This is the sad ending... trust me... you'll probably need a tissue. If you don't want to read this, then just go to the next chapter... that is the happy ending. The credits are in the next chapter... not this one... please don't forget to R&R! And if what Hitomi says near the end reminds you of Moulin Rouge... well you're right. Lol... couldn't help but put some of the things Satine says in.

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, Moulin Rouge, Evanescence's song Missing, or the quotes.

But as Hitomi's fighting continued, her energy started to dissipate, and her struggle became less violent. Soon, all of her control would be lost, and she would become a slave for Zaibach.

But one might come to thinking... were the sorcerers really altering fate? Or was this what fate had intended to happen all along? Some may never know... but then fate has to finish what it started, does it not? So where fate may be altered, it may not have been thought of to be altered till the very end...

Chapter 21-Ending 1-Things Change and Don't Go Your Way

'Hitomi... I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you...' Dilandau's struggles had gone silent after watching Hitomi go through much severe pain for what seemed like an eternity. Her screams quieted but her body still jerked and her head rolled from side to side as she fought the drugs.

No more injections or chemicals were placed into her body, but pain was still evident in Hitomi's face. To think that she was only thinking of the pain may be obvious, but in her mind, many other thoughts ran through her head. 'I never believed in pre-determined fate... but why now do I feel as if this was my destiny? Especially when everything was turning out so perfectly... but then not every story has a happy ending. Maybe my story here on Gaea was never meant to have a happy ending. If I did end up staying with Van... I would need to go back to my home... who knows if I would have ever been able to get back to Gaea or not. It was just not meant to be...'

As more time passed, more memories disappeared. Her family and friends on the Mystic Moon were now forgotten, erased by the chemicals. All of her experiences on Gaea were soon to follow.

But when her memories about Dilandau were reached, something stopped inside. A new energy rose inside Hitomi as she fought off the drugs with new strength. Part of her didn't know why she was fighting, but the other part needed to keep those memories alive.

But because she fought the drugs with all her concentration, anything that went on around her went on unnoticed. The lone figure on the floor was now gone from his spot. None of the sorcerers noticed this and that was their downfall. Too overcome by their new experiment, the sound of metal clinking against metal went unseen by anyone.

Suddenly a sorcerer gave out a sharp gasp. This everyone noticed and looked at him, utterly shocked. A now blood covered sword jutted out of his chest, blood quickly flowing down the front and back of his black cloak. He looked stunned as he glanced at the object protruding from his chest. Blood started to trickle down from his mouth and the sword was pulled out of his chest with one quick motion. The sorcerer collapsed to the ground, now slowing dying until his heart stopped entirely.

Everyone except Hitomi was now fully aware of what had happened and they were now glaring at the man who just killed one of his own kind. Blood slightly matted his blue hair and his eyes glared at all the black-cloaked men. Standing with his sword ready, Folken charged at the next unprepared sorcerer. Slicing his neck, blood gushed down his body as he collapsed, a pool of blood forming around his dead corpse.

A few more sorcerers went down, some grasping large gashes on their bodies, others falling dead, and the rest left with fatal wounds. Folken only left a few survivors... but he left certain ones alive on purpose. Heikurou sat on the ground, pressing his hand against a large gash in his arm. Folken looked to make sure he wasn't going to try anything and then walked to Dilandau.

Dilandau was fully aware of everything that had just transpired and was amazed. He knew Folken could use a sword... but never with such skill he just saw. Before he knew what was happening, Folken had released all the restraints holding Dilandau down. He nearly collapsed from the weakness he felt in his muscles but pushed his weak state aside as he rushed over to Hitomi.

But what he saw sent rage through his veins. She was turning pale and she was pulling against the restraints so harshly that they were cutting into her skin. Red blood tricked down her wrists and dried tears stained her face. He quickly undid the bonds that held her and started to tear at the bottom of his pants. He ripped a few strips of cloth from them and wrapped Hitomi's bleeding wounds. Looking at her made his heart ache but once he heard a whimper from behind, all sympathy vanished as he remembered the people who had done this.

"Please Folken... have mercy! Don't kill me!" an injured Heikurou sniveled.

Folken looked down upon him with disgust. "I won't kill you as long as you can change Hitomi back to normal."

"But that's... impossible. Those chemicals are irreversible. There is no cure or anything to undo what has been done," the sorcerer told him.

"What do you mean?!" Dilandau was now charging at the defenseless man while he tried to back away. The fire in the young boy rose as he heard the stupid sorcerer say those words, and he was blinded by fury as he ran towards Heikurou, gripped him by the throat, and pinned him to the ground. Dilandau's face came a few inches away from the man beneath him as he repeated himself. "What do you mean it's irreversible?"

Fire grew in his eyes and the sorcerer was now gasping for breath. He let up a little to let the older man speak. "The drugs we gave her are more advanced than what we gave you. We found the mistakes we made with you and corrected them. There is no way to change what has been done to her. Unlike you... she will not be broken."

Dilandau became infuriated with his words and cut off his air supply. After the large loss of blood, and oxygen not reaching his brain, Heikurou died. Dilandau was breathing hard but when Folken put a hand on his shoulder, he snapped out of his daze. Folken then looked to his side and Dilandau followed his gaze. Hitomi was now lying on the floor, her head supported by Folken's cloak. He had placed her down there for fear of her falling off the table while struggling with her mind.

Without a second thought, Dilandau rushed to her side. "Hitomi..." he whispered to her.

Her face showed that she recognized his voice and it softened slightly. Her hand instinctively rose up and he gasped it with his own hands. The touch had almost startled Hitomi, and for the first time since she had been injected, her eyes opened. Those beautiful eyes of emerald green now looked as if they had faded, the white surrounding them had become red, and the shine of happiness had now turned glassy.

Hitomi tried to smile at him, but her lip trembled slightly instead. A little above a whisper Hitomi said, "H... hold me... please... just hold me."

Dilandau obliged and sat on the ground next to her. He gathered her in his arms and rested her back against one of his legs that was bent. Her head rested against his bare chest, feeling his soft skin on her cheek. Her breath felt shallow, but that didn't matter to either.

"Dilandau..." Hitomi's soft voice started to lightly talk once again. "I need you to do one last thing for me."

"What is it?" Dilandau would do anything for her at this point, but what she was to ask wasn't what he was expecting.

"Please... end my life..."

Dilandau stared at her, disbelieving every word she just said. "What?" His voice was soft.

"I'm sorry... but..." tears started to fall from her red eyes once again. "...you must bring an end to all of this."

"No... Hitomi... you'll be all right. I know you can fight this... and if the drugs do take over... I'll help you beat it... just like how you helped me."

"It doesn't work like that... the sorcerers perfected the drug... you were the first one they tested it on... it had its faults."

Dilandau kept shaking his head back and forth as if denying everything. "No... even if you do change... I'll be here... our emotions will break the barriers... we can beat this Hitomi!"

She closed her eyes as another sob escaped her throat. Oh how she wished his words were true... but it could never be... it was never meant to be. "I saw everything the sorcerers did... they made it so that once the chemicals fully took someone over, it would make them kill anyone they've ever loved or cared about. It's protection. Everyone I love will be killed... they won't be able to live long enough to sever the hold this drug has on my mind. When I can't fight it off any longer... I'm going to kill you first..."

"But that never happened to me... I never killed anyone I loved..."

Hitomi looked at him sympathetically. "Your parents were killed in an attack... they were the only ones you ever loved. The sorcerers experimented on you, but since you loved no one while you were with Zaibach, you didn't need to kill."

"I can't do this... I can't kill you..."

"If you don't... then this war will rage on, and more innocent people will die. More soldiers will be needed, and more countries will suffer the effects of it." Hitomi sounded near desperation.

Dilandau looked at her and shook his head from side to side. "But why do you need to die? Of all people... you are the one to be sacrificed... why?"

"Dilandau..." Hitomi's eyes shut instantly and her body tensed up again. She was fighting her own war inside her head as she struggled to remember that time she had the conversation with Dilandau... when she had defended Van for not running away during the battle in Fanelia. The memory was brought up again as she opened her eyes once more. "Remember when you said that Van ran from battle and that he was cowardly in doing so... but I said it wasn't his fault?"

After thinking about it for a few moments, he nodded his head slightly.

"You asked me why Van didn't stay and fight if he would willingly die for his country... and I told you that fate did it."

"Yeah... and you left me so confused. I had no idea what meaning you had behind your words." Dilandau confessed.

"Fate... our predetermined future..." Hitomi started to trail off as if in deep thought. "I never believed in fate to tell you the truth... but now... since I came to Zaibach, I believe in destiny. I believe we were meant to meet each other, and I believe that it was our destiny to fall in love with each other." Tears started to roll down Hitomi's cheeks more freely. "And I also think that I am predestined to die now."

"Don't say that! We decide our own futures... fate... it's all just a bunch of shit... Hitomi... you don't have to die!"

Hitomi would love to believe the words that were just said, but in her heart, fate or no fate, she knew that to end the suffering... to end this meaningless war... she would need to die. Just because of her selfishness to live, she knew hundreds would die because of it. When she first came to Zaibach, she wanted to make sure that no one would die because of her... that no one would get hurt on her behalf. This was a decision she had to make... no matter how much it hurt Dilandau to have to carry it out. Both theirs hearts beat with fear and hope faded from Dilandau's face.

Suddenly Hitomi's body jerked against Dilandau's and her mouth opened, quickly letting out a sharp exhalation. Dilandau became alarmed and tried to restrict her body. It was obvious that by the minute, control in Hitomi's mind became harder and harder to keep.

"Hitomi... Hitomi! Listen to my voice! You have to fight it! Please..." Dilandau held her close and kept whispering into her ear, trying to help her fight off the drugs. It wasn't long before her struggles slowed and her breathing calmed. She looked at Dilandau once she blinked a few times and smiled very tiredly at his worried gaze.

Her expression was soft and it almost looked as if she was at peace. Her voice then broke their silence. "I can't fight it any longer. I'm so sorry... Dilandau... please... before it's too late... while I still have control... do it for me..."

Her words hit him painfully, and he knew what he had to do. With a shaky hand, he reached towards his right leg, and found a medium sized dagger sheathed inside his boot. The sorcerers had only stripped him of his shirt, but they did not look for any weapons. His hand grasped the handle unsurely and he bit his lip to hold back the oncoming tears as he slid the sharp metal from its hold. He now had one arm around her shoulders and the other held the dagger that gleamed in the low lighting.

For once in his life, Dilandau had no idea what to do with the weapon he held so tightly in his grasp. He started at it deftly but snapped out of his daze when he felt one of Hitomi's hands gently touch his cheek, and the other wrap around the hand holding the dagger. He looked at her questioningly but once he saw the understanding in her green depths, he almost felt relieved. He wouldn't have to do it alone... she was there... and she would guide him...

Hitomi brought the tip of the sharpened metal to her heart, but she did not remove her hand. Her eyes locked with Dilandau's once again and she spoke to him for the last time. "Promise me you'll end this war once and for all. Promise me that there will be peace and that you will not be enemies with Van and the others. Promise me..."

Dilandau listened to her words carefully and nodded his head in agreement. "I promise..."

The hand that was caressing his cheek then pulled his face down towards hers for one last moment of peace. Their lips locked together, each putting much more passion into it than their last one. Neither wanted to let go but as Hitomi's mind became more unsure of itself, she was forced break the moment. She smiled so sweetly at him and nodded her head, signaling she was ready. Dilandau also nodded his head and almost silently whispered "I'm sorry..."

Their hands gripped the handle tightly and without a second thought, they both thrust the blade into Hitomi's chest. The pain was severe and Hitomi gasped in surprise, but as she felt her blood running freely from her body, the sting seemed to fade away.

Dilandau was now holding her against his body while tears poured from his eyes. He gave no whimper or shout of anguish, but the warm tears of loss and misery fell almost unnoticed from his now gently burning orbs.

Hitomi looked at him one last time, the world around her starting to vanish. Her words came out choked, but he could tell they held no regret. "I... love you... and... remember that I'll always be with you."

Slowly, as her life faded away, her eyelids closed over her shining emerald eyes. Her smile did not drop, nor did it change, and soon after, her body became limp. Realization struck Dilandau hard as he stared at the only woman he had ever loved. He dropped his head so his forehead rested against Hitomi's, and let his silent tears drop onto Hitomi's pale face, where they ran off like a waterfall to the ground. "And I will always love you... Hitomi..."

~*~ Missing by Evanescence ~*~

Please, please forgive me,

But I won't be home again,

Maybe someday you'll look up,

And barely conscious you'll say to no one, Isn't something missing?

~*~*~

As Hitomi's spirit faded away, she knew exactly what would happen to all who ever knew her on Earth. She would be erased from everyone's memories... just as if she had never existed. But there would always be those thoughts in the back of everyone's mind... thoughts of Hitomi, the one who no longer existed on Earth or Gaea.

~*~*~

You won't cry for my absence I know,

You forgot me long ago,

Am I that unimportant?

Am I so insignificant?

Isn't something missing?

Isn't someone missing me?

Even though I'd be sacrificed,

You won't try for me not now,

Thought I'd die to know you love me,

I'm all alone,

Isn't someone missing me?

~*~*~

'I have to die for peace, yes, but don't let my sacrifice go in vain. Without you... I'm alone here Dilandau... but at least I died knowing you felt the same about me.'

~*~*~

Please, please forgive me,

But I won't be home again,

I know what you do to yourself,

Shudder deep and cry out,

Isn't something missing?

Isn't someone missing me?

Even though I'd be sacrificed,

You won't try for me not now,

Thought I'd die to know you love me,

I'm all alone,

Isn't someone missing me?

And if I bleed... I'll bleed

Knowing you don't care,

And if I sleep, just to dream of you,

And wake without you there,

Isn't something missing?

Isn't something...

~*~*~

I bleed till I die, and I'll always see you in my everlasting dream. Back then... if you saw me bleeding like this now, I'm sure you wouldn't have paid me any heed, but now... I'll bleed...

~*~*~

Even though I'm the sacrifice,

You won't try for me not now,

I would die to know you love me,

I'm all alone,

Isn't something missing?

Isn't someone missing me?

~*~*~

In the end, Dilandau kept his promise to Hitomi. He led the Dragonslayers against Zaibach and stopped the ongoing war once and for all. A hatred for Van still burned within him, but he could not bring himself to show it.

Dilandau had told everyone Hitomi knew on Gaea about her sacrifice. Together, everyone mourned for her. Tears were shed, but the tears fell in a time of peace. Hitomi... a girl who didn't even call this planet her home, had given up her own life to save it. She came as a total stranger, but left in the memories of all who knew her. If one were to look back on those memories, all they would need to do is remember those shining emerald eyes and wide smile to feel at peace with themselves.

But in any world... fate or no fate... it doesn't matter if you believe in it in the end. Your future may have already been written out for you or maybe you did choose your future yourself, but either way, it's all just a part of life. The decisions you made and make can decide everything. Whether they be bad choices or good, that all depends on the outcome. But no matter what, just live life to its fullest.

As Hitomi's mind died, these words were spoken only to herself, never meant to be heard by anyone... 'I guess in many peoples lives... whether it be good or bad... people really do change. Nothing can stay the same way forever...and in the end of my life story... things change...'

"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul." ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox