The White King and Dark Lord Mage: part two
by: Tiga Shadow & Van Donovan
duo@trowa.com || trowa@trowa.com

an Escaflowne / Weiß kreuz crossover
------------------------------------

	One week had passed exactly since Van's arrival on Earth.  They'd spent everyday 
trying to track down his friend Hitomi, but even with Omi doing a search through all the 
database names he could find, there was just no way to find the right Hitomi.  It wasn't
exactly as if they could throw down their other jobs to help Van, either.  As it was they
were on another mission again, Van along for the ride, being an apt enough swordsman.
	However, the mission was not going well.  It seemed simple enough.  A business man 
in one of the largest office complexes in Tokyo was the target.  His office was on the 
seventeenth floor out of Twenty-five. Unfortunately, there was no apparent way to GET to 
that floor.  Somewhere along the line, Ken'd gotten separated from everyone but Van, and 
they found themselves being chased up a stairwell.  Once they were on the roof, the guards 
seemed to disappear.  He let out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes momentarily, savoring 
the cool night air.  "Y'know . . . I think we're screwed over now." he but his lip, worried 
about the others.
	Van leaned over the edge of the roof, high winds tousling his hair.  Cool ruby eyes 
looked at Ken and he shook his head.  "Why? At least the guards've stopped chasing us."
	"Yeah, for the moment . . ."
	"We just need to get down to the seventeenth floor, right? If we're careful, we can 
go back down the stairs . . ."
	As soon as the words were out of Van's mouth, a guard steps out of the shadows and
advanced with a gun trained on them.  Ken steps back once, twice, then up onto the ledge
and the very edge of the building. The cement there was very unstable, and as soon as he put 
his full weight on it, it crumbled.  Ken, with wide-eyes, flailed his arms and fell. Wide 
eyed Van backed up too, seeing the man with the gun.  Ken'd explained, in detail, what a gun 
could do to a person.  His eyes went wide as he turned to the sound of the crumbling ledge 
and watched haunted as Ken's arms flailed and he fell.  He hissed, drew his sword and 
slashed the guards hand -off-. The man screamed and Van impaled his throat.  He ran to the 
edge re-sheathing his sword and leaspt off, unthinkingly. 
	"KEN!"  He dove, head first.  Altitude and his -desire- to fall let him catch up 
to Ken.  His shirt ripped as white arched through the air, and his strong arms grabbed 
around Ken's torso, clinging to him tightly.  Majestic white wings shuddered and flapped once 
against the added weight, but they ceased their decent.
	Ken, trembling, looked up, eyes huge.  "Dear God, are you an angel in disguise or 
something?" he'd clearly gone into shock.  Van tightened his hold on Ken, and shook his 
head, lowering his eyes.  Ken wasn't near as light as Hitomi, but he wouldn't let go of him 
for the world. 
	"Hold on to me, Ken." he strained, and flew haphazardly towards another nearby 
building with a flat roof that he could land on.  Somehow, in the darkness, no one had seen 
them.  He landed, both of them collapsing to their knees, and he still held Ken, alabaster 
feathers drifting in the wind.  The other wouldn't stop shaking.  "Shh."
	Ken just stared at him, his eyes dilated.  "I can't believe it . . . wings." he 
kept hold of Van tightly.
	Van swallowed tightly, both prideful and shameful of his dragon heritage.  His 
gloved hand gently stroked the back of Ken's head and he folded his wings back behind him. 
This time, there was no Merle to run up and hide him, or say anything else.  He felt his 
own heart pounding.  Within moments the wings shimmered as they folded up, and then vanished 
all together, like wisps, leaving him bare-chest still holding Ken.  "I didn't mean to,"
he swallowed at a hitch in his throat.  "frighten you."  Hell, Ken had frightened -him-. 
Did everyone he became friends with have to almost fall to their deaths?
	Ken smiled a little, with a wondering expression on his face.  "You didn't frighten 
me, you saved my life . . . arigatou, Van-kun.  I'd be a splatter on the road if you weren't
here." he said, admiringly. 
	Timidly, Van released Ken, falling onto his backside, looking to the side.  Despite 
his bravado he was really just a shy kid.  "I'm glad . . . I reacted fast enough."
	"I'm glad too." he took his jacket off and draped it around Van's shoulders.  "Here, 
wear this until we get home." he couldn't help but smile.  "Won't do to have you die of 
cold."  Van huddled in the jacket and kept his eyes lowered, burning with shame.  His heart 
ached.  Even in this world, away from Gaea and the legends of the Atlanteans wings obviously 
were an ominous thing.  Hitomi had wondered at them, and said they were beautiful, but 
. . . despite being able to save Ken's life because of them, the other seemed stunned and 
shocked by them.  He wondered if the other would throw him out, now that he knew his secret.
He couldn't force himself to stand.
	Ken seemed to sense the Van's hesitation and held his hand out.  "C'mon . . . let's 
get out of here . . . we can meet up with the others at the Koneko.  I should stay, but 
. . . I don't exactly feel up to it." he smiled weakly.
	Van accepted the hand, pulling himself to his feet and then slipped his arms through 
the jacket sleeves, unable to look the other in the face.  He didn't exactly feel up to it 
either.  He just wanted to crawl in a hole and sleep for a month.  Quietly, he followed Ken 
back to the flower shop.
	When they get home, Ken made sure the doors were locked, then went upstairs with Van 
and collapsed onto his sleeping bag, exhausted.  "Ngh . . . damn . . . I hurt . . ." Van 
followed Ken and went to his knees on the floor beside him. 
	"Did I bruise you?" He asked with a hint of sorrow in his voice, hands resting on 
his knees, not sure if he should go or stay.
	"Iya, it wasn't you at all." Ken opened one eye and grinned a little at him, still 
seeming good-natured.  "Just the general fighting. I get banged up more than the others 
because I have a close ranged weapon."
	Van just knelt there, looking down at him, wanting some sort of reaction, good or 
bad, from the other so he could know his standing. "I see."  He flatly said. No reaction was 
as good as negative reaction.  A moment longer and he'd leave.
	Ken opened his other eye and smiled brightly up at him.  "That was amazing, Van-kun! 
I mean . . . wow, you have wings!  They're so pretty.  I'd almost throw myself off a 
building to see them again." Ken laughed, to show he was teasing.
	Van flushed crimson in the light and kept his eyes lowered, unable to meet Ken's 
gaze.  "You're one of the only people to ever tell me that." He softly replied.
	"I like them." Ken smiled up at him.  "I really do." and he really meant that, too. 
Van's wings hadn't scared him at all.  In fact, they seemed to just . . . go right along 
with him.  Like it was completely natural for him to have wings.
	Van looked to the side and studied the wooden floors.  "I assume no one on Earth has 
wings, then? Hitomi called me an angel, too."
	"Iie, you're the only one . . . well, that I know of, at least . . . I think they're 
really, really neat . . ."
	Van's voice dropped to a soft tone.  "On Gaea, they're considered a curse."
	Ken blinked up at him.  "A curse? How can anything so beautiful be a curse?"
	Van clutched his pants leg, still unable to look up.  "My mother was of the dragon 
clan." as if that would explain everything.
	"It sounds amazing to me, though." Ken sat up slowly so as not to give himself a 
headache and crossed his legs, looking at Van.  "I don't think it's a bad thing at all."
	"Aa, but you didn't grow up on Gaea.  The Dragon clan are decedents of Atlanteans, 
the race of people who created Gaea, and then destroyed themselves." His tone dropped and 
his hair fell into his eyes, obscuring them.  "Association with them in considered bad 
fortune.  Many Fanelian citizens and council members feel Fanelia's fall is because of my 
mother and her children."  He seemed even younger now, like a child, speaking of hard times 
he'd had.   Ken reached out and put a comforting hand on Van's shoulder. 
	"There's nothing you can do if people want to blame you for who your parents are.
All you can do is show them that you aren't really like that. Eventually, they'll believe 
you." he smiled reassuringly.
	Van lifted his head, looking up at Ken's compassionate face as he spoke.  "I wish 
everyone on Gaea had as gentle heart as you do."
	Ken just smiled more.  "Well, there's no point in me being rude to you . . . and I'm 
telling the truth. They'll start loving you as soon as they're convinced that you're a good 
King . . . and you seem like one to me."
	Van nodded and looked down again.  "They do like me, and trust me.  But, it's still 
hard.  I . . . I've got a long way to go yet. It's difficult, by myself."
	Softly, Ken said: "I wish I could help you."
	Van tensed at the sound of the others voice.  He was really sincere.  "If . . . if 
you came back with me, you . . . could be there . . ." He wasn't exactly sure what he was
saying, but he desperately needed the other to go back with him now.
	Ken nodded slowly, the idea of having to leave Van forever was suddenly very 
daunting.  He didn't -want- to lose him.  "I . . . I'd like to go."
	Van smiled tightly and looked up at him.  "I'm happy, then."
	"Aa . . . so am I."  Ken said, smiling back.
	There was a long moment of silence then, the air ringing with it as Van knelt before 
Ken in an over sized jacket and jeans, and the other laid on the floor, looking up at him. 
He wasn't sure why he felt so flushed.
	Ken smiled faintly. "Aa, do you want a shirt, or . . . will you just keep the jacket
on?"  he tried to lighten the mood a bit.
	Van forced a small laugh.  "I'm sorry about that.  Aaa, a new one would be nice. I 
promise not to rip it, this time." He moved, shrugging out of the jacket, revealing lanky 
limps with small hard-pact muscles beneath tanned skin.
	Ken found himself flushed and looked away, at the dresser.  "Aa . . . third drawer 
down, take anyone you want."
	Van got to his feet and started for the drawer.  They'd been sharing clothing since 
he'd arrived, and neither one had thought anything of it.  Just now, it struck him as 
faintly odd.  He pulled out a shirt and tugged it on, looking back to Ken as he shut the 
drawer, noticing the other had a red tint to his cheeks.  He was only a year older than he'd 
been when he'd last seen Hitomi, but, he'd learned a lot since then. He'd grown up some, 
too.  He moved back to where'd he previously been.  "What . . . will you tell your friends, 
if you go with me?"
	Ken bit his lip.  "Nothing . . . I'm just going to go.  They wouldn't believe me."
	"You should tell them.  They'll worry." Van went down to his knees by him again.
	"Maybe . . , but, what can I say? 'Hey guys, I'm going to another planet and I have 
no idea when I'll be back'?" he snorted a little.  "That'll go over well."
	"You can . . . just tell them you're leaving. Maybe they would understand." Van 
smiled at him, knowing it wasn't true even as he said it.
	"Aa . . . I could do that . . ." he put his hands under his head and looked up at 
Van, studying him.
	Van looked back down at Ken and just sat there, a bit mesmerized by his kind green 
eyes.  Suddenly, he said.  "I'm . . . glad I met you."
	Ken blushed a bit.  "I'm glad I met you too." he looked up at him, wondering what 
he's thinking, captured by his crimson eyes.
	Van He held his gaze for a moment longer, then looked away, his cheeks tinting red. 
"I have to admit though, you tend to make . . .me nervous.  I'm not sure why."
	Ken blinked.  "Nervous?  Why?" he grinned.  "Could it possibly be because you've 
seen me kill in cold blood, giving no warning first?"
	Van chuckled, glad for the release in tension, but:  "No. No, that isn't it."
	Ken laughed.  "No?  What, then?"
	"I said I don't know." Van smiled sheepishly.  "I'm just a fool, I guess. I don't 
even understand my own feelings."
	Ken shook his head, still laughing a little.  "I've never really made anyone nervous 
before." he thought it was amusing.
	"Well, you have now." He replied, undaunted.  "A King, no less."
	Ken grinned. "Should I feel proud of myself, then?"
	Van he crossed his arms and looked away.  "Huh. See if I ever tell you my feelings 
again.  You're mean."
	Ken laughed and sat up.  "Aw, I'm just teasing you."
	Van, sounding somewhat more genuinely hurt he retorts, arms still crossed, looking 
away.  "I don't appreciate you teasing me."
	Ken, still smiling, answered.  "I didn't mean to offend.  Honest."
	Van eyed him from the corner of his eyes and smirked.  "Liar."
	"What if I am?" Ken asked, grinning.
	Van smirked and mock-drew his sword. "I detest liars.  I'll cut off your head!"
	Ken laughed and playfully took a defensive stance.  "After you went to all the 
trouble to save me from becoming roadkill?"
	Van eyed him between falling locks of ebony hair.  "Just so I could kill you 
myself." he stood up, holding his imaginary sword out.  "I'll take great pride in skewering 
your lying carcass on my whetted blade."
	Dramatically, Ken retorted: "'Tis better to die for King and Country than it is to 
fall off a building and splatter all over the road!"
	The other laughed and added, like he was a learned Shakespearean actor.  "Have at 
you then!"  And lunged at Ken with his invisible blade, the tension of the moments before 
having gone completely.
	Ken parried with an invisible staff.  "But, on top of that, it's better not to die 
at all." he laughed and grinned.
	"Big talk for one so full of untruths!" Van retorted and swung around, showing a 
fine aptitude despite his lack of weapon.  It was obvious that with a blade he'd know what he 
was doing.  He cut down, stopping as if he encountered an invisible parry.  "To die is the 
greatest adventure of them all."
	Ken pushed the blade back so they both had their arms over their head and grinned at 
him.  "I've been told that there are greater adventures than death."
	Van grinned back, muscles on his arms straining against an invisible weight.  "I will 
not be had by your corruptness!" He said, smirking, his foot biting into the floorboards as 
he kept himself braced.
	Ken grinned ferally.  "Oh?  Maybe I'll have to show you how wonderful being corrupt 
is."  he debated on whether or not tickling the smaller boy would be a good idea.
	Van pressed forward, as if knocking his staff away and then lunged again, hoping to 
drive his imaginary sword into Ken's belly.  "Never!"
	Ken danced around him and grabbed him from behind, tickling him lightly and 
laughing.  "Don't drop your sword!"
	Van's eyes went open and a bubble of laugher burst from his lips.  He'd never been 
tickled before.  "Ahahaa!!" He squirmed, hitting lightly on Ken's offending hands, the fake 
sword forgotten. "Aah!  Wretcherous villain!"  He laughed more, trying to pull away.  "Aah, 
I've been caught in a snare of corruption.  Release me you cretin!"  but he just laughed and 
squirmed more.
	Ken laughed with him, not relenting.  "Looks like you fell right into my trap, your 
majesty!  Now you have no choice but to become one of us!!"  he kept tickling him.
	Van tried to turn around in Ken's arm to tickle him back but couldn't help, just 
laughing and bending, unable to retort with a witty comment.  He was laughing too hard to 
even think properly.  Ken kept tickling him for a few minutes more, then released him and
declared dramatically.  "Now you're one of us!" and burst out laughing all over again.
	Van stood there panting, laughing still.  "How wretched."  he panted and bent, 
picking up his fake dropped sword.  "Death is better than to be come one so low as you." He 
held the blade to his gut, backwards, as if he were going to mock attempt-suicide.  "I'll 
never join you!"
	"Even in death, you can't escape us!  Once you're one of us, you're one of us 
forever!" Ken grinned wickedly at him
	 Van eyed him lazily with his hands still on the hilt.  In a complete break of 
character he mutters. "So even if I kill myself you'll own my soul?" he rolled his eyes.
	"Basically, yeah." Ken answered, grinning.
	Resuming character Van spun around, drew his sword again and held it out.  "Then, I 
shall purify you, to release you from the sins of corruption."  He touched his false blade 
to one of Ken's shoulders and began to speak.  "I, Van Fanel, King of Fanelia, by the powers 
of the White Dragon God Escaflowne," he began, the enchantment sounding one-hundred-percent
real.  He raised the blade over Ken's head and dubbed his other shoulder. "do hereby 
denounce the demons in one Hidaka Ken and sanctify his soul so that he may be released from 
such immoral corruption."  He pulled back, grinning broadly, re-sheathing his toy sword. "It 
is done."
	Blinking, Ken said. "I don't feel any different.' He laughed.  "Besides, I'm the 
Dark Lord Mage.  I'm not possessed, I'm the one that does the possessing in the first place!"
	Van snickered and punched him in the arm.  "You're terrible."
	Ken grinned.  "Thanks." he bowed deeply with a flourish.  "I try."
	Van bopped Ken's head and crossed his arms.  "Just don't go telling the High Council 
members your the Dark Lord Mage. I have no doubt they'd believe you."
	Grinning, Ken rubbed his head.  "I'm not gonna tell them that.  Would they seriously 
believe me?"
	"Aa, I don't know but they'd use it as an excuse to have you sacrificed or 
something." He rubbed the back of his head, looking around the room again.  "Despite all 
Hitomi did for Gaea, there are still too many who think only misfortune is brought by those 
	Ken nodded slowly.  "I don't have any real mage powers.  I can't really do anything 
but fight.  I'm afraid there won't be much -I- can do for Gaea . . ."
	Van smiled reassuringly.  "Everything you do to make me happy helps Fanelia, and it 
helps Gaea." His face went serious and stepped closer to him, looking up into his vibrant 
green eyes, studying him. "Ken," he softly said, smiling. "right now, I want you to always 
be by my side.  So that . . . we can always be together.  I . . . I want . . . I want you!" 
He stepped back a little, smiling.  "I want your happiness in my Kingdom!" but it hadn't 
been a proclamation of love, or even -like-, just that he was a King and wanted Ken around 
to make him happy.  He just smiled up at him.
	Ken blinked, dumbfounded, unsure of how to take this, and blushed.  He figured that
Van just meant it as friendship and took it for face value.  "I'd . . . enjoy sticking 
around." he smiled, nodding.  "You're a good friend."
	Young innocence exuded from Van's smile as he grinned back up, completely enraptured 
with Ken's answer.  He -was- younger than Omi, and, at the moment he looked it.  "See, you 
make me happy already." He grinned, and danced back on his heels, jubilantly.
	Ken smiled, happy at Van's happiness.  "Well, good!  I like making people happy."
	Van laughed and backed up, tripping and fell onto the bed, sitting.  He chuckled, 
looking up at Ken.  "I hope all my council members like you."
	Ken plopped down onto his sleeping bag and looked up at him.  "Why not?  Because I'm
from Earth?"
	"Exactly." Van shook his head and stood up again.  "It's been a week since I've been 
here, Ken. I'm more like your brother than a guest now.  Take your bed back.  I don't mind
sleeping on the floor."
 	Ken grinned and shook his head.  "Iie, I like sleeping on the floor, and you like 
sleeping in the bed. It works."
	"Don't cross me, Ken, get in the bed."
	Ken shook his head.  "I told you already, you can sleep wherever you want to, I'm 
staying on the floor."
	"Damn you, Ken." he grumbled and stalked over to him, bent down and grabbed him with 
thin but strong arms.  He proceeded to attempt to drag Ken into the bed.  "You make . . . 
everything so . . . difficult."
	Ken made himself limp and hard to carry, and he laughed up at him.  "It's my room."
	"I don't care." the other growled, leaning back with all his weigh, pulling Ken's
dead weight towards the bed.  "I'll . . . not tolerate you . . . . sleeping on the floor." 
he growled and pulled harder, almost to the bed.
	Ken chuckled and knocked Van's legs out from under him.  "Silly brat."
	"Aa!" he growled and pulled on Ken to keep his balance, but he still fell backwards,
pulling Ken down with him.  Instead of hitting the cold hard floor like he'd braced for, he
fell onto his back on the bed, pulling Ken on top of him.  "I'm not a brat." He murmured, 
once he realize they hadn't gotten hurt.
	Ken blinked, realizing the position they were in, and decided to move later and 
retort first. He grinned down at him.  "Yes you are."
	"That's not a wise thing to tell a King." He said, still breathing a little hard 
from having dragged him over. If he were conscious of the intimacy of their bodies, he didn't 
show it.  Van was the purest kind of virgin: he didn't even realize the situation.
	Ken laughed a little.  "What can you do to me here, though?  We're on my turf, not 
yours."  he rubbed it in.
	"I still have a sword." the other muttered and relaxed a bit, finding it strange Ken 
didn't get off of him, but not overly minding.  He wasn't hurting him, after all.  Besides, 
Ken smelt nice, and Van enjoyed the closeness.  "Besides, I can always wait to punish you 
until we get back."
	"Maybe I should rethink my plans of going back with you." he said, smirking.
	Van smiled up at him and shook his head.  "You're committed, now."
	"If you're gonna kill me when we get there, what's the point of me going?" he asked,
laughing, eyes dancing.
	Van looked past Ken's head and then back at him.  "Fine." he said with mock 
disappointment.  "I won't kill you."
	Ken laughed again.  "Well, good! I can sleep easier now."
	Van grinned at that.  "Good, and you can start, by sleeping on this bed." He 
smirked, grinning up.  "Since you're already on it."
	"You're on it too, though, and in case you didn't notice, I'm on top of you." Ken
said, chuckling.
	"Of course I noticed.  What does that have to do with anything?" Van looked a little
surprised, then his hands went up and wrapped around Ken's middle.  "A-ha, you're thinking 
of getting away!  Well, I won't let you!"
	Ken felt his face heat up and just knew he was blushing.  "Ahehe . . . well, you may 
not have much of a choice. I'm the Dark Lord Mage, remember?"
	Van titled his head, watching Ken's face go red and wondered at it.  He wasn't 
holding too tightly, was he? He swallowed, as if sensing a tension rise in Ken.  He chuckled 
at the Mage idea again.  "I've already been corrupted.  Now I'm as bad as you, so your title 
means nothing."
	Laughing, but it's a bit weak.  "Aa, maybe so."
	Van loosened his hands until he was barely touching him.  Perhaps Ken was ill or 
something.  If he -really- need to get up, he'd let him.  His voice dropped its 
haughtiness.  "What's wrong?  You went all red."
	Ken blinked, then blushed more  and looked away.  "N-nandemonai!"
	He let him go, hands dropping to his sides, his brows beetling.  What had he said? 
"Ken?" Van knew something was wrong. Was it . . . what?  He realized Ken was -blushing-.  
Had he embarrassed him?  "I'm . . . I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say.
	"Sorry? What for?" Ken asked, blinking.
	"I don't know. I must have said something to embarrass you. You're red as a beet."
He commented, looking up at him.
	"Oh. Ohhh." he blushed again and rolled off of Van, noticing how cold it was in the 
room, and how warm Van had been.  "Haven't you ever . . . held anyone before?"
	Van just stared at the ceiling, remaining as he was on his back.  "Held someone?"
He swallowed and looked over to Ken, as if just realizing how exactly they'd been situated. 
Part of him longed for Ken's warmth pressing into him again.  "Not . . . never with anything 
more than . . . in friendship." He looked back to the ceiling.  "I held Hitomi once, before 
she went back to Earth." He softly said, and then drew his arms around him.  "But she still 
left."  he seemed sad.
	Ken bit his lip and nodded slowly, rolling onto his side and facing Van.  "I'm not 
leaving."  he looked at the other, seriously.
	Van turned his head, looking at Ken beside him on the bed.  He'd never been on a bed 
with someone else before.  Well, Folken when they were little and his brother would read to 
him, or Merle when she was scared, but . . . never like this.  He felt Ken's words were 
speaking deeper than what he was reading them at.  "Why did you blush?"  He asked, very 
coolly, looking at him.
	"Eh . . . er, well . . ." Ken blinked, and then blushed a little.  "I haven't . . .
been so close to anyone like that in a long time . . . and never to another guy."
	Van just looked at him, watching his face go red again.  He looked away, turning his 
head to stare at the ceiling.  He had blushed a few times before, himself, but . . . never 
because he'd been so close to someone.  Softly, he added.  "You didn't want to roll off." it 
wasn't really a question.
	"I . . ."  he found himself at a loss for words.  Van was beautiful, nice, funny, 
and kind . . . and although.  He could be a real arrogant asshole at times, but Ken found 
that his other qualities tended to make up for that shortcoming. How could he tell Van that 
he was attracted to him?
	Van moved, to sit up, resting his hands between his knees, looking at the floor and 
the sleeping bag there. He waited for Ken to speak.
	"What can I say to that?" Ken finally asked, quietly.
	Van felt lonely.  He wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that, himself, or what
sort of answer he was expecting.  "You can tell me the truth." he  finally stated, flat, but
he didn't sound angry, or, disgusted.
	Ken bit his lip for a minute while he thought of what to say, and then phrased it 
carefully.  "I . . . I like you."
	The king went a little stiff and held a breath, waiting for Ken to finish this 
sentence with something more like "I like you -- when 
you smile" or something.  But, it didn't come.  He turned at the waist, looking at the man 
laying on the bed beside him, feeling his heart murmuring rapidly in his chest.
	Ken was studying the bedspread like it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen 
in his life.  Van bit his lower lip, and didn't know what to say to that.  He swallowed 
thickly, his voice quieter.  "Ken . . . no body's ever . . ."
	"I . . . I'm sorry." he bit his lip and closed his eyes.
	Van watched the other seemingly recoil in pain and shook his head.  "It's not a bad 
thing, Ken."  He sputtered, looking at him.  "I've just never . . . been told that before." 
He swallowed again, turning on the bed more, to face him.  "I don't know how to respond.  But
it's not a bad thing." he wanted to reassure him.
	Ken opened his eyes slowly and looked at him, speaking hesitantly.  "What about 
Hitomi?"  he watched Van's reaction.
	Van looked at Ken and shook his head.  She -had- said liked him, but . . . it hadn't 
felt the same.  He looked back down to his hands between his knees on the edge of the bed.  
"I . . . I don’t know."
	"Will you go to her when you find her?" Ken asked, propping himself up on one arm.
	Van looked down, blankly.  "I'd . . . I'd like to . . . but, I know she can't give 
up . . . her life here to go with me."
	Ken nodded slowly.  So he was in love with Hitomi, or thought he was.  Well, then 
. . . Ken wouldn't press the issue at all.  He'd just let his feelings fade away.  
Hopefully.  "Why not?"
	"Because she's got a family and life here.  She can't leave it all to go with me 
to some other planet. She's . . . got too many ties here, I guess." He didn't really 
understand.  If it had been at all possible for him to leave Gaea for her, he would have. 
"I do like her, Ken.  I do.  But . . . I know not to expect anything from her.  Besides, 
it's too hard.  Neither of us wants the pain of loving from such a distance." He gritted his 
teeth, hands balling into fists.  "I can't even find her when I come looking."
	Softly, Ken said.  "I think if she knew you were here . . . she'd be happy to see
you again."  Van looked at Ken, and seemed to be reasoning with his feelings inside. 
	"She would, of course . . . but she still wouldn't go back with me." he rested his 
hand on the bed holding himself up.  "You would . . . and I hardly know you."
	"Well . . . I want to see what your planet is like.  And after what you've told me 
about your country . . . I want to help, if I can." he smiled a bit.
	"You want to go, even if I . . ." and, he couldn't complete the sentence, because he 
didn't know how he felt, exactly towards Ken.
	"Even if you think you can do it all by yourself and that you don't need help?  Aa."
	Van smiled wanly.  "That wasn't what I was thinking."
	Ken laughed, smiling faintly.  "No?"
	Van wasn't one to beat around the bush.  "I'm not sure how I feel about you, Ken." 
He simply stated, and looked back to him, his eyes running over his features. The sentence 
alone could reinstall hope in the other.  "You . . . you can understand how sudden this is, 
for me. Can't you?"
	Ken nodded and rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling.  "It's sudden for 
me, too. I'm not sure how I feel about you either, other than what I said."
	Van looked down at his hands, and wondered.  "I -do- like you, Ken.  I don't have 
many friends.  Even though I've just known you a short time, I feel very comfortable with 
you.  We're close.  But . . . I guess since I've never really been with someone before, 
I . . . can't identify my feelings, exactly." he sighed, and looked to him.  "Does that 
sound conceited?"
	Ken shook his head.  "Iya, it doesn't." he could understand where Van was coming 
from. After all, he didn't even know himself how he -really- felt about the boy.  He just 
knew he found him attractive.
	Van smiled at him, the nice kind smile he always had prepared. "Good, I'm glad." He 
said with a sigh looking at him and shook his head.  "I know I'm not going to be able to 
find Hitomi.  I've been gone too long from Fanelia already.  I need to get back." he looked 
at Ken in silence for a moment, and nodded his head.  "So, when you're ready, I'd like to
go."  he waited for the other's reply.
	"I'm ready whenever you are." he grinned suddenly wondering if he really -is- ready.
	"No you're not.  You need to tell your friends.  And . . . there has to be things 
you want to bring."
	Ken shook his head.  "I don't want to tell them.  It's best for them to think I died 
on the mission.  As for taking stuff . . ."  he got up and pulled out a duffel bag, putting 
in clothing and sheet music and his discman and several of his favorite CDs, and drags his 
violin case out from under the bed. and crammed in a soccer ball.  "I've got it all here!"
	"If you take stuff, they'll know you didn't die." Van stated, softly.  "Leave them a 
note.  Just tell them you're leaving and not coming back.  It will save them worry."
	Ken blinked.  "I might come back, I don't know." obligingly, he wrote note and left  
it on his bed for them to find.
	"Well, then." Van said, looking around.  He grabbed his sword and clipped it on, 
looking at Ken.  He felt sad that he'd come here and been unable to find Hitomi.  "Are you 
sure about this?"
	Ken nodded.  "Yeah, I'm very sure."
	Van'd been a fool not to bring an energist with him.  "All right," he nodded and 
reached under his shirt, pulling out the pendant necklace Hitomi had given him.  The pink 
jewel sparkled in the light and he approached Ken, resting a hand on the man's arm.  He 
closed his eyes and envisioned his home vividly.  The jewel began to glow.  "Hold on.' he 
softly murmured, and then the column of light exploded around them, washing out all colours. 
Like a gentle wind, they lifted, transcending walls and roofs magically, vanishing with the 
streak of light.


--end part two--