thought you were dead," he whispered in her ear as they rose to their feet and he pulled her close against him, so close she could feel his heart beating furiously against her chest.
"I'm sorry, beloved," she replied as she continued to kiss him all over his face and neck, unable to get enough of him. "Will you ever forgive me?"
He gazed into her eyes. "I don't know if I can," he answered.
Her composure nearly crumbled as she felt she deserved it after what she had just done. "You can't?" she replied in a small voice.
Then he smiled, and she knew everything was all right. "I suppose I can think of some ways for you to make it up to me. But I know one thing's for certain. I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you so much, Karl Shubaltz," she whispered then released him as she saw Thomas standing nearby waiting patiently. She walked over to him and embraced him as well, laughing when she saw the tears in his own eyes.
Then they all stood together at the water's edge, gazing up into the sky as each of them thought their own private thoughts. "Although I am happy to be reunited with everyone, I am still sad that Silver had to be the one to sacrifice himself for me," Tania said.
Karl kissed her cheek from behind her, and she leaned back closer into his arms. "I share in your sadness, but I must admit I am selfishly happy to have you here with me."
She sighed. "I am, too. As I was waiting for the end to come, I couldn't help but think of the time when we first met all those years ago," she said. "Never had I seen someone take my breath away like you did, standing there at attention looking just as handsome as you've ever been. And I knew from that moment on that I had to have you, and that I couldn't live without you."
"I felt the same way," he replied. "Seeing you there made me wonder what I had done in my life before you came along to share it. I don't remember even living before looking into your eyes as I saw my life standing before me."
She turned and embraced him tightly, sighing his name as she kissed him before looking back out across the water. "Still, I have to wonder what happened to Raven."
The person in question stood by on a nearby dune, watching the reunion with indifferent eyes as Shadow stood by him silently. He couldn't really feel anything as the battle had meant nothing to him, except maybe a little anger at not getting his chance to destroy Van. But he was a patient person, and he knew there would be many opportunities that would present themselves in the future for him to repay Van for what he had done to him. "Let's go, Shadow."
"Well, that turned out differently than I had hoped," Hiltz commented as he watched Raven walk away into the night. "But this only presents a small setback to my plans."
"You're proceeding with the restoration of the Death Stinger then?" Riese asked.
"Yes," he replied. "And the sooner we return, the better," he added with a cold smile.
******************
See there? Now you all won't have to come after me!
Thomas: Yeah, you saved your skin this time.
Shelly: What do you mean by that?
Thomas: Oh, nothing!
Shelly: *grumbling* Men.
Next chapter: Now that the Death Dragon has been defeated, there's only one thing left...how are they going to get off that island?! Don't worry, this won't become a horrible episode of Survivor, I promise.
