Finale…

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Chapter 20: Wings

            Two years.

            Hitomi looked out the open window at a bird whose wings glinted a shade-shifting green in the sunlight.

            She'd spent the past two years carving a small niche for herself in the little town of Aversade. The green fields beyond her window swayed gaily in the breeze that chased fairies between the numerous blades. The sky was a crystal blue color that nearly hurt the eyes, it was so pure. No clouds tainted the vast expanse as the cool breeze brushed by her face and caressed the thin tendrils that resisted confinement. A little wolf-child ran by the window, pausing momentarily to send her an exuberant wave and grin.

            She returned a whimsical smile, watching the boy scamper to the group of children in the town center who were deeply involved in an intense game of stickball.

            Spreading the sleeve of the shirt across her lap, she pulled the last stitch taut and snapped it off. Sighing with satisfaction, she hung the red shirt on the line that went across the front of her one-room house. In the town she served as a sort of jack-of-all-trades, tailoring when the opportunity presented itself (she had discovered a certain affinity for this field, though she wasn't exactly sure why), and became a passable doctor when the situation wasn't too serious. A little herb garden was growing well in her backyard, and she also watched the children from time to time. Nothing major. Just enough to get by comfortably.

            Overall, her life was very pleasant. Peaceful. Just the kind of life she'd wanted, right?

            But it wasn't home. She knew that at any time, she could pack up her few belongings and leave without any hassle, emotional or otherwise. And despite her insistence upon total independence, she was slowly finding that cutting herself off from people was a very slow, very lonely death.

            Her fingers trailed idly down the crimson shirt beside her, which vividly reminded her of Van.

            Of course…what didn't?

            Resting her head tiredly against the side of the window, she sighed. After two years, her heart still felt completely lost to her. She'd stopped crying, though. After all, what good does crying do a broken heart?

            Not a day went by when she didn't think of him though, at least in passing. She could almost see his beautiful mahogany eyes before her, holding a trace of amusement within their serious depths…

            She hung her head, feeling the aching loneliness within her heart. This was what she'd wanted, wasn't it?

            "Goodbye, Princess."

            She swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat.

            Had she made the worst mistake of her life?

*          *          *

            Van propped the sword on the ground, his bare chest heaving up and down with each breath he took. He could feel the hair at the nape of his neck clinging to his skin with the dampness of his sweat, and grimacing, he raked his fingers through his bangs in an effort to cool his head off. The telltale feel of his hair's shorter length never ceased to startle him. He'd sported the 'groomed' look ever since he had become official king of Fanelia. Oh, it still got in his eyes occasionally (he would never allow anyone to cut it that short), but as a general rule he was much more 'presentable,' or so his advisors claimed.

            His opponent's appearance resembled Van's very similarly, down to the stance and the breathing, except for the blonde hair that went to the man's shoulders and the blue eyes that glittered with amusement. "Kingship hasn't deterred your practice in the least," he panted, pulling his bangs away from his face.

            Van shrugged easily. "It's a good stress-reliever," he stated mildly.

            Allen chuckled. "Something which you have much of, no doubt. I would wager you do this at least once a day." He winked rakishly. "I think you need to get yourself a girl."

            A shadow passed over Van's face for a brief moment, but dissipated with his smile. "I hear they tend to cause more stress than they can relieve."

            Allen barked a laugh, his eyes focusing beyond Van. "They do at that."

            The dark-haired man quirked an eyebrow curiously. "And you would know of this personally, Allen?"

            A surprising pinkness tinted Allen's cheeks so faintly that Van wasn't sure if it was just his mind imagining things. "Everyone knows of it personally at some point," the knight hedged.

            Van felt a wide grin curve his lips. "You speak with the voice of recent experience." Leaving his sword, he walked up to the blonde man, circling him like a hawk. "I wonder who it could be?"

            "No one."

            He tapped his finger against his chin. "It couldn't be Millerna, as she's been married to Dryden for at least a year. Maybe more. I can't remember." He stood in front of Allen, crossing his arms across his broad chest, feeling a frission of pleasure at the fact that he now stood as tall as Allen. "You said you have no interest in that Nariya girl you met over at Palas. So it can't be her. Then there's always – "

            "Merle!"

            He frowned at Allen's exclamation. "Well – " was all he managed to get out before a bundle of fur hit him from behind, and he heard a familiar voice screeching "Lord Van!"

            "Merle," he grunted, trying to disentangle himself from the creature that gripped him tightly. "It's good to see you."

            "You've grown up, Lord Van," she said cheerily. "I don't remember having to look this far up at you."

            His eyebrows rose as he looked at the cat-girl who could now no longer be called a girl. "Wow… you've grown up quite a bit yourself, Merle."

            She smiled happily. "Thank you." Her expression flickering as she obviously remembered something. She turned to Allen and in a scolding tone said, "What are you doing?"

            He seemed to squirm under her scrutiny. That's ridiculous, Van thought. Allen? Squirm under any woman's glare?

            "I was just…"

            She rolled her eyes expressively, mainly for Van's sake. "He does this all the time."

            "Oh, really?" Van said, interested.

            "It's a good stress-reliever," Allen defended himself.

            She snorted. "It's not when I have to patch you up afterwards! Seriously, Allen, you should stop doing things that get yourself hurt."

            "I'm not going to stop doing the things I enjoy just because you don't feel like doing your job."

            "It's not a matter of me doing my job. You need to stop doing such stupid things!"

            "They're not stupid."

            Van was watching the interaction with much interest. He'd never seen either party quarrel like this with anyone before.

            "Allen, I just don't want you to hurt yourself. I'm doing this for your own good."

            "I didn't hurt myself."

            She seized his chin with her hand, turning his face to the side. "You have a lump forming on your forehead."

            "A lucky blow," Allen murmured, not showing a bit of complaint over Merle's handling.

            She traced her fingertips lightly over it and tsk-ed. "You need to put some ice on this. I'll be right back."

            Throwing a smile over her shoulder, she disappeared back into the castle.

            Van kept his eyes trained on Allen, who had forgotten his presence for the moment. He cleared his throat.

            Allen blinked, and focused his eyes on Van. Seeing his knowing smirk, he began, "Well, you see – "

            "I saw a lot, Allen." Van laughed. "And you really don't have to explain it to me."

            He collapsed into an easy smile, finding it less complicated to just agree. "It's not like anything's… official…"

            Van shrugged. "Official or not, I'm happy for both of you."

            "I mean, she hasn't really said or done anything to – "

            "Allen," Van cut him off. "Trust me."

            "Allen!" Merle walked up to the two and seized Allen's arm. "You've got to come inside so we can put some ice on that lump," she said motherly, coaxing him inside. With a sheepish look and a shrug, the blonde knight amiably followed the cat-girl – excuse him, cat-woman – into the castle.

            Van touched the pendant that hung from his neck with his fingertips and let out a small breath. The prospect of Merle and Allen together was indeed something he was happy for, but it also managed to revive painful memories.

            Who was he kidding? His memories were at the surface, just begging to be relived by the slightest prodding. It was only because of his eternal hope of her return that he was able to live a halfway normal life, without living in the dark bleakness of despair.

            And even if she never did return… even if he was truly destined to live a life without her… he would count himself blessed to have known and loved her, if even for that short of a time. With a bittersweet smile curving his lips, he knew he would never trade any of it for anything.

            He closed his eyes, and could still see her jade green eyes in his mind…could still hear her final goodbye…

            "I'll never forget you… not even when I get old!"

            Holding the pendant in his hand for a brief moment, he thought, I wish that Hitomi would return.

            Knowing it was foolishness, he shook his head and picked up his sword from the ground. There was more to do today.

            The kingdom awaited its king.

*          *          *

            Van wearily trudged up to his chambers, feeling the effects of the long day of bureaucracy that assaulted him after his sparring match with Allen. Who knew that ruling a kingdom was so much more mentally exhausting than fighting a war?

            And even more depressing was how he knew he'd find his room. Clean, crisp, organized.

            Lonely.

            Mentally shrugging, he swung the door open, finding firelight mingling with the blue moonlight that came streaming in through the window. He strode into his room, already unbuckling his belt so that his sword clanged on the ground. He removed his shirt and replaced it with one of his more comfortable sleeveless tops he used to wear so long ago. Turning, he felt his heart jump as he saw a figure sitting on the couch, hidden in shadow.

            "Who's there?" he frowned, cursing himself for having left his sword halfway across the room. It was a woman sitting there, he could tell that much, with hair down to her shoulders, but with the way women had been pestering him lately when he went into the markets, he couldn't rightly define who it could be.

            She tilted her chin, bringing her face out of the shadows. "You don't remember me?"

            He felt his heart stop.

            "Hitomi!"

            A small smile curved her lips as she watched him try to compose himself.

            "I'm sorry, I – well, it was a long day and… You see, I was kind of distracted and… Your hair is longer so I didn't…" He stopped himself and smiled ruefully. "Hi."

            He remembered the wish he'd made earlier, and thought, I would've done this years ago if I'd have known it would work!

            She brushed her hair back. "Hi."

            "How did you get in here?"

            Her smile grew, reaching to her eyes. "I used everything you taught me those years ago. Never knew I'd be able to use it all sometime later."

            "Oh." His elation over his wish deflated. Or…maybe not…

            She rose gracefully from the couch, her evergreen skirt draping over her legs like liquid shadow. She no longer wore the tailored men's clothes he'd first met her in. The mere femininity of her garb was like a velvet-coated punch to his gut. He blinked as the sound of her voice washed over him, and he tried to jog his mind back into gear.

            "-ve you been?"

            "Um, I've been fine," he said, his normally fluent kingly speech reduced to adolescent simpering by her presence. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "And you?"

            "Like normal I guess." Her shoulders lifted slightly in a brief shrug, and then her eyebrow rose speculatively. "Are you feeling alright?"

            "I'm fine. Of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?"

            Her bemused expression did nothing to help his frazzled male ego. "Oh… no reason."

            He grimaced slightly. "Sorry. I just… didn't expect you here, that's all." He gestured expansively to the room as if that explained everything.

            "Oh." Understanding filled her face as she looked around the room, glancing towards the bed. "Well, I don't suppose you would've ever expected me to end up in here, I guess…" Was it the moonlight, or were her cheeks slightly flushed? "I…uh… I didn't intend for it to be in a…suggestive situation. I just – you know – with all the publicity and all that… I just didn't want rumors to be running around about you and… me and, uh…"

            He smiled without effort for the first time, finally feeling a little more on the level now that she felt as awkward as he. "I understand, don't worry about it. Being in the public eye can be a royal pain." He winced. "Pardon the pun."

            She laughed, her voice like long-lost music to his ears. How had he ever survived without it? "I forgot how horrible your wit was."

            "It is not horrible," he defended. "I'm just out of practice."

            "What, you never verbally spar with anyone? How is that possible? You're so ornery."

            "I'm the king," he stated with an irascible grin. "No one argues with me."

            "Oh, trust me. Someone will argue with you."

            "I'd like to see them try."

            "I can bet I'd see them win."

            "You willing to take me on?"

            "I just did, didn't I?"

            "Touché," he chuckled ruefully. Motioning her towards the couch by the window, he said, "So tell me about your new life. What you do. Who you're with. All the details."

            Van listened with rapt attention as Hitomi filled him in on what she'd been doing the past two years, just enjoying the subconscious feeling of having her near him once again. He'd not realized just how much he'd missed her, not until he was able to hear her voice again, to smell her hair like he had before, and to feel her presence beside him in the middle of the night. Watching her face, half in shadow, he felt his heart pound in his ears. What if she left again? Could he bear it a second time, knowing he had been so close to keeping her?

            She'd stopped talking finally, instead staring out at the stars idly as he concentrated on breathing evenly. They sat close enough that he was almost touching her which wreaked havoc with his common sense. His eyes traced the curves of her face, the shape of her mouth, embedding them into his memory so that he would never forget her. Her hair fell about her shoulders, falling into her face as she bowed her head.

            Gently, he brushed the hair back away from her eyes. "You grew it longer," he said softly.

            She nodded almost shyly, smiling up into his eyes. "I didn't really like it short," she murmured.

            "Why not?"

            She shrugged, and mumbled something that sounded like 'too many memories'. Sifting his fingers through her hair, he commented, "It looks nice. Well, I mean, it always did, but it looks especially nice now."

            Her eyes twinkled at him. "Thanks, Van."

            The sound of his name on her lips sparked reactions in his gut that had long lain dormant. Did she know? Did she even feel an inkling of the storm that was tearing through his soul?

            "Your hair's different, too," she said, brushing her hand lightly through his hair. "It's shorter."

            "My advisors said they couldn't have their king looking like some ragamuffin grabbed right off the street."

            "It looks good. I can actually see your eyes now."

            "Oh, really?"

            Their gazes locked in a soul's embrace, and he felt his control snap.

            "Hitomi, I'm sorry, but I have to do this."

            Her startled face was the last thing he saw before he pulled her to him and kissed her with all the pent-up longing and love he had held for so long in his heart. He tensed mentally, awaiting her sudden shove or slap which he suspected would be inevitable with his rash behavior.

            He never expected her to twine her fingers into his hair, or for her to lean into him and return his kiss with the same fervor.

            He could've sworn his heart had stopped beating the whole time he kissed her, as if letting time pass would somehow make reality rear its ugly head. But the moment they broke apart for air, her shining eyes told him all he needed to know.

            "Van, I learned something these past two years," she said breathlessly, trying to regain her composure. "Something I have to tell you. I was going to wait, but I suppose now's as good a time as any." Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I've learned that I can live without you." Just before he felt his hope shatter, she gripped his hand and held it to her heart. "But I don't want to."

            "You… what?"

            She smiled with tears in her eyes. "You dolt, don't you understand what I'm trying to tell you? I love you. I can't help it."

            "You… Really?"

            A strained laugh escaped her. "Yeah, I didn't expect it either. You, with your egotistical, stubborn, forceful, blunt-"

            He broke in, his mind still repeating what she had said before. "You love me?"

            Her shoulders lifted with rueful acquiescence. "Arrogance and all."

            His heart would have burst if she hadn't already stolen it away. "Hitomi," he began huskily, "I've loved you since the moment I saved you from the fire, and I've waited far too long for you to finally come to your senses." Before she could give a retort to his statement, he claimed her lips in another kiss that spoke more than words ever could. Van knew with certainty that as long as he had Hitomi by his side, he would never need his wings to fly again.

            He drew away, his eyes never leaving her face, watching her lashes flutter lazily upward. "Well, I'm glad you waited," she quipped, her mouth curved in a very alluring smile. She let out a small sigh, looking out to the sky as if she could see someone in the stars. "So this is my purpose…"

            "You know what I just realized?"

            She turned her eyes back to him. "What?"

            "I guess I can't call you 'Princess' anymore."

            She frowned, as if the idea of her nickname being revoked was unpleasant to her. "Why not?"

            He grinned wolfishly. "You wouldn't be a princess any more if you married me."

            She tugged his hair teasingly. "You're impossible," she laughed, embracing him tightly, as if to never let him go. Her head rested very comfortably in the crook of his neck, and her warm breath caressed his skin. "So was that a proposal, King Van?"

            "I'd say it was, considering you can't live without me."

            She poked him in the side. "I said I didn't want to. There's a difference."

            "Not to me."

            She sighed long-sufferingly. "I guess it doesn't matter. Not so long as I have you under my thumb." He could feel her grin against his shoulder when he poked her ribs. "I mean, by my side."

            They sat together on the couch all night, fingers twined together as their soft voices plotted grand visions of the future. The stars faded slowly away as the eastern horizon began to glow golden. Silence fell easily between the two lovers as they watched the sun slowly rise, casting its warm light upon everything in its view.

            "There's something else I've got to ask you," Van said into the silence. He turned towards the grander vision of beauty beside him, finding her receptive to his question. "I thought you always said there were no exceptions."

            Her smile could've filled heaven itself with light.

            "You're my exception."

I always wanted wings,
I always wanted to fly,
But life just had this habit
Of passing my dreams by.
But once I felt the wind
As I soared on a sea of blue,
And then I knew the truth,
I found my wings in you.

*the end*

*It's been great writing this story, guys, and I'm so thrilled that I finally was able to reach the end of an extended story! Thanks so incredibly much for your reviews and encouragement to keep me going. I feel so accomplished… but sad. Because now this story is over. *sniff* And I know some of you made noises about a sequel, but I don't know… I have the feeling that if I tried to make a sequel, it would end up coming out very, very typical. And I definitely don't ever want to be typical *smiles wryly* you know me…

But there's another story I've got ideas for, never fear… Wink will not be gone forever… It'll be a high school AU fic (though hopefully not 'typical' teenage angst) called "Counterpoint" for reasons you'll just have to find out when I finally am able to get the first chapter out… But the story will be centered very much on something that I have much love for…

Anyway, another great thanks to everyone for reading this! I've loved every single moment of it…

'Til I write again!

-wink*