Author's Note: Hello! It has been such a long time, I don't think I expect many people to be here to see this update. I really didn't expect to take so long, but this Fall semester sucked hard and it knocked the creativity right out of me. Anyways, this is the end of the "Longest Day Arc" and after this chapter there will only be two more and an epilogue. I'm almost done! All right, enough bumping of my gums, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and thank you for all of the reviews for the previous chapter!

Um... I see that the site has a system where authors can now reply to signed reviews, but I'm not sure how you guys would want me to handle that. Do you want personal replies or do you like the usual reply format. I know some people like to read author's repsonses to other readers, so... just let me know what you prefer. Thanks!

I'll put the reviewer responses at the end, so you guys can go ahead and get into the chapter now.

Chapter 28

"Shesta, I need your... oh, you've got company," Viole barged through Shesta's bedroom door, King Van in tow, freezing in his tracks at seeing Miguel and Gatty also in the room.

Shesta raised a brow at Viole from his bed, where he sat next to a scowling Miguel. Gatty laid sprawled on the floor, dead to the world. "What is it, Viole?"

"Um... nothing, never mind." Viole scratched the back of his head nervously, eyeing Van and willing him to remain silent.

Lord Dilandau had been missing for over an hour, and Viole was starting to worry. He and Van had searched all of the first floor lavatories, the hangar, the boiler room, the gardens, finding no traces of the young captain. No one had even seen him coming back into the castle after he'd gone out with Van and Viole.

Viole was trying not to panic. Lord Dilandau was on safe grounds and someone had to know where he was; Viole just hadn't happened upon that someone yet. They should still be looking, but– after an hour– the wavy-haired Slayer felt it was his duty to alert his comrades to their leader's absence.

However, Viole was hoping only to tell Shesta. Shesta would stare at him– probably call him an idiot– and undoubtably ask Viole if he'd looked somewhere stupid that had never occurred to him. Lord Dilandau would be found within 15 minutes.

Unfortunately, Shesta had ruined his plan by not being alone. Damn that Shesta.

Miguel nudged Shesta, murmuring something to him under his breath that made Shesta chuckle. Viole narrowed his eyes. Were they making fun of him?

"You talking about me, Miguel?"

His bastard of a best friend smirked at him. "Well, aren't we getting a bit big-headed since Lord Dilandau started preferring our company, Viole. What have you done that's significant enough for me to whisper about you?"

Viole growled. Maybe teaching Miguel to chill and be cool wasn't such a good thing after all. His insides heartened whenever Miguel made jokes or teased... but never were those jokes and teases supposed to be used against the master!

Bad Miguel!

"Seriously, Viole, what do want before you wake Gatty?" Shesta asked. Blue eyes gazed at Viole curiously then left him. "Or would you rather I asked his majesty?"

Viole started. Ah, shit. Two minutes was all it had taken for him to forget the presence of the boy king beside him.

"Hey, isn't Lord Dilandau supposed to be with you?" Miguel yawned, closing his eyes and readjusting one of Shesta's pillows behind his head.

OK, moment of truth. Do I tell what's going on, or do I make something up and excuse myself as quickly as possible?

"He went to the bathroom," Van said and Viole nearly gaped at him. The dark haired monarch gave him a tiny smile and Viole sighed.

Thanks.

"Oh," Miguel breathed softly. "A bath does sound nice. Wish I could take a real one."

"You'd get your bindings wet," Shesta said. "Then you'd have to deal with the Red Witch."

"Damn tyrant..." Miguel snorted. Viole felt a rush of concern at the pallor of his partner's face and how tired he seemed. It occurred to him that he hadn't attended to Miguel since he'd been back.

Viole left Van's side coming closer to the bedside. "How are you doing today, Miguel?"

One dark blue eye opened and peered at him in amusement. "I'm fine, Viole. It's not like I've never broken anything before. What's with all of this?"

Viole blinked, surprised. "Nothing, I'm just... I worry, ok. Just seems like our numbers aren't doing so good all of a sudden. You and Shes are down, and..."

He stopped himself, before the hole he was digging got too deep for him to climb out of. Both Miguel's eyes were opened and he no longer looked amused and Shesta was staring.

It was too late. Viole hadn't halted his shovel in time. They knew what he was going to say. Why did everything they say always lead back to that?

There was an unpleasant moment of silence in which Van cleared his throat, motioning to Viole that he'd either better find a way to say goodbye or state their original intention and get it over with.

"Ah..."

"Van," Miguel suddenly said. The boy king stiffened before glancing sheepishly over at Miguel. His cheeks colored faintly and Viole barely suppressed the eye-rolling reflex.

Those two hadn't spoken to each other directly since their kiss. There never seemed to be a time for it.

"Yeah?"

"We should chat," Miguel said. "I've been meaning to talk to you for a while, actually, and I've been putting it off, but I'm glad that I have."

Viole frowned. Miguel, presumably, wanted to talk to Van about the Lord Dilandau thing and the ground rules he and Viole had initially planned to set weeks ago.

Van ruffled his hair, stuttering, "Miguel, if this is about that night, it's ok. You were so drunk and I..."

Miguel's face burned red for a moment before he calmed. "No! Gods, no, it's not about that. Forget that! This about you... and Lord Dilandau."

Van started, gazing at Shesta to see his reaction and nearly stumbling in confusion. "Shesta... I..."

Shesta laughed. "Come off it, Van; possibly, the only person who doesn't know you have a thing for Lord Dilandau is Lord Dilandau. But you know, I don't even think that's true anymore."

"Oh my gods, you think he knows?" Van demanded, then clapped a hand over his mouth, then ripped the hand away to point at Shesta and down at the slumbering Gatty. "You know? You both know? But when, how? And why were you both encouraging me to go pursue Miguel?"

Miguel aimed a glare at Shesta. "You did what?"

Shesta grinned innocently. "Well, at first we did think you liked Miguel. I mean, you two were sending mixed signals. Then after a while, we played along to humor Lord Dilandau. He wanted to play matchmaker."

"He should play matchmaker for himself." Miguel shook his head, smiling despite himself. "Silly kid."

"How did you figure it out?"

Miguel snorted and Shesta laughed again. "The drool and puppy eyes are dead wringers."

Van wiped his chin instinctively, checking for imaginary drivel, before blushing and folding thin arms over his chest. "So what? You were making fun of me?"

Shesta had the decency to look a trifle guilty. "Only a little. We... had to make sure you were harmless, and you are."

Oh, way to boost his manly pride, Shes. Bad enough he's admitting to liking another male, but now you're calling him a sap?

Viole sat on the edge of the bed by Shesta's bare feet– shouldn't he be wearing socks– and played with a loose thread from the side seam of his breeches. He could leave Van here to humor the masses while he kept looking for Lord Dilandau. No one would miss him...

But, Viole felt the need to be there while his teammates discussed their views of Van's feelings towards their leader. After all, he had something to say too.

Lord Dilandau... was a big boy. If he felt the need to get away from them, then Viole should respect it. It was what Lord Dilandau treasured about Viole. He knew how and when to leave him alone, and also knew when to press him.

Something in his gut had been whispering to him for some time now, probably the same something that had encouraged Viole to look for Lord Dilandau for an hour before resigning himself to come upstairs for help. Perhaps this was one of those times when it was best to leave the captain to his own devices.

"Sit Van," Miguel instructed and they all waited for Van to walk around the bed and situate himself across from Viole.

"All right, so I admit to not... being very accepting and maybe even openly hostile, when I first learned of your feeling toward Lord Dilandau. I told you what my initial assumptions were and that they had changed, but I also told you why I was still against your... endeavor."

Van's dark brows drew together as and Shesta gazed at Miguel curiously.

"What was your reason, Miguel?" Shesta asked.

"Homosexuality disturbs me," Miguel revealed with a sigh. "I mean, I don't hate people that have same sex preferences, but... I just don't like it. And since Lord Dilandau really hasn't decided on a preference yet, I didn't want Van to influence his decision."

Viole blinked. He had known that about Miguel for some time, and he wasn't surprised. Most nobles were brought up to be extremely old fashioned, and even those who resisted the blue-blood brainwashing ended up with some of the gritty, prejudicial waters still seeping in through the pores and leaving imprints.

Shesta didn't look too stunned either. He just nodded his head, lips set in a soft smile of... amusement? "What's so funny, Shes?"

Shesta shook his head. "Just... thinking about how awkward it must have been for Miguel when Gatty and I thought he was mooning after Van." He lowered his head to his knees to muffle his giggles.

Miguel groaned. "Damn embarrassing is what it was! And to have the whole castle thinking... gah! But Van here has set everyone straight on his lonesome and the masses are slowly starting to leave me alone."

"The guys downstairs still call you King's Bitch," Viole couldn't help but insert and Miguel glared at him.

"They're just mad cause I keep winning all their pocket money," Miguel said. "But back to Van and Lord Dilandau."

"Miguel, you don't have to..." Van began, but Miguel silenced him with a look.

"You're good for him."

"What?" Van blinked. "I'm... are you saying that... you don't mind?"

"I haven't minded since that night I...kissed you... Van, not really. Not after watching him with you," Miguel said simply. "You give him something we can't."

Viole felt an odd pulling sensation in his chest. Lord Dilandau lit up when Van entered a room. He'd snuck out and gotten a tattoo with Van and spoke of their venture in warm tones different from the ones he used with Viole and the others. There was something in his eyes, in his voice, that hinted toward deeper feelings and maybe a little hope.

Van was a worthy distraction from Lord Dilandau's problems, and for that, Viole was pleased, but he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Van could help his friend in a way that he couldn't no matter how hard he tried.

"This is undoubtably your first crush," Shesta was saying, shaking Viole from his thoughts and drawing him back into the conversation. "First loves are hard, because it seems we almost always pick the most difficult of people to fall for: someone that hates you, someone that doesn't acknowledge your existence, and in your case, someone who's never known anything beyond comradery. You're not only trying to get him to recognize you, but you've got to make him realize you."

Van frowned. "Realize me?"

"He has to discover that he likes you and understand what that feeling means," Shesta said softly. "Lord Dilandau knows about being the object of affection, but he knows nothing of having one."

"So... he knows that I like him?" Van demanded, looking scandalized. "I knew he playing with me!"

Miguel and Shesta chuckled as Viole patted Van on the back comfortingly. "Lord Dilandau knows about being the object of affection to people who... lets say have less than honorable intentions. He picks up on that easy; he understands that. But you're new; I don't think I've ever seen anyone but Refina look at him and want more than getting a hand down his pants."

Van blushed, ducking his head and looking away. "I... I never think about that. I just want... to be close to him. But... Well, I had this same talk with Allen. He told me Dilandau may not be ready for me, and now you're telling me the same thing. I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm going crazy. I think I'm in love, but... if he can't love me like that in return... Gods, what do I do?"

Viole was still getting over the "same talk with Allen." Schezar? "You talked to Allen Schezar about this?"

If possible, Van turned an even brighter red. "He's been helping me, giving me pointers. He told me to ask Dilandau out to the market the other night."

Viole laughed until his stomach hurt and was joined by Miguel and Shesta at the thought of Allen giving Van love lessons. Wasn't the man having love life crises of his own? The princess he mooned over was now married to a guy that reveled in rubbing Allen's face in it, and the ugly witch from the Mystic Moon had dumped him... or at least that was the current gossip in the washroom.

"Hey, it's not funny! Your leader's driving me insane! What do you suggest I do about it then?" Van demanded, covering his scarlet face with his hands.

Shesta coughed, clearing his throat and gazed at Miguel conspiratorially before leaning toward Van and stating, "Proposition him."

Viole choked, almost falling off the bed. What? Had he heard Shesta right...and had he really seen Shesta checking with Miguel for consensus and Miguel had nodded?

Van's voice was a high-pitched squeak. "What?"

Miguel waved a hand at Van absently. "Subtle doesn't register with Lord Dilandau; you have to be direct. State your intentions and let him interpret them. Force him to realize you and then he'll be forced to realize himself. The feeling you want him to reciprocate is there. I've become a... sort of gambling addict as of late, and I'd bet all of my winnings and my new sword on it."

Miguel– Viole gazed at his friend, studying the intensity of his dark blues eyes– was serious.

"The worst he can do is turn you out, Van, and I don't think he will," Shesta said.

Van's eyes darted from Shesta to Miguel so rapidly Viole would have thought he was in REM, if he wasn't awake. He didn't blame the boy king though. Viole had been thrown for a loop too. Miguel had never spoken of this with him, and he certainly hadn't known Shesta felt this way. Proposition Lord Dilandau?

Did Gatty agree?

Gods, did he agree? Probably, after he'd had more time to think about it. Van didn't have much time with... shit.

Is that what they're thinking about?

It had to be.

"Maybe one of us could talk to him for you. You know, make some suggestions to soften him for your approach," Shesta was offering.

Van was swallowing hard. "I... I don't know... I... think maybe this is too fast. I don't want to proposition him. I just... Gods, you really think he won't come around if I don't?"

Shesta and Miguel stared, Miguel reaching out to take Van's arm. "It's all taking too long, Van. I... we want to see him happy and right now, you're the only who seems to be able to do that for him. We all just... bring him down."

"He escapes with you," Shesta said simply.

Van sat back, looking at Miguel's hand on his arm. "But... as protective as you guys are, I would have thought that you'd like me to take it slow. Miguel, you didn't want me to push him..."

"He needs a push now," Miguel said.

Viole grunted. "Guys, maybe..."

"Look, is something going on? With Dilandau, I mean?" Van interrupted. "I can't help but notice something's wrong, with him, with you, with Folken. He's not eating well, he's losing weight, he looks tired, and when he fainted after that last battle, you guys were beyond scared. What's going on guys? Tell me, please."

Miguel's fingers tightened on Van's sleeve and Shesta traced the square designs on his comforter with a short pinky nail. "You... probably deserve as much."

"You want to tell him?" Shesta conferred with Miguel.

"If anything happens, he should be prepared. It wouldn't be fair..."

"Tell me!"

"Lord Dilandau's..."

"Missing!" Viole spouted. "Van and I lost him. That's what I dragged him in here for. I needed Shesta to tell me somewhere to look that I hadn't. He went to the restroom while we were outside and never came back. Help me out, Shes."

"WHAT?"

Shesta and Miguel turned on him as a unit.

"How are you sitting in here talking to us about...?"

"How long has he been gone?"

"Viole, you stupid..."

"Van, can you go put his sketchbook away in his room, while I talk to Shesta and Miguel?"

Van gaped at Viole, his face a mask of frustration and confusion. "Viole...?"

"Just do it, and come back later, ok?" Viole gave a charming smile that usually won him some favor with certain crowds. Though his friends and now Van proved not to be members of any of them. Antisocial jerks.

Van growled and rose from the bed, patting his chest where he'd opened his shirt and tucked Lord Dilandau's sketchbook instead of just holding it. Weird guy.

"You'll tell me when I get back?"

"They'll tell you get back," Viole falsely assured him, watching Van's retreat and only turning back to Shesta and Miguel after the door was closed. "What are you doing?"

"What are we doing? What are you doing, you dolt? Lord Dilandau's MIA and you're carrying on tea conversations with us?" Miguel demanded.

"Lord Dilandau decided he wanted to get rid of us today. I doubt he's doing anything out of the ordinary and he trusts me not to overreact. If I'm not worried about it, then you shouldn't be. He'll turn up and probably be in a better mood for it."

"Then why were you coming to ask for my help?" Shesta asked, still a bit agitated but slowly cooling off.

"I felt bad and figured you would want to know. My better sense warned me against it, but I ignored it."

"As usual," Miguel snorted, also settling down. "Ok, so why did you tell us at all then?"

"To stop you from doing something stupid," Viole sighed.

Brows were raised and Viole fought a smirk. "You guys told Van he makes Lord Dilandau happy, and can do something for him that we can't. Have you asked yourself what that something is?"

Shesta bit his lip and Miguel looked away.

They knew, but Viole still felt it necessary to voice it. "Because he doesn't know. With Van he can pretend, and Van's none-the-wiser for it. If you tell Van, then you'll take that away from him."

There was a short silence breached only by Gatty's soft snores. "You can't do that to Lord Dilandau. If Van needs to know something, Lord Dilandau will inform him. If Lord Dilandau does not inform Van, then he doesn't need to know."

Miguel sighed, looking at his hands. Shesta reached for the glass of water on his nightstand, and Viole watched the both of them for signs of dissension.

"You seem to know him best, Viole," Shesta said sadly.

Miguel nodded his agreement. "No one tells, Van."

Viole smiled at them, letting out a breath of relief. Now with that over... "Proposition him? Who are you and what have you done with my friends?"

No matter how he looked at it, Van had been dismissed. He walked the short distance to Dilandau's room feeling betrayed. He had covered for Viole when he was sure Viole's buddies would have torn him apart for losing Dilandau.

He hoped they were tearing him apart now.

Without knocking, Van entered Dilandau's room. The light was on already much to Van's convenience. He'd just pop the sketchbook on the bed and be back in Shesta's room to see the carnage...

He froze, swallowing hard.

Dilandau laid curled on his side, face serene in the folds of sleep. He was every bit the god Van remembered from the Vione. How could someone manage to look so beautiful in slumber? Van was quite sure he didn't look remotely charming as he snored the night away.

He was unconsciously creeping closer, a hand outstretched to touch Dilandau. He didn't want to wake him, but he wanted to... to feel him, the rise and fall of his back as he breathed, the warmth of his skin.

"Van?"

The young monarch jumped, letting out a startled gasp at the voice— Allen's voice? His tunnel vision faded, giving him full view of the room. Allen was sitting in an armchair beside the bed, peering up at him from the creamy pages of a thick book.

"Allen? What are you doing here?" Van demanded. He shook himself briefly before continuing to the side of the bed. He gazed down at Dilandau, seeing him without the glamour of godhood and feeling a rush of concern.

He looked so breakable.

Brown fingers brushed slightly damp, silver bangs from a pale face and Dilandau stirred lightly, shifting a bit on the bed and snuggling closer to the pillow he held.

"I found him downstairs in the lavatory near the hangar. He wasn't feeling well, so I brought him to bed," Allen's voice jarred Van once again from his concentration on Dilandau.

Van reluctantly pulled his hand back and frowned at Allen. "And you stayed after you brought him here?– why?"

Allen closed the book with a dull thud and gazed at Van with a strange expression on his face Van couldn't quite decipher. "I couldn't leave a sick child alone, Van."

Van let his eyes close for a moment.

Dilandau was a sick child.

"Have you been looking for him?" Allen continued. "I should have had someone send word. I forgot; I'm sorry. I suppose you need to run out and stop his friends from tearing the castle apart."

Or Viole... But Van wanted him to suffer.

"It's ok," Van shrugged, opening his eyes. "No one's panicking yet. In fact, I was just coming in here to put Dilandau's sketchbook away."

Van undid the first few buttons of his silk shirt and extracted the art book. Where would Dilandau want it? Van's eyes roved over the neat room, finding an empty spot on Dilandau's dresser. He'd be sure to see it there. Van took a few steps away from the bed before Allen spoke to him again.

"Van, what's that under you shirt?" The look on Allen's face had been interesting as Van produced the sketchpad from his clothing and now it was curious. Van frowned looking down and spotting the tops of trees from his tattoo that were exposed. "Oh..." he grinned sheepishly. "This is the painting I was telling you about. I had wanted to show it to you before."

Van chose to set Dilandau's art book down on the dresser and turned to Allen. "Did you want to see it? It's really amazing."

Allen nodded, remaining in his seat and crossing his legs. Van came closer to him, daring to sit on the edge of Dilandau's bed. The Dragonslayers sat on Dilandau's bed all the time Van was sure, so Dilandau really shouldn't mind...

And besides, it felt good being so close to him. The young monarch finished unbuttoning his shirt and pulled it open for Allen to view his living canvas.

He grinned, gazing at Allen, expecting to see his eyes wide with awe and appreciation, maybe even some respect, but instead they were dark with a strange emotion so overwhelming Van quickly grabbed the folds of his shirt and tried to pull it closed. Allen's hands were swifter. He held Van's arms at his sides as he leaned in to get a better look. Slowly, one of his long-fingered hands let go of Van's arm and moved to trace the outline of a swing on Van's torso. Van shivered at the coolness of that fingertip.

"Al...Allen..." Van breathed. "What..." Gods, what are you doing? What's wrong? Why do you look like that? What do I ask this man?

"What did Dilandau say this was of? Has he been to this place? Did he tell you when?" Allen's other hand, the one that still held one of Van's arms, squeezed.

Van stuttered. "I... He said he dreamed it. He only paints dreams. Get off me!" Van shoved the knight back, glaring at him and rubbing his arm where Allen had held it. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Allen was still transfixed with the fake tattoo, so Van buttoned his shirt to get Allen's attention. "Allen?"

"He only paints dreams... That book over there is his artwork?" Allen's head whipped toward the dresser and before Van could answer, the man was across the room, retrieving the book. Van gapped, jumping to his feet in vain to stop the knight before he could violate Dilandau's privacy and flip through his sketches. Van hadn't even seen all of those sketches!- only the one Dilandau had been working on earlier that day.

Allen's body was like living stone, his back stiff and rigid as he flipped through the creamy pages of the sketchbook, eyes rapidly roving over the pictures. Van ambled over, hands reaching out to shut the book on Allen's fingers, but curiosity stopped them cold. He wanted to see what had Allen so worked up. Dilandau was a wonderful artist, but... nothing he had seen so far had inspired a reaction from him such as Allen's.

Van stared down at pages and pages of charcoal studies of a woman and child, a little girl... Their faces were often blurry and unclear, but the garden and various rooms in a house were bold, unwavering images in each drawing. Allen paused on one page, a sketch of a tall boy with shoulder-length hair chasing after the girl with a stick, breath hitching. He turned the pages rapidly after that and Van ceased looking at the sketches and chose to watch Allen, frowning at his expressions: shock, fear, sadness, and the most peculiar of them all, recognition.

The blond closed the book and brought his hands up to cover his eyes briefly before whirling to stare at Dilandau on the bed. The boy had rolled onto his back, one knee bent, becoming a pole to his tent of blankets. Van pouted at not being able to see his face from this angle now, but gazed back at Allen who was biting his nails.

Allen... biting his nails?

"Allen, what is it? What's wrong?" Van touched his older friend's shoulder and was surprised to feel him quivering. "What did you see?" Maybe something in one of Dilandau's pictures had brought back bad memories, or maybe...maybe he'd had a premonition like Hitomi. She often looked like that after seeing something disturbing in the future.

Allen jumped at the sound of Van's voice, staring at him like he'd never seen him before. "Van... um..." he swallowed, pulling his fingers from his mouth and examining the nails he'd chewed. He looked back toward the bed. "I have something I need to do. Could you... can you stay here, and watch him– for me– please, at least until someone else comes to be with him. They...he... won't like waking up alone."

Van blinked, taking one of Allen's arms and wanting to lead him back to his chair. The man had grown pale as Death, pale as Dilandau, and he was shaking so vigorously now it was visible. "Allen, you're going to fall down..."

"No," Allen brushed his hands away. "I'm fine. I'm more than fine. Just... just stay with him and... just stay until someone else comes. Please?"

Van's stomach churned with concern. First Dilandau, now Allen... He opened his mouth and closed it. "Y...yeah, fine. Of course, Allen. Where are you going? What do you have to do? Can I help?"

Allen was already moving toward the door and had disappeared through the portal before Van could finish his questions.

Van bit his lip, wondering if he should ignore Allen's request and chase after the knight and find out what was wrong. A soft moan from the bed dispelled his rebellious thoughts as his attention shifted to Dilandau. He walked back to the pale boy, perching on the side of his bed once again, heart skipping a beat as sleepy, ruby eyes cracked open to spy him.

"Van?"

"Hey Dilandau. How are you feeling?"

Dark lashes fluttered as wine tinted eyes misted over. "What happened to the person that was here before?"

"Allen? He left," Van said, "but it's ok. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." Van chuckled lightly. "And I bet you'd prefer me to stuffy old Allen any day, huh?"

Dilandau's eyes had closed again, rosy lips parting to utter one last phrase, and Van leaned over him to hear it, anxious for Dilandau to thank him for staying or to agree that he preferred Van over someone else. Instead... instead Dilandau said: "...want him back..."

Van sat back, a bucket of ice water thrown onto his hopes. Dilandau wanted Allen back? What could he mean by that? Dilandau and Allen were oil and water.

Yet Allen sat with Dilandau when he was ill.

Allen had stared at Dilandau with...

Van shook his head. No, no, it couldn't be happening again. Allen wouldn't do it to him twice! He'd had Hitomi... and Van was glad he did in the long run. Van hadn't really wanted Hitomi, but gods he wanted Dilandau.

Allen couldn't take Dilandau. He wouldn't. He knew how much he meant to Van. But... Dilandau wanted Allen... and Allen had stared at Dilandau with...

No.

No.

No.

Van rested his head in his hands.

Damn the day he met Allen Schezar.

"It's about time." Folken started at Pearce's entrance to the lab, almost dropping the glass beaker he was rinsing out. The cool blond man looked uncharacteristically rumpled and Folken felt a rush of concern.

"Pearce?"

"It's about time for what?" Marie was wiping down the metal examining table.

"That you jumped Folken," Pearce said calmly, gazing around the lab and frowning in confusion. "You're throwing away the blood samples?"

"Pearce, that was crude. I do believe I'm a bad influence on you," Marie remarked, tossing away the damp rag she was using on the table and standing back to gaze at the gleaming work space. "Yes, we are throwing away the samples."

"Why?"

Folken placed the last clean beaker in a metal drawer and closed it. "They are of no use to us. How did you hear about... Marie jumping me?" Folken ducked the wet towel aimed for his head and looked at Pearce.

Pearce raised a brow. "It's the talk of the castle. You really should do something about those boys of yours."

"Boys of ours..." Marie corrected with a smirk, noticing and chuckling at Pearce's appearance. "What the hell happened to you?"

Pearce leveled her with a chilling glance that Marie responded to with a laugh. "Those boys–of ours– saw fit to have a fight in the hallway behind the hangar and...interrupt a private business affair of mine."

Marie batted her lashes and came to pat Pearce on the shoulder. "Oh...so that's where you've been going to have your... meetings. I was wondering."

Folken was in the dark. Clearly Pearce's business meetings had some hidden elements of which no one was going to enlighten him. He opened his mouth to ask, but then decided that maybe he didn't want to know. "A fight?"

Pearce sighed. "Guimel and Dallet."

"Did they know they were fighting each other?" Marie wondered idly, boosting herself onto the table she'd just cleaned.

"I believe so," Pearce said. "Some of the men had made wagers."

"Who won?"

"Marie!" Folken shook his head.

"What? Don't tell me you aren't curious, Folken," Marie said, studying her nails on one hand. "Did you find out what their fight was about Pearce?"

Pearce delivered a bored look and Marie grinned. "Sorry, let me rephrase that. What was the fight about oh great and knowledgeable Pearce?"

"Dilandau," Pearce said, not rising to Marie's taunting and Marie's playful grin slipped off. "So, I will ask again, what are you doing and why?"

"We're cleaning the lab," Folken said simply, "and getting rid of things we don't need."

"It looks to me like you are throwing out a project," Pearce said, glacial eyes observing the lab which looked as unused as the day it was finished. Folken sighed, following Pearce's eyes. They had put away their testing tools, IVs, and the vitamin and nutrient supplies they used to brew concoctions for Dilandau to sample were properly sealed for storage.

It did look like they were concluding something.

Which they were.

"Pearce," Marie began, "there's nothing more we can do. The kid doesn't have much time left, and we... don't want him to waste the last of it being poked and prodded."

"What about the Knight Schezar?"

"He doesn't want any part of this," Folken said bitterly, "and we can't force the man."

"And the sister is no longer a possibility?"

"The sister is a prayer," Marie said. "If we can get our hands on her and she's a match, then everything will be great. But that's a big 'if' Pearce."

"And so you're giving up?" Pearce said, staring at them both oddly. "Does he know?"

Folken shut his eyes. He had to know. "Yes."

Pearce was silent as Folken and Marie watched him, awaiting his judgment of them. "Well? Go on and say whatever nasty thing is on your mind about us, Pearce. We tried everything. We did everything, but we're not gods! We don't have mystical healing powers! The only thing that can save that boy is..." Marie's raised voice dimmed and faded as an insistent knock came at the door.

All of their heads oriented toward it.

Folken wrung his hands nervously, thinking it was one of Slayers come to tell them something horrible about Dilandau.

He had seemed ok that morning... He couldn't have... No, not today.

He tossed a worried look over his shoulder at Marie and Pearce before opening the door and stepping back to admit a pale Allen Schezar.

"Sir Allen?"

"I... A... about Dilandau..." the tall blond stuttered, blue eyes wide and haunted. You said he needed something from me? What can I do to help?"

Allen had never been inside Folken's lab, but he'd nightmares about it on the unpleasant nights he'd gone to bed with an annoyance dealt by Folken fresh on his mind. He'd seen visions of sharp knives hanging from the ceiling, metal walls, floors and furniture with needles protruding from every surface the eye could see. He saw crystal champagne glasses full of blood and glass containers full of cloudy liquid, sustaining hearts and livers. However, the bright room with gleaming white floors, comfortable velvet armchairs that looked suspiciously like chairs he'd seen in Millerna's sitting room, 2 body-length metal tables with clean glass jars and beakers and a deck of playing cards sitting on top of them was not what he had been expecting.

Allen watched Folken and Dr. Marie running about the lab, disappearing into closets and reemerging with towels, vials, and black boxes, and shooting him the occasional incredulous glance. Both scientist had nearly fallen over when he'd come into the lab and Pearce, Allen shivered thinking of the cold man, had smirked and left soon after Dr. Marie had settled Allen onto a wide stool.

"All right, Sir Allen, have you ever had blood drawn before?" Allen started as something hard was dropped onto the steel table behind him with a loud clank. He spun around to see Dr. Marie unlatching one of those mysterious black boxes she and Folken had produced from the closet. From it, she pulled out a capped syringe and several glass tubes. She deftly inserted a tube into the syringe and set it down on the table.

"Never by needle," Allen said, forcing himself to display a calm he didn't feel as the doctor rolled up one of his long sleeves and tied an elastic band just above his elbow. Maybe he shouldn't watch. Did Dilandau watch? Did they draw his blood?

"No, he can't bare to watch– the big baby– and yes, often," Dr. Marie supplied answers for questions Allen wasn't aware he'd asked aloud. "Folken and I take blood from Dilandau daily to monitor his red and white blood cell counts."

Allen swallowed hard. Daily? Gods... Dilandau did this everyday, when Allen didn't know if he could even handle it once? He seriously contemplated leaving, but his conscious reminded him of the revelation he'd had only moments earlier in Dilandau's room while looking at sketches of himself as a teen, his mother and sister, and his home that Dilandau shouldn't have been able to produce. Then there had been that painting on Van...

There was no way Allen could deny what he'd discovered– with little shock– his heart already wanted to believe. Celena hadn't been making up ridiculous stories about a little brother hidden inside her to anger Allen, nor had Mother been crazy the day of the twins' birth.

Dilandau had been there.

Dilandau had been a part of Celena, a part of Allen's family– another lost sibling found. Mother would be proud.

Something cold and wet moistening the tender skin on the other side of his elbow jolted him from thought and he looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm guessing you don't want me to warn you first." Dr. Marie sounded amused.

"Just do it," Allen sighed and then hissed at the cool prick of something thin and sharp puncturing his skin.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Dr. Marie chuckled and Allen brought his eyes down to gaze at her as she watched his blood filter into the vial attached to her needle.

"So what's next after this?" Allen asked. "You give the blood to him and he's ok?"

Dr. Marie frowned and looked up from her work to meet Allen's gaze, her green eyes troubled. "First, we test your blood to see if you and he are the same blood type. If we can confirm that you two are a match, then we'll need something else from you."

Something else? Allen was silent as the physician switched out the tubes in the syringe. "It's called bone marrow," Dr. Marie said, after the next tube was in place. "Dilandau is beyond being helped by a simple blood transfusion, Sir Allen, but if blood is all you're willing to give..."

"Bone marrow?" Allen grimaced. He wasn't sure what the woman was talking about, but it sounded painful. "How...do you get that?"

Dr. Marie scrunched up her small nose and carefully removed the needle from his arm after she corked the last vial of blood she'd taken from him. "Well... we would have to test you first, and to do that we would have to go through the skin and puncture your pelvic bone, right here." The doctor gestured to the side of her hip, then wrapped a small bandage around his arm. She untied the elastic and Allen sat back, staring at her.

"Puncture my pelvic bone? You want to stick a needle in my bones? There's... fluid to draw from bones?" Allen felt ill.

Dr. Marie lifted a brow and nodded her head to something behind Allen and Allen looked over to see Folken approaching. "All done?"

"Yup, he wasn't too bad," Dr. Marie said, passing the vials of blood to Folken. "I was just telling him the procedure for testing marrow."

Allen felt his stomach do a back flip at the slightly pained expression on Folken's face.

"I won't lie to you, Sir Allen. The procedure is unpleasant, but as an experienced soldier I'm sure you've endured numerous wounds on the battlefield that may make the procedure seem mild."

Allen schooled his expression. "Yes, I've had my fair share of injuries and even a surgery."

"Surgery?" Dr. Marie and Folken gazed at each other warily.

"How long ago?" Folken asked.

"Months," Allen said, puzzled. "I cannot remember exactly how many. Is it a problem?"

"Maybe not. Are you on any medication at this time? Had any alcohol within the past 8 hours?"

Allen shook his head.

"Good, good..." The redhead rubbed her palms together and looked at Folken again. "Ah... so, if we find out you're a good match for Dilandau, would you be willing to submit a bone marrow sample?"

Allen flinched. He didn't like the idea of voluntarily committing himself to injury, but he had to do what needed to be done. "Whatever he needs."

Dr. Marie smiled at him, emerald eyes glistening and she turned away from him for a moment.

"What brought about the change of heart?" Folken had moved to the other side of the lab with his blood.

Allen glanced at the man, watching him staining tiny glass slides with his blood and applying drops of clear liquid from a small eye-dropper.

"What kind of a brother would I be, if I didn't?" Allen answered Folken's question with a question and did not wait for reactions from either party before asking his next question. "What are you doing?"

Folken had stopped and was staring at Allen in shock. His mouth opened and closed before he went back to his work. "Finding out your blood type by applying anti-serum to your blood and seeing what makes clots and what does not. Would you like to watch?"

"No." Allen shuddered. "How long will that take?"

"An hour to be sure. You can leave for a bit, and someone can come get you later..."

"Or we could go ahead and test your marrow," Dr. Marie suggested. She had been cleaning the work area she'd used. "Come to think of it... Folken, what did you do with Dilandau's sample? I didn't see it in the icebox."

"It's on the bottom shelf near the back," Folken said.

"Hm... not where I originally put it..." Dr. Marie rolled her eyes. "I don't know why the man feels he has to move everything I put away around. So...how about it, Allen? Want to get it over with?"

Allen stared at her a moment, then shrugged. The chance that his blood wouldn't be a match for Dilandau's and that he'd go through a painful procedure for nothing crossed his mind, but he ignored it. "How long will it take before he gets what he needs, if I'm a match?"

Dr. Marie propped her chin in her hands and set her elbows on the table, her serious eyes a sharp contrast to her playful pose. "If your reports are good, we will begin prepping him tonight. The transplant needs to be done as soon as possible."

Allen nodded. The woman was still looking at him. "Yes?"

"You didn't answer Folken when he asked you why you suddenly changed your mind. Where were you before you came in here, Sir Allen?"

"With Dilandau. I... found him in a lavatory downstairs near the melef hangar and I escorted him to his room."

Dr. Marie's brows drew together. "Found him in a lavatory?"

"He wasn't feeling well. He's asleep now," Allen assured the concerned doctor.

"And?"

"And... I saw his drawings," Allen concluded simply.

"That's it? The kid did a few doodles and you're ready to let Folken and I drill holes in your bones? Well, damn. If that was all it took, we could have had this problem solved sooner." Dr. Marie sat back, looking thoughtfully at Allen and smiling lightly.

"What now?" Allen didn't know if he should be amused by Dr. Marie's actions or unnerved. She wasn't the kind of woman he was used to.

"Just thinking that you two look alike and wondering why I didn't notice it before," she said with a shrug. "So... you really ready to drop your pants for me?"

Allen started, nearly falling off his stool and Dr. Marie guffawed.

"Hope you're not wearing embarrassing undies, Sir Allen, cause I can't draw that squishy stuff out of your bones with your pants up."

"For heavens sake, leave the man alone, Marie!"

"Oh please, after all the stuff I've heard about this guy, I'm surprised he wears a belt. He's no stranger to this."

"Marie!"

Allen stared between the bickering scientist, noting with some amusement the small flush blooming over Folken's normally stoic face. Shaking his head, he interrupted them. "Where should I sit or lie?"

"Table. I'll get you a pillow," Dr. Marie said; she slid off her stool and walked to the armchairs, tossing a smirk over her shoulder. "I'm a professional, meaning I will not get off on seeing your bare ass. So, don't worry about it."

Allen snorted more at Folken's deeper blush than at Dr. Marie's words. "I wasn't."

"Wasn't talking to you."

Oh.

"Sir Allen, I'll do this as quickly as possible and then we can all talk some more while we wait for the results."

Dilandau woke hours after he'd gone to sleep with a pounding headache and burning eyes, reminding him that he'd cried himself to sleep. He kept his eyes closed, straining his ears to listen for signs of life. He dimly recalled someone being there to witness his embarrassing loss of control and wondered if that person was still in the room. Dilandau would threaten him within an inch of his life, if he told anyone what he'd seen.

Slowly he opened his eyes, letting them slowly adjust to the light. The main light in his room that hung in the middle of the ceiling had been left on and... he heard someone rustling in the bed beside him... someone was here.

"Dilandau?"

Van. His voice was soft, cautious. Had Van...? No, not Van, it had been someone else, someone tall and strong that smelled like... Dilandau squeezed his eyes shut again, trying to quell the surge of emotions upsetting his stomach.

He'd smelled like a rose garden, like the rose garden– Mama's garden, he was certain. Although it was rather ridiculous. Surely other people had rose gardens; the palace had one. The man in there earlier had simply taken a walk through one and... and come in to find Dilandau on a bathroom floor after he'd...

He sat up slowly, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth and praying he wouldn't be sick again. He could feel the tremors beginning again, but not as violently as before, because...

Because it was ok. Someone had held him and it had felt...

"Dilandau? Are you all right? Do you...need to go to the bathroom?"

Dilandau shook his head, not looking at Van just yet. He was trying to remember who had found him– who had held him– and why it had felt right, like a missing piece of himself had found its way back to its proper place.

A hand touched his back and Dilandau finally glanced over at Van, taking in his wrinkled dress shirt and the unruly state of his hair. "How long have you been here?"

A slow smile spread across Van's tanned face that made Dilandau blink at the king as he noticed how white and even his teeth were. He had a nice smile.

"Since Allen left, don't you remember? You woke up for a minute or so and talked to me," Van said, his hand working itself upward into Dilandau's hair and smoothing it. "You've been asleep for hours."

"Do the others know where I am? I didn't mean to..." Dilandau trailed off, stilling momentarily to savor the feel of strong fingers massaging his scalp and playing with his hair. He liked when his Slayers, Folken, and Marie did it, but none of them had been as skilled as Van.

"Yeah, they know. Gatty poked his head in to make sure you were here; apparently somebody saw you come in and tipped them off."

"Hmm..." Dilandau found himself seeking out the warmth of Van's body sitting beside him on the bed and letting himself settle against it.

Van stiffened at the contact briefly before relaxing. "Ah... feeling better?"

Dilandau frowned.

"Allen said you weren't feeling well when he found you and brought you here. You don't remember? He sat in here with you until I came."

Allen. Van did say that he'd been there since Allen had left. Allen... had found him and sat with him. Allen Schezar was the one that smelled like the rose garden. Allen... had held him and made it ok.

Dilandau shivered and Van's hand left his hair and a thin arm was draped over his shoulder. "Are you cold? Do you... want me to get my...er... Folken?"

"No," Dilandau whispered. Dilandau didn't even like Allen Schezar, not really, and he was sure the man didn't like him. Why would he hold Dilandau and how could it have made him feel complete?– like, for once in his life, nothing was wrong. "Van?"

"Yes?" Van squeezed his shoulder.

"Where did Allen go?"

Van's body went stiff again and the warm arm fell away from his shoulder. "He said he had something to do." Van's voice was stale, withdrawn and Dilandau turned his head to look at the boy king. His face had paled and his eyes were dark with some glittering emotion that confused Dilandau.

"Did he say if he was coming back? Or if he wanted me to... find him later?"

"No."

Dilandau blinked, narrowing his eyes at Van's cold face. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing."

Dilandau elbowed him in the gut, causing Van to grunt. "Then stop making that constipated face– and start rubbing my head again! It hurts and that felt good."

Van let out a startled grunt and his fingers flew to Dilandau's locks again, planting themselves deep in the roots. "You... you like me doing this?"

Dilandau chose not to dignify that with a response. He wouldn't have told him to do it if he didn't like it. The silver captain relaxed his neck, letting his head fall forward. He shut his eyes as Van guided his head to his shoulder. The young monarch was like a personal space heater; Dilandau shivered again and felt Van shifting on the bed, turning more towards him and bringing his other arm around Dilandau's waist.

Dilandau was conflicted. This was... not the same... nice, but...not what he needed. Though, somehow, he could not bring himself to shrug out of the embrace. It was warm here.

"So... Allen just left and that was that?"

"Yeah, that was that. Oh, he saw the fake tattoo on my chest and looked at a few of your sketches."

Something twisted in his gut. "Oh, he did. What did he say?"

Van was quiet for a while before he answered. "He asked what they were of and I told him what you told me that you paint your dreams."

Oh.

"And then he got an odd look on his face; I mean, he was already being weird, but he wouldn't tell me what was wrong. He just asked me to stay with you and left."

Dilandau frowned into Van's shoulder. His drawings weren't bad enough to scare a person away, so Dilandau pondered what had made Allen run. "Do you know what pictures he looked at?"

Van shrugged. "Only a few... just the ones of the garden, like on my chest, and a few of a woman and a little girl... and one of a boy about our age with his back to us."

Black and white charcoal images entered Dilandau's thoughts as he mentally flipped through his sketchbook. Mama and Celena, Mama's garden, Big Brother... "That was it?"

"Yeah."

Hmm. He shut his eyes. Van's other hand had started rubbing his back and a wave of exhaustion washed over him along with the general feeling of not being well. He was tired of thinking. When he saw Allen again, he'd just ask him what he saw in the pictures. He'd ask him why he'd held Dilandau and why it felt the way it had.

Someone had to know the answer, and if it wasn't him, it was Allen.

"Van?" So warm...

"Yes?"

"Lie down with me." So sleepy...

"Ah..." Van stuttered. "Dilandau, I..."

"Just do it. You're better than my pillows."

Slowly, Van guided his body down onto the mattress, and Dilandau turned his body toward Van's, draping an arm over Van's chest and a leg over Van's knees. Van struggled to free the hand that was in his hair and move it around his waist as the hand that was previously wrapped around his waist made its way to his hair.

"Dilandau..?" Van's voice was quivering as was his body. Dammit, he was going to make Dilandau seasick! "Is this ok?"

"It's fine. Now stop shaking so I can go back to sleep!"

Maybe he should ask for Viole. Viole could do this without nervous tremors. Why was Van trembling anyway? One would think he'd never...

Dilandau cracked one eye open, studying the blush in Van's cheeks. "Van?– is this ok– for you? I keep forgetting that you're not one of my Dragonslayers." Dilandau was willing to get off of Van, but he would not move until Van dismissed him. He was too comfortable.

"No! No, it's fine. I'm fine!" Dilandau winced. Van's voice had been shrill.

"Then calm down," Dilandau hissed. "Honestly, I'm starting to think that you want me or something."

Dilandau shut his eyes and then opened them again at Van's lack of response. Dilandau had just questioned Van's sexuality. All guys always rose to such accusations with a fervor to defend their manly pride. Dallet and Gatty would have choked and gone into detail about their sexual conquests; Shesta and Viole would have laughed and returned the comment to its sender. Guimel may have made a mock move, but Van was silent.

"Van?"

"D...Dilandau, I think I... have to tell you something."

A silver brow arched in anticipation.

"I... uh... well, I..."

Both Dilandau and Van jumped as the door to his room was slammed open so hard it rebounded off the wall. "Dilandau!"

Dilandau was struggling to sit up as Van freed him from his embrace. He glowered at Folken who stood in the doorway with Marie and... Allen. Folken bounded toward the bed, eyes gleaming with something akin to...joy? Joy and Folken were not a likely pair.

Marie was grinning from ear to ear as she stalked behind Folken, practically on his heels. The doctor sat down on the bed in front of Dilandau and Van and took Dilandau's hands as Folken leaned past Van to be at Dilandau's ear.

"We've found a match– a perfect match– for everything you need!"

Dilandau blinked, staring at Folken then Marie who squeezed his fingers as she laughed. "We've got so much to do to get you ready we need to start now, Dilandau."

"Do you understand what we're saying to you?" Folken demanded, resting a hand on Dilandau's cheek. "We're going to save you."

"A match?" Dilandau whispered, still trying to comprehend what was going on. "But, you tested everyone in the castle. Where did you... did you find...?"

"No, not her... him!" Marie pointed to the figure in the doorway– to Allen. Dilandau stared at the tall blond man and a flicker of a charcoal sketch came to mind before vanishing.

"He's perfect and he wants to give, so now you've got to do your part," Marie said. "We've set everything up already in the lab to get you prepped and while you're with us, someone will be sent in to sterilize your room. So... Van, if you could please gather his personal belongings, pencils, books, doodle pads, trinkets and... I don't know, take them to one of the Dragonslayers– they'll know what to do with them– so they won't get thrown away."

Van was spluttering again. He was sitting with his back against the headboard of the bed with Folken leaning over his lap. He scowled at his brother, he scowled at Marie and lastly at Allen. Marie was pulling Dilandau. "Move it, kid."

Dilandau pushed back his blankets and crawled out of bed to Marie, still in a daze. "Tell me again what's going on."

Marie laughed again and Folken came to meet them, hugging Dilandau briefly. "We've found a match and in the next 48 hours, you're going to receive treatment. If this works, you'll be ok, Dilandau."

"I've got another chance?" Had he heard them correctly?

"You've got another chance."

"Oh gods..." Dilandau felt his knees go weak with relief as Hope, who had been knocking impatiently at the doors of consciousness, was invited back in. Folken supported him, guiding him to the door.

They passed Allen– Allen who was his perfect match Marie had said. A perfect match that both scientist had been sure would only come from his sister, a sibling. The charcoal sketch came to mind again... the one of the boy with his back turned– Big Brother.

What does it mean? He asked himself. What are you trying to tell me?

No voice answered him, but a strong hand did ruffle his hair. Dilandau's eyes met Allen's; the man had fallen into step beside he and Folken. That was the hand that had rubbed his back and made him feel whole.

"Thank you," Dilandau told him softly and blinked at Allen's smile. It was a nice smile, like Van's, but not. It was something else. Someone else smiled like that, smiled to where the corners of their eyes crinkled when they were happy.

"You don't need to thank me," Allen said, his voice equally soft. "Lets just hope this works."

Dilandau nodded, too grateful at getting a second shot at remaining in the land of the living to question Allen's motives. Hope was good. Hope was back. Hope was...

"Wait a minute? Take my personal things to my Slayers so they won't get thrown away? What the hell?"

Author's Note: And that concludes the "Longest Day" we finally move on to tomorrow, lol. So, what's the verdict? Like it? Hate it? Don't care either way? Either way, let me know. Please review :)

Review Responses:

koneri: Lol, hey girl. Sorry for taking so long. Here is your update. Thank you for the review!

DillyLover: Thank you! I'm glad you like the story so much and sorry I took so long. Blame my Logic Professor... (grumbles) Take care!

Kontradiction: Hello! I'm happy you're enjoying the story. I hated that all of the Dragonslayers died in the series too. I think most of my fan fictions are responses to things I didn't like in a series. Protective slayers are fun and yes, I think the Dragonslayers are winning too. But deep down, Dilandau likes the attention ;). Van trying to be a stud, hehehe. Yes, they are young and Van is awkward, but he might have some hope. Will Allen turn into the vicious overprotective older brother... muhahaha.. You'll see, but I do believe you've touched upon one of the reasons why I started this story ;). Thank you for your thoughtful review and I hope to hear from you again. Recommendations for Escaflowne shounen-ai? Rainjewel's Behind Enemy Lines and MorganSteelgrave... I forget the name of the story, but all of her Escaflowne works are good, so you'll have fun finding it. Take care!

Jhaylin: Will Dilly get better? Maybe after this chapter with Allen's help...that is..if the war doesn't get in the way ;). Thanks for the review. Take care!

Katsu: Yay! Glad you didn't forget about me! Lol! Actually, I like to forget about stories and then come back and find that there are LOTS of new chapters out for me to read. Glad you liked the last chapter and thank you for reviewing! Take care!

Pocketfirefairy: Hehehe... I don't know how much Dilandau will like being called sweet even if I explain the situation ;) Yes, Allen's being good, and I'm still shaping him... but into something dear Van might not like, muhahaha! Take care and thanks for reviewing!

Gadget 151: Ooh Maine, I applied for graduate school there: The University of South Maine :). I have been having the hardest time concentrating on anything lately too. It's why this chapter took forever to come out, but hopefully I'm back on track and you are too :). Not good to start school with temporary ADD. Sorry about the chapter drag...but... the Longest Day involves no action... more war will appear next chapter ;). Take care and thanks for reviewing!

Macky: Thanks! Take care!

Glass Angel1: Remodeling and school... gah! School and anything...gah! Lol! Yeah, I'm lazy...sue me :P. Heheh well, Allen's got a clue and Marie's got a needle...and a bone drill, so I really hoped you liked that chapter. After ALL of this is over... two more chapters :)... I promise to send the Slayers on vacation lol. Sorry about the lack of Folken in the last chapter, but I hope his appearance in this one made up for it. Take care and thanks for the review!

Nikku: Hentai... having dirty thoughts about Allen and Gaddes. Shakes finger at you... Get your mind out of the gutter. Guimel losing it was fun. He was the only person that really hadn't had a spotlight where a little of what he felt was put out there. Hehehe, you spit tea on your computer and yourself...heheehe... more hentai visions? Glad you liked the Allen/Dilandau scene. It was one of the handful of scenes that inspired this story. I've got a few more of those to go ;). I've got about 2 more real chapter and an epilogue planned. Almost done :). Thanks for the review girl and I'll talk to you soon!

Strangedream:) Hey! Glad you liked the chapter. Van may be in luck when it comes to getting Dilandau to notice him... but now he has another problem, muhahaha! Dilandau's reaction to everything will be soon to come ;). Thanks for reviewing girl. Take care!

Renluva: Hey! I'm glad you still like the story and that you have favorite chapters. That makes me smile and has me thinking I must be doing something right lol. Dilandau's had it rough, but things may be looking for him :). Don't worry about keeping me for any period of time; I love reading reviews. Take care and thanks!

KentouKurige: Hello! Thank you :). Erm..I'm kinda dragging this out aren't I? Dilandau's fate may not become clear for a little while longer. I've got 2 more chapters and a follow up to go :). The story won't really end with Severed though. I plan on doing a few one-shots that follow the characters and show what they've bee doing since the War. Thank you for reviewing and take care!

Higashikaze: Aww... Allen's getting some love. Yes, Allen is out of his denial stage and has moved into the acceptance stage. Yes, it was a long day, but now it's over! The next chapter will start the following morning. Guimel did need that boxing match and he's lucky it was Dallet. Someone else might not have understood and gotten really angry with him ;). Wow, has it really been that long since I updated? The end of summer...geez... Now, it's the end of winter break...which STILL wasn't long enough. Sorry for not updating sooner, but my semester was AWFUL. I have never had so many classes that I have disliked in one term. Gah. But anyways, take care and thank you for reviewing!