(revised version)
An: Ooopps revised a bit mroe and realized I combined chapter 3 and four but not on the site *^_^* so if you haven't go back and read it cuz it's kinda key to the rest of it.
Chapter 4:Good Morning and Get Well
When Willow woke the next morning, she was slightly startled be the feel of Folken's arm around her waist. However, she relaxed, remembering the night before. She was glad he'd been there, held her when she broke, when she felt like she couldn't face life anymore. She heard his steady breath in her soft hair and wondered at the strange relationship that had sprung up between them in less than twenty-four hours. She heard a soft plopping sound and realized that his soft black feathers were falling from his wings.One landed on her nose and she sneezed and froze, hoping she hadn't woke him as the feathers in front of her face went flying.
'He did say he should be molting soon, didn't he?' She smiled and realized that the soft feathers were nearly completely covering the bed. The blanket of black feathers looked strangely comforting and she fell asleep again.
Folken woke to the sound of a bird singing on the windowsill. The window had been open and he could hear it clearly. He sighed and took in a deep breath. Willow stirred slightly when he did so and he gently brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face. She turned over so she was facing him and snuggled into his chest in her sleep. He sucked in a sharp breath when she did so, doing the best he could to quiet his emotions. Somehow she was warming something in him that had been cold for so long and he felt uneasy about it. He noticed all the feathers and sighed. 'Now look at the mess these things have made. He gently got up and started to pick up the feathers. She woke and looked up at him.
"Folken? What are you doing?" She asked groggily
"Shhh, I started to molt last night and I'm going to go try and shake some more feathers loose. Go back to sleep." She finished sweeping the feathers into a pile and he put them into the wastebasket next to her writing desk. He made his way outside and set about getting as many feathers off as he could.
* * *
Willow woke up in the late morning and realized Folken was still outside, she pulled on a light blue sundress and her ballet slippers. She stretched for a few minutes before going outside to find Folken.
He had positioned himself in a curved portion of the fence under and awning she had designed herself. There he could spread his wings out and not worry about being seen. He was working rapidly at pulling them out, wincing, she guessed, from discomfort.
He had the majority of the feathers out of his right wing but he was having trouble reaching the ones in the back. Willow worked her way behind him and started pulling out the fluff from where he couldn't reach and he started to work on his left wing, grasping huge handfuls of feathers and tossing them down.
"Is it that bad?" She asked, wondering at how easily the feathers seemed to fall into her hands.
"It just itches horribly!" He growled. "I hate this part the most."
She giggled quietly.
"What's so funny?" He asked with narrowed eyes as he ripped more fathers out, resulting in a crackling noise.
"Nothing really, just the fact that you look a lot like a plucked chicken at the moment." She laughed and Folken couldn't help but join her until his itching wings bothered him so much that he couldn't stand it any more. He frantically pulled the feathers out, wishing he could just loft his wings enough to get the majority of them out. But no such luck, it was nearly impossible for him to raise his large pinions much more than a foot. Finally, they managed to get the last few of his feathers out, leaving a gray fluff that would grow into his new plumage.
"Come on, big bird, we'll get you some breakfast."
His mouth watered at the mention of food and he followed her back into the house. She made coffee, scrambled eggs, toast and he helped by cutting up some fruit.
By the time they finished eating, he had eaten half a dozen eggs, six pieces of toast and several helpings of fruit.
"I really don't normally eat like this!" He insisted.
"So you've said several times over." She laughed and started picking up the dishes.
"Its just that molting takes a lot of energy." He explained and gathered the rest of the dishes. He helped her put them in the dishwasher, although it confused him slightly.
"It does the washing for you." She explained, seeing the puzzled look on his face. She giggled slightly and shook her head in wonder.
"Seems like there's a lot I have to learn about this world." He sighed.
"That reminds me…" She dried her hands and sat down across the table from him.
"You haven't told me your story." She smiled.
"Well, it's a long one, where should I start?"
"Start with this." She gently tapped his melef arm and rested her hand on top of his cool metal one. He grimmaced, having half expected her question, it disgusted him and he was sure it would disgust her but he looked up into warm green pols of affection.
"Aren't you afraid of it?" He asked.His face turned to the table so his unrulely locks covered his eyes like they had as a teen.
"No, its part of you and there must be a monstrous story behind it." His head snapped up and a shock of dibelief went through him.
He nearly collapsed with her words. He had seen the way people reacted to it. At balls and gatherings Ladies would stare or wince, turning to each other and twittering over it. Some would even shriek openly. He took her warm left hand in his cool right and gently brought it not quite to his lips.
"Thank you." He whispered against it a tear spilled over his cheek and landed lightly on her fingertips. Setting it back down on the table, he took a sakey breath, composing himself. "It is a monstrous story indeed…" And he told her about his father dying and his quest to become king by rite of dragon slaying, about losing his arm and thinking he was as good as dead. About waking in Zaibach to find the mecha arm attached where his old one had been torn away by the dragon's grousome grin. The whole thing, not leaving any part out, nothing about the multiple surgeries he was put through, some without anesthesia... Nor about the countless deaths he had witnessed, the cruel experiments, Dilandau, Naria and Eriya, Hitomi, Van… Then about being thrown into her flower bed, once again pulled from the comforting arms of death.
Tears were pouring over her cheeks and he took both her hands in his.
"I'm sorry if I've disturbed you." He looked into her eyes and knew otherwise.
"No, its not that… Its just I can only classify what they did to you as pure torture. Oh, Folken and I thought I'd been through hell…" He stood, still holding her hands in his.
"Shhh, don't cry like that, I don't deserve your tears." He pulled her into his arms.
"But Folken, that's just plain sick what they did to you. If I had one of those f@&%ing sorcerers right here I'd give them what they deserve!" He saw the anger flaming in her eyes and it warmed that part of his emotions that had been frozen for so long. His lips were inches from her and she felt her shrink from his grasp.
She pulled away from him slightly, feeling uncomfortable about how fast this was going, not wanting to get so close to another person. He winced, realizing what he had just done; he had crossed that line that made her feel uncomfortable, made her feel like someone else would take advantage of her.
"I'm sorry Willow, I didn't mean to frighten you… I could never hurt you in any way." He let her go, his arms falling to his sides.
"No, I'm sorry." She lowered her head. "I really should be over this."
He stepped closer to her and lifted her chin so she would look into his eyes, she avoided looking into them. He guessed it had something to do with what had happened to her, he couldn't even guess at what having that taken away felt like. But he did know how being violated both emotionally and physically felt like and he knew it had to hurt her horribly.
"Look into my eyes Willow, I don't want to take advantage of you. I could never do that to any one. Let alone you."
She breathed in sharply and blushed at what he'd just revealed towards her, the way he had spoken and the look in his eyes said it all. She struggled and finally looked into his crimson eyes, not able to keep herself from returning his gaze.
"Oh, Folken. Its just so horrible... I can't imagine what you've been through." The tears pouring down her cheeks for him brought tears to his own eyes and he couldn't hold them back any longer. He lifted her gently and walked with her into the living room. He sat on the couch with her in his lap. He cried into her hair and she held him as he broke down into tears. They fell asleep in each others arms and he finally felt some semblance of relief.
Folken woke when the afternoon light poured in over his face. He winced and turned away from it. Some how they had ended up laying on the couch, his head was resting on a small round pillow and Willow was resting against his chest, she was between him and the back of the couch. He smiled when he realized she was laying her head just over his heart so she could hear his heart beat. He gently stroked her golden locks away from her face so he could just study her features while she slept. He held her with his right arm and gently traced the lines of her face with his left, hoping she wouldn't wake while he held her like he was.
He traced her soft jaw line, following it to her lips, he gently ran his fingers over them, feeling her gentle breath against them as he did so. She stirred slightly and he pried himself away from her, forcing himself to let her say when the first move would be made.
"Wake up Willow." He coaxed and her eyes lightly fluttered open.
"Folken." She sighed and snuggled against his chest, searching for his protective embrace.
He heard the hint of distress and fear in her voice and wondered if she'd had a bad dream. He just held her until she looked up into his face.
"Folken, I had a horrible dream." She muttered, her warm breath caressing his bare skin.
"Tell me about it."
"I've had it several times before, so many I don't care to count, but I trust you with this."
That was a start, trust should always come before any sort of relationship. He smiled and stroked her hair, twisting one of her golden waves around his finger.
"I dreamt that I was back when I was younger, I dreamt the whole day that I was raped happened again but this time he kills me after he rapes me. Then I see all these talons grasping at me they rip my clothing away and scratch me, making me bleed as if I had been flogged. Then there is only darkness and burning flames, but no light. I know it's strange but there is fire and no light from it. Then I wake up. But strangest of all it's not him that I see, all I remember is blood red eyes filled with hate anda scar, right here," She was trembling now as she traced a line over her cheek and he pulled her even closer to him, fighting back the image that filled his mind, that silver haired demon wrought from a poor inocent child, he swalloed thickly.
"Oh, Willow." He sighed, stroking her back. Would Dilandau plague him even now? He felt her relax and he was calmed but something continued to tug at his consciousness tenatively telling him of distinct fears.
"We should get up, Rose and the girls will be coming over this afternoon." She sighed.
Folken almost rejoiced at her words, he had grown attached to those two little girls and couldn't wait to see them. He sat up with her still in his arms; he stood and helped her up.
Willow grabbed her camera and quickly went outside. Folken blinked at her sudden flight from the room and followed her outside. He saw what she was taking photos of, it was a beautiful blue bird and he wondered what it was, with its white breast and blue crown he thought it reminded him a bit of himself. He came up beside her and peered up at it.
"What is it?" he whispered.
"It's a blue jay." She took a couple more photos and finished the roll of film she had started the day he had crashed into her flowerbed and life.
"Hmm." He contemplated as he watched it fly away into the nearest tree.
"Come on inside, I'm going to reload this, we can have some lunch and I'll develop it later tonight after the sun goes down so the light won't accidentally ruin it." She flicked a switch and started rewinding the film manually.
She wished the company would pay her to get a new automatic camera but they didn't exactly want to allow her that until the end of the year, so she would have to wait. She had seen a really nice one at the local photo shop where she had worked when she was in college and felt like the end of the year couldn't come quickly enough for her.
After she wound the film, she popped the back of the camera open so she could retrieve the undeveloped roll. She handed it to Folken who studied it, holding it up at eye level and close to his face.
"200 speed, 24 exposures, Fuji film." He turned it over in his palm and looked up to see she was smiling at him.
"Looks like I'll have to give you quick technology lesson." She laughed as she set the camera down, having loaded then new roll successfully.
"Okay." He shrugged.
"But let's get some lunch first."
She smiled when a look of pure hunger spread over his face.
"Mm, Hm!" he followed her into the kitchen.
She made two turkey sandwiches with lettuce, tomato and cheese and then thought twice before making two more. He ate all three sandwiches and then apologized again.
"I really don't eat like this!" he laughed and sat back.
They cleaned up the dishes and Willow showed him everything from the TV and VCR to the garbage disposal to her computer and the Internet connection she had. Just as she was giving him tips on using Microsoft Word, the doorbell rang.
"Aunt Willow!" both of the twins shouted and ran into her arms as she opened the door.
"Hello again you two!" She laughed and picked both of them up, resting one on each hip. "Come meet our guest." She said more to Rose than to the girls.
"Yea!" Both girls squirmed out of her arms and immediately took to touching Folken's rather bare wings.
"Folken, this is Rose, my aunt and you've already met my cousins Shiloh and Chloe."
"Nice to meet you," he offered Rose his left hand and then knelt so the girls wouldn't have to stretch so high to see him.
"Folken, what happened to your wings?" Chloe asked, her crystal blue eyes looking into his garnet ones boldly.
"I'm molting, they grow back in a couple days." He smiled and tousled her blonde hair.
Shiloh tentatively put a finger to his split lip.
"Does it hurt a lot?" she asked.
"Not so much but don't push on it." He gently took her hand from his lip. Suddenly he felt extremely homesick and that reminded him of every other injury he had suffered, suddenly he was achy all over and was forced to sit on the couch.
"Uh, it hurts more today than it did yesterday." He gasped when Willow put a concerned hand on his shoulder.
"That's the way it usually goes." She smiled and then turned to Rose.
"I brought the clothes." Rose smiled and both women left to gather the boxes she had brought filled with clothes that Folken could pick from.
They carried them into the guest bedroom and laid them out while he played with the girls.
"Hmm," Willow thought for a moment. "He can pick out the pants that fit and he likes and then the shirts he likes and we'll adjust them for his arm after he can draw back his wings," she thought out loud.
"Sounds good." Rose smiled. Willow blushed profusely and turned back to finish laying out the clothes in sets she liked.
"He's quite impressive." Rose smiled.
"Mm, hm." Willow tried desperately to hide her red face.
"I think you should hang on to this one." They both laughed and Folken appeared in the doorway.
"You can try on the pants and pick some shirts you like, we'll make adjustments later if we need to." She smiled and dragged Rose from the room. Later, he immerged wearing a pair of black pants that looked a lot like the ones he'd been wearing the day he was thrown into the yard, he was wearing the shoes he'd been wearing, (some how they were the only thing that had survived the fall.) In addition, he had wrapped a dark blue sheet around his shoulders, resulting in a rather medieval look.
The girls had been given colorful markers and paper to play with and both girls had set out to create the best get well cards ever. When Chloe had finished she jumped up and handed it to Folken. Scrawled across the top she had written 'Git wel Fulcan' he smiled and took it.
"My, you are some artist little Chloe. I think you capture the true me." He smiled and looked at the page again, it was a rather stick figure form of himself with blue hair, a gray arm with what looked like talons on the fingertips and two comb-like black wings.
"Its for you Folken so you'll get better soon." She smiled and he patted the top of her head.
Shiloh butted her sister out of the way and put her picture in his lap, it was a blue flower, drawn simply but well for a six year old. He knew exactly what it meant by just looking at it. Her spelling had been slightly better than Chloe's when she wrote 'Fele better Folcen.' across the bottom of the page.
"It's a flower 'cuz you crashed into aunt Willow's flowers and its blue cause of your hair." She grinned victoriously.
"That's very clever, Shiloh. They're both really great get well cards." He smiled and hugged both girls. "I feel better already."
"Well, I'm afraid we have to leave." Rose said to Willow, giving her a quick hug. "Keep an eye on that one I've seen the way he looks at you." She teased in a whisper. Willow smacked her shoulder and gathered both the little girls into her arms.
"Bye my little girls, say 'hi!' to your daddy for me."
Shiloh and Chloe ran to Folken who knelt and wrapped his arms around them.
"Bye Folken." They said in unison and ran out the
door after their mother.
"He liked mine better!"
"No, mine! He said it was clever!"
"Mine"
"No Mine!"
"Mine!"
Folken and Willow waved goodbye from the door way as they left. Willow remembered the mail, she practically skipped to the mailbox with the feeling of pure joy she had.
A/N: *yawns* I'm sicka nd I should be in bed but I'm getting
stirr crazy so you guys get to reap the fruits of my efforts to do something
besides lay in bed all day long.
Hehehe. You have to love those two little girls! They're just a nifty
little add in that makes poor Folkie feel a little less home sick. I mean
he has to feel pretty bad, having an entire planet ripped out from under
his feet…
Feedback: Any sort of constructive critisism is help mainly
on my weaknesses. Orginaization, dialogue, Characterization, Stream of
Consciousness, etc. Encouragement is nice as well, but really I'm seeking
to grow as a writer. Any literary techniques I can learn are great.
