Author's Ramblings: A huge thank you once again to all of the reviewers! Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter as well….
Disclaimer: Me no own.
Chapter Thirteen: A True Angel
"I love you," she said, tears falling with the realization that it would be the last time he'd hear it.
"I love you too," he responded, tears falling as well.
Being the more internally wounded, Hitomi realized that she would be the first to die upon hitting the ground. "I'll wait for you, wherever we go after death."
Van smiled, despite their predicament. As the ground drew nearer, he closed his eyes. He feared that his last sight would be of Hitomi dying, and he didn't want that. He wanted to remember her being alive. Albeit beaten and battered, but still alive. You were so gentle, Hitomi…yet so strong…
Hitomi closed her eyes too, for the same reason. You were so strong, Van…yet so gentle…
She suddenly felt a sensation in her chest. She opened her eyes, and saw the Energist glowing—even through her skin. She felt a ripping sensation on her back, and gasped when she saw what began to surround herself and her beloved.
Feathers. Atlantean feathers. HER Atlantean feathers.
"Van!" she cried. The Energist had healed her wounds as well, allowing her comfortable usage of her new wings. And it had healed Van!
Van's eyes opened tentatively. "How…?" he asked, as he realized they were suspended in air. He looked up, into Hitomi's eyes. She was somewhat above him, held by her own wings. Her very own wings.
"Hitomi!" he cried out of joy. "You…you have wings! And…and mine! They're not broken anymore!"
She nodded, acknowledging each of his exclamations as valid. "Van!" she cried happily.
He flapped his wings, so that he was even in the air with her. Suddenly worry hit him. "What about Calis? What will we do about her?"
Hitomi was silent for a moment. She looked up at the Curansian leviship, and gasped. "Van! Look! It's…it's gone! It exploded somehow…."
Van looked, and indeed it was no more.
And then they both realized. Escaflowne had been left on the leviship, and being lured by its power, Calis must have tried to open it. Its ways are mysterious, and both Van and Hitomi knew that they would never truly know exactly HOW Escaflowne managed to blow up the leviship and save itself at the same time.
"Escaflowne will find its way back to us," Van assured Hitomi, pulling her winged form to him in the air.
"I know," she said with a tentative smile, leaning onto his fully healed chest. "Let's go find the others, Van." Then, more confident and excitedly, "I want to show off my pretty new wings to Merle!"
"That sounds like a great idea," he complimented as he smiled. "She'll be very jealous." He winked.
Van led her to where the campsite was, but they stopped in the air at a far enough distance so that they couldn't be seen right away. "You know," he began, "If it were at all possible, I'd," he blushed, "like to make love to you in the sky like this, someday."
Hitomi sighed dreamily at the thought, a blush of her own creeping over her face like ivy. "We'll have to try that. It really does sound interesting." She winked.
He sighed with relief, recalling again how close they had come to death only moments previously. "Hitomi," he said reverently. No words were needed to convey his thoughts of gratitude.
And they kissed; not a heavy passionate one, but a light, playful, thankful one.
"Now let's go show everyone your wings."
Hitomi nodded in agreement.
They flew together, hand in hand, towards their friends below.
-The Campsite-
"Umm…does anyone know what those are up there?" asked an uneasy Aaron as he looked up into the sky. He was on watch-duty for Curansian leviships, and he had just spotted two fairly large white-winged creatures in the sky.
Dryden followed his gaze, squinting because of the sunlight. "I don't know…. They look like really large birds…."
"You idiots!" exclaimed Merle, who came running up with Chid and Nadya. "Don't you know that Van-sama has…." She trailed off as she caught sight of Hitomi with wings as well, and gasped.
And the two lovers landed gracefully, still hand in hand.
Nadya was the first to dare to speak. "Lady Hitomi! You have wings!"
"Yes, I do," Hitomi answered. She gave a gentle flap to prove that they weren't fake.
Van smiled at this, gazing gently at Hitomi.
Chid walked up, his blue eyes wide as they took in the splendor of seeing Hitomi with her own wings, as well as Van's up close. He looked up shyly, and asked, "Can…I mean, may I touch them?"
She smiled. "Of course," She extended her left wing forward, and Chid walked up to it tentatively. He extended a finger, and trailed it down a long feather on the tip of her wing.
"Wow…." He was in total awe.
Van looked on with a smile. He turned to a very wide-eyed Merle. "How…?" she began, but never finished.
"She always had them," he answered. "Because she's a true angel."
The sap astounds even me. ;) There's one more chapter, by the way!