Disclaimer: I don't care what this is!! If you really need it, then check
out the first chapter if you want.
A/N: WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I'm actually getting reviews from people!!! OH yeah!! I'm really gonna write now!!! Well, to answer your questions, Does Van love Celena now? Hmmm... well, I would say no but I am thinking that it would be a nice plot twist. Well, I can say that he doesn't now but I can't guarantee that he won't in the future. No intended foreshadowing though. And Hitomi was seeing the dark future if she did touch the shield. Don't understand me? Well, let's see what happens shall we? He He.
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Chapter VIII: Life, Death, and a Girl Named Fanellia
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It had been the worst form of torture that could be created for her. She stood at the track. Amano held her pendant, ready to swing. "Are you ready Kanzaki?" he yelled. This was the fourth time he said that. The second time she apologized to Yukari just happened too. In her mind, she cursed to Inhestia. Instead of sending her back to the point when she touched the shield, she sent her all the way back to the first day of her freshman year. She had to tread softly and do everything over, exactly over. It was hard for the first month but she finally made it to Gaea and came back.
"Go!" he yelled and let the pendant swing. She jumped up and ran as fast as her thin body could. All she thought about was reaching Van. Pretending to care about Amano and Allen made her sick to her stomach. Especially when Allen kissed her on the bridge. She felt like she was going to hurl but put on a show. It was like a recurring nightmare when she saw Van standing there, his eyes filled with sadness. Tears wanted to flow but she knew that it had to be kept in. When she got back to the room, she cried her heart out. All of the hurt she was giving him and she hadn't known before was tearing at her heart.
A familiar blue light shone out ahead of her. A large dragon armor landed slowly and the pilot looked around. "Van!" she yelled with all of her heart. He turned to her and the rest of the time just passed by. She was a long way from being halfway done and it would be so long until she would be able to go back to loving her king the way she used to.
~~~*~~~
They were in a large wood-like area. Escaflowne loomed overhead, its magnificent aura showered all over the place. Huge gravestones were there too, but farther along. She smiled as he walked with her, hand in hand, her head resting on his shoulder. This was something she loved in their past of togetherness. Just the feeling of being with him satisfied her and she smiled happily. "What are you smiling about Hitomi?" he asked.
She shook her head and nuzzled his shoulder. "I'm smiling about us. About how long it took for us to finally be together." she said. 'I'm supposed to cry now, I remember that.' she though as she thought of the sadness Van had gone through in the dark future. That worked and now she stopped, shaking with tears. He turned to her in concern. Embracing her, he let her cry on his shoulder.
"Oh Hitomi. Don't cry. I'm with you now, everything is going to be alright." he said in a soft voice, rubbing her back. She shook her head and buried her face into his neck. This was her favorite memory about them before she had come back to Gaea the last time when they were older. He gently pulled her back and looked into her tearful eyes. She knew they were red and she yet again hated the fact that she cried in front of him. He tilted her chin so she could look to him. "Don't cry Hitomi, it hurts me." he said sincerely with a smile.
"I'm sorry Van. I just am so worried about losing you again and I..." she started but was unable to finish her sentence. He pulled her thin body up to him and drew her in for a kiss. She jumped at the sudden change of actions then wrapped her arms around his neck. Releasing from the long kiss, they stood there and lingered for a while in the feeling of their first kiss.
After he caught his breath, he smiled one of his rare million-dollar smiles and hugged her tightly. "You talk to much Hitomi." she said and stroked her short hair. Giggling, she nuzzled his neck and placed a small and playful kiss there, earning a moan from him. He pulled her far enough from him to look to her with a questioning look in his face. A slight blush was garnished on his cheeks and she giggled to him, walking ahead a few yards.
"Are you coming or not?" she asked playfully ash she turned back to him. Wiping the shocked and confused look off of his face and ran up to her quickly. Nodding, he grabbed her hand and the proceeded along on their little walk.
~~~*~~~
The days were cooler and her heart was icy. She felt more and more like a freak everyday. Everyone said she was delusional and was probably smoking something to make her this way. Yukari didn't believe her and she was frustrated that she wouldn't even believe her own best friend. They had a huge fight and Yukari ended up yelling that she is so pathetic that she is making up imaginary boyfriends because she couldn't be able to get a real one herself. She blew up on her and they never spoke to each other again.
Hitomi sighed and sat at the table in the cafeteria. Being the only one at that table, or in a one table radius of hers, she looked down at her pathetic lunch of pink rice balls and teriyaki chicken. It was boring and she gave up going on her weekly spurts to the cafeteria. Even the lunch ladies seemed to be frightened of her and they talked about her when she left. Everybody did. She didn't really mind anymore though. It has been a year since she left Gaea and she was still as lonely as she was when she had friends.
"I'm sorry you are suffering so much Hitomi. I wish I could do something to ease it all for you." said her handsome king as he sat on the bench across the table. She started to tear up and buried her face into her hands. "Oh Hitomi. Don't cry. You know it hurts me." he said as he stood up and walked over to her, through the table as if it were nothing there and sat next to her. He hugged her softly and she could smell the scent of the fields again.
"I just can't Van. It's so hard. I can't take it anymore. Everyone thinks I'm crazy." she said as she continued to cry hard. She had her cell phone in her hand so she could pretend that she was talking on the phone. He smiled an angelic smile to her and kissed her cheek. A warm sensation was left there even though she couldn't feel the soft feel of it at all.
"Are you crazy Hitomi? Did you make me and all of Gaea up?" he asked softly. She shook her head and whispered out her answer.
"No Van. I just wish I could be with you again. I miss the feel of being in Fanellia. Can't you take me back Van?" she asked with a teary expression. He looked down with a frown and shook his head. The pendant on his neck had long ago turned a dead black, like a dull obsidian. It hung heavily at his chest and he gripped it with hope. It refused to shine and a tear trickled down his cheek.
"I can't. You know how much I want to take you back Hitomi. All I want to do is to take you back and love you and take care of you and make you my one and only queen. I want you to be the mother of my children and I want to die with you by my side and be greeted with your presence in heaven. But I just can't Hitomi. Everyday I try and try until I fall to my knees in exhaustion but I can't bring you back to me. All I can get from the pendant is that there is another key that will bring you back. I've sent my guards far and wide but they haven't found anything that has the power to bring here to me." he said as tears flowed freely from his sad face.
Suddenly his face took an alarmed appearance and he quickly looked around the cafeteria. She knew he couldn't see anyone but a black void, herself, and a table and she didn't see most of his surroundings either whenever she tried to contact him. Standing up, he growled ferociously. "Someone is in here. They tapped into our connection." he said. He looked down to her and calmed the emotions on his face as he traced a finger down her cheek. "I have to go. Goodbye my love." he said and walked out the side and through the crowd and disappeared.
Her heart sunk as he left. Something was terribly wrong and it scared her to see Van act so feral. Putting down her phone, she picked up her chopsticks and started to eat her lunch. A school case was set onto the table and the owner sighed as she sat down. "Hey! I hope you don't mind if I sit here do you. I'm new at this school and all of the other seats were packed and I didn't want to be by myself." she said with a giggle. Hitomi looked at the teenager curiously. Her hair was a perfect ebony and flowed down her shoulders in perfect waves. Burgundy eyes looked to her with cheeriness and her slightly tanned skin glowed a nice bronze color. She looked like what she would imagine Van's sister to look like if he had one.
"Do you know who I am?" she asked the new girl questioningly with a small hint of anger in her voice. The girl shrugged casually and began to unpack her lunch.
"You're Hitomi Kanzaki, the school freak who raves on about imaginary worlds and stuff. Yeah, and your point is?" she said and started to eat her meal of a Big Mac and some fries. They seemed hot and Hitomi was puzzled about it. There wasn't a McDonalds for miles in the inner city but it looked as if she just went and bought it from down the street. She noticed her staring and held out her burger. "You can have a bite if you want." she said.
"Oh, no thanks. Why aren't you scared and conspiring against me?" asked Hitomi as she ate a bit of rice. The girl laughed and her perfect black waves bounced amusingly.
"I don't believe that crap. And besides, people have to believe in something." she said, her last sentence said with sincerity. She smiled to Hitomi and ate her food. "Hey, I know your name but I haven't even given you mine. My name is Nakami Fanellia ei Takahara. Pleased to make your acquaintance." she said.
Hitomi jumped back at her name. Her middle name was Fanellia? It was creepy to her and she shuddered. What was her relation to Van? How did she get the name? All of these questions were bubbling up inside of her but she decided to keep them inside for now. She didn't want to scare away a potential friend and she felt at ease with her. "Um, Nakami, how did you get your middle name of Fanellia?" she asked, wanting to get at least a small answer for that matter.
She stuffed the rest of the burger in her mouth and held up her index finger for her to wait. Swallowing it soundlessly, she smiled and picked up her perspiring coke. "Oh, well, my mother's former fiancée had a tale about him and his sister living in a beautiful kingdom called Fanellia. Her name was Varcy. Valie. Vakrey." she said as she tried to guess out the name.
"Was it Varie?" she asked. Nakami nodded happily and clicked her fingers.
"That's it. I have such a bad memory but her name was Varie and she married a king named Go-ow?" she said.
"Goau. Goau Fanel." said Hitomi. The girl blinked. "I'm a psychic." she added in, relieving the girls suspicious look.
"Yeah, well, he lived there and was lost in a blue light and appeared on Earth. My mother had been driving on the interstate by here and she saw him out in the rain and brought him in to her house. The rest is history. And when my mother was pregnant with me, he told her to name me after the place he went to. So that's it." she said. The bell rang and Nakami stood up.
"I have three classes a day so I guess this is it Nakami." she said. Nakami beamed and laughed.
"I have the same. And I come back for and extra class at six tonight. Do you want to hang out with us?" she asked as she tried to finish her fries.
"Huh? Your friends?" she asked in confusion. Nakami nodded in a mouthful of fries.
"I do have friends too ya know." she said.
"I don't have any friends, everyone is scared of me." said Hitomi sadly.
"You have me! Come on! We are going to Sky Riders." she said tugging on her arm. Hitomi blinked as she was dragged by the ever fast Nakami. Sky Riders was a huge skate park by the beach. It had rollercoasters and lots of fun things like that. All of the popular and hot guys from the school basically ruled there and some of the attractive foreign boys went there too. She stopped on her heels and Nakami jolted to a halt.
She looked to Hitomi with a slightly angry look. "Hitomi? What's wrong? I don't want to be late and all." she said. She shook her head and Nakami understood. "Hitomi... they won't judge you. You're with me remember? I practically own the group so whatever I say goes. I'll stick with you okay?" she said with a sign and grabbed her hand. Hitomi smiled and continued along with her.
~~~*~~~
She rolled to her side in bed. It was midnight but sleep just wouldn't come to her. Standing up, she hopped over Nakami, who lay peaceful in sleep on a cot below her, and made her way to the desk. Lately everything has been going great for her. All of Nakami's friends had taken her in happily after a short speech from Nakami. They had been hanging out all school year and during the winter break. A really attractive guy named Eriol had just asked her out on a date that afternoon. The entire date was a blast and she really ended up having feelings for him. Nakami had gone on and on about how sweet it was when they had a goodnight kiss.
That thought struck her like a lightning bolt. She had been having the time of her life all along and she forgot all about Van. Even worse, she thought she saw feathers when he dropped her off and kissed her. Sitting down on the chair, she closed her eyes and tried to contact him. The connection felt cold and wet, like the feel after a gloomy rain. She shivered and shook herself to warm up her freezing body. 'Van? Let me see you. Why is it so cold here?' she asked in her mind. It used to be warm and cozy when she tried to each him but now it was uncomfortably icy and she was scared.
He sat off in the distance, his feet in a pool of water. She ran up to him happily, relieved that he wasn't dead. As she almost reached him, he disappeared and re-appeared farther on, standing and looking up to the sky. "Just leave me alone Hitomi. I don't want to feel cold anymore." he said sadly. In his hand was a necklace with a large red stone, sharpened and somewhat worn.
"Van, what are you saying? What happened?" she asked as she stood there. He turned to her sadly, a tear falling down his cheek. Looking back down, he smiled sadly to the necklace.
"Merle's gone. She left and she's not coming back." he said sadly and held the nail file close to him. It turned to dust in his hands and he gasped. "No!" he said as he tried to catch the dust as it flew away. Hitomi walked up to him and hugged him from behind. Her now chin length hair blew in his face softly. "You've left me too. I saw you." he said sadly.
She pulled back and looked to him in shock. Guilt rushed up into her veins and all she could do was panic. "I haven't left you Van. I really didn't... oh I'm so sorry Van." she said as she tried to hug him again. He pushed her away abruptly and looked to her with sorrow-filled eyes. "Van...?" she asked.
He shook his head and turned away from her. "I don't want to hurt anymore. I'm tired of the pain and whenever I let someone in and I care about them, they always leave me. And I keep hurting." he said and looked back to her. "Don't you see Hitomi? We aren't meant to be together. That's why we are apart. I don't want to keep holding on when the inevitable is staring us in the face. My heart tells me it's best for us, it's best for me to be alone for the entirety of my life." he said sadly.
Hitomi knew he was hurting as he said this. It stuck her like an icy blade too. But weirdly, it made sense to what he was saying. They were fighting a war that would overcome them in time and she knew that if they let it go now, they wouldn't have so many casualties. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she smiled sadly. "I guess this is it...huh Van? After enduring the war and the changing of fate and all, we've decided to give up at a battle so trivial that the people who died for our love would be rolling in their graves? That Folken would curse us and deny any relation to you? I guess that after all you have done, all of the time your guards an huntsmen spent on finding the second key, you would make it all in vain? And all the love I gave you, you would just turn it down over something so ridiculously stupid? I understand your thoughts. It's clear to me now." she said while shaking in anger.
"But I still love you Hitomi. But I have a kingdom and I need to attend to what's best for my people. I have responsibilities. They need a queen and an heir and you aren't here to give them to me. And I do think about it all Hitomi, night and day I think about the war and what we have been through. Can't you understand me Hitomi? I do care." he said and tried to pull her in for a kiss.
She slapped him hard, his cheek giving a small droplet of blood, slowly turning into a minute river. He held his cheek and looked at the smear of blood in his hand. Hitomi was choking on tears as she glared to him, the most horrible rage anyone could hope to express was in her eyes. "I may care about you Van but I'm not a pawn! I'm not someone to just waltz in and bear your worthless children! You can get one of your little street whores to do that for you! I know how you look at women as you pass them in the street! Don't think that I'm some stupid broad that doesn't keep up on the person that I care about! I don't understand how I could EVER come to love a sick and disgusting sexist bastard who only thinks of women as people who put themselves at your feet and lay with you in your bed! I can understand that you may be a little partial to this belief as Gaea is already screwed up in their views but you are like the poster model for the woman-using bastards everywhere! And you can't hide behind your kingdom with every decision that you make! All you will learn is that it will crumble around you and you will be alone! I do understand you and I am not regretting this at all. I will go on and enjoy my life and bask in the fact that I'm not your wretched bed slave! I've never felt more happier about the fact that I left you and I won't EVER regret my actions of leaving you now! Goodbye Van Fanel and don't you EVER speak to me again! I'll make your life a living hell!" she fumed.
The last thing she saw from him was a scared, sad, and regretful look on his face. "Hi-Hi-Hitomi! Wait! I'm sorry! I do love..." was all she got from him as she abruptly severed the connection. The jolt of it all shook her and gave her a painful migraine. Hate was all she felt as she buried her face in her hands and cried angrily. The thought of Van sickened her. Just the knowing he had ever touched her made her want to hurl. "That pig, that mother fucking pig..." she cursed as she looked up to the once treasure she had on the edge of the table.
I was in a long glass box, a pure white feather. That day, before she left, he had given her a feather when they took their last flight around the countryside. She always loved it and would open it softly to caress its downy texture. Picking up her empty trash can, she picked up the case and all and laid it neatly on the bottom. His shirt was next. He sent it to her for her birthday a while back and she vowed never to wear it because she loved the way it smelled of him. She picked it out of a box in the closet and stuffed it in. Picking up her tarot cards, she looked at it in consideration. Her grandmother had given them to her as a gift and she didn't want to destroy something that he didn't give to her. Changing her clothes into a new set of tank pajamas, she stuffed her old ones into the mess as well, knowing in her mind he had dirtied them by touching it.
Quietly creeping out of her room, so as not to wake Nakami, she walked out of the house and into the backyard. Luckily her brother Mamoru had accidentally burnt down a section of the grass a few weeks ago. Grabbing some lighter fluid and matches, she pours the hell water over the mess of clothes and trinkets and struck her match. As she was about to drop it in, a hand touched her shoulder, making her jump and setting it out.
"Mother, what are you doing here? I thought you were in bed." she said as she looked to her in fear. Her mother smiled and shook her head.
"You sneak around like an elephant. You better practice on that." she replied to her daughter. Face saddening, she sighed. "I heard you Hitomi. When you were talking to him."
Hitomi nearly jumped out of her skin and looked down. "Sorry about my language mother, I was just angry." she said.
"It was perfectly needed in the situation. You blew it off with him, didn't you?" she asked. Her daughter shook and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around her and shook her head as Hitomi repeated 'It's not my fault' and 'He's just a jerk.' "I knew that this was going to happen sooner or later. It just happened later than I thought." she said sadly.
She looked up to her questioningly. "You mean you knew this was going to happen? But why didn't you tell me?" she asked with tear filled eyes. Her mother nodded.
"Long distance relationships can't go on forever. And Van has a kingdom he has to take care of Hitomi. I know he cares about you a lot but he's just torn between his kingdom and you. And I know that he loves you a lot but he's been trained so much on the country comes first. He can't choose and so he's sticking with the stable thing until you come back." she said with a smile.
"I can kind of understand what you're saying and all but I'm still angry. I just can't stand the way he thinks and he makes me so upset." she said with a frustrated sigh.
Her mom picked up the box of matches from her hands and struck one. She passed it to her daughter and smiled. "Well, that's the joy of bonfires. Light a match." she said with a smile. Hitomi returned it and she struck a match herself. They counted down and threw them in at the same time. All of her once trinkets, her once most treasured possessions of love erupted into flames and shriveled up.
After watching the small bonfire for a while, she looked to her mother and smiled. "I'm glad I have and understanding mom like you." They hugged and watched it together, the ashes floating up to the skies.
~~~*~~~
It had been a tortuous month that passed by and she continued to see Eriol. They had grown exceedingly close and she recently realized that she loved him, a lot. And Van kept trying to contact her to apologize and ask for forgiveness but she always cut him off. The days got increasingly annoying and it disturbed her during her wonderful dates with Eriol. He didn't seem to mind it at all though, in fact, he asked her to tell him her story sometime. This overjoyed her and she smiled to him, agreeing that someday she would.
After their date, she laid in her bed. All she could hear was his crying constantly in her mind for the entire time and she had to cut the date short because she had a headache. Eriol perfectly agreed and asked her to call him later. This was starting to really creep her out. It wasn't like a loud wailing cry, it was just soft and sad sobs that nagged your mind until you felt like you'd go over the edge. And it never stopped. All she wanted was it to stop and she constantly told him to quit it but he didn't say anything.
"Quit it Van!! You're ruining my life!!" she yelled and suddenly it stopped. Smiling, she laid back and thought of her next date with Eriol. He said that he had something special planned for her and they would just relax at the beach. She wondered what she would get. 'Was it an animal? Maybe a cute little kitten. Or maybe he might give me a pretty necklace or something.' she thought as she smiled.
'Hitomi... what's the matter with you? Why are you doing this to Van?' asked a soft and feminine voice. She blinked and shook her head.
'Who are you?' she asked in her mind to the mysterious woman. She couldn't see her because she didn't have a link as strong as Van.
'I am Celena Schezar. Why are you hurting Van like this?' she asked sadly.
Hitomi shook her head. 'I'm not doing anything to him. He's perfectly fine. Don't bother me.' she said.
'He's fine? He's going through hell Hitomi. The kingdom is failing to pay off building debts and is in the fear of being seized up little by little by other countries. Merle left him because he was so sad that you left. The advisors have been using him as a pawn more and more and he's just giving up on life. He's been sleeping around Hitomi and he's not even speaking to me! Van has refused to eat or anything and has locked himself in his room last week. He hasn't come out and I'm afraid he will try to kill himself again.' she said with soft anger in her voice.
She blinked and sat up in her bed. 'Now hold on Celena, Van has more common sense than that to not be with a woman he doesn't love. You might have seen it wrong.' she said, trying to be calm.
Celena sighed and continued. 'When you're heartbroken, you do lots of things that go against what you believe is right. He's the total opposite of what you know him as. I've had to take all of the knives and potential weapons from his room and post a guard there at all times. Everyday I've begged him to come out but he keeps rambling on and on about you hating him and that he doesn't feel the need to live anymore.' she said.
'Well I do hate him and please tell him to stop bothering me. I do have a life.' she said.
'Hitomi Kanzaki, I would slap you if I could reach you. How dare you not care about Van's welfare! He loves you and now he's so totally shattered that he's thinking about committing suicide! And you treat this all like this isn't any of your concern?' fumed Celena.
'That's not my fault he's in love with me.' said Hitomi with a bored voice.
'My brother was wrong about you. He said you were loving and would do anything for a person in need. You don't deserve Van.' she said coldly and cut the connection.
Hitomi sat back shocked. The news finally hit her and she felt horrible about what she had said. She laid back on her bed and prayed to the gods that Van would be alright in the end of this. A loud female shriek echoed in her head and a beam of blue light fell down onto her. She shrieked as it abruptly pulled her through the ceiling and up into the heavens.
The room she landed in was large and dark. It was large and spacious but empty. A loud shriek came from a woman at the foot of the large bed. Her short and curly hair shook side to side as she shook her head in terror. Hitomi walked up to the bed and the woman looked to her angrily. "I thought it wasn't any of your concern." she said as she scowled to her. Ignoring Celena, she walked to the side of the bed and stumbled back.
He was as white as snow and frighteningly thin. His once shiny ebony hair had become dull and straw-like as he laid in his bed, his breaths labored and drawn out. "Oh Gods Van! What happened to you?" she yelled as she fell to her knees next to the bed.
"H-H-Hitomi? Is it really you?" he asked weakly. His now thin hands reached to her and she placed it to her cheek. It was icy to her soft skin and warm tears started to flow softly from her eyes. She nodded with a waterlogged smile. "Celena, leave us please." he said with a whisper.
She nodded and reluctantly left, the door giving a silent click. He smiled and stroked her cheek. "I'm so sorry Hitomi I didn't know what I was thinking. I'm so stupid and..." he started and broke out in a coughing fit. Removing his other hand from his mouth, it was splattered with blood. She gasped and shook her head. He gave a painful chuckle and smiled to her. "I've been coughing like that for a week now. I think it's because of not eating." he said.
"Van, what's wrong with you? Why are you starving yourself? Celena is worried about you and you need to look at yourself. You are ghostly pale and terribly thin." she said sadly.
"I was just upset that you might not love me anymore and I didn't know what to do. You are the only thing that keeps me alive Hitomi. Without you, I'm just a shell, a body without a soul, without a heart." he said sadly. Tiredly, he opened his eyes with a struggle. They had lost the spark in them and were dull and glossy. "My heart died Hitomi. You don't know how much I felt like just ending my life. I wouldn't be here if Celena hadn't stopped me from carrying it out two weeks ago." he said.
Suddenly, a large coughing fit seized him and her rolled to his side, away from her. Blood splattered in his hands and on the bedding. He lurched forward and he vomited a large load of blood. It dampened the sheets and his shirt. He fell back onto his back and gasped for air. His mouth was smeared with blood and he frowned. "I'm so sorry Hitomi." he said as tears started to flow.
She shook her head and used a rag from the bedside and wiped the sweat from his brow and the blood off of his mouth. "No, I should be the one who's sorry Van. I should have let you explain. I still do love you." she said, trying to smile during it all. He looked to her with happy eyes. Reaching up, he caressed her cheek with a smile.
"I love you too. But I don't think I can make it out of this. My body is too weak to take it." he said.
"No, your wrong Van. You will be just fine, you'll see. And you can show me around Fanellia and it'll be just like before left. You'll see." she said. He shook his head and smiled.
"I'm glad you came back one last time." he said. He clutched his stomach and turned over to his side. Blood shot out of his mouth and he shivered weakly from all of the stress on his body.
"Van! Hang in there Van! You can survive this! You've gone through worse!" she said as she hugged his back. His body once again wracked with coughs, more violent than the others by far.
"I'm... sorry...Hitomi..." he yelled between coughs. She hugged him gently and repeated her new mantra of 'you'll be fine.' His coughing stopped and she smiled.
"See. I told you Van. I knew you could make it silly. I..." she said and suddenly stopped. He laid limply and she turned him over. His eyes were peacefully closed and his blood covered lips were slightly parted. Tears traced down his ghostly pale face. His skin felt cold and he laid lifeless on the bed.
"No...no...NO!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed as she held onto her love as she wept warm tears in mourning. Her heart stopped living as he laid dead in her trembling arms.
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A/N: READ THIS! THIS IS IMPORTANT! I really needed to put out another chapter so I decided to cut this into three good parts. I hope you love this. I thought it was sad but I think that it needed to be done to make this story good. Well, all of you, I have to ask you all a big favor, can you please read and review my story A.I.? It's really gonna get good and I really like the story concept. I would really appreciate it too and this story would come out even faster if yallz do. He he And I can't give all of you cement down answers about how the story will be and other things in this. In the beginning, I was gonna make it that Hitomi and Van get married happily and live their lives and Nakami falls in love and marries Allen. Now, I just don't really know how this story will go on, nor end. But what I do know is that it is going to get even better after the third little act. When Hitomi stops remembering the past and junk. And one last thing, I have to thank one of my reviewers, Yunikon Shesta Awning? You know who you are. you are the one that asked if Hitomi goes back to when she blacked out or back to before she knew Van. If it wasn't for your question, I wouldn't have made this story more interesting and longer that way. Thanks! Well, Read and review A.I.! Bye!
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A/N: WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I'm actually getting reviews from people!!! OH yeah!! I'm really gonna write now!!! Well, to answer your questions, Does Van love Celena now? Hmmm... well, I would say no but I am thinking that it would be a nice plot twist. Well, I can say that he doesn't now but I can't guarantee that he won't in the future. No intended foreshadowing though. And Hitomi was seeing the dark future if she did touch the shield. Don't understand me? Well, let's see what happens shall we? He He.
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Chapter VIII: Life, Death, and a Girl Named Fanellia
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It had been the worst form of torture that could be created for her. She stood at the track. Amano held her pendant, ready to swing. "Are you ready Kanzaki?" he yelled. This was the fourth time he said that. The second time she apologized to Yukari just happened too. In her mind, she cursed to Inhestia. Instead of sending her back to the point when she touched the shield, she sent her all the way back to the first day of her freshman year. She had to tread softly and do everything over, exactly over. It was hard for the first month but she finally made it to Gaea and came back.
"Go!" he yelled and let the pendant swing. She jumped up and ran as fast as her thin body could. All she thought about was reaching Van. Pretending to care about Amano and Allen made her sick to her stomach. Especially when Allen kissed her on the bridge. She felt like she was going to hurl but put on a show. It was like a recurring nightmare when she saw Van standing there, his eyes filled with sadness. Tears wanted to flow but she knew that it had to be kept in. When she got back to the room, she cried her heart out. All of the hurt she was giving him and she hadn't known before was tearing at her heart.
A familiar blue light shone out ahead of her. A large dragon armor landed slowly and the pilot looked around. "Van!" she yelled with all of her heart. He turned to her and the rest of the time just passed by. She was a long way from being halfway done and it would be so long until she would be able to go back to loving her king the way she used to.
~~~*~~~
They were in a large wood-like area. Escaflowne loomed overhead, its magnificent aura showered all over the place. Huge gravestones were there too, but farther along. She smiled as he walked with her, hand in hand, her head resting on his shoulder. This was something she loved in their past of togetherness. Just the feeling of being with him satisfied her and she smiled happily. "What are you smiling about Hitomi?" he asked.
She shook her head and nuzzled his shoulder. "I'm smiling about us. About how long it took for us to finally be together." she said. 'I'm supposed to cry now, I remember that.' she though as she thought of the sadness Van had gone through in the dark future. That worked and now she stopped, shaking with tears. He turned to her in concern. Embracing her, he let her cry on his shoulder.
"Oh Hitomi. Don't cry. I'm with you now, everything is going to be alright." he said in a soft voice, rubbing her back. She shook her head and buried her face into his neck. This was her favorite memory about them before she had come back to Gaea the last time when they were older. He gently pulled her back and looked into her tearful eyes. She knew they were red and she yet again hated the fact that she cried in front of him. He tilted her chin so she could look to him. "Don't cry Hitomi, it hurts me." he said sincerely with a smile.
"I'm sorry Van. I just am so worried about losing you again and I..." she started but was unable to finish her sentence. He pulled her thin body up to him and drew her in for a kiss. She jumped at the sudden change of actions then wrapped her arms around his neck. Releasing from the long kiss, they stood there and lingered for a while in the feeling of their first kiss.
After he caught his breath, he smiled one of his rare million-dollar smiles and hugged her tightly. "You talk to much Hitomi." she said and stroked her short hair. Giggling, she nuzzled his neck and placed a small and playful kiss there, earning a moan from him. He pulled her far enough from him to look to her with a questioning look in his face. A slight blush was garnished on his cheeks and she giggled to him, walking ahead a few yards.
"Are you coming or not?" she asked playfully ash she turned back to him. Wiping the shocked and confused look off of his face and ran up to her quickly. Nodding, he grabbed her hand and the proceeded along on their little walk.
~~~*~~~
The days were cooler and her heart was icy. She felt more and more like a freak everyday. Everyone said she was delusional and was probably smoking something to make her this way. Yukari didn't believe her and she was frustrated that she wouldn't even believe her own best friend. They had a huge fight and Yukari ended up yelling that she is so pathetic that she is making up imaginary boyfriends because she couldn't be able to get a real one herself. She blew up on her and they never spoke to each other again.
Hitomi sighed and sat at the table in the cafeteria. Being the only one at that table, or in a one table radius of hers, she looked down at her pathetic lunch of pink rice balls and teriyaki chicken. It was boring and she gave up going on her weekly spurts to the cafeteria. Even the lunch ladies seemed to be frightened of her and they talked about her when she left. Everybody did. She didn't really mind anymore though. It has been a year since she left Gaea and she was still as lonely as she was when she had friends.
"I'm sorry you are suffering so much Hitomi. I wish I could do something to ease it all for you." said her handsome king as he sat on the bench across the table. She started to tear up and buried her face into her hands. "Oh Hitomi. Don't cry. You know it hurts me." he said as he stood up and walked over to her, through the table as if it were nothing there and sat next to her. He hugged her softly and she could smell the scent of the fields again.
"I just can't Van. It's so hard. I can't take it anymore. Everyone thinks I'm crazy." she said as she continued to cry hard. She had her cell phone in her hand so she could pretend that she was talking on the phone. He smiled an angelic smile to her and kissed her cheek. A warm sensation was left there even though she couldn't feel the soft feel of it at all.
"Are you crazy Hitomi? Did you make me and all of Gaea up?" he asked softly. She shook her head and whispered out her answer.
"No Van. I just wish I could be with you again. I miss the feel of being in Fanellia. Can't you take me back Van?" she asked with a teary expression. He looked down with a frown and shook his head. The pendant on his neck had long ago turned a dead black, like a dull obsidian. It hung heavily at his chest and he gripped it with hope. It refused to shine and a tear trickled down his cheek.
"I can't. You know how much I want to take you back Hitomi. All I want to do is to take you back and love you and take care of you and make you my one and only queen. I want you to be the mother of my children and I want to die with you by my side and be greeted with your presence in heaven. But I just can't Hitomi. Everyday I try and try until I fall to my knees in exhaustion but I can't bring you back to me. All I can get from the pendant is that there is another key that will bring you back. I've sent my guards far and wide but they haven't found anything that has the power to bring here to me." he said as tears flowed freely from his sad face.
Suddenly his face took an alarmed appearance and he quickly looked around the cafeteria. She knew he couldn't see anyone but a black void, herself, and a table and she didn't see most of his surroundings either whenever she tried to contact him. Standing up, he growled ferociously. "Someone is in here. They tapped into our connection." he said. He looked down to her and calmed the emotions on his face as he traced a finger down her cheek. "I have to go. Goodbye my love." he said and walked out the side and through the crowd and disappeared.
Her heart sunk as he left. Something was terribly wrong and it scared her to see Van act so feral. Putting down her phone, she picked up her chopsticks and started to eat her lunch. A school case was set onto the table and the owner sighed as she sat down. "Hey! I hope you don't mind if I sit here do you. I'm new at this school and all of the other seats were packed and I didn't want to be by myself." she said with a giggle. Hitomi looked at the teenager curiously. Her hair was a perfect ebony and flowed down her shoulders in perfect waves. Burgundy eyes looked to her with cheeriness and her slightly tanned skin glowed a nice bronze color. She looked like what she would imagine Van's sister to look like if he had one.
"Do you know who I am?" she asked the new girl questioningly with a small hint of anger in her voice. The girl shrugged casually and began to unpack her lunch.
"You're Hitomi Kanzaki, the school freak who raves on about imaginary worlds and stuff. Yeah, and your point is?" she said and started to eat her meal of a Big Mac and some fries. They seemed hot and Hitomi was puzzled about it. There wasn't a McDonalds for miles in the inner city but it looked as if she just went and bought it from down the street. She noticed her staring and held out her burger. "You can have a bite if you want." she said.
"Oh, no thanks. Why aren't you scared and conspiring against me?" asked Hitomi as she ate a bit of rice. The girl laughed and her perfect black waves bounced amusingly.
"I don't believe that crap. And besides, people have to believe in something." she said, her last sentence said with sincerity. She smiled to Hitomi and ate her food. "Hey, I know your name but I haven't even given you mine. My name is Nakami Fanellia ei Takahara. Pleased to make your acquaintance." she said.
Hitomi jumped back at her name. Her middle name was Fanellia? It was creepy to her and she shuddered. What was her relation to Van? How did she get the name? All of these questions were bubbling up inside of her but she decided to keep them inside for now. She didn't want to scare away a potential friend and she felt at ease with her. "Um, Nakami, how did you get your middle name of Fanellia?" she asked, wanting to get at least a small answer for that matter.
She stuffed the rest of the burger in her mouth and held up her index finger for her to wait. Swallowing it soundlessly, she smiled and picked up her perspiring coke. "Oh, well, my mother's former fiancée had a tale about him and his sister living in a beautiful kingdom called Fanellia. Her name was Varcy. Valie. Vakrey." she said as she tried to guess out the name.
"Was it Varie?" she asked. Nakami nodded happily and clicked her fingers.
"That's it. I have such a bad memory but her name was Varie and she married a king named Go-ow?" she said.
"Goau. Goau Fanel." said Hitomi. The girl blinked. "I'm a psychic." she added in, relieving the girls suspicious look.
"Yeah, well, he lived there and was lost in a blue light and appeared on Earth. My mother had been driving on the interstate by here and she saw him out in the rain and brought him in to her house. The rest is history. And when my mother was pregnant with me, he told her to name me after the place he went to. So that's it." she said. The bell rang and Nakami stood up.
"I have three classes a day so I guess this is it Nakami." she said. Nakami beamed and laughed.
"I have the same. And I come back for and extra class at six tonight. Do you want to hang out with us?" she asked as she tried to finish her fries.
"Huh? Your friends?" she asked in confusion. Nakami nodded in a mouthful of fries.
"I do have friends too ya know." she said.
"I don't have any friends, everyone is scared of me." said Hitomi sadly.
"You have me! Come on! We are going to Sky Riders." she said tugging on her arm. Hitomi blinked as she was dragged by the ever fast Nakami. Sky Riders was a huge skate park by the beach. It had rollercoasters and lots of fun things like that. All of the popular and hot guys from the school basically ruled there and some of the attractive foreign boys went there too. She stopped on her heels and Nakami jolted to a halt.
She looked to Hitomi with a slightly angry look. "Hitomi? What's wrong? I don't want to be late and all." she said. She shook her head and Nakami understood. "Hitomi... they won't judge you. You're with me remember? I practically own the group so whatever I say goes. I'll stick with you okay?" she said with a sign and grabbed her hand. Hitomi smiled and continued along with her.
~~~*~~~
She rolled to her side in bed. It was midnight but sleep just wouldn't come to her. Standing up, she hopped over Nakami, who lay peaceful in sleep on a cot below her, and made her way to the desk. Lately everything has been going great for her. All of Nakami's friends had taken her in happily after a short speech from Nakami. They had been hanging out all school year and during the winter break. A really attractive guy named Eriol had just asked her out on a date that afternoon. The entire date was a blast and she really ended up having feelings for him. Nakami had gone on and on about how sweet it was when they had a goodnight kiss.
That thought struck her like a lightning bolt. She had been having the time of her life all along and she forgot all about Van. Even worse, she thought she saw feathers when he dropped her off and kissed her. Sitting down on the chair, she closed her eyes and tried to contact him. The connection felt cold and wet, like the feel after a gloomy rain. She shivered and shook herself to warm up her freezing body. 'Van? Let me see you. Why is it so cold here?' she asked in her mind. It used to be warm and cozy when she tried to each him but now it was uncomfortably icy and she was scared.
He sat off in the distance, his feet in a pool of water. She ran up to him happily, relieved that he wasn't dead. As she almost reached him, he disappeared and re-appeared farther on, standing and looking up to the sky. "Just leave me alone Hitomi. I don't want to feel cold anymore." he said sadly. In his hand was a necklace with a large red stone, sharpened and somewhat worn.
"Van, what are you saying? What happened?" she asked as she stood there. He turned to her sadly, a tear falling down his cheek. Looking back down, he smiled sadly to the necklace.
"Merle's gone. She left and she's not coming back." he said sadly and held the nail file close to him. It turned to dust in his hands and he gasped. "No!" he said as he tried to catch the dust as it flew away. Hitomi walked up to him and hugged him from behind. Her now chin length hair blew in his face softly. "You've left me too. I saw you." he said sadly.
She pulled back and looked to him in shock. Guilt rushed up into her veins and all she could do was panic. "I haven't left you Van. I really didn't... oh I'm so sorry Van." she said as she tried to hug him again. He pushed her away abruptly and looked to her with sorrow-filled eyes. "Van...?" she asked.
He shook his head and turned away from her. "I don't want to hurt anymore. I'm tired of the pain and whenever I let someone in and I care about them, they always leave me. And I keep hurting." he said and looked back to her. "Don't you see Hitomi? We aren't meant to be together. That's why we are apart. I don't want to keep holding on when the inevitable is staring us in the face. My heart tells me it's best for us, it's best for me to be alone for the entirety of my life." he said sadly.
Hitomi knew he was hurting as he said this. It stuck her like an icy blade too. But weirdly, it made sense to what he was saying. They were fighting a war that would overcome them in time and she knew that if they let it go now, they wouldn't have so many casualties. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she smiled sadly. "I guess this is it...huh Van? After enduring the war and the changing of fate and all, we've decided to give up at a battle so trivial that the people who died for our love would be rolling in their graves? That Folken would curse us and deny any relation to you? I guess that after all you have done, all of the time your guards an huntsmen spent on finding the second key, you would make it all in vain? And all the love I gave you, you would just turn it down over something so ridiculously stupid? I understand your thoughts. It's clear to me now." she said while shaking in anger.
"But I still love you Hitomi. But I have a kingdom and I need to attend to what's best for my people. I have responsibilities. They need a queen and an heir and you aren't here to give them to me. And I do think about it all Hitomi, night and day I think about the war and what we have been through. Can't you understand me Hitomi? I do care." he said and tried to pull her in for a kiss.
She slapped him hard, his cheek giving a small droplet of blood, slowly turning into a minute river. He held his cheek and looked at the smear of blood in his hand. Hitomi was choking on tears as she glared to him, the most horrible rage anyone could hope to express was in her eyes. "I may care about you Van but I'm not a pawn! I'm not someone to just waltz in and bear your worthless children! You can get one of your little street whores to do that for you! I know how you look at women as you pass them in the street! Don't think that I'm some stupid broad that doesn't keep up on the person that I care about! I don't understand how I could EVER come to love a sick and disgusting sexist bastard who only thinks of women as people who put themselves at your feet and lay with you in your bed! I can understand that you may be a little partial to this belief as Gaea is already screwed up in their views but you are like the poster model for the woman-using bastards everywhere! And you can't hide behind your kingdom with every decision that you make! All you will learn is that it will crumble around you and you will be alone! I do understand you and I am not regretting this at all. I will go on and enjoy my life and bask in the fact that I'm not your wretched bed slave! I've never felt more happier about the fact that I left you and I won't EVER regret my actions of leaving you now! Goodbye Van Fanel and don't you EVER speak to me again! I'll make your life a living hell!" she fumed.
The last thing she saw from him was a scared, sad, and regretful look on his face. "Hi-Hi-Hitomi! Wait! I'm sorry! I do love..." was all she got from him as she abruptly severed the connection. The jolt of it all shook her and gave her a painful migraine. Hate was all she felt as she buried her face in her hands and cried angrily. The thought of Van sickened her. Just the knowing he had ever touched her made her want to hurl. "That pig, that mother fucking pig..." she cursed as she looked up to the once treasure she had on the edge of the table.
I was in a long glass box, a pure white feather. That day, before she left, he had given her a feather when they took their last flight around the countryside. She always loved it and would open it softly to caress its downy texture. Picking up her empty trash can, she picked up the case and all and laid it neatly on the bottom. His shirt was next. He sent it to her for her birthday a while back and she vowed never to wear it because she loved the way it smelled of him. She picked it out of a box in the closet and stuffed it in. Picking up her tarot cards, she looked at it in consideration. Her grandmother had given them to her as a gift and she didn't want to destroy something that he didn't give to her. Changing her clothes into a new set of tank pajamas, she stuffed her old ones into the mess as well, knowing in her mind he had dirtied them by touching it.
Quietly creeping out of her room, so as not to wake Nakami, she walked out of the house and into the backyard. Luckily her brother Mamoru had accidentally burnt down a section of the grass a few weeks ago. Grabbing some lighter fluid and matches, she pours the hell water over the mess of clothes and trinkets and struck her match. As she was about to drop it in, a hand touched her shoulder, making her jump and setting it out.
"Mother, what are you doing here? I thought you were in bed." she said as she looked to her in fear. Her mother smiled and shook her head.
"You sneak around like an elephant. You better practice on that." she replied to her daughter. Face saddening, she sighed. "I heard you Hitomi. When you were talking to him."
Hitomi nearly jumped out of her skin and looked down. "Sorry about my language mother, I was just angry." she said.
"It was perfectly needed in the situation. You blew it off with him, didn't you?" she asked. Her daughter shook and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around her and shook her head as Hitomi repeated 'It's not my fault' and 'He's just a jerk.' "I knew that this was going to happen sooner or later. It just happened later than I thought." she said sadly.
She looked up to her questioningly. "You mean you knew this was going to happen? But why didn't you tell me?" she asked with tear filled eyes. Her mother nodded.
"Long distance relationships can't go on forever. And Van has a kingdom he has to take care of Hitomi. I know he cares about you a lot but he's just torn between his kingdom and you. And I know that he loves you a lot but he's been trained so much on the country comes first. He can't choose and so he's sticking with the stable thing until you come back." she said with a smile.
"I can kind of understand what you're saying and all but I'm still angry. I just can't stand the way he thinks and he makes me so upset." she said with a frustrated sigh.
Her mom picked up the box of matches from her hands and struck one. She passed it to her daughter and smiled. "Well, that's the joy of bonfires. Light a match." she said with a smile. Hitomi returned it and she struck a match herself. They counted down and threw them in at the same time. All of her once trinkets, her once most treasured possessions of love erupted into flames and shriveled up.
After watching the small bonfire for a while, she looked to her mother and smiled. "I'm glad I have and understanding mom like you." They hugged and watched it together, the ashes floating up to the skies.
~~~*~~~
It had been a tortuous month that passed by and she continued to see Eriol. They had grown exceedingly close and she recently realized that she loved him, a lot. And Van kept trying to contact her to apologize and ask for forgiveness but she always cut him off. The days got increasingly annoying and it disturbed her during her wonderful dates with Eriol. He didn't seem to mind it at all though, in fact, he asked her to tell him her story sometime. This overjoyed her and she smiled to him, agreeing that someday she would.
After their date, she laid in her bed. All she could hear was his crying constantly in her mind for the entire time and she had to cut the date short because she had a headache. Eriol perfectly agreed and asked her to call him later. This was starting to really creep her out. It wasn't like a loud wailing cry, it was just soft and sad sobs that nagged your mind until you felt like you'd go over the edge. And it never stopped. All she wanted was it to stop and she constantly told him to quit it but he didn't say anything.
"Quit it Van!! You're ruining my life!!" she yelled and suddenly it stopped. Smiling, she laid back and thought of her next date with Eriol. He said that he had something special planned for her and they would just relax at the beach. She wondered what she would get. 'Was it an animal? Maybe a cute little kitten. Or maybe he might give me a pretty necklace or something.' she thought as she smiled.
'Hitomi... what's the matter with you? Why are you doing this to Van?' asked a soft and feminine voice. She blinked and shook her head.
'Who are you?' she asked in her mind to the mysterious woman. She couldn't see her because she didn't have a link as strong as Van.
'I am Celena Schezar. Why are you hurting Van like this?' she asked sadly.
Hitomi shook her head. 'I'm not doing anything to him. He's perfectly fine. Don't bother me.' she said.
'He's fine? He's going through hell Hitomi. The kingdom is failing to pay off building debts and is in the fear of being seized up little by little by other countries. Merle left him because he was so sad that you left. The advisors have been using him as a pawn more and more and he's just giving up on life. He's been sleeping around Hitomi and he's not even speaking to me! Van has refused to eat or anything and has locked himself in his room last week. He hasn't come out and I'm afraid he will try to kill himself again.' she said with soft anger in her voice.
She blinked and sat up in her bed. 'Now hold on Celena, Van has more common sense than that to not be with a woman he doesn't love. You might have seen it wrong.' she said, trying to be calm.
Celena sighed and continued. 'When you're heartbroken, you do lots of things that go against what you believe is right. He's the total opposite of what you know him as. I've had to take all of the knives and potential weapons from his room and post a guard there at all times. Everyday I've begged him to come out but he keeps rambling on and on about you hating him and that he doesn't feel the need to live anymore.' she said.
'Well I do hate him and please tell him to stop bothering me. I do have a life.' she said.
'Hitomi Kanzaki, I would slap you if I could reach you. How dare you not care about Van's welfare! He loves you and now he's so totally shattered that he's thinking about committing suicide! And you treat this all like this isn't any of your concern?' fumed Celena.
'That's not my fault he's in love with me.' said Hitomi with a bored voice.
'My brother was wrong about you. He said you were loving and would do anything for a person in need. You don't deserve Van.' she said coldly and cut the connection.
Hitomi sat back shocked. The news finally hit her and she felt horrible about what she had said. She laid back on her bed and prayed to the gods that Van would be alright in the end of this. A loud female shriek echoed in her head and a beam of blue light fell down onto her. She shrieked as it abruptly pulled her through the ceiling and up into the heavens.
The room she landed in was large and dark. It was large and spacious but empty. A loud shriek came from a woman at the foot of the large bed. Her short and curly hair shook side to side as she shook her head in terror. Hitomi walked up to the bed and the woman looked to her angrily. "I thought it wasn't any of your concern." she said as she scowled to her. Ignoring Celena, she walked to the side of the bed and stumbled back.
He was as white as snow and frighteningly thin. His once shiny ebony hair had become dull and straw-like as he laid in his bed, his breaths labored and drawn out. "Oh Gods Van! What happened to you?" she yelled as she fell to her knees next to the bed.
"H-H-Hitomi? Is it really you?" he asked weakly. His now thin hands reached to her and she placed it to her cheek. It was icy to her soft skin and warm tears started to flow softly from her eyes. She nodded with a waterlogged smile. "Celena, leave us please." he said with a whisper.
She nodded and reluctantly left, the door giving a silent click. He smiled and stroked her cheek. "I'm so sorry Hitomi I didn't know what I was thinking. I'm so stupid and..." he started and broke out in a coughing fit. Removing his other hand from his mouth, it was splattered with blood. She gasped and shook her head. He gave a painful chuckle and smiled to her. "I've been coughing like that for a week now. I think it's because of not eating." he said.
"Van, what's wrong with you? Why are you starving yourself? Celena is worried about you and you need to look at yourself. You are ghostly pale and terribly thin." she said sadly.
"I was just upset that you might not love me anymore and I didn't know what to do. You are the only thing that keeps me alive Hitomi. Without you, I'm just a shell, a body without a soul, without a heart." he said sadly. Tiredly, he opened his eyes with a struggle. They had lost the spark in them and were dull and glossy. "My heart died Hitomi. You don't know how much I felt like just ending my life. I wouldn't be here if Celena hadn't stopped me from carrying it out two weeks ago." he said.
Suddenly, a large coughing fit seized him and her rolled to his side, away from her. Blood splattered in his hands and on the bedding. He lurched forward and he vomited a large load of blood. It dampened the sheets and his shirt. He fell back onto his back and gasped for air. His mouth was smeared with blood and he frowned. "I'm so sorry Hitomi." he said as tears started to flow.
She shook her head and used a rag from the bedside and wiped the sweat from his brow and the blood off of his mouth. "No, I should be the one who's sorry Van. I should have let you explain. I still do love you." she said, trying to smile during it all. He looked to her with happy eyes. Reaching up, he caressed her cheek with a smile.
"I love you too. But I don't think I can make it out of this. My body is too weak to take it." he said.
"No, your wrong Van. You will be just fine, you'll see. And you can show me around Fanellia and it'll be just like before left. You'll see." she said. He shook his head and smiled.
"I'm glad you came back one last time." he said. He clutched his stomach and turned over to his side. Blood shot out of his mouth and he shivered weakly from all of the stress on his body.
"Van! Hang in there Van! You can survive this! You've gone through worse!" she said as she hugged his back. His body once again wracked with coughs, more violent than the others by far.
"I'm... sorry...Hitomi..." he yelled between coughs. She hugged him gently and repeated her new mantra of 'you'll be fine.' His coughing stopped and she smiled.
"See. I told you Van. I knew you could make it silly. I..." she said and suddenly stopped. He laid limply and she turned him over. His eyes were peacefully closed and his blood covered lips were slightly parted. Tears traced down his ghostly pale face. His skin felt cold and he laid lifeless on the bed.
"No...no...NO!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed as she held onto her love as she wept warm tears in mourning. Her heart stopped living as he laid dead in her trembling arms.
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A/N: READ THIS! THIS IS IMPORTANT! I really needed to put out another chapter so I decided to cut this into three good parts. I hope you love this. I thought it was sad but I think that it needed to be done to make this story good. Well, all of you, I have to ask you all a big favor, can you please read and review my story A.I.? It's really gonna get good and I really like the story concept. I would really appreciate it too and this story would come out even faster if yallz do. He he And I can't give all of you cement down answers about how the story will be and other things in this. In the beginning, I was gonna make it that Hitomi and Van get married happily and live their lives and Nakami falls in love and marries Allen. Now, I just don't really know how this story will go on, nor end. But what I do know is that it is going to get even better after the third little act. When Hitomi stops remembering the past and junk. And one last thing, I have to thank one of my reviewers, Yunikon Shesta Awning? You know who you are. you are the one that asked if Hitomi goes back to when she blacked out or back to before she knew Van. If it wasn't for your question, I wouldn't have made this story more interesting and longer that way. Thanks! Well, Read and review A.I.! Bye!
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