Well, I have to admit that I was going to abandon this story. You could say that I hit a roadblock as an author. (Roadblock? More like the Great Wall of China!) I guess I have to apologize to all the readers who I lost because they got fed up with me. Sorry, guys! Anyways, a couple of insistent friends of mine convinced (threatened to either stalk me for the rest of my natural life or give me a deadly computer virus) *aHEM * …convinced me to finish this story.
Unfortunately, I faced another set back. T_T After 5 months, I finally had written the next chapter for this fic and my computer buggered up and deleted it! Sorry, but you guys are reading version two! ^_^;; (BTW, I suspect sabotage from a certain friend of mine who is a computer freak….yeah, you know who you are. I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!)
So, I'll shut up and let you read.
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Hitomi tried to groan, but her throat was too soar to constrict. She ached all over and something hard was cutting into the back of her head. She tried to crack an eyelid, but she squeezed it back shut when the bright piercing light around her assaulted her already abused eyes.
Hitomi let go of the breath she was holding. The only thing that kept her awake was the nagging feeling that she was forgetting something. She paused. Her name was Hitomi Kanzaki. Okay, so far, so good. She lived pretty close to Tokyo, Japan. She had a mother, a father, and a little brother, but she hadn't seen them in a long while. She remembered telling Van once how annoying her little brother was…
Oh. My. God. Now Hitomi wished that she hadn't remembered. Memories of returning to Earth with Van, the dream, trying to get back to Gaea, and Rianne played over and over on the inside of Hitomi'' eyelids.
She had to get up---NOW!
As she blindly began to brace an arm behind her, Hitomi heard something rustle. She froze.
Oh, no! There was someone in here with her! Footsteps were approaching her. When something cool brushed against her forehead, Hitomi jerked and tried to stifle a scream. Suddenly, the still painful light that had been leaking through her eyelids receded. Surprised, Hitomi opened her startling green eyes…blinked several times…
The man was still in front of her, even after she blinked repeatedly, convincing Hitomi that she wasn't hallucinating. He was the most beautiful person she had ever seen. His bright, silky blond hair framed translucent skin and high cheekbones. Hitomi felt drawn into the deep whirlpools of his eyes, the color of the sea after a violent storm. A tiny smile curved perfectly shaped lips as the man reached forward to touch her face.
"It will be alright. You're not alone here," he said softly in her ear. Her skin tingled where he touched her. Hitomi snapped her gaze out of his and gasped. He had wings. Huge, white, blindingly bright wings. Not an angel, he was a---
"Draconian!" Hitomi choked out. A graceful feather drifted by her cheek and she could have sworn that he winked. Seeing Van's wings had left her speechless in awe and wonder, but actually being face to face with a real Draconian…there weren't words to describe how she felt. She felt awed…dirty…elated…terrified.
Out of no where, Hitomi heard a distant impatient pounding, like someone banging a table on a stone floor. Distaste flashed on the Draconian's face and his expression completely changed. His once warm eyes were as cold as ice. He whipped around and opened a door behind him that Hitomi hadn't noticed before. He bowed in the doorway.
"She's awake isn't she?" A melodious voice range out. The blonde Draconian nodded, bowed and turned again to Hitomi.
Hitomi had recognized that voice and realized that she didn't want to go anywhere near that next room. Her guardian approached her, wrapped his arms around her waist and roughly hauled her up. Suddenly, Hitomi was swaying on her own two feet. A rough shove sent her stumbling through the doorway and into the next room. Only the thought that Van might be in trouble, that Van might need her gave Hitomi the strength to pick up her foot and set it in front of the other, heading towards Rianne.
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The girl stumbled pathetically towards her, her face whiter than young Darik's robes behind her, her bright emerald green gaze blurry and unfocused. Darik's face looked impassive and uncaring, but Rianne could see he was tense incase the young girl should fall. The different dimension that the Draconians had adapted to was obviously taking its toll in the human's strength and mortality. With each step that she took, Rianne could she the ebb and flow of this cursed time leeching away her strength.
"W-why? Why are you do-doing this?" Rianne could hear Hitomi's gasping breaths from where she sat at the end of the long marble hall. Even though the hall was illuminated with the unearthly light of the Draconians, she still squinted and lurched around like it was the middle of the night.
"Where is my family? Where are my friends?" Hitomi's voice was weak. "Where's Van? Why are you starting a war on Gaea? What about Riven? And Serena? Keman? Aronic?" Her voice was growing a little stronger. Rianne's deep green eyes narrowed, and she arrogantly tossed her silky, midnight hair over her shoulder.
"With each breath you waste, you loose a few precious seconds in which you body can hold up in our dimension." Hitomi slowed to a stop, her hands braced against her knees, sweat dripping from her face a she gabbed for breath. She tried to focus her double vision on the looming obstacle in front of her. You could she her fear as Hitomi realized what she was looking at.
"Why do you have the Fate Alteration Machine? What you're doing is wrong! It's so wrong!" Rianne's breath hissed out, as her face contorted in rage. How dare that little girl, that human, one of those who had exiled her race to a cursed existence in a land hostile to life, who had killed her love lecture her on what was right and what was wrong?
"Bring him out!" she barked out over her shoulder. From the door behind her came a scuffle and a yell, the sickening sound of a fist impacting flesh and a crash. The door crashed open and out staggered a bent and beaten form. Blood dripped out from under his wild black hair and his red amber eyes were bloodshot, swollen shut and hazy. After a few steps, the fallen king crashed to his knees.
A strangled sob was dragged out of Hitomi as her heart broke. Suddenly, strength infused her limbs and she broke into a staggering run towards her fallen love. Rianne looked aloof and amused.
"Catch her," she ordered imperiously to Derik. The blond Draconian leaped forward and captured Hitomi's shoulders in an unnaturally strong grip. In a burst of desperate, adrenaline fueled strength, Hitomi ripped away from Derik's grasp. The movement was too violent, and Hitomi collapsed flat on her face.
Rianne strolled over to Van's side. She reached out an elegant white hand to tilt his face up to hers.
"Where is your pride now, halfling?" Rianne taunted the beaten king. "Why don't you try to show us your wings again, half-blood?" The ruler of the Draconians yanked the rose colored stone from around her neck and shoved it in Van's face. There was a bright flash of light and Van cried out in pain with his broken voice. His now bloodstain wings burst from his shoulder blades.
"STOP IT!" Hitomi screamed. Rianne shot a look at Derik and he clamped a hand over her mouth.
Rianne was fascinated with the stark contrast between the glowing white feathers and the deep red of Van's blood. She looked at Van thoughtfully for a long minuet, then turned to Hitomi's blonde guardian.
"Derik." He bowed. "I want all of our people to see this. Everyone."
"Everyone had already assembled and is waiting for your command, Highest," Derik replied blandly. Rianne didn't know whether to look annoyed or amused.
"Let's cut straight to the chase," Rianne sneered at Van, enjoying every second of her sweet revenge. "I have your lover, her family and her friends. I am going to through all of them in there," she pointed at the Fate Alteration Machine. "An extremely long and tortured death. Or ---I could throw you in alone." She noticed her hand, still cupped around Van's broken jaw. She shifted her grip and yanked cruelly on his hair.
"You—would return Hitomi---to---her home?" Van rasped out with his broken voice, unable to raise his eyes from the hard marble floor.
"No! Van, don't do it! You—you're a king first! What about Fanelia? You can't abandon them!" Hitomi twisted her mouth away to cry out. Rianne jerked around in fury. In a few quick strides, she had crossed the hall over to Hitomi and backhanded her sharply.
"Shut up." Rianne said coldly, as Hitomi saw stars. Rianne stared down at the dazed girl. She didn't have much longer, she surmised. In fact, she was surprised the human's had resisted so long. If she wanted to get this finished with, she had better hurry.
A low murmuring filled the room. The walls were lined with angelic faces of Draconians, their awe-inspiring presence filling the room. You know, Hitomi thought. They're not too much different from the people of Gaea. Sure they look different and they have different abilities...but you can't just call them "The Draconians." They each are different, like humans. Everyone had their own personality, their own good traits and bad traits.
"Well? Do you agree? If you willingly throw yourself into the Fate Alteration Machine, I am bound by the laws of my people.." Rianne paused. "And your mother's people, to honor my word." Van turned slowly to look at Hitomi. Something was tickling at the back of her mind. Hitomi realized what it was and opened the "door" to the "bridge" between her mind and Van's mind with a yank. The pain of Van's physical injuries washed through her in waves and she shuddered. Hitomi refused to cry out. Not when Van was silent.
Please, Van. Please. Don'tI have to
No! That's just what she wants you to think. If you do, I'll…I'll jump in after you!
Hitomi! His angry voice made her flinch. Do you really want your mother to die? What about your brother?
What about Fanelia? What about Merle? Hitomi couldn't feel anything from Van but resolve. Any kind of feeling what so ever was locked away from her. They both had so much to loose, but…
Oh, Van…we're being so selfish! There. Hitomi could feel his surprise. Even if you do… die, what about the people Rianne will destroy after? Even if my family, my friends, even if I'm safe---she'll still make the children who loose their parents to her self-centered plans suffer. I don't want to see another child suffer like you, Van. Then, there was nothing. No pain, no hope. Nothing. Hitomi felt numb, like this wasn't really happening.
The cold of the nothingness shocked her to her very core and snapped Hitomi back to her surroundings. She gasped. Van teetered on the edge of a platform, directly above the Fate Alteration Machine.
"All of you stand witness to this King's word?" Even though Rianne words were formed in a question, no one doubted the demand underneath.
No way I'm just going to sit here. Hitomi took a deep breath and stood. She would get to Van's side. She would end this terrible nothingness. Hitomi wanted to feel the pain she knew was coming. Anything would be better than this aching cold.
There was a strange strength in knowing you had none. It was like Hitomi was on autopilot. She didn't even think about what she was doing. She plunged into that dark coldness where the link between her and Van was. Hitomi embraced him, embraced the terrible numbness inside of him, embraced his hopeless feelings of failure. She wrapped her arms as tightly around him as she could, realizing that without realizing it, she had reached Van on top of tower. (An; tower? Kind of like a suicidal diving board) She fiercely sealed her mouth on his, as fiercely as she had sealed their minds.
If we are going to die, Hitomi thought. We are going to die together. I won't let him go alone. And in the very farthest corner of the numb nothingness, Hitomi heard a soft whisper.
Thank you.
…I love you
…good-bye
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Abruptly, Aronic straitened and turned to the small boy who had tottered up behind her.
Her dark eyes flashed as she said, "It's time to go back home, Kemen." The small boy yawned and giggled, showing sharp pointed teeth.
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Don't worry! Don't hurt me! The other chapter will be posted! I think it'll be the last one! That's right people, we're on the conclusion! Oh, and for all of you who are worried and ready to kill me, let me tell you that I am a firm believer in HAPPY ENDINGS! ^_^;; (I know! I seriously was crying while I was writing this! Pathetic, I know…)
Anyway, I know I don't deserve it, but please review! I mean, your reviews are the light in my lamp, the gas in my ford, the happy in my happy meal, the cream filling of my double stuffed Oreo (copyright), the beer in my Red Wings hockey game, the keys to my car, my glasses on the last reading test, the happy little hobbit who gets over his bad boy ring, …whoa…now I'm just getting weird….
To sum it up, please review, please look for the next chapter!