Hello, everyone! The time has now begun to introduce the second installment of Rutilus Fumen Part 2!
I finally got this first chapter done! FINALLY! I mean, I've had this more than halfway done for the past several months and I just never had the time to sit down and get all of it organized and spell checked. I really had to go over on this thing and make sure I was getting everything correct. The whole chapter sets new twists and surprises I have planned, so I had to make sure everything was perfect. That's probably one of the reasons why this took so freakin' long!
But it's here now. FINALLY! Once I figure it out, I'll try to post the link to the Part 1 on this chapter, so that those who have never read this story can get caught up. I'll probably do some good editing on those first few chapters because there are some major problems grammatically in those. Yikes!
Enough of my rambling! Read and enjoy! FINALLY! :)
The evening sun burned bright in Yukari's dark watchful eyes. The desert wind, which never used to bother the brown haired girl before, made her squirm with irritation. Granules of sand flew into her tan face as she stared unblinkingly at the dusty road ahead. Mouth clamped shut in determination; her hands curled themselves into tense fists against her slightly stained apron. The wood of the porch groaned painfully as she shifted her weight to her left foot. She swallowed thickly and took a deep breath to steady herself. The tall house behind her casted a shadow of fierce foreboding...
A foreboding of the choice she would have to make.
Tomorrow evening, she thought quietly through the stirring wind. Tomorrow evening, Amano comes home from his training. The choice to tell him about what I have discovered is approaching. I have to tell him. I must.
Softly, the brown haired girl bit her bottom lip; a nervous habit she had never grown out of. Once again, the violent battle of indecision raged ferociously in her mind.
But you will ruin the reputation and career of a friend that trusted you with his secret. Are you that much of a coward? Is it really worth it just to follow a hunch? Where is the proof?
"I have to tell Amano about Hitomi. There was no other way." She repeated to herself, fighting the onslaught of her own thoughts. Saying the words out loud made her heart beat wildly. The sandy wind suddenly picked up speed and whistled through her hair. The faint voice of Grison floated through her mind as if even the wind itself was against her. Blinking in surprise, Yukari's memory of the alleyway where she had met Grison appeared around her. At once, a figment of the pimply boy emerged in her imagination, just as she had seen him in her dreams these past few days…
"I trust you, Yukari, but I will get worse than suspension if word of this gets to the top. I most likely will lose my chances at ever getting a decent job in the country. You cannot tell a soul, okay?"
Yukari shook her head against the waves of vacillation that hit her fiercely. Opening and closing her eyes, she found the apparition still in front of her. The darkness from the hallucinated alleyway crept in around her like clawing shadows.
"This was the way it had to be." She called helplessly, almost pleading the image to understand.
"I am breaking my promise to h-her by telling you…"
"Hitomi is in danger. Hospesland is in danger. The King of Fanelia has deliberately breached Castra's walls and taken her from her own country. Am I just supposed to sit here and watch? And besides, Grison, she is my friend. And her step-brother deserves to know. Amano needs this. He is torn because of this kidnapping."
"Yukari, she loves him! I know it!"
"You are an idiot, Grison! What do you know about love? You claimed to be in love with every girl in Hospesland! And yet, you somehow know for certain that Hitomi left because she was in love? She didn't even meet the Fanelian King until that day!"
"I did it for a reason beyond my own understanding. It was as if I released the wall that held in a force more powerful than Gaea has ever known."
"That is why it is beyond your understanding." Yukari put her palms on her tired eyes and pushed until she saw stars. Feeling her heart fill with a heavy weight, she mumbled quietly, "You were bewitched, Grison. There is no reasoning to your decision to let her go. The powerful force you're talking about was just a spell that manipulated you to see only how that king would want it."
"Are you going to turn me in? Get me arrested for treason?"
The sharp breeze on her face quailed within seconds, leaving the echoing silhouette of Grison's question floating in the air. Yukari lowered her hands to stare at the sandy road. The alleyway had vanished with the wind.
"I… don't know…" she answered, her heart brimming with the fear of uncertainty. "I don't know what to do…"
BANG!
Yukari shrieked as the front door behind her bounced horribly off the wall.
"There you are, imbecile!" Clara called from the doorway, her beautiful face oddly flushed. "I've been calling for you forever."
Yukari raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Why in Law's name were you calling for me? We don't…" the brown haired girl searched for the right word. "…talk."
"I know, I usually wouldn't be caught dead near you, but Mama just told me some wonderful news! And this concerns you as well."
The brown haired girl lifted an eyebrow before turning back around to the road.
"Not interested."
"Oh, come on! This will be great!"
"No."
"Yukari, you don't even know what I'm going to say!"
"And I like it this way."
Yukari smiled furtively at her sister's frustrated growl.
"That doesn't matter anyway. You're going regardless if you want to or not."
The brown haired girl chuckled to herself. "I'd like to see you try."
She could see the smirk on Clara's face behind her.
"Ha! Mama will make you. There's no way we are passing up this opportunity."
"Really? What opportunity?" Yukari asked with a bored voice. Though she had to admit, her interest was pricked.
"We are to leave tomorrow morning for Gutte to visit Auntie Olive for a month!" Clara announced happily.
"WHAT?" Yukari roared, swiveling around to stare at her sister in horror. "A month? You've got to be kidding!"
"I know! Isn't it divine? Though I will be missing dear Amano's return home, the shopping in Gutte cannot be wasted! It will be fantastic! This will be the first time in the big city! It's about time, in my opinion! This whole small camp scene gets pretty mind-numbing."
Yukari stood frozen as Clara twirled gracefully in a circle, letting her pink skirts catch the sandy wind. "I can get that new scarf for when winter sets in. Oh, and you have to understand that only the best of the best comes from Gutte. You can get new aprons to replace your filthy ones and..." she trailed off with a sharp look at Yukari's limp hair and plain dress. "And we can make you pretty!"
"But what about-?"
"What about what? The fight we had earlier this week at the dinner table? Oh, I totally forgive you!" Clara's beautifully full lips turned into a sweet smile that made Yukari sigh in frustration.
"Let me guess: Mama told you that I had to go in order for you to go. Am I right?"
Her sister blinked with surprise.
"O-of course not!" she countered quickly. "I have always wanted to spend time with you. You just never let me. I've asked you to go shopping around town…"
Yukari flipped a brown lock behind her shoulder and snorted. "Ha! When has that ever happened?"
The strained smile that had appeared on Clara's cheeks slowly fell. It was replaced with a ferocious scowl.
"I have asked you! You've never wanted to come along!"
"I am not going to Gutte." Yukari finished simply. She felt a triumphant pride as Clara's smooth cheeks grew red with anger.
"We shall see." She muttered quietly, backing away from Yukari as if daring her to object again.
Keeping her proud grin, the brown haired girl just shook her head.
"Don't underestimate me, sister." Clara sneered, lifting her beautiful head. "You know I always get what I want in the end."
Watching her sister enter the house in a huff, her self-satisfied smile slipped easily off her face. A strong sandy wind blew fully on her as she turned to stare back at the dead wilderness outside her porch.
As her brown hair lifted off her neck in the breeze, Yukari let her voice get carried in the wind.
"Hold on, Hitomi. I'll save you."
Led by a swift hand, Merle kept her eyes wide through her sweaty helmet as she travelled down another flight of torch lit stairs. The murky air caused her to cough briefly. The man leading her was a soldier in bright red attire. Though she could feel his claws through her illusionary arm guard, she didn't have enough light to focus on what type of clan he came from. Judging by his long tail, she guessed he had to be from some rodent village.
"You will stay here for the time being." The soldier whispered kindly, his back still facing her. "The king wishes to question you more on the death of Lord Dilandau. I have been ordered to treat you with the utmost care. There is no need for you to be scared, sir. You are not in any danger with me around."
Merle tried to slow her panting as she was gently pulled down another staircase.
"Am I under arrest? Am I in trouble?" She whispered through the deep bass throat she controlled. She felt the sharp Adam's apple of the illusion she was wearing swing up as she swallowed again. Where were they taking her? To a dungeon to be tortured?
"Of course not, sir," the soldier spoke firmly, his clawed hand still resting easy on her palm. "Why would you be in trouble? You are only being detained. You will be sent back to the village you came from as soon as the questioning is done."
"What of Lord Dilandau's body? Will it be examined too?"
"The cremation of Lord Dilandau's body will commence tomorrow morning. It has already been thoroughly examined."
"What have they discovered? Is he…?" Merle felt her small heart drop in anticipation and fear.
"He has been confirmed dead like the other western infantry b-bodies." The man's voice caught on the word. Clearing his throat, he continued with his speech. "There is no living survivor besides you… and my brother…"
"Y-your brother?" Merle stuttered with the unexpected news. "What do you mean? The only other survivor… that means you're from the kitsune clan."
Sucking in a deep breath, she realized her error right when he did. The man turned slowly in the torch light, the orange glow bouncing perfectly off his black hair. The deep ebony fur of his face shimmered with each lip of flame.
Merle stood in fearful awe.
A black cat.
"How did you know the only other survivor was from the Kitsune Clan?" He hissed strangely, his yellow eyes enveloping her face. Her heart seized in her chest as his hypnotic pupils zipped studiously over her illusion.
"I-I heard from the other men in camp." She stuttered out, hoping she could hide her obvious fear behind the helmet.
"Why is it you haven't taken off your armor, sir?" His question was tense and suspicious.
Racking her brain, Merle lied quickly. "I wasn't given a change of clothes. I was brought straight from the gates to you."
To her dismay, the kitsune man frowned heavily at her. Watching his nose twitch, she knew immediately her cover was blown.
"I can smell your fear, sir. And it just got a lot stronger since I asked the question about my brother. Actually, it just skyrocketed. I have smelled many different types of fear, sir." His black clawed hand tightened around her arm. "Yours is one I haven not smelled in a long time: the fear of discovery!"
With the reflexes of that only by the kitsune clan, Merle found her helmet wrenched from her head and her legs swept beneath her feet. With a crying gasp, her pink hair flew around her face as her illusion slowly disintegrated before her eyes. The armor melted into the snowy white dress she had received from the Fanelian king. A furry of black shadows enveloped her vision before she had time to prepare her mental blocks and she soon found herself struggling against the mental hold of the black cat's powers.
"I thought I smelled kitsune's fur." His dark voice whispered in the dark corners of her mind. "Why is a kitten like you here? You can tell me, or I can break your mind by forcefully retrieving your memories one by one."
"Wait!" Merle cried, "You said I would be protected! Please, do not hurt me! We are family, you and I!"
"Why were you using illusion? You hid yourself among the king's armies and… and…" The mental holds on Merle weakened slightly as the black cat put the pieces together in horror. "You… you killed all those men…"
Before his ties could fasten themselves securely around her once more, Merle knocked her mind against his with shattering force.
"AGH!" The kitsune man cried out and stumbled away from her fallen body as the darkness in her vision faded. With the speed of a huntress, Merle invaded his mind and began to tear through his brain with jumbling ferocity.
"I am the one who will bring down Fanelia from the inside." The kitten roared in his obvious dying mentality. "I took pity and spared your brother, but you pose a serious threat to my mission. Therefore, you are now eliminated. Goodbye, Uncle."
The black furry body crumbled beneath her small feet and lay still on the stone steps. His yellow eyes glued horrifically on her face.
An odd burning sensation rose quickly in her throat. Turning from the corpse, she grabbed a torch from a nearby peg and tossed it behind her. Hearing the sickening sound of flesh and fur crackling with fire, Merle picked up her white skirts and ran up the steps.
The castle's dark hallways always gave Van a sense of insecurity. His entire life, he roamed these halls without a care in the world in the daylight. However, as soon as night hit, it was almost as if the impact of every decision, every word, and every mistake would drown him in the shadows. He really didn't understand what it was about the nighttime that made him so uptight. He wasn't afraid of anyone trying to attack him in the dark - considering he was the strongest man in the entire nation. No, his fear seemed to run a bit sharper than by mere mortal standards. It was almost as if the emotions of anxiety and sadness had embraced one another in a fierce kiss, unable to quench their horrible passion.
And he was the only one who could feel its burn.
Listening to the muffled quiet, the dark haired man kept his searching mahogany eyes filled with every dark shadowy crevice. His right ear twitched as faint footsteps sounded behind him.
Turning swiftly with his right hand ready to summon his sword, Van's piercing eyes caught the sight of a long haired figure.
"Allen," Van breathed in relief as the figure neared. "You really need to warn people when you decide to sneak up in the middle of the night. I told you I could look for the escapee alone."
"Who said I was Allen?" A soft female voice resounded back to him and Van felt his heart jump in surprise.
It wasn't Allen. It was his sister, Selena.
"This is a bad time for you to be wondering alone, Lady Selena." Van reprimanded softly. "You're a long way from your room."
The blonde woman smiled sweetly, her blue eyes bright. "I'm not afraid of the escaped prisoner."
"He's not a prisoner. He is a Fanelian citizen, not a criminal. He was being held for questioning against the events around Dilandau's death." Turning away from the blonde woman to hide the pain in his eyes from mentioning Dilandau's name, Van swallowed thickly and stared at the wall. "He was the only one who survived the western flank's massacre. And now… he's gone. The guard was also killed. The halls are not safe for a woman such as you."
She smiled brightly at his words. "I want to help you."
"The only way you can help is to go back to bed," Van said sternly still looking at the wall. "It's safer in the North Tower with your brothers."
"I could keep you company?" She whispered, letting her question hang on the air. She adjusted her evening robe so that the fabric draped almost seductively off her shoulders. "Searching alone is tiresome."
The king smiled tensely, his mahogany eyes focusing on her exposed skin. "I've been tired since I came home. It's almost as if I can't get any sleep anymore. Everything seems to be falling apart. And now, my only way of gathering answers from Dilandau's tragedy has up and disappeared. Leaving behind a dead corpse… and the council members…" Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Selena slid into a patch of moonlight. The glaze of luminosity created a halo of silver on her beautiful hair. "...t-the council members are refusing my demands that the escapee is still here. Not only that, but they refuse to acknowledge the Pilot."
Selena's smile grew tight at the mention of the Pilot. Van, deep in his confession, hardly noticed.
"Her approval for the trials has yet to be confirmed, Lady Selena. For now, we have to keep training her and proving their accusations wrong."
She allowed a playful pout to sprout on her lips. "Why do you have so much faith in her? I don't understand why you stick your neck out for her. She's redheaded. She looks just like the people who have destroyed our lands to the North."
Van sighed and ran a gloved hand through his disheveled hair. "You too, huh?"
"I just want to understand."
"It's a tough one to explain." The ebony haired man was silent for a moment, contemplating. "She just is. There is no other way to say it."
"With all due respect, Majesty, you expect the council members to buy into 'she just is'? You see why I follow their fear of her. She is monstrously powerful – though not as powerful as you, of course – and her looks. They are almost devilish, am I right?"
The king forced a smile. "You need to go to bed. I'd rather do this search alone."
Selena immediately backtracked. "I did not mean to offend you with my opinions. They were rudely spoken. Please forgive me, Majesty." Curtsying quickly, she let her beautiful blonde hair fall gracefully over her bare shoulders.
"Your brother, Chid, will be wondering about your absence. Shall I send a guard to take you back to your room?" Van offered his eyes still on the skin of her shoulders.
"That is not necessary, Majesty. I'll be fine." Turning away with a floating air, she glided away from him.
He was just about to turn around to continue his walk when he heard, "Just so you know, I will protect you from anything, my king. I will take on the entire Zaibach army for you. Just say the word and I will fight by your side."
He met her determined gaze and felt the truth in her words. "Well, I'll warn Zaibach when you decide to charge into battle with me." Van laughed as he turned his back to her to continue on his way.
Listening to her small footfalls as they faded away, his brown booted feet tap lonely on the gray, chilly stone floor once more. The black haired man ran a clammy hand once again through his crazy fringe and let it fall back into his sharp mahogany eyes. It was better that Selena wasn't with him tonight. Though he disliked his loneliness, he had promised something… and this something could only be done alone.
He closed his eyes briefly as the smell of flames filled his mind. Just yesterday, the ritual for Dilandau's burial had commenced. Feeling his vox core tugging uncomfortably in his chest at the memory, he stopped his walk for a moment to let his mind drown in the remembrance of the cremation:
Allen, long hair billowing in the silence around him, stood still and quiet to Van's left. His pale handsome features were turned down with fatigue and sadness. Latched onto the blonde man's arm was Millerna, her face covered in tears. Her beautiful long hair was respectfully wrapped in a tight knot at the base of her neck and her silver dress seemed to forlornly sway in the ever present breeze.
A loud honk sounded from Van's right and he glanced over to see a tear stained Selena standing increasingly close to him with a wet white handkerchief in her hand. Blowing her nose again, Van unthinkingly winced at the sound. Selena was beautiful. There was no denying that fact. Her personality was very trying at times, but her sweet disposition made up for that fact. Van wondered why she insisted on standing near him when her brother was on his left. She could be taking comfort with her brother like Millerna was.
And… Van always got nervous around crying women.
Dryden, standing further behind Van, was pulling helplessly at his silver tie as if it was choking him. His brown hair let out of its usual ponytail, Dryden let it hang uncharacteristically messy in his face. Several times, Van had caught the man removing his square shaped spectacles and wiping his face. It was strange to see the brown haired man standing by himself – that was until Van noticed where Dryden's green counterpart had gone.
Gadeth had his hands full. Kneeling to the far left of Millerna, the green man – now in the funeral silver attire – was holding a vibrantly pink haired girl in his arms. The little kitsune, Merle – she called herself – was completely distraught. Watching the green man hold the small cat-girl steady, Van's mind hardly seemed to register how strange it was that she would weep so much for a man she hardly knew. Now that Van thought about it he didn't even think Dilandau had liked the little girl when they had found her on the bottom of the Silus Mountains. And yet, here she was, crying so hard that it shamed him. Should he cry like her? Would it be respectful to Dilandau or show a sign of weakness to his people?
'I promised him I'd mourn for him later.' Van thought firmly. 'It's better to keep a leveled head when in front of my people.'
However, it was difficult to keep his head clear. With the disappearance of his only witness to the massacre, Van felt about as helpless as he could get. If Zaibach had found a new way of killing, more than the Western Flank will suffer the next time he meets the Zaibachian army in battle. Unless… the Pilot…
A wisp of silver caught Van's mahogany eye and he broke his thought process immediately. What he saw almost took his breath away. Hitomi, in a shadowy silver dress, stood with her bright green eyes unblinking at Dilandau's coffin. Remembering the vision she had told him back at the meadow, Van found that by just gazing at her eyes, he could instantly tell what her thoughts were:
So this is what the coffin had meant.
Her shocking red hair was covered by a thin silver veil that flowed dancingly in the wind. She reached up quietly with soft fingers and stroked a small golden chain around her neck. Whatever was on the necklace was tucked hidden underneath the front of her dress.
His heart did a little jump as she caught his eye suddenly. Her green orbs twinkled gently as she lifted the corners of her mouth to give him a sad, shy smile. Something instantly grabbed his right arm and immediately a petite blonde head leaned heavily on his shoulder.
Selena!
Gasping in surprise, Van's body froze and his heart hammered nervously. He zipped his mahogany eyes to Hitomi once more.
Would she be angry?
She wasn't looking at him. She was talking quietly to Balgus who had just come to her side. Her expression grew solemn as Balgus whispered something in her ear. The black haired man watched her swallow and opened her mouth to say something to the older man; however, he turned away before she had the chance to say whatever had been on her mind.
And that was when her eyes caught his again. Selena, who was still clutched onto his arm and weeping hysterically, was causing the blood to leave his forearm and hand. His heart pounded miserably in his chest as he saw her eyes widen surprise. Almost as soon as her shocked expression appeared, it disappeared into an emotionless stare. She nodded to him – her red hair slipping a little out of the veil – and turned to walk further away from him.
Great. Just great.
And the torches came. One after another, the flaming wooden rods were placed on the piles of chopped logs that surrounded Dilandau's coffin.
It caught fire faster than Van imagined.
Flames licking the draping red banner, Van almost felt the urge to look away as the coffin began to disintegrate bit by bit. The box fell away completely only a minute after the fire had begun to fully roar.
His heart did a little catch as an unexpected glimpse of Dilandau's burning flesh was shown.
This was the moment that had puzzled Van the most. As the body burned, Dilandau's vibrant silver hair slowly darkened to a chocolate brown. His face changed as well. The sharp lines in Dilandau's face smoothed slowly as the fire's heat ate away his skin. It was as if Dilandau suddenly transformed into a completely different person.
But that couldn't be right, could it? Was that a normal reaction when flesh caught fire?
Feeling his core tug once more in his chest, Van opened his eyes and sighed again. He'd probably been imagining things. The flames were bright. His eyesight had gotten foggy.
Entering a deeply quiet hallway, Van swiftly turned right and pulled on the border of a large painting of his father. A secret entryway followed by a flight of stairs and Van knew he had found it.
The door. A simple wooden door, yet behind it was his promise. Swallowing, he lifted his shaking, gloved hand and pushed the door open.
And there - only a few feet away in the glowing candlelight - proudly stood the urn of Dilandau, Guardian of the Armor, and Third Vehotus.
The hot scent of sweat lingered disgustingly on the stagnant air. A breath of it almost made her gag. The flash of bright light caused her green pupils to retract painfully. When the glaring beam had passed off her face, she recognized the scene with a gasp of fear and sadness.
The desert wind blew relentlessly against a thick line of staggering men. Their faces looked of death and exhaustion, their expressions filled with hopelessness and loss. They marched perfectly in step to a rhythm helped by their clinking bronze armor. Her eyes filled with the painful grimace of every single man. Her mouth tasted of dried sweat, blood, and tears.
Something tragic had happened to these men. Who were they? Why did they seem so familiar…?
The sun glared off of one soldier's brilliant body armor and another intense, blinding light rushed in her face, changing the scene.
Her eyes widened as a large rectangular box replaced the vision of the men. It sat alone. Untouched and unkempt. Approaching the box slowly, she swallowed thickly as she realized exactly what the box was…
A coffin…
As she neared the coffin, the tell-tale red banner with the white dragon logo of Fanelia was easily visible, draping over the box like a shield.
"This is just like Dilandau's from the other day." She mused with a strange sense of curiosity mixed with fear.
A roaring explosion caused her to shriek in horror as an all-consuming flame of fire suddenly engulfed the coffin. Breathing in the smoke, she choked as it burned her throat and nose. Through watering eyes, she watched with revulsion as the banner was eaten completely by the raging fire. The bright flames moved on, scorching the wood of the coffin.
A terrifying high-pitched shriek filled the air as the fire grew brighter and began to eat the lid of the box.
"No, no, no!" she stuttered, wanting to turn away from the sight. However, her eyes stayed completely transfixed on the ferocious blaze before her. "I don't want to see inside it. I don't want to see the body."
The scream stopped as the lid of the coffin fell into a pile of ash and the inside became exposed to the outside air.
She let out a little cry of surprise as something crackled disgustingly from inside the box. Something… not human…
Her stomach tightening into hard knots, she held in her scream as a withered smoldering hand rose to grip the edge of the box, fire enflaming the wrinkled fingers. The smell of burning flesh caused her to slap a hand to her nose. She backed away as the hand – now showing tips of bone through peeling flesh, slowly let go of the box and blindly reached for her.
Eyes transfixed in utter horror, she felt her foot catch on something large lying on the ground and she fell hard to the floor. Gray bones of the fingers continued to search blindly outside the red-hot fire. Swallowing, she forced her eyes away from the coffin to focus on the cold, bulky object she had tripped on…
"VAN!" Hitomi gasped loudly, rising up out of her soft covers instantly. Expecting to see the mutilated, burning hand in front of her, she blinked quickly and took several deep breaths to calm her rushing adrenaline. Her spacious room spanned before her with comforting stability.
Closing her burning eyes, Hitomi swallowed the taste of burning fire that still scorched her throat.
The vision of death?
Why?
Dilandau was already dead. He had been carried in the familiar rectangular box through the large gates of Escadallete. Her dream had been interpreted. Everything was fine.
Why was death coming back to haunt her?
A wavering vision of the distressed army ran through her brain. They were not Fanelian troops, she knew that for sure. Bronze armor? She knew she had seen that before… but where?
Wiping her cold sweat off her forehead, she ran a hand through her wet short red locks. Her questions were being left without answers and that was something she hated. Her natural inquisitive instinct had been one of the reasons why she was chosen by Rutilus Flumen to be the pilot of the Golden River's Guymelef. Or at least that's what Rutilus has told her.
But just sitting here by herself in the dark, Hitomi certainly didn't feel brave enough to be a pilot of anything. With dreams and visions haunting her, the green eyed girl knew she was finally feeling the burden of being chosen. An entire country – heck, the entire world – rested on her shoulders. She was the Fanelian trump card. The one no one would see coming.
"How can I protect anything if I have no idea what I'm doing?" Hitomi grumbled to herself as she pushed herself to lean against her silk, maroon pillows. "Sure, I understand vox magic and everything, but if these visions don't leave me in peace, I'll never get any rest."
Hitomi grimaced at her lame joke. The sad part was there was a large amount of truth to it.
She let out a small squeal of surprise as her red curtain fluttered suddenly in a breeze out of the corner of her eye.
Placing a hand on her racing heart, a shutter of anxiety slivered down her sweat drenched nightgown. A burning sensation touched her palm. The skin on her chest began to lace with a flaming pain. Gasping, she instantly retracted her hand and glanced down curiously to see a small charcoaled hole on the front of her clothes. Blinking in surprise, Hitomi reached down her shirt to pull up her pendant.
"OUCH!" She squealed as her fingers brushed the pink stone. "It's hot!"
It had burned a hole right through her pajamas! Checking down her shirt quickly, Hitomi glanced over herself to see any burnt skin on her chest. A red ugly burn stung horribly as soon as she spotted it. The skin next to her right breast was completely raw.
What in Gaea?
Rutilus? The stone? What's going on?
Hitomi frowned as the River's presence slowly filled her brain. Usually, Rutilus was there as soon as she called.
I… feel weird.
What's wrong? What's going on? My skin is burned! The green eyed girl held her pendant by the chain keeping it off her skin.
Something strange has happened.
Really? You don't say? Hitomi retorted sardonically. Something strange, huh? That's not vague at all.
Something has changed the future. The River clarified quietly not jumping to counter Hitomi's sarcasm. The uncharacteristic seriousness in Rutilus' voice made the green eyed girl shiver in her sweaty nightgown. My power feels the current of life in this world. An unpredictable decision has been made and it will intimately change the outcome of this war you are in. The vox is trying to tell us that.
Something has changed? What could that possibly be?
It's too soon for either of us to know.
You're feeling bad?
I feel… tense. Like there's something you need to do soon…
Hitomi snorted, shaking her head in hopelessness. I hope it tells me soon. My guessing skills are less than top notch. In fact, I am probably the worst when it comes to interpreting anything.
And you are the one the visions are coming to, eh?
You chose me. Deal with the consequences. So, why is the pendant so hot? It's burned a hole right through my clothes.
Do you remember when I let you dream the past? My past. The next morning, do you remember what happened?
Hitomi thought about it for a moment. Her forehead crinkled with confusion.
Uhhh… I lost control of the power and almost blew up Balgus? I don't see what this has to do with-
You felt the vox begin to burn your body from the inside out. That was an uncontrollable spill of your core.
You're saying I unleashed my core in my sleep? The redhead groaned to herself and held the pink pendant closer to her face. Feeling the stone tenderly with her fingers, Hitomi sighed with relief. It had cooled down.
A bright burst of irritation suddenly filled her. Dropping her pendant back down her nightgown, Hitomi growled and reached up to pull her tossed hair angrily. I can't believe this! I thought I had this core thing under control. What is the point of going through all this crap training Balgus has put me through if I'm just going to go psycho unexpectedly?
Rutilus snorted tiredly. You will always be in danger of your core. The vox can be controlled, but if you let it, the power will overtake your mind.
Well, let's try not to have that happen anytime soon. Becoming a fiery pillar of vox magic is not top of my list right now.
You never know. Having your power run out of control might save your life someday.
Won't it burn me though?
Magic is unpredictable sometimes. It does what it wants. I should know. It's mine.
That really didn't answer my question.
Fire isn't my element. I don't know why-
FIRE! The redhead gasped suddenly as the vision of the burning coffin filled her brain. The vision! She had completely forgotten!
I saw something in my sleep, Rutilus! Something so horrible! I think it was a vision of something bad to come!
That might have been a good reason for the magic to start acting up. Your fear caused you to lose control of your vox. I'm surprised you didn't blow up your room.
Such reassurance... if I have nightmares, I'm going to explode something.
She felt her irritation flare once again.
An irritation at her own weakness.
Feeling her self-annoyance, Rutilus immediately switched gears. Tell me the dream, sweet. Everything will be alright. We can figure this out together.
Sighing, the redhead felt her anger ebb away slowly. When Hitomi had finished describing the soldiers, Rutilus stayed still and silent, as if in deep thought.
The soldiers… they weren't Fanelian soldiers. Hitomi added quickly.
How do you know?
I just know they weren't. Though their armor was familiar, I can't place where they are from. Besides, they were all human shaped. That definitely rules out the multicultural nation of Fanelia.
She could feel the River nodding in agreement. That makes sense. Fanelia does have a lot of mix-breeds. So, you dreamed of human soldiers marching… to where?
I don't know, but they all looked so sad. A small burning began to grow in the corner of Hitomi's green eyes. She pushed it down bravely and continued.
Rutilus, I'm afraid of the coffin.
A small pause fell in between them.
It's not good. She answered finally. Death is coming again.
Yeah, but on fire? That's even worse.
Yeah, I know. Creepy, much?
Now you see why I am so scared. What do you think the fire could represent?
Well, a lot of emotions are portrayed with fire. It could be the flames of love or the burn of hatred. Fire is the element of passion. The burning coffin with the Fanelian flag and the lid of the box burned to ash… Either someone hates that poor guy in the coffin, or loves him way too much.
You forgot the decaying hand reached out and catching fire… the flesh of it was all peeling… it felt really sad… and angry…
Hitomi had a sudden thought. The hand was searching for something. It was desperate…
An unexpected tear slipped down her cheek. Wiping it with a surprised hand, Hitomi blinked in astonishment as it was soon followed by another. Continually brushing them with the ruff of her sleeve, the redhead gasped as a sob racked her body.
Why are you crying? Rutilus asked with a gentle curiosity.
I… I don't even know! Hitomi sniffed back, just as lost. Running her pajama arm across her running nose, she attempted to stop the dripping liquid from dripping off her chin.
Attractive.
Oh, shut up. The green eyed girl grumbled as another wave of tears threatened to spill out.
If you need to cry, just do it. I'll wait till you're done.
I'm fine, I'm fine. Hitomi reassured with a quick sniff. Shoving her covers aside, the redhead slowly made her way to her vanity's mirror.
A thin woman with bright, slightly swollen green eyes stared determinedly back at her. She had flying away strands of short red hair that curved inward and outward all around her head. Her pale skin looked almost translucent in the dim moonlight that glowed from her window. The small burnt hole on the front of her nightgown – though embarrassingly where her right breast was located - was hardly noticeable amidst the outer ruffles of fabric that covered her entire gown.
That is one nasty nightgown.
Hitomi smiled softly fingering the small hole in her front.
I don't think the pendant likes it either.
I promise you. I'll do my best to always keep an eye on your power. If it even tries to burn you again, I'll stop it immediately.
Can you heal this, by the way? The redhead asked grumpily, reaching down the neck of her nightgown to finger the tender skin. It really hurt.
Bah! That will be gone by tomorrow! Rutilus reassured warmly.
The small smile lifted on her reflection's mouth as Hitomi watched her head tilt thoughtfully to the left.
It's strange to think I've been here for only two days and yet this place is already more of a home then Castra had ever been. Though most of the day yesterday was dedicated to training with Balgus, the palace gardens are something I could get lost in any day. Such lovely flowers! I bet Yukari would go insane with jealousy if she could see where I was.
I bet she would. Are you feeling better?
I am. The crying was a little weird, but I feel better because of it.
Maybe that was your body saying you needed to cry. Sometimes it just helps.
You're so wise. Hitomi grinned at her reflection and snorted loudly through a stuffy nose.
The River paused briefly…
Hitomi?
What is it? Hitomi gently sat down on the edge of her bed. She let her toes curl themselves around the ridge of her velvet carpet.
Do you want to talk about the hand?
The redhead shrugged, feeling a rush of new tears wanting to spill out of her eyes. It was a withered hand. It was probably someone I don't know yet.
She knew she was saying this to console herself.
You also said it was decaying. Any hand would be withered.
Maybe I'm not supposed to know who that was yet. Maybe I'm just going to be on the lookout when it happens. And if someone I meet has a nasty, withered hand, I'll warn them of impending doom.
Hitomi could just see the River shaking her head in disbelief. I take it back. Crying makes you too apathetic when the situation calls for seriousness.
I thought you wanted me to be more cheerful. What can I do in the middle of the night? I'll tell Van-
The vision of the flaming coffin slammed her brain forcefully. Hitomi pressed her hands to her eyes as she cried out in pain. Her head felt like it was about to split apart. A flash of the object she had tripped on… the large something that had caused her to fall…
THAT WAS VAN!
Wait. What was Van? What are you talking about!
Van's hurt! He's hurt right now! I have to go see him!
Hitomi, it is the middle of the night! He's asleep! There's nothing wrong!
Straightening up quickly, Hitomi felt her heart beat rapidly as understanding filled her brain. She had to go to him. He needed her! Tonight!
I can't explain, but Van was in my vision as well. He was… laying on the ground… he…
Well, what are you waiting for? GO!
Right!
The green eyed girl let her shoulders set with determination. Opening the wooden door of her room with a miraculous silence, she slipped out perfectly quiet into the sleeping castle's hallway.
Every breath he took fell deep in his lungs, expanding them gratefully in his chest. And then the pain came slowly like an aching throb. The agony spread slowly up his shoulders and neck causing him to curve his back forward with a grunt of suffering. The dripping sound increased slightly in the darkness. Pulling fruitlessly on his chained arms, the silver haired boy tried to swallow the rising iron that wished to bleed down his chin.
"It's never enough with you, huh?" A low voice murmured beside his ear, making him gasp in surprise. His gasp was followed by a squelching cough. More iron liquid dribbled out of his mouth and onto the floor below.
"You have the most fascinating healing abilities. With all the blood you have lost, I would have thought you'd be dead by now."
"… My vox is my… healing strength…" the silver haired boy coughed roughly, spraying more dark liquid.
A loud laugh followed his defiant sentence.
"Your vox? Your vox! What makes you think you can use your vox here? If you any such power, you would have broken out of those fragile chains and stopped this embarrassing excuse of vigor. No, though your rapid recovering health is more than enough proof, you keep surprising me in so many ways."
Keep his head lowered, Dilandau whispered only one word.
"Proof?"
"Proof. You want to know what proof?" The man answered in a cold sneer. "That you have the strength to become a legend. Stories will be told of your insolent unbending will here, Dilandau. Truly, these past few days have been most rewarding. You will thank me one day for this."
A sharp prick in the silver haired boy's lungs told him that the torture was still not through.
A hot breath next to his ear ruffled the tips of hair on his neck. A shiver of overwhelming disgust was almost too much to bear.
"Do you know why you will thank me? Come on, give it a guess."
Dilandau close his silver eyes against the rush of white-hot throbbing that spread once again up his back and neck.
"You're not going to answer me? I asked you a question."
Clenching his eyes shut against the future onslaught of hurt, Dilandau turned his head and spit in the direction of the dark voice. A loud curse and a painful punch on his jaw told him he had made a direct hit.
"Reckless. You will die here or you will awaken. It is your choice."
Not even knowing he had the power, Dilandau let his head roll up to catch eyes with his tormentor. Red eyes unblinkingly bored into his bloodied face.
"Why… why don't you…"
"What? Why don't I kill you? Because somewhere in that pathetic body is a gift. We are brothers of the same godly lineage. And it's this gene that will make you stronger than anything you can imagine. Forget vox. Forget Fanelia. Forget it all!"
The man pounded the wall next to Dilandau's head, making the stone crumble.
"Something sleeps inside you, brother. You don't need the vox. You have a power that has the qualities to overcome any foolish vox magic. I know you kept to yourself when surrounded by the vehotus. You were never part of them. You didn't even like them."
"N…no…" Dilandau shook his head feebly, sending the room spinning. He leaned heavily on his chains as he croaked, "They… they are my…fa-"
"They are your family…" the red eyed man finished, his face glowing in the wake of his brightened orbs. "You call them family. What of your true family? What of me?"
"You… call yourself my family…? Look what you are doing to me? And you're my family!" Gathering what spittle he had left – which was mixed with blood – he spit on the floor at the man's feet. "Van is my only brother. And he will come for me."
"Maybe he will." The man whispered, his voice echoing strangely against the stone walls. Backing away, the silver haired man knocked three times on the dimly lit door. "Maybe he will come storming in to save his loyal 'brother'. And I would save your spitting for when you have saliva and not blood."
"He will come for me. I know it." Dilandau whispered brokenly. "He wouldn't leave me behind."
The old wooden door grated roughly against the dirty stone floor as the red eyed man clucked his tongue in humor. "The optimism is so impressive. You know what? I bet he's already packed his majestic black steed and is galloping to the Northern Kingdom with a trail of his little fighting mix-mutants following his heels."
The door shut with a clang of locks. The laughter that followed was endless.
"He will come." The words fell flat to the blood covered ground.
An echoless hope.
Um… so… where are we going?
I don't know. I just know I need to take a right!
Okay! You take that right!
Bare feet slapped noiselessly against the cold stone of the shadowed floor of the castle. Hitomi let her breath fall evenly as she jogged through the huge hallways. Taking the right that she said she would, the redhead gasped and skidded to a halt on the rocky floor.
A face full of dark messy hair stared unblinkingly down at her. A portrait of one of Van's ancestors.
Great.
Yep, taking a right. Definitely didn't pick you for your intuition, that's for sure.
I do not need the sarcasm right now, Rutilus! Hitomi thought angrily, her body all tense. I know it told me to go this way… so what the heck?
Maybe it's a secret passageway or something.
How do I know if it is?
Check the border of the painting. See if it pulls away at all.
Reaching immediately to the portrait, Hitomi laced her fingers behind the border and yanked roughly. Maybe a little too roughly…
BANG!
The portrait swung open like a door and ricocheted ferociously on the other side of the wall. A piercingly loud creaking noise followed and suddenly, the painting was falling forward.
Oh, crap! I think I broke it!
Oh, crap! It's going to fall! Catch it!
She was too late to react. The whole portrait, frame and all, slammed thunderously on the stone floor. The horrible sound echoed monstrously down the empty hallways. Frozen in a state of fear and shock, Hitomi listened as the sound continued its echoing travel through the sleeping castle. The redhead blinked and shook her head to clear her brain as several doors on the other side of the hallway began to open.
OH NO!
Go through the passageway! FAST!
Hardly needing Rutilus' advice, Hitomi ran for it. Ducking almost expertly into the hole the portrait was covering, she leaped out like a tiger, rolled once, and was up on her feet within a span of two seconds. Behind her, the voices of startled maids and menservants filled the area.
Down these stairs!
Go! Go! GO!
She took them three at a time, almost tripping twice.
Well, that could have gone easier.
How was I supposed to know that portrait would fall like that!
I didn't say anything about the-
Van's over here!
-portrait falling over and you waking almost the entire castle and-
HUSH!
Hitomi panted heavily as she slid on the soft red fabric in front of a simple door. It could have been any other door in the castle. But she knew. She just knew this was the one.
Picking her feet up gently, she slipped closer to the door and pressed an ear to the wood. To her surprise, it creaked open just a bit as soon as she touched it.
Through the cracked door, she could hear someone weeping… it sounded like a man.
Nudging the door open a little more, Hitomi felt her heart hammer wildly in her chest as her eyes fell upon a shaking crouching figure in the shadows. He wept loudly. The agony he let out filled the room with a suffering torturous sound. His misery seemed to infect the very walls as the shadows around him grew a deeper black.
Entering further, the door gave a loud, predictable squeak. She started as the man immediately stiffened.
"Who's there?" He commanded in a familiar voice. It held the thickness of tears. "Show yourself!"
She pushed the door open a little more and the light fell on swollen mahogany eyes.
Van.
"Hitomi…" Van whispered tensely with his tearstained cheeks glowing in the candlelight. His black hair was messy, as though he had been pulling it. Elbows resting on his knees, he sat with his body facing something set on a pedestal – Dilandau's urn. A pang of sadness hit her stomach like a punch. He was mourning his friend by himself. He could have cried at the funeral ceremony, but he had held it all in so he could cry alone.
And like the idiot she was, she had interrupted him.
"Why are you here?"
His question startled her brain in a frantic wave of explanations.
"I found you." She answered stupidly, her hands gripping the ruffle of her nightgown. "I mean, of course I found you, but I had to find you. Wait, I mean it was a feeling that came over me. It led me here. I had a vision of you before – a while ago – and it has now come true. It was while I was in the desert with Balgus. It was the worst dream because I just… I-I don't know why I'm here. And now I'm rambling, sorry." With a shaking hand, she pushed her bangs away from her face and felt the skin of her face boiling with embarrassment.
The redhead's green eyes zipped around the room frantically as he stood shakily to face her. His face was shadowed from the candlelight behind him. His stillness made more words tumble in a nervous jumble from her mouth. "I'm truly sorry to disturb you. These wacky visions are almost impossible to understand. I don't know why I'm the one that has them. I'm probably the worst person in the world to ever have this kind of gift. This was a mistake. I am truly sorry, Van... You're Majesty… er… Sire…"
Turning away from him to face the open hallway, she crunched her face up in utter humiliation. "I'll just leave before I make even more of a fool of myself. I'm sorry to have disturbed yo-"
Hitomi gasped lightly as warm arms wrapped around her waist. She felt Van's long body press softly against her back and she shivered at the unexpected contact. His silky black hair brushed against her ear as he leaned his face closer to her ear.
"Don't leave me."
The words tingled down her entire body. She knew she was shaking slightly from the many emotions coursing through her. Confusion, embarrassment, nervousness, surprise, and – as one of his tan arms left her waist and grabbed her hand – complete and sheer joy.
"I won't leave." She whispered shakily as he turned her around to face him. He slowly led her back into the candlelight and the sadness of the urn in front of him.
"I thought I could handle the grief by myself. I thought that I didn't want anyone near." His voice broke and he was obviously holding back his tears for her sake. His eyes filled themselves with the urn and nothing else. She felt her heart break at his confession. She just wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him to her.
"But you came." He whispered and the very shadows soaked the words in. "You came to me."
He glanced at her quickly as if embarrassed of his confession. Hitomi smiled softly in his swollen eyes.
"I'm here."
And the first chapter is done. Sorry to leave it on such an intense cliff-hanger. I mean, how cruel of me to take forever to get this done and THEN have the nerve of stopping the story at a moment such as this! I mad at myself for doing it. I just needed to leave it so that I can start the next chapter with a more refreshing air. Hopefully you understand enough to forgive me. :)
Okay, I have a proposition for you all. I have been writing a prologue which sums up each chapter from Part 1 so that people who have read it before and find themselves saying, "Wait, who is this?" or "When the crap did that happen?" can just click back to the prologue and scroll through until they find the part where it describes the scene. It's probably one of the reasons this chapter has taken so long. I've been working on that prologue and it's a lot of junk to filter through. I never realized how much I elaborate on thoughts and feelings and description. Sheesh! ;) Well, if you want me to post a prologue just let me know v.a. review and/or message. I will be happy to oblige (once I get the stupid thing finished that is - which I'm on chapter 21. Go me!).
Thanks for the support from all of you! Truly you guys are wonderful! I missed talking with you about the plot and characters and whatnot! It's so exciting to be back in the story again!
This chapter goes to the wonderful cast of Glee who decided to have a finale of the second season dedicated to Journey. Their version of "Faithfully" is perfection.
I love you all! Hope to see you next time!
Blue...
