AN: Whheeee this story has lasted longer than I thought! I have a plan
mapped out for my other fics too! After this, my Yami no Matsuei fic.then
the Past Loves.then the Gundam Wing one.then the Artemis one.and THEN new
ones ^_^"
Ai-chan- Yay! I'm glad you feel loved! I had seen this answering the reviewers responses thing in several other fics before and I thought it was a great idea because then you can answer all their questions and they feel special ^_^ And I'm glad you're not angry anymore! Happy is good ^^
Megumi of the Moon- Heh, you know it's back to school when my chapters get morbid :P Nah, just kidding. Well, I'm glad (in a way) that it almost made you cry. And if I told you what would happen, I wouldn't get your oh-so-lovely reviews now, would I? ^_~
June Mermaid- Wai, I know ^^ Smoak has quickly turned into my fave character to write ^_^ Well, here's the next chapter, hope I didn't keep ya waiting too long ^^v And yay for downloading the song! I saw the anime and fell in love with it instantly.so purty ^_^ And I agree whole- heartedly with the J-rock and Jpop statement. WAY better than most English music ~nod~
R.D- Heh, that's what influenced the turn of events, really ^_^" ~rubs the back of her head~ ahem. Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy it ^_^
Kouhei- Yes.sadness abounded in that chapter.but I hope to start making it happier again! Although it may take a while..eh heh.
At the quiet knock on her door, Rose stifled a groan and buried herself under the soft covers. 'You'd think after 'sleeping' for 2 weeks I'd actually want to get up.' Pulling the covers over her head she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hold on to the last vestiges of sleep and prayed that the person at the door would go away. No such luck.
" Rose!!!" A familiar high-pitched voice launched itself onto her bed, landing squarely on her stomach.
" OOF!" Rose let out an explosive breath of air as a set of claws yanked back the covers.
" You're ALIVE!!!" What little air Rose had left was soon crushed out of her lungs as she was enveloped in a rather enthusiastic hug. After making a few strangled breaths, Rose returned the hug just as tightly towards Merle.
" Yeah..I guess I am." She replied, trying to sound cheerful. When Merle pulled back and raised an eyebrow at her, she had a sinking feeling that it hadn't worked.
" Rose..are you ok? Folken told me all about it..how when you did the spell your consciousness was sent to who knows where and then they brought you back.!!! I can't WAIT to tell Lord Van about this!" Merle bounced on the bed excitedly, clapping her hands together. Rose paled.
" NO! I mean..no." While she was worrying about trying to explain why she didn't want anybody to tell Van about her, Merle's happy face changed into a sly one almost immediately.
" Aaahh.I see. You want to tell Van yourself, huh? And it's not like you can hide how you feel about him any longer, after you told him you loved him and all." Rose flushed painfully red. 'Forgot about that..'
" Umm..yeah. Plus, you know, somebody bursting in on him telling him that I've come back from the dead.well, that could get a little catastrophic." She rubbed the back of her head, realizing belatedly that she hadn't hidden her hair. 'Ooops..'
" Hey!! What happened to your hair Rose? Did you change it again?" Rose sweatdropped slightly, nodding slowly.
" Um..yeah." She sighed, getting up out of bed and stretching, glancing out the window and shielding her eyes against the rising sun. 'Hold on a minute...'
" Merle..what time is it?" Suddenly Merle started backing towards the door.
" Um...dawn?" A sheepish grin appeared on her face as Rose sighed, sitting back down onto her bed. 'Figures.' She held her head in her hands, trying to hold onto the happy feeling she had got when she saw her friend again. Slowly but surely, however, it was slipping from her mind to fall into the pit of memories that ran so deeply in her.
" Very well. I'm going to have a warm bath and get changed..what now?" Merle was rubbing the back of her head again.
" Well.when you..ah..well, we kind of..put all your clothes and stuff into the crypt and buried them where your coffin would have gone..so you could take them with you in a way, you know?" Rose deadpanned. 'Well, the Egyptians did it, why not here as well?' She just shrugged.
" Oh well, this dress is still clean.somehow. I'll just get back into this one." Merle nodded.
" I'll get to the seamstress for more clothes.after you tell Lord Van though, don't want to spoil anything, right?" Rose gave a weak smile of thanks. It seemed like ages since she last smiled.
" Thanks Merle. I owe you one." With that said, Merle bounded out, bubbling with barely contained excitement. The corner of Rose's mouth twitched upward, and she went into the bathroom, turning on the taps, trying to get the water as hot as possible. While she waited, she went to her bedroom door, shut it firmly, went into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving it open a little bit so that the steam wouldn't dehydrate her if she fell asleep during the bath.
Rocking back on her heels a few moments later, Rose was satisfied only when she saw the steam rising from the water. Turning off the taps, she hummed the lullaby her mother had sang to her when she was a baby. And then when she had seen her once again. (Kagome and Inuyasha song again ^^") Sliding the previously unstudied dress off, she slipped into the water, breath hitching slightly at the temperature, and then with a sigh of relief as tense muscles relaxed slowly. Heat from the water eased into her body, making her sleepy once more.
" Mm.if it's one thing that place needs.it's more awareness to enjoy things like this." She murmured quietly, pulling her braid loose and letting her hair drop into the tub and closing her eyes gently. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van was upset, to say the least. The night before he had heard somebody enter Rose's room, and now in the morning when he went to investigate he had heard talking before Merle plunged out of the room like an arrow, not noticing his presence. And since Merle wasn't the kind of person to talk to herself in a dead woman's room, he knew that somebody had to be in there, after he had specified that nobody was to enter it. His eyes narrowed, anger radiating off of his entire posture. 'How dare they.'
Quietly, he crept into the living room portion of the suite. Glancing around, he noted that the bedroom door was still closed. 'Perhaps I was wrong. It was probably just a dream.' He sighed, turning to leave, when a strain of a familiar sounding tune reached his ears. 'Isn't that.?' Now he was confused. Creeping closer, he slowly opened the door, peering inside. There was nobody there. Blinking, he sighed, wandering into the room and sitting on the edge of the bed, running his hand over the covers lightly. 'I'm letting my imagination run off with me.' Absently, he straightened the sheets out. And then did a double take. 'The bed has been slept in.' Anger filled him again. It wasn't his imagination. Somebody had used her room. And that..that was unforgivable. Rising, he scowled, only then catching the door that was opened slightly. Raising an eyebrow, Van walked forward, stopping only when he realized WHO exactly was using the room. And by then, of course, it was too late to turn around and prevent embarrassment. She was facing away from him, so he didn't die of a heart attack, but it was still enough to make him turn a beet red.
" Uhm." He backed away, stumbling towards the door. Unfortunately, he had forgotten how well Rose could pick up on things. Van only saw her face whirl over her shoulder and her eyes widen before bars of soap were flung at him.
" Sorry! Sorry!" Chaos erupted soon after as Rose emerged from the bath with a towel around her hair and several towels fashioned in a robe/toga style and proceeded to yell at him and punch him, respectively. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rose fumed, having just thrown Van out of the bedroom so that she could change. Granted, he probably had a reason to come into the room if he thought somebody was in there, but looking into the bathroom? Honestly! She sighed as she pulled a black cloak over her shoulders, fastening the clip and pulling the deep hood over her head, effectively hiding the white streak in her hair.
" I'm so sorry, I didn't know.well ok, I knew somebody was in there, but I didn't think that it would be.well.a girl.and." She had opened the door and walked in, eyeing Van as he had jumped up and started to apologize. Waving a hand, she went to pass him.
" Listen.Rose.I don't know where you were, but..I'm glad you're back. I'm so glad." So saying, he swept her up into a hug before she could object.
" Those two weeks..when you were gone.I thought that I would die. I missed you so much." He whispered quietly, face buried in her shoulder. Her eyes half closed, full of sorrow and pain. (Ok, not really half closed.you know in anime when they get sad and they do that little eye scrunchy thing?) She hugged him back, her face a stony mask.
" Yeah." Rose untangled herself from Van, adjusting her hood. Looking down, she went to pass him again, trying to ignore the confused look she saw in his eyes before she dropped her gaze to the ground.
" I'm sorry Van. I need time to think. This was all sort of.sudden." Closing her eyes, she drifted out the door and down the hall, not wanting to hear his response. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van walked into the vast castle library, taking a deep breath of the musty book smell that most libraries seem to possess. He loved that smell. Smiling slightly, he cast a glance around the large room, trying to remember which section he was looking for. A person wearing a cloak glanced up at him for a moment, and then their head dropped back down to the book they were reading. He sighed, walking over to them, pretending to look for a book.
" You know.people come to places like this a lot. It's hard to concentrate. I remember when I needed to think I liked the roof better. Nobody knew that you were up there and it was quiet." Van spoke quietly, as if to himself. Rose didn't move or make any signal that she had actually listened to him, but he knew that she had heard. And so, after retrieving the book he wanted, he left. It had been another week, and even Folken was concerned about how much she was keeping to herself. She barely spoke, and when she did eat, it was by herself. Rose read now more than ever, slowly devouring the entire library. Which reminded him, he had to start pulling new books in from around Gaia. Smoak had once more firmly attached himself to Rose, and Van was sort of disappointed. The young dragon was fun to be around, although it took a while for the maids to get used to him. But he should really stop worrying about her. He knew that if something was bothering her, she'd tell him when she was ready. Until then, it wouldn't be too bad if he decided to patrol the roofs for mice now, would it?
(a few hours later.)
It was on such a 'mice check' that Van saw Rose. Smiling to himself, he sat on the top of the battlements close to where she was laying, toying with her sword. He liked it like that, he realized. She was much easier to watch when she didn't know that anybody was there. As she started humming, Van smiled again. She also tended to sing when nobody was around. (wwhheee, yet another song.let me know if you get tired of me putting them in the fic, okies? Don't want to annoy anybody ^_^"" This is Scarlet, from Ayashi no Ceres. Another pretty song ^_^ and a good series too.gotta love Yuu Watase! She also does Fushigi Yuugi, so all the guys are really hot!! I just thought that the song fit so well.it even mentions glass roses, which is kind of like Rose right now..really fragile, if that makes any sense ^^ well, enough babbling.)
haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka? osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka?
(Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky? Are they more vivid than they were when you were little? )
mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro
(When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart to rest, they burn the color of passion. )
tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru
(I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were. But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart. )
GARASU no bara yori mo hakanakute moroi no ni yume miru koto wa naze sadame na no deshou
(Dreams are more fragile and fleeting than a glass rose, so then why are we destined to dream? )
futatsu no yume ga ai ni natte ai ni narenai koto mo atte
(Sometimes two dreams can turn into love, but there are also times when they can't. )
hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni naru
(Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard. Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. )
hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni...
(Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard. Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. )
tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru
(I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were. But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart.)
Van sighed as she stopped singing, finished the song. It was also depressing to hear her sing, because he knew that when she DID sing, it was from her heart. And it hurt him that she felt the way she did.
" Van, I know you're here. You might as well come and talk to me, it's better than spying on me, anyway." He frowned at the sadness deep in her voice. She tried so hard to hide it, but it was there. It just took a while to find. Sighing, he came out onto the roof, sitting beside her, glancing at the sword she held in her hands.
" I should have recognized that when I saw you again.it's not like it's a normal sword, is it?" She sighed, sitting up.
" No. Van." she hesitated, turning to face him, hood up so that he couldn't see her eyes.
" What do you think it's like to die?" He was a bit taken back with the question, but gave it serious thought. 'She must have been in more pain than we thought.'
" It's painful. You walk for a long time with other people that have died, until you see a light..then you get transported to a place that seems beautiful but eventually goes up in flames. I suppose I went to a warriors place." Rose chuckled slightly, although there was no humor in her voice.
" That's right. I forgot that you've died already." He nodded, silent beside her.
" I want to go back, you know that? It's kind of ironic.you're not supposed to be able to even think about dying again. I suppose some of us just refuse to stay down, hm?" Van looked at her in shock.
" Listen.Rose.I may not know the most about hell dimensions or whatever you want to call them but.I'm here if you need me." The sword was definitely starting to make him nervous. Just what was she planning to do with it? A pregnant pause filled the space between them, and then she spoke again.
" I wasn't where everybody thinks I was. I was...home." He gasped slightly, frozen in shock.
" I saw my mom.and mama..and father..and.." Her voice started to break, shoulders shaking slightly.
" All my family.all the dragons that had died..I was with Thayanna again! And my.my friends took me away from that! I.I know that Folken and the others did what they did because they wanted to save me but-I don't belong here anymore! I want to go home." Van tried to fight the twisted knot in his stomach. 'All of them.she had been with all of them..and we..we.'
" It's not fair! I hate sounding like a little girl but it's not fair at a-" In a rush, Van did the only thing his mind would allow him to do. He leaned forward and kissed her, cutting her off. Making a sound of a half-hearted protest, Rose pulled away, but he pursued her, capturing her mouth once more, tasting tears along with her unique flavor of fresh air and life itself. Van sighed into the kiss, pulling her close. 'Why does she have to be the one to suffer for us all?' They broke to breathe, and Rose chuckled lightly as his eyes widened. Her hood had fallen, and the white streak was visible. 'So that's why she wore it.' he mused, running his fingers through her hair and twirling the lock around his fingers.
" It's proof that I don't really belong here, Van." Her voice was muffled, head pressed against his shoulder as he hugged her. Van fiercely kissed her head, then rested his chin on it.
" No Rose. I think that it's proof you do."
AN: ~melts~ oh so cute.but I get so embarrassed writing that ^^""" Ah, oh well. Just one other thing before I go, I need songs that Van might sing either to Rose or when he's by himself..Rose has been singing a lot in the story, and I figure it's his turn. If any are submitted to me, I'll try to use them all eventually, but I may only use the ones that feel like they fit the moment ^^""
Ai-chan- Yay! I'm glad you feel loved! I had seen this answering the reviewers responses thing in several other fics before and I thought it was a great idea because then you can answer all their questions and they feel special ^_^ And I'm glad you're not angry anymore! Happy is good ^^
Megumi of the Moon- Heh, you know it's back to school when my chapters get morbid :P Nah, just kidding. Well, I'm glad (in a way) that it almost made you cry. And if I told you what would happen, I wouldn't get your oh-so-lovely reviews now, would I? ^_~
June Mermaid- Wai, I know ^^ Smoak has quickly turned into my fave character to write ^_^ Well, here's the next chapter, hope I didn't keep ya waiting too long ^^v And yay for downloading the song! I saw the anime and fell in love with it instantly.so purty ^_^ And I agree whole- heartedly with the J-rock and Jpop statement. WAY better than most English music ~nod~
R.D- Heh, that's what influenced the turn of events, really ^_^" ~rubs the back of her head~ ahem. Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy it ^_^
Kouhei- Yes.sadness abounded in that chapter.but I hope to start making it happier again! Although it may take a while..eh heh.
At the quiet knock on her door, Rose stifled a groan and buried herself under the soft covers. 'You'd think after 'sleeping' for 2 weeks I'd actually want to get up.' Pulling the covers over her head she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hold on to the last vestiges of sleep and prayed that the person at the door would go away. No such luck.
" Rose!!!" A familiar high-pitched voice launched itself onto her bed, landing squarely on her stomach.
" OOF!" Rose let out an explosive breath of air as a set of claws yanked back the covers.
" You're ALIVE!!!" What little air Rose had left was soon crushed out of her lungs as she was enveloped in a rather enthusiastic hug. After making a few strangled breaths, Rose returned the hug just as tightly towards Merle.
" Yeah..I guess I am." She replied, trying to sound cheerful. When Merle pulled back and raised an eyebrow at her, she had a sinking feeling that it hadn't worked.
" Rose..are you ok? Folken told me all about it..how when you did the spell your consciousness was sent to who knows where and then they brought you back.!!! I can't WAIT to tell Lord Van about this!" Merle bounced on the bed excitedly, clapping her hands together. Rose paled.
" NO! I mean..no." While she was worrying about trying to explain why she didn't want anybody to tell Van about her, Merle's happy face changed into a sly one almost immediately.
" Aaahh.I see. You want to tell Van yourself, huh? And it's not like you can hide how you feel about him any longer, after you told him you loved him and all." Rose flushed painfully red. 'Forgot about that..'
" Umm..yeah. Plus, you know, somebody bursting in on him telling him that I've come back from the dead.well, that could get a little catastrophic." She rubbed the back of her head, realizing belatedly that she hadn't hidden her hair. 'Ooops..'
" Hey!! What happened to your hair Rose? Did you change it again?" Rose sweatdropped slightly, nodding slowly.
" Um..yeah." She sighed, getting up out of bed and stretching, glancing out the window and shielding her eyes against the rising sun. 'Hold on a minute...'
" Merle..what time is it?" Suddenly Merle started backing towards the door.
" Um...dawn?" A sheepish grin appeared on her face as Rose sighed, sitting back down onto her bed. 'Figures.' She held her head in her hands, trying to hold onto the happy feeling she had got when she saw her friend again. Slowly but surely, however, it was slipping from her mind to fall into the pit of memories that ran so deeply in her.
" Very well. I'm going to have a warm bath and get changed..what now?" Merle was rubbing the back of her head again.
" Well.when you..ah..well, we kind of..put all your clothes and stuff into the crypt and buried them where your coffin would have gone..so you could take them with you in a way, you know?" Rose deadpanned. 'Well, the Egyptians did it, why not here as well?' She just shrugged.
" Oh well, this dress is still clean.somehow. I'll just get back into this one." Merle nodded.
" I'll get to the seamstress for more clothes.after you tell Lord Van though, don't want to spoil anything, right?" Rose gave a weak smile of thanks. It seemed like ages since she last smiled.
" Thanks Merle. I owe you one." With that said, Merle bounded out, bubbling with barely contained excitement. The corner of Rose's mouth twitched upward, and she went into the bathroom, turning on the taps, trying to get the water as hot as possible. While she waited, she went to her bedroom door, shut it firmly, went into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving it open a little bit so that the steam wouldn't dehydrate her if she fell asleep during the bath.
Rocking back on her heels a few moments later, Rose was satisfied only when she saw the steam rising from the water. Turning off the taps, she hummed the lullaby her mother had sang to her when she was a baby. And then when she had seen her once again. (Kagome and Inuyasha song again ^^") Sliding the previously unstudied dress off, she slipped into the water, breath hitching slightly at the temperature, and then with a sigh of relief as tense muscles relaxed slowly. Heat from the water eased into her body, making her sleepy once more.
" Mm.if it's one thing that place needs.it's more awareness to enjoy things like this." She murmured quietly, pulling her braid loose and letting her hair drop into the tub and closing her eyes gently. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van was upset, to say the least. The night before he had heard somebody enter Rose's room, and now in the morning when he went to investigate he had heard talking before Merle plunged out of the room like an arrow, not noticing his presence. And since Merle wasn't the kind of person to talk to herself in a dead woman's room, he knew that somebody had to be in there, after he had specified that nobody was to enter it. His eyes narrowed, anger radiating off of his entire posture. 'How dare they.'
Quietly, he crept into the living room portion of the suite. Glancing around, he noted that the bedroom door was still closed. 'Perhaps I was wrong. It was probably just a dream.' He sighed, turning to leave, when a strain of a familiar sounding tune reached his ears. 'Isn't that.?' Now he was confused. Creeping closer, he slowly opened the door, peering inside. There was nobody there. Blinking, he sighed, wandering into the room and sitting on the edge of the bed, running his hand over the covers lightly. 'I'm letting my imagination run off with me.' Absently, he straightened the sheets out. And then did a double take. 'The bed has been slept in.' Anger filled him again. It wasn't his imagination. Somebody had used her room. And that..that was unforgivable. Rising, he scowled, only then catching the door that was opened slightly. Raising an eyebrow, Van walked forward, stopping only when he realized WHO exactly was using the room. And by then, of course, it was too late to turn around and prevent embarrassment. She was facing away from him, so he didn't die of a heart attack, but it was still enough to make him turn a beet red.
" Uhm." He backed away, stumbling towards the door. Unfortunately, he had forgotten how well Rose could pick up on things. Van only saw her face whirl over her shoulder and her eyes widen before bars of soap were flung at him.
" Sorry! Sorry!" Chaos erupted soon after as Rose emerged from the bath with a towel around her hair and several towels fashioned in a robe/toga style and proceeded to yell at him and punch him, respectively. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rose fumed, having just thrown Van out of the bedroom so that she could change. Granted, he probably had a reason to come into the room if he thought somebody was in there, but looking into the bathroom? Honestly! She sighed as she pulled a black cloak over her shoulders, fastening the clip and pulling the deep hood over her head, effectively hiding the white streak in her hair.
" I'm so sorry, I didn't know.well ok, I knew somebody was in there, but I didn't think that it would be.well.a girl.and." She had opened the door and walked in, eyeing Van as he had jumped up and started to apologize. Waving a hand, she went to pass him.
" Listen.Rose.I don't know where you were, but..I'm glad you're back. I'm so glad." So saying, he swept her up into a hug before she could object.
" Those two weeks..when you were gone.I thought that I would die. I missed you so much." He whispered quietly, face buried in her shoulder. Her eyes half closed, full of sorrow and pain. (Ok, not really half closed.you know in anime when they get sad and they do that little eye scrunchy thing?) She hugged him back, her face a stony mask.
" Yeah." Rose untangled herself from Van, adjusting her hood. Looking down, she went to pass him again, trying to ignore the confused look she saw in his eyes before she dropped her gaze to the ground.
" I'm sorry Van. I need time to think. This was all sort of.sudden." Closing her eyes, she drifted out the door and down the hall, not wanting to hear his response. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Van walked into the vast castle library, taking a deep breath of the musty book smell that most libraries seem to possess. He loved that smell. Smiling slightly, he cast a glance around the large room, trying to remember which section he was looking for. A person wearing a cloak glanced up at him for a moment, and then their head dropped back down to the book they were reading. He sighed, walking over to them, pretending to look for a book.
" You know.people come to places like this a lot. It's hard to concentrate. I remember when I needed to think I liked the roof better. Nobody knew that you were up there and it was quiet." Van spoke quietly, as if to himself. Rose didn't move or make any signal that she had actually listened to him, but he knew that she had heard. And so, after retrieving the book he wanted, he left. It had been another week, and even Folken was concerned about how much she was keeping to herself. She barely spoke, and when she did eat, it was by herself. Rose read now more than ever, slowly devouring the entire library. Which reminded him, he had to start pulling new books in from around Gaia. Smoak had once more firmly attached himself to Rose, and Van was sort of disappointed. The young dragon was fun to be around, although it took a while for the maids to get used to him. But he should really stop worrying about her. He knew that if something was bothering her, she'd tell him when she was ready. Until then, it wouldn't be too bad if he decided to patrol the roofs for mice now, would it?
(a few hours later.)
It was on such a 'mice check' that Van saw Rose. Smiling to himself, he sat on the top of the battlements close to where she was laying, toying with her sword. He liked it like that, he realized. She was much easier to watch when she didn't know that anybody was there. As she started humming, Van smiled again. She also tended to sing when nobody was around. (wwhheee, yet another song.let me know if you get tired of me putting them in the fic, okies? Don't want to annoy anybody ^_^"" This is Scarlet, from Ayashi no Ceres. Another pretty song ^_^ and a good series too.gotta love Yuu Watase! She also does Fushigi Yuugi, so all the guys are really hot!! I just thought that the song fit so well.it even mentions glass roses, which is kind of like Rose right now..really fragile, if that makes any sense ^^ well, enough babbling.)
haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka? osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka?
(Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky? Are they more vivid than they were when you were little? )
mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro
(When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart to rest, they burn the color of passion. )
tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru
(I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were. But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart. )
GARASU no bara yori mo hakanakute moroi no ni yume miru koto wa naze sadame na no deshou
(Dreams are more fragile and fleeting than a glass rose, so then why are we destined to dream? )
futatsu no yume ga ai ni natte ai ni narenai koto mo atte
(Sometimes two dreams can turn into love, but there are also times when they can't. )
hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni naru
(Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard. Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. )
hito wa hitori da to wakariaitai no ni nante muzukashii kotoba wa muryoku de toki ni wa gin no NAIFU ni...
(Even when they're alone, people want to share their feelings, but it can be so hard. Words are powerless to express one's feelings, and sometimes they become a silver knife. )
tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru
(I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were. But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart.)
Van sighed as she stopped singing, finished the song. It was also depressing to hear her sing, because he knew that when she DID sing, it was from her heart. And it hurt him that she felt the way she did.
" Van, I know you're here. You might as well come and talk to me, it's better than spying on me, anyway." He frowned at the sadness deep in her voice. She tried so hard to hide it, but it was there. It just took a while to find. Sighing, he came out onto the roof, sitting beside her, glancing at the sword she held in her hands.
" I should have recognized that when I saw you again.it's not like it's a normal sword, is it?" She sighed, sitting up.
" No. Van." she hesitated, turning to face him, hood up so that he couldn't see her eyes.
" What do you think it's like to die?" He was a bit taken back with the question, but gave it serious thought. 'She must have been in more pain than we thought.'
" It's painful. You walk for a long time with other people that have died, until you see a light..then you get transported to a place that seems beautiful but eventually goes up in flames. I suppose I went to a warriors place." Rose chuckled slightly, although there was no humor in her voice.
" That's right. I forgot that you've died already." He nodded, silent beside her.
" I want to go back, you know that? It's kind of ironic.you're not supposed to be able to even think about dying again. I suppose some of us just refuse to stay down, hm?" Van looked at her in shock.
" Listen.Rose.I may not know the most about hell dimensions or whatever you want to call them but.I'm here if you need me." The sword was definitely starting to make him nervous. Just what was she planning to do with it? A pregnant pause filled the space between them, and then she spoke again.
" I wasn't where everybody thinks I was. I was...home." He gasped slightly, frozen in shock.
" I saw my mom.and mama..and father..and.." Her voice started to break, shoulders shaking slightly.
" All my family.all the dragons that had died..I was with Thayanna again! And my.my friends took me away from that! I.I know that Folken and the others did what they did because they wanted to save me but-I don't belong here anymore! I want to go home." Van tried to fight the twisted knot in his stomach. 'All of them.she had been with all of them..and we..we.'
" It's not fair! I hate sounding like a little girl but it's not fair at a-" In a rush, Van did the only thing his mind would allow him to do. He leaned forward and kissed her, cutting her off. Making a sound of a half-hearted protest, Rose pulled away, but he pursued her, capturing her mouth once more, tasting tears along with her unique flavor of fresh air and life itself. Van sighed into the kiss, pulling her close. 'Why does she have to be the one to suffer for us all?' They broke to breathe, and Rose chuckled lightly as his eyes widened. Her hood had fallen, and the white streak was visible. 'So that's why she wore it.' he mused, running his fingers through her hair and twirling the lock around his fingers.
" It's proof that I don't really belong here, Van." Her voice was muffled, head pressed against his shoulder as he hugged her. Van fiercely kissed her head, then rested his chin on it.
" No Rose. I think that it's proof you do."
AN: ~melts~ oh so cute.but I get so embarrassed writing that ^^""" Ah, oh well. Just one other thing before I go, I need songs that Van might sing either to Rose or when he's by himself..Rose has been singing a lot in the story, and I figure it's his turn. If any are submitted to me, I'll try to use them all eventually, but I may only use the ones that feel like they fit the moment ^^""