Van and the Mercenary

By Sakura Courage Solo, sakura_courage_solo@yahoo.com
Sakura's home page http://www.geocities.com/callista_crystalstar/sakura_solos_dreamworld.html
 

Chapter 13

"A Crystal and Feathers..."


Very clever fanfic. It makes it so that characters from two eras which are hundreds of years apart end up meeting.  The main Zoid in here, called The War Wolf, is very believable. Tim Seltzer, seltzer@seltzerbooks.com


Sakura's Disclaimer: This goes for all chapters,so I don't have to write this dislaimer again...I don't own Zoids and don't get paid for writing this.Thank you.


Was it a dream?

Or...a vision?

I had another strange premonitions in my sleep,finding myself in a burning village...and holding Sakura's lifeless body in my arms...the worst sight I had ever seen...

Then she disappeared into a snow of feathers...and then her Mother appeared in front of me.She wanred me that what I had seen could be prevented,and gave me a necklace with a simple crystal hanging from it's string...the same necklace my Mother wore before she died giving birth to me...

And the very next day,after this premonition,the Neo Empire launched an attack on the village we arrived in that morning.Sakura was almost killed,but with Sombra's help and a Blade Liger lent to me by Sakura's Mother,I had done just as she said...I had prevented Sakura's death...


Chapter 13

"A Crystal and Feathers..."

I grunted and turned in my sleep over and over again,trying to get comfortable as I laid in bed that night,my back aching like someone had stomped on it with an Iron Kong...

I finally just sat up,thinking I should probably take something.I stood from the bed and walked into the hotel's bathroom.We had recently come to Kaze Aoi City after our incident at the village and decided to take a rest here for a while.But rest was near impossible for me with my aching back...

I walked into the bathroom and grabbed some aspirin from my backpack,taking it down quickly and looking at my image in the mirror.Geez,I needed some sleep.Hopefully the aspirin would help me.I was pale-faced and had bags under my eyes.I hoped I would feel better by morning at east,so I would'nt worry Sombra and Sakura.ESPECIALLY Sakura...I knew how she tended to worry about me...

I sighed and continued to stare at my image in the mirror,then suddenly seeing a feather float down in front of me out of nowhere.I blinked in surprise and caught it,looking at the Angel white color before it just disappeared.I sweatdropped.

"Great,I'm seeing things...I seriously need some sleep..."

I then walked back towards the bedroom,stopping as I remembered that had'nt been the first feather I had seen...

I remembered I had seen one before when I was in the War Wolf's Zoid Core...and then there was a light snow of feathers when Sakura's body disappeared from my arms in my vision the week before...

Were these feathers some sort of a vision as well?But...what could they be a vision of?I did'nt understand...I just sighed and laid down,feeling the aspirin finally start to kick in and smiled,closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.


By the next morning the pain had returned,so took more aspirin.Normally I was'nt one to take so much medicine,but I was in pain,and lots of it.Sakura and Sombra had even noticed and asked if I was okay.I managed to get off with the fact that I had a slight backache and that I'd be fine.

But the pain had worsened when it came back...I was starting to wonder if there was something seriously wrong with me as we walked through the streets of Kaze Aoi that morning.I decided to dismiss it for now and only do something other than take some pain reliever if it got even worse.The problem was,it was pretty bad as it was...

I shook my head inwardly and continued down the street with Sombra and Sakura,looking about the city.Then...

"What the...?!"

I blinked several times anime style as I looked to my right,having could have sworn I had seen a certain black haired someone...

"R-Raven?!"

I choked out,seeing him disappear into the crowds.I felt Sakura put a hand on my shoulder,which sort of startled me as I jumped,looking to her.

"Oh,Sakura...just you...phew..."

"Hey,Van,you're acting wierd...what's up?Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah,I'm all right,I just...thought I saw someone,that's all..."

She blinked,wondering who I could have possibly seen,since there were'nt many people here I knew at all after being brought forward in time by 300 years and such.But either way,she sighed and decided to let it go,not wanting to pester me or anything.

"If you say so Van..."

She finally said,apparently worried deeply about me,but...how could I tell her?Well,either way,it was probably just my eyes playing tricks on me anyway.I mean,how could Raven possibly have followed me through time and space like that?But then I thought...

If I could do it...was'nt it possible he could too?

I shook my head,not liking the thought as I sighed,continuing to walk forward with Sakura and Sombra.


By later that night,after we had left Kaze Aoi city again and were now camping out,I still had'nt really decided whether or not I had really seen Raven.I thought I was probably just thinking about him subconciously,or maybe it was just someone who looked like him...

My thoughts were broken as I suddenly felt the sharp pain in my back again,that had gradually become worse over the day.I yelped slightly,as it had been pretty sudden.Man,what was causing this?

Sakura came over to me from where she sat on the log near the campfire,sitting down next to me.

"Van,you're in pain...please,let me try to help you."

She said soothingly and worriedly at the same time.I sighed and finally nodded,hoping maybe she could help,since the pain was becoming pretty intense.

Sakura took my nod as a yes and gently lifted up the back of my shirt,trying to see what was wrong.She did'nt make a sound for a moment.

"Sakura?What's wrong?"

I asked,getting a bad feeling.

She shook her head some and replied in almost a whisper,

"I have no idea..."

I was getting somewhat exasperated at this point and tried to look behind me.

"What do you mean,Sakura?What's wrong back there?"

She blinked her aqua eyes,as though finally getting herself together enough to speak and responded,

"It's...strange...and no wonder it hurts so bad...you've got two areas of skin lifted back here,and they're lifted so tight the skin has turned bone white..."

I blinked in both confusion and pain,wondering what that could possibly mean as Sakura called Sombra over.Unfortunately,Sombra had no idea about this either.And the pain was getting worse...

That's when things got wierder...images starting flashing in front of my eyes.Past images...

I once again saw the War Wolf's Zoid core surrounding me,and the angel white feather in front of me...and then everything changed to the vision before where Sakura had died,and where she disappeared in a snow of feathers from my arms...and then how I had seen a feather just the night before...was all of this trying to tell me something?Then...

"Van..."

I blinked,suddenly finding myself looking up at Sakura's Mother again.Had she come to warn me about something else?

She stepped forward,smiling to me.I wondered why that was,as I was in immense pain and it was showing very well...so why the heck was she smiling at me?!

Sakura's Mother knelt down in front of me,placing a hand on my shoulder.

"It's all right,Van.It will be over soon..."

I blinked,hoping she was talking about this pain,as I really wanted it to be over soon.She then spoke again.

"I know it's painful,but this is a gift from the Ancients.It will help you protect my daughter..."

"Wha-what?A gift from what ancients?And what is it exactly and why does it hurt so bad?"

"A gift from the Ancient Zoidians.You are considered one now in this world and so they will help you.As for what it is,you shall understand soon enough,but you must not tell anyone,understand?"

I swallowed hard and nodded,the pain continuing to increase and nearly making me faint as Sakura's Mother smiled at me again before tapping the crystal around my neck,and I then suddenly found myself back in the campsite,sitting on a log as I had been before with Sakura and Sombra trying to figure out what was wrong with my back.

By now the pain had become almost unbearable as I let out a yell,Sakura sitting down beside me,looking frightened for once as she tried to comfort me.

"Shhh,it'll be all right,Van,just...try to relax...I know it hurts buttry to relax,okay?"

I nodded slowly,grunting some as the pain increased.I was on the verge of letting out another yell.Then my crystal started to glow a little,and I heard another strange voice,but this one somehow or other sounded familiar,like I had heard it before...it was'nt Sakura's Mother though.The voice said,

'Van,hold on.I know you can.Just hold on a little longer..."

I then suddenly had a flashback...a flashback of a memory I did'nt even know I had.I was a small child again,really small,just a baby...and someone was holding me.I looked up to see a beautiful woman with soft,brunette hair and ruby chocolate eyes,a familiar crystal hanging at her neck.She smiled down at me weakly.

"Van...that will be your name..."

She whispered,and it was then I realized I was looking at my Mother...

My Mother kissed my forehead gently,sighing in a weak and tired way before leaning back and closing her eyes,which never opened again...

I felt tears sting my eyes as I found myself in the real,present world once again,realizing what I had just seen.I had seen what happened in the past...my Mother had died just after giving birth to me...and it was her voice I had heard through the crystal before...

"M-Mother..."

I whispered,tears hitting the ground as Sakura tried to comfort me.

"It's okay Van,I'm here..."

She spoke softly,by now looking right into my eyes.I nodded slowly,not able to talk by now as the pain was too much.

Then,I suddenly felt the pain seemingly spike,like someone had stuck two swords into my back suddenly.I yelled out in utter pain,actually in a scream.

Sombra leapt back from her place where she had been observing my pained back,closing her eyes as she had suddenly seen something seemingly come out at her.She closed her eyes,then blinking and opening them,looking back to me.

I breathed heavily now,the pain having stopped for the most part for some reason.I sweatted profusely,looking to the ground now,then up to Sakura.Her eyes seemed to be trained on something behind me.

"Wh-what?"

I asked breathlessly,looking back behind my shoulders...my jaw dropped.

We all stared at what was now apparently the reason I was in such pain before,all of us speechless until Sombra finally recovered,sort of whispering the word out.

"Wings..."

End of Chapter Thirteen


Van and the Mercenary by Sakura


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