An eerie calm had befallen the ship as even the faint groaning of the engine had quieted. The air was cool, the atmosphere tense. Van was sitting quietly, dark sheets of rain visible from the window behind him. He was staring at a spot on the floor, his profile somber. Aurelia leaned against a door frame not too far away, her blue eyes frightened, her expression empty. The princess' normally magnetic demeanor was now drained, her skin pale, her lips dry.

"Tomorrow might be the last time we see each other," she said quietly, and Van looked up, his eyes questioning. He seemed to choose his words carefully before replying.

"...Don't be stupid, I'll be coming back," he began with a half hearted expression, and she met his eyes almost sharply.

"I'm not the naive girl you first met, Van," she spoke slowly, her expression softening into a perturbed one. Van stared hard into her eyes, slightly surprised by the understanding in Aurelia's gaze. It was lost, but she was aware. It would have been much easier for him if she didn't realize the seriousness of the situation and the events to take place soon. It would have been easier for him knowing she wasn't in pain.

"I just want to make this easier for you," he admitted after a moment, and Aurelia exhaled sharply.

"Then don't let me down Van, don't make it easier for me," she pleaded, "Don't make me think you're coming back, don't give me hopes to shatter. Just prepare me." Van stood up. He couldn't meet her defiant blue eyes quite yet, so he stared down at nowhere in particular, body tense. How could he lie when she asked him for his honest word?

"This is a surprise attack," Van sighed finally, "So I have a bit of a chance." Silence ensued, and Aurelia seemed to accept it. A troubled expression clouded Van's irises, and his fingers twitched slightly.

"Honestly though?" he stopped, raising his eyes to meet hers. The expression on his face scared Aurelia. The corners of his eyes crinkled in a look of utmost distress, his onyx pupils darting around wildly. His lips were parted gently, yet his jaw moved as if it didn't know what to do with itself. "I know nothing at all about this Empire. I have no bloody idea what I'm fighting," he confessed, his hands curling into fists. He looked almost afraid, yet the determination in his eyes rung strong. "But I'm going to fight to the death. Just like I did before," he pledged evenly, "I have to fight for my people. But there's going to be more battles and I can't...." he trailed off, looked at the floor, then at Aurelia. "I can't guarantee anything. Any promise I make you during this war," Van murmured quietly, "Is not a true one, because it can be broken."

"Thank you," she replied, her voice catching slightly. For a moment, Van felt that maybe she wanted the answer that she wished to hear. Her eyes were shiny, but she just blinked quickly. "Thank you," she repeated silently as he crossed over to her and held her hands. They didn't embrace, or kiss, they just stood their clasping each other's hands. But it was enough, and it seemed appropriate for the occasion.

"I'm sorry."

Green eyes blinked quietly in the doorway before slipping away unnoticed.

Tightening the mask around her head, Hitomi took a deep breath of the cold air. She was a figure of darkness, the only color on her the pool of golden brown hair tied up. Wind rushed past her cheeks, and she could feel her heart beating rapidly in her ribcage.

Thump thump. Thump thump.

Patting her thigh, and feeling the familiar length of the dagger strapped to her leg, she grabbed at the handle of her sword to reassure herself. She could suddenly feel all of herself, the blood coursing through her veins, her lungs expanding and contracting. Goose bumps erupted on her skin from the biting air, and smarted her eyes. The deck was empty, it was just her and the looming clouds. And yet she wasn't as scared or nervous as she should have been. Shutting her green eyes forcefully, she heard the soft whistling of the air pushing through before stretching her arms and going into a running leap off the deck of the ship. An onlooking writer would have described the jump as the epitome of utter self destruction.

Free falling, she folded one arm against her chest and the other on the hilt of her sword firmly. Her weight fell through the air, everything going by so quickly. She clashed through clouds, and wind whipped against her. She could barely breathe, but an empty smile lit her features. This feeling, no control, mixed with the hiding sorrow etching through her, would be the feeling she'd feel when she died.

She began to feel truly ill as tears started stinging, then mixing with the biting air when suddenly arms roped securely around her waist. Strangely, it was like instant comfort. The arms tightened their grasp on her, and she could feel the solid structure of the body behind her.

"This is a very simple task, in it's essence. Doing it however, is a completely different story," Jade began, pointing at the rough sketch of the palace, "Hitomi and Van will attack starting at the north entrance. Allen and I will attack from the south. However, Allen and I can't take the shortest route. We'll be spotted too easily.

You'll have to land in the Ophiuchus Forest. Make sure you land in a place well hidden," Jade stressed, her eyes serious. "After the ship has been landed, and Allen and I have headed out, the ship will set out again to the palace. Above it, Van and Hitomi will dive down for their attack."

Hitomi remained silent, and really, wasn't paying much attention. They took everything in so much stride. Something's wrong, and they'll fight. Her eyes flickered over Allen, Van, and Jade. Even Merle and Millerna didn't seem to anguished about the actual idea of war. Only when there was fighting did they seem to worry. "So Hitomi will leap off deck first, then Van will fly down after her," Jade nodded, and Allen frowned. "Why don't they jump down together," he suggested, and Jade lifted her eyes. "It's a lot messier that way," she stated calmly, "They won't be able to adjust themselves properly. It would be hard for them to dive in decent synchronization. Five minutes before Hitomi is to jump, Allen and I will head out on land through the village and start through the south of the palace and work through where we'll all meet in the throne room." "Why Van and Hitomi, why not Van and you or something?" Aurelia asked, then blushed as all eyes swerved onto her. "It was the Dragon and the Seeress that saved Gaea once," she smiled blankly, "Maybe they'll save it again."

Turning her torso towards the broad chest, she rested her damp eyes into Van's shoulder as snow white feathers grazed her finger tips. They plunged fast through the air, Van's wings controlling their speed and providing a shield from the wind. So far the plan was working.

She wondered how high they were, and breathed in deeply. He smelt the same. Like fresh flowers, like right after a thunderstorm, like wet grass and pebbles. Van. Maybe they could fall forever. Swallowing, she loosened her hold on the angel for a moment. He was not hers to take, nor to keep.

It was so unfair though. It was so hard being grown up, so good. So unhappy. She wished she could go back in time. Not even as far back as when she was fifteen. Maybe just a little while back, when she had felt her heart melt at the sight of the chandeliers casting a gentle glow onto the Fanelian king.

Suddenly, Van wrapped her up in his strong arms, and she buried her face in the nook of his neck. It all seemed so right. A blissful smile spread on Hitomi's face, and she lifted her head to meet his reddish brown gaze.

"Hitomi," he said softly, his voice catching slight on the last syllable of her name. "Van..." she whispered, loving the feeling of happiness, love, and warmth that was washing through her like healing waters. Stepping away from the embrace, Van bowed his head slightly, and extended his gloved hand. "May I have this dance?" "Yes, it would be an honor," Hitomi curtseyed dazzlingly, laughing lightly. Van snorted slightly at her formal gesture to him, and jokingly prodded her in the ribs with his index finger. "It's bad enough everyone else does it," he chided, sneaking her a devilish grin. Wrapping one arm securely around Hitomi's waist, and clasping her right hand with his left, Van lead Hitomi across the dance floor, her skirt sweeping and swishing around her. Hitomi felt a euphoric feeling envelop her, and Van's thumb was gently stroking the small of her back.

Clouds broke as they passed through, and Hitomi tensed as Van ran a finger along the exposed skin on her arm. It was a subtle movement, yet done so carefully and gently. Despite the cold air, his touch was warm and the gesture was so sudden, so tender. It was the signal to get ready to land. Marking mentally where the hilt of her sword was, Hitomi felt seconds of adrenaline whip through her as their feet thudded against the floor. Retracting his wings, leaving a flurry of down, Van turned sharply and withdrew his sword as Hitomi did the same. A short, grunting cry emitted the soldier's lips as her blade slid across the taut skin of his throat, and she turned quickly in time to block a blow from another soldier. Slicing her sword through the air he blocked her strike, steel screeching against steel. Piercing eyes bore into her own, and she felt the shift in weight as the soldier was about to make the next blow.

"Here," Jade said, offering a black piece of material to Hitomi. The green eyed brunette looked up vaguely, her gaze tired. The ship barely had enough armor and weaponry for their first attack, and in Hitomi's mind they were still not prepared enough. For the next fight though, Hitomi knew they'd have to land somewhere and restock. If there was even a next battle.

They could be wiped out in an instant.

"Why?" Hitomi asked, unfolding the cotton to reveal a strip of black with two eye slits cut roughly into it.

"I don't want them to remember your face," Jade replied, and Hitomi stared silently down at the mask. The air was grim, and slowly Hitomi picked up the cloth and tied it around her face. With a tug of the knot, Jade look satisfied at the girl. Looking down at herself, Hitomi wiggled her fingers inside of the leather gloves before picking up a hatchet off the wall.

'I'm not experienced enough,' Hitomi thought frantically, 'I don't k-know what I'm doing!' Jaded green eyes suddenly sprung to life with fear as her iron grip weakened, and the soldier took no time in wasting this opportunity. Shaving his sword off the edge of hers he raised it as the sound of his blade whistling against the air towards her rung clear in Hitomi's ears. She winced as the blade scratched the slope of her cheek to her nose before a clash of metal thundered in her ears.

Taking a step back, her lips parted as the familiar deep cry of Van sounded in the air as he drove his sword into the soldier's chest and up diagonally before sliding his blade out the man's heart.

The body fell to the floor with a soft lumping noise, and Van looked up at Hitomi, his gaze intense. Hitomi stared into his eyes and saw doubt in them, and her knuckles turned white as they tightened on the handle of her blade. Doubt of her ability. Setting her jaw, she looked at him levelly. She'd damn survive this battle whether he believed in her or not.

"More are coming," she said quickly, and she turned so they were back to back. She'd show him. 'Focus,' she told herself, and as the clattering sound of footsteps was audible the first soldier to round the corner was struck down by her hatchet to his skull. Charging forward she slid her blade across the torso of a soldier before grabbing the hatchet back and sliding it frantically back against the leg of her boot. Thrust, parry, dodge, a head rolled by her feet as she drove sword across a soldier's nose bridge, the iron smell of blood intoxicating his senses before her steel sliced him dead. She turned to see how Van was doing, and noticed he was watching her intently. His opponent struck him with the flat of his sword and Van crumpled to the ground, blocking the intended final blow and rolling away. The king shot a look at Hitomi, almost along the lines of 'what the hell?' before focusing on his own fight.

Swinging her sword deftly to let it twirl around her wrist, she snatched the handle before turning and colliding her elbow with a soldier and ramming the hilt into his jaw. Lunging the blade forward into an oncoming assaulter, she wielded the sword around and finished off the soldier she had elbowed. A smile that didn't match her emotion at all curled on her lips as she swung her sword quickly and wildly at a frightened looking soldier. Lifting her sword she stabbed the tip against the floor before using that to drive herself forward, her body lowering as her legs shot out, tripping the young fighter. Flipping onto him as he tried to escape, she slit his throat before getting off deftly and blocking a jab. The soldier produced another dagger and missed Hitomi's chest as she moved out of the way, but it gashed her arm severely. Squinting her eyes dangerously, Hitomi punched the soldier in the eye before grabbing her hatchet and sliding it across the top of his skull. Bastard. Touching her arm, her gloves were stained with blood as she sniffed the tangy bitter scent. A sword hilt butted sharply against her back, where a bruise would definitely form, and she turned around furiously before the heat died out of her face.

Hybrid. The familiar uniform hit her with a wave of numb, yet her mind stormed with rage and vengeance. As she swung her blade rapidly, it was hit out of her hands as the Hybrid worked smoothly. Ducking to the ground clumsily and nearly falling over, Hitomi grabbed at the Hybrid's calves and brought him down. The flat of his sword struck her back, and she felt her throat gag slightly as an arm grabbed her own. Instead of a purple stripe along the glove, a turquoise one glared up at her. What was turquoise again? Obviously it was a higher rank then purple as the soldier struck her on the head once.

"Nervous?" Jade asked as the green eyed girl secured the weapon to her boot.

"No," Hitomi replied after a long pause, "If I had someone that needed me, maybe I would be." Jade gazed evenly at Hitomi, crossing her arms. "I'm more worried about the future of this, then the well being of myself."

"Take the cyanide capsules," Jade called over her shoulder as she tugged on her gloves, "Only use them if necessary, they're expensive," Jade added with a wry expression. The brunette was gone, and Hitomi picked up the small blue beads on the table. They were meant to be taken if dying a slow death, though sometimes warriors cracked under the trauma of the death of a comrade that they took them to leave the fighting.

Picking up a small string of them she tied them loosely around her left wrist before exiting the direction Jade left.

Pain rung through her head as she was struck again, and she gasped for air as her head was turned sharply to the side. Lowering her eyes she saw the blue beads on her wrist, the bracelet out of her view as she was struck again. The faint taste of copper tainted her mouth, and she coughed hoarsely.

"You're going to lose a lot of blood," the Hybrid smirked, and the brunette's mouth filled with blood, saliva and vomit as she was struck again on the back.

Blood loss...
...Mamoru punctured lung...
Your parents couldn't...
...Be saved.

"No!" she cried, "Don't touch me!" Tears parted through drying blood on her face, and grabbing the dagger from her thigh she stabbed the Hybrid in the shoulder. "This is for mom! And for dad!" she continued, stabbing recklessly, "And this," she grunted, slashing the soldier, "Is for Mamoru! And this," she yelled, "is for Darien!" The Hybrid was lifeless on the floor as she kept stabbing his still body, hiccups escaping her mouth.

"Bleed!" she sobbed, "He can't feel the pain unless he bleeds," she whispered, "Because blood comes from the heart. Where the pain resides." She shut her eyes and cried into her knees, and Van was regaining his breath as he watched Hitomi all alone. He watched her form shake, heard her sobs. His blood settled down, and it suddenly seemed so calm. The cold blew past his heated skin, and he sheathed his sword after wiping it for lack of words, lack of understanding. All he could comprehend was a very lonely scene with a very lonely girl. She had stopped crying, and was looking out towards the city, her eyes puffy while her nose was red.

"Come on," he said quietly, offering his hand.

"I wanted to kill them all," Hitomi spoke flatly, staring blankly into the distance. "What am I doing? What's wrong with me?" Her voice had no charisma, no feeling.

"It happens. The passion of war got you. You'll learn to control it," he assured her. "You did well," he added after a quiet moment, "Though you might want to leave the turquoise banded ones up to me."

"You mean the Hybrids," Hitomi replied frowning slightly, and Van looked away, his cheeks heating discreetly.

"Yeah. Let's go. We have more soldiers to get through, hopefully they won't be Hybrids."

Horse hooves thundered against the dry grass as Allen leaned forward, flicking the reins sharply. He and Jade had five minutes to make it from where the ship landed to the Dantele palace. Then Hitomi and Van would drop from the sky together and they would all attack different sectors at the same time.

"What happens if one person is trapped?" Hitomi asked, and Jade looked up as Van and Allen left the decision up to the warrior.

"They'll be left behind. The others will pick up the other person's work. We can't afford to go back in the first fight." A grim silence followed, however everyone nodded. There was nothing they could do to object.

Looking to the left, he saw Jade riding beside him, and she directed towards the approaching houses and buildings. Flicking her fingers sideways, she indicated a sharp turn, and Allen nodded. Dirt shifted under the pound of metal hooves when the two riders veered sharply in between two close buildings. The sun set as if on cue as the two cut out of the alley, the palace in view. Navy black was crawling across the burnt orange sky, and the grimness of the situation finally gripped the Caeli knight as his blue eyes surveyed their surroundings intensely.

Gaea was going to be at war.

So much bloodshed. Young Dantele soldiers lay dead before her, their eyes frozen open in frightened expressions as the smell of crimson stained the air. Limp corpses, helmets, and bloody swords surrounded her. The scratch on her face from before stung in a distant dream, and her shoulders throbbed with an underlying pain. Looking up at Van, he removed his helmet and ruffled his raven hair. She studied his back, the way his posture was straight and proud. It used to be frantic, aggressive... So, so alone.

Turning around, he surveyed the defeated calmly before lifting his gaze up to Hitomi. Hard, intense maroon eyes blinked at her before widening slightly as her sword clattered to the ground. It fell so slowly, and it held so much significance to the stature of the girl from the Mystic Moon. Her fingers gingerly lifted the helmet off her head, and kneeling she set the equipment down beside her before trembling.

"Hitomi," Van said, immediately going to her side and shaking her arm slightly, "What's wrong?" Breaking into stifled sobs, she buried her face into his shoulder.

"They look... Their bodies look like my family's when they were killed," Hitomi cried, and Van wrapped his arms around her securely.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, lowering his head in respect, his face now buried into her hair. He knew they couldn't stay there for too long, they needed to keep going. But he couldn't bear to keep dragging her down a road that no one should take. Warm tears trailed through the dirt on her face, against her cold skin.

"I'm so stupid," she hiccupped, her eyes puffy and red. "I can't keep crying."

"Then cry this last time," Van said quietly, and as she nodded he could feel her slender frame quaking in his arms. He had seen her tears many time before, when they were fifteen. She had looked so sad back then when she cried, and she looked just as heartbreaking now. It felt good to put his arms around her. It made him feel like maybe she'd be a bit safer, and that maybe by holding her close she'd feel a bit happier. And Hitomi felt all this.

He was solid. There was a feeling that was bound to betray her later that he could never be taken away from her. Ever.

"We shouldn't stall too long," Hitomi coughed slightly, "We have to move."

"No we don't," Van mumbled, "We don't have to move until you're up for it."

"I am up for it," Hitomi replied quickly, and her lips quirked at the dark look in Van's eyes.

"Don't lie to me. Do it to anyone else, but not me," he articulated evenly, his head pulling in close so she could hear him better. The sentence could have been interpreted as possibly threatening, and yet... It seemed intimate. Hitomi could suddenly hear her heart beating. His whole presence almost smoldered.

Don't do this to me. It was a silent plea, but Hitomi hoped with all her will that it reached the gods. He was tormenting her, filling her with devastating thoughts and feelings she had convinced she was rid of. It was cruel to instill that haunting look in those maroon eyes, the look that promised she was his first and only priority.

"Van..." she began, glancing away and clearing the taste in her mouth. He interrupted awkwardly.

"There are things that... If I had known differently... Wouldn't have," Van began difficultly before stopping. "Sorry. You shouldn't be fighting here. We... We shouldn't even be attacking," Van admitted, releasing one of his arms around her and raking his hair. "But we are, and..." He seemed incredibly uncomfortable.

"It's fine," she smiled softly, habitually knocking a few strands of hair out of his eyes.

"You can't say it's always fine," he replied, after making a noise of protest. "Sometimes you have to speak up. Hitomi... I know I've screwed up but you have to confront me... I never know how to apologize to you." Hitomi peered up into burnt autumn eyes, and saw how disgusted he was at himself for appearing vulnerable.

"We really have to get moving," she whispered gently. A muscle clenched in Van's jaw, and nodding he stood up emotionlessly.

"You're right," he said coolly, and picking up his helmet he stared down at the armor in his hands. She was tempted to ask if she had done anything wrong, and yet a part of her was afraid of the answer. He looked so isolated and so, so angry. Every single nerve in her body wanted to step away from the hostility that seemed to wash off of him in sharp sheets. And yet... She gently reached for his hand.

"Come on." For a moment, they locked eyes. Their proximity was dangerously close, and slowly, he clasped her free hand. A silent question lingered in his eyes. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she could smell blood, sweat, and open fields on him. Her gaze was a scintillating pool of jaded summer, hurt yet carrying on. The soft slopes and angles of her face were covered in dirt and blood, strands of bronzed hair falling in lazy pieces. So beautiful. And yet so far away. Van desperately wanted to change that, if only for a brief, ruining second. Hitomi seemed to notice the increase of intensity in his gaze and froze like a deer in headlights. The choice of running or hiding clashed mercilessly in her head, and before she could decide he began to tilt his head. It was that simple motion that acted as a catalyst, because slowly, she was sucked into a heavy drowse. Tawny colored eyelashes fanned half way shut and pale rose lips parted while pulses quickened. Everything around them seemed so cold and empty but the body heat radiating off them was more than tangible. Seasons could have rolled by, years could have passed. Yet they wouldn't have noticed; the feelings were too potent, too concentrated, too fragile. Millimeters apart, the knot in Van's chest stiffened as Hitomi could feel herself on the brink of plunging deep into an alluring world of no return and no compromise. Closer... Closer...

His lips barely brushed hers before she pulled away and rested her cheek on his shoulder, her eyes wide and her expression working into a chaotic puzzle of uncertainty. Van looked up exhaustedly and rested his chin on her head. Patting her back disappointedly, he exhaled softly.

AN: Long time no update ;; All the stories will eventually be updated... Exam time. Stressful stuff's going on too... Sorry I'm not really up to par lately. Please review, they make me happy and a nice one usually brightens me day. this story still has a long way to go.