Almost done… Thanks all of you reviewers for giving me your feedback! I promise you, the last chapter will be out in a day or two…
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Chapter 19: Goodbye
She felt fingers lightly skimming across her forehead and sighed in pleasure. Her violet eyes flickered open to be ensnared by serious brown-green ones.
"You said to wake you in four hours, little songbird," Dryden said softly.
Millerna groaned. "I did, didn't I?" She sat up, brushing her bangs back away from her face absently. "How is everything?"
"Just about how you left it. The wounded are taken care of, the men just need time to recuperate. No new injuries."
"Meaning all that was left on the field were corpses."
He hesitated a moment. "Yes."
She shook her head tiredly. Had she thought she was grown up before? War had a remarkable way of making an adult out of any child in a short span of time. "Allen's fine, right?"
Dryden's mouth crooked in a weak smile. "After Merle fussed over him, he finally went to sleep."
"Merle fussed over him, eh?" Millerna returned the smile as she stood. "So this doctor you mentioned not that long ago…does he have to undergo such a rigorous schedule as this?"
"No," Dryden said lightly, "nothing at all like this. Are you still thinking of being his apprentice?"
"If he'll have me, why not? I mean, I've had to go through so much after the battle… but it just makes it clearer to me that this is what I want to do with my life. I could probably go to visit him in about two weeks… Merle will definitely have everything under control then. She's already done a marvelous job with whatever she knew before. She just seems to have the natural healing touch."
Dryden nodded slowly, looking a little dazed.
"Well, I'd better go check on Gaddes. Unless you have recently."
He changed direction, shaking his head a negative. "You need me with you?"
"No, it's your turn to take a few hours off. You look dead on your feet, if you don't mind me saying so," she commented, her gaze taking him in from head to toe.
He grimaced. "So much for trying to romance you."
She shrugged. "Just go get some sleep, Dryden. I'm sure you'll feel better."
He mumbled a reply, already starting to arrange himself on the cot.
Millerna sighed, and focused her mind on what she had to do. Find out from Merle who hadn't been checked in the past few hours, rebandage wounds, make sure no infection set in… This job never seemed to end. But despite its difficulty on one with little experience, she felt truly accomplished. Her father had wanted her to grow up to be the wife of a duke, to be an ornament on an important man's arm. Her father had frowned upon her medical studies. But here she was…and the better for it. She felt truly worthwhile, not just some piece of feminine fluff for a man to protect and care for.
She entered the tent, glancing at Allen stretched out on the opposite side of the tent. He looked to be sleeping soundly. Merle must've given him some sedatives.
Turning her attention to Gaddes, she measured his pulse, temperature, and breathing rate. Sighing, she hung her head. He was just as she had left him, in the ambiguous comatose state. She couldn't determine whether it was a good sign or not.
"Is he dead?"
Jerking slightly, she turned to meet Allen's tired blue-eyed stare. "No, he's still in the coma. His vital signs are out of the critical."
"Will he make it?" Allen's face demanded total truth.
Crossing her arms in front of her, she took a breath. "I don't know," she told him. "I just don't know…"
* * *
"Van, you can't possibly fly me back to camp."
"Yes, I can."
"Your shoulder's still bleeding!"
He shrugged, wincing slightly. "I'm fine."
"You know you're not. I'm not fine, and I went through far less than you did."
"Well then, what do you propose we do?"
Her fingertips brushed the pendant around her neck. "We could always go the way I came."
"Which was?"
"My pendant."
He nodded briefly. "Sounds plausible," he said, though not totally convinced. Swallowing hard, he murmured in a strained voice, "Could I have a moment?"
"Of course." Hitomi watched him walk back to the freshly dug-up ground along the castle walls. It must've killed Van to leave his brother in an unmarked grave, the only decoration being the wildflowers she could find in the fields next to the tower. She saw the strong warrior fall to his knees, his head bent in his grief. He was alone in this world again. As she had always been. She wished with all her heart that he would never have had to feel that pain for a second time in his life. It was enough that she had to deal with it more than once. But Van… Van had so many things thrown upon him already. She wished that she could help him through it. But she knew this was a path he would have to travel alone.
Her heart thrummed in her chest as he glanced up at her. This was dangerous territory. She glanced away, looking towards the horizon and the clouds that surfed just above it. If he were to ever find out that she...actually…
That was too strong a word. She mentally shook herself. Foolish feminine dreams will only get you hurt, she reminded herself soundly. Better that she just stay how she had always been.
Oh, but how handsome he looked in the setting sun, his dark lordly profile faintly outlined in the fiery gold of sunset…
Van brushed the dirt off of his knees as he walked towards her. Was it her imagination, or was he examining her as if he were trying to decipher her recent thoughts? Worried that it would show through her eyes, she avoided looking directly at him. "You ready?"
He nodded silently, his emotions trapped deep inside of him.
She looped her arm through his, feeling an intoxicating giddiness at his nearness. Stubbornly, she quelled the girlish impulses that rioted through her body. Grasping her pendant in her other hand, she closed her eyes tightly.
I wish…
* * *
The old man descended the stone spiral staircase in quiet contemplation. The many years of planning weighed heavily upon his aged shoulders. So much had been lost in the mere blink of an eye. All of his grand visions…gone.
The blackness encased him in its solitude, echoing things of times past. He had hoped that fate would turn in his favor on this world, as it never had on the Mystic Moon. He had hoped for so much…
He could already feel the turmoil taking place within all the countries he had overtaken. The puppet leaders he had placed in control could do nothing without Strategos' mental connection to himself. And without that mental rapport, they were lost. It would be child's play for the peasants to overtake the governments he had set up. The ignorant fools would never be able to understand that he had been doing what was best for them.
It felt strange, to have lost all of his power so quickly. He heard an explosion above him, and the walls of the castle falling with great commotion to the ground. The staircase shook, but stood firm. His castle was now nothing more than rubble to the casual aboveground observer.
A thin smile graced his face. This time his plans may not have succeeded…but there was always the future.
His steps echoed hauntingly in the darkness of the stairway as he continued downwards, his plans weaving themselves anew.
* * *
Dryden frowned as the morning sun rose. He hadn't been able to get any sleep the night before. Millerna was leaving today…leaving to go apprentice with the doctor he had told her about. She had instructed Merle in all she could to leave the camp running smoothly, assuring her that the rest came with practice and experience, which Merle had had plenty of in the few weeks immediately following the great battle.
They had talked for several hours under the stars the night before, anything to avoid the impending morning. But after a few moments of silence, Millerna turned to him and said, "I will really miss you, Dryden." Her eyes seemed to be begging for something from him, but for once in his life, he could not anticipate what she wanted. Or perhaps he was too scared to admit what he suspected she was asking for. He had waited too long, for she soon looked away from him, and he could've sworn she'd murmured "I love you." But when he asked her, she had said it was nothing. And what if he had been just hearing things? Saying something of his heart would surely embarrass himself and make her feel guilty. He never wanted Millerna to feel guilty over his weakness concerning her. And so, that had been the horrible end to an already saddening night.
He could feel the pain of separation, even though she wasn't even gone yet. He was in love with Millerna…and all of his fancy talk about how the true songbird wouldn't leave was started to prick him the wrong way. He suspected that his songbird would leave, if just for the fact that he had given her the way out. But it was what she had always wanted, right?
Damn it, why do I have to love her enough to let her go?
The morning passed mercifully quick in a dreary blur, only halting at the moment after everyone else had said their goodbyes and she was about to ride away. "Goodbye, Dryden," she softly whispered, her queenly demeanor only making his heart ache all the more. He could barely read past her rigid expression.
"Goodbye, my songbird," he said gently, gazing at her as if he would never see her again. He probably wouldn't.
She smiled and blew him a kiss, then mounted the horse and began riding away.
He watched her go, as did the rest of the camp, until she was no more than a speck on the horizon. The others began to wander off to their own duties, but he remained riveted to the spot, as if he could still see Millerna riding off to her future…without him.
He hung his head, uncommonly sober and quiet. Where was the Dryden that could always put on a show, that could shrug off the most heart-wrenching of things? Where was the Dryden that never let his own emotions show?
Gone, obviously, with the girl that had stolen his heart…
Time passed interminably. After a long time, he heard approaching hoof beats, but ignored them until something soft and sweet-smelling flung itself upon him. He brought himself back to the present in a flash, looking up into shining violet eyes a second before his lips were taken in a passionate, intense kiss that robbed him of breath and state of mind. But the beauty of it was, he managed to reflect as his fingers entwined themselves in her pale hair, that he didn't care one bit.
"Millerna," he managed to gasp as she pulled free, "What are you – how – "
She pulled his glasses from his face with a laugh. "I realized I don't need to be a professional doctor to be happy."
"Millerna, I…" Dryden swallowed and felt himself grin as his heart overflowed, filling his mouth with words he thought he'd never say. "I love you."
Her eyes stole his breath again. "I knew you did. And I love you." She pulled him close and buried her face in his neck, feeling him kissing her hair with utmost tenderness and wondering how it was that he held a miracle in his arms. "You said it yourself, didn't you? The most beautiful songbirds are the ones that are free of all trappings and restrictions…and still come back." She leaned back, tossing her hair behind her freely. "And I am your songbird."
* * *
The sun set beautifully over the western horizon, illuminating the clouds with a gleaming orange that was brighter than life. A few rays stood out sharply against the clouds, cutting through and stretching to oblivion in the darkening blue of the sky. Deep purple hues coated the east and glimmering lights twinkled in the darkened expanse merrily, as if they too wanted to celebrate the victory of Gaia.
"Did you ever find Dornkirk?"
Van shook his head. "No. His castle was demolished. He must've died in the rubble."
Hitomi frowned slightly. "Are you sure?"
Van shrugged. "I guess. What else can he do? All the countries he took over have reverted back to their old ways. Those rulers he set up couldn't do squat against the people, and the army still seems to be in total chaos over the loss of their two leaders."
"It seems kind of odd that his magnificent government would collapse so easily on itself."
Van mulled over that. "I have this theory that Dornkirk ran everything with his mind. You understand? He used his mental powers to link everything, so that the government worked smoothly and efficiently. Folken served as a conduit for Dornkirk's mind control, being the immediate link between Dornkirk and the others in command. Without Folken, that line of connection was severed, and the efficiency and smoothness was gone. I'm not really sure why he'd be needed in that position, but Dornkirk obviously had a good reason. He may be our enemy, but he's not stupid."
"Interesting theory," Hitomi murmured.
He shrugged again. "It was just a thought." He looked out of the corner of his eyes at her mischievously. "You all ready for the frivolities tonight?"
The corner of her mouth tipped upwards. "Millerna is working with me."
"That's a good sign," Van said with satisfaction, leaning back on his elbows.
She smacked him with the back of her hand on his flat stomach and his breath left him in a whoof.
"What did I say?"
"It's what you implied."
"You put too much stock in implication, Princess."
"You would too if words that long weren't completely foreign to your brain."
A dark eyebrow rose challengingly. "What are you trying to imply with that statement?"
She grinned impishly, throwing her head back to look at the sky. "Oh… Nothing." Hitomi brought her knees up to her chest, a chill running through her. That was the trouble with summer. The days were hot but the nights were frigid. One's body could never properly adjust to the temperature changes.
"Are you cold?" Van's voice was suddenly concerned, just as suddenly as he appeared beside her.
"No, I'm not."
"The hell you're not," he grumbled, "You could be freezing to death and you'd say you weren't." He put an arm around her and pulled her close against her loud protests.
She felt her heart rate double in an instant. "You're insufferable," she muttered caustically.
Somehow, she knew he was grinning even without looking at his face. "Yeah."
She still hadn't made up her mind about Van. In the two weeks they'd been back, he had been one of her closest companions, and she his. Every now and then a shadow would pass over his face, and she knew exactly why. The shadows came less often than they used to when the two had just arrived in camp. He'd come to terms with the loss… as she always had.
But now the future seemed to haunt her. She could make a step forward, in hopes that it wouldn't all end as it always had… or she could avoid anything that might end wrong and live alone. Although the first option appeared very untrustworthy to Hitomi, the second wasn't all that appealing either.
She shifted slightly under Van's arm, setting aside the dilemma in her mind for another moment of quiet contemplation. One thing was for certain, she thought with heated cheeks… she definitely wasn't cold anymore.
* * *
Déjà vu assaulted him briefly as he haunted the outside of Hitomi's tent, and he smiled. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he briefly whistled an old Fanelian tune as he waited for her to come out. The only difference was that he wasn't worried about being conspicuous this time.
Walking in an easy pace back and forth in front of the tent flap, he looked to the sky and briefly thought of his brother. He could almost see him among the glittering stars… smiling, finally at peace. Van nodded towards the majestic expanse, letting his memories and solemn emotions soar upwards, far and away. They would have no place in the celebration tonight.
He unbuttoned the top of his shirt in slight irritation. He should get used to formal wear, he supposed, if he were to go back to reunite Fanelia into a kingdom again. Maybe formal wear wouldn't be all that important… he would be in charge. With a grimace, he knew that somehow the advisors would guilt-trip him into wearing all the traditional garments men of his station had always worn anyway. He might as well enjoy the casualness while he could. Rolling the cuffs of his sleeves up to the middle of his forearms, he turned at the sound of the tent flap opening.
The corner of Hitomi's mouth was curved in an alluring smile. "Hi."
Van found himself at a loss for words again. He was positive that he was grinning like some adolescent fool. He walked up to her and bent down to place a kiss upon her hand. "Where's my little angel of fire?" he asked curiously.
Hitomi shrugged easily. "I told Millerna I didn't want to stand out as much this time."
His mahogany eyes glanced down her, taking in the deep glimmering jade of her dress that fit her like a sheath, blossoming out at her hips in a full, soft skirt. Her neckline was more conventional than before, but the sleeves were made of a transparent material about the same shade as the dress, and belled out at the wrists. Coquettishly batting her eyes, she twirled in a circle and he felt his rational mind ground to a halt as she revealed the deep 'v' in the back that extended down to her waist. He swallowed hard. "Well, I guess that didn't really work," he managed.
Her eyes seemed a deeper green than they ever had before… Was it the dress, or some inexplicable feminine power? Damn women and their deviousness!
"You don't seem well, Van. Are you feeling alright?"
He blinked. "Yes. I'm fine." You just have this amazing ability to throw me a curve ball right when I think I can anticipate you. "Just… I'm thirsty. Are you thirsty?"
"No." She tilted her head slightly. "But if you want something to drink, go ahead. I'm not stopping you."
"Yeah. Right." Nodding to her, he walked briskly away, checked himself, and turned back. Hitomi seemed surprised to see him return so quickly.
"By the way, Princess," he began, his eyes gleaming, "you look stunning." He dropped a quick kiss on her lips before she could think to protest, and strode away, feeling much better.
At least he'd gotten that much of an outlet for the feelings she managed to inflame in him.
* * *
He came upon Hitomi sitting to the side while the other dancers twirled around in vast arrays of gold, indigo, silver, and red. The bonfire lit the crowd with a warm light that suffused the atmosphere surrounding the camp. Hitomi's hair glowed a golden brown in the orange light, looking painstakingly soft and touchable, practically begging for a touch.
She looked up sharply as he ran his fingers through her hair. "What do you want?"
He grinned lopsidedly. "Dance with me."
Her eyes darted away from him. "No…"
He crouched before her, making it impossible for her to glance away. He took her chin in his hands and forced her head up gently. "Please. For old times sake." Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, he added, "I won't fast dance…promise. I wouldn't want to remind you of the past."
She graced him with a rueful smile. "You just did."
"Well," he fumbled, "that's different."
"How so?" A graceful eyebrow lifted ever so slightly.
"Being reminded verbally is different than being reminded physically," he said, knowing he was shooting at air.
Hitomi rolled her eyes dramatically at him. "Fine. If it'll get you to stop rambling, I'll dance with you."
"Well, it's comforting that you feel so much affection for me," he stated as her hand slipped into the crook of his arm.
"You're such a doofus sometimes, Van," she remarked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "No one would ever know it to look at you, but you can really be a doofus."
"Well that lifts my already rising ego," he said sarcastically.
She smiled winningly. "I meant it in the best possible way."
Hitomi stood before him, and he found himself gazing upon her again, losing track of time.
"Were we going to dance?"
"Oh. Right." He cursed the day he was ever afflicted with this foul disease of the heart. It had the inevitable way of turning him from a warrior into a brainless moron.
The music slowed its pace into something akin to a waltz, the smooth chords echoing in gentle progression over the fields they were surrounded by. A whimsical melody danced above the chords, dipping into the lower registers and back up into the high, but always remaining crystalline and delicate.
Van could feel the warmth within him again as he placed his hand at the small of her back, where the fabric began. Her hand rested softly – agonizingly – on his shoulder. But as much as she made him feel, he knew he'd never trade it for anything. Love was a horrible, wonderful thing.
She was looking over his shoulder, watching the other dancers. "Hey, Van, look." He turned his head slightly to see what she was referring to. He felt her chuckle. "Who would've ever thought that? Allen with short hair."
"He said he was sick of it always getting in the way."
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "It looks good on him." He looked at her sharply and she merely smiled. "Is it wrong for me to say a guy is good-looking?"
He had no reply to that, so he simply shut his mouth and kept dancing. He wasn't about to dig himself into a hole this time.
After a few moments Hitomi looked up at him, and though he knew she wasn't intending to look tempting, she did nevertheless. "Why did you want to dance with me, Van?"
He dipped his head slightly closer with a smile that belied the churning in his gut. "So I could be close to you. It's one of the few ways I can get close to you now with your permission and without your backhands."
Her cheeks flushed adorably in the firelight. "If you weren't behaving so nice at the moment, you would be slapped for that."
"Well, I'd consider it well worth the trouble."
Her face turned inquisitive. "What is it with you? You've never acted this way before."
He shrugged slightly. Love makes a man do crazy things. "I…don't know."
She sighed ever so slightly, the scent of her hair afflicting him in so many ways. "Van, I think I know what the problem is. And I – I can't. At least, I don't know. I don't think I can do this."
He frowned, somehow knowing what she meant. "Why not?"
"I told you…no exceptions. I don't want to go through any more pain than I have to."
"Everyone gets over it." At her look, he hastily replied, "I know that sounds callous, but it's true. I've been through just as many difficulties. I know."
"I just…"
"What about Gaddes? Isn't he an exception?"
"Gaddes was an accident." She stared up at him with certainty. "There are no exceptions."
"You're just holding on to that thought of yours because you're scared of the future. What's with you, Princess? You're so strong, and yet just the mere thought of taking a step where you've never taken one before frightens you."
"I've loved people before, and look where I ended up!"
"It's a different kind of love. Don't fool yourself."
Her face shuttered. "It doesn't matter, Van. Even if I was to stay near you…you're going to be the king of Fanelia. And don't try and say you'd give it up for me, because I won't allow you to. Fanelia needs a good king, and that's you. And quite frankly, I never want to have such a place in a kingdom again."
She shook his hands off and strode away, leaving him to wonder what he could've said differently.
* * *
She entered the tent where Gaddes lay still in a coma. She knelt beside his bed and held his motionless hand. "I wish you would wake up," she murmured. "I've got so much I need to talk to you about."
It was pretty silly what she was doing, wasn't it? To stock all of her preconceived notions on what she herself had experienced in her wretched life, when it was evident all around her that love could happen without a sad ending. Millerna and Dryden, dancing as if they would never let go…
She felt a tear slip down her cheek, and she stubbornly wiped it away. She knew her reasoning to Van was weak at best. But what else could she say? She was scared. But part of what she'd said was true. She never wanted to be part of royalty again, because royalty was just another word for 'prime target for rebellious uprisings'.
She sighed. Van had almost outright admitted that he knew she loved him… and if she was lucky, he might just love her back. Or like her, in the very least. That could always grow into love, right? She needed to just grow up, to just get over the fact that life had screwed her before and to try again. She needed Gaddes to tell her this was the right thing to do. She needed…
Her hand gripped Gaddes' cold one tighter as her eyes flashed open. She hurriedly checked the pulse in his wrist.
* * *
"GADDES!"
Van sprinted to Gaddes' tent as soon as he heard Hitomi's voice rise above the music. He barged in to find her leaning over him, her ear to his mouth, her fingertips pressing against his throat.
"Hitomi-" he gasped, "what – is he – did he – wake-"
She turned haunted eyes to him. "Dead," she whispered. "He's dead."
His mouth dropped open in shock as he sensed Millerna and the others crowding in behind him. The doctor rushed up, clearly as surprised as he. "But I checked on him not that long ago!" Millerna babbled. "He was fine an hour ago…"
Hitomi's breath constricted in her throat, and Van helplessly opened his arms to her, not knowing of any other solution to the problem. Hitomi stumbled into them, allowing him to lead her away from the crowd, but not allowing herself to cry.
"He's dead…" she repeated brokenly against his shoulder, clutching at his sleeve, and he felt a slight dampness pass through his shirt. "Dead…"
He held her close and murmured meaningless comfort to her as they sat underneath the beautiful starlight. He cursed whatever God was up there that would allow this to happen to her. Why? Hitomi had never deserved any of this to befall her! She was worthy of so much more…
His cheek rested against her warm hair, his breaths came even with hers. She sniffled slightly, resting the side of her face against his shoulder, and sighed. "I didn't even get to say goodbye…"
* * *
The funeral was immediate and short. So many of the men had hoped that the planet's turn towards victory would also pertain to Gaddes; that his positive physical signs would amount to him awakening from his coma with the typical ease that characterized him so well. No one had ever expected him to go like that.
Hitomi laid a blue flower she had found in the fields on top of the fresh dirt. The headstone had Gaddes' name engraved on it, along with 'Second Mate, Leader, and Friend'. She felt her heart breaking. Her big brother – for it seemed she could consider him as nothing else – had also been killed with the cruel future that Dornkirk had thrown upon her. So many deaths had befallen her in the past few years… so many friends and family lost to a cause she still didn't fully understand.
Well, enough was enough. Van said that Dornkirk was dead… but somehow, in Hitomi's heart, she knew better. A man like Dornkirk wouldn't simply descend down into ashes; he would find a way to carve out a new niche for himself. And since Van would be returning to Fanelia, to be seen in any proximity to him would put her in direct line of fire for any more of fate's cruel twists. Well, no more.
She needed a new life… She needed to find out where she belonged.
She needed peace…
* * *
"You're sure about going?"
Hitomi brushed her bangs out of her eyes, smiling half-heartedly at Van. "Yes. You need to understand, Van. I… I need to find my purpose. I need to start over. Without risks."
"Where's your first stop?"
She cinched the saddle around the horse. "I was thinking I could stop by Maia for a little…see if I can find myself a home. I always loved it there…"
He nodded, finding himself displeased about it all the same. "So you won't ever reconsider?"
"No exceptions. Remember?"
"Right." He was beginning to really hate her whole 'no exceptions' thing. Sure, it was cute and endearing and tempting to break… but with a woman like Hitomi, her stubbornness would always override any attempt he could make to break it. Which made it no longer good. What a confounding thing love was. It made everything that should be easy in life just as confusing.
She let out a breath, squinting towards the rising sun. "Looks like I should be going…"
He grabbed her hand on impulse, wishing somehow he could make her stay. "Listen, Princess…"
A somber smile curved her lips again. "You know, you've never really called me by my first name," she murmured. "Oh, sure, when you're not thinking you did sometimes… But never on purpose. Not so I could hear it."
"Well…I…" He found himself remarkably close to her, his head bent just inches from hers.
She looked up into his mahogany eyes, showing flecks of orange gold from the sun rising behind her. She felt her heart squeezing painfully in her chest, could feel the energy humming between them. Oh, Van, she thought, If you would just kiss me… Just once more… Kiss me like you mean it, and I swear to you I'll stay…forever…
She saw his familiar cocky grin curve his tempting lips, and he planted a chaste kiss on her cheek. She could feel the burning of tears behind her eyes, and quickly turned her face away. "Well, this is goodbye, I guess."
His rough fingers swiped the renegade tear that had found its way down her cheek, and he made as if to pocket it. "I'll always treasure it," he said, his tone faintly teasing. "They don't come easily from you."
She heard the song from the other night enter her ears, and felt even more tears build. Why did the lyrics have to relate to her so well? Why did she have to remember them with such vivid clarity?
Goodbye, I love you
More than anything
More intensely than the blue
of the sky
Don't cry, We'll meet again
But only I know
That we'll never see each
other again…
Before he could see the evidence of her emotion in her eyes, she ducked her head. "Here." Pulling the pendant from around her neck, she held it out to him and shyly smiled weakly up at him. "I want you to have this. Remember me."
Van accepted the pendant, holding it as if it was some priceless treasure.
She swallowed hard. If she stayed a moment more, she would falter. She had to go.
Van looked up at her as she began to ride away on the dappled mare, wishing for so much and yet so little. After all, there really was only one thing he wished for, wasn't there?
"Goodbye, Hitomi," he called out after her, feeling the huskiness within his voice.
She turned back to him, a tender smile filling his heart. "I'll never forget you, Van." she called back as the distance increased. "Not even when I get old."
Van sighed as he looked after her. "Neither will I," he mumbled to himself, hearing the sound of the wind flying gently over the fields.
"What the hell are you doing?"
He turned in surprise towards the blonde knight. "Saying goodbye."
"Damn it, Van," Allen muttered, "go after her."
"It's her choice to go. I can't just make her come back." He returned his gaze back to the retreating figure in the horizon.
"Why not?"
"Because… I love her."
*-wink*
