Author's Notes: In the time I have been away I have a.) Written a 119 page screenplay, b.) written a twelve page science introduction, c.) written a four page English paper, d.) made Varsity soccer, and e.) started my 350 point history project. This was in case anyone wanted to know about my hectic life.

Drifting Destiny: Chapter 4

I leaned back into his embrace and smiled serenely up at him. Van's hair fell into his eyes, and I caught his hand as he went to brush at the offensive strands. I blow at his hair gently, and his bangs parted. He smiled at me gently, and I buried my head in the crook of his neck. He blow with the hair at the nape of my neck, and I giggled gently. A slight breeze blew into the secluded alcove he had found while flying overhead.

"We should really be out looking for your brother, Van. I could have sent him into the heart of a dragon's cave for all we know," I murmur softly against his skin. His skin lets off that golden glow I love so much, and it takes everything I have not to swallow him whole. Would he taste so much like one of the delicious pastries back home? Probably even better than what I'm used to. What were we talking about again?

"If you had wanted to kill my brother, you would have let Dornkirk do it for you. I'm sure Folken is fine, Hitomi. You shouldn't worry so much," he whispers close to my ear. I shudder at our proximity, and he releases his wings from his back. The light flutters of snowy white wings encompass us, and I run my fingers through them gently. Van shudders this time, and I run my fingers through them softer.

"How can you have feelings for a monster like me? Why don't you scream in fear every time you see my wings? Everyone in my past who knows what I am calls me a traitor and tries to kill me," he trails off, and I look at him in concern. His chestnut eyes cannot hide his pain from me. I can see flickers of his past without a second glance. Why are humans always so judgmental? All we ever wanted was peace.

"You're not a monster, Van," I say as I tangle my fingers in his hair. He looks up to me with the hope of a five year old. "I love your wings because they are a part of you. Everyone has something of a dark past. I had a friend once who tried to kill herself. You're above her because you can live with yourself no matter how hard life gets. Don't you understand?" He buries his face in my hair, and I can feel a warm teardrop touch the surface of my skin.

"Why?" he mutters groggily. His wings quiver around us, and I hang onto him as my life's last promise. I touch his trembling lips as he tries to say more. His hair hides his face from me as I pull back to look at him. Blinking once, I can see traces of light blue outline his wings. They shiver in the night's air, and I trace one gently. Salty water comes off in my hand before dissipating.

I lift Van's chin and look at him fiercely. I can feel my determination hardening, and I won't let Van down. I've let him down so many times before, and I can't stop but thinking this won't be the last. "I love you, Van Fanel. Do you hear me? I'm never letting you go." He struggles at first as I kiss him desperately, but his need for me is too great. I can feel him responding to my pleas every second that passes.

The tips of his feathers brush the stray hairs away from my face, and I smile at him with tears in the corners of my eyes. He brushes a stray tear out of my left eye, and I kiss his fingers softly. I smile against his fingers as his feathers lift me up. He cushions me with his wings as is I were sitting on a feather-stuffed seat. I laugh quietly as I look on with tears of joy. "Don't cry," he whispers to me. I nearly stop bawling my eyes out.

"I'm not crying because I'm sad." He tilts his head sideways, and gives me an adorable look of confusion. I hop into his arms, and he grunts slightly as he falls back against his wings. They contract, and I throw his shirt at him. He cocks his head slightly as he looks at me. "I was crying because I love you so much, Van. Stop beating yourself up over something so precious. Your wings give you character."

"Hitomi…" he sighs as he replaces his shirt. His grins mischievously, and I have no time to prepare myself as he pounces on top of me. He roll, and I laugh as I pin him to the ground. His eyes sparkle in the shaft of light coming through the crevice in the rocks. I lean down close to him, and he leans up. I grin as I get off Van and walk towards the edge of the cave overlooking the sea below.

"What…" Van sputters. He's looking at me again with that little lost boy look of his. I grin as I jump off the ledge towards the water below. I can hear the water breaking over the rocks, and I suddenly realize this wasn't such a good idea. My breath is taken from me as a strong pair of arms wrap around me from behind. Van pulls me close to him as he pulls up sharply from the drop.

We land on the grass above, and he kisses me fiercely. I can't breathe as he pulls away from me. "Never scare me like that again, Hitomi. That drop could have killed you. I don't know what would have happened if I had to watch you die." What have I done? I had only meant to jump to see if he would catch me. People at home always wondered if they jumped for love, would someone catch them? I think I've proven this statement more than true.

"I'm sorry, Van. I really am," I try to persuade him. I touch his arm, and he jumps away. He's paranoid because I did a simple stunt? I wouldn't have hit the rocks below. Even I can maneuver myself into not hitting something very pointy. I back away slightly, and he gives me a warning glance. My feet hit the edge of the cliff, and I see what he's looking at me like that for. I move back towards him as I sigh.

"We'll camp here for the night, and try to find Folken in the morning. I'll keep watch most of the night. Try to get some sleep, Hitomi. You'll need it to find him in the morning," he stated stiffly. He turned his back on me, and that hurt more than anything else. I guess I deserve the cold indifference he's giving me, but does it have to hurt so much? Does everything in life have to be so unfair?

"I'll always be with you, Van. Never forget," I murmur. I know he here's me because his shoulders slump in defeat. He can't stay angry at me any longer than I can stay angry at him. His stubbornness won't prevail. Not this time. I won't let him judge me for a single mistake that could have cost both of our lives. As I'm closing my eyes, I can still feel the spray of the ocean against my cheek. It beckoned to me, and I answered its call.

As I dream, I can feel myself sinking. The dark waters lick at my arms, and I feel a shudder run down them. The northern wind seems to be pushing me farther into the abyss, and I try to call out. Nameless faces hover above me, mocking me. The waters pull me down, and I stop trying to fight them. The pressure pushes down on my chest, and the air is forced out of me. I hit the ground, and the waters recede around me.

Silver fire burns shamelessly, and black feathers fall around me. Am I still controlling fate? Am I still sensing Folken's emotions? I walk through the fields, and I glimpse faceless children, but they run from me. I feel as if I'm facing my past. I see Yukari before me, but something isn't right. She's looking at me without the emotions she should have. I would even expect some form of anger, but there's nothing. An empty void.

"Yukari…" I whisper. Her eyes reflect the eerie silver fire around us, and I can feel goose bumps trail up my arms. I rub at them, but they only seem to grow bigger. She steps towards me, and I gasp as she falls into my arms. She's lighter than any person I've ever felt. Has something happened back home? She mumbles something incoherently, and I have to stoop down to understand her.

"You left us, Hitomi. There's left for us here. My parents were arrested for treason, and yours were forced into hiding. My family was publicly executed. Please, Hitomi. Help us," she whispers. She fades, and I try to call out to her. So many thoughts run through my head, I nearly scream in frustration. I keep hearing voices surrounding me. I realize too late the voices are my own thoughts, as I claw at my head.

I something shout my name, and I push out at it. The air twists around me sharply, and my eyes snap open. I look around in a frantic panic, and Van is hovering over me in concern. I push him away and empty my lunch beside me. Van holds my hair and rubs my back comfortingly, but I can't get rid of the images in my head. They drift at the edges of my mind, and my entire body starts to shake.

Van pulls me against his chest gently, and I cry into his shirt. Every problem between us has been temporarily forgotten as he rubs circles in my back. I can feel his chin drop on my head as murmurs things to me. I can't understand a word he's saying to me over my choked cries. Yukari. Mom. Brother. Amano. Are they really already? Why can't I see anything? Why can't I do anything to help them?

Their faces haunt me as I recall their accusations. I have to check on them. I don't notice as the blue pillar of light reaches for us. All I hear is Van saying, "No, why now? Why?" I hold onto to him tightly as it lifts us into the sky. But the pillar doesn't take us to earth? Why? I don't know. It seems as if my need to find Folken was greater this time. I doze off as Van lands gracefully. He cradles me against him carefully, and I stop fighting the sleep.

I feel something warm against me, and I smile as I move closer to it. I try not to sneeze, I really do, but the fur is just too much for me. Wait, fur? I sneeze, and the furry creature beside me jumps into the air. "Uhmp," I say as I hit the ground hard. I rub my head groggily as I blink my eyes open several times. I think I must be seeing things again because a very large cat is in front of me. Right, Gaia. One step back into reality, Hitomi.

"The princess has awoken, Folken. Can we play with her?" Eriya says. I think I'm missing something. I thought the cat twins had died on us. Oh, well. I guess my luck isn't as great as theirs. We found Folken? Van didn't carry me the entire way here, did he? I flinch as I try to sit up. My stomach wants to hurl itself right out the window. Where are we? Why can't I remember anything?

"Careful, Hitomi. You really shouldn't go around eating wild plants. The Hosofae* you swallowed gave you some nasty hallucinations. Van said you tried to jump off a cliff once. Now, I've never seen anyone try to kill themselves on the rocks, but that must've been a nasty fall," Folken said as he ground up something to my left. Why does there seem to be two of them? Why can't the room stop spinning?

"Hosofae?" I ask. The memories slam me of last night. I had eaten some sort of wild plant for lunch, but Van hadn't been around to confirm if it was poisonous or not. I can remember the vivid visions of Van and I cocooned inside his wings. After that, I can only recall the ocean spray against my skin. Flickers of silver fire and flashes of guilt can be felt, but I can only see haunting faces. Maybe I don't want to remember.

"It's a drug which drove you to almost commit suicide, Hitomi. Here, drink this," Van urges me gently. My stomach tells me to push it away, but my mind refuses to not receive aid. The liquid is bitter to my taste, but I manage to choke it down. My stomach hurls violently before settling down. My vision clears, and Folken is once again one person. It's a good thing too. I don't think I could handle two of him.

"She looks well, Sister. Are you sure we can't play with her? I'd love to use her as a scratch post," Eriya purrs as moves closer. Van chuckles as I move back into his arms. "Indeed," Naria agrees. "She almost got our Lord Folken killed. She should have stopped him from going after Dornkirk in the first place. Wouldn't you agree, Eriya?" Eriya nods and moves closer.

"Girls," Folken warns (much to my relief), "she did save my life and yours. Do be grateful." I let my mouth hang open. I saved Naria and Eryia? When? I haven't seen them, since they went after Van. I don't think I'm strong enough to have transported both of them without me accompanying them. "Well, she did heal us," Naria agrees. Uh…. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

*Hosofae- pronounced 'haw so fay'

Author's Notes: Yes, I'm evil. If you need to know what took me so long, see above. Now, I want you guys to send me your worst death threats. Seriously. I'm going to put under my bio page the list of threats I've received if I didn't update soon enough. Don't worry, it's for my own amusement. Ja ne ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo

Responses to Reviews:

Jossi-31: ^_^ It's all my story now. I gave ya'll a cliffhanger just to threaten me. Lol, see above.

Night of the Raven: Why, thank ye. Hope you liked the romance in this one.

The lady winged Knight. S: Yes, I did. I don't write cliffhangers to drive you guys crazy. ^_^ I give myself a four page limit (max and minimum), so it usually ends on a cliffhanger. Everyone is used to remakes of other episodes. Yay! It means this is somewhat original.

Jess131346: Oops, sorry. You're left hanging. But, now's the time to kill me with threats. See above.

Momiji-chan Wa Baka: Lol, bring on the violence. Thanks! ^_^ I hope you liked the beginning of this then.

Sabineballz: Ah, you can kill off Allen, Dilly. I don't plan on bringing Allen in for another chapter or two. Trust me, this was ASAP. It was, really!

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