The wind was terribly sharp; icy knives carving against his skin. Van fought to keep his balance as he held Hitomi's body close. His arms trembled, his breath was caught in his throat, and he was having trouble seeing through his blind panic. He felt warm, sticky wetness dripping through his fingers, running cold rivers down his arm. Her hands were loosening from where they had been clasped tightly around his back.

"No! No, Hitomi! Stay with me!" Her short hair whipped his neck. Her forehead rested limply against his chest.

There was no response.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered screams from below. Mahogany eyes searching fruitlessly for the Chapellieur, he almost shouted as a wash of wind suddenly slammed into him and pulled at his wings. He flipped twice in the air before catching the current, pushing his wings forward to keep from veering off track.

It was too much. Too hard. He had to land. He couldn't fly further.

"Hold on, Hitomi! Hold on! I have to land!"

Van clenched his teeth as he glided lower to the ground, pricks of pain stabbed at him as the wind plucked out his feathers. The trees were overgrown past the Arena, their branches snarled together over the dirt pathway. A sharp wave of pain hit his left wing and he realized he'd slammed it into a spiky brush on the top of interwoven trees. Van cursed under his breath, shaking and sweating in the frigid cold air.

His mind fought his panic. Searching.

There! It was small, but there was an opening through the woven trees! Van, brushed with determination, flapped his wings rapidly, fighting the rushing current as if swimming through a white-water rapids. He gained, then lost – the wind pushing back - then started gaining again. And finally…

He slipped through, his wings crashing on every branch on the way down. He ignored the stripping pain, the limp body in his arms at the forefront of his mind. Throwing the axe down the dirt pathway in front of him, he let his damaged wings disappear five feet from the ground and he landed with a groan as it jarred the wound on his shoulder. Holding her against his body, he shoved the backpack off her shoulders and his breath caught in his throat as he felt her back with his fingers shaking frantically.

"No, no, no…"

He felt the hole and he pressed his blood-stained hands against the pulse of blood that steadily ran from it. Below her shoulder. To the right of her spine. Missed her heart, but might have caught a lung. Letting her drape in his arms, he could see her eyes flickering - open, but not really there. The bullet was still inside. Hadn't passed through her body. Probably caught on a rib? His logical mind tossed back and forth with his gripping chilly fear. He tried to keep from hyperventilating. His heart was in his throat. His stomach twisting.

"B-bandages." The word slipped from his trembling lips. Kneeling down, he reached with one hand for the pack's flap and dug inside. Though it was probably only several seconds, it felt like hours as he frustratingly dug for the soft cotton. Finding the roll, he fumbled with it before accidentally dropping it to the ground. Letting out a stream of curses, he snatched the bandages and shook as much of the foliage off as he could. Holding her awkwardly, he wrapped her shoulder, and as the fabric tightened on her wound, he felt more than heard her gasp.

"Hitomi? Hitomi!" He stopped, his trembling fingers almost dropping the bandage roll again. Her green eyes flickered slightly and he stared into them with hope blooming in his chest as they somewhat cleared.

"V…"

"Do not t-talk. I have to stop the bleeding. Hold on." He continued wrapping and heard her whimper. "Just hold on to me."

Her grip was very weak, but it made things easier for him. Her hands looped around the back of his neck, and she sat wobbling on his knee as he continued to bandage her. Her head was rolling back and forth. Her hands felt clammy on his skin. Tucking the bandage strip tight and tying it off, her head fell against his chest as soon as he finished.

"I need you to try and stand. I will carry you on my back. Please, Hitomi."

She groaned, her voice small. But at least she could hear him. Feeling her struggle to push herself up, he kept his eyes away from the growing crimson on the practically useless bandage and grabbed her under her arms. Forcing her to her feet, she cried in agony and fell forward – just as Van turned around, crouched low.

She landed on his back and screamed.

"I have you. We can make it. We can do this, Hitomi. You and I. We can do this…" He repeated the words, leaning to catch the back of her knees with his hands. Her arms wrapped around the top of his shoulders and he bit back his own scream as she pressed on his bite wound. He stood, his knees knocking together. The pain in his shoulder made his vision wink in and out and tears immediately sprang into his eyes. He left the pack, staggering towards the axe that was barely visible in the shadowy night.

"Hold onto m-me," he commanded, trying to keep the pain out of his voice. He was grateful to feel her nod against his back. They both gasped as he inclined forward and let go of her leg to grab for the axe. Snatching the handle in the dirt and squeezing it tightly in his fist, he tucked her leg back in his arms and gave a grateful hiss when she moved her arm closer to his neck and off his wounded shoulder.

"It hurts…" she whispered the words in his ear.

"I know, I know. Just stay with me. Do not go to sleep."

She didn't answer, but he could feel her breathing, which was good enough for him. Marching forward, his calves screamed at him. He knew the path they were on. It was the overgrown hilly pathway that branched from the Arena to the Chapellieur. He didn't know how far he'd flown, but regardless, it was going to be a struggle up the incline carrying Hitomi and the axe.

"I remember this pathway," he said softly, talking mostly to keep himself from collapsing. "I remember you on it, Hitomi. I was listening to you during the tour. I could not… could not stop staring at you. You… you were a-"

"Who's there?" A sharp voice called from the darkness to Van's left and his blood ran cold.

Before he could think, a wash of shivering hate sprang forward instantly, brushing past Van and to the voice. There was a startled shout and a gurgle of blood. He heard the thump of a body landing in brush. Standing in shock, pain, and exhaustion, he couldn't stop shaking. The feeling of hate slowly bled back into the darkness, waiting.

Watching.

"Y-you… you were a… you were something I never thought I would find." He continued, keeping his eyes forward on the path. He paused a moment.

Then he took a step. Then another step. Then another.

The shadow watched, but it didn't approach. Instead, it seemed to follow him only a few whispering steps away.

"I was… I was worried about you during the tour. You were saying such things. Words I had never heard anyone else say. I thought I was the only one. Chordata and I… but you were there, too. And… Hitomi, you were talking before… about being alive-" His foot slipped a bit on a loose rock and he cried out as she tipped slightly on his back. Her breath was still there on his bare skin. She was still there. He straightened her with a small hop and heard her breath catch unnaturally in her throat.

She was alive.

That was enough to keep going.

"I… I was not alive until I met you here. I met you and everything changed for me, Hitomi." He stopped for a moment, concentrating on climbing over a bit of broken limestone in the darkness. "Do you remember when I stepped on the back of your shoe on this path? I think I knew it then. Even if I did not realize it. I think I knew it all along. It was the reason why I teased you so much. You were so fun to argue with. You were annoying and questioned everything I said, but it was exciting. Fighting and debating and getting you riled up. I do not think I have ever had so much fun yelling." Despite his fear, his pain, his extreme exhaustion, the left corner of his lip lifted gently. In the back of his mind, he knew the shadow of hate was following him. He didn't bother with it. If it wanted him, it could take him. Instead he concentrated on moving forward. On keeping her breath on his back and her hands around his shoulders.

"Chordata probably figured it out the night I first brought you unconscious through the door. Seven hells, Grammy knew as soon as she saw me. She did not even need her inner eye. I run alone? Maybe subconsciously I did not realize it, but from Joko to Guitoma, I was making you mine. Making you carry my scent. You were mine to anything with a sharper nose. I no longer ran alone. You… you were mine, Hitomi. And I was so oblivious. So bloody oblivious-"

There was a buzz of a radio twenty feet away in the dark and he saw the glare of three flashlights brightening the pathway. Van stopped just as the shadow breezed past him. Once again, he couldn't see the bodies of the Zaibach, but he heard their dying screams. He saw the flashlights roll down the hill.

He waited, breath held in his tight chest, for the spirit to come for him as well.

Again, it came, but filed behind him. Following like a god of death.

"Balgus…" Van's voice croaked on the name, his heart hammering tightly, his mind twisting with worry for Hitomi and fear for the phantom of his oldest friend and mentor. "Balgus, I know you want to know why it took me so long." He began his steps once more. "You have waited for me to rebuild. All this time. To bring Fanelia back to glory. The last king. My responsibility. My claim." He paused as he waited for Hitomi's breath to hit his back before he continued. He had to make sure. He just needed that small warm breath. That's all he needed.

"I am sorry, my friend. You have been branded a traitor all these years. I promise. I promise, I will do everything to set it right. I just need to keep her alive." The spirit was listening. The hate was stirring quietly right behind his head. He wondered if Hitomi was feeling it as well. If she was even conscious to be aware of the spirit. "Keep fighting and I will do the same. I just have to make it to the tree. I have to. I have to."

Van didn't wait for any answer. He didn't need one. Balgus was keeping him alive, keeping her alive, by taking out the soldiers in their way.

That was enough of an answer.

"Hitomi? Can you hear me?" Van asked, continuing to talk. Speaking was helpful. Speaking about anything and nothing all at the same time. It made him shake less. His fear, somewhat dulled. If he talked then he could keep walking. They were still alive.

Her breath caught and he felt her shaking hands tighten against his shoulders. "It… hurts… to breathe…"

"Just concentrate on that. Please, j-just keep breathing, okay? I…" His voice broke, his words suddenly lost in his throat. A burn seared behind his eyes.

Had this been in the tarot card reading? All this death and destruction? Losing everyone he'd ever cared about? Had they done something wrong? Gone a wrong way? Was there another way? A pathway they didn't think of? She let out a small cough that sounded… oh, it sounded like she was… But she couldn't! They were destined to set things right! He had a choice to spend his life with her, didn't he?! He had a choice to either go back to Fanelia or be with her! Where was that choice if she was dead!? How were they supposed to be together!?How was he supposed to make the wish without her!? She… NO. Van took a bigger step, using a reserve of strength he didn't know he had. It made him angry. It fueled him. A tear slipped down his cheek. Then another. And another.

"You are not going to leave me, you understand? Not after all of this!" He growled at her, his hot anger flaring at his situation, her situation, and at everything this life had thrown at him and taken away just as quickly. "You are not leaving me! We are doing this together! Even if I have to dive into the afterlife to get you. We are getting out of this alive! Together!"

Another soldier, another wash of Balgus slipping forward like a silent viper to strike them down.

Her breath was not as strong as before. He could feel her arms and hands trembling, almost like a spasm. His own pain, exhaustion, and fear, coupled with the burden of her body, had him almost crawling on the pathway. His only lifeline was her small movements that told him she was still there.

There was still a chance.

And then, like a vision sent from heaven, the ground leveled, the trees parted, and the wind brushed against him as the sky opened to a clear night. And before him stood his beginning and his ending.

The Chapellieur.

Turning a corner around the concrete tunnel, another scream billowed out from the radio on his hip and Hatchet snarled angrily. Turning the radio's dial to off with a sharp click, the scream was cut. The sound of it faded through the echoing hallway until the only noise left were his pounding footsteps and the whimpering woman behind him. Even the burly Zaibach soldier was beginning to pant in a tight rhythm. The entire situation was enough to drive Hatchet mad! This was unnatural. Unexpected. Unplanned. How? When did they have time to gather such a force? Enough men to kill more than half the guards he'd gathered at the Palace ruins.

Hatchet's hand squeezed the navy pommel as hard as he could and it grew hot in his fingers.

So hot he knew his skin was growing red. He refused to let go. Refused to acknowledge the pain.

The ancient blade knew what was happening.

And it was happy.

"Strategos Hatchet…" the soldier's voice whispered behind his head. "Who is after us? Why are the teams dying so quickly-"

"Don't ask pointless questions, soldier!" Hatchet snapped as his leather heels clicked determinedly on the paved floor. Through the west side of the Palace past the gardens, the Zaibach had created a manmade tunnel that lead through the mountainside. Though a bit of a round-about, Hatchet wasn't about to risk the pathway from the Arena to the Chapellieur. This was safe. Most logical. Julius Hatchet was a man of logic if nothing else. Better to sneak than to charge the frontline. Take them by surprise. The tunnel let out near the closed guest shop. And then it was only a small hike to the Chapellieur.

Take who by surprise? With all your wisdom, you have no idea why your men are dying. The thought crossed him and his teeth snapped audibly behind his lips. What is the logical option here? To avoid, correct? Avoid the main road. Take the longer, safer route. Let the soldier fodder take care of distracting whatever is out there.

Whatever is out there…?

The sword's burn was starting to sting. He squeezed it as hard as he could, his rage spiraling tightly.

Turning another swift corner, locked double doors stood in his way. Hatchet shoved his wrist under the scanner to the right. It peeped, clicked, and he was through them in a matter of seconds.

The doors closed with a solid snap.

And the florescent lights began to blink.

"Fucking electricity…" Hatchet murmured. His steps flowing into a light jog, the flickering lights were starting to give him a headache. The deafening panting of the soldier only fueled his rage further.

"Strategos, why are we headed to the-"

"Shut up!" Hatchet barked over his shoulder. Turning around another corner, they entered a large room with multiple supply boxes and equipment. The shadows were dark here, several of the florescent bulbs already burnt out. Shivering against his will, he turned to the right and moved to press for the service elevator. This would lead him to the gift shop.

The light above his head burst and the woman screamed. He turned and smacked her face. She fell against the soldier's broad chest, her brown eyes red and her cheek already growing red.

Something scratched the back of his neck! A single digging fingernail! With a wild cry, he turned, the sword swinging in his hand, and there was nothing there.

Of-Of course, there was nothing there. Of course…

"Sir, the back of your neck is bleed-"

"I said, SILENCE!" Hatchet roared, the sword burning even hotter. He would not let go. It could fry his flesh to the bone and he would still hold it.

Still own it.

Where was this fucking elevator!?

The soldier let out a yelp and Hatchet turned just in time to see him jerked backward. His large back hit the concrete and he screamed, clawing at the ground, as something invisible dragged him by his feet to the darkness in the corner. His shrieks were piercing, his fingernails leaving white marks on the concrete.

And he was gone.

The elevator dinged.

Hatchet grabbed the woman's arm and threw her inside.

The doors closed in front of them and he pressed the 'G' for ground floor.

The Fanelian insignia from the navy pommel was beginning to brand his palm.

There was a bloody arm, a severed head down the path, and a twisted bloody lump that might have had clumps of fur long ago. Crossing in front of the skeletal Palace, her amber eyes scanned for life, but there was only stillness. Her nose, surrounded by the tight scents of spicy fear and iron-rich deaths, was barely able to pick out the familiar scent of Master Fanel. Chordata leapt over a ten foot limestone rock only to land on top of a torso missing it's legs and feet. Swallowing in her tightening throat, she forced herself to continue.

A whisper of chainmail against metal rang beside her as she neared a large open clearing and she glanced with apprehension to see the older Fanelian soldier flicker solid before disappearing in the darkness. They were following her. There was a whisper of something living beyond the pathway. It seemed to lead further back and she stopped her pursuit, her ears straining only a moment before a shriek spilled through the night. The life had been silenced. The ghosts were still hunting.

Racing near the Arena, Chordata's nose led her to a large chunk of limestone on the edge of the pathway and her eyes widened.

Master Fanel… they had been here. Hidden… She smelled the wind and her eyes narrowed on a single white feather trapped on a spiky brush. He'd taken his wings out and their tracks ended there. Had he flown them to the Chapellieur?

Twisting immediately, she ran hard up the incline. It was difficult, and she was thankful for her claws to grip the sliding dirt. She passed several more bodies before she skidded to a halt. His scent was back! Strong and rich. And… Lady Hitomi. But… Chordata shook her head quickly as if to clear her senses. She reread the air, not wanting to believe it. Blood… lots of blood… it was… oh, god...

Only a minimal scan with her night vision gave her even more answers. A scarily large puddle of blood, Lady Hitomi's, and a crimson-stained pack with the bandages missing. She found a dirty flashlight and grabbed it, her eyes avoiding the bloody figure lying still on the ground beside it. Continuing to run, her heart beating so terribly sharp, she wondered if it would leap out of her chest.

Master Fanel had carried her.

His trail was getting fresher by the minute! She had found him!

Hitomi's eyes were swimming, her head was spinning. It was pure agony to take a breath. She dreaded each time she forced her lungs to expand, a unpleasant gurgling whistle following her exhale. All she wanted to do was stop. Stop and rest and stop breathing because it hurt. It hurt worse than any pain she could possibly imagine.

"We made it! It is here!"

His voice wasn't as strong in her ears as it used to be. She didn't understand what he was talking about. Where were they? What was happening? Hitomi had felt a flicker of something unnatural surge forward several times as Van had carried her, but now it felt peaceful. Van's happiness was practically intoxicating, his steps growing confident and bold. Peaceful and happy. She hadn't felt that feeling from him before. Peace… and happiness… so easy to slip into that feeling. That blissful warmth.

She was growing so cold. Her limbs shivered, her fingers twitched. She wanted to be warm…

She forced herself to take another painful breath. It exhaled in a squelching cough that tasted like nutty iron. Her senses were dulling too quickly! She didn't want to leave Van!

"It is the yew tree!"

He sounded so happy. Would he be happy if she slipped away? Would he care?

"Master Fanel!" A too familiar call sang like a lifeline into Hitomi's ears and she stirred, pushing away the warmth.

Chordata!

It was within minutes. Hands! Such comforting hands pulled her from Van's back and held her close. The pain in her back and chest was excruciating, but she knew these furry, soft hands.

"Oh, Lady Hitomi… what happened to her?"

"Shot." Van's simple reply rang before a loud twack! of an axe hitting thick wood popped into the air.

"Master Fanel, she's lost so much blood!"

"She is alive. We can still win. She and I can still-" The rest of his sentence was lost in three more solid twacks!

"I'm not sure for how long." Something wet landed on Hitomi's cheek. She struggled to open her eyes, take another tight breath, to speak. Was Chordata crying?

The attempt to breathe sent her into a violent coughing fit, her body siezing against her will.

"Master Fanel! She's-"

"Hitomi!" A clang of an axe falling to the ground. "Give her to me!"

"I'll take over!"

She couldn't hear the axe anymore. She could barely hear anything aside from Van's murmured voice, his words blurring together nonsensically. He was holding her, but she couldn't feel his skin anymore.

It was getting too cold. So very cold.

Van switched between watching Chordata rip through the yew tree with the ferocity of a feral monster and Hitomi's body spasming with her struggle to breathe. Pressing his cheek to her forehead, he rocked her in his arms, his mind unable to comprehend anything other than the hole in the yew tree growing and the woman he loved slowly growing cold against his skin. Crimson was spilling out of her mouth. She was drowning in her own blood.

"Please, please, please." He whispered the word over and over and over, unable to say anything else. "Please, please-"

"Now!" Chordata roared as another small bit of the yew tree broke off. "Get in there! Go!"

Rushing forward to the tree, he could barely fit, the splintered wood scraping against his bare skin. Chordata's hands ripped yet another piece - and he was through.

The musty smell of ancient decay broke over his nose. It was pitch black. The circle of small trees turning the earth underneath his feet into slush. He took careful steps, not knowing where he was stepping. There was a crunch under his shoe and he jumped back in surprise. A light instantly followed. Chordata had found a flashlight from somewhere. The beam slipped to his feet and Van found a crushed skull with wisps of white hair. The skeleton, it's clothes long ate away by time and elements, was curled like a child around a deep black orb protectively. Kicking the skeleton away, he hurried forward and bent down towards the orb. It looked dead, ever bit as dead as the skeleton that had guarded it for so long.

But this was the device.

And this was their destiny.

"Hitomi, it is here! Say the words!"

She coughed, more blood spilling down her chin and running down the sides of her face. In the low light of the flashlight, her skin was so pale, her red lips trembling. She looked terrified, her green eyes wide and her heart thundering visibly in her neck. A sob escaped him as he gazed at her. Her smile, her laugh, her look of desire when he touched her.

She was too good for this. Too good for a death like this.

No, she wasn't dying. She wasn't! She couldn't leave him!

He stroked her cheek and she gasped for another breath, her eyes falling on his.

"Hitomi, repeat after me: I wish Dornkirk never existed in this world. You just have to say those words."

"I-I…"The following cough was terrible. Van knew he had tears running down his chin, dripping on her struggling face. "I wish… D-Dorn-k-kirk…"

"Yes! I wish Dornkirk never existed in this world!"

"Never… ex… existed…in… t-" She spasmed. He held her tightly. He rocked back and forth as she gasped for air. "...this… wor… world…"

She said the words. She had said them all. They had made the wish together. The black orb, blank and as dead as Van's future, didn't react.

Nothing changed. The yew was still surrounding them. The skeleton, the flashlight, the pain, and Hitomi...

He watched in disbelief as she fell away, her eyes glazing over.

This was harder than I thought. Much harder. I have the next chapter already in the works. It's not over yet.

Let me say these words right now to those who are upset (which is probably everyone): Just trust me. I write this because I love Escaflowne. I love Van and Hitomi. Remember this. I have a plan.

Note from the beta: excuse me while I go cry myself to sleep.

Expect the next chapter soon. I'm finishing this thing! Get ready for the climatic ending, guys! It's coming!

Also, much love to Kerapal Bubbles for her lovely edits. I am sincerely sorry I made you cry. Also, Disneyland was a blast and a half and you are awesome.

blue...

p.s. this is now officially my longest story - not including Rutilus Flumen's different parts. Those are technically separate books. :3