At first, I never ever said that chapter 13 was the last chapter!!!! Not with any syllable, okay?! But I would suggest those who liked chap 13 as ending not to read on for you could be disappointed. And I hope all others will enjoy reading this!!! ^_~

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Escaflowne.

CHAPTER 14  Causa vitae es tu 

Tears. Drops of salty water which are produced by glands in the eyes. They contain enzymes, keeping the eye clean and wet and yet they are so much more. Often, they are produced by a nerve irritation, the brain giving the glands the signal to produce even more tears. Tears of joy, tears of rage, of consternation and emotion, tears of pain. Tears are a natural human reaction. They show our state of emotion, show what happens inside of us and often people don't want this to happen. We are vulnerable when we cry. 

Sometimes the tears contain parts which have, similar to morphine, the ability to soothe pain. But at that moment, there weren't enough tears on whole Gaea to soothe Hitomi's pain.

It was boundless.             

She had lost him. She had lost the man who had turned her life upside down, who had changed her in no time and in a way, she had thought would never be possible, who had given her so much without demanding anything in return, who had made her experience a feeling, she had – deep-down inside her – yearned to feel. He had made her feel so complete, as if she had searched for him the whole time. She had felt home in his arms, willing to follow him everywhere just that the feeling wouldn't vanish. She had lost the person she had loved. 

And the tears kept falling. She was still sitting on the battlefield and held him in her arms, Escaflowne and Isaac's destroyed guymelef towering above her like ominous guardians while the soldiers around them died. They were still fighting and they were still killing but it didn't matter to Hitomi. Their cries, the clashing of swords and the sound of explosions filled the air but she didn't hear it. She was sobbing at his chest, unable to notice anything around her apart from his scent which was still warm and fresh, pretending that she was standing on a wide field, golden ears tickling her palms and he standing beside her, his lips curled in that knee-buckling smile of him. But it wasn't that way. She was sitting within the pieces of her broken world and Van was dead.

Innumerable tears had already slid down her cheeks and had made them wet. A new one was just gathering in the corner of her right eye like so many other tears had already done. It slid down her cheek, following the trail of the other ones and dropped from her nose – onto her pink pendant which had slipped out from under her shirt and lay now on Van's chest. The tear burst into thousand little drops when it hit the smooth surface of the gem and a strong wind ruffled her hair before it died down but Hitomi didn't notice. She cried.

"Please, don't cry, Hitomi," a soft voice suddenly reached her like a comforting breeze, breaking through the wall of numbness around her.

Slowly, Hitomi opened her red and swollen eyes and gasped, her head snapping up and her eyes widening. It was completely quiet around her. No wind rustling through the armor of the dead, no clashing of swords, no cries. But that wasn't the reason for her confusion; it was the eery pink light which was illuminating everything and the fact that everything around her was frozen. Her gaze flickered restlessly around. She saw the soldiers with raised swords, saw them in the mid of a fight, pressing their swords together, saw them with swords in their chests, just about to fall but frozen in the motion. Their mouths were wide open but no sound escaped their lips, guymelefs stood still and even the fires had stopped moving, the pink light everywhere.

Her eyes trailed across the scene in front of her which looked like a painting, made by a witness of this massacre, made to tell later generations about the cruelity mankind was capable of. Was she dead? That was the only reason she could think of to explain that all. She highly doubted that she fell asleep on the battlefield. Or maybe she had become crazy? Maybe she hadn't been able to – she couldn't stop the scream from escaping her lips when she met a pair of blue eyes.

Clear blue eyes which were shining with an unbearable sadness, belonging to a huge white dragon who sat in front of her and watched her. His scales were of a blinding white, causing a glow around him and his mighty wings were folded above his back. It weren't the leathery wings she had already seen on dragons, these were made of feathers. Long, pure white feathers, looking as if someone had arranged them with great care, grew from the skeleton of the dragon's wings. An aura of knowledge and sublimity surrounded him, making her feel unbelievably small. She was staring at him with wide green eyes, unaware that tears were still tickling silently down her cheeks.

"Please, don't cry," the dragon said again, making her gasp.

"Who are you?" she asked weakly, unconsciously tightening the grip around Van's body with one hand and grabbing her pendant with the other one.

Hitomi jerked, feeling a pleasant warmth emit from the pink gem. She looked down and saw that her pendant was glowing brightly, the light intesifying and dying down regularly like...like a heartbeat.

"My name is Chiron," the dragon answered her question, making her look up.

"The carfuncle!" she breathed, clutching the gem in her palm and Chiron smiled warmly. "You're the dragon who sacrificed his life to stop the war which took place a long time ago! This is your carfuncle! Your soul is sealed in my pendant!"

"You listened quite carefully," he replied and his voice was caressing her soul, warming her cold and stiff body.

"Wh-what are you...why are you here?" the green-eyed Amazon replied and looked at the dragon with disbelief written across her face, the tears slowly subsiding.

"I can't stand this suffer anymore," Chiron explained and turned his head to the side, his eyes sad and his voice quiet and slow as if fearing that he could cause even more pain by speaking louder. "Gaea's suffer and your suffer. I've seen so much grief in all these years and I simply can't stand it anymore."

"You sent me these visions!" Hitomi exclaimed, her eyes wide in realization. "You showed me the way all the time! You warned and protected me!"

The dragon turned to face her, smiling lightly and nodded.

"But why me?" she asked. "I thought that only a handful of people were able to use the power of a carfuncle! I thought a lot of strength is necessary!"

"Aren't you strong?" he replied and she swore that she saw an amused sparkle within his eyes. "We decide to whom we give our power, Hitomi. And I decided to give you mine."

Hitomi opened her mouth but hesitated. She took a deep breath before she continued.

"But it was in vain," her voice was hoarse, broken like her.

New tears sprang to her emerald eyes, blurring her view when she looked down at Van. Slowly, she stretched out her hand and stroked a pitch-black strand out of his face, caressing his forehead. Her hand shook when she traced over his cheek which still held some of his warmth. His warmth which was so comforting and made her feel so incredibly secure. She had felt it everytime she had been close to him and though she had refused to admit it, she needed his warmth.

"You warned me but-but I was to late...I couldn't prevent it!" she uttered and started to cry again.

"Please, stop crying!" Chiron begged, feeling her boundless pain nagging at his weak soul. "There is no need to cry!"

"What?" she squeaked and looked up, tears running freely down her cheeks. "He's dead and-and there's nothing..." she trailed off, gasping. Hitomi stared at the dragon, her eyes burning with hope. "Can you bring him back to life?"        

The dragon shook his head, crushing the small flame of hope which had ignited within the depths of her heart against better judgement. "No, I can't. I don't have the power over life and death."

"But-but you even stopped the time!" she stuttered, pointing at the frozen soldiers and Amazons around her.

"You mean that?" Chiron asked and smiled. "This is a sleight of hand but I don't have the power to bring him back to life."

"Does that mean that I've lost him forever?" Hitomi asked and her face was a mask of pain.

She had hoped. For a brief moment, she had thought that there was a way to undo his death but she had had her chance and she had wasted it.

"It seems you aren't such a good listener like I thought you were," the white dragon said, making Hitomi look up. "I only said that I was not able to bring him back. I never said that you weren't able to do it!"

"Me?" she replied, confused. "But how should I...? I thought you said that you didn't have the power t-to...I don't understand."

"You don't need to," he stated calmly. "His soul is now at a place where it can still return...but he hasn't the strength to come back himself and that's why you must help him." 

Hitomi shook her head lightly. Nothing made sense. Nothing! "But even if I can bring his soul back, he won't be able to live!" she replied, louder than she had intended to. "Doesn't his soul need a body capable of living? He had been injured and he-he bleeded to death because of this wound!"

"Which wound?" the dragon asked innocently, inspecting Van with curious blue eyes.

"The wound at his..." she trailed off, looking down and finding no wound at Van's side. The blood was gone and her hands were clean again. Her head snapped up, eyes wide in disbelief. "How...?" she uttered.

The dragon only winked. "A sleight of hand."

An incredible feeling rushed through Hitomi, awaking every fibre of her body which had almost given up. Her heart was beating like mad, showing her that she was still alive and that she could change everything if she just wanted to. Her old strength returned together with her stubborness, not willing to accept his death. Slowly, her eyes cleared and her surroundings appeared again, making her remember the war.

"And what about them?" she asked and looked at the frozen soldiers, feeling a pinch of guilt in her stomach.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that," Chiron replied, his gaze not leaving her eyes.

She turned back around. "And what do I have to do?"

"Wrong question, Hitomi," he said and shook his huge head. "It has to be, what are you willing to do?"

"I-I...everything!" Hitomi answered, slightly surprised.

"Really?"

She nodded and a tiny smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "I risked my life so often for Van, in belief that I hated him. I never admitted it because I was too afraid of what could be the reason and the result, I was afraid of my own feelings, I was afraid of myself for feeling this way towards him."

"Which way?" the dragon asked and leaned down for she had whispered the last words.

"I was willing to die for him," she answered and looked up, her voice firm and determined and her eyes clear, free from any doubt and worry. "And I still am."

Chiron straightened and an eery breeze rustled through his feathers, dishevelling Hitomi's honey-blond hair. "So be it," his deep voice mixed with the wind.

Hitomi gasped when an unbelievably white light suddenly crashed onto her and a warmth seeped into her which crawled through her entire body, making her feel incredibly light, just as if she was lifted from the ground. Tightening the embrace around Van's body, she slowly closed her eyes. 

.....................**.....................

Sparks flew when two gigantic swords clashed against each other, the metal singing. Cries filled the air and the scent of decomposition was hovering above the innumerable fallen bodies, covering the ground like a carpet of death. Broken lances and arrows lay scattered across the place and swords stuck in the earth, their dirty blades reflecting the glow of the fires which were burning the last remaining grass to ashes. It was still dark, the stars and even the moons hiding behind ominous clouds, not wanting to be witnesses of the massacre which was taking place on Gaea and it seemed as if the sun would never rise again above the blood-soaked land.

Allen leaned with all his strength against the red guymelef in front of him, his brows knitted in anger and glistening pearls of sweat tickling down his temples. It had been quite some time since he had taken the place of Van in fighting Dilandau but there seemed to be no end of that fight. He had to admit that he had underestimated the albino, thinking he could beat him in no time. Dilandau was skilled and his equal in every aspect but that wasn't a surprise after all.

"Don't you think we should stop now?" Allen yelled over the noise. "It's quite pointless, brother!"

"Don't call me that!" Dilandau snarled and in a sudden outburst, he pushed Allen away.

The grey guymelef stumbled backwards, the blond-haired knight trying desperately to find his balance again. The earth shook, making armors clink when the guymelef's feet stirred up the ground. Allen's eyes were wide and he instinctively raised his sword when he heard Dilandau's battlecry and saw the red guymelef run in his direction, the liquid-metal sword aiming at him. The sparkling blades cut through the air, making no noise and an eery pink light suddenly flodded the plain.

Allen couldn't move, every muscle in his body frozen. The sound of his own heavy breathing and the blood rushing through his veins was deafening in his ears, watching wide-eyed Dilandau stopping in the middle of his movements. For a brief moment, it was completely quiet on the battlefield, even the fires making no noise by burning hungrily the earth. But then, the plain was filled with the clinking of metal when hundreds of swords and lances dropped to the ash-covered ground, slipped out of the limp fingers of their owners.

Allen pressed his hands over his ears, trying to block out the horrible screams which filled his mind, not noticing that it was him who screamed. He thought his head would burst, a terrible pain tearing his body almost apart and hurting his soul. Tears of pure pain were streaming down his face, his eyes shut tightly and waves of unconsciousness swepping against him. But before he could welcome the painless blackness with open arms, it was gone. The pain. The screams. Everything. Everything, except of the pink light.

It was the first thing he saw when he slowly opened his eyes. With a hiss, the visor of his guymelef slid open and he stumbled out of the cabin, still heavily breathing. He found Dilandau standing beside the head of his guymelef, one hand pressed against his forehead.

"Did you do that?" he hissed angrily. "Was that one of your tricks?"

"Now it seems I wasn't the only one who felt this...whatever it was," Allen replied and looked around, finally noticing the silence.

A cold wind made his long blonde hair sway and he was looking at the battlefield, not believing his eyes. Soldiers and Amazons were standing there, their arms hanging limp at their sides and their weapons covering the ground. They were looking like confused little children who just noticed that they had killed the butterfly which they had caught with their hands. It was ridiculous, seeing all these adult men and women standing there, neither knowing what had happened nor what to do now and Allen would have laughed out loud if they hadn't stood between hundreds of dead bodies, their cold blood soaking the ground.

And he couldn't tell them either. At first, he had thought that he had been hit but when the pain had faded all of a sudden, he had been confused. And now, he was even more confused by seeing that the war had stopped, the warriors unarmed, dumbstruck and surrounded by the strange pink light. Seeing a movement in the corner of his eyes, he tore his gaze away from the quiet battlefield and looked at Dilandau who was just about to jump into the cockpit of his red guymelef.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Allen asked, his brows raised in surprise.

"Continuing where I stopped," the red-eyed youth replied coldly. "And if you keep standing there like that, I'm afraid but the fight won't last long."

"You want to continue?" the blonde knight asked in disbelief.

"Do you think I keep standing rooted to the spot, looking like some idiot and wondering what divine inspiration had struck me just because I felt...something?" Dilandau replied and the visor of his guymelef shut, steam hissing through the slits.

"No," Allen replied calmly and leaned against his guymelef's head, pointing at the warriors. "But do you think that they will continue?"    

"You know what?" the albino snarled. "I don't care! I just want to finish this and that's it!"

"You really want to kill your brother?" the knight asked and Dilandau's frustrated scream reveberated within the cabin.

"I told you I do not consider you as my goddamn brother!" he yelled, forming a sword out of his arm again.

"But why?" Allen demanded. "What made you change so drastically? Was it father's death?"

"Allen, stop that!" Dilandau growled from behind the visor, pointing with his sword at the knight but Allen continued, unimpressed.

"After his death, you weren't the same anymore!" he insisted. "And then, one day, you simply disappear without any reason! You know that mother reproached herself therefore and finally died because of the grief of losing you! And years later, I find you fighting on the side of Zaibach! I really think you owe me some answers!"

"Allen, I'm not a sissy like you!" the grey-haired boy said. "Don't expect me to cry my heart out at your shoulder! That will never happen!"

"Well then," Allen replied and spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Go ahead and kill me if this is everything you want to do! I won't stop you!"

Dilandau raised his sword, Allen watching him emotionlessly. The noise of metal slicing through air cut the eery silence, followed by a scream. A grin tugged at Allen's lips, looking at his brother's sword which was hovering centimeters above him, the blade sparkling and he could see his reflected image on the smooth surface. He had known that Dilandau wouldn't kill him but the hot-headed youth would never admit the feelings, he held for his brother. Sighing, Allen took note of Dilandau retracting the sword and taking a step backwards. The knight focused on the albino, trying to glare through the visor and after hesitating a second longer, Dilandau turned around and flew away.

"I hate you!"

Allen turned to look at the battlefield again and smiled. "I'll find you again," he said quietly. "Don't worry, Dilandau."  

.....................**.....................

"What was that?" Yukari was the first to speak after the incident on Dryden's airship, slowly raising to her feet.

They had all gathered on the bridge when they had approached the battlefield. Dryden had muttered something under his breath, not agreeing with Duke Chid who had ordered to follow Hitomi. After the Amazon had disappeared, Yukari had stormed on deck to tell the others what had happened and Chid had made his decision. They had come to help Hitomi and Van, they hadn't known what to expect. But they never thought it could be like that; a piercing pink light blinding them, an unbelievable pain holding their bodies in a death grip, their own screams hurting in their ears.

"Better to say, what is that?" Amano replied, looking around.

"Everything is pink!" Gabriella exclaimed and slowly let go of Merle.

The pain was gone but the light was still there, working like a filter. Dryden's crew was slowly recovering, raising from their positions on the ground and looking at each other, totally confused. Dryden was quiet and helped Millerna to her feet who had held the little Duke Chid protectively, an unreadable expression on his face. The princess straightened with a groan and after dusting herself off and smoothing her dress, she smiled weakly at Dryden. The brown-haired merchant kissed her gently on the forehead, before turning around and walking to the window.

"Are you alright?" the blond-haired woman asked and kneeled down beside a still slightly dazed Merle, a worried Chid at her side.

"It hurt," the cat-girl whispered and looked at Millerna with glassy eyes. "What was that?"

"I don't...," Millerna started to say but was interupted by a quiet voice.

"Gaea's pain."

The noises on the bridge died down, everyone stopping to discuss and turning to look at Dryden. He was standing at one of the huge windows of the bridge, his rough hands pressed against the cold glass. His outlines were hardly visible against the background of the dark nightsky, only his glasses reflecting a pale light when he turned around.

"What?" Millerna breathed, taking Merle in a tight embrace.

"What you felt," Dryden answered slowly. "It was Gaea's boundless pain. The pain which we caused. But we weren't the only ones who felt it. Come here and look."

They hesitated, speechless. And it was that they noticed the silence. They couldn't hear the screams or explosions which had filled the air earlier, the noises of the war deafening. But now, a deathly silence engulfed them. Amano moved at first, joining Dryden at the window and the others followed soon. Their eyes widened by seeing the battlefield. The once moving carpet stood still, guymelefs standing motionlessly between the warriors like mute witnesses of the events and the only movement was the nervous flickering of the fires.

"They felt it too," Dryden quietly broke the silence on the bridge. "Everyone around here felt it."

"But how?" Duke Chid asked, his quiet voice unnaturally loud.

"I thought it was just a legend," the young merchant replied, more to himself than to his friends. "I thought it was just an old story but now, I know it is true. Everything is true!"

"Dryden, what...?" Millerna began but was interupted.

"Hitomi's pendant!" Dryden exclaimed and grabbed her shoulders. "When I first saw it, I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought the tear-shaped carfuncle is only a legend but it isn't and she was able to use its power!" He released the startled princess and turned to the window again, the others watching him attentively. "The dragon's soul must've been re-awoken. The dragon repeated what he had once done to stop a war like that...he made the warriors feel the pain they were causing Gaea to feel. They stopped fighting and let their weapons drop."

"And what will happen now?" Yukari asked, tearing her gaze away from him and looked at the battlefield again.

"Look at them," Dryden said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "They're confused. They don't know what to do and even they will now see that it is absolutely senseless to continue fighting. It is over."

They were silent again, hardly able to believe what he had said. Over. The war was over, just like that. They were looking at him with wide eyes and half-open mouths, pure disbelief written across their faces and he could do nothing but smile.

"Let's go and find our lovebirds." 

.....................**.....................

Her eyelids twitched, long eyelashes fanning over her cheeks. Slowly, Hitomi opened her emerald eyes, blinking several times and dim light made her pupils contract. With a groan, she leaned onto her shaking arms and rose into a sitting position. She felt tired, as if she had stayed awake over the point of being able to cope with it and she felt completely exhausted, as if she had run for her life but she couldn't remember having done anything like...With a gasp, her eyes shot completely open and her head snapped up.

Innumerable thoughts, impressions and pictures shot through her mind, mixing with the feelings which had nearly killed her. She saw the sword sparkling, the light of the fires reflected on its blade, saw it sticking in Van's side, saw him fall to the ground, saw him lying in her arms, smiling up at her with an unbelievable strength shining in his invincible auburn eyes. She pressed her hands over her mouth, trying to stiffle the sobs. The memories crushed her weak body, encircling her heart and squeezing it, making her entire body shake. 

"Hitomi."

It was a mere whisper and hardly audiable above her sobs. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, the memories present. She desperately tried to chase them away but it was impossible, different emotions fighting within her.

"Hitomi," the voice whispered in her mind again.

She knew the voice. She had heard it more than once during her journey across Gaea. Opening her slightly swollen eyes, she looked up.

"Thetis?" she asked quietly, her voice echoing through the tunnel.

Was the goddess there to help her? Thetis had helped her a lot of times; whenever Hitomi had reached a dead end, Thetis had been there to show her the way out. She had trusted the goddess all the time and maybe she had come again to help her once more. Hitomi sniffed and wiped the last tears from her eyes, raising slowly to her feet. She straightened and looked ahead, in the darkness of the tunnels in front of her – and suddenly felt horribly stupid.

Chiron had sent her there in order to help her get back Van. And what did she do? Sitting on the ground and crying her heart out? For nothing? The dragon had told her that she was strong but right now she felt weak like never before. Chiron had expected her to run and find Van but she had rather drowned in self-pity. Oh, but she wouldn't waste any more time. She could curse herself later but at first she had to find him. Find him and bring him back.

"Hitomi," the whisper echoed from the cold walls of the cave where she stood in, fading in a tunnel ahead.

Fine. She would try. She would try, even if she died by attempting to get him back. She didn't know what was awaiting her. She didn't know where he was and she didn't know who was with him but it didn't matter right now. She had been a damn coward her whole life and this one time, she wouldn't retreat. Her delicate brows went together and an incredible determination was visible on her features. She had never felt this before; this feeling of being absolutely sure that it had been the right decision, that she was going the right way. Yes, it was right.

She walked through the tunnel, the sound of her footsteps reveberating from the walls. It was like she was considering her past finished. She had already decided when she had left the ship and had followed him but now, she was leaving her past completely behind with every step she took deeper into the tunnels. Of course, it would always be there, she would always be an Amazon – she was born as an Amazon and had been taught that way and she couldn't just push it into a hidden corner of her mind – but it was her past. Her past and not her future. Her future was another one, not visible for her at the moment, but she was on the best way to find out what it had in store for her.  

Her thoughts were suddenly interupted by a noise. Hitomi stopped and pricked her ears. It was a quiet whisper, crawling over the stony walls and causing goosebumps on her skin. It sounded like a conversation, like someone was talking...but who? And where? She turned around, trying to find out where the noise came from but the echo made it quite impossible. She couldn't see where the tunnel went in the distance, the walls seeming to fade in darkness. Sighing, she turned back around and gasped.

There, at the end of the tunnel, she saw a light. An eery bluish light, flickering over the walls. She couldn't remember that it had been there before. But then again, she had been deep in thoughts. Maybe she had just overseen it. Hitomi frowned and hesitantly, she took a step ahead. She felt the curiosity urge her to go on, her feet walking without her doing. The whisper grew louder and the light more intense, the closer she came to the blue flicker, a feeling of anticipation rushing through her.

She saw that the tunnel was directly heading into a cave which was illuminated by this strange bluish light. It was circular, the ceiling so high that she couldn't see the end. High pillars hemmed the walls, symbols and reliefs carved into them and torchs attached to their decorated surface, the colour of the flames a light blue. Shadows were running across the walls, performing a hypnotic dance. The cave was completely empty, apart from the single altar in its center. Hitomi stopped in the arched entrance and looked at the altar with wide eyes.

Three women were standing around a black bowl, standing on a high pedestal. The reflection of the light which was reflected on the liquid in the bowl danced over their timeless beautiful faces, letting them seem even more pale. All three of them wore long, white tunics, a fragile silver brooche holding together the labyrinth of pleats on their right shoulder. One of them had shoulderlong blond hair, the second women had silver hair of the same length and the third one had black hair. Pointed cat-ears stuck out and a long swung tail rested calmly on the ground, their eyes closed and their delicate hands resting in the palms of the other ones, creating a circle around the bowl.

Their lips were moving incessantly, their voices a continuous whisper. Hitomi didn't understand what they were saying, she was just watching them, fascinated. A chill ran up her spine when the whisper increased, the cat-women speaking faster and louder. The green-eyed girl had stopped breathing, waiting for what would happen and suddenly, they stopped. An eery silence filled the cave and the blonde cat-woman opened her bright pink eyes.

"Look what we have here," she said and her voice was mild and melodic, a smile adorning her face.

The other two women turned around and looked at Hitomi who was frozen in the spot, unable to think or react.

"The Unknown!" the both of them whispered and their voices reveberated from the walls, making it sound as if the cave was filled with talking people. 

"Don't be afraid," the blonde cat-woman said and stretched out her arm, making the fabric of her tunic sway softly. "We already awaited you, Hitomi."

She gasped. "Who are you and how do you know?"

They laughed softly. "You don't know us?" the silver-haired woman with blue eyes asked, smiling. "Shame on you, Hitomi. Didn't you listen to the old women telling the legends? My name is Naria."

"I'm Juria," the black-haired woman continued.

"And I'm Eriya," the pink-eyed one said. "We see everything that was..."

"...is..." Juria spoke, her yellow eyes sparkling.

"...and will be," Naria finished.

"We are Destiny," they said in unison, making Hitomi gasp.

"The Moirai!" she exclaimed and took a few steps ahead. "The goddesses who decide over destiny!"

And that was all she needed to know that she was in the Underworld. The dragon had sent her down there because it was the only possibility to get Van's soul back. Where else could his soul be than in the Underworld?

"So you did listen to the stories," Eriya stated, folding her hands and smiled.

"And we finally get to know the Unknown," Juria stepped beside the other two cat-women and watched her intensely. "Come here, we don't bite."

Hesitantly, Hitomi took another step ahead. "What does Unknown mean? Why do you call me that?"

"You are a star whose path we can't exactly predict," Juria answered. "Come here."

Hitomi swallowed the lumb in her throat and slowly, walked towards the cat-woman who were still standing beside the black bowl. When she approached, Hitomi saw that the bowl was decorated with a fragile silver writing in a language she didn't know. Never had she seen such letters, slim and fragile with a lively swing, drawn by a master of this art. This language had to be as old as the gods themselves. She stopped when she was only a few steps away from them but Naria stretched out her arm which had four black, unregularly shaped dots on it and pointed at the bowl.

"Look!" she said and Hitomi closed the small distance with two steps.

She couldn't stop the gasp from passing her lips when she looked into the bowl. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The bowl was filled with a waving black liquid and within this liquid there were floating myriads of stars. It were millions of them, little glowing dots in a sheer endless blackness, dancing to an inaudiable music. The bowl seemed to have no bottom for she couldn't see the end of this ocean of stars.

"What is that?" she breathed in awe.

"These are the lives of every being on whole Gaea," the black-haired Moira explained calmly, standing now beside the Amazon and looking into the bowl as well. "We give them their destiny, watch over them and guide them when their time has come."

"But we couldn't predict your destiny," Eriya continued. "We had planned your path but you just left it and searched your own way and when we thought that we found your path again, you fooled us once more."

"Thetis spoke of someone who had made a mess of Destiny," Hitomi whispered and looked up, tearing her gaze away from the beauty in the bowl and met Eriya's bright pink eyes. "Was it me?"

"No," Naria answered and Hitomi turned to face her.

"That was Isaac Dornkirk," Eriya spoke again. "He found a way to escape our watchful eyes and hide within the shadows of oblivion by the help of the power of Atlantis."

"Atlantis?"

"Yes, Atlantis," the blond-haired Moira replied. "The people of Atlantis had found a way to interfere in our work by using the power of innumerable carfuncles. They had been able to use this power but they vanished from the surface of Gaea before they finished their work."

"Did...are you responsible for the war?" Hitomi asked slowly.

"No," Eriya said and they shook their heads. "We didn't need to do anything. They managed it on their own. And centuries later, Isaac found the remains of Atlantis and hid himself. That's why we weren't able to foresee anything. He appeared out of nowhere and tried to change Destiny for his own good."

"And why was I able to escape you?" Hitomi asked, looking from one Moira to the other.

"Because of Chiron's carfuncle," Naria answered and pointed at the pink pendant around Hitomi's neck. "It is the most powerful carfuncle that ever existed."

"You know him?"

"Yes, we know him and we know why you're here, Hitomi," the black-haired cat-woman said. "You're here to get back the soul of the man you love like so many else before."

"Really?" the green-eyed girl asked eagerly.

"Oh yes, a lot of other ones were here and tried to get beloved ones back," she replied. "They come and go, asking for advice and disappearing in the labyrinth again."

"A-and were they able to get them back?" Hitomi asked almost in a whisper, fearing the answer. "Did they find the souls they were searching for and did they return?"

"Well, you see --"

"Hitomi!" a sharp hiss interupted Eriya, making all of them look up. "Don't listen to them!"

"Thetis?" Hitomi looked around, confused.

"Thetis," Juria whispered, her yellow eyes glowing. "This isn't your territory! You have no right to interfere! Leave her alone!"

"Hitomi!" Thetis voice echoed through the cave again, ignoring the hisses of the three cat-women. "Don't waste any more time! They want to distract you but you must leave now!"

"You are the one who will leave now, goddess!" Naria stated, trying to drown the echos of Thetis' voice. 

"Lethe!" Thetis continued, unimpressed. "Remember Lethe, Hitomi!"

The Amazon gasped, the name like a slap across the face. Lethe! How could she forget? She had been too deep in her thoughts, had almost drowned in her self-pity and now, she had allowed these goddesses to make her almost forget about Lethe! The River of Oblivion! If Van reached that river before she reached him, everything would be too late! Whoever drank from the water, forgot everything; their family, their friends, the mistakes they had made, the times they had laughed, the ones they had loved. Whoever drank from the water, forgot his whole life.

"Where can I leave this place?" Hitomi asked, her eyes wide.

"What do you mean?" Juria replied and looked at her, an amused expression on her face. "There is only one entrance to this cave."

"But this is the one I came..." Hitomi trailed off after she had turned around, staring at the passage she had come through.

Stony steps led the way down into unknown depths, torches with blue flames illuminating the stairway. Where did these steps come from? She hadn't climbed any stairs to reach this place. The cave had been in one level with the tunnel. Slowly, she turned back around.

"What...?" she began but was immediately interupted.

"Didn't your goddess say you shouldn't waste any more time?" Eriya asked quietly, her pink eyes sparkling.

Hitomi hesitated. She had so many questions, she wanted to ask the three Moirai. She was so close to the answeres, she wanted so desperately to know. But they were right. She couldn't waste any more time if she wanted to get Van back – and that was the reason why she was here. After nodding briefly at the cat-women, the green-eyed girl turned around and ran down the stairs.

"Until next time, Hitomi," the three goddesses whispered and smiled.

Hitomi was too far away to hear them speak, her thoughts focused on Lethe. The steps seemed to have no end, dark stony walls with flickering torches attached to them running past her. The cold echo of her footsteps was everywhere around her, reveberating from the walls and let it seem as if she was being followed, making her heart beat even faster. She knew that in the dimension where she actually was, the time had no meaning. It was there, a strong presence but it was of no meaning for the ones who stayed down there but for her, time was everything right now. It was a heavy weight on her shoulders, slowly but unstoppably flowing through her fingers.

She nearly fell to the ground when the stairs came abruptly to an end, a short tunnel lying in front of her. Without hesitating, she ran towards the light which was flickering ahead, her breaths heavy. After a few meters, the tunnel opened into a gigantic cave and Hitomi stopped at the top of the staircase which lead down to a plain. Her eyes were wide when she looked around, absorbing her surroundings. A huge river was winding its way through the cave, appearing out of a hole in the wall and disappearing in another one at the other end of the cave. She spotted a way at the other side of the river which vanished into another labyrinth of tunnels.

It was almost completely quiet down there, the only noise the monotonous roaring of the water. It couldn't be Lethe because she saw no soul there. Lethe's bank would be filled with souls who were trying to drink from the water, wanting to forget their lives in order to be reborn or find eternal peace. Looking around, she spotted a small boat which had been pulled a bit ashore and was now swaying softly with the waves which were swepping against the wooden hull. It seemed to be the only possibility to cross the river for there was no bridge. Sighing, she took heart and ran down the steps. 

She took two steps at once but slowed down when she spotted a figure beside the boat, a long brown cloak hiding them completely and a hood covering their head. The young woman stopped a few steps away from the person, unsure of what to do and waited for them to turn around. She was just about to open her mouth when the person suddenly moved. The heavy fabric of the cloak was dragged over the ground, stirring up some dust and Hitomi could do nothing but gasp when she saw that there was only blackness under the hood.

"Looks as if someone needs a crossing," a deep and hollow voice said, sending shivers down her spine.

"Wh-who are you?" Hitomi stuttered, stones crunching under her soles when she took a step backwards.

"My name is Charon," the shadow under the hood replied and nodded his head. "I'm the ferryman."

"Charon, you say?" Hitomi asked. "Then this river must be..."

"Styx?" the ferryman finished her sentence. "Yes, it is. The River of the Dead. And I guess, you want to cross it, don't you Hitomi?"

"I want to reach Lethe!" she replied hastily. "And I don't have much time...why does everyone know my name?"

A hollow laughter echoed from under the hood. "I know the name of everyone who comes down here, so don't feel special," Charon said. "And if you want to go to the River of Oblivion, hurry up and climb in the boat because it's the only way to reach Lethe which lies at the other side of Styx!" Hitomi's eyes widened.

Hastily, she closed the distance between herself and the boat and climbed into it, making it sway from side to side. She sat down on a wooden board and turned around to look at the ferryman. He had already entered the boat and stood at the stern, a long rod in his hand and looking like a superior presence. He rammed the rod into the ground and pushed the boat off the bank, making Hitomi grab the rim and hold it tightly. Slowly, the boat slid into the water, the cold liquid embracing it like a mother a long lost child. Waves swept softly against the small hull, a quiet splashing audiable above the roaring of the waters. Hitomi turned to look ahead and gasped by seeing the surface of the river. Faces. Pale faces belonging to pale bodies with torn clothes were floating within the water, looking at her with empty eyes.

She dug her fingers deep into the wood and leaned over the rim, looking at them closer. The water was filled with them, their bodies moving gracefully with the current as if dancing to an eternal song which was accompanying them along their wet way. They were fascinating her in a dangerous way, seeming to cast a spell over her. Hitomi's eyes were wide, reflecting the pale white light which was emitted from the bodies in the river who seemed to call her. She released the rim and slowly stretched out her arm, hearing their whisper which was hovering above the water. Only a few centimeters were between her and the pale figures, her mouth half-open in anticipation.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Charon's voice broke the spell and made her look up and retract her hand by the moment a pale hand reached out of the water.

With a shriek, she fell back into the boat and pressed her hands close to her chest, panting heavily.

"There's nothing they'd rather do than pulling inexperienced souls like you into the depths of their river," Charon explained and rammed his rod into the ground of the river again, forcing the boat further across the water and through the mass of ghosts.

"Where are they going?" Hitomi asked and straightened, still breathing heavily.

"Into oblivion," Charon answered quietly and pulled the rod through the water, making it splash softly. "These are the souls who won't be reborn."

"That reminds me of something," Hitomi said after slightly calming down. "The legends say that you only transport the dead and never a living being, so why do you transport me?"

If he had had a face, a smile would have been visible on his features. "Who said that I changed my mind?" he asked and Hitomi froze.

Goosebumps covered her skin and an unpleasant feeling spread through her innards, making her feel terribly sick. She took a deep breath before she spoke, her fists clenched. "Does that mean that...that..." she gulped, not able to say it out loud.

"...that you're dead," Charon finished once more and nodded. "Of course."

"But-but that's impossible!" Hitomi replied, turning around and looking at him with fearful eyes. "How can I be dead? I-I mean I still have my body! I can feel my heart beat! How can I be dead?"

And as if wanting to prove it, she held up her hands and turned them around, showing the obviously blind Charon that she was still made of flesh and blood.

"You only see what you want to see," the ferryman said and shook his head. "It's an illusion which is created by your subconscious in order to take away the fear. You look like all the other deads down here."

Hitomi's hands shook uncontrollably and she closed her eyes tightly, trying to cope with it. But it was just logical. She hadn't understood the white dragon when he had told her that she would be able to bring Van back but now, she did. The answer was so simple. Chiron had seperated her soul from her body to send her soul in the Underworld. Of course, her body couldn't live without her soul but it was the only way to reach Van where he actually was. She smiled. Why was she suddenly so afraid of dying? She had told Chiron that she was willing to die for Van and that was what she had done. No need to be so surprised.

"You mean I look like these torn beings down there in the river?" she asked sarcastically and looked at her ferryman.

"No," Charon replied and stretched out his arm which was completely covered by his long cloak. "You look like them."

Frowning, Hitomi turned around and her pupils shrunk to little dots by the sight of the bank. It had to be thousands of pale figures who were standing there, filling the plain. It was a white carpet, moving slowly and filling the air with murmurs which floated towards her like wafts of mist.

"Why didn't I see them before?" she asked, staring at the dead.

"You didn't want to see them," Charon answered and continued quietly. "Right now, we have a lot to do down here. These are the dead who arrived almost at the same time. Seems to be a terrible massacre up there."

"It is," Hitomi whispered sadly and scanned over the souls at the bank. "And you brought them all here? Then, you must have also transported Van!" She spun around. "Can you...can you remember him? Could it be that he's still among the dead over there?"

"You said it yourself, child," he replied and laughed again. "I brought them all across the river. I saw thousand different faces, today..."

"I'm sorry," the young soul said and hung her head.

"But I do remember him," the cloaked shadow continued, making her look up. "A quiet young man. He wasn't very talkative and I've hardly seen anyone who was that sad. The only time I heard him speak was when he asked me for the way to Lethe."

Hitomi inhaled sharply. Thetis had been right! Van was truly on his way to Lethe to forget everything. She had to find him before he could drink from the water or everything would have been in vain.

"When did he cross the river?" she asked firmly, looking directly at Charon.

"You really ask me for a period of time?" he chuckled in reply. "If you had already lived for an eternity, would you be able to distinguish between ten minutes and ten thousand years?"

Hitomi snorted and crossed her arms in front of her chest, glaring at Charon.

"Hold on tight," he suddenly said and right then, the boat scratched over stony ground and came to a halt, making Hitomi fall from her board.

She shook her head and after seeing that they had reached the other side of the river, she hastily jumped to her feet and out of the boat, not wanting to waste any more time.

"Hey, wait!" Charon stopped her, making her turn around. "What about my pay?"

The Amazon blinked and he sighed. "You aren't the first one today who doesn't pay me my Obolus," he said and pushed his boat into the river again. "But it's okay. Just make sure that you pay it next time. Oh, and before I forget, you just have to follow the tunnel to reach Lethe." 

"Thank you!" Hitomi yelled across the water and she saw the ferryman raise his arm.

She inhaled deeply while watching him leave and then, slowly turned around. The sight was breath-taking. In front of here was a gigantic army, consisting of ghostlike beings. They still wore the uniforms and armors which they had worn on the battlefield, looking as if they were prepared to enter the next war. But their bodies were transparent, fragile images of the proud women and men, they once have been. Nothing was left of their strength anymore, their faces neither showing hatred nor rage against their enemies, only sadness. They weren't enemies anymore, they had done what they had been supposed to do...they had fought, killed and died. And now, they were all here. They were all here because they had died in a senseless war.

She saw soldiers whose armors had lost every sparkle, pale like themselves. Their swords blunt and their lances and arrows broken. They wouldn't fight any war again as well as the dead Amazons. The deep green of their clothes had paled as the flames of their lives had stopped burning, the feathers on their helmets which had glowed like the fire on the plains without any colour now. Some of the souls were just standing there, swaying softly from side to side to the melody of an eteral song which they were singing, their voices reveberating from the walls and echoing over the river. And other ones were walking through the tunnel in the firm wall towards Lethe in order to forget.

Hitomi's gaze suddenly rested on an Amazon who was standing beside the army of deads, a tall man at her side. Her long and pale black hair swayed softly when she took a step ahead, her lips moving but her voice drowned by the mystic song. And then, Hitomi's eyes widened in realization.

"Lea!" she uttered, stumbling in trance towards her dead Queen.

There were so many questions. So many things, she hadn't been able to tell her Queen.

"I thought I would never see you again," the young woman breathed when she reached the Queen of the Amazons, smiling at her.

"Tomi!" Lea replied in shock. "You...you're dead? But how could that happen?"

"No," Hitomi shook her head, still smiling. "I mean, yes, I'm dead but I wanted it to happen. I'm here to...to..." she suddenly shook her head, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Tomi, what...?" Lea asked but was immediately interupted.

"Lea, there are so many things I want to tell you. I thought I've lost you forever and now, that I see you again, I have no time to tell you," she laughed and a tear rolled down her cheek. "It's crazy, isn't it? You can say I had a wish free and I'm now here to find Van and to bring his soul back to where it belongs."

"Van?" a deep voice said and Hitomi finally noticed the man beside Lea. He had disheveled bluish hair and a long cloak was hiding his body. "My brother is dead?"

"Yes, he died when...your brother?" she gasped. "You must be Folken!"

She looked from Folken to Lea and back at Folken, a sheepish smile appearing on both of their faces and it suddenly dawned on Hitomi. She smiled.

"It runs in the family, it seems," she stated.

Lea nodded and for a brief moment, her eyes seemed to sparkle. "Now go, Hitomi," she said and leaned against Folken who placed his arm around her. "The time has come."

"W-will I see you again?" Hitomi asked in a whisper.

"Maybe," Lea replied and smiled.

The young woman hesitated though there was no reason to hesitate. The decision had already been made. A second tear tickling down her face, Hitomi turned away. She took a deep breath and didn't dare to turn back around.

"Good luck," she heard before she run away, towards the tunnel.

She fought her way through the hundreds of souls, murmurs following her. She ran past the slowly walking soldiers, armors clinging when she jiggled them and pushed those away who suddenly blocked her way. These souls had no reason to hurry but she could feel the eternal breath of time in her neck, seeming to laugh about her patethic attempt. She heard that someone was calling her name but she didn't stop nor turn around, biting her lip violantly. She didn't want to know who was calling her, knowing that it was one of her sisters who would never see the sun again.

Her feet hardly touched the ground, her breaths short and her eyes fixed on the way ahead. The souls around her melted into a pale grey and moving mass, faces vanishing. She didn't hear their whispers anymore, her own breathing like thunder in her ears. Her eyes brightened when the tunnel finally ended and she stumbled down a small hill towards Lethe's bank. Souls were gathering at the black water of the river, standing in line for what they were seeking for.

Van!" she yelled and ran along the bank, scanning over the different faces.

She stopped, her eyes flickering around. It was completely pointless. She would never find him between the hundreds of other souls except...except her pendant held still its power! She looked down and the pink gem was suddenly like a heavy weight around her neck. She grabbed the pendant and closed her fingers violantly around it, digging her fingernails into her palm. Her eyes were shut tightly, the frown visible on her forehead. She focused her thoughts on him, summoning the picture of him in her mind and it made her remember the times, she had used her pendant; either to save his life from arrows and gallows or to show him the way, intentionally or not didn't matter but it had always happened to help him. A tiny smile tugged at her lips but it didn't last long because she opened her mouth and gasped when her pendant reacted. Emerald eyes flew open and she turned in the direction, the gem had shown her.

"Van!" she screamed, her voice reaching him through the mass of souls. "Don't!"

Slowly, he turned his head, kneeling where Lethe's waves swept softly against the bank. Van looked at her, his auburn eyes wide. The black water seeped through his fingers and dropped into the river, causing small circles on the surface which were quickly destroyed by the current. He opened his mouth but no words came over his lips, watching in disbelief Hitomi running towards him. She stretched out her hand, trying to reach him but she felt as if she wasn't moving a single bit, standing frozen in the spot. She was so unbelievably close, almost touching him and she knew she would get him back if she just reached him. Her fingertips closed the distance between the two of them ever so slowly, touched his skin – and went right through him.

She gasped and her emerald eyes widened in pure shock when she fell through him. She stumbled but quickly found her balance again and turned around, panic written across her face. No Van. No river. No deads. Nothing. Her gaze flickered around, hunted, but she was only faced with dark, cold walls. Hitomi stood in a huge tunnel which was completely empty, illuminated by a light which seemed to come from everywhere. She turned round in a cirlce, hoping to find him somewhere but there was absolutely nothing, the only sound the one of her boots stirring up the ground. Where was she? And where was Van?

"Wait for me!"

She inhaled sharply, a voice echoing in her mind. Pricking her ears, she tried to find out where it came from but it was impossible because it was reveberating from the stony walls. She stopped when she heard another noise. It was different, causing a warm feeling to rush through her. She knew the noise. It sounded like...like the laughter of a child! She swirled around, feeling that it was coming from behind her and was faced with an intersection, directly in front of her. She frowned, knowing that there hadn't been any intersection a few seconds ago and she frowned even more, hearing that the laughter was coming closer.

She focused her green eyes on the place where the tunnels met when suddenly, a small person appeared there, turning their head to look at her. It was a little boy who was watching her with curious eyes, a draft tugging at his red shirt and dark hair. She was too surprised to react and before she could say something, the child was gone, disappeared in a tunnel.

"Wait!" she cried and ran into the tunnel.

When she turned around the corner, she saw the boy slowly fading in the darkness of the tunnel. Grunting, Hitomi started to run and followed the child along the tunnel, his red shirt swaying at his sides and the sound of his tiny footsteps mixed with the sound of her own ones. The kid was damn fast and she had problems to catch up. But what was she doing there anyway? Chasing a little boy through a labyrinth? Why? Everything was so unreal. This whole place was more like a dream to her than anything else.

She quickened her pace, seeing the kid suddenly disappear around a corner. She would get him, even if it was the last thing she did. She slowed down a bit when she turned round the corner and then, stopped abruptly, facing a wall. The boy was gone. Hitomi looked around, confused, but the wall remained where it was, insurmountable. Stretching out her arm, she touched the wall but it was firm reality. The Amazon snorted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. At the moment, she wasn't in the mood to play hide and seek in some labyrinth with a boy who seemed to make fun of her.

But suddenly, she shuddered. Involuntary, she tightened the embrace around her body, goosebumps covering her skin while shivers ran down her spine. Her eyes were wide and her breaths fast and short. She felt a presence. A cold presence. And it was coming closer. She coul feel the coldness crawl unstoppably through the tunnels and she heard the raspy breathing. Her fingers dug deep into her skin and her teeth started to chatter uncontrollably. She wanted to turn around, turn around and look at what was approaching her but she couldn't. She was frozen, unable to move, an immense fear overwhelming her. So close.

"Who are you?" a childish voice asked, breaking the spell which had rooted her to the ground.

Startled, Hitomi swirled around and could do nothing but shriek, standing on a wide field full of hip-high grain. Her mouth was half open, her mind not willing to accept it. The coldness was gone, as if it had just been a horrible illusion and instead of it, there was a pleasant warmth surrounding her. It was impossible! She had stood in a cave a few seconds ago and now, she found herself here at this field, the air vibrating because of heat and the humming of insects a continual noise.

Shading her eyes, she looked ahead. It was endless. As far as the eye  could see, there was grain, an endless expanse of yellowish ears. A gentle breeze was ruffling through her hair, making the ocean of plants wave and their dry leaves rustle. She was moving her left hand over the top of the grain, the thorns of the ears pricking softly into her palm. Taking a slim plant into her hand, she felt every single corn while running with her fingers along the ear.

"Who are you?" the voice asked again, making her look down.

And there he stood. The little boy with the red shirt, looking up at her with curious eyes and a light breeze was running through his hair.

"H-hitomi," she stuttered. That was totally ridiculous! She was dead and lost in a dimension, she didn't know, standing on a field full of grain and talked with a little boy. But what else could she do? "My name is Hitomi. And who are you?"

"I'm Van," he answered and smiled brightly.

Hitomi inhaled sharply, taking a step back. If she wasn't already insane, she would become now. That couldn't be! It couldn't be Van! This boy was probably five years old and...she hesitated. Same disheveled raven-black hair, same reddish brown eyes, same smile. He was a bit smaller and a bit younger but it was Van, no doubt.

"Where am I?" Hitomi asked, her situation seeming suddenly terribly hopeless to her.

"You're within him," Van answered calmly, his smile not leaving his young face. "Within his soul."

"Whose soul?" Hitomi asked again, the breeze caressing her skin. It carried the warm and dry scent of the grain.

"Van's soul."

"But how?" she was confused. Nothing was making sense anymore. So many thoughts were swirling through her mind together with innumerable questions but nobody seemed able to answer them. And the little Van in front of her was making it even worse. She felt so lost. "I-I thought you were..."

The little boy shook his head, patiently. "No, I'm one of his wishs."

"A wish?" Hitomi echoed. "Van wishs to be younger?"

"No," the boy said and smiled again. "Look around."

And she did. Her gaze trailed over the endlessness of waving grain, absorbing the peaceful image. It was when she spotted three people standing between the plants, looking at her. It were a woman and two men. One of them had disheveled bluish-hair which was falling into his face. He had a warm smile on his face and his brown eyes were sparkling at her, the wind tugging at his loose green shirt. The other man beside him had dark brown hair which was even more unruly, a beard covering his chin. He looked unbelievably familiar and had placed his left arm gently around the woman's waist.

Hitomi had stopped breathing and her green eyes were wide, staring at the woman. A long gown was framing her fragile body, long black hair swaying in the wind. Her eyes were brown and held a deep sadness hidden behind a smile, two purple dots visible on her forehead. Hitomi knew her. She had already seen the woman. In a vision. It was Van's mother.

"His mother, his father, his brother," Van's young voice reached her faintly through the turmoil of thoughts in her mind. "They are dead. He wishs that everything would be the way it used to be. He wishs to be united with his family and that everything would be alright. He wishs peace," he paused.

She suddenly felt unbelievably sad. Van had always played the tough guy, hardly showing any weakness and teasing her to the point of becoming crazy and the whole time he had been so alone. Alone with his fears and sadness. And she had rather dealt with her own problems and told him more than once that she hated him instead of telling him that she knew how he felt. She hated herself for being so egoistical.

"He wishs that you're at his side," Van continued quietly.

Hitomi blushed. "I'm a wish?" she asked. "I'm here because he wants me to be here?"

"He needs you," the little boy said. "He doubts. He doubts himself. And that's why he can't return. He doesn't want to return."

"But why shouldn't he want to..." she stopped and her head snapped up as well as Van's one, the warm breeze turning into a cold strong wind.

There it was again, the feeling of a cold presence which was coming quickly closer. Ominous clouds gathered at the horizon, attempting to cover the sky. She shuddered. The wind had freshened incredibly and it carried a strange noise; raspy hisses. 

"We must hurry!" Van said, a serious expression written across his childish features. It didn't suit him. His young face was supposed to show nothing but carefree joy and laughter.

"Why?" Hitomi asked and looked him directly in the eye. "What is it? What is coming here?"

"The hunter," he answered and his voice was a mere whisper. "They're here to get you. You actually don't belong here. You're not allowed to stay within his soul, nobody is. It wasn't planned to happen that way – your death wasn't planned."

"What do you mean with my death wasn't planned?" the green-eyed girl asked, the clouds almost covering the whole sky and the grain now of the colour of ash-grey.

"You weren't supposed to sacrifice your life for him," Van replied, his eyes darting worridly around. "They didn't predict it. You were supposed to go another path but we have no time for that now! We must hurry! Come!"

And after looking at her one more time, the little boy walked past her.

"Wait!" Hitomi complained and turned around. "Where are you going..." she trailed off, finding herself in a dim cave again.

It was annoying. She hated this quickly changing of her surroundings. She was thrown into a new room continuously. She just had to turn around and was at a different place. She then blinked, seeing the boy standing in front of her and looking at her with serious eyes.

"Follow me," he said and turned around. "I'll lead you to him."

Hitomi took a deep breath and followed Van, not knowing what would await her. She couldn't see where the tunnel was going because there was no light ahead. It was as if a pitch-black wall was blocking their way, moving as if it was made of fog and emitting a coldness which crawled over her skin like hairy legs of a spider. She slowed down, unsure of what to do but seeing that the little boy simply walked into the blackness, she gulped and followed him. She felt as if every air was pressed out of her lungs by the moment she came in contact with the dark fog, making it impossible to breathe. Her head was spinning and a nausea was about to overwhelm her but it was gone before she could think about it.

She was found, standing at the shore of a black lake, no light reflected on its surface. She couldn't see the ground and no wave was running over the liquid, the waters completely calm. She gasped when she looked up, spotting the boy standing beside a kneeling figure in the center of the lake. Without thinking, she took a step ahead and ran towards Van, the water only reaching to her ankles. She didn't notice the silence around her, the splashing water making no sound and no echo within the cave when she called his name.

"Van!" she yelled again when she was almost at his side.

He was kneeling in the water, his upper torso straightened and his head tilted backwards. Panting, she fell to her knees in front of him and reached out with her hands to cup his face, forcing him to look at her. Hitomi inhaled sharply when she met his empty eyes. There was neither life nor any sparkle within them, the auburn orbs depthless.

"Van?" she whispered, afraid to shatter the fragile image in front of her. "It's me, Hitomi. Do you remember me?"

"Hitomi hates me."

She gasped when she heard the words escape from his lips, his voice cold and without any emotion.

"No, Van!" she said hastily, stroking with her thumbs over his cold cheeks. "No, that's not true! I don't hate you!" Oh how she hated herself! She hated her stubborn and arrogant behavior, hated herself for doing this to him!

"Hitomi hated me."

"Yes, that's true," she admitted, desperately trying to reach him. "I hated you. But that was self-protection. I had to hate you because I was taught this way. But it changed! I don't hate you! I never really hated you!"

"Hitomi hates me again."

"Dammit, Van!" she yelled, her brows knitted in anger. "How often did I say that I hate you and you never cared? I can't count it! Gods, you even took it as some kind of motivation to increase teasing me! And now, when both of our lives depend on it, you suddenly feel like pouting?"

"I broke my promise and left her behind."

"Would you please stop that! I forgive you!" She leaned in and rested her forehead against his one. "You hear me?" she whispered, their noses almost touching. "I forgive you."

"Forgive me?"

"Yes, Van!" She held his face tightly and his hair tickled over her fingers. "Yes, I forgive you. And now, please come back."

"Why?"

Hitomi laughed lightly. "This is the stupidst question you've ever asked, you know?" she paused briefly and smiled. "Because I need you, Van. When you died in my arms I knew that I wouldn't be able to live without you. Everything was the same for me because you were gone! I want you back! Please, come back!"

"Why?"

"Because-"

Cries suddenly interupted her, coming from everywhere around her. Cries of the hunter. They had finally found her. They were there to get her because she didn't belong there.

"Tell him, Hitomi," Van's younger image said beside her and smiled. "He wants to hear it."

Hitomi looked into his empty eyes again. "Because I love you, Van," she said firmly and tears ran down her cheeks.

It felt so good to finally say it out loud, to confess her love. And it hadn't even hurt! Why had she been so reluctant to admit it? She didn't know! There was no reason at all! On the contrary! She felt so unbelievably released now. It felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, making her feel free and strong.

"Hitomi!" Thetis' voice rang in her ears. "You must hurry! They'll soon be here!"

Hitomi looked at Van's younger image who was smiling at her. "That was everything he wanted to hear," he said and Hitomi looked back at her Van.

His eyes were still empty and he still didn't react. The voices and screams became louder with every second. She could already feel them close. Why didn't he react?

"Van!" she yelled him in the face, her voice shaking. "Wake up!"

"Trust him," the young Van said.

Hitomi sniffed and nodded. "I do," she squeaked. "I do. And I don't want to die. I don't want to be alone, Van."

It was cold now, shadows surrounding them. She heard them scream close to her ear. Their fingers were crawling over her bodyless soul and she felt the cold seep into her. She knew they were there to get her. She leaned forward and hugged Van tightly, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Was it just her imagination or could she smell his scent?

"I love you," she whispered in his ear.

She didn't notice that he blinked. Once. Twice. And when he opened his eyes again, the sparkle had returned, an invincible fire burning within their reddish-brown depths. He flung his arms around her and pulled her close to him by the moment, the shadows reached for her. And right then, a dazzling bluish-white light swallowed the both of them and everything went blank. 

.....................**.....................

A beautiful white feather lay on a grey rock, somewhere lost on a huge meadow. It was moving softly in the wind when suddenly, a strong breeze lifted it into the air and carried it away. The feather began to dance over the meadow, turning and swirling with the wind. It was carried over the neverending expanse of lush green grass which was swaying in the evening wind. The heads of fragile yellow flowers could be seen between the grass, allowing the wind to carry their sweet scent along with the feather. There was an obstacle but the wind blew the feather simply through the legs of the snow-white horse which was grazing peacefully at the meadow.

She sat on a small hill, the grass tickling between her fingers. The warm breeze was ruffling her light-brown hair. She was watching the sun set behind a mountain range, white houses snuggling against the cliffs. The dying light of the orange fireball was flooding the plain in front of her. Something on the left caught her attention and turning around, she spotted the feather swirling around her. She stretched out her arm and caught it in flight. Her deep green eyes inspected it closely while she was stroking the feather carefully.

"Looks like one of yours," she whispered and smiled.

Goosebumps appeared on her skin when she heard a deep chuckle coming from behind and a pair of strong arms suddenly encircled her waist, pulling her against something firm and warm. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and enjoyed his warmth which was seeping into her. He tightened the embrace around her and she sighed in contentment, inhaling his fresh and field-like scent. Feeling him rest his head on her shoulder, she opened her eyes again. He was looking at the feather in her hand with curious auburn eyes, his unruly raven-black hair falling into his face and tickling over her cheek.

"Nah, I think mine are more beautiful," he replied, kissing her shoulder and she saw the smile tugging at his lips.

"Prove it," she whispered in his ear, her lips grazing softly his auricle and then, kissed him on the cheek.

Van looked at her out of the corner of his eye and a huge grin spread across his face. It was silent when they were looking each other in the eye, challenging, and the wind ruffled their hair. He knew what she wanted him to do and he wouldn't refuse. His gaze didn't leave her bright green eyes when he concentrated himself. Holding his breath, Van contracted the muscles in his back until he felt the well-known tearing. There was a ripping noise when his shirt was torn to pieces by something which broke through his back, Hitomi feeling a rush of excitement flood through her. She looked up when dozens of glowing white feathers swirled around her. It was a storm of white dancing around her, glowing in the light of the setting sun. Shivers ran down her spine while she was watching his feathers being carried away by the wind.

"And?" he asked, not able to hide the grin.

"Well," she replied, tapping with her index finger against her cheek. "I'm not so sure about it. Your feathers were gone too fast."

Her heart skipped a beat when she felt a movement and heard something soft rustle. Her breath was caught in her throat, Van's wings appearing from behind her and resting on her legs while his fingers traced up and down her forearm. She had seen them once and it was again an amazing experience to see his wings. They lay calmly before her and she slowly stretched out her arm to touch them. Her palm ran tenderly over their soft and smooth surface, her eyes absorbing the sight.

"What do you say now?" Van asked again while kissing his way up her neck to her ear.

"I would say they are absolutely beautiful," she answered honestly, not stopping to stroke over his wings. "But don't be conceited about it!"

He threw his head back and laughed loudly. "It's already too late!" he replied and leaned backwards until he lay outstretched on the grass, pulling her with him. "I got a compliment from you!"

"Idiot!" she smacked his arm and stared into the orange sky, her body raising and falling with his breaths. "It is strange that we're now here. I mean some days ago, Gaea was  almost flooded by war again, you died and I searched you in the Underworld and a few times I thought it would never be like this..." she trailed off, feeling him move.

Van rolled to the side and shifted so that he wasn't lying underneath her anymore. She turned around and looked at him questioningly.

"You shouldn't think about that anymore," he said and leaned onto his elbow, all mischievousness gone from his handsome features. "It is the past and you should look what lies ahead your path, except when you...when you regret your decision."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head wildly. "No, Van!" she replied hastily. "Why should I regret it?"

"You left your home," he explained and turned his head away, looking at Dust and Tarik who were grazing at the meadow at the foot of the little hill. "You left your family, you left your friends, you left everything which ever meant something for you. Why shouldn't you regret it?"

Hitomi stretched out her hand and touched his cheek, turning his face back around. "You truly are one self-conceited man, Van Fanel!" she said and his brows shot up in surprise. "You really want to hear it! You want to hear that I did it for you, that you are the reason why I gave up everything, that I want to be with you."

A warm smile spread across Van's face and captured his auburn eyes, making them sparkle incredibly and Hitomi want to melt. She knew why she had done it. She had done it for this smile and for their future. She didn't know what would have happened if she had stayed with the Amazons and she didn't want to know anymore. She had gone the other path and she knew that she had betrayed them in many ways but there were always sacrifices to give. She had decided for him and against them and now, she had to live with the consequences of this decision. Of course, there were doubts but she was sure they would disappear with the time and with his help.

Van's warm smile had turned into a grin again and he startled her out of her thoughts by shifting beside her.

"Really?" he asked, attempting to straddle her. "You did it for me?"

Hitomi watched his movements, slightly alarmed. The young man straightened after resting on her legs and looked down at her, his wings raised majestically above his head. Hitomi squinted against the dying sunlight and finally noticed that Van's shirt was completely gone, his naked upper torso towering above her. A deep blush crept upon her cheeks when she felt that she was looking him up and down, making him chuckle.

"You like what you see?" he asked, making her blush even more and leaned down to kiss her neck, intertwining his hands with her ones.

Hitomi jerked underneath him and after freeing her hands, she tried to push him off. "What are you doing?" she asked and her voice shook, feeling his muscles move under her fingerstips.

"Nothing," he replied innocently and grinned from ear to ear, his reddish-brown orbs sparkling mischievously from underneath his pitch-black strands. 

Closing his eyes, he leaned down again but Hitomi stopped him by placing her index and middle finger on his soft lips, a thought suddenly coming to her mind. Surprised, he opened his eyes again and looked at her.

"Are you happy, Van?" she asked, a serious expression on her face.

He blinked and slowly straightened, the wind giving his hair a tug. Turning his head to the side, he looked at his country and at his city. She saw his eyes sadden, watching his profile. She knew that he was thinking about his family, about his brother whom he had burried on the hill where Escaflowne was now resting, beside the palace of Fanelia. He had done it two days ago, after their friends had found them on the battlefield, lying in each others arms. She knew that he was remembering the times he had been with his family and suddenly, she was afraid of his answer. She wished that she had never asked because she was afraid that she couldn't give him what he needed.

"No," he finally answered and turned to look at her, an unreadable expression on his features. "Something is missing."

"What?" she asked, surprised, her eyes showing disappointment, sadness and anger.

What had she expected? He had lost his complete family! Did she expect him to be happy just because she was there with him? Did she think that just because she had decided for him, that he would be eternally grateful and forget all the grief he had experienced up to now? She could never fill the hole within his heart, could never replace the ones he had loved and had lost. She could never...why was he grinning?

"A queen," Van said, his smile like the sun. "A queen is missing."

She gasped, her eyes wide, but she had no chance to reply for he quickly leaned down and sealed her lips with his own ones in a tender kiss...     

Alone, I was drifting

on the water,

filled with

loneliness.

You were the wave

which washed me up

ashore.

THE END.

A/N: OMG, I can't believe that it's over. And you know, this is the fact why I needed so much time to update. I was afraid to continue cause the story would be over with this chapter. I did the same with FFX u_u I needed two months for the last 30 minutes of the game cause I didn't want it to end!! Patethic, I know and maybe I'm exaggerating but the story really meant something to me (not only because it was my first one) and still means. So, I want to apologize for taking so much time and I want to thank all the ones who read this story and found a little time to write a review! Thank you so much!

TennyoAngel711: So sorry for stopping there!!! I hope this chapter made up a bit ^_^ Yesyesyes!!! FFX!! That Tidus and Yuna moment!!! *faints* So wonderful!!!! And nope, I didn't play Kingdom Hearts but it seems I should, eh?! n_n Well then, thank you so much for always writing a review (which always were a delight to read ^________^) and for being there from the beginning!! Thank you!

hitomi-chan: Hey, girl!! I just can repeat myself and say that your review touched me in an incredible way and I hope you like the end!! ^_^ I'm glad that you can identify with the characters and that you liked it!! it really meant a lot to me!!! And don't you ever dare to think that you bore me!!!!!! *shakes you* You don't, okay?! Thanks for telling me all that, thanks for being a wonderful friend and thanks for being a faithful reader!! *hugs you like mad* Thankiez!!!

Athar-Luna: Enough cherries on top? ^_^ I'm glad you liked it though you said it was the cruelest ending I could've done!! Thank you! *bows to the floor* And I also don't like the fact that Folken died but for I made the story AU, I thought I had to include his death. So, sorry for that!!! I hope you liked the end ^_^ And thank you again for your wonderful reviews!!!!!

Inda: Sorry for making you wait so long!!! I hope you liked it ^_^

Ryuu Angel: What can I say? I feel like laughing and crying! It's strange to have it finally finished. You were right, I feel kinda empty and I do know that I'll miss the story but as I said, there are other ones to concentrate on ^_~ *sighs* And I'm so sorry for not warning you that chap 13 was that sad! Yes, I did feel bad cause you told me you were gonna celebrating it and all and then, you read that!! Sorry girl but I hope you liked the ending!!! ^_^ Ah, I love happy-ends, I admit it!!! ^_______^ Hehe, and I'm glad you always liked reading my story!!! Thanks for the loooong and funny reviews!! You already know it but I say it again, they brightened my days!!! *hugs you like mad* Thanks for always being there, for listening and bearing me ^_^ Yes girl, thanks for existing! I love you!

dilly-sammas luver: Ah, another one whom I made wait ^_^ Sorry!! But hey, it was a good ending wasn't it?! Hope you liked it and thank you!!!

Rani: Of course, it wasn't the last chap!!! I could never kill Van and let him stay dead!! *hugs Van* But I'm glad you liked it though it was so sad and thanks for having so much faith in my abilities!!! Thank you so much!!!

Aya_chan: And, is this end okay?? ^_^ I'm glad you think it's good!! Thankiez!!!

SabineballZ: *mit dem Kopf schüttel* Also, manchmal glaub ich wirklich du hast irgendwelche übersinnlichen Fähigkeiten! Unglaublich! Du hast schon die Sache mit dem Drachen erraten und nun das mit Hitomi und sich umbringen! Nun, es war ja kein Selbstmord, aber irgendwie hattest du schon recht! Hast ein Talent dafür ^_^ Natürlich lebt Van weiter!! Kann ja gar nicht anders sein...zumindest bei mir nicht ^_^ Und auch an dich ein Obermegahyper-Dankeschön!!!!!!! ^_________^ *knuddel* Auch du bist so eine, die seit Anfang an dabei ist und ich wollt einfach mal danke sagen dafür, dass du dir immer Zeit genommen hast um meine Geschichte zu lesen und was dazu zu sagen!!! Bedeutet mir sehr sehr viel!! Also, DANKE!!

Night of the Raven:  ^_^ And here is the other chapter!!! Hope you liked it!!

dark-faerie2: You're welcome ^__________________________________^

CookyButtButt: Thank you!

Spirit0: Sorry for making it so sad and without any fluff!!! But now, you had fluff!! And see, Van isnt dead!!! ^_^ Hope you liked it!! Thanx!!

hh: ^_^ Thank you!!

heavens-angel: Here is the update!!! Hope you like it!! V+h forever!! ^_^

darksteampunk: Sorry for pissing you off but I never intended to stop there!! Was this ending okay??

Infinitis: ^_^ Yep, I wasn't done!! Thankiez!

shevonne: *blushs* Thank you!

Demon child: *ducks* Look, it wasn't the ending!! ^_^ And I'm glad you liked it though the so called "ending"!! Thanks!!!

CRAZY Dragon: Ich fühl mich wirklich total geehrt, dass dir selbst ein trauriges Ende gefällt, aber es war nicht das Ende!!!! *sich am Kopf kratzt* Ich weiß wirklich nicht wo ihr das alle her habt!! Ich hab es niemals gesagt, ich hatte mich noch nicht mal verabschiedet!!! Aber nagut, ich hoffe dir gefällt auch das Happy-End! ^_^ Und danke für deine tollen reviews!!! Ich hab mich immer riesig gefreut!!!!!!

B. Burns: Here you have the update!!! Happy?? ^_^ I hope you liked it and thank you!!!

cherry: *holds hands up defensively* No, I didn't stop there, you see??!!

Val: *blushs* Thank you so much!! I'm glad you like it and think that I can cause these different emotions!! Also thanks for the emails!!!!! And if I ever write a book, I'll tell you ^_^ THX!!!!!

Catelina: ^_^ Glad you like it!!! Thank you!!

Aeka-himme: n_n Noooo, I'm not that crazy!!! *hugs her beloved Van-plushie* I could never kill Van and not have him resurected!!! Too cute to stay dead!! ^_^ I hope you liked the ending!! And for Folken and Lea, I feel very sorry! And it's even more sad if you think of the fact that these were only two people who lost their life during war...there were hundreds of other ones and everyone has got a story! *sighs* But a big thank you for being there since the beginning and for being such a great girl!!! I love your reviews!!! And please, keep writing!! You're such a great author!!! Thanks!

Anime Obsessed: *blushs* Thankiez!!!

kcarrie: ^_^ I'm glad you liked it and sorry for the cliffhanger!!! Thanks!!

Machoman: Hiya, girl!! OMG, I'm so sorry for the mistake and for annoying you!!! I'll correct it, I promise!!! And no, you didn't offend me! Thanks for telling me and to answer your question, I'm from Germany...maybe this is the reason for my sometimes horrible English ^_^ Hope you can forgive me!!! And thanks for all the wonderful reviews!!! I really enjoyed reading them and I'm glad you think there is a progress!!! I so loved the little proverbs you left!!! Thank you so much! The point of life is life itself!

YingFa8: I hope your not mad anymore!!! I didn't kill Allen but hey, Van is alive!!! ^_^

Paige Moonsword: Hiya!! You don't have to apologize! I know this problem of having so much to do and having no time for other things!! ^_^ Poor you!! III'm glad you like my stories and I'm so happy to have you as a fan!!! *hugs you* Thank you!!!!!!!!!

Aylee the Dragon:  You know that it wasn't the last chapter!! ^_^ Hope you liked the end!! Thanks for your wonderful reviews! They always made me laugh! THX!

Heavens-angel2: Thanks!! Here is more!! ^_^

AFCAMistress: Thankiez!!!! And you were right! This is the end!

escaflowneeeeee: No, it wasn't the end but this is the end! I hope it was better!! ^_^

 alicia: Look, this is the end!! Van is alive and together with Hito ^_^ Happy?!

Kim: Hiya!! ^_^ Girl, I hope you knew that I couldn't answer the questions!!! But see, Van isn't dead and for the end of chap 13...it's kinda like a look into the future but a very brief look for you couldn't see what else happened ^_^ I hope it wasn't too confusing!!! And I'm glad you like it!! *blushs* Thanks for all the reviews and for being a faithful reader!!!

snow blossoms: ^_^ Enough epilogue??? I couldn't answer every question but I tried. I hope it's okay and for the Amazons...Lea said it was their last fight...But I#m glad you liked it!!! Thankiez!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Corran Nackatori: Of course, it wasn't the end ^_^ And what??? They said it was a good ending??? NYAR!!! No, it wasn't!!!! But you're right...stupid male animators *grumbles* Thanks ^_________^

subishi: I'm glad you think that it's great despite the end of chap13!! But you see, it wasn't the end!!! ^_^

crescentmoon-cat: *blushs* Thank you very much and here is the last chapter!! Hope there is enough fluff ^_^ 

Legendary Super Candyce: I'm so glad you think that!! ^_^ Thank you!! But though I hope you also liked this end!!

Cheery Wolf: No, it isn't!!!! This is the last chap!!!

???: I'm sorry!!! I hope this chapter can make up for the last one ^_^ Thanks for all the encouragement during the last chaps!!!!!! Thanks so much!!!

Iris-Hitomi: He is coming back!!! ^_^ Hope you liked it and thank you!!!

marsbar: ^_^ Thankiez!! And hey, it wasn't the end! I never said that!!! But I hoped you also liked the "alternative" end!! ^_^

storm-warrior: Thankiez!! Hope you liked it!!!

Fluff girl: *backs away* Here is Van!! All alive and healthy!!!! ^_^

Final A/N: Yeah, I know I didn't quite answer every question but there would be nothing to wonder about then ^_~ I hope that nobody's mad at me for making Dilly Allen's brother...well, in some ways Dilly is Allen's brother, isnt he?! *sighs sadly* So, it's really over now. There won't be a continuation or anything but don't get your hopes up too soon ^_^ You're not rid of me already ^_______________^ I've got two other stories and I'll continue them! So, if you want to read more by me (as unlikely as it might be), go check them out!!! Oh, and before I forget, the little poem at the end is by Claudia Malzahn and the translation of the title is "The reason for living are you", it's Latin ^_^

Well then, thanks so much for reading and farewell for now! Maybe we read from each other some time and if not, have a nice time!!!!

Dariel