I did a thing! Also, I got moved at work! Now I sit where hardly anyone can see my computer screen and it is GLORIOUS! Thus, this story is now continuing. Also, I seemed to have successfully kicked my muse back into gear. I've been dreading writing this chapter for a while. I knew the ending would be hard to wrap up, but sheesh! It's harder than I thought putting all your pieces together.

Well, hope you guys enjoy the continuation - and almost ending - of this insane story!

Hitomi stood behind him, mind frozen, the axes clutched in her fists, the bag weighing down hard on her small shoulders, as the wind carried Chordata off into the night. A slice of quiet cut between the two of them; stillness that held the strange discord of something unfinished. For hours, they had lived on the edge: racing for their lives on the road, fighting for their lives in the Wastes, running for their lives in the tunnel, and finally the icy shiver of death surrounding them in the Winged Palace. But now, with Chordata gone and the two of them left abruptly alone together, a downpour of unease settled speedily like a silent tempest. Suddenly, Van's eyes slipped back to find hers and she immediately straightened her shoulders with false bravado.

They were alone now. Alone outside the Winged Palace. And, despite her crippling fear, she knew she needed to stand up and finish this. Van needed her strength. Fake or not.

"We'll wait five minutes, Van. If she's not back, we'll find a way through this garden together. I'm sure you can track where she's gone, right?" Her tone was too calm, too rational. It sounded utterly fake in her ears, but she forced herself to continue. Coming forward, she set the axes down on the ground before groaning as the pack slid from her shoulders to land on the dirt with a soft fwump. She moved to sit beside him, her spine still square with confidence. She knew it was stupid to pretend she was okay, the man had read through her body language too many times for her to think she could possible fool him, but, to her surprise, his eyes widened at her with wonder and then tightened with anger.

Some of her pretending broke at his expression.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I… apologize," he grunted, reaching up to rub the back of his neck with frustration. He let out a small groan of pain as the action stirred the bleeding wound on his shoulder. "I-I do not know what came over me just now."

"Van, it's called 'shock'." She chewed the bottom of her lip and her knees rose to her chin. "Good to have you back. You scared me."

"I should not have reacted like I did. I should have-"

"We made it out of the Palace. Let's focus on the here and now. It doesn't matter that you panicked or froze or whatever."

She shot him a small smile laced with her false confidence and he shook his head slowly. "How can you be like this?"

"Like what?"

"Calm, collected, focused-"

"Because I have to be." She wrapped her arms around her legs and let out a small breath. "If Chordata doesn't come back, it's just the two of us. And I don't want to think that she won't, but she very well might, you know? We've lost G-Grammy," her voice broke a bit, but she cleared her throat, "and… and sweet Bakura, and now Chordata is gone. All we have left is each other. And I, for one, don't want all of this death to be for nothing. I want their sacrifices to count. We have a job to do, Van. Let's do it together. To the best of our abilities. Let's…" she paused, the words not wanting to come out. She steeled herself and forced the words out: "Let's get you your kingdom back."

He gazed at her, his eyes wide behind his long fringe. The cold wind brushed his raven hair.

"It's so crazy to think. When you're back to your timeline and everything is alright, it'll be like you are finally alive, Van. You'll be able to actually live. Live like how you were meant to be. A king..." God, what was even she saying? She felt her cheeks beginning to blush as he continued to stare at her and her heart hammered hard in her chest. Her mouth, however, decided to keep going.

"Just think if I took another step in a different direction, or I chose a different day to go to the tour, would I even know you? What if I had come to Fanelia a year late or a year early? I used to think that I was cursed. Always in the wrong place at the wrong time. But… now that we're here, I'm not so sure about that. I think I'm in the exact spot I'm meant to be in. My father's journal, my own reasons for wanting to continue his research; it's as if it was all leading to this moment. Regardless if you've felt like you haven't truly lived in this world and are biding your time until you return to being king, I want you to know that I am happy to be by your side right now. I'm happy to help you. Because inside my heart, I am more alive right now than I've ever been. Just wrapped up in this convoluted destiny with you."

She rushed forward before she could over-think it. "Van, just rely on me, okay? Rely on me when you're worried or sad or afraid-"

Hitomi's words were cut off with a small surprised gasp as she felt his hand reach for the back of her neck and pull her face towards his. Her fingers were still laced around her knees. Her green eyes widened as his lips crushed against hers and she felt his rough thumb move to brush her cheek softly. Eyelids fluttering closed, she tilted her head and let out an unexpected sigh of delight as he immediately opened her mouth with his lips to deepen the kiss. She swiftly moved her hands to brace herself on his tan chest. His other hand slid down to her waist, grabbing a fistful of her shirt to pull her closer. His lips broke from hers and moved to her tilted neck.

Her breath hitched as a wave of desire crashed through her.

His heart thundered under her palm.

"Van…" She exhaled his name. At the sound of her voice, he suddenly stopped, lips leaving that sensitive spot on the side of her neck that he'd found the night before. Cold shivers settled where he'd kissed her. Frozen for only the briefest of moments, his head dropped lower till his forehead rested on her shoulder.

"Alive." Though he'd whispered the word, it crashed though her ears like he'd shouted it.

She waited only seconds before saying, "I'll make sure you-"

"I am alive," he interrupted her. He lifted his head from her shoulder and she saw his eyes. Those deep red irises focused wholly on her.

"I am alive," he repeated.

A flicker of warm bliss rushed through her before the realization hit.

It seemed to hit him at the same time.

Without a word, he lowered his hand from her cheek and the other dropped from where it grasped her waist. He stood and she let him help pull her to her feet. Hitomi bent and plucked up the heavy pack once more. Shouldering it, she watched him crouch to pick up the axes. His eyes moved to sweep the shadows for one hopeful glance of white fur, one whisper of a tail, a swish of a flowing dress.

Nothing.

Wordlessly, they gazed at each other and a crushing loss erupted between them. Lost moments; so many of them.

But this was it.

The five minutes were up.

Chordata wasn't coming back.

"Let's go, Van," she said, still feeling the exhilarating goosebumps from his kiss.

His clear, lovely eyes seemed to caress her as he took a deep, steadying breath.

And nodded.

She was a flickering shadow.

She was less than a whisper. Her nimble feet pricked along the thin, dark pathway that was paved through the gardens, her footsteps as breathless as the wind. Vaulting silently over low shrubs, Chordata landed on all fours and immediately raced to press herself against a twisted, skeletal tree about twenty feet away from where she'd seen the Zaibachian canines disappear.

She released a long breath from her lips before inhaling deeply through her nose. She could smell the thick, musty scent of fur and leather much clearer now that she was on the Zaibach soldiers' trail; however, her stomach tightened as another twinge hit the scent.

The tight sourness of spiking fear.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

The Zaibach were afraid… of what?

Darting her head around the trunk, her night vision searched for them. Her ears pricked tightly for just a hint.

Nothing.

Just as she was about to step from the tree, she heard it.

The light whine of a canine.

Amber eyes wide, Chordata tried to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest as a new smell wafted towards her with the shifting wind.

Blood. Canine blood…

Recoiling back behind the tree, the white fur rose on the back of her neck. A feeling came over her. Watchfulness. Deep, dark watchfulness. Something was out there. Biting her lip, her mind raced with her adrenaline. The enemy was silent. She hadn't even heard a thing until that whimper.

She nearly jumped out of her skin as a large man materialized out of nowhere to her immediate left. He glanced at her almost distractedly, a large, menacing lance tightly gripped in his thick fingers. His form was solid, his eyes tense. His armor, the symbol of the Fanelian dragon engraved on his chest, was tattered and singed as if he'd been fighting through flames. The armor was ancient, medieval, with heavy greaves and thick chainmail covering his arms and neck. She watched him motion his balding head to the rubble tucked away near the back garden wall and it took all of Chordata's willpower to contain her scream as another man emerged from the rubble. This one was younger; in his hands was a strong longbow. The second gave a Fanelian salute to the large man – his fist pounding his leather chest plate twice – before disappearing from her eyes.

Her stomach dropped with fear and realization.

Shadows… ghosts… they had killed the soldiers!

The large man, his eyes heavy-lidded with focus, turned to regard her with a bite of hostility. Her claws extending, she wondered how she could possibly defend herself from someone who was already dead.

But as their eyes connected, a sense of understanding passed between them. His back straightened and he regarded her with a strange light flickering into his cold eyes. He mouthed something to her, his hands tightening on his lance, but his lips pulled into a strange smirk through his stubble beard.

She'd read his lips: "One of us."

With one quick toss of his head, he motioned her to follow. Blinking with surprise and racing apprehension, she pointed to herself and the spirit gave her an almost comical look of exasperation.

Slipping through the pathway, following the specter's silent footsteps closely, the smell of blood was even worse as she neared the edge of the palace. The man boldly exited the gardens and charged, not to the left where the pathway to the yew tree was, but to the right…

"The Zaibach Watch Guard…" Chordata whispered under her breath. There were three Zaibach soldiers leaning against the rubble of a fallen tower, each carrying semi-automatic rifles and talking softly.

Their backs facing just a touch away from the entrance of the gardens, she slipped to carefully crouch behind a pillar just outside the gardens. The scent of humans washed with the wind and her heart settled as she realized she could easily sneak past without the soldiers noticing her-

Her heart seized once more as one of the humans cried out in agony; toppling to the ground. Glancing over the pillar in surprise, the cat lady saw a bloody puncture wound erupting from the soldier's side. His scream was cut short as his neck was suddenly snapped sharply to the left. Another followed him in death, small crimson punctures like arrows penetrating his body.

"What the-" were the last words of the third soldier before a bloody hole punched itself into his throat and he fell to join his Zaibach brothers in the dirt. Chordata, letting her instinct take over her fear, moved with her silent grace, picking over the dead bodies as soon as the last one dropped to the ground. Sliding past the now unmanned pillar and hurrying behind a tall shed further to the right, she could see the road from the shadows, the concrete dark and silent. Trucks, covered jeeps, and even a small golf cart were parked outside the quiet guard tower. The smell of tense fear bled into the wind, but there was not soul in sight. Even the ghosts were absent. Her eyes continued to scan, her heightened senses forcing her to remain in the shadows for a sign.

That part scared her the most: she wasn't sure what sign she was looking for.

Finally, after a few breathless minutes, a glimmer of a ghost brushed past her left side and she fought the urge to scream. She jumped and pressed her back against the cold stone behind the shed. This one was missing half his face, his absent jaw dripping blood with a useless waggling tongue. His armor, heavy splint, was encrusted with dirt and crimson blood – the red smear making the dragon emblem etched on his breast plate hard to see. With only one large eye, his sharp gaze flickered hungrily over her flesh before he disappeared swiftly – headed the way she'd come.

To the gardens…

Master Fanel! Lady Hitomi!

Her heart hammered in her ears. Indecision rang as the seconds beat with her wild heart. Her amber eyes continued to stare horrified at where the ghost had disappeared.

She had to go back! She had to save them!

There was something about this ghost… he was different from the others…

He was dangerous… like the ones inside the Winged Palace…

Panic shaking her body, Chordata was about to step from the shadows when the bright headlights of a large jeep pulled up past the gate and she had to duck just in time for the light to skim past her hiding place behind the shed. Her ears, her only ally, pricked as the car stopped just beyond the shed. The door opened and a familiar smell hit her.

Iron - and cologne.

Bracing herself, she didn't want to. She didn't want to look, but… she had to.

Chordata's eyes peered over to the road - just in time to catch his face. His lips, pressed into a gentle line, looked the same. The same simple brown eyes behind square-ish frames, same smoothed brown hair, same simple clothing.

As he turned to head to the back of the jeep, the terrifying ghost left her mind completely.

She had her sign.

The navy pommel of a very familiar sword was grasped in the Stratego's hand.

Gently picking their way through the quiet overgrown garden, Van took the lead, his dark red eyes flicking over every wavering shadow. He frowned as he read Chordata's trail. Her soft footprints would be impossible for most skilled trackers, but Van had been specially trained. Finding her tiny landmarks were a part of her non-verbal language. He had learned how to track her through even the most rural parts of the Arzaz Forestlands. Bending with clenched teeth to hold back a groan of pain, he studied the prints on the lightly crinkled brown leaves.

Behind him, Hitomi was surprisingly silent, her footsteps falling quiet over the debris and crunchy foliage. Only her panting breath was audible as she waited for him to continue. He pressed his lips together, still feeling the hot whispers of their kiss on his tongue.

Listening to her go on about the end, seeing her pretend to be so strong for him. The stream of dried blood that had dripped from her forehead down her heart-shaped face, the sparkle of determination in her green eyes – Van had felt burning shame. Merle, his dearest friend from another life, was dead and haunting him. Chordata, who became his only family, had left him all alone.

And now there was someone else who had gotten past his defenses. Someone who had inserted herself into his life like she was meant to be there all along.

He knew Hitomi was faking her confidence earlier, but… the fact she was trying meant more than he could possibly say.

Friend? No. Lover? Possibly. But it just felt… more with her. So much more. The tingling taste of her lingering on his lips told him as much. There was something there that he'd never felt before.

"I love you." Her words; soft and gentle. Casually breaking through that barrier he'd constructed so perfectly.

"I love you." So freely. So easily. Like breathing. Like…

"Van?" Her voice startled him slightly. "What do you see?"

He blinked, his thoughts quickly slipping back to the ground where Chordata's tracks were.

"She stopped here for a bit," he read slowly. His eyes quickly slipped around the area before they landed on a tiny imprint on the leaves. "She jumped over there to avoid making noise on the dried foliage." Standing with a wince, he followed the path until he stopped at a thin tree.

She hid behind the tree here. He approached it cautiously. And then…

"Where are the guards?" Hitomi breathed behind his back and he glanced over as she joined his side near the tree. Her face was pale, the streak of blood down her face even more visible in the lowlight. "They were headed to the corner where the entrance to the palace is," she said softly. "They should have come back by now. Do you think…?"

"Chordata might have taken them out," Van answered reading her train of thought. A bit of his old self-assurance dusted his voice. "I doubt it though. Her tracks clearly do not head that direction."

"Where are they, then? The soldiers?"

He didn't answer, his focus back on the trail. Her footsteps seemed to turn in the dirt. Chordata had turned to look at something behind her. His amber eyes flicked over his shoulder at a large pile of rubble sitting near the edge of the wall. "She must have spotted something. Her footprints turned."

"The soldiers?"

"No, she continued this way. There is no sign of a fight." He straightened to face the garden's exit, the axes clutched a bit tighter in his hands. The tracks had become bolder and more pronounced. "She was not worried about anyone hearing her. The soldiers you saw… they are probably dead."

"Dead…" Hitomi breathed, sharply looking over at the palace's entrance behind her. "They're… dead? How? Chordata didn't go over there."

"Want to go and find out?" Van hissed with a frown.

Hitomi's shot him a hard glare. "Kind of. What if it's something dangerous?"

"All the more reason to keep going and not go over there."

"But, what if it comes after us anyway? It'd be better to know what we're up against."

"Our goal is the yew tree and the device. We already have Zaibach to deal with. We do not need to go looking for more trouble."

With a huff that Van found irritatingly cute, she stretched her shoulders with the pack and gave him a short, "Fine". Struggling to keep the smile from touching his lips, he led the way to the garden exit and saw Chordata's tracks leading to the right – not the left. Glancing around for any sign of Zaibach, he crept in the shadows to the cracked pillar where her tracks lead.

"What's wrong?" Hitomi whispered, following him closely.

"Chordata did not follow the path to the Chapellieur," Van answered with a spark of worry. "She went towards the guard towers that-"

His voice cut off as Hitomi's small hand suddenly grabbed his arm tightly and a rasping gasp escaped her lips. Glancing at her questioningly, he saw her eyes focused on the shadows near a large fallen tower. Bodies, three of them, were crumpled on the ground; their uniforms covered in dark red stains over the green camouflage. Her face grew pale and her green eyes widened.

"V-Van…" she stumbled.

He sighed quietly. "They are dead, Hitomi. They cannot hurt-"

"It's… It's not that…"

The hard fear in her voice made him glance back to the tower quizzically. He saw the bodies. Nothing more.

"What?"

"I think I might know what killed them…"

With a confused frown, he looked back just as one of the shadows under the tower stirred. Blinking his eyes, he saw the darkness grow blacker. As if rising from hell itself, it solidified slowly into a hulking form – huge and dragging. A rush of cold panic enveloped him.

"We… W-we need to go…" Hitomi's hand pulled his arm and she staggered backward. "We need to go now…"

Van froze as the figure emerged from the shadows, the low-lit moon illuminating the phantom.

A phantom from his past.

The one eye rolled, twitching unnaturally. Ripped flesh swung from his missing face with every lumbering footstep. The blood, thick and spreading the scent of rich iron, covered him from neck to boot. In his hand, dragging nearly to the ground, was a familiar broadsword, the sharp jagged edge honed in the Guitomian style.

"B-Balgus…" The name slipped from Van's lips. The ghost's one eye stopped to pierce him. A deep dark hate raged forth, twisting his already grotesque features. The mauled jaw, waggling tongue, and thick upper lip moved as if the ghost was speaking.

"He wants to know why you left." Hitomi's small voice spoke up, trembling. "Where you went. Why did you leave. Oh, god, Van. We need to get away from here!"

The ghost's head tilted abnormally, waiting.

Van's mouth opened, but he couldn't speak. He felt Hitomi's hand grabbing him, pulling him away. Breath uneven, he turned to run, a chilling shiver spiking like iced knives down his back.

They raced together, the axes shaking in his fingers, around bits of debris and limestone. Her hand guiding him, he knew his gasping was loud enough to echo in the silent courtyard. Halfway past the palace front doors, Hitomi suddenly stopped and Van had to keep himself from colliding with her back.

Looking up, his brain tried to comprehend the bright flashlight that flickered on them.

"THERE!" A man called from their right. "I found them!"

"No!" Hitomi cried, releasing her grip on him to spread her arms wide; attempting to shield him from the light.

Letting an axe clatter to the ground and instinctively grabbing for his sword, the empty hilt felt like a greeting from Death.

"Open fir-" The voice was cut off with a gargling scream and Van, blinded by the flashlight, could barely make out what was happening. Hitomi, however, snatched Van's arm again and began to run. They slipped past the dirt covered pathway and climbed the same incline they took during the tour only a few short weeks ago. It was a mad scramble, Van following her small back. His own bare chest was dripping cold sweat as the chills continued to pierce him from behind.

Balgus was following.

"What happened back-?

"Get down!" Hitomi hissed abruptly and she turned to tackle him to the ground. Her unexpected body weight sent him wheeling backwards and they hit the dirt together. "Zaibach…coming this way! We need to hide!"

Her heaving chest pressed against his waist, she straightened and crawled behind a smaller limestone boulder near the edge of the Guymelef Arena.

He followed her, the madness of the last few seconds jostling his thoughts.

"What is-?

"Quiet!" she snapped, glancing around the boulder wildly for a sign of the patrol.

Sure enough, only a few seconds passed before, they heard: "Twenty-five isn't responding, over."

The tone was a snarl - not human, but not canine either. Hitomi's hands reached to cover her mouth to stifle any noise. Van willed his heart to stop trying to beat out of his chest and held his breath. Legs curled to their chest, they waited as the footsteps stopped on the dirt path.

"Stay where you are. I am sending Team Eight to check on their location." A man's clear voice spoke over the radio. "Teams Ten through Twenty, stay at the Chapellieur. Keep all eyes peeled on every side. We cannot let them get near it, over."

A chorus of "ten-four" echoed through the man's radio. Glancing towards the Arena, Van accidentally released a bit of his held breath as six different flashlights flickered in the distance in every direction. Three inside the Arena itself. The other three were circling the entire perimeter.

Zaibach was patrolling everywhere.

He and Hitomi were completely surrounded.

Trapped.

Seeing the sword in Hatchet's fingers twisted something hard inside Chordata's heart. Her amber eyes narrowed and sharp instincts working overtime, she immediately saw her opportunity and took it. As Hatchet headed towards the back of the jeep, she boldly crept forward with the brush of the wind covering her footsteps. She slipped like a noiseless shadow underneath the vehicle just as the driver exited. Crawling towards the back of the jeep, she watched Hatchet's black leather shoes turn and there was a noise like someone sobbing. Large boots joined Hatchet's and, soon, small feet in simple trainers stumbled out.

"You didn't have to hit her that hard." Hatchet's cheerful voice made the hair stand up on Chordata's neck. "I want her aware of what's coming for her."

"I was following orders, sir. You told me to keep her quiet."

"I apologize for my subordinate's violence towards you, Mrs. Kanzaki. It seems he is a stickler for orders."

The woman's quiet weeping was all that Chordata could hear. She forced her limbs to relax, but her mind reeled in the unpleasant surprise. Hatchet had the foresight to take something that could potentially disable Lady Hitomi and, by proxy, Master Fanel. She had thought of killing Hatchet quickly, but with a hostage this made things much more difficult that snatching Master Fanel's weapon…

"Sir, I smell something!" A growling voice echoed from the front of the jeep. Her heart leaped to her throat as Hatchet turned to the soldier.

"Smell something?"

"It's feline, sir. And…" the man took another deep inhale, "very close."

There was only a breath of silence before: "Track it."

"Sir."

"Now, my lovely lady, let's get you to the Chapellieur," the Strategos chuckled.

Van was counting down the seconds, each heartbeat potentially his last. Side by side, pressed against the limestone, Hitomi's hand left her mouth to reach for him. He grabbed her fingers with his free hand and realized, with a pang, that he'd dropped one of the axes back on the pathway. Scoffing inwardly with dazed humor, he wondered if they even needed it now. They were going to die soon. All of this… everything had been for nothing.

And Hitomi…

Her head turned to him and he met her gaze in the darkness. The brilliant green, which looked dark in the shadows, were shining with fear. He held her eyes, his stomach clenching sickly. This would be their last moments.

The end was near.

He let go of her fingers to touch the side of her face – one more to remember her by.

Her lips grew near; so close he could feel them ghosting on top of his.

A kiss of goodbye.

"Fly," she breathed the word. He blinked in surprise as the shine in her eyes grew brighter.

"Fly, Van."

Hatchet had disappeared with Mrs. Kanzaki and the other soldier. They were headed down the pathway to the Chapellieur. She couldn't stop them. Hatchet had slipped through her fingers.

And now it would be seconds before they found her.

Chordata, trapped under the jeep, looked around wildly for something- anything. The other side of the jeep was still covered by the driver. She would be spotted right away. The shed's side could be easily seen by any soldier waiting there, including the canine.

A flicker of realization dawned and she knew she was done.

She couldn't escape.

To be found, hiding under a vehicle, shivering in the wake of death… a tear dashed down her white furry cheek.

The sniffing was growing closer.

Grammy had gone down fighting. Bakura had died saving Lady Hitomi. And… after all this, Chordata would be gunned down without having done anything.

It couldn't… It couldn't end like this!

She heard the canine crouch down at the front of the jeep, his musty fur washing the air.

Any second now…

"What in the blazes-!" The driver shrieked. Twisting, she saw his feet lift off the ground before his large body slammed to the ground in a crumble of limbs. His head, staring in frozen surprise, rolled several feet down the road.

The canine jumped to his feet, his body growing taunt.

"Who's there?" he snarled. Turning, he hurried to the driver's body and let out a yell. Using his distraction, Chordata slipped like a serpent over the ground and reached out from the darkness to latch her strong claws into his left leg. A howl of pain escaped his lips before he glanced down.

"You!" he roared, but Chordata had already retreated quickly to the back of the jeep and, seeing a few soldiers hurrying from the pathway to see what was the cries were about, she listened to her instincts and waited breathlessly.

A lance drove itself through a chest, while others fell to invisible arrows, the bloody holes sprouting from all sides. One by one, they crashed to the concrete ground. The canine, momentarily distracted by the chaos, was hurrying around the jeep in horror.

This was her moment.

She leapt from the ground. Her fangs, her claws primed, she dug as hard and deep as she could into his back. She ripped at his throat, giving his furry neck a sharp sickening twist. Meanwhile, alarms were beginning to sound all around her. Numerous soldiers emptied out of the Watch Tower and hurried down the pathway towards her.

Letting the canine fall at her feet, she watched as Zaibach after Zaibach met their bloody end.

It was a massacre.

Some were ripped to shreds. Others were tossed off their feet as if rammed by a shield. Cries of agony filled the air only to be silenced by a singing whistle of invisible arrows.

A large man stepped from the darkness to stand beside her. Glancing over, she saw his narrow eyes give her a tight look.

It was same ghost who she had followed out of the gardens.

Chordata slowly lifted an arm and gave the man a Fanelian salute; her fist pounding twice over her thundering heart.

His lips curled up slightly in approval.

And then he disappeared into the darkness.

The alarm startled them all. The radio the soldier was carrying sounded call after call.

"Send back-up!"

"They're invisible!"

"Teams One through Four are gone! I repeat: they are dead!"

Hitomi, still looking into Van's eyes, gave him a small nod.

Now was the best time. While the Zaibach were panicked.

Hitomi, chancing any noise to be covered by the loud radio, moved around to peek over the limestone. The soldier, sharp pointed nose and round ears twitching, was looking down the pathway towards the Winged Palace.

She turned to watch Van close his eyes and his entire body tensed.

The wings that sprouted were more luxurious than she remembered. They spread high in the air, white feathers cascading softly down around them. She couldn't help her mouth falling open at the beauty of them.

Without another word, Van wrapped his strong arm around Hitomi's waist and her hands wrapped around his thin chest.

"What the-" the rat barked as Van crouched on the ground before springing up into the air. His wings, flapping gracefully, tossed them high into the cold night.

A thundering sound resounded below and a fiery pain laced across Hitomi's shoulder blade.

She screamed, the white-hot pain racing through her entire body, as Van carried her up and away from the Arena. Pressing her head against his skin to keep from screaming more; the pain was almost unbearable. Her arms were shaking. Loosening. His arm, pressed tightly against her waist, was the only thing keeping her grounded. She tried to concentrate on it.

"Hitomi!" Van's voice carried through the wind.

"Hitomi! Stay with me!"

Blackness swirled with agony. She was losing consciousness.

"Hitomi!"

Cliffhanger!

Here we go!

A big thank you to the lovely Beta, Kerapal Bubbles, for her dedication, kind patience, and beautiful edits. A huge thank you to Nainari, my brain picker. And a special thank you to Jaredin Snow, who basically held my hand through this entire chapter.

Tense enough for you? Ladies and Gents, we are just getting started!

Liked it? Hated it? Want more? Want less? Won't know unless you tell me!

Keep it real!

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