Mecale awoke slowly. Her first conscious sensation was the sound of rain pounding down all around her and an odd, shrill, squeaking sound. Disoriented and confused, Mecale tried to open her eyes only to find that the right one was stuck shut. She lifted her hand up and touched the eyelid. Her fingers came away wet and sticky. Suddenly frightened, she opened her left eye and saw that she was inside Kouji's car, still strapped in.
Still not knowing what was going on, Mecale looked around. Inside, the car was dark but the headlights were still on and pointing downward. Mecale looked out the cracked windshield down the mangled body and saw a one hundred foot drop illuminated by the high beams. It was then that she remembered the crash.
Almost instantly, she began to panic. I'm going to die! she thought. No, no. You need to calm down. Just breathe. You can get out of this. Mecale took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She assumed that the sticky substance on her eye and head was blood, which meant she was injured. She didn't know how bad the wound was and she didn't have time to contemplate it. She heard the shrill screeching again and realized it was the car sliding farther off the cliff. Somehow, it was caught but wouldn't be for long.
The first thing Mecale did was brace herself against the dashboard with her feet and undid her seatbelt. She needed to wipe the blood out of her eye so she could see. She remembered taking off her sweater and throwing it on the floor but she didn't dare lean forward and get it. She knew that any change in the car could send it tumbling off the cliff.
Mecale decided that her tank top would work fine. She pulled the shirt off and wiped her face. She gasped when the clothing touched what she assumed was a cut and bit her lip to keep from passing out. Once the blood was gone and she could see again, Mecale turned to Kouji. She could see that he was slumped in the driver's seat and wasn't moving but the interior was too dark to make out anything else.
"Please let him be alive, please let him be alive," Mecale prayed as she slowly reached up and turned on the interior light. The car creaked and moved a couple of inches, making Mecale think that they were going over. When the car stopped moving, Mecale focused on Kouji. She could see that he was breathing but had a gash in the middle of his forehead, probably from the steering wheel. She slowly undid his seatbelt, causing him to slide forward and making the car drop a few more inches. It wouldn't be long before whatever was holding the car let go and they plunged to their deaths.
"Come on Mecale," she said out loud, "You can do this."
Mecale put her tank top in the pocket of her shorts in case she needed it to bandage Kouji's wounds. She tried to open the passenger door. I wouldn't budge. She took another deep breath and ever so slowly reached over and tried the driver's door. She felt it start to open but gently shut it again. She didn't want to open it until she was ready.
By this time, she was leaning behind Kouji with her feet still against the dashboard. Very slowly, she inched her way over so that she was sitting behind Kouji with her legs to his right. Mecale put both of her arms around Kouji and slowly pulled him against her, testing his weight. He weighed more than she did but she was pretty sure she could carry him.
Now Mecale turned her body so that her back was up against the driver's door and her feet were pushed against the passenger's seat. She had one arm around Kouji, holding him so he was keeping her from sliding forward, and one hand on the door handle. The car was creaking madly now but still held on.
"Here we go," Mecale whispered and threw the driver's door open. She felt the car begin to slid and wrapping both arms around Kouji, pushed herself off of the passenger seat as hard as she could, propelling both of them into the air and away from the now falling car.
Mecale clutched Kouji tightly and they began to plummet the one hundred feet to the ground below. Suddenly, two golden wings erupted from Mecale's back, stopping their descent. She quickly flew away from the car, which by this time had hit the ground and exploded. Mecale knew the fire would attract people so she flew along the cliff side back the way they had come until she was satisfied that no one would see them. The rain was still pounding down around them when Mecale landed and gently placed Kouji on the ground, giving her aching arms a break.
Once she had landed, Mecale was able to see Kouji's wound better. The cut wasn't very big, only about an inch across and didn't seem to be too deep. Mecale leaned over Kouji so her wings were blocking the rain from his face and pulled the tank top out of her pocket. Her wound was still bleeding but the rain was washing the blood away, so she didn't worry about it for the moment.
Mecale took the rain soaked tank top and quickly washed the blood away from Kouji's wound. As she did this, he began to stir and she pulled her hand away but still kept her wings above him as a shield from the rain. He groaned and then slowly opened his eyes.
"Kouji?"
"Mecale?" Kouji blinked a few times, "Ugh, my vision is all blurry. What happened?"
"The car went over the cliff," Mecale told him.
He blinked a few more times. "Oh my God. Are you okay?"
"Yes," she assured, "I just have a little cut on my head. So do you."
"That explains the blurriness." Kouji closed his eyes tightly, trying to clear his vision. He opened them slowly and blinked a few more times. "That's better. Anyway, how did…" Kouji trailed off and Mecale noticed his gaze was focused on something behind her. His face held a look of disbelief and shock. He sat up quickly and backed away from her.
Startled by his reaction, Mecale stood up, the tank top still in her hand. "Kouji, what…?"
"W…what the Hell are you?" Kouji stammered.
Suddenly, it dawned on Mecale. Her wings. She had been using them to shield Kouji from the rain and hadn't even realized they were still out. She took a step back, hurt beyond words by his reaction. "Kouji, I…"
She didn't even know what to say. His reaction had hurt her so deeply that she was at a loss for words. Kouji was silent also, still staring at the golden appendages rising from her back. Mecale couldn't stand it any longer. She dismissed her wings in a flurry of gold feathers and then turned from Kouji and ran. The rain was coming down harder than ever an she thought she heard him call to her as she dashed towards the houses she had seen from the road. The cold rain stung the bare flesh of her back, arms, stomach and face, especially where the hot tears had left trails of warmth from her eyes down to her cheeks. As she ran, she put her tank top back on over her bra, though it was pitifully little protection against the pelting rain.
Mecale reached the outskirts of the dark neighborhood and stopped. The only light was the spaced out street lamps and she assumed those were the lights she had seen from the road. All of the houses were dark, suggesting that nobody yet lived in them. She had no idea where she was or where she was going. She was still contemplating her dilemma when she heard footsteps running behind her. She was surprised to see Kouji sprinting towards her. The last person she wanted to see at that moment was him and she took off down one of the darkened neighborhood streets, hoping to outrun him but knowing that she couldn't.
"Mecale!" she heard him call but she kept running. She had barely made it to the first cross street when she felt his hand close over her wrist. She spun around and pulled at her arm wildly.
"Let me go!" she shrieked, her voice barely audible over the pounding rain.
"Mecale, stop," Kouji insisted and held on to her wrist. She continued to struggle but it did no good. Kouji held on to her wrist until she felt she would pass out from exertion.
"Please!" Mecale begged when she felt her strength waning, "Please just let me go!"
"No," Kouji responded, "I am not going to let you run out into the city with a head injury in the rain."
"Then pretend it's not raining and I don't have a head injury and let me go!" Mecale shouted and tugged one last time without results. Seeing the situation was hopeless, tears began to fall again, feeling like rivers of lava on her cold face.
"Mecale," Kouji whispered, "Please don't cry. I'm sorry." He reached up to wipe the tears off of her face but she jerked away. "Mecale…"
"A Draconian," she spat suddenly.
"What?" Kouji asked, confused.
"You asked what the Hell I am," Mecale reminded bitterly, "I am a Draconian. The story your mother told you is true."
Kouji stared at her in disbelief. "You're joking right?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Mecale demanded, "You saw them with your own two eyes. How could I be joking?"
"You," Kouji murmured, "That's how we got out of the car. You… you flew us to safety."
"So what?" Mecale snapped.
"My mother was telling the truth?" Kouji said in dazed wonder. "So then that means you're from Gaea?"
"Yes."
"And the amnesia?" Kouji persisted, "It was just a cover, wasn't it?"
Mecale nodded. "Now will you please just let me go?"
Kouji looked hurt for a moment and then his face turned to a mask of sorrow and regret. "Mecale, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…I wasn't trying to hurt you…"
"Well you did a good job of it anyway!" Mecale cried, fresh tears springing into her eyes.
"Mecale, I'm so sorry," Kouji repeated and pulled her into his arms. "Please forgive me. I was just startled and …"
"You don't have to explain," Mecale told him, "I've gotten that reaction before."
"On Gaea?" Kouji questioned. Mecale nodded. "But why?"
"On Gaea, many people consider Draconians demons," Mecale explained.
"Demons?" Kouji asked. "You're no demon. More like an angel."
Mecale smiled despite her tears. "You really think so?"
"Of course," Kouji admitted, "but I think we should talk about this somewhere warm." He looked at the street sign they were standing near. "I know where we are. This is the new neighborhood they built. We're just a couple of blocks away from the apartment. Come on."
Mecale wasn't sure if she forgave him or not but she didn't want to freeze to death out on the street, so she followed him the few blocks back to his apartment. Once inside, they changed into dry clothes and then bandaged their wounds. Then Kouji made hot chocolate and the two of them sat down on the couch. Neither one of them had said anything since they left the deserted neighborhood and now Mecale was the first to speak.
"Kouji?"
He looked up at her.
"Why did you act that way when you saw my wings?"
Kouji put his mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table and took hers out of her hands, placing it on the table next to his. He took her hands into his and then spoke. "At first, I was shocked and didn't know what to think. Then I realized we had been in a car accident and I thought you had died and been turned into an angel. I thought you had come to say goodbye. I was so hurt and scared that I was losing you that I said the first thing that popped into my head. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Can you forgive me?"
Mecale looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "Yes."
"Good." Kouji pulled Mecale against him and she rested her head on his shoulder. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "Mecale?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I see them again?"
Mecale looked up at him. "My wings?"
"Yeah."
Mecale stood up in front of the couch. She pulled the sweater she was wearing over her head to reveal her back but left it on her arms and held it so it covered her bra in the front. A second later, the golden wings he had seen earlier spread out behind Mecale. Soft feathers floated down onto the table and carpet as she flexed the wings gently.
Kouji stared at the vision in front of him, this time in awe. "They're beautiful."
Mecale blushed slightly. "Draconian's wings are supposed to be white but because my parents are direct descendents of the first two Draconians, my wings are gold."
Kouji stood up in front of her. "I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life."
"Stop it," Mecale grinned, "You don't have to flatter me. I told you I forgive you."
"I'm not flattering you," Kouji told her. He slowly reached his hand towards the metallic colored appendages. "Can I…?"
"Yes."
Kouji touched the soft feathers of Mecale's wings and felt them move under his touch. She also giggled softly. He looked at her questioningly.
"It tickles," she informed.
"You can feel with them?" he asked in surprise.
"Of course," Mecale replied, "they are a part of my body."
"They're amazing," Kouji breathed and stroked the feathers. "People on Gaea think Draconians are demons? How could anyone look at you and not think you are a gift from God? I feel like I'm not even worthy to look at you."
"Oh please," Mecale rolled her eyes, "Birds have wings. You don't fawn over them do you?"
"Maybe if I found a bird that was as gorgeous as you I would," Kouji grinned. Mecale blushed and looked away from him. He gently guided her face back so that she was looking at him and he kissed her. When they pulled away from each other, her blush was gone and she was looking up at him with a serious expression.
"I think I have to go home," Mecale told him.
"When?"
"Soon," Mecale answered, "the dreams I've been having, I think they are trying to tell me something."
"I want to know all about it," Kouji said.
"My dream?"
"Gaea," Kouji corrected, "I want to know everything there is to know."
"All right," Mecale agreed. Her wings vanished and she slipped her sweater back on, then sat back down. "Where to begin…"
"How about telling me about your family?" Kouji suggested.
"Okay," Mecale agreed. "Well, I don't have any siblings. My birth was very hard on my mother. She almost died and therefore couldn't have any more children. My cousins are like my siblings. I have four of them. Golan is nineteen and Siri is sixteen. They are brother and sister and are my father's brothers children. Then there is Dolyn and Zara. They are twins and they are nine. They are my mother's sister's children. I have two aunts and two uncles, one set from my mother's side and one set from my father's side. Oh, and before I forget, there are some mistakes in your movie."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I was not happy with the way you portrayed my father," Mecale began.
"Your father?" Kouji repeated, "Your father was a character in my movie?"
"Of course," Mecale replied.
"Who?"
"Folken Laceur de Fanel," Mecale answered.
Kouji stared at her wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "Folken Fanel is your father?" She nodded. "Of course! You told me your name is Mecale Fanel." He thought for a moment. "So that means Hitomi…"
"Is my aunt," Mecale finished for him, "she married my Uncle Van not long after the end of the war with Zaibach."
"And your mother is…"
"Adrina Krilee Celone de Fanel," Adrina announced proudly, "the best swordswoman on Gaea!"
"So your Uncle Van is King of Fanelia?" Kouji inquired.
"Not anymore," Mecale explained, "when my cousin Golan was born, my Uncle Van didn't want to run Fanelia anymore so he abdicated the throne to my father."
"Your father is King?!" Kouji exclaimed, "Then that makes you…"
"Princess Mecale Inara de Fanel," Mecale bowed, "sole heir to the kingdom of Fanelia."
Once again, Kouji's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. "I don't believe it! I kissed a princess!"
Mecale laughed. "Don't let it go to your head."
"Your dad isn't going to come looking for me, is he?" Kouji asked. "You know, to hurt me?"
"No," Mecale comforted, "my father isn't a violent person. He'd probably just scare you so bad that you'd never eve think about kissing me again."
"It would have to be a pretty big scare," Kouji told her and brushed his lips against hers.
"Good," Mecale grinned, "Because I like that."
Kouji smiled. "Me too. Anyway, I want to hear more about your life on Gaea."
"All right."
Mecale and Kouji talked about Gaea for hours. It was almost 1:00 when Kouji finally let Mecale go to bed. She went into the bedroom but instead of changing into her pajamas, she put on a shirt and a pair of jeans. She also put on some socks and her Vans. She knew that the dreams meant something and she had to get back home quickly. Once she was dressed, she grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and wrote Kouji a goodbye note. She placed it on the bed and grabbed her stuffed bear. She put the bear into a handbag that Lisa had forced her to buy. She wanted to take the bear to remember Kouji by.
Once she was ready, she crept out of the bedroom and down the hallway. She was just about to enter the living room when Kouji stepped out in front of her. Startled, she jumped back a step.
"Kouji!"
He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her. "Did you honestly think I would just let you leave without telling me?"
"Uh…" Mecale noticed he was wearing the jeans and T-shirt he had changed into when they had gotten home. He was also sporting a backwards baseball cap.
"You must think I'm pretty stupid if you didn't think I'd figure out that you were leaving tonight," Kouji continued.
"I…"
"So I've decided that since you think I'm stupid and you were just gonna skip out on me, you have to take me with you to Gaea to make up for it," Kouji concluded.
"What?"
"You heard me," Kouji said, "I'm coming with you."
"But you can't…" Mecale started.
"Why not?"
Because of the dream, Mecale thought, If something is happening on Gaea, then the dream might come true and I couldn't bare that.
"The way I figure it, the dreams you've been having have something to do with Gaea and that's why you didn't want to talk about them," Kouji stated, "I also figure that I was in the dream on Gaea, so that means I have to come with you."
"But Kouji, you don't understand," Mecale told him.
His face turned serious and he cupped her cheek in his palm. "I know that something bad happened in your dream Mecale. Maybe to me, maybe to you, maybe to both of us. It doesn't matter because I'm not going to let it happen. I have this feeling that if I don't go with you, something terrible is going to happen. Maybe I'm wrong but I can't take that chance. I won't let anything happen to you."
"Kouji…"
"Don't try to talk me out of it," he smiled, "I've already got my lucky hat on." He touched the fading gray cap on his head.
"All right," Mecale agreed, "we'll go together."
Kouji took her hand and squeezed it. "Okay."
The two of them left the apartment and walked up to the place where Kouji had first found her.
"I figure if we leave from the same spot I arrived, then we'll arrive in the same spot I left from," Mecale told him.
"Makes sense to me," Kouji nodded.
"All right," Mecale instructed, "put your arms around me and hold on tight."
Mecale folded her hands together and closed her eyes. "God, please help me. You answered my prayers by sending me here, now please, take us back to Gaea. I fear something bad is going to happen if I don't return soon." Mecale opened her eyes and saw her dragon pendant glowing brightly. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Kouji's neck.
"Don't let go," she ordered.
"I won't."
The blue light descended from the sky, bathing them in it's eerie glow. She heard Kouji's gasp of surprise as the light began to lift them off the ground. Mecale closed her eyes as they rose higher and higher. Finally, the light swallowed them up, taking them both to Gaea.
******************************
Yeah! They're going to Gaea!