Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Behind Enemy Lines ❯ Pigeon ( Chapter 5 )

Behind Enemy Lines

By: rainjewel

Chapter Five: Pigeon

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, you don't own Escaflowne, get over it. J

A/N: Yeah, stuck in another disclaimer so that I don't get in trouble or something. I would just like to mention that I'm dedicating this chapter to my good friend Amanda, who is an exceptional poet that I should recruit to FF.NET. She was the one to first read and review this story and I love her madly. Amanda, even though you're a witch, you keep me going and I thank you heartily for that. Oh, and everyone has gone completely OOC. Hey, you try this coupling with keeping everyone in perfect form and you'll see how hard it is! *wink*

~*~

Van stared at his reflection in the mirror. He had just walked into the washroom, not even bothering to check on Dilandau. His cheek hurt. The white bandage upset the balance of his face, he noticed. To Van, the almost certainty of the scarring it would cause didn't matter to him. He was certainly not a vain person, and in a twisted way the disfigurement made him feel closer to his brother. Folken had fallen when he had let his sword drop out of compassion for the land dragon. Van had fallen when he had let his feelings take control.

And what were those feelings? Van heard Dilandau's voice in his head.

"Rage," Van answered, the same rage he felt right now. Impatiently he slammed his fist in the mirror, shattering the glass completely. He would not admit to anything else.

There isn't anything else to admit, he amended.

Carefully he washed his hands in the sink. He avoided all the broken shards of the mirror, wanting to get rid of the glass and blood imbedded now in his knuckles, not add to it. Van turned and dried his hands off on a towel. Absently he ran a finger along the bandage, irritated by the dryness of it. He pressed down slightly, welcoming the physical pain over the emotional. Dilandau had done his job well. Every thought of his forming scar brought Van back to his adversary's words.

"…And you miss the other Celena, the one you helped, the one that cried on your shoulder, the one you kissed. But she never existed Van. Only I did…"

Van winced. Yes Dilandau, it hurts. But I'm not talking about my face. Celena was never his. He had been played for a fool, twice. Once by Celena/Dilandau, and once by the now silent Hitomi.

He felt the rejection start to burn once more. It felt like his heart was being turned inside out.

"Why," he whispered to the bloodied towel, "Why did you throw away a love so strong that it brought us together when worlds separated us? Was it because I was a warrior? Was it because you found you liked people on the Mystic Moon better then me? Hitomi…"

A tear slipped down his face.

He had tried, last night, to reach her again. Actually, he had succeeded. Van had penetrated the wall.

Van? Hitomi had questioned.

Yes, he had answered so quietly, his heart aching in shame. Shame to talk to the woman he loved.

Go away Van! Please, I can't do this! Hitomi had screamed. Van had cut the connection then, obeying her word. At the time he thought that maybe, just maybe, he could win back her love by doing as she wished.

It was such a joke.

Van smiled ruefully. He was probably a comical sight, so broken and desperate to win the love of a woman who either couldn't or didn't want him, and he was dying for the affections of a woman who didn't exist.

Well, actually it existed in the form of his greatest-and deadliest, let's not forget that-enemy.

Ah, so all I need to do is get PyroBoy in touch with his feminine side. Too bad he already got rid of it.

Van laughed in what he knew was a "Dilandau-ish" manner. He didn't care. The sane world was decidedly fucked. Lunacy was easier.

"Jeez, for a second I thought I had a twin. I could have sworn I heard an insane, scarred boy laughing in the bathroom," Dilandau said. Van spun around to see the garnet-eyed boy leaning in the doorway. In the background Celena waved.

Something inside him snapped.

"Dilandau!" Van cried delightedly. "I'm so glad to see you're awake!" He sprang forward and hugged the taller boy fiercely. "Hi Celena!" Van waved back at Celena over Dilandau's shoulder. He took Dilandau's face in his hands and pinched his cheeks.

"Get away from me!" Dilandau yelled, shoving Van away. He took a few steps back himself. Van noticed how wide and confused his eyes were.

"My, someone's not a morning person," Van chided, delighted with his insanity. No wonder Dilandau loved to be such a fruitcake. He began to laugh uncontrollably.

Dilandau frowned and stepped up to Van. It was obvious he was thoroughly thrown by his enemy's behavior. So was Van himself. Dilandau raised a hand and then smacked the king so hard it made his eyes jiggle. Van stood still for a few seconds, then dropped to a dazed sitting position on the floor, his laughter quelled.

"Gods, what in the hell happened to you?" Dilandau whispered. Celena walked up beside him, trembling. He absently put a comforting arm around her. Van stared up at the both of them, wondering just what in the hell did happen to him. And how did Celena get in here? Why was Dilandau untied?

"Van-sama!" came Merle's cry. Van swiveled his head drunkenly, the seriousness of the situation dawning on him. Slowly his sanity returned.

"Merle?" Celena mumbled. She turned to look at the catgirl, but she turned the wrong way and walked into Dilandau's chest. He turned her back around, his eyes never leaving Van's.

"What did you do to him Dilandau!" Merle screamed, baring her claws and walking towards him. Celena backed off, looking frightened. Dilandau and Van were still locked in a staring contest. Van felt like an electric current was coursing between them.

We both found common ground…

"Stop Merle," Van said towards the menacing catgirl. She stopped obediently.

"Van-sama," Merle protested. Van held up a hand, silencing her. Dilandau's eyes grew a little wider.

"Please go back to Fanelia immediately. You know of the situation here, so your curiosity should be satisfied. I will deal with the problem here, and then return as soon as possible. Take Celena with you," Van stated, standing up.

"No!" said Dilandau and Celena in unison. The harmony of their voices sent a chill up Van's spine.

"You will keep Celena at the castle as a guest. However, if I send word, order to have her killed," Van continued. He stood up, rising until he was eye level with his garnet-eyed nemesis.

Dilandau smiled. "Clever. But you'll have to go through me first."

"Okay," Van replied. He broke eye contact with Dilandau and felt the connection fizzle. He reached out and grabbed the unsuspecting Celena, shoving Dilandau aside. Dilandau returned with a well-placed trip and another blow to the head, but Van had Celena around the waist and simply rolled with the girl, stopping when he was on his back with Celena face-up on his chest. Gently he pressed right below Celena's ribcage.

"Bitch. You choose lowly tactics," Dilandau said in disgust, pressing a hand on top of his own bruised chest as he sank to the floor. His eyes bulged. Van knew he was only mildly discomforting the girl, but Dilandau should be in a satisfactory amount of pain.

"Merle, take her," Van ordered. Dilandau moved to rise, so Van pressed down harder, making Celena sigh in pain. Dilandau dropped, curling on his side making short, gasping noises.

Merle quickly scampered over and grabbed Celena by the hand. Van kissed her furry cheek swiftly as she rose and dragged Celena out the door.

"Be well, Van-sama!" she called. Van stood up and watched Dilandau rise to his feet, unhindered by his counterpart. Van knew he couldn't let him gain any ground. Dilandau was highly adaptable, and would soon learn to tolerate Celena's pain and weaknesses so that he could fight at 100% all of the time.

So Van charged the albino. He knew that he had the upper hand on Dilandau in wrestling (he had after all, had to wrestle with Balgus). The other boy specialized in guymelef warfare, burning, and had a talent for fighting with daggers as Van's cheek proved. Dilandau surprised him, however, by charging him at the same time Van did. The boys clashed into each other at full speed. Dilandau should have overpowered Van since he had momentum and adrenaline on his side, but he was having trouble breathing and took the blow harder.

Yet both bounced back with amazing resiliency. Dilandau threw logic and strategy into the wind (as only he can do) and simply followed his survival instinct. Van braced himself as Dilandau came at him, throwing punches every which way, but he made sure he retaliated in the same fashion. A couple of head blows knocked him on his ass, but Van swung his legs around tripped the pale boy, landing a punch on his side. As Dilandau fell, he heard the hoof-beats of Merle's carriage horses and he smiled. He had won.

"I do believe I broke your rib," Van said a little slurredly. Dilandau had a knack for smacking people in the head and Van found he had partway bitten through his tongue.

"I do believe I broke your heart," Dilandau retorted, wheezing. Van winced.

The two lay quietly for a moment, both too exhausted to think about killing each other. Right now, all either could manage was an insult.

"I see you're not back up to your regular strength. How disappointing," Van slurred. He rolled over and spit out a mouthful of blood.

"And I see you're not back up to your regular sanity. How interesting," Dilandau replied. He sat up painfully, as did Van. Both sat glaring at each other, not asking-but thinking-the same question:

What do we do now?

"I will kill you," Dilandau said. He stared at the older boy blankly. Van saw in a solitary twitch of an eyelash, Dilandau begin to doubt himself. Then the albino suddenly shot forward, wrapping his hands around Van's neck. "I will kill you!"

Van didn't doubt that. Frantically he tried pulling Dilandau's hands off his neck, but the combination of his head injuries and the lack of oxygen was complicating things. He made the last-ditch effort of closing his eyes and faking unconsciousness.

A moment later Dilandau's hands fell from his neck.

"Just not…just not right now," he heard the boy whisper. Then Van felt a large weight being pressed on his body, and he knew Dilandau had passed out from exhaustion. For a moment Van let the boy lay there, making sure the soldier wasn't faking as well. As his heartbeat slowed and matched Dilandau's slow, wet breath on his neck, Van opened his eyes. He rolled over, letting Dilandau hit the ground below him. Van then fell once again onto his back and let his own exhaustion take over.

~*~

Gods, how it hurt. Dilandau touched a hand to his bruise, but it traveled to his heart. How dare Van take Celena away from him. She was the only person on this planet he gave a damn about. Yes, she was weak, yes, she was stupid and not to mention downright annoying, but Dilandau loved her nonetheless.

Dilandau stood up slowly. He was pleased to see his normal strength had almost returned. Now he had to deal with bruised-possibly broken-ribs. Then he would deal with the boy-king.

As Dilandau began wrapping a bandage around his lower ribs, he started to think. Van's little bout of insanity had disturbed him. The king's behavior reminded Dilandau of the time when he had began to slip due to the resurfacing Celena. And when their eyes had met, Dilandau had remembered the pain he had been in and understood that Van was going through the same thing. Van was loosing control, just like he had.

"Doesn't feel too good, does it buddy?" Dilandau whispered coldly. Van had surprised him again. Usually the boy's personality and behavior were fairly predictable. He wound the last bandage and walked over to Van.

"Get up," he commanded. He nudged Van's still form with his boot. The other boy opened his cinnamon eyes. His pupils were dilated.

"Would you just leave me alone for one minute?" Van growled. Dilandau felt his temper rise. He bent over and hauled Van to his feet. He held the boy-king by his shoulders and shook him roughly. This wouldn't do.

"Stop bitching and snap out of it!" Dilandau yelled furiously into Van's face. "I know you are stronger then this and I am never wrong. If you are going to make your threat about Celena real then you had better toughen up and deal with me. I do not tolerate weakness. If you can't deal, then God help me, I'll take you down in the blink of an eye for acting like such a barbaric pissant. And that really ruins my mood and makes me pissed that I had to resort to senseless slaughter and missed out on a good fight. Once that happens I will take back Celena and torch your sex kitten and your stupid primitive country!"

Dilandau shoved the other boy away, his eyes on fire. He hadn't yelled at someone like that since he had trained the Dragonslayers. Van steadied himself and then took a deep breath. His eyes and face radiated a new intensity. He bent down and retrieved two daggers from his suitcase. The darker boy chucked one directly at Dilandau's head. He reached out and caught it with flourish.

"I will deal with this right now. This will end," Van said in a deadly tone. He began circling Dilandau.

"About fucking time!" Dilandau replied, "Let's do this." He began circling as well. Van would expect him to charge, but Dilandau could (occasionally) be patient. Let Van make the first move.

Unfortunately, Van looked like he had the exact same idea on his mind. The two kept circling; Van waiting for Dilandau to become impatient, Dilandau stubbornly digging in his heels.

"Aren't you going to come at me? Or are we going to just sit here playing 'Ring Around the Rosy?'" Van taunted. Dilandau smiled.

"You still can't charge, can you? You never could come at a person aggressively enough to make them think you were serious," he flung back.

"Oh really?" Van asked. He then broke his circling and ran at Dilandau. This time he did look convincing. Van swung at Dilandau's head, but he ducked and slashed at Van's stomach. The king jumped back and kicked at Dilandau's dagger, hitting the blade out of his hand. Dilandau jumped into the air and grabbed the blade, throwing it at Van's head with full force. He completed his air acrobatics by flipping forwards, landing behind him.

"How pretty," Van said, dodging the blade so it grazed his shoulder instead of impaling him in the head. Dilandau swooped up with the blade as it hit the ground, meeting the downward swing of Van's own dagger. He wrenched free of Van and rolled away, springing up on his feet. Van threw his dagger directly at his heart. Dilandau ducked and the dagger flew through Allen's shirt and tacked him to the wall.

"Smooth," he commented. He jerked forward, ripping Allen's shirt. He charged at Van, but the shirt stopped ripping and made him lose a second or two as he tugged again. That was all Van needed.

The Fanelian boy met his charge and grabbed the fist of Dilandau's dagger hand. He thrust his weight against him, pinning him against the wall. Van took the dagger from his hand, and put against Dilandau's throat.

Goddamn Allen and his stupid starched shirt. Look, an alliteration. This is not good.

"Was that aggressive enough?" Van asked. He wound the ripped shirt of Allen's around Dilandau's free hand, entangling him in the fabric.

"I've seen better," Dilandau replied, grimacing at the pain in his chest. Van was rubbing against his ribs. The boy frowned and Dilandau felt the pressure on the blade increase and cut into his skin. But then, the pressure ceased, and Van began shaking his head.

"I'm not going to fight you anymore," Van said, "Fight solves nothing. Gaea needs peace. I learned that from the Great War. I am not going to succumb to stupid bloodshed again."

Dilandau blinked. "What?"

"I'm not going to kill you," Van replied. Dilandau looked into his eyes and saw that he was telling the truth.

"You're going to have to if you don't want to die yourself. You must be insane if you think you can keep me tied to a bed forever. You're going to have to kill me. I don't care what your Mystic Moon slut told you, but fighting has always solved my problems," Dilandau spat.

"Goddamnit! You cannot resolve everything by burning it to smoking bits! Not everything works that way! That's the edge I have over you Dilandau, I can do much more then be a mindless killing machine," Van retorted. The words stung.

"You have no edge over me. I'm not a mindless killing machine, and you know that. Now, since your threat does not hold true, I'm going to go and collect Celena and get the hell out of here," Dilandau said. He noticed the window to his right. Maybe…

"You are not going anywhere. I am going to make you into a decent person. Hitomi always saw the good in people, and I am going to find it in you. I won't kill Celena. But I can make her hate you, make her turn against you. She's the one who can beat you Dilandau. Right now you and I are on the same level, I just happened to win this time. But she can kick your ass," Van said.

"Damn you," Dilandau hissed. Van had struck a chord. "There isn't any good in me to find. I am a constructed evil military genius. I cannot love, I cannot care."

"That's not true. You love Celena. You cared for the Dragonslayers. I heard you talking to Dalet's father in the pub," Van said. He leaned into Dilandau's ear, making him feel claustrophobic. "And I have seen it myself. I don't think you could pull off that act of Celena's when I was here without some truth to it."

"You are a sick fuck," Dilandau whispered back, "Hitomi is gone, Van. Gone. She didn't want you. She went back to the Mystic Moon and left you here. And as for Celena, you're searching for a person that doesn't exist."

Van pulled back and looked Dilandau in the eyes, searching him. Dilandau began to struggle to get out of his grasp.

"I can see it."

"I don't care if you can or not," Dilandau replied. "Because in a few seconds, neither you or I will be here to find out."

Van's faced blanched. Dilandau took a chance; he leaned forward and planted the most passionate kiss he could manage on Van's mouth (which was hard with a blade pressed to his throat). It was full of heat and told the truth that lay in Dilandau's heart, even if he didn't yet know it himself. The small amount of love and caring Celena had left radiated through his lips and into Van's mouth.

"Dilandau," Van breathed as the pale boy broke away. Dilandau felt Van's grip loosen, and he snapped his arm out from where the dagger held it and wrapped the arm around Van's waist.

"Goodbye," Dilandau whispered. He lunged to the side and hit the window with full force, smashing it to pieces. He was the only one worthy of taking his own life. As Dilandau began to fly through the air, Van in his arms, he let out one harsh chuckle.

I will end this Van. I will have the last laugh.

And then Dilandau closed his eyes and prepared to meet his maker.

~*~

Van didn't even register what was going through Dilandau's mind until the pair was busting through the window of his room. Then everything Dilandau had said and done made perfect sense. And then Van realized what was about to happen.

He chucked the dagger away quickly and shut his eyes as he felt his wings explode from his back. He had just found what he wanted and he wasn't going to lose it. Furiously Van pumped his wings, slowing his and Dilandau's deadly plummet. He wouldn't have enough time to stop the fall, but at least it wouldn't hurt too much this way.

Van hit the ground, bracing himself with one arm. The impact jarred him a little, but nothing extraordinarily painful. Dilandau's grip on him fell away, his weight transferring to the ground and crushing Van's hands between his back and the grass.

"Gods," Van gasped, touching his head briefly to Dilandau's chest. Spreading his wings took a lot out of him. Dilandau opened his eyes.

"Holy shit, I guess I made it to Heaven after all," Dilandau said in wonder. He looked up at Van with awe. "And they give me an angel that looks like Van. Figures."

"You should learn to be more appreciative for your good fortune," Van said, amused by his comment. Dilandau reached out boldly and touched one of Van's wings. He ran his hand along the top of one, feeling the downy whiteness.

"These feel so real," he whispered. A feather drifted down and he caught it, rubbing it against his face. Then a frown glanced across his face. "I'm not dead, am I."

Van took a necessary precaution and wrapped his free arm around Dilandau's and then tucked his hand around the boy's back.

Then he shook his head, smiling. "Not by a long shot."

"Damn it! I can't even commit suicide without you intervening! That's it! That's the last straw! I'm going to rip you from limb to limb!" Dilandau shouted. He tried to push against Van, but he found he was pinned by the boy's arms, which he was pinning down by lying on them.

"Why in the hell would you do something like that? There is nothing more cowardly then taking your own life," Van replied.

"Shut up and get off me. I'm going to pluck you like a chicken, boil you, and eat you for dinner. And then I'm going to burn your bones, cover them with dirt, and then burn them again! Goddamnit get off me!" Dilandau fumed. Van grew tiresome as the boy continued threatening him with tales of burning his various body parts.

"For god sakes, shut up!" Van finally said in exasperation. To his amazement, Dilandau did. The silver-haired boy's eyes turned cold, and they moved to look at his wings in…not awe, but something else. What is he thinking? Van wondered.

"Draconian," Dilandau affirmed. His voice sounded triumphant. Van nodded. "Get off me," Dilandau then restated.

"Oh shit," Van sighed. He lay down fully on Dilandau in defeat, resting his head on the soldier's chest. Then a thought struck him. "I'm not moving until you calm down," he said.

"If you don't get off me, I'm going to kill you," Dilandau retorted, his muscles tensing.

"Now where have I heard that before?" Van mumbled. "If you were going to kill me, you would have done it before. Besides, if you really wanted me off you, I'm sure you could buck me off or eventually squirm out of my grasp."

"I'd puncture a lung if I did that," Dilandau said in frustration.

"Then we'll just lay here for a little while," Van replied, smiling.

"Fuck!" Dilandau exclaimed, his retort lacking its usual eloquence. Van took the opportunity and relaxed, curling his wings around him, creating an absurd canopy above him and Dilandau.

"Relax," Van commanded after a few minutes.

"Pigeon," said Dilandau. Van felt the younger boy loosen up a little bit. When Dilandau had gone completely limp, he sat up, slipping his hands from underneath Dilandau and re-pinned the boy's arms above his head. Surprisingly, Dilandau didn't protest. His blood-red eyes were dull.

Dilandau, Van realized, was defeated.

Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can actually try Hitomi's way of doing things, and I can succeed!

"Dilandau?" Van asked cordially, wanting to start a new relationship on the right foot.

"Big pigeon," Dilandau replied. His voice was low and hollow. Van rolled his eyes and decided to get to the point.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked softly.

"Big, stinking pigeon."

"You're not being helpful. Did you kiss me to tease me? To hurt me even more then you already have?" Van pressed. He leaned in closer. Come on Dilandau, was it something more? Was that person I knew in Celena shining through?

"Big, fucking, stinking pigeon," said Dilandau.

Van sighed. He switched tactics.

"What made you do it? You're supposed to hate me, remember?" Van mused, more to himself then the albino. Gently he leaned down and brushed his lips to Dilandau's in hopes of getting something out of the boy.

Dilandau closed his eyes. "I. Hate. Pigeons."

"Why…why are you so angry?" Van whispered. His heart felt sad.

Garnet eyes flashed open.

"Because I am a monster! A perfect bloodthirsty killing machine! But I'm a malfunctioning creation, aren't I? I'm not perfect because I can't beat you. You always win, Pigeon. I hate you! I hate you! I fucking hate you!" Dilandau screamed. He tried to rise, but fell against the ground in pain. He writhed for a moment and then lay deathly still, his anger gone as quickly as it had came.

Van swallowed thickly. Had he been fooled again?

"I'm sorry," he said lamely. Dilandau gave a classic smirk and then his eyes dulled and his face turned into a mask of sorrow. Van felt him go completely limp.

"Damn pigeons," was all he said.

Van sighed. He took in Dilandau's dead eyes, his slack body. It reminded him of when he had first seen his brother's face on the Vione so many colors ago. So broken and sad, like his reality and hope had just been shattered. Van took a chance and brushed some of Dilandau's ash-colored locks away from his eyes. The strands felt like silk.

And then Van let go.

He got up from his knees and stood above the pale boy. Dilandau turned on his side and closed his eyes like a broken thing. Van bent down and picked Dilandau up like he would his bride. The soldier didn't protest in the slightest.

Van then took a deep breath and then jumped into the air, pumping his wings to lift him. Slowly he rose above the manor and pine trees and finally into the clouds. Dilandau didn't stir. He felt his cheek twitch in irritation.

So he dropped him.

Van simply put his arms down without any warning whatsoever. The instant he did so he felt Dilandau's hand snap onto his shoulder and another wrap firmly around his waist. Inwardly he jumped for joy. Outwardly, he put his arms around Dilandau to support him.

"Nice trick, Pigeon," Dilandau said, his breath whistling in Van's ear.

Van stared at the perfect alabaster skin of Dilandau's shoulder. "So I take it you're not suicidal anymore."

"I plead temporary insanity," he replied.

"Temporary?" Van asked. He couldn't resist.

Dilandau said nothing and Van then decided he didn't want to push his luck. He folded his wings and dropped sharply towards the roof. Dilandau flinched and held on tighter at the movement. Van smiled and then flapped his wings like sails so that he landed smoothly on the roof.

"Don't you ever…ever…do that again," Dilandau said darkly, muttering in Van's ear. He let go of the king and stepped back. His hand was on his chest, and Van saw that he was wheezing slightly.

The thinner air must have made it hard on him. Van grimaced and retracted his wings, feeling extremely tired all of a sudden.

"I think you outweigh me," he said. He sat-or rather, fell-down on the rooftop.

"I would think so," Dilandau said. He sat down in front of Van, folding his arms across his chest.

Defiant as always.

"What do we do now?" Van asked.

Dilandau sighed. "You're not going to kill me, are you." It was a statement, not a question. Van answered it nonetheless.

"No."

"Then you have officially fucked all my plans," Dilandau replied.

"I would have fucked with them more if I would have killed you," Van pointed out. Dilandau snorted and lay down. "What were your plans?"

"Kill Allen, separate from Celena, kill you, kill the Madoushi, and go find a war," Dilandau said in a cryptic tone. His disposition was hard to judge. Van realized that the soldier was experiencing something he'd never thought would happen: total defeat. He also saw that Dilandau trying to deal with the idea that Van didn't hate him. Throughout his entire life, Dilandau had only been surrounded by people who had either felt extreme loyalty or extreme hatred towards him. Now he was without someone who depended on him, and Van didn't hate him.

Van scooted a little closer, the sensitive side of him that Hitomi had found taking over. "What about Celena?" he asked.

"She would be taken care of, don't worry. I'd make sure her life was completely separate from mine. Anyway, she's too much of a handicap to have around," Dilandau replied. He stood up and began walking away.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Van called, scrambling to his feet. He feared another lethal jump.

"Getting off this damn roof. I'm getting sunburned."

"What do you mean, 'sunburned?'" Van had never heard of such a thing.

"The sunlight is burning my skin, dumbshit. You're a very tan individual and because of your darker skin tone, you probably have never burned. I however, have the palest skin on the planet and will be turning bright red any second now," Dilandau replied impatiently. He crouched on the edge of the roof, eyeing a tree.

"Oh," Van said. He looked down at his own bronze chest and then at Dilandau's pale, milk-white one. Van once more focused his energy and spread his wings. Dilandau turned and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing, Pigeon?" he asked.

"Getting you off the this roof. I'd rather take you down then have you slip and fall trying to climb in a window."

Dilandau said nothing and walked up to Van, staring at his wings as if seeing them for the first time. He looked up and then ran his hand along the top of one wing. Van shivered and flicked it back reflexively, making Dilandau jump back a good 10 feet.

"It tickles," he explained, unable to hide a smile.

Dilandau's red eyes glared at him venomously and then he walked around Van's wings until he was behind him. The Draconian tensed. Then he felt Dilandau's hands at the base of his wings. They ran along his back, feeling around the connection between the feathery appendages and his skin. Then the hands left, and Van held his breath.

After a moment, Van felt Dilandau's arms slide around his waist. The albino's slippery, silky skin touched his back and Van knew he was being hugged from behind. Dilandau put his forehead on Van's shoulder.

"I can't do it. I can't kill you," he whispered in Van's ear. The winged boy felt Dilandau's hands clench, and he looked down and saw a sharp and nasty looking piece of roof tile in the pale grasp.

"Believe it or not," Van whispered, putting his hand on Dilandau's wrist and his other curling around his cheek, "that's a good thing." Carefully he retracted his wings and turned around. Dilandau stared at him with a bewildered look in his eyes, like a lost child. Van put his arms around the taller boy's neck and pulled him close. He couldn't resist running one hand through the soldier's silver tresses.

Dilandau let one harsh sob escape his lips, but no tears came. Van held him a little closer, his new scar pressing against Dilandau's old one. After a moment, he began softly humming a Fanelian lullaby Folken had taught him.

Halfway through, Dilandau interrupted him in a brittle voice, "You're tone-deaf, Pigeon."

Van smiled as he felt the tile in Dilandau's hands slip and clatter on the rooftop.

And then he began humming again.

~*~