Author's Notes: Don't kill me. You can't get another chapter if you kill me. You'd have to write it yourself.

Drifiting Destiny: Chapter 5

When did I heal Eryia and Naria? I haven't given a second thought to them since the day I thought they had died. Maybe Folken is mistaken. Have my powers really reached to that extent? Could this be a lucid dream? My ears are still ringing from hitting the floor so hard. If they talk to me, I guess it could be considered real. Lucid dreams fade with time. I could see if one of them would scratch me. Wait, that would hurt...

"What are they talking about, Van?" I mumble. His fingers work magic into my hair as he combs it back with his finger and plaits it into several braids. Eryia looks in me annoyance, and I know this isn't some lucid dream. My head throbs slightly until Van massages the scalp with his cool fingers. I missed his ministrations almost as much as I missed him. His massages are paradise to my skin.

He doesn't miss a beat as he answers smoothly, "You say weird things in your sleep, Hitomi. It was almost as if you knew half the things going on around you. You led us here, Hitomi. You could even tell Folken was near here. Maybe you heard his call to you. How is your head?" I grimace at his way of avoiding my question, but I touch my temple gingerly. The pain recedes slightly from my touch.

"You didn't answer me, Van. What are you trying to hide from me?" His fingers stop, and I turn around to face him. He knows I can handle the truth. He sighs as he strokes my cheek, and I lean into his touch. He can't me from what I need to know. Not this time. He pulls me closer, and I breathe in the smell of his shirt. He smells of spicy cinnamon, and I nuzzle my nose into it.

"Hitomi, when you took us to Atlanta, you tapped into the power itself. You're lucky you haven't gone insane from all these new experiences. You can control fate now. It is pushing you to control all the different recesses of destiny, and it drifts from time to time. It is turning you into an Atlantean because a normal human can't control this magnitude of power," Van trailed off.

Everything is suddenly surreal to me. I control more than Van's fate? I don't want this kind of power! This power is what destroyed Atlantis in the first place. How can I control something I don't even understand? "Is there anything we can do to stop it?" My head starts to throb again from the pressure being put on it. What's happening to me? I feel a if I can't breathe from the air pressure.

"We can redirect the energy current back to Atlantis where you could seal the power of the ancient ones," Folken says as he looks away. There's more, isn't there. I can read his face almost as well as I can Van's. There's a catch to this plan he doesn't want me to know about. He can think again if he thinks he can hide this from me. I always have a way of dragging the truth out of people.

"What's the catch, Folken? You don't seem too adamant on telling me, but I will find out eventually if you don't. Personally, I'd rather find out from than find out the hard way," I demand. Van tenses behind me, and Folken flinches as if I had struck him. Eryia hisses at me, but Naria shakes her head at her sister. It can't be that bad, can it? The sisters would be a lot worse if it was.

"You'll be a full Draconian, Hitomi, before we can do anything about it. I'm so sorry, beloved. I can't protect you from the evils of the world this time. I can only promise you we'll make it through this together," he whispers into my hair. I can almost feel his eyes sting with the crystal tears of mythological creatures. No, not a creature. The tears of a draconian that has recently come of age; Van's tears.

"Will I be able to fly like you, Van? Will I be able to soar into the clear skies all on my own?" I ask. He nods his head slightly. I give him a feather-like kiss on his cheek. I linger there, waiting to see what he does. "This isn't a curse anymore than it is a blessing. Life goes full circle, Van. I'll be able to live in your world. I'll understand your pain, and I can show you mine."

"Will you become like Lord Folken?" Eryia asks me out of curiosity. I really hope not. Does she even see how sad Folken is half the time? "Maybe in another time, in another place, Eryia," I offer. I shudder at the image of seeing his black wings tipped in red. I had to witness his death once before, but I won't partake in a private showing again. I'm trying to block the images out of my head for good.

"May I see your wings, Folken?" I ask timidly. I've never been shy about asking things before, but a Draconian's wings seem to be a sacred thing. He asks Eryia to step back, and he throws his shirt on the back of a chair before unfurling his magnificent wings. They glow a luminescent white in the morning light, and I watch in awe as he beats them slightly. Naria curls into a ball around his feet, and I wonder what is going on.

Eryia sees my dilemma and smiles at me reassuringly. "It is habit for us to respect Lord Folken with his wings folded as such. He did save our lives after all. Surely you felt the same way when Van saved your life, Hitomi?" she questions softly. I flush a pale shade when I realize I didn't. The only thing I had been thinking at the time was how beautiful I thought Van's wings were.

"Did I....Did I heal you as well, Folken?" I stammer out. He draws his wings back into his body, and a few white feathers float down towards my feet. I touch one gingerly, but I don't feel the same pain I felt with Van's feather. There is sadness, but there is not depression. Contentment settles over me as I can see happier times than Van can remember. A particularly cute imagine of a younger Van lights up my day.

"You did, Hitomi. You healed me just as you healed Eryia and Naria. Your powers are increasing with every approaching dawn. I haven't seen a natural healer since mother died. It's your choice whether you want to use them for the good of Gaia, Hitomi. You're nobody's pawn in the game of strategy called surivor," Folken murmured. I relaxed futher into Van's embrace as I can feel the rest of the herbal remedies start working their power over me.

"I've waited so long for someone to say that to me, Folken. Not even Van could bring himself to think of me as anything but a seer until it was too late. Thanks for being there for me. When are going to start heading back to Fanelia?" I ask as I stifle a yawn. I hope they didn't mix in a sleeping plant. The last thing I need to do is to fall asleep right this second. I do miss the glances exchanged by the four people surrounding me though.

"Hitomi, we're about two hundred miles from Fanelia. Unless you can suddenly fly us back there, we won't be going home for awhile now," Eryia says sarcastically as she pokes her head out the window. I stick my tongue out at her, but she doesn't seem to notice. "I don't suppose you've got one of your urges to pick us up and drop us off there right now, do you?" she asks as she pokes her head back inside the small cabin.

I hold my tongue and glare at her out of the corner of my eye. "I don't suddenly 'get urges' to send anyone anywhere, but if you want, I'll send you straight to one of the dragon's caves. I'm sure they would love a tasty little snack right about now." What has come over me? I wonder if I have the power to turn her into a frog. Something even smaller would do, but then she just annoy me further.

"Hitomi," Van warns at the same time Folken glares at Eryia. She glares at me with her catlike grace as she stalks out of the room. Naria sighs as she follows her sister into the bedroom. I know how it feels to have a hotheaded sibling. At least my brother stuck to his video games more than anything else. I do miss him, but it's worth the sacrifice. He probably doesn't even know I'm gone.

We sit in companionable silence for a few that seems to stretch on forever. How will I adapt to becoming a Draconian? I lived so long in this human form that adapting will be so hard. I'm sure Van and Folken will help me, but they haven't been through everything I've been through. The war is over now on the outside, but inside I can still feel the chaos raging through my system.

"How long will this transformation take?" I ask softly. "How much time do I have left in my current state?" Folken shakes his head slightly at Van, and I don't understand the message shot between them. "It could take weeks or months. We don't know because nothing like this has ever happened before. The wings, if you get them at all, might not form for over a year. If it was an instant change, you would probably die."

I feel my blood freeze at the thought of dying. I know I'm too young to die, but at Folken's reassurances, I know I'm safe with them watching over me. I understand now what he means about going back to Fanelia. We won't go back until I'm a full-fledged draconian who is used to my powers. Fanelia is too busy of an atmosphere to achieve balance within myself and my body.

"Do we have any food here?" Folken nods as he replaces his shirt and heads toward the small kitchenette. It's not very big, but this cottage doesn't look as if it was designed for five people anyway. I squeal as Van picks me up and drops me on the makeshift couch. This will probably be as normal as it will ever become around here. Nothing is definite, and I'm sure we'll probably be moving from time to time.

"Van?" He looks at me with his beautiful brown eyes. I brush his hair out his eyes, and he smiles down at me. I reach up to capture his sweet lips with my own, and I become encased in emotions heightened by his proximity. Folken coughs off to the left, and we break away in embarrassment. Van grins sheepishly over to his brother, and Folken throws a scrumptious looking fruit at Van's head.

I catch the fruit and munch on it thoughtfully, and Van just taps his foot in mock annoyance. "As I was about to ask before Folken so rudely interrupted us," I begin. "Me!" he exclaims. I continue before he has a chance to go further. "Will we get to see Merle anytime soon? And what of your kingdom, Van? It can't take care of itself," I tease as I savor the taste of the fruit. It reminds me of a cross between a mango and a pear.

"I have my advisors looking over the affairs of Fanelia for the moment. Everything should 'take care of itself' as you put it. I'm sure Merle can take of herself for a few weeks, Hitomi. She did before I came into her life; she can take care of herself now," he says as he tries to snatch the fruit from me. I toss the fruit over to Folken, and we proceed to play an interesting game of draconian in the middle, which ends with Van laying halfway on top of me with the fruit in his mouth.

"Hey! That was my lunch. You owe me food now, and I suggest you make it before I set the kitchen area on fire with my bad cooking skills," I threaten as I grab for the fruit. I wish I had a frying pan right about now. Hitting Van in the head with it could knock some common sense into him. At least, it would leave a lasting impression on him. Why do I have to be in the mood for something cheesy? I don't think they have cows on Gaia.

The smells coming from Folken's part of the room makes my mouth water. I wonder over to see him cooking with something resembling a frying pan. I make a mental note to find out where he keeps his cooking wear. It could come in handy for me to know later. The meat he's cooking sort of looks like a deformed piece of bacon. I hope it tastes better than it looks. With my fortune, it probably tastes like cooked liver.

I reach toward the sauce he's stirring, and he smacks my hand away with a spatula. "I have a weapon, and I'm not afraid to use it!" he shouts over to Van. The younger brother is now looking around for something to use to defend himself with. I don't really blame him. My hand is still stinging. "Ow! What'd you do that for? I wasn't going to eat very much of it," I mumble as I back away from him nursing my hand.

"This is for everybody. I'm sure Naria and Eryia don't want your mouth all over their food. If they...," Folken starts. I interrupt him, "Uh, Folken?" "...don't want this after you've tasted it..." "Folken," I try again, a little louder this time. "Then you're..." "Folken!" he stops and stares at me. "What?" "You're burning the bacon," I say as I step back away from the smoke.

"The what?" I point to the frying pan. The frying pan has now literally caught on fire. "Girls! The food's done!" It takes all I have not to sweatdrop.

Author's Notes: Well, I managed not to leave this one on a cliffhanger. Oh, and I'm on spring break, so expect another chapter later this week. At least I finally found the time to update.... Ja ne, ~Insane Pineapple from Naboo

Responses:

KazeShinai: ^_^ Yay! Thanks you so much. Do you mind if I glomp you?

SabineballZ: Allen doesn't seem to fit into this bit of plot details too well. I will probably write an interlude soon though. Maybe in the next chapter, maybe not.

Sarcastic-Muse 28: *hides under desk* I don't mind the squirrels. You don't know how many times I've attacked by koalas.

The Lady Winged Knight: Bunnies! Help! They're evil! They attack my village of little people. *cough*

Momiji-chan Wa Baka: No cliffhanger this time. I don't actually mean to write cliffhangers. I end the chapter at the very end of page four. It just sometimes happens to be on a cliffhanger.

Jossi-34: What're you confused about? Anything in particular or just the overall plot?