Guys I am SOO INCREDIBLY SORRY FOR TAKING AN INTERMIDIBLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO WRITE THIS ONE!!! Wow, I don't know what happened… a combination of a lot of things: laziness, major writer's block, holidays, more laziness, boys (:P they always screw you over don't they? :) hehe…)…. Then I lost track of what I was doing… BUT IT'S HERE. Finally.

Since I haven't written in so long, I haven't looked back at who wrote what reviews, so I'm not gonna list names. But you know who you are, and I so appreciate your reviews on the story!! (Especially those of you who complained about the fact that I haven't written for like two months… good job kicking my butt into gear on this)

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

*last chapter*

            "Did you ever hear the old prophecy? 'From the sky an angel will descend to save the world from the evil plaguing its lands.'"

            "So? It's not like I can fly."

            "You're taking the prophecy too literally. 'From the sky', Hitomi. You know what's in the sky, don't you?"

            A faint suspicion crept into her mind, and her heart caught in her throat. No… that was impossible. There was no way she was from…

            Folken's smile was cold. "The Mystic Moon."

Chapter 18: Heartbeat

            Hitomi could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears. "What?"

            "Is it really that big of a shock to you now, after all you've been through? Or do you just not believe me?"

            "No, I…believe you." Hitomi frowned, not wanting to concede to anything Folken said, but feeling the truth within her gut. That's what had been missing. That explained all the strange things she'd been able to do, all the visions that had been manifesting themselves to her. She was different because she was from the Mystic Moon.

            "…this pendant is your history. It is proof of your heritage. Your heritage from the Mystic Moon. A place of mystery and wonder. It has been said that in the Mystic Moon, sorcerers have lived and seeresses have conquered. Gaia has never birthed one such as yourself, and your place on this planet is divinely chosen. You have a mission that no one can perform, and no one can vanquish."

            "You remember." His dark voice broke into her thoughts, and she looked up to see a grim smile curve his solemn lips. "The final barrier is removed."

            "Barrier?"

            "Your amnesia wasn't from natural causes, Hitomi. The Sorcerers of Zaibach have talents in many areas."

            As understanding dawned, her eyes narrowed. "You mean it's your fault that I was tormented for so long with memories that made no sense to me?" Her voice raised in pitch as her fists clenched at her sides.

            Folken noted her action with a lifted eyebrow. "It was necessary."

            "Necessary?!"

            "It's brought you here, hasn't it?"

            "And why do I need to be here?"

            "It is enough that you are here."

            She frowned heavily. "Why is it enough?"

            Folken's steady gaze unnerved her. "All your questions will be answered in time."

            "Answer me this, then," she growled. "Why did you turn your back on your country and your family?"

            His eyes closed in solemn agreement. "Emperor Dornkirk first came to visit the palace as an aid of great esteem from the country of Asturia. He and I had long conversations in the garden at midnight concerning the state of the world. He told me his grand vision for a bright future for Gaia. His philosophies were amazing, stunning even, and I couldn't help but be sucked in. He oftentimes told me I had the power, the ability, to make that future possible. And I knew within my heart that I was truly called to bring about this vision of the future.

            "The reason we burned Fanelia was to give the peasants the freedom they so direly craved in the quickest way possible. I cannot tell you how it broke my heart to see my family reduced to-"

            Hitomi's rude snort interrupted him.

            His cold gaze squelched her no doubt sarcastic reply. "Do not make a mockery of me, Hitomi. That would be the pinnacle of foolishness."

            "And I'm sure coming here wasn't," she shrugged. "I've already been about as stupid as I can possibly be. Now I might as well risk everything, right?"

            "There is much to risk for you."

            "Not really."

            An eyebrow quirked humorlessly. "You seem very sure of that."

            "That's because I am. Because of you. Your people have made my life a living hell, and I'll damn sure be glad to get out of it."

            "Will you really?"

            Her eyebrows lowered. "Will you quit questioning me in that bizarre tone?! It's really getting annoying, and yes, I am sure of everything I say and I don't need you to try and point out fallacies in my arguments that I know are nonexistent. I don't need you to plant any more doubts in my head."

            He nodded silently, and turned to the window again. "You are a formidable foe," he murmured.

            "Tell me about my past."

            His gaze shifted over towards her. "Don't you remember?"

            "No, I mean…why I came here. How it happened."

            "No one is really certain. It is a decision of fate that can only be truly understood by the end of her purpose."

            "So, therefore, I must fulfill my purpose."

            He heard the cool tone of certainty in her voice. "You think you must kill me?"

            "Isn't that the only way to fix everything? I mean, I've apparently got some preordained mission set out for me. I've been thrust – unwillingly, mind you – squarely into the middle of this insanity, and somehow I've become a key component to everything. What other purpose than this? With you gone, chaos will ensue and Dornkirk will lose his hold over his men. Then we can rebel and return to things as they should be."

            "You are very naïve, Hitomi."

            "That may be, but at least I'm not lying to myself about why I'm doing what I'm doing."

            "In your determination to kill me, have you even thought of Van?"

            A shadow fell over her eyes, and she faltered for a moment. "He still loves you," she whispered. "I know that. But there's no other alternative. If I lose him because of what I do, then I lose him for the good of Gaia."

            Folken bowed his head. "We are not so different, you and I."

            "What do you mean?" She almost felt offended at being compared in any small way to this murderer and betrayer.

            "'For the good of Gaia.' I killed my family and betrayed my country; you are willing to kill your lover's-"

            "He's not my-"

            "-only remaining family member and risk your own life, effectively breaking his heart twice, if it would merely result in peace and harmony on this world."

            She opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced when the full meaning of his words hit her. "Wait," she protested, "what do you mean, 'break his heart twice'? If you're gone, yeah he's lost his family, but he's also lost his family's killer. He'd understand. And if he lost me, it's not like he's losing much."

            "It's no wonder I've sensed so much turmoil within his heart," the pale-haired man mused thoughtfully to himself. "You really have no idea."

            "No idea of – " She cut herself off, a disbelieving look on her face. "You must be insane. What in the name of heaven makes you think he even considers me more than a friend in any way?"

            Both of Folken's eyebrows rose. "What makes you think he doesn't?"

            She kept herself from answering his question. "Why are we even discussing this? Does this issue have any pertinence to the problem at hand now?"

            "It might."

            She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You never did answer my other questions. Is it time yet?"

            "Which one would you like answered most?" he asked sarcastically.

            Her eyes cooled noticeably. "Why is it important that I be here at this moment?"

            "My last command."

            "Ah." Her eyebrows rose. "And that is…?"

            "I was commanded to kill Van."

            She staunchly ignored the way her heart jumped at his nonchalant words. Schooling her voice to remain neutral, she said, "Well, I don't see why I would have to be here for that, unless to stop you from killing him. Of course, then that defeats your purpose, and therefore me being here is important for the only one other reason I can think of. But I have to warn you, there's no way he'd be looking for me. That's if he noticed I was gone at all."

            "He's never gone after you?"

            She blinked, thrown off-stride. He had, hadn't he? The time after she saw Allen and Millerna…the time she ran from the dance… She couldn't even remember the rest. But he would. Wouldn't he? All of Folken's earlier insinuations and statements raced to the forefront of her consciousness once more.

            He must've easily seen the turmoil on her face. Folken smiled an eerily…soothing smile. "It all makes sense as I see it now," he murmured. "I see how fate intended for things to be."

*          *          *

            Van pumped his wings furiously, tears forming at the corners of his eyes from the pressure of the wind against his face. His bangs slapped against his forehead mercilessly, occasionally getting into his eyes.

            Of course Hitomi would go off to save everyone else! Of course she would be willing to sacrifice everything just to stop the war! She thought no one would care, that her future was bleak, that no one's life would be terribly altered by her disappearance.

            He felt his heart waver in his chest in clear denial of that statement.

            Pursing his lips determinedly, he strained to go faster in the tumultuous skies.

            Millerna had insisted she couldn't have gone very far, but in his gut he somehow knew she had. He didn't know how she would've been able to go so far, but that was irrelevant to him. All that mattered was finding her.

            He couldn't lose her.

            Van closed his eyes, picturing the pink stone of the pendant within his mind. Hitomi, he thought intensely, help me find Hitomi…

*          *          *

            She felt her pendant warm against her collarbone, and when she looked down she was startled to find it glowing.

            "What…?"

            "Someone is tapping into your power."

            Hitomi glanced up, confused. "How?"

            "It can be done when one has formed a close emotional bond with the bearer of the power."

            But…the only person that knew about her pendant was…

            Van.

            'A close emotional bond'… Had they really gotten that close? Had she been fooling herself all along?

            She'd assumed they'd made some sort of bond, of course. But were they close? He never seemed to give her the time of day…he was always gruff and impatient and overall disagreeable, even when they decided to be friends. There were only a few anomalies to his actions, but those could be disregarded as instantaneous insanity.

            Though she did remember the way her stomach had squelched when he had spoken her nickname with kindness…but she'd attributed it to the madness of the moment. Perhaps she was making more of this than she should be… Maybe Folken was tricking her in an attempt to somehow accomplish his own ends… Maybe…

            Maybe she was in deeper than she ever wanted to be.

            She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the buzz of confused thoughts that infected her brain. Van was coming…and that meant…

            She turned her focus back to the imposing man before her. "You can't kill him," she stated resolutely. "I won't let you."

            "Why not? He doesn't have a place in the world anymore other than an assassin-for-hire. Why shouldn't I kill him?"

            "Because I-" She stopped abruptly. "Well, I mean…" She bit her lip indecisively. Her heart was suddenly foiling all of her attempts to be level-headed and logical.

            He turned away from her fully, concealing his face from her view. "You realize the depths of your feelings, I see."

            She closed her eyes, probing her mind, hearing Van's voice fill her consciousness.

            "Someday, someone will surprise you."

            "I protect what's mine."

            "You're beautiful, even more so…because the scar reminds me that I could've lost you."

            "I'll never let you go."

            She swallowed hard.

            She really was in too deep.

*          *          *

            Van saw the faint outline of a great fortress just on the horizon and felt anticipation leap within his chest. That's where she was; he was sure of it. It was almost like he could feel her there…

            All of a sudden the wind literally slapped him aside with brutal savagery, making it impossible for him to fly in a straight line. Folken! his mind screamed. He was trying to keep Van from finding Hitomi! Feeling the bitter taste of betrayal again, his face hardened to stone. Where had the brother he'd loved gone? Forever lost in the ashes of Fanelia…

*          *          *

            Allen slashed upward, decapitating a man's arm from his body, hearing the piercing scream echo harshly within his brain. Emotionally distancing himself from the carnage he'd wreaked, he ducked underneath another man's blade and swung upwards in a parry. He looked upwards into his enemy's gaze.

            Ice met fire.

            "So, it's Allen Schezar, the swordsman rumored to be taught by Balgus himself?"

            Allen's eyes flattened. "Dilandau." He could feel the rage building in his chest for the first time during the battle. He'd been able to view all of his opponents as faceless enemies, but what Dilandau had done to his men… "Still Folken's pet, I see."

            Dilandau's eyes burned dangerously. "I answer to no one unless I so choose," he seethed.

            A wry, knowing grin tipped Allen's mouth. "Or unless it's chosen for you."

            His eyes narrowed. "You're just asking for me to scalp you of that pretty hair, Schezar."

            "Go ahead. I'll probably be the better off for it anyway."

            He jerked his large sword out of the lock they had both been in and held it before his face. The sunlight glinted off of it, highlighting the scar that raked down his cheek and along his chin.

            "Looks like Folken's bitch isn't as perfect as he used to be, eh?"

            With a scream of feral rage, Dilandau charged Allen with his sword. Allen easily blocked it, and swung around to return the attack. The clang of the swords resounded in both men's minds as they tuned out the rest of the world for this one moment in time, this one battle of wills.

            Allen could not see beyond Dilandau's sword, could not think beyond his next attack or parry. The sweat dripped down his forehead, stinging his eyes. He could feel blood from a sword that had found its mark – from a former or the current encounter, he couldn't remember – slowly seeping into his shirt and slicking his skin. The pounding of his heartbeat filled his ears; his labored breathing made his chest ache. But he couldn't give up…

            A thrust connected, and Dilandau howled in pain as he backed off, clutching his arm to his side, which was suddenly stained as crimson as his eyes.

            Allen stood uncertainly, though for what reason he couldn't tell, wondering whether he should finish off his opponent now while he was weakened by the shock. But something held him back.

            Dilandau stubbornly attempted to lift his sword and swing it with one hand, but Allen's quick reflexes knocked the sword from his grasp and jarred his mobile hand so that it was useless. The albino dropped to his knees before Allen, bowing his silver head from the mental and physical anguish of knowing that he was totally defenseless. "Kill me already, you bastard," he muttered through clenched teeth. "Don't toy with me!"

            Allen looked down at his foe, wondering what was stopping him. Was it pity? Pity for this bloodthirsty, foul excuse for a human?

            Dilandau glared up at him tauntingly. "So you really are a pansy underneath all that hair, I see. Don't you remember what I did to your men?" He grinned evilly as Allen frowned slightly. "Remember Rio? He fought against us well, I guess. But it was way too easy to take him down. A simple shot in the gut, and he couldn't do anything else against us. One of my men slit his throat before I could say anything. Both are them are dead now," he said easily. "But Maes…" his eyes almost took on a dreamy look, "I remember Maes… We didn't let him off nearly as easily. Gaddes managed to escape in the confusion, but we had Maes incapacitated and still alive. First, we made sure we cut his tongue out. Preliminaries, you understand. We slowly sawed each of his legs off, but unfortunately he drowned in his own blood before we could finish our fun." His face looked slightly regretful. "I neglected to make sure that the blood from his tongue-laceration could be properly disposed of…"

            Allen felt the anger close his throat up, could feel the heat of his anger setting his limbs vibrating with fury. His cold blue eyes looked down at the man at his feet, and he clenched his teeth. "You sick bastard," he muttered, and promptly swung his sword through Dilandau's neck, silencing his voice forever.

*          *          *

            "Why not kill me? Aren't I the one who keeps destroying your plans?"

            She saw Folken's broad shoulders rise in a barely perceptible shrug. "You're important to the future of Gaia, Hitomi. Dornkirk still has use for you."

            Her eyes widened. "What? Is that why you brought me here?" She could feel her anger increase. "So that you could deliver me to your master like a faithful dog?!"

            Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was giving her that slight smirk. "You're the one who brought yourself here."

            She couldn't think of a reply to that, annoyed because it was true. She saw Folken jerk slightly out of the blue. "What?"

            "Nothing," he said, more guarded than ever.

            She frowned. Had he seen something? Her fingers crept up to her pendant, wondering if she might be able to find out what had him troubled so. Closing her eyes, her mind traveled along the same path she'd been taking more and more often. Suddenly, a vision flashed before her with brutal intensity.

            "Dilandau is dead?"

            Folken half-turned, looking out of the corner of his eye at her. "How do you know?"

            "Is that what's wrong?"

            He looked away. "A true soldier has no emotion."

            A child of about ten shivered in fear, standing before several tall, somber men. "He will be perfect," one said.

            The child's silver hair glinted in the pale sunlight that filtered through a window in the room. He was smaller than others near his age. His bottom lip trembled slightly as he looked up at the others in the room. "I wanna go home!" he whimpered softly.

            The man farthest to the left scowled. "You will learn to resist these feelings of weakness-" he began harshly as the door banged open.

            "Leave." Hitomi knew that cold, commanding voice.

            A slightly younger Folken kneeled beside the crouching child as the others left the room. "It's alright," his deep voice resounded gently in an abrupt mood-change as he stroked the child's hair like a brother would. His reddish eyes were soft with the memory of someone in his past. "I won't let anything happen to you."

            Hitomi felt the lines between good and evil suddenly blur. Folken

            Her hand still embracing the pendant, another vision of the present eclipsed the memory of the past.

            "Van…" she breathed. "He's coming for me…"

            Folken's head remained bowed. "Good."

            She jerked slightly. "No! Van, don't come!" she tried to tell the vision before her, knowing that such attempts were foolishness. Even if he could hear her, he wouldn't listen.

            Folken turned back to her. "Allow fate to unravel as it chooses. All is for the best."

            She ran to the window and looked out at the sky, seeing what appeared to be a bird coming their way. "Van!" she shouted uselessly. "Go back!!"

            She felt herself yanked backward by a hard, unyielding metal hand. "Do not interfere," Folken said dangerously.

            Hitomi struggled against him, making no headway at all. "Let go of me," she protested, "I won't just sit back and let you kill him!"

            "You don't understand. There's more to this than you can see."

            She could feel the sharp tips of his mechanical fingers digging painfully into her shoulder, tearing holes in her shirt. Her attempts to escape merely resulted in Folken tightening his grip on her. She winced as she felt the warmth of blood seeping down her skin.

            "Let…her…go."

            Never had she felt so happy to hear Van's deathly chilled assassin's voice. Or so worried. "Don't stay, Van-" she managed to blurt out before Folken's flesh hand covered her mouth.

            Van stood silhouetted in the light of the window, looking for all the world like some avenging angel; his wings spread out majestically behind him, the edges lined in gleaming silver light, his sword brandished vertically in his steady grip, glinting in the sunlight, eyes blazing with dangerous purpose.

            "So. You've finally come."

            "You take your hands off of her, or so help me God, I will use my sword to assist you in doing so." His impassive voice sent a chill down her spine.

            She felt a slight 'hmph' of a chuckle from Folken, and he loosened his grip on her shoulder and dropped his other hand. "Cool yourself, Van. I've no intentions of harming your little Princess at the moment."

            "He can't kill me." She could feel the searing heat of Folken's stare boring into her skull, but she kept her eyes level with Van's, drawing strength from his familiar burgundy depths. "He's going to kill you."

*          *          *

            Dornkirk's men were falling back, having lost much of their bravado and strength when Dilandau was slain. Even now, they were locked in chaotic confusion, fighting blinding without purpose until one of the generals yelled out "Retreat!" in a voice that resounded across the plains.

            Allen heard his men cheer in victory as the enemy melted away from the thick of the battle, the few stubborn ones who remained easily taken care of. His tired blue eyes looked around him, knowing it was a hollow victory at best.

            So many lay dead and dying on the battlefield. Hellish moans filled the air like mist, the stench of butchered meat permeating the serenity of the afternoon. Allen was overwhelmed by the carnage that surrounded him. Though it was not his first time experiencing hell on earth, it affected him the same way each time. He fell to his knees on the blood-soaked grass, and pressed his torn fist to his forehead. The victory was theirs…but at what a cost.

*          *          *

            Van's eyes shifted to his brother warily. "Is that why you brought her here, brother? To use her as bait?"

            "She came of her own accord," Folken stated calmly.

            Van readjusted his grip on the sword. "You won't be able to kill me without a fight."

            "I'm your brother, Van. I know you as well as I know my own heart. Would I expect any less?"

            His dark eyebrows lowered. "I will kill you," he said stiffly, his trembling sword belying his claim. "For mother…father…and the people of Fanelia!"

            He lunged with raised sword at Folken, a feral growl escaping his throat. Folken merely shoved Hitomi aside and drew his sword into a parry in one smooth motion. Hitomi stumbled against the wall, grabbing on to the windowsill for support. Orienting herself, she turned to see Folken stepping aside to block a glancing blow to his right. He wielded the sword with the same degree of finesse that Allen demonstrated, inspiring worry in her mind. Stubbornly, her heart resisted reason. Van could make it. With his courage, he could do anything… He darted behind the large wooden table, Folken's sword lodging itself safely within the thick dark wood. He jerked it out, the infinite calmness still coating his expression, though his eyes burned with something more that she couldn't define.

            "You fight well, Van. Though you need to be more aggressive!" Folken almost broke through Van's line of defense with his quick thrust, gashing the top of his shoulder before he ducked agilely out of the way. The dark-haired warrior circled the taller man, sword held at an angle to ward off incoming attacks. Folken followed his pace with his eyes, turning in place.

            "I said I've no intentions of hurting Hitomi, Van. But sometimes, even the greatest intentions mean nothing." A dagger somehow appeared in his flesh hand, pointed towards the girl. "Do you think I don't know your weakest spot?" With a flick of his wrist, the dagger sailed straight for Hitomi. She screamed and dodged just as Van jumped in front of her to deflect the projectile with his sword. The loud clang rang deafeningly in Hitomi's ears, mingling with Van's battle cry as he charged Folken with unexpected strength, breaking down his defenses and knocking the pale-haired man and his large sword to the ground.

            The tip of Van's sword trembled unsteadily at Folken's throat. His cool eyes look up at his brother with pride. "You are indeed worthy to wield the sword of Fanelia."

            Hitomi watched them like they were a snapshot in the middle of time, frozen save for the sword's slight movement. She could almost see the conflicting thoughts running through Van's head, could almost feel the torrent of emotions tearing through him.

            "Kill me, Van," Folken said without malice. "I knew someday it would come to this."

            Van bit his lip. "I…can't!"

            The sword clattered to the stone floor.

            The older man's eyes looked compassionately upward at the young man before him. "This will not be ended without the shedding of blood."

            He took a step back. "Why?"

            Folken smiled a strangely peaceful smile. "I have lived my life, and I have made my mistakes. I've been given the opportunity to correct them. This is the only way. Without me, all of Dornkirk's authority will drain away, and his rule will fade away to nothing."

            "Well, why not just run away?" Van started at the sound of Hitomi's voice, obviously having forgotten she was there.

            A shadow fell over his eyes. "I am bound to Dornkirk in ways I cannot explain. All I can say is that there is no way I can escape from under Dornkirk's power but to die. Allen's men have won the battle; Van is alive to take his place as heir to the Fanelian throne. With me gone, it should be enough."

            Van shook his head mutely, stepping back again. "I can't do what you ask."

            Folken nodded understandingly. "I should never have expected you to."

            Before either of the young people could stop him, Folken had snatched Van's sword and positioned it on his chest. "For the good of Gaia." His eyes flickered to his brother's. "Live well, Van. Always remember, no matter what mistakes I know I've made, I've always loved you."

            A cry of distress tore through Hitomi's throat as the sword slipped easily through skin and between ribs, jutting out of his back grotesquely. Blood poured freely from the wound as Folken painfully pulled out the sword. Hitomi raced past the shell-shocked Van in time to catch Folken before his head ricocheted against the floor.

            "Why?" she growled angrily. "Why do this to Van, right when you've seen the truth?!"

            His eyes focused on her unsteadily. "Your purpose was never to kill me, Hitomi," he whispered.

            She frowned. "Then what would it be?"

            He swallowed with difficulty, looking beyond her at Van. "Your purpose…"

            It took her a moment after his voice trailed off to realize his eyes had glazed over with the tell-tale signs of death. Tears pricked her eyes.

            "Brother…"

*          *          *

            A man looked up from his looking glass. "What's happening?" he murmured in the empty hall. "I can't see it… I can't see anything."

            His mind reached out to Strategos, searching for a link to the present beyond his castle walls. He found nothing.

            His attempts to stop the danger had apparently been overcome. A feeling of trepidation poisoned his gut as the sneaking suspicion arose…

            Fate had turned against him.

            They were the two flaws in his plan, he mused sadly as the overwhelming presence of failure swept over him. To dismiss the feelings between the two lovers as elementary… and to underestimate the love in brotherhood.

*          *          *

            She gently laid Folken on the ground, rising stiffly to meet Van's guarded stare.

            "Oh, Van." The tears that burned the back of her eyes were all for him.

            She wrapped her arms around him, feeling him relax against her and embrace her in return. His hands fisted in the back of her shirt impotently, and she stroked his hair in the best gesture of comfort she could muster. Her head rested comfortably in the crook of his neck. He rested his cheek against the top of her head, not crying, just…dealing. Breathing in his scent, she closed her eyes and sighed.

            "Fate never quite goes the way we might plan," she murmured softly, trying to console him. "It fills life with twists and turns that don't seem to make sense to us at the moment. But, somehow, everything seems to work out for the best in the end. Trust in that."

            She heard him make a small sound in the back of his throat. Finding her mind at a loss for anything else to say, she allowed his warmth to dispel the chill that haunted her. If she could just have this much always, she would be content. Burrowing her face into his neck, she let herself be swept away with the sound of his breathing and the steady cadence of his heartbeat.

*This'll be done in two more chapters…just be patient with me… I'm getting back into my groove (hopefully). I sincerely hope you liked this chapter… I tried to be surprising but maybe I was just typical :P Well, anyway, I hope you liked it either way.

Until I write again…

-wink*