Irvine and Moonbay sat in silence while the gustav moved slowly across the desert sand towards the base. Van sat in the back seat sleeping peacefully but with a troubled look upon his face. The bleeding from his wounds had stopped but his face was still rather filthy with blood and the bruises that were starting to form from all the punches he received.
"Kind of hard to believe," Irvine finally said breaking the silence that had been going on since the start of their short journey back to the base. He kept an eye forward and didn't bother to look at anyone while he spoke.
"What is?" asked Moonbay although she kind of had a feeling that she knew what Irvine was talking about. She took a quick moment to look behind her at the sleeping Van before turning her eyes back ahead of her.
"When I first met Van he seemed more interested in becoming a great zoid pilot than anything else. It was like he didn't depend on other too much but enjoyed the company. He has changed so much since then. He has become very dependant on Fiona more than anything," said Irvine releasing a small sigh while leaning back in his seat.
"I know what you mean. I can tell that he would be completely lost without her. Just looked at what happened earlier. He pretty much tried to commit suicide by going after Zack and I think that he knew that. If he killed Zack even if it took his own life, he would have been happy because he could be with Fiona," Moonbay replied feeling bad for him. Him and Fiona just couldn't be together no matter how much they wanted to be together.
"I wonder how happy they would have been if Zack had never come into the picture. Then again, as much as I hate to admit it, if he hadn't than those two would have been too dense to figure out each other's feelings," Irvine said although he felt like puking for think of Zack actually doing something good. Definitely something he didn't mean to do so Irvine took back the small credit.
"I wonder what will happen between the two of them now. It was very clear by the way that Fiona acted when she learned of what Van did that she still cares greatly and wants him to be safe. I think that if given the chance and the truth that she would go back to him in a heartbeat," Moonbay said watching while the base came up upon the horizon where Fiona was awaiting their return.
Zack stormed into his base with a scowl across his face. He was angry, he was confused, and he wanted answer more than anything. 'How is it possible for a human to have that much power?' he asked himself pondering this.
"You are in deep shit," came Rachael's voice causing Zack to spin around really quickly. He came face to face with the purple haired zoidian who had a triumphant smirk upon her face. "I heard what happened to Amber's daughter so I can tell that you are not going to get away with this," she said with a smile.
"What the hell are you smiling about? She isn't dead. Flyheight was blowing off a load of shit when he told me that. I would know better than him. It is only natural for zoidian mates to have a connection to each other and I can tell that Fiona isn't dead because I can't feel that she is dead," he said with a scowl on his face.
"You don't still believe that something actually happened between the two of you, do you?" she asked with an amused look on her face while she strolled towards Zack like a predator studying its prey.
"What the hell do you mean? I know what happened and I am sure that the Fiona and I are true soul mates because I can feel her at the core of my own being," he said with narrowed eyes while he watched her movements very intently while she continued to walk circles around him.
"Maybe it is just gas," she said with a slight laugh. "However, you are correct in the fact that the girl is alive. There is something I have been told to tell you though that the Madame has recently found out," she said with a smile getting close enough to whisper something in his ear.
Zack's eyes suddenly darkened and Rachael stepped back very quickly out of fear. He knew that he wouldn't like the news that she had given but she didn't expect that it would turn out like this.
"So my child is dead!" he growled out eyes narrowed very dangerously. "Now there isn't anything to keep her connected to me for now," he said nastily turning his eyes away from the purple haired zoidian.
Rachael felt the urge to slap her forehead in annoyance when she heard what he said. "That may be. However..." she said once again walking towards him and once again whispering something into his ear. She saw his eyes widen in fury. He reached for a sword that was nearby and before she knew it he had swung it at her.
Fiona's eyes slowly opened when she heard the sound of the door being opened to her hospital room. She weakly looked over to see Irvine and Moonbay walk into the room with blank looks on their faces. Fiona felt like cursing since she had no idea what they were thinking or if they were happy or sad. "Where's Van?" she asked in a worried tone as she feared for the worst.
"How are you feeling Fiona?" Moonbay asked ignoring her question on purpose but she was sure that Fiona noticed it. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked walking over and kneeling by Fiona's bed. She was stopped from saying any noise when she heard a sound of knocking from behind her. "I guess that we had better go," she said standing up and walking out of the door with Irvine following after her.
"Can I come in?" asked Van from the doorway with his head turned away from Fiona. He spoke with such a quiet and saddened tone that it was hard to tell what he had said but Fiona knew anyways.
"Yes," she said looking away as well but she heard his footsteps as he made his way towards her. When she heard him stop right by her bed she turned her head to look at him in the face. She gasped when she saw it. It may have been cleaned up but the bruises and cuts were still visible all over it.
Van knelt down before Fiona's bed and just stared at her with sad eyes. She was a sight to see. He had thought that he would never again be able to look into her eyes or hear her lovely voice ever again and that scared him worse than even dying. He guessed that was why he wasn't the least bit reluctant to go after Zack. Even if he died in the process he would have been happy to once again be reunited with Fiona. Yet, now she was right before him and still alive. He had never been so happy to see anyone in his life. All he wanted to do was hold her and never let go.
Fiona slowly reached out a hand and touched a small cut that on his cheek. She knew exactly what happened so she didn't bother on asking. Zack had a power hidden within him that made him the most dangerous person on the planet. She felt it in her skirmish with him, just like how she felt the death stingers power since there was so much of it.
Van placed his hand upon Fiona's. He felt the warmth of her hand and knew that she was real and that she was still there with him. This was the second time that had nearly lost her and he didn't want that to ever happen again. Her touch managed to sooth the stinging of his wounds. It was something that he knew that only she could manage to do.
It was almost as if no words needed to be spoken between the two. Like they knew what the other was feeling deep within each other's heart. They stared into each other's eyes and got lost with in them.
Before Fiona could realize what had happened. Cloud let go of her hand and pulled her into him with a tight embrace. Fiona didn't struggle any but wrapped her arms lightly around Van. Vans buried his head into Fiona's shoulder. Fiona could suddenly feel a wetness soaking her shoulder. 'He's crying?' she asked herself a little confused.
Van didn't know why he was crying. Then again whenever it came to terrible things that dealt with Fiona, he found he was doing things he wouldn't normally do. "I was so scared. I thought I had lost you. I didn't know what I was going to do," he said burying his face deeper into her shoulder and smelling the fragrance that he only knew as Fiona's. Something he had thought he had lost. He never wanted that to ever happen again.
"I'm right here Van," Fiona said feeling her own tears welling up within her eyes as well. "I'm right here," she repeated wrapping her arms around his neck. She hated herself everyday for when he was hurt like this but now she could see that he would be even more hurt than anything if he lost her like he almost did.
Van pulled his head off of her shoulder, His red eyes staring deep into Fiona's. Van felt kind of stupid for crying like this in front of her but he just couldn't help it. She had become his reason for living. The thing he knew that he wanted in his life more than anything. Before he could give her time to react, he quickly sealed their mouths together in a deep kiss. He put everything that he had into it. All the love that he could muster was put behind it.
Fiona didn't resist the kiss in the least. She longed for the feel of his lips ever since she broke things off with him. She just knew that she wouldn't be able to keep up the charade that she couldn't love him because she did. She wanted him back and wanted to be with him forever.
Van reluctantly broke the kiss with Fiona for a breath of much needed air. "I need you Fiona. I just can't think of a life without you," he whispered into her ear while he kept her wrapped up in a hug.
Fiona was stopped from responding when there was a bit of a commotion outside of her door. "What's going on?" Fiona asked watching as many doctors ran by but what surprised her was the person that was with them. "Van, I know that person. She was supposed to be working for Zack and my mother," Fiona said in a rather startled tone.
Van sighed knowing his time with Fiona had been ruined. "I will go check it out. Stay here and get some rest," he said looking at Fiona through worried eyes but despite his warning she tried to get up. "Fiona," said Van trying to get her to lie down.
"No I need to talk to her. I have some question and I really need to ask her about them," she said struggling against Van's grip. She knew he was reluctant but she was happy when he let go.
"Fine but I don't want you to be walking around Fiona. I will go find a wheelchair for you," he said in a quiet voice knowing that Fiona may just be able to get her answer if the woman managed to live. She looked like she was in pretty rough shape when they rolled her through there.
Van quickly left the room and a few minutes later returned pushing a wheelchair in front of him. With no help, Van lifted Fiona off of the bed and carefully placed her on the chair so that her wounds wouldn't open. He then wheeled it out of the room and in the direction that he had seen the doctors go.
The two came to a stop in front of the room that Fiona had been thought dead not too long before. The sight that they saw didn't help the matter too much. The woman was a complete mess. There was blood all over the front of her coming from the huge gash that went across her chest.
The two of them just stood there and watched as the doctors did the best that they could to keep her alive. After a few hours they finally stopped but the look on their faces weren't all that good. It was what Van and Fiona already knew. She probably wouldn't survive with such a deep wound across her chest.
The doctors left so that Van and Fiona could have a talk with the dying woman that was before them. Her eyes were opened but had a dull look to them like not all of her was there.
"Rachael was it?" asked Fiona causing the purple haired woman turn towards her weakly. Recognition crossed her face and she merely nodded in response to Fiona's question.
"I remember you. You are the one that Zack is so obsessed about," she said with a little cough. Her voice was raspy and quiet but the two of them were able to hear it. "I never actually thought he would do this to me," she said staring up at the ceiling.
"So I guessed right about him doing this. You obviously don't know him if you didn't know that he has no loyalties to anybody," said Van standing behind Fiona wheelchair.
"He was so obsessed with you Fiona. I got on my nerves at time because I actually liked him," she said shocking the two of them. "I didn't like it which was why I tended to interfere whenever I could. He thinks that something actually happened between the two of you, but he was wrong. After you fell unconscious, I managed to stop him but he is crazy, his mind actually made him believe that something happened between you two. Nothing did though," she admitted feeling relieved to get that off of her chest.
Fiona didn't know what to say. All that she had heard from him was a lie. The child that she was carrying was actually Van's but it died. Their child died and she put Van through so much pain because of a lie. She no longer seemed to have the ability to speak because of finding out the truth.
"I am guessing that was what happened to you. You told him the truth and he overreacted to it," assumed Van and he watched as she nodded her head. Van could here the beeping of the machines speeding up and he knew that her time was almost up. "Thank you for telling us. I am sorry that this had to happen to you," Van said quietly.
Rachael just smiled. She didn't know why but hearing something like that from him after all that she had done made her feel a little better. "Please put a stop to him before he does something that could possibly destroy this planet," she pleaded before her eyes suddenly closed and the beeping of the machine became a long screeching sound.
Van looked on sadly at the fallen woman. "Come on Fiona. Lets get you back to your room," Van said sadly and when he saw Fiona nod at a lack for words, he pushed her out of the room.
When they came back to the room, the two of them just remained silent trying to take in all that they had heard a few moments before. Fiona managed to be the first of the two to speak up. "Van, I am sorry. I put you through so much these past few weeks for nothing," she spoke silently staring at the end of the bed the she was once again lying on.
"You didn't know Fiona," Van replied sitting in a chair next to the bed. 'It had been my child after all. I don't even get to see it though. I might as well try to spend my time with what I have though,' thought Van making up his mind on something. "Fiona, lets get married. Right now with only our closest friends and family,' said Van startling Fiona with his sudden second proposal. "Lets do this before something separates us again," he said a little quieter.
Fiona was shocked beyond anything that she had ever been. Out of all the things that she thought she would hear from Van, that was not one of them. She didn't know what she should say.