Desires And Decisions (Van)

[Khiara]

Closing her eyes, the vantha allowed herself to be folded into his arms, pressing herself against the warmth of his body and breathing the scent of his skin. Time, she wished, would just stop here and now, so she didn't have to pull away. Wrapping her own arms around him, Khiara listened to the beat of his heart, the only sound she heard now. The tears which she had tried so hard to hold back spilled down her cheeks, though she made no sound. After a time, she spoke, keeping her eyes shut.

"I will always hold you in my heart, even when we eventually go our separate ways. Look after Pygmy, when I am gone. And think of me. Perhaps, one day, our paths will cross under different circumstances. Till then, I can only care for you, as a friend." Lifting her head and pulling back slightly, the vantha opened her lavender coloured eyes to look at him, before reaching up to hold his face with both hands.

There was a pause, a heavy and meaningful thing. Her eyes searched his, drank in the last of what would no longer be. One day, she would visit with Queen Morwen and ask her of this day. Ask her why all the world over, she had to end up in Endrykas - only to loose what she couldn't have anyway. Even if it was like loosing her heart all over again, it had been worth it. To open up and find herself again was worth finding Vanator all over again.

Standing on her toes, she pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss, lingering painfully. It wasn't just a kiss, it was a goodbye. A closing off of things not to be followed and feelings to be set aside. Breaking away, she released him, stepping back and pressing her fingers to her lips. Eye's shifting to a brilliant gold, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, Khiara turned and walked away, leaving behind any false hope.

[Vanator]

As Khiara welcomed Vanator's embrace, her soft form pressing against him and her arms encircling him, the Drykas felt as if his chest could no longer contain his heart. He held her, clung to her as she wept. He rubbed his cheek against her silky mane, his hands pulling her closer. Khiara's words rang of finality, spoken with the beautiful Vanthan lilt, and they washed over Vanator in a bittersweet flood. "I will take care of Pygmy. I will always think of you Khiara, how could I forget? I will cherish your friendship, and everywhere I go, a piece of you will go with me." He paused, not daring to say more. Vanator could barely stand it as Khiara took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. He savored the sensation, gathering in an entire unrealized relationship in that one kiss, for he knew it would be the last. She pulled away, tearing his heart as she stepped back. Her eyes shimmered a brilliant gold, and even in her tear-streaked sorrow, Khiara was beautiful. Words danced at the tip of Van's tongue, waiting to be spoken. They were words birthed of emotions that, of all the those he had met, only Khiara had truly plumbed. As the Vantha turned from him and passed through the tent flap, an unspoken door closed between them. The words suddenly flowed from his lips, a sentiment Vanator had not uttered since he lost Tamar. As Vanator stared at the empty space Khiara had left, a hushed, unheard confession spilled from his lips. "Khiara, I love you."